A political cabaret that features the Beep!

By Alex Rush

Borough President Markowitz is taking his anti-bike lane stance to the musical stage!

The Beep (left, at his State of the Borough address earlier this year), who famously opposed the Prospect Park West bike lane on the grounds that it is anti-car, will perform his “Borough of Lanes” song parody as part of a political satire cabaret at the Kingsborough Performing Arts Center.

“When I’m done singing, I expect that the audience will rise to their feet and tell me to keep my day job,” said Markowitz, who first sang his bike-centric version of “My Favorite Things” at a City Council hearing in December and later used the lyrics on his annual holiday greeting card.

Markowitz will likely bring down the house at “Thalia Follies: A Political Cabaret,” but the April 16 showcase features professional performers, including Broadway vets, riffing on current events such as health care reform and overly touchy security agents at airports.

“One of the most fun songs in the piece is, ‘Don’t Touch My Junk,’ which is about the Transportation Security Administration’s pat-downs,” said Isaiah Sheffer, show host and creator.

There are also more New York-centric scenes that focus on reckless cabbies, inconsiderate subway riders and what would happen if Schools Chancellor Cathie Black and “Tiger Mom” Amy Chua visited a city public school.

On a slate like that, bikes lanes were an obvious choice.

“We really wanted to connect to the political world of Brooklyn and appeal to a wider audience,” Sheffer said. “And people feel so strongly about bike lanes, so we knew we had to feature them.”

“Thalia Follies: A Political Cabaret” at the Kingsborough Performing Arts Center at Kingsborough Community College [2001 Oriental Blvd. at Decatur Avenue in Manhattan Beach, (718) 368-5596], April 16 at 8 pm. Tickets $25. For info, visit www.kcckpac.org.

Photo by Stefano Giovannini