Arts & Entertainment

OUTDOORS
Brave the heat this for these outdoor screenings of old favorites and next-big-things.—Heather Corcoran

THE BRYANT PARK SUMMER FILM FESTIVAL

What better way to stay out of the heat than by soaking up some fine art? Be it sculpture, painting or something a little more modern, the city’s major museums have plenty of indoor fun opening this summer.

OLD FAVORITES
Stick to the tried-and-true with new stagings of classic shows by acclaimed performers.

SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK
This year the Public Theater presents two of the Bard’s best-loved plays for a romantic summer of theater. From June 5–July 8, Lauren Ambrose and Oscar Isaac star as the star-crossed lovers in the perennial favorite “Romeo and Juliet.” Then, from Aug. 7–Sept. 8, Daniel Sullivan directs “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” The series is free, but be prepared to camp outside the theater for tickets for these popular performances. In fact, demand for tickets caused producers to extend the run from four to five weeks.

Artistic Director of the 13th Street Repertory Company
Edith O’ Hara is founder and artistic director of The 13th Street Repertory Company. O’Hara, 90, tells the Resident about her struggle to keep the non-profit company going in the years since its founding in 1972. She is currently directing “Line” by Israel Horowitz.—Melissa Swinea

ART
The conceptually-charged work of Andrea Robbins and Max Becher explores the cultural dislocation caused by globalization, with photographs of Germans donning Native American costumes, American strip malls in the French countryside and an ersatz Bavaria in Washington State. Through June 23 at the French Institute’s FIAF Gallery. fiaf.org

Hostel: Part II
Directed by: Eli Roth
This sequel tells of the journey of three American students (Lauren German, Bijou Phillips and Heather Matarazzo) studying abroad in Rome. On a weekend trip, they come across a fellow classmate who lures the trio to a hostel in Slovakia where they encounter a corrupt business company that gratifies its clients’ desires to rape, murder and torture.

This summer’s most unexpected show comes when ‘80s pop-rock superstars The Police stop in New York as part of their whirlwind world-wide tour. After disappearing from the concert circuit for over 20 years, the three-piece band – guitarist Andy Summers, drummer Stewart Copland and singer Sting – announced the tour following their performance at the Grammy Awards. To prove there are no hard feelings from when the band’s superstar singer left the band to pursue a solo career, the British rockers are reuniting to celebrate 30 years in the music business. It was 1977 when they first hit the scene with the epic “Outlandos d’Amour,” and you can be sure that album’s hit, “Roxanne,” will still make the crowds go wild.

Mr. Brooks
Directed by: Bruce Evans
A successful businessman with a loving wife and daughter, Earl Brooks (Kevin Costner) is everybody’s role model. However, beneath his seemingly glamorous appearance and unknown to the world, Earl is also a malevolent serial murderer known as the Thumbprint Killer. Earl’s secret double life is discovered by an amateur photographer (Dane Cook), who witnesses one of his killings and proceeds to blackmail him. In addition, Earl is faced with an eager and persistent detective, Tracy Atwood (Demi Moore), who is driven by personal motives to uncover the identity of the Thumbprint Killer.

MUSIC
French trip-hopper Wax Tailor makes his New York debut at The Box, for a night of laid-back grooves and video projections. June 1. waxtailor.com

PERFORMANCE
Multimedia artist Koosil-Ja presents her latest performance mech[A] OUTPUT, which combines technology, dance and classical Japanese theater. At the Japan Society. May 31–June 2. japansociety.org

Review

‘200 Pounds Beauty’
Directed by: Yong-hwa Kim

In this warm and lighthearted South Korean romantic comedy, a tremendously overweight aspiring singer, Hanna (Ah-Jung Kim), decides to take destiny into her own hands by undergoing a dramatic surgical operation to win the heart of Sang Jun (Ju Jin Mo), a young manager at a record label. A year later, Hanna approaches Sang Jun as the stunningly beautiful (and unrecognizable) Jenny. With her extraordinary vocal talent and delicate physical features, “Jenny” instantly becomes a huge star. Throughout her transformation, however, Hanna gradually loses her former identity and neglects her old friends and family. In the end, her secret is revealed and she reconciles her old and new self in a teary union with her father in front of thousands of fans.