William Marlowe? Kit Shakespeare?

Speculation is the keyword in the History Lord intro to Christopher Marlowe.

Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare were born on the same day. Hmm:

  • Was he Shakespeare?
  • Was he killed in 1593?
  • Was he a spy for Queen Elizabeth [I]?
  • Was he a homosexual?

Only history will tell… wait, it actually has not.

A West Side Story

Data mining is bringing us a superb analysis of the effects of urban renewal on the stable, if     impoverished, community of Puerto Ricans who were upended when Lincoln Center was built. And, folks, it turns out there is a lot of data.

Afterlives of San Juan Hill is the CENTRO project that compiled the analysis. The results and illustrations are  now on exhibit at the Hunter College CENTRO, 3rd Avenue and 119th Street. The project was led and curated by Dr. Cristel M. Jusino Diaz with Christopher Lopez. Researchers were: Jorge R. Soldevila Irizarry, Laura Colón Meléndez, Damayra I Figueroa-Lazu.


Lunch & lecture

What I learned from David Gelles at the Baruch luncheon the other day:

MBA, management by absence, was the proud invention of Yvon Chouinard, Patagonia’s owner and founder.

Through 501C-4 Patagonia was able to channel its funds to both political and environmental causes.

Short and sweet presentation. Gotta read the book for details!

“You are icons”

My doorman remarked on my late night arrival. I said, “I was pulled into a speak.”

My friend D asked the bouncer at this unmarked [or, perhaps, mismarked] venue what the line was and next thing we had a table.

Our ages, though D is more than a generation my junior, made us stand out at this West Village speakeasy.

The youngsters around us were appreciative and friendly. We got every courtesy as they passed our corner perch. A fellow helped me up when we were ready to leave.

One young woman took our picture, murmuring “You are icons,” in approving tones.

The loud tunes had D dancing in her seat, and me repeating “what” in every attempted conversation.

We had eaten down the block at The Warren before going to the theater, so this detour was drinks. Kudos for the joint’s beautiful deep raspberry-colored mocktail.

Thanks to D’s willingness to look behind the curtain (it’s a speak, folks) and take a seat at that coveted table, we had a blast.

Oh, and an extra special thanks to the maitre d’ (bouncer) who brought us in from the sidewalk to the club. Yeah, we cut the line and VIPed our way in!

A red carpet moment.

Dance is good

The first two performances at the NY Live Arts for its 15th Season are co-presented with L’Alliance New York’s Crossing the Line Festival. bLUr (on stage Oct 2-4) is choreographed by NYC’s own Kimberly Bartosik.  The  Kenyan-American artist and choreographer, Wanjiru Kamuyu, brings us Fragmented Shadows (Oct 15-17).

See this listing at the post A-List.


I have stubbornly [and wrongly] referred to this Guggenheim Museum experience as Works in Progress or sometimes, also erroneously & Progress. It is in fact, Works & Process. The series has been showcasing works in advance of their full staging for many years. It is a concept I find particularly intriguing.

On September 14, 2025, the work being showcased is a new piece by  Jamar Roberts for the New York City Ballet.  NYCB Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan will moderate a discussion with Roberts, and company members will perform excerpts from the work. The piece mixes fashion with ballet, with costumes by Dutch designer Iris van Herpen. 

Tickets: 7pm, Sunday, September 14th.