Gotham Chamber Opera's "El gato con botas (Puss in Boots)"

Now here's a poor cat in a whole lotta trouble--and sans boots. But just you wait!
(photo: Richard Termine)

Are you tired of Nutcrackers? Want something a little different this season?

Then head to El Museo del Barrio where Gotham Chamber Opera and Tectonic Theater Project bring the fun with their opera/puppet show production of composer Xavier Montsalvatge's El gato con botas (Puss in Boots), directed by Moisés Kaufman and conducted by Neal Goren.

Yes, fairy tale fun for all ages. I'm sure the adults among you will have more nightmares from staring at the looming, lurching Ogre (the excellent bass Kevin Burdette) than will the little kiddies.

The Ogre in his dark castle
(photo: Richard Termine)

What you'll have to watch for with the kids is that they, like you, will fall in love with the desperate, wily Cat and take away the lesson that lying is an acceptable practice. Oh, wait. They've already learned that from the news.

Hmmm. The wiliness of this cat might be no match for the survival instincts of these rabbits.
(photo: Richard Termine)

A poor miller (baritone Craig Verm) receives an inheritance. Hooray? Not quite.

It's not riches. It's a big-eyed orange tabby (voiced last night by the supple mezzo-soprano Karin Mushegain), scrawny, trembling, weeping at the man's swift rejection. But this is one determined cat. Facing sure death, kitty brainstorms an elaborate plan to bring good fortune--and the love of a good woman--into the life of this simple (and clearly not PETA-friendly) fellow.

The cat knows a thing or two about gullibility and works it, and the forces of nature, to amazing effect. Along the way, we get to enjoy some deliriously amusing Bunraku puppetry by London's Blind Summit Theatre and choreography by Seán Curran.

As it turns out, so many lives are saved--and changed--by the actions of one feline who would not take no for an answer. Sure, take your kids. That's a damn good lesson.

El gato con botas continues through this weekend on the following schedule:

Thursday, December 11, 7pm
Friday, December 12, 7pm
Saturday, December 13, 2pm
Saturday, December 13, 7pm
Sunday, December 14, 2pm

For more information and tickets, click here.

El Museo del Barrio
1230 Fifth Avenue (between 104th and 105th Streets), Manhattan
(map/directions)

With new leadership, El Museo del Barrio moves forward

At Museum Born of Politics, New Chief Faces Economics
El Museo del Barrio, Stabilized, Expands Its Mission
by Holland Cotter, The New York Times, June 5, 2014

Jack Agüeros, 76

Jack Agüeros, 79, a Champion of El Barrio, Dies
by David Gonzalez, The New York Times, May 6, 2014

In celebration of Celia Cruz

Celia Cruz

Celia the Queen

film screening and discussion

El Museo del Barrio

Wednesday, February 5, 7pm

Free admission

Celia the Queen, a film produced by Joe Cardona, is a loving look at the amazing life and legacy of a woman whose voice symbolized the soul of a nation and captured the hearts of fans worldwide. Erupting onto the Cuban music scene as the lead singer for La Sonora Matancera, Celia Cruz broke down barriers of racism and sexism.

With the powerful weapon of her voice and the warm tolerance of her heart, Celia soon became all things to all people.

The film shows the diversity of the people whose lives she touched, from stars like Quincy Jones, Andy Garcia and Wyclef Jean, to ordinary people all over the world who loved not only her music but her incredible spirit.

El Museo del Barrio
1230 5th Avenue (between 104th and 105th Streets), Manhattan
(map/directions)

A Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute presentation in collaboration with El Museo del Barrio, the Apollo Theater and the National Black Programming Consortium

El Museo del Barrio names new Executive Director

Jorge Daniel Veneciano to Lead El Museo del Barrio

The New York Times, December 13, 2013

Antonio Ramos and the Gang Bangers present "Neverland"

Of all the places to present a dance work that, from start to finish, features performers cavorting naked: A little theater in El Museo del Barrio, its walls sweetly decorated with scenes out of fairy tales!

Neverland--the result of Antonio Ramos's year-long residency at the museum--also seems, as a title, packed with provocation. Peter Pan and Michael Jackson zip through the mind.

Ramos's dancers--sometimes wearing wigs of glistening, fluttering Mylar or other minor trinkets and accessories--repeatedly, and repetitively, spill through the aisles or over the equally-bare stage, pumping and prancing around to lengthy dance tunes. Neverland has that certain in-your-face quality--literally: eventually, you do find yourself mooned by a quartet of dancers for what seems like hours--and a feeling of an outrageous and inescapable drug-trip version of a Broadway show. And unlike some nudity in contemporary dance, there's absolutely no attempt to tamp down the sexiness of the human body. Here, sexiness is often the point (and to that I would add, just sheer beauty and style and, sometimes in Ramos himself, a kind of ancient classical heroism). 

This work is clever as hell. Inspired by a magazine story about a homeless lesbian finding hardship and community in New York City--and, by extension, Ramos's own story of moving to this city without a job or a friend--Neverland's tawdriness easily and irreversibly slides into glamour, ritual elevation and radical badass-itude. It reminds us that dancers are the artists who profoundly unnerve and rock the system by putting their bodies front and center all the time, even when fully clothed. So, when they're unclothed (and foregrounding sexuality) in a society with serious issues about the body and embodiment, they're making revolution. 

"Let your whole body talk," sings RuPaul in a song on Neverland's soundtrack.
These dancers demonstrate that, no matter the context or circumstances, we can express ourselves with creative energy and pride.

So, hats off--if nothing else, for the moment--to Ramos and Joey Kipp, Adele Loux-Turner, Saúl Ulerio and Rebecca Wender--for braving this hour+ work and to Amanda K. Ringger for gloriously lighting it. And, while I'm at it, a tip of the hat to Charles Rice-Gonzalez for giving us, for once, the clearest, most helpful answer to that perennial question: "Okay, so, what the heck does a dancemaker's dramaturge do?" This one has done a very good job.

For more information on El Museo del Barrio's exhibitions and programs, click here.

Holland Cotter on Museo del Barrio's "Bienal 2013"

A Constellation of Identities, Winking and Shifting
Museo del Barrio’s ‘Bienal 2013’ Explores Self and Origins
by Holland Cotter, The New York Times, June 13, 2013

Director Margarita Aguilar resigns from El Museo del Barrio

Amid Turmoil at Museo del Barrio, Its Director Steps Down
by Felicia R. Lee, The New York Times, February 15, 2013

Clear your calendar: Latin American Cultural Week is November 9-19

There's lots to enjoy--music, dance, film, theater, literature, visual and performing arts from or influenced by the diverse cultures of Latin America. Presenting organizations and venues include the World Music Institute, Sotheby's, Christie's, Instituto Cervantes, Praxis International Art, Brazilian Endowment for the Arts, Museo del Barrio, Americas Society, Centro Civico Cultural Dominicano, Repertorio Español and GlamourTango.

• Music & Dance
  
click here

• Theater
  
click here

• Visual Arts
  
click here

• Art Fair
  
click here

• Literature & Conferences
  
click here

• Film
  
click here

• Auctions
  
click here

Get a complete schedule of events and venues at Latin American Cultural Week.

El Museo del Barrio names new director

El Museo del Barrio Names New Director
by Kate Taylor, The New York Times, August 2, 2011

City Opera announces season plans, venues

City Opera's Schedule for Next Season Is Revealed
by Daniel J. Wakin, The New York Times, July 6, 2011

El Museo del Barrio layoffs

Layoffs at El Museo del Barrio
by Kate Taylor, The New York Times, June 22, 2011