DON’T MISS: SLICK BRICKS
Nathan Sawaya’s parents refused to buy him a puppy when he was 10 years old. Instead, he grabbed his Legos and made a life-size dog of his own.
“That was that first ‘Aha’ moment, when I realized you don’t have to build what’s on the front of the box,” says Sawaya, now 39 and living in Gramercy Park. “You can build whatever you want.”
That sparked a lifetime interest in art with Legos, with his works on display at the just-opened “The Art of the Brick” exhibit at Discovery Times Square. Among the 101 different-size Lego sculptures are a globe and human forms that usually take up to three weeks and 30,000 bricks to build; the biggest piece is a 20-foot-long T-rex skeleton that took three months to create out of 80,000 Legos. 226 W. 44th St.; 866-987-9692, discoverytsx.com. Admission, $14.50 to $19.50.
— Tim Donnelly
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WATCH IT!: XMAS IN JUNE
It’s the movie on the marquee at Radio City Music Hall in “The Godfather’’ the night Michael Corleone learns the Don’s been shot, and it’s also showing at the Bijou in “It’s a Wonderful Life.’’ But Leo McCarey’s “The Bells of St. Mary’s’’ (1945) doesn’t get the respect it deserves these days. The Morgan Library & Museum has a rare showing of this former Christmas chestnut tonight at 7 in its splendid auditorium to coincide with the exhibition “Illuminating Faith: The Eucharist in Medieval Life and Art.” Bing Crosby reprises his Oscar-winning role as an unconventional priest from McCarey’s not-as-good “Going My Way,’’ this time opposite Ingrid Bergman. She won best actress honors from the New York Film Critics Circle for her role as a stubborn mother superior who clashes with him until she contracts tuberculosis. Bring some tissues. Madison Avenue and 36th Street. Info: themorgan.org.
— Lou Lumenick
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LISTEN UP!: IN-CROWD PLEASER
Two decades after Ramsey Lewis last performed in Harlem, the jazz pianist/composer, known for his crossover hit “The In Crowd,” returns tonight to the now super-hip neighborhood. But, he reminds us, “Harlem always was super hip.” Recalling his first time there in the ’50s, the Chicago native says, “We came to New York to play Birdland, and everybody said, ‘After we’re through, we’re going to Harlem to get chicken and waffles.’ And when we got there, it was all hustling and bustling with people and bars and restaurants,” an energy he found again when playing the Apollo Theater in the ’60s. Lewis’ show is part of a Father’s Day weekend celebration, and he adds, “I have seven children, 13 grandchildren and one great-grandchild, so being a father is very important to me.”
7 p.m. at Aaron Davis Hall, 138 Convent Ave., between West 133rd and 135th streets; 212-650-6900, adhatccny.org. Tickets start at $30.
— Charlie Heller
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STEP RIGHT UP!: LIMÓN AID
When you’re dancing in the park, you never know who’ll join in. Kids can’t help but participate in the free classes the Limón Dance Company offers at Bryant Park, and Becky Brown, program director and one of the teachers, says “I’ve often felt like the Pied Piper, with a line of children following me.”
The kids work separately; adults range from professional dancers to passers-by who impulsively kick off their shoes. One pupil was a woman who studied more than half a century ago with José Limón himself.
Accompanied by a drummer, the classes stress skills such as creativity and balance. “I tell them to stand straight, like the Empire State Building,” Brown explains.
Free dance classes are tomorrow and Saturdays through Sept. 7 at 10 a.m. in the northeast corner of Bryant Park (weather permitting). More information at bryantpark.org or limon.org.
— Leigh Witchel
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TAKE A BITE!: HOW’S BAYOU?
What began as a small conclave of friends bonding over crawfish in a backyard in Clinton Hill has turned into a full-blown fete for hundreds of people. It’s the fifth annual Suck the Head La-Tex Crawfish Boil in Brooklyn.
“The first one was like a potluck with crawfish, but it just kept on growing,” says Maurice Slade, one of the four Houston-raised pals hosting tomorrow’s event. “Now it’s just crawfish with a big party,” says Slade, also the DJ in charge of rocking the crowd from 2 to 10 p.m.
This year’s event has moved from its humble origins to The Well beer garden in Williamsburg. And Slade and Co. are flying in over 500 pounds of crawfish as well as gallons of special mix to make ‘‘hand grenades,’’ a signature N’awlins cocktail. Get there early — crawfish are available on a first come, first serve basis.
272 Meserole St., Brooklyn; 347-338-3612, thewellbrooklyn.com. Admission, $25.
— Jozen Cummings
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