Megan D'Souza

Nebula, a nightclub in the heart of Times Square, opened this weekend to lines and lines of excited New Yorkers ready to hit the dance floor. We got to stop by on Thursday for an exclusive press preview night, where Nebula dazzled guests with flowing cocktails, scrumptious passed apps, and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.

Spanning 11,000 square feet and 3 stories, this weekend’s opening was the largest Manhattan has seen in several years. Thursday’s press preview night featured Storm Lever and Daniel Quadrino from Broadway Plus performing “Don’t Rain on my Parade” and “Waving Through a Window,” respectively, to honor the nightclub’s proximity to the theatre district. Nebula celebrates the post-pandemic recovery of New York City nightlife, and by featuring theatre performers, celebrates Broadway’s recent return in tandem: two of the city’s most beloved fixtures.

Richie Romero, former partner at Butter Group of 1OAK and Up&Down fame, along with Yang Gao of MIXX Lifestyle Group, created Nebula to be a “transformative nightlife experience” blending “cutting edge technology and world class hospitality.” With a 5,500 square foot dance floor, multiple private club rooms, and a moveable ceiling draped with lights to mimic a star-studded night sky, it definitely offers a unique and thrilling night out. Nebula’s private rooms can be rented out for all sorts of celebrations, and offers the perfect location for a post-show move.

When we entered the club, we were guided by overhead lights through a curved pathway opening up to the sprawling dance floor, multiple groups of leather sofas for guests to lounge and mingle, and a balcony overhead to watch the dance floor unfold and catch a glimpse of the performances. Drinks of every imaginable creation were served at the bar, as we weaved through people with glasses and glasses of fizzy, sparkling prosecco to see every corner of the venue. Ben & Jerry’s ice cream was served, and so was a delicious cheese platter, as appetizers such as prosciutto crostini, farro salad, and meatballs circled the dance floor to the delight of eager patrons. Nebula’s “interstellar” design vision entranced as we danced the night away, honored to get to be part of nightlife’s reopening in NYC.

Opening weekend also featured DJ Makj headlining on Friday, and DJ Rony Seikaly on Saturday.  The party rolls on next weekend, with Duck Sauce November 12^th and ZEDD on the 13^th queued up on Nebula’s calendar. An epic Thanksgiving dance party is also in the cards and will be highlighted by Luke Alexander, Jesse Rosen, and Sasha Troy spinning – mark your schedules for these events now because they’re guaranteed to be nights to remember!

On a warm autumn evening, we ducked into Golden Theatre to catch the new Broadway play by Keenan Scott II, “Thoughts of a Colored Man.” This thought-provoking show offers a glimpse into the lives of several black men living in New York City – their joys, struggles, and particular experiences through various mediums of spoken word. 

The play opens up with seven men lined up across the stage, decked out in various combinations of red and black. Each portrays different vastly different characters, apparent from their clothing and clarified further as we learn their personalities, backgrounds, and values. Luke James’ mesmerizing voice fills the theater to open up the show, and after some dialogue the opening scene leaves the audience with this question: “who is the colored man?” Through 90 minutes of spoken word, slam poetry, rhythm, and humor, Thoughts of a Colored Man addresses this question by diving into the lives of each of these fictional New Yorkers.

In a Brooklyn neighborhood on the cusp of rapid gentrification, six homegrown residents and one recent mover discuss class struggles, intersectionality, and prejudice through conversations and heavy internal monologue. They relate with one another on subjects of love, sex, parenthood, and education, and clash with each other on the very same, while lamenting about gentrification symbols such as the Citibike station and Whole Foods. We learn who they are to the world, and who they are to themselves, with emphasis on the latter. The key title word “thoughts” here demonstrates this, as the audience does not remain on the outside looking in – the struggles felt by each man reverberate through the theater after each monologue.

The characters represent key emotions, we learn towards the end of the show, and are played by Dyllón Burnside (Love), Bryan Terrell Clark (Happiness), Da’Vinchi (Lust), Luke James (Passion), Forrest McClendon (Depression), Esau Pritchett (Wisdom), and Tristan Mack Wilds (Anger). The idea that each of these men can be synonymous with a singular emotion feels uneasy, as the show has just illustrated how nuanced and complex each of them are. This reduction parallels a much more serious problem: how black men are dehumanized by society and the law and seen as one-dimensional despite the truth.

While Thoughts of a Colored Man doesn’t breach uncharted territory, or shock audiences with groundbreaking revelation, it boldly reminds us of what everyone knows yet brushes under the rug in order to function on a daily level. The experience of black men cannot be understood through news headlines, protests, and outrage at inequity. The world must listen to the stories of individuals, because the collective dehumanizes, and the opening question “who is the colored man?” cannot truly be answered.