Image courtesy of the artist Stephen Hall’s - LEFT: “Self Portrait of Congolese Woman in Drag.” RIGHT: A biblically epic lady, for our troubled times: Charles Busch stars in “Judith of Bethulia.” Photo by David Rodgers
LEGACY: A STEPHEN HALL SOLO EXHIBITION The colors, shadows and light sources that give Stephen Hall’s canvases their neon-like intensity seem as if they’ve been rendered with the perfect, precise assistance of zeroes and ones. Not so. “There are no digital prints, photographs, collage, airbrush or projections involved in my work,” Hall vows. Instead, he achieves this distinct look through hand painting “rows and rows of acrylic colors or tones, going from dark to light in countless layers.” That layered technique extends to the subject matter. The world citizens who populate his work are given skin made of hypnotic patterns, and armed with objects that belong on the totem poles of other cultures. The end result is one of comfort by way of chaos — where information overload delivers the sublime message that all is, if not well, then at least strikingly similar across cultures, space and time.
Through April 15. Tues.-Sun., 1-6pm. At Westbeth Gallery (55 Bethune St., btw. West and Washington Sts.). For more info, visit stephenhallart.com.
JUDITH OF BETHULIA For services rendered to comedy, and for sending up religion while dressed in a dress, Charles Busch is either going to get a heavenly reward or a hellacious punishment on the day he meets his maker. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen for a very long time, because we need him in the here and now. Last seen on the stage working a nun’s habit in the long-running “The Divine Sister,” the playwright’s latest work makes its world premiere at Theater for the New City (as did the funny, frothy, intrigue-filled “Sister”). This time around, Busch stars as the striking redhead “Judith,” in a spoof of Hollywood Biblical epics. That genre’s fascinating blend of excesses and reverence is a perfect match for a man who’s built an empire on satirizing and celebrating those very qualities. Carl Andress (the deft director of “Sister” and “Die, Mommie, Die!”) is at the helm. The cast includes Jennifer Cody, Dave August, Christopher Borg, Mary Testa and Jennifer Van Dyck.
Through April 28. Wed.-Sat., 8pm and Sun., 3pm. At Theater for the New City (155 First Ave., at 10th St.). For tickets ($25), visit smarttix.com or call 212-868-4444. Also visit theaterforthenewcity.net. Follow “Judith” on Facebook, at facebook.com/judithbethuliaonstage. For Twitter: @BBBway.
