Nancy Shaver Is the Real Deal

The choreographer Marla Phelan is funny successful the commencement of stars—not Barbra Streisand oregon Lady Gaga but the cosmic kind. Working with the astrophysicist Blakesley Burkhart, she has made “Birth + Carnage,” a creation accumulation successful which performers mimic the patterns of prima enactment and different celestial motion. The dancers’ bodies are influenced by gravity but besides by quality forms of attraction and repulsion. Constellating, colliding, and collapsing, they reflector a integer installation of astrophysical machine simulations, drafting affectional coloring from a people by James Newberry.—Brian Seibert (La MaMa; Dec. 19-21.)

Movies

With “Ella McCay,” James L. Brooks, a longtime rom-com champion, directs his archetypal diagnostic movie successful 15 years. In immoderate ways, it’s a blatant throwback, but, successful others, an acrid tweak of the genre. The enactment is acceptable chiefly successful 2008, erstwhile Ella (played by Emma Mackey), a thirty-four-year-old argumentation wonk who is her unnamed state’s lieutenant governor, ascends to the governorship. Then her backstage beingness goes haywire: her estranged begetter (Woody Harrelson) shows up, and her hubby (Jack Lowden) feels neglected. Flashbacks to Ella’s adolescence acceptable up her dilemmas; contempt the heartwarming communicative that’s revealed, this is an anti-romantic drama of failed males and the occupation they cause. Brooks gazes hopefully astatine a caller procreation of self-unsure men whose acceptance of weakness is their strength; arsenic for Ella, she’s simply the movie’s figurehead. Jamie Lee Curtis plays Ella’s worldly-wise aunt.—Richard Brody (In wide release.)

Off Broadway

Remember erstwhile you were 8 years old, climbing trees, carrying your motorcycle up with you, and past pedalling disconnected the schoolhouse roof? Me neither. But specified is the satellite of Rajiv Joseph’s “Gruesome Playground Injuries,” successful which the dauntless Doug (“Succession” ’s Nicholas Braun) does precisely that, past meets Kayleen (two-time Tony victor Kara Young) successful the schoolhouse infirmary, wherever she’s recovering from a tummy ache. Subsequent scenes hop guardant and backward successful time, each centered connected forms of harm: an oculus blown retired by a firecracker, thighs slit with a razor blade. The actors’ transformations to embody their shifting ages, abetted by Sarah Laux’s evocative costumes, are a circuit de force, but neither they nor the queasy attempts astatine wit forestall the feeling of watching trauma porn.—D.S. (Lucille Lortel; done Dec. 28.)

What to Listen to

Hua Hsu connected alternatives to the accustomed vacation tunes.

By now, you’re astir apt bushed of each that vacation music. It sounded large arsenic you were clearing the dishes connected Thanksgiving, but the mirth has begun to consciousness oppressive. Here are immoderate alternate expressions of bully will, cheer, and bid connected Earth.

Jackson 5, “In Japan!”
A Christmas psyche playlist that was connected non-stop rotation yet sent maine down a Motown rabbit hole, reminding maine of this unrecorded gem recorded successful Osaka successful 1973. It captures the Jacksons successful a infinitesimal of transition—no longer the cherubs of “ABC”—and experimenting with a looser, funkier sound.

Mavis Staples, “Sad and Beautiful World”
This is 1 of the year’s astir astonishing albums, successful which the eighty-six-year-old gospel fable covers everyone from Curtis Mayfield and Leonard Cohen to Frank Ocean and Sparklehorse. Lush and serene, with a spryness that makes you consciousness anticipation for what lies ahead.

Kim Chang-Wan, “An Essay with a Guitar”
There’s a country successful the Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook’s deliriously grim “No Other Choice” acceptable to Kim’s “Let’s Walk On,” a delicate, haunting portion of loner folk. Kim’s 1983 medium is simply a sparse guy-and-guitar masterpiece, a somewhat bummed soundtrack for looking retired the model arsenic the prima sets astatine 4:30 P.M.

Real Lies, “Summer Rain EP”
The London duo Real Lies marque creation tunes that negociate to consciousness epic and twee astatine the aforesaid time. They’ve been 1 of my favourite acts for much than a decade, and I respect however they ne'er bash things the casual way. Their latest azygous came retired successful November, yet it’s an amped-up solemnisation of bygone bliss called “Summer Rain.” It’s simply excessively soon to look guardant to 2026. But I cognize that, erstwhile the clip comes, I’ll inactive beryllium nodding on to “Let the Lips Fall Where They May,” a breezy blast of New Order-esque pop.

P.S. Good worldly connected the internet:

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