Dear Reader
Hello from New York City, after a week in Phase 2, which essentially meant outdoor dining, hair salons and construction opened back up. I have yet to venture out into any of those things so I can’t tell you what it’s been like. I have, however, seen lots of people sitting at tables in the middle of parking bays on the street, and well, all I can say is at least they’re trying to keep up with the social distancing protocol…
Meanwhile, the numbers in some states continue to go up. That should be more than enough of a reason to keep up with the other protocols — of hand-washing and mask-wearing — too. Plus, of course, remembering the general good rule to love and uplift thy neighbour.
I offer to you another bumper list of entertainment options for these times. So buckle in, because here we go:
1. With it being Pride weekend, a number of events are taking place globally and digitally. Last week organisers of Global Pride announced they would be working with founders of the Black Lives Matter movement to amplify Black voices in the June 27th streaming event, which features an array of guests and performers, from vice president (and hopefully the next president) Joe Biden to Laverne Cox and many others. You can find out more about the 24-hour event, hosted by Todrick Hall, from our friends over at The Queer Review.
2. In honour of Pride, BroadwayHD is streaming the Tony-nominated revival of Falsettos until 8pm EST on Saturday. William Finn's musical is billed as a funny and touching portrait of a late 20th Century family, centred on a neurotic gay man named Marvin, his ex-wife, his lover, their son, their psychiatrist and the lesbians next door. Christian Borle, Andrew Rannels, Stephanie J. Block and Brandon Uranowitz star. Donations to Broadway Cares' Emergency Grants for Pandemic Relief are encouraged.
3. I know I usually suggest things available freely online but there are two documentaries on Netflix that I really want to recommend if you’re a fan of movies and support the film industry, and want to see it do better — They’ve Gotta Have Us and Disclosure. In the 3-part They’ve Gotta Have Us, director Simon Frederick chronicles Black cinema through in-depth interviews with some of Hollywood's most iconic names, from Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte to David Oyelowo and Barry Jenkins. It brings together an analysis of art, activism and racism while marking milestone moments in Black cinema.
Disclosure, which world premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, sees director Sam Fender examine over a hundred years of trans representation on screen. We hear from the likes of Laverne Cox, who, through Orange is the New Black, helped many of us begin to understand the importance of seeing trans people on screen, and lesser known names from TV and film that still need to be heard.
4. This weekend would have been the 50th anniversary of Glastonbury, which was due to be headlined by Paul McCartney, Kendrick Lamar and Taylor Swift. The fest has created a virtual line-up of events, #GlastoAtHome, to try keep the spirit of the legendary event going in living rooms and back-gardens across the world. They’ve made documentary specials, an online gallery and, of course, plenty of music, including the 2019 set from The Cure, available.
5. Remember April? Feels like it was years ago, rather than 2 months ago when Global Citizen held its One World: Together at Home concert. That was staged after $128 million was raised for the international COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund and local health workers. This Saturday there will be a follow-up event, this time with the aim of uniting the world in developing tests, treatments and vaccines that will be available to everyone in the world, not just wealthy nations. On Saturday, Lin-Manuel Miranda and the original Broadway cast of Hamilton in collaboration with Jimmy Fallon & The Roots will perform together (remotely) as part of the line-up for Global Citizen's Global Goal: Unite for Our Future - The Concert. It will be a televised and digitally streamed special. Usher, Jennifer Hudson, J Balvin, Yemi Alade and Christine and the Queens are also among those on the bill.
6. After a sound-bending session with Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto (which you can still watch here), the Cannes Film Festival, which has been hosting a virtual session of its Marche, is hosting a ‘meet & listen’ with Gabriel Yared, today, Friday, 7pm Paris time / 10am PST/1pm EST. Yared, who was a member of the jury of the 2017 Festival de Cannes, has worked on films like Cold Mountain, The Talented Mr. Ripley and The English Patient, for which he won an Oscar. Cannes also has replays available of some of its panels from this past week, including a really valuable one on intersectionality in the film industry.
7. Peter Gabriel’s Womad may been cancelled too, but the festival is putting on a Facebook live stream called Sounds From Africa on Monday, June 29th at 8pm SA time / 11am PST / 2pm EST. The event, created as a way to foster communication and cultural awareness in a time of isolation, will feature performances from South African queer pop artist Nakhane and Namibian-based folk singer Elemotho.
8. My fave dance workout — next to Ryan Heffington — Dance Church is hosting a donation-based benefit class, with proceeds going directly to the ACLU LGBT Project, on Friday afternoon.
9. Deepak Chopra announced a 21-day meditation program with Colombian reggaeton star J Balvin called Renew Yourself: Body, Mind & Spirit. It’s available in Spanish or English, mixing guided meditations with “self-care wisdom” and is free.
10. Finally, I want to give a shout-out to my friend Rita Mbanga and Sunrise Productions on the release of Jungle Beat: The Movie. It’s been a long journey to get this much-loved web series made into a film, so gather the family together for Planet Earth’s First Ever Worldwide Family Movie Night and watch it here.
Thank you for reading.
I’ll leave you with The Chicks (formerly known as The Dixie Chicks) video for March March.
Stay safe, stay sane — and keep fighting for equality.
Your neighbour
Nadia