LAST CHANCE!: HEAVY METAL
John Chamberlain was many things — Navy pilot, hairdresser, filmmaker, merrymaker, sculptor and master recycler, turning scrap metal, auto parts, foam rubber and other detritus into shockingly beautiful art. For the Guggenheim Museum show “John Chamberlain: Choices,” curator Susan Davidson, who fondly recalls him as “a salty dude” (which explains titles like “Lord Suckfist”), has arranged 110 of his works more or less chronologically along the museum’s spiral ramp. Check out “Doomsday Flotilla,” a lineup of auto-chassis underbodies that look like the NordicTracks of hell; “Miss Lucy Pink,” with its flirty little door handle; and several smoky, polymer resin pieces that suggest fortune cookies. You can even recline on “Couch,” a parachute-covered moonscape of foam rubber. Whatever you do, get there soon: The show closes Sunday. 1071 Fifth Ave., at 88th Street; pay-what-you-wish Saturdays, 5:45 to 7:45 p.m.; guggenheim.org
— Barbara Hoffman
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SIP THIS!: BOTTOMS UP
Ever wonder what makes a perfect Manhattan? It’s simple. “It’s really all about balance,” says Joe Campanale, co-owner of chic West Village spots dell’anima, L’Artusi and Anfora. “If your ingredients aren’t fresh, or you don’t use a good whiskey, the cocktail falls apart.” He’ll explain more during “The Evolution of the Cocktail,” a talk tomorrow at Anfora that’s part of the Manhattan Cocktail Classic — the third annual citywide celebration of spirits beginning today with 100 events spread over the next five days. The booze-centric bashes range from seminars about literary-inspired libations to ruminations on rum. Campanale and fellow experts will chat about early 20th-century sips and current cocktail trends in what he calls “a crash course.” For schedule and tickets ($40 and up) go to manhattancocktailclassic.com.
— Christina Amoroso
Alamy
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CHECK IT OUT!: UP ON THE ROOF
When it comes to movies in the city, things are looking up — thanks to the annual Rooftop Film Summer Series, which opens its 16th season tonight and will screen more than 250 films through the summer.
The fresh-air film fest began in 1997, when founder and artistic director Mark Elijah Rosenberg thought he was hosting a small, private party to show some film shorts on the roof of the Lower East Side building where he lived. “It spread through word of mouth, and we ended up with almost 300 people on the roof that night,” says Rosenberg. But when the chairs he rented poked holes in the tar-paper roof, he says, “I ended up essentially getting evicted.”
The series kicks off tonight with a package of short films at Open Road Rooftop on top of New Design High School (350 Grand St.). Doors open at 8, films start at 9. Tickets ($12) to this and all other showings are available at the door and at
rooftopfilms.com.
— Gregory E. Miller
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LISTEN UP!: COMING HOME
The United Palace Theater, where Regina Spektor performs Tuesday, is a near-homecoming for the classically trained pop chanteuse, who spent her formative years just a few miles up Broadway in the Kingsbridge section of The Bronx, where she landed at age 9 after her family emigrated from Russia.
She’s moved well past those Bronx roots, with an international audience, critical acclaim over the last decade and a sparkling new CD, “What We Saw From the Cheap Seats.” And her summer tour will include another homecoming — a slot at the Stereoleto Festival in St. Petersburg, her first performance in Russia, which she left in 1989.
“I think I waited this long because I knew it would be such an overwhelming experience,” says Spektor, 32. “Not only do I get to go back and visit for the first time since I was a kid, but to play music is just such an amazing way to get to go.”
Tickets: $62.50 and up at the United Palace Theater, 4140 Broadway, at 175th Street; 800-745-3000
— Chris Erikson
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DON’T MISS!: INVASION FROM MARS
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that with Earth and Mars on nonsynchronized elliptical orbits, the distance between the planets changes constantly, thus complicating travel between them. Duh. But when the Park Avenue Armory hosts “Space Program: Mars,” the red planet will remain in place for all to explore from Wednesday until June 17.
“We are immersed in the world of Mars over here,” laughs Armory CEO Rebecca Robertson of her 55,000-square-foot space’s transformation by artist Tom Sachs — which includes manmade red “soil,” replicas of spacecraft, exploratory vehicles, launch platforms and a mission control center. There will also be discussions with artists and scientists throughout the month, including breakfasts with NASA scientists on May 26 and June 16 (no word if Tang will be served).
Tickets are $10 to $12 (free May 19 and Tuesdays, 4 to 7 p.m.) at 643 Park Ave.; 212-616-3930, armoryonpark.org.
— Brian Niemietz
