The Courier-News from Bridgewater, New Jersey • Page 32

C-8 SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2000 COURIER NEWS CALL US: Bill Canacci, New York editor, at (732) 565-7322 or e-mail bcanaccithnt.com On the Internet: www. thnt.com New York Sunday, October 21, 2001 BROADWAY REVIEW Welcome to hell By BILL CANACCI STAFF WRITER Looking to raise your spirits? Spending a romantic evening with that special someone? Enjoying a fun time with the entire family? Don't see "Dance of Death," Richard Greenberg's new adaptation of August Strindberg's play starring Ian McKellen, Helen Mirren and David Strathairn. But if you're looking for real drama, full of evil and spite, then this is the play for you. The show tells the story of a miserable ample living in a fortress (which they call Little Hell) on an island off the coast of Sweden in 1900. Edgar (McKellen), a military captain, and Alice (Mirren), a former actress, have been married for 25 years and they have despised each other almost every second.

They spend their pathetic days alone, putting each other down with sarcastic wit It is their hate for each other that keeps their marriage alive. In the first act, the audience sympathizes with Helen for having to listen to Edgar who thinks the world revolves around him. But things change in the second act as the audience discovers how demented and cruel Alice can be. As the play begins, it's somewhat amusing watching this couple badger each other. But as it continues, it becomes more dark.

It's fascinatingly eerie watching the hate spew from their mouths. Thrown into this madness is Kurt (Strathairn), Helen's cousin and the couple's pseudo-matchmaker. While the show seems to drag in the final 20 minutes of this almost 2 12-hour production, McKellen and Mirren keep the fire going and the audience err' ZD CD HWH Public Relations For nearly 80 years, anime has been a staple of Japanese entertainment and pop culture. Barlow Hartman Ian McKellen stars in "Dance of Death." Big Apple Anime Fest offers more than 250 hours of screenings interested. It is a real joy to watch McKellen, who millions will see as Gandalf the Grey in the December film "The Fellowship of the Ring." Edgar is a horrible man, but McKellen makes him sympathetic.

Kurt is important to the show he is the every man lost in this unreal world. He is stifled by what he sees and it affects him. The audience sees him struggling, sees his emotions running out of control. For that reason, Strathairn's performance is the most memorable. Tickets for "Dance of Death" (playing through Jan.

13, 2002) are $51.25 to $71.25 and are available through Telecharge at (212) or at the Broadhurst Theatre box office, 235 44th St. The show plays at 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 2 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays.

Bill Canacci: (732) 565-7322. E-mail: bcanaccithnt.com series, "Astro Boy." Anime then became a staple of Saturday morning cartoons, including "Speed Racer" and "Tobor, the Eighth Man." Anime was regarded as children's fare until the release of Katsuhiro Otomo's "Akira," which in the late '80s brought attention to anime feature films with darker themes and complex storylines. Since then, anime has taken on a life of its own, with fans throughout the world. While anime is motion pictures, manga which is also a part of the festival is graphic novels. More information on the festival's events is available at www.bigappleanimefest.com.

STAFF REPORT This weekend, Big Apple Anime Fest offers symposiums, anime dealers, autograph signings by directors, writers and voice-over artists, and more than 250 hours of anime screenings. The festival takes place Friday through Oct. 28 at the Directors Guild of America Theater, 110 57th the Park Central New York Hotel, 870 7th the Japan Society, 333 E. 47th as well as other venues in midtown. Tickets may be purchased on the day of the events at the Park Central New York Hotel from 9 a.m.

to 11:30 p.m. Friday 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Oct. 28. Cost for an all access weekend pass is $75. Day passes are $30. Pre-registered ticket holders can pick up wristbands at the registration table outside of the dealer room (Floor IB) at the Park Central New York Hotel on the day of the event.

Ticketholders must be 18 for the Midnight Anime Concourse, which begins at midnight Saturday and Sunday. For nearly 80 years, anime has been a staple of Japanese entertainment and pop culture. As early as the late 1950s, anime made its way to the United States, but did not enter mainstream culture until the 1963 television premiere of the animated (N0Wf AROUND TOWN i) 1 ti mi If you're planning a first date, anniversary dinner or to pop the question, La Gigot, 18 Cornelia St between Bleecker and 4th streets, fits the intimate eatery bill The cozy French restaurant seats only 28, so better reserve a table for your romantic occasion, says waiter Neal Collins. Those not celebrating love, just craving fine French cuisine, will be pleased with the bistro as well Collins says. For starters, Le Gigot's Spicy Stewed Calamari appetizer is said to be sumptuous, with tender squid poached not fried in a lobster stock for $12.

Vegetarians may melt for the Montrachet Salad with warm goat cheese on toasted baguette bread, accompanied by sundried tomato paste, olive tapenade and mesclun greens for $10. What would a French restaurant be without bouillabaisse? Le Gigot's take on the traditional dish ($24) serves up shrimp, scallops, salmon, squid and mussels in a light tomato-based stock that keeps customers clamoring for more bread to sop up the savory stuff, Collins says. Meat eaters will love the chef's lamb dishes, he adds, including Lamb Gigot d'Agneau, a roasted leg of lamb seared, sliced Into medallions and served with flageolet pale kidney bean rosemary au jus for $18. Just be sure to bring your American Express card. It's the only form of payment they accept besides cash.

(212) 627-3737. fi 'ft' Testicular tricks STAFF REPORT In "The Full Monty," the audience gets a quick peek at the actors', uh, equipment. In "Puppetry of the Penis" at the John Houseman Theatre, the audience receives nothing short of a 50-minute nonsexual display of the ancient Australian art of genital origami. There are no sock puppets in this show just a naked Simon Morley and David "Friendly" Friend presenting a series of penis "installations." And the producers have assured everyone can see their testicular fortitude as a video camera projects their incredible specimens onto a large screen. Morley and Friend stretch and twist their members into everything from the Loch Ness Monster to a hamburger.

Other favorites include a baby bird, a windsurfer and the Eiffel Tower. It's mighty impressive and they say it doesn't hurt. Full of music and other special effects, Morley and Friend put on a good show (especially during the audience participation segment). Still, some people walked out (exactly what were they The show lasts about 90 minutes, beginning with a fairly entertaining 15-minute comedy routine by Wendy Vousden, followed by a brief discussion from Priapus (Justin Morley), the show's cameraman, who offers a few words of penis wisdom. "Puppetry of the Penis" plays at the John Houseman Theatre, 450 42nd at 8 p.m.

Tuesdays through Thursdays, 7 and 9:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 7 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $39.90 Tuesdays and Wednesdays, $44.90 for all other performances, and can be ordered through Telecharge at (212) 239-6200. 'Bat Boy' returns "Bat Boy: The Musical" has resumed performances at the Union Square Theatre, 100 E.

17th with tickets on sale through Jan. 6, 2002. Because of the attack on the World Trade Center, the show went on a voluntary hiatus Sept. 23. The comedy takes flight when a group of adventure-seeking teen-agers discover a bat-child in a cave in the West Virginia hills.

It's full of silly lyrics and fun songs and takes a few shots at Broadway, especially "The Lion King." Tickets are $35 to $65 and can be ordered by calling Ticketmaster at (212)307-4100. Phoenix Gallery Occupied space When asked about the relationship between the occupied and unoccupied area, he says: "It is hard to define them, but it is meaningless to me. On the contrary, I am concerned with the fundamental matter and psychoactive effect which this relation (makes)," The gallery 568 Broadway Suite 607 (at Prince Street), is open from II a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays.

More information Is availuble at www.phoenix-gallery.com or (212) 226-8711. Duck Gong's "Untitled Figure" is one of five of his works that will be shown at the Phoenix Gal-lery's Project Room through Saturday A graduate of the City College of New York, Gong has exhibited extensively in South Korea, as well as in New York. On the Web site, Gong says, "I always concentrate my attention on the interaction between occupied area and out of occupied area. The object has the absolute dimension in Itself, but the object in reality is affected with surrounded other objects." www.empireskate.org Empire Skate Club of New York is a nonprofit group of inline skaters who like to skate and socialize. It serves all skill levels (although it does have a speed-skating division called Empire Speed) and organizes group skates in the city and in surrounding areas.

A yearly membership is $25. Upcoming events are Sleepy Hollow Skate, 10 a.m. Saturday starting at Columbus Circle. A 30-mile intermediate-speed skate; Halloween Skate, 6 p.m. Oct.

31, meet at north side of Union Square Park. Wear a costume and join the Village Halloween parade; Sunset Skate, 4 p.m. Nov 10, meet at Pink 152 E. 23rd St For information, send questions to empireempireskate.org. NEW YORK MINUTE 1 i and the love of my life As we left before we had to go." "New York, New York," Ryan Adams "Found a lot of trouble out on Avenue But I tried to keep the overhead low Farewell to the city.