In the Whirl of Zoomtown

SLAM dunk - Play time is what’s needed more than ever these days - from sitting down in a restaurant indoors to seeing a live performance - and it’s coming sooner than later when NYC gets the go-ahead. So look for BreakALeg Production company’s 2nd Annual One-Act Play Competition scheduled for Oct 5th. Venue TBD. Last year’s SLAM winner, “A Much Better Deal,” a comedy by Stephan Feldman, was selected by audience ballot from four comedies and one drama entry and there was a cash prize for the winning playwright. Good news, the prize has been upped for the 2020 SLAM which will consist of 7 plays - 5 comedies, 2 dramas - all directed by Valerie Adami Juhlin - and the winner again will be chosen by the audience. Sponsoring the SLAM for a second year is Manhattan’s Country Bank. Like everyone everywhere the BAL company has been Zooming their readings. In April and May they Zoomed through submissions of comedies, dramas, historical, and science-related plays. Check out their website for play Submissions, calendar dates for events, performances, company bios at www.breakalegproductions.com. And congratulations to BAL and its founder and Artistic Director Teri Black as they celebrate their 25th anniversary. Silver bells.

No kids in the park - What a lead that is! But it’s true when you think of NYC’s mayor, who prides himself on doing everything for kids based on his pre-K accomplishment. Well, those pre-K’s are now getting older and have to spend their summer days with activities and adult supervision. Many, if not all, of the children who go to summer day camps like Kids of Summer Sports in conjunction with The Riverside Park Conservancy, Riverside Clay Tennis Association and the Carlos Oliveira Soccer Academy are the children of COVID first-responders and summer day camp gives them safe, supervised care and activity. With remote school over this month, where will many of these kids, who are on financial scholarships. go for safe and supervised activity while their parents are serving and saving the city? In your final year, Mr. Mayor, don’t exacerbate your mantra of a tale of two cities. Do the right thing.

Va va Zoom - COVID may be keeping people at home or limiting their time outdoors or keeping them from going to their favorite entertainment venues, but its brought some new things, for better or worse, into our lives.

On the food front ... Peter Luger’s creamed spinach in the fridges at Morton Williams and Food Emporium. If you’re willing to forgo a Luger’s steak and surly service, it’s worth it. Deelish. No Door Dash, no GrubHub to pay to bring it. Price is right, $8.99 at Morton Williams; $9.99 at Food Emporium. For steak, I found myself at Dining Downtown with Rocco DiSpirito who moderated as Delmonico’s chef did the cooking ... For entertainment, District Leader Ben Wetzler turned me onto Sarah Cooper’s Trump-a-thon. She literally mouths DJT’s words and ad libs her very own facial expressions. Priceless. Thanks, Ben ... and NYC pets haven’t been overlooked. In riding the M101, 102, or 103 along Third Ave., you couldn’t help but notice Bond Vet’s canopy set up in front of their quarter-block long space with socially-distanced seats for “Pet Parents” to sit while their pet was inside.

As Cindy Adams would say, Only in NY, kids, only in NY, to which I’ll add, only in a COVID-rattled NY.