Things to Do in NYC: May 2024 Highlights
The Hipster-est Highlights from the Blankman List
When constructing the Blankman List each month, I don’t really make a tourist vs. resident divide.
The reality is that activities don’t fall neatly into one bucket or the other. Many tourists—anywhere, for that matter—want to do “non-touristy” things that provide a more authentic taste of the city. Residents do “touristy” things, too. New York City has some of the outright best theater in the world, attracting thousands of tourists and residents alike, but sometimes it feels like walking through at least six circles of hell to get there.
In the May 2024 Blankman List, I pay no mind to how mainstream or underground an event is and include some major bangers like Mary J. Blige, Kamasi Washington, and Belle & Sebastian. For this free highlights post, however, there is nary a mega-arena to be found. I zero in on the understated, the esoteric, and the events most unlike typical NYC tourist fare.
Contemporary and Experimental Art
I am an eternal advocate for the living arts. Opera did not end with Verdi. Painting did not end with Monet. If you’ve never seen an experimental work before, your first instinct might be to cringe or to laugh, and to that I say: that’s okay. Screw the gatekeepers who act like they’ve never raised an eyebrow at something weird. Stay through the end, and you might walk away with a broader conception of what is possible through art.
Tuesday, May 7: Charlotte Mundy: Strange Moving Power
Contemporary classical works for voice and electronics (Charlotte Mundy website); 7–8:30 pm
Free
Americas Society/Council of the Americas
680 Park Ave (Upper East Side, Manhattan)
Thursday, May 9–Saturday, May 11: Foreign Experiences: An Opera by Robert Ashley
Experimental 1993 opera for seven voices and pre-recorded electronic orchestra (Foreign Experiences on Spotify); 8 pm (7 pm doors)
$30 advance / $35 at door / $25 student/senior
Roulette
509 Atlantic Ave (Prospect Heights, Brooklyn)
Thursday, May 16: Kinstillatory Mappings in Light and Dark Matter
Performance art by artist Emily Johnson and scholar Karyn Recollet, featuring a “ceremonial fire centering Indigenous protocol and knowledge”; 6 pm
Free
Abrons Arts Center
466 Grand St (Lower East Side, Manhattan)
Through Thursday, May 30: Pascale Marthine Tayou: Look at yourself in the mirror
Art exhibition portraying a “global village” with unconventional materials by Cameroonian artist Pascale Marthine Tayou
Free
FIAF [French Institute Alliance Française] Gallery
22 E 60th St, 1st floor (Midtown East, Manhattan)
Off- and Off-Off-Broadway Theater
Step off Broadway and there are theaters all throughout Manhattan. Step off-off and fully outside Broadway, and there are hundreds of theaters and performance venues across New York City. Theater happens on any given day: one-person shows, experimental plays, amateur performances, classic revivals, ancient stories, non-English theater, and on and on.
Saturday, May 4–Sunday, May 19: Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical
Off-off-Broadway revival of the musical about a precocious five-year-old girl with telekineses
$35 adult / $30 senior
Gallery Players
199 14th St (Park Slope, Brooklyn)
Sunday, May 12–Tuesday, May 14: Dear Mom, Sorry for Being a Bitch
Off-Broadway play focusing on the arc of one woman’s life and relationship with her mother; 7 pm
$37
SoHo Playhouse
15 Vandam St (SoHo, Manhattan)
Sunday, May 12–Sunday, May 19: An American Soldier
New York premiere of opera based on the true story of Pvt. Danny Chen
$54–$141
Perelman Performing Arts Center
251 Fulton St (Financial District, Manhattan)
Starting Thursday, May 30: How to Eat an Orange
One-woman off-Broadway play about the Argentinian visual artist and activist Claudia Bernardi
$30 adult / $25 student/senior (first 10 tickets to all shows are $10)
La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, The Downstairs
66 E 4th St, basement level (Bowery, Manhattan)
Art House and Indie Film Screenings
There’s no question that cinephiles will find their homecoming in Los Angeles, not New York City. That said, NYC is still a major film hub, with endless opportunities to see films that are indie, foreign, short, experimental, or otherwise rare to find at a public screening.
Thursday, May 2—Thursday, May 9: Wildcat
2023 biopic about novelist Flannery O’Connor directed by Ethan Hawke; 7 pm
$20 general / $18 senior
Angelika Film Center & Cafe
18 W Houston St (SoHo, Manhattan)
Friday, May 3–Thursday, May 9: Evil Does Not Exist
2023 Japanese drama film that “provocatively considers the kind of responsibility we bear” toward others (trailer); 8:30 pm
$17
Film Forum
209 W Houston St (Greenwich Village, Manhattan)
Thursday, May 9: Cujo
1983 horror film based on Stephen King’s novel; 9:30 pm
$22
Nitehawk Cinema
136 Metropolitan Ave (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
Opens Friday, May 10: Gasoline Rainbow
2023 drama film about five teenagers embarking on one last adventure to the Pacific Coast
$18 general / $15 senior
IFC Center
323 6th Ave (Greenwich Village, Manhattan)
Events Outside Manhattan and Brooklyn
Modern-day New York City comprises five boroughs, each of which used to be its own city. Manhattan is the behemoth, with hundreds of imposing skyscrapers. Brooklyn is still an outer borough, to be sure; however, it is the most populous one and one heavily represented throughout my monthly list. Yet that still leaves out three boroughs and millions of residents! Everyone in NYC is just just a subway ride (and in the case of Staten Island, a ferry) away from thousands of restaurants, event venues, and art spaces with hardly a tourist in sight.
Friday, May 3: Free First Friday at the Noguchi Museum
Museum showcasing a collection of works by category-defying artist Isamu Noguchi (1904–1988); 11 am–6 pm
Free
The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum
9-01 33rd Rd (Astoria, Queens)
Saturday, May 18: “Comedy Live” Up Close & Personal with Bill Bellamy & Friends
Stand-up comedy show (Bill Bellamy video); 8 pm (7 pm doors)
$45–$75
St. George Theatre
35 Hyatt St (St. George, Staten Island)
Wednesday, May 22: Direct Sow and Transplant
Gardening workshop on the preparation and care of plants to maximize production; 6–8 pm
Free
Green Patch on Walton
110 E 176th St (Mt Hope, The Bronx)
Every Friday: Live Music at Claret Wine Bar
Live music every Friday night at a bar serving wine and tapas; 8–10:30 pm
Free entry (food and drink menu)
Claret Wine Bar
4602 Skillman Ave (Sunnyside, Queens)
University Events Open to the Public
Between the CUNY system, the SUNY system, graduate schools, and private institutions, New York City is home to over 100 colleges and universities. Many of them host art and cultural exhibitions, along with music, dance, theater, and lectures that are cheap or free and open to the public. I particularly recommend checking out performances from some of the city’s world class conservatories, such as Juilliard and the Manhattan School of Music.
Wednesday, May 1: I Stood My Ground Closing Reception
Closing reception for art exhibition on overlooked historical stories told through different materials; 6–8 pm (gallery open 12–6 pm)
Free
Longwood Art Gallery, Hostos Community College
450 Grand Concourse, Room C-190 (South Bronx, The Bronx)
Thursday, May 2–Friday, May 3: The Fairy Queen
University performance of Henry Purcell’s 17th-century semi-opera based on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream; 7:30 pm
$15 adult / $10 student/senior
The Riverside Theatre, Manhattan School of Music
91 Claremont Ave (Morningside Heights, Manhattan)
Through Sunday, May 5: Seussical
University performance of the 2000 Broadway musical based on the stories of Dr. Seuss; showtimes at 2 & 8 pm
$18–$32 depending on seating and category
Wagner College, Wagner Main Hall Theatre
1 Campus Rd (Fox Hills, Staten Island)
Thursday, May 16: Ensley Kim, Violin and Yvonne Wang, Clarinet
Classical recital from music conservatory students (Ensley Kim videos); 8 pm
Free
Morse Hall, The Juilliard School
155 W 65th St (Lincoln Square, Manhattan)
Public Library Events
The NYC public library system is a treasure. In addition to typical library fare like book clubs and basic technology courses, you can also find art and historical exhibitions, concerts, dance performances, lectures, and a wide range of events—all for free and open to the public.
Saturday, May 4: Libraries & Riots: An East Village Walking Tour
Walking tour on the history, landmarks, and libraries of the East Village; 11:30 am–12:45 pm; part of Jane’s Walk NYC
Free
Meet at the Ottendorfer Library
135 2nd Ave (East Village, Manhattan)
Monday, May 6: Alastair Macaulay on Balanchine Rarities
Screening of “lost” and rare films of George Balanchine ballets; 6–7:30 pm
Free (registration required)
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, Bruno Walter Auditorium
111 Amsterdam Ave (Lincoln Square, Manhattan)
Every Tuesday and Wednesday: Yoga with Nicole & Shape Up NYC
Mid-intensity yoga class focusing on mobility and stability; 5:30–6:30 pm (Tuesdays) or 12–1 pm (Wednesdays)
Free (yoga mat required)
Tue: Kings Bay Library; Wed: Kings Highway Library
Tue: 3650 Nostrand Ave; Wed: 2115 Ocean Ave (South Brooklyn)
Every Friday: Brooklyn Is . . . Exhibition Tour
Guided tour of Brooklyn photographs, maps, and documents; 3–4 pm
Free
Center for Brooklyn History
128 Pierrepont St (Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn)