John Waters, Lenny Bruce and Henry Rollins alone would be enough to keep us going this week-hell, any one of them alone is a pleasant thought-but when you add in some of our favorite local actresses and live music from an impressively talented coworker, it becomes yet another stretch when we don't think we'll see much of home.
Kitten With A Whip
Feb. 4, Anthology Film Archives, 32 2nd Ave. (at E. 2nd St.), 212-505-5181; 7:30, $9. None other than John Waters hosts a screening of Kitten With A Whip, the campy 1964 classic starring Ann-Margret, as part of Anthology Film Archives' 40th birthday celebration. Bottom Line: Waters didn't invent delightful sleaze, he just perfected it, so check out some sordid cinema that predates the master.
Lenny Bruce at Carnegie Hall
Feb. 4 & 5, St. Ann's Warehouse, 38 Water St. (at New Dock St.), Brooklyn, 718-254-8779; 8, $45. In 1961, comedian Lenny Bruce gave an awesome performance at Carnegie Hall. Now, 50 years later, you can see a verbatim resurrection of the monologue Bruce delivered by Steve Cuiffo. Bottom line: Half a century later, religion, race, sexuality and drugs are still hilarious.
50
Opens Feb. 8, Joe's Pub, 425 Lafayette St. (betw. E. 4th St. & Astor Pl.), 212- 539-8778; 9, $35. Running Feb. 8-12, the eve of his 50th birthday, eternal heartthrob Henry Rollins-who was in Black Flag, Rollins Band, a ton of movies and TV shows and plenty of our dreams-is looking back at his half-century of life with this five-night stint at Joe's Pub. Bottom Line: More than a relic from 120 Minutes, Rollins is an interesting speaker and entertaining performer. Read more about his mid-life crisis in an interview at nypress.com.
Joe Bendik
Feb. 5, Sidewalk Cafe, 94 Ave. A (at E. 6th St.), 212-473-7373; 8:30, Free. Joe Bendik has been called a "pioneer of NYC's Antifolk sound" and it's your good luck that tonight he'll be playing at Sidewalk Cafe. Bottom Line: The show is free and you only have to buy two drinks, which you were going to do anyway. And it doesn't hurt that Bendik works at New York Press.
In The Pony Palace / FOOTBALL
Opens Feb. 8, The Bushwick Starr, 207 Starr St. (betw. Irving & Wyckoff Aves.), bushwickstarr.org; 8, $15. Forget Friday Night Lights. This new show from Half Straddle reimagines the world of high-school football as an all-girl affair and utilizes the talents of Moe Angelos, Jess Barbagallo and Erin Markey, who we're still in awe of thanks to her turn in Green Eyes. Bottom Line: Who needs the Superbowl when you've got foxcore football in Bushwick? Just bring your own onion dip.
