THIS MONTH: MARCH 2023

THIS MONTH: MARCH 2023

The movies, books, art, theater and food to know this month.

Instagram | William Jess Laird

FOOD

NOW OPEN
Jac's on Bond
Authentic Hospitality

What would New York be without one hotspot rising from the ashes of another? Authentic Hospitality, the group behind the Midtown favorite Pebble Bar, is opening Jac's on Bond in the same location as its other recently shuttered Nolita brainchild, The Smile. With an interior inspired by the downtown of the 1990s, it's meant to toe the line between a restaurant, bar and club with a low-key, warm atmosphere. And with bites by the chef duo both Wildair and Contra, it had the culinary chops to match.

ART

MARCH 10
Perimeter by Olivia Jia
Margot Samel

Marking Olivia Jia's very first solo exhibition at Margot Samuel, Perimeter focuses on works by the Philly-based artist that depict scenes seemingly "encountered in a state between sleep and waking." Each painting is a tableau made up of objects collected by the artist herself, exploring ideas of kinship and heritage and Jia's diasporic identity. But they also function as a means of expressing the artist's view that our sense of belonging is at least partly understood in relation to our own belongings and the belongings of those we're closest to.

Duke University Press

LITERATURE

MARCH 14
Raving
Written by McKenzie Wark

In a world threatened by climate change, political turmoil and inequity, sometimes the only thing we can do is dance. But many of New York City's best dance venues remain underground, out-of-sight raves that are strictly the territory of queer and trans people. These enclaves are the subject of critic and essayist McKenzie Wark's latest book, Raving. Wark quickly does away the idea that dancing to thumping music on laser-lit dancefloors is a just a fun pastime, instead stressing how the movement of queer and trans bodies is actually critical to culture and aesthetics. And however unlikely it might seem, it's also a bellwether for the crumbling state of late capitalism.

Focus Features | YouTube

FILM

MARCH 17
Inside
Directed by Vasilis Katsoupis; Starring Willem Dafoe

OK, we couldn't resist including this one. Hollywood has a long fascination with depicting art heists–How to Steal a Million, The Thomas Crown Affair–but it usually makes the whole idea (and its protagonists) pretty slick and the heroes are practically guaranteed an equally clean, stylish getaway. Inside is flipping that on its head. Starring Willem Dafoe, the new movie directed by Vasilis Katsoupis centers on a high-end art thief named Nemo (Dafoe) who has his eye on some works by Egon Schiele kept in the penthouse of an anonymous one-percenter. When the security system goes off unexpectedly, Nemo becomes trapped inside as his accomplices flee. The luxe home quickly becomes a guided cage with no way out, dwindling supplies and other technical malfunctions that make this a survival movie as much as a claustrophobic psychological thriller.

The Public Theater | Facebook

THEATER

MARCH 21
Fat Ham
Directed by Saheem Ali

Originally produced at The Public Theater, Fat Ham is officially making its way to Broadway. The Pulitzer Prize-winning play follows Juicy, a queer, Black, Southern college student whose visit home is interrupted by the ghost of his dead father. Juicy's departed dad asks him to avenge his murder, but vengeance doesn't come naturally to Juicy who's on his own journey in search of self-acceptance and liberation. Oozing with charm, Fat Ham manages to tackle some of the toughest issues of the day with a light touch and humor in spades.