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Sept 2: A Coney Island Mermaid’s Break Up Blues Burlesque

Posted in Events, tagged Break up Blues, Burlesque at the Beach, Coney Island, Hawley Hussey, Mermaid Hawley on September 2, 2010| 1 Comment »

Tonight at 9 pm at Coney Island USA’s Burlesque at the Beach, ten bucks buys admission to a burlesque show curated by writer, artist, art educator and performer Mermaid Hawley. Enjoy live music by The Legendary House Band, torch singing by Bonnie Dunn and blues from Staten Island’s Phyllis Forman of Queen Tipsey, spoken word by Mermaid Hawley and Michael Schwartz, and superlative burlesque by Bambi the Mermaid, Jo Boobs, Clams Casino, Sizzle Dizzle, Jezebel Express, Anita Cookie, and M’Lady Uppercrust.

Limited edition signed hankies will be passed out to dry your tears and cotton candy will be served to ease the pain of the break-up blues. The title “Mermaid Hawley’s Break Up Blues Burlesque” alludes to various types of break ups, including “the continual onslaught of the break up of Coney Island,” Hawley tells ATZ. “Trying to save the spirit of the place is a much more ethereal kind of thing.” MC Michael Schwartz, who will play the role of Joe Sttand, the anti-Sitt and the real estate developer of the people, will read two of his prose poems.

“I consider myself a newbie but a great lover of Coney Island,” says Hawley, who moved to Seagate eight years ago and fit right in. Her bio certainly piqued our interest in the show:

Hawley Hussey (aka Mermaid Hawley) has been a mermaid and a legendary cold water swimmer her entire life. She holds a coveted patch from the Coney Island Polar Bear Club from the years 2008 to 2010. She is a founding member of the notorious Brooklyn Penguins (since 2007), Coney Island’s newest winter bathing club to emerge over the last 100 years between Stillwell, the Boardwalk and the Atlantic Ocean. As a resident of Seagate, Coney Island, Hawley has a particularly inspired perch on Norton’s Point right next to the lighthouse. Her “World Famous Coney Island Break-Up Letters” have been performed and recorded and are currently under consideration for wider print publication.

Photo: Bailey Photography. Image: Memorial painting of Master the Whompa! Man at Ruby’s Bar and Grill by Mermaid Hawley, 2010.

Mermaid Hawley Presents Break Up Blue Burlesque,Burlesque at the Beach, Coney Island USA, 1208 Surf Ave, Coney Island, September 2, 9 pm, $10

Aug 29: Lost Theaters of Coney Island, Brighton Beach Are Topic of Lecture

Posted in Events, history, tagged Book Launch, Brighton Beach, Brooklyn Theatre Index, Cezar Del Valle, Coney Island, Henderson Music Hall, Manhattan Beach, Save Coney Island, walking tour on August 28, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Vintage Postcard of Henderson's Music Hall Stage in Coney Island. Cezar Del Valle Collection

On Sunday at the Coney Island Museum’s Ask the Experts series, theater historian Cezar Del Valle will give an illustrated lecture to celebrate the launch of his Brooklyn Theater Index. The first volume covering theaters from Adams Street to Lorimer has just been published. The topic of his talk will be drawn from the third volume, a work-in-progress devoted to Coney Island, Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach.

The subject is timely, since one of Coney Island’s historic theater buildings, the former Henderson Music Hall at Surf and Stillwell, has been doomed to demolition. Pre-demo asbestos abatement is currently underway by Thor Equities despite preservationists efforts to save the building and make it part of an historic district.

Del Valle told ATZ that the Henderson Music Hall will be part of his talk. “Twice in the past, I have been asked to work on landmarking Henderson,” he says. “First on a panel and then in an advisory capacity. Sad to say, nothing ever came of it. I thought the building was being held hostage for some future bargaining ploy but I was wrong. If you went around to the Bowery side, a few of the windows still followed the rake of the old balcony.”

The Henderson was one of six buildings nominated for city landmark designation by Coney Island USA in 2004, although its chances were thought to be slim since the building has been altered extensively. It was even cut in half in 1923 when Stillwell Avenue south of Surf was created!

Del Valle’s area of expertise is New York City popular entertainment between 1850 and the 1950s, including special emphasis on actual theater buildings. He has led walking tours of the lost theaters of Coney Island’s Bowery. “In its fabulous heyday, the resort was more than just rides and arcades; it was home to numerous cabarets, variety halls and movie shows – a training ground for a generation of legendary performers,” says Del Valle.

If you’re able to make a day of it, Save Coney Island will be offering a free walking tour this Sunday at 11 am and every Sunday through the end of September. The guided tour covers the historic buildings along Surf Avenue as well as some of Coney Island’s existing landmarks. According to the group’s website, “we will have historic pictures so you can see what the buildings once were and a few renderings illustrating how these buildings could be creatively restored and reused.”

August 29, 4:30 pm, Ask the Experts! Cezar Del Valle’s Brooklyn Theater Index Book Launch, Coney Island Museum, 1208 Surf Avenue, Coney Island, $5 admission, Free for members of Coney Island USA.

August 29, 11:00 am, Save Coney Island’s Walking Tour of Historic Coney Island, meet in front of the Shore Theater, on the corner of Surf and Stillwell Aves, Rain or shine. Free, but suggested donation of $10 appreciated

Video: Coney Island Dancing by Jim McDonnell

Posted in Events, Music Video, video, tagged Boardwalk, Coney Island, Coney Island Dancers, Coney Island Dancing, dance party, dancing, free event, Jim McDonnell, Teddybears on August 27, 2010| Leave a Comment »

During the summer, Coney Island’s Boardwalk plays host to legendary dance parties as well as impromptu jumpin’ and jammin’. Photographer Jim McDonnell captures the exuberant spirit of Coney’s dancers in this vid shot over the course of the Summer 2010. “Everyone likes to dance at Coney Island. Whether it’s the amazing Coney Island Dancers, in front of the Polar Express or at the Mermaid Parade,” he says. Music is the Stockholm band the Teddybears from their yet-to-be released in the US album “Devil’s Music.”

If watching the vid puts you in the mood to tear it up, come out to the Coney Island Dancers Friday and Saturday parties on the Boardwalk. Their free parties start in May and end in September. Hurry, hurry, hurry!