UPPER EAST SIDE — The touring drummer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers will play live for a rooftop screening of a silent horror film at the Czech Center of New York.
Brazilian native Mauro Refosco, who's best known for touring with the famed rock band, will be performing live during the screening of the 1928 silent film "The Man Who Laughs" on the rooftop of the Czech Center at 8 p.m. on Aug. 9.
Refosco also played the drums for the band's recording of "I'm With You," and is currently a member of the alternative rock band Atoms For Peace, a collaboration including members of Red Hot Chili Peppers and Radiohead.
As the sun sets, and the silent film starts up, he will play alongside Michael Leonhart, a noted trumpet player and singer-songwriter, playing along to the flick's creepy plot.
In "The Man Who Laughs," set in 1690, King James II orders a surgeon to carve a smile into the son of an English nobleman who offends him.
After the death of his father, the boy, Gwyneplaine, is adopted by a wandering woman who forces him to put his disfigurement on display for money.
Gwyneplaine eventually returns to court and is deemed the rightful heir to the throne.
The boy's crooked smile is said to be one of the inspirations behind Batman's nemesis The Joker.
The silent film showing is part of the Czech Center's Rooftop Ciné Concert Series. Its lineup includes "Faust" on Aug. 16, and "The Monster" and "Golem," which were screened in July.
At each event, musicians have performed alongside the feature film.
The screening will take place in the Czech Center, at 321 E. 73rd St., beginning with cocktails and snacks at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 online and $25 at the door. For more information, visit the Czech Center's website.
