Newsday (Nassau Edition) from Hempstead, New York • 114

BIB' jiroypp titiffirn jijiaflnn faiaaaaia THE Tony Comedy Retirement Party GREEK from B13 em Greek music even if the taboo themes as obvious as they were in the early 1900s "Back then it was impmii part of their everyday said Anna Giannetakis 42 artistic director of the Greek Cultural Center of Astoria CM CO OL Tony Soaprano is retiring and Paulie Peanuts is throwing him a surprise party in this hilarious audience participation parody Dancing Dinner Murder Fun Party with The Soapranos Family Get inducted into the MOB Join in our Mob Training class WYNDHAM CHATEAU LA MER HUNTINGTON Lindenhurst Ffl June IS TOWNHOUSE Sat June 16 T1VOU TERRACE Sat May 12 June 9 HOUDAYMN Hockvila Cantra FriUayll Sal May 26 tertainment purposes being removed themselves from the dockworkers pimps prostitutes and prisoners who interned the early sensibility After it made its way out of the streets lot of it was driven as a commercial said Martin Schwartz apro-fessor in the department of Near Eastern studies'at the University of California at Berkeley and a rebetika aficionado who has compiled a CD compilation called "Greek-Oriental lost some of that lower-class In the several high-profile Greek artists revived rebetika favoring the freewheeling prewar style over its tamer form (the link between hashish culture and the "70s counterculture is duly noted by academics) In the United States Grigoris Maninakin has been a central figure in the revival performing from the Harvard campus to Carnegie Hall A Greek immigrant who first settled in Astoria and now lives in Beechuret Maninakis said rebetika is lost on an indifferent generation of new performers "Sometimes I get offended because I love this said Maninakis 55 He performs the style he said because its sharp ornamental chords and soulful singing best embodies the richness of Greek culture But he young he said just a bunch of He added cannot say they play it wrong but the feel the color the style Some see rebetika fusions including ones done with rap as the bridge to a broader audience Others note that footprint is on all mod "Todayifs just folk We like the At Thiasos an aging patron in a dark suit likes the beat enough to rise from his chair stepping toward the stage As he does those nearby start a unified dap His eyes are to the floor Placing his left hand behind his back he dangles his right arm like a pendulum Two young women cheer him on aa he raises and lowers his back cross-steps and swirls his entire body in the style of the famous Greek dance zeibekiko The dancer old enough to be the father of many of the customers has captured center stage A woman moves in to take his picture "Traditions are changing everywhere" said Steven Ateshoglou 38 co-owner of Thiasos just moments before the frenzy "but I think musical traditions remain Second Annuel Greek Music 6 Dance Festival tonight tomorrow and Sunday night starting at 8 Town Hall 123 43rd St in Manhattan Ticket information: 212-545-7538 Lika Hearts Lika a documentary on arty rebetika recording lagand Markus Vamvakaris Thn screening will bn followed by a performance from Naw York's Grigoris Maninakic and his nnsembln Mikrokosmos Friday May 4 8 pm American Museum of Via Moving Imago 35th Avenue at 36th Street Astoria For more Information call 711-784-4520 Dancing The Original Smash Hit Food The Honeymoanm Ralph fc Alice's Birthday Bash Learn to Dance Trivia Contest Party with Ralph Alice Ed Morton Trixie An uproarious interactive comedy whet the audience joins Alice Camden in tr scheme to give Ralph the surprise of his fife Absolutely Hilarious -M Scharf man-contributing writer to the original Honeymooners HUNTINGTON TOWNHOUSE-Sat Apr 28 Hay 5 This for the Kids i ffl mssm memm A Jewishltalian Comedy Wedding Extravaganza 7th Smash Yeai! Dancing Live Music Slngaiongs TOM from B3 It iB however never taste- 'ns Si Don Borleone's daughter marries Bemie Goldberg at the wildest wackiest wedding of all history Agents Mobsters Make the Crowds Go WiliL Enormous -Star Ledger NJ Bounty of -Courier Lifestyles NY -NJ Press Focus News HOUDAY INN-Rockville Centre-Sat Apr 21 Sat June 2 ANTUN'S-Hicksville-Sat Apr 28 MEDITTERANEAN HANOR-Palchogue-Sat Hay 12 HUNTINGTON TOWNHOUSE-Sat May 19 TIVOLI TERRACE-Westbury-Sal May 26 June 23 WYNDHAM-Hauppauge-Sat June 16 constant spotlight with ing grace In feet director Scott Ellis Loves and adapter Ken Ludwig Me a have cast the principal kids old enough for innocent romance which means sweet chemistry between Tom and Becky played with spiky pale-blonde lyricism by Kristen Bell Then again spinster Aunt Polly (Linda Purl) has been rejuvenated aa a younger single woman who is courted by father Judge Thatcher (John Dos-aett) Ludwig whose own forces tend to try too hard has snipped and telescoped the episodic novel with a nice sense of sweep and a remark-ride lack of the unbearably cute Heidi Ettinger whose sets are the moat memorable part of the 808 Huck Finn musical "Big has re-created pre-Civil War Missouri town as if fantasized out of an upscale Americana crafts shop with little houses that seem to dance a blond-wood climbing hill that sugjpsts a Scandinavian modem showroom and an enchanted cave with secret ways for getting lost This is a very well-dressed little town with Anthony tumes in rustic pastels top hats and morning suits for the men handsome taffeta for the women One may certainly conclude that yet another paint-by-numbers Broadway masterpiece musical is Schlitz is the mqjor poser whose first turned out to be Grammy-winning hit In his first Broadway score he already understands how to define characters through song and how to move action His easygoing songs with their even phrase lengths and unforced rhymes never seem more ambitious than their unpretentious characters So if "Ain't Life sounds a little like Blind well his nursery rhyme simplicity is sometimes tinted in the colors of an Aaron landscape The cast is sprinkled with quality Broadway regulars including John Christopher Jones as the stuffy teacher Jane Connell as the widow who endearingly teaches Jim Pou-los' carefree yet sensitive Huck Finn and Tom Aldredge as the town drunk Muff Potter Marshall Pailet is especially wicked as duplicitous good-boy brother Sid and Tommar Wilson aa Ben has an effortless way of going airborne while whitewashing picket fence Color-blind casting among villagers may Beem jarring in this Missouri town before the Civil War but this is a vision of Twain where such unpleasantries are not entertained Kevin Durand has a shadow of social context on his dapper bitter portrayal of the murderous Iqjun Joe but seldom enough to spoil the party or wake the grown-ups Interactive! Murderl My stery I Din neriTheater MURDER AT CAFE NOIR 2 12 Hours of Food Fun Fantasy An Agatha Christie Style Comedy Murder Mystery Gnjf SOLVE THE MURDER WHILE ENJOYING DINNER I Hr PRIZES Hr AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION COMEDY it ORIGINAL MUSIC laSSUSSSLy ANTUN'S-Hicksville-Sat Apr 21 May 19 Jun 9 Jun 23 DINNER THEATER MARRIU1 l-Hauppauge-Sat Apr 28 May 12 Jun 2 Jun 16 I i I 5 Reservations 51 6-86 99 1 9lH ff Group RatesTGitt Certificates'! Private Partied I fAII rderJtlysterV S45Mln OtheP Shows 54D Murder Othi ndudes Dinner Jips.