Archive for March, 2012

Out and About: Things to see and places to be this weekend

Friday, March 30, 2012 by:Scott Gargan
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This weekend’s diversions revolve around musical legends — living and dead.

On Thursday, March 29, country/pop queen Shelby Lynne will perform selections from her latest record, “Revolutionary Road,” along with hits from her 25-year discography, during a solo performance at StageOne at Fairfield Theatre Company.

The following day, on Friday, March 3o, the legendary singer, dancer and actress Liza Minnelli (above) will give a benefit performance for the Stamford Center for the Arts at the Palace Theatre. At the conclusion of the performance, Minnelli will be presented with the SCA’s Arts Legacy Award.

Then, on Saturday, March 31, synthpop pioneer Thomas Dolby will take the stage at Ridgefield Playhouse while 60s pop/rocks sensation Gary Puckett and the Union Gap will make an appearance at the Downtown Cabaret Theatre in Bridgeport.

Finally, fans and friends of Davy Jones will converge on Aldario’s Restaurant in Milford to pay tribute to the late Monkees frontman in an evening celebration that is set to feature Monkees music, prizes and a performance by New Jersey pop/rock band The Characters.

However, if it is the stage you seek — with a little slice of sorority life — head on over to the Westchester Broadway Theatre for the opening night performance of “Legally Blonde,” the musical. In addition, Susanna Hamnett will bring her one-woman, all-ages Shakespeare show, “Nearly Lear,” to the Westport Country Playhouse on Sunday, April 1.

R.I.P. Earl Scruggs, arguably the best banjo player ever — living or dead. Until next time…

Bobby Flay rolls into Stamford on new gourmet food truck

Thursday, March 29, 2012 by:Scott Gargan
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Pictured: Celebrity chef Bobby Flay was in Stamford on Wednesday for filming of a new Food Network program. (Photos/Adam Ace Wolpinsky).

Passers-by on Bedford Street got a surprise visit from a celebrity chef — and a bellyful of gourmet grilled cheese — when Bobby Flay rolled into Stamford on the city’s new MELT Mobile food truck during filming of a new Food Network program Wednesday.

Patrons began lining up at the truck at around 6 p.m. as Flay, along with a bevy of MELT Mobile employees, served up such items as the Insanewich, Svelt Melt and Cheesecake Melt.

Flay manned the food truck as part of a new program that “follows food entrepreneurs through the arduous task of opening a food service business,” according to a press release.

Flay and the MELT Mobile will be in Stamford again on Thursday, parking in Veteran’s Park in Stamford. Business hours are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

Check out reporter Maggie Gordon’s full story on Flay and the MELT Mobile in the Stamford Advocate Friday.

Drake announces 27-city tour, Hartford stop

Wednesday, March 28, 2012 by:Scott Gargan
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Rapper Drake has announced a 27-city tour that brings him to Hartford’s Comcast Theatre on Monday, June 11.

Tickets, which cost $144.75-$29.75, go on sale Friday, March 30 via Live Nation.

Held in support of Drake’s latest studio album, “Take Care,” The Club Paradise Tour will is slated to feature performances by J. Cole, Waka Flocka Flame, Meek Mill, 2 Chainz and French Montana.

“I feel like this tour is coming at the perfect time,” Drake said in a statement. “It’s taking place in the season that we all wait for, We’re outdoors and you’ve got every single artist you wait to hear in the club on one bill . . . that’s Club Paradise.”

The tour comes on the heels of Drake’s sold out North American and European tours, which saw the Canadian rapper play U.S. college arenas from Miami to San Jose, and European venues, including London’s O2 Arena and the Oslo Spektrum.

Released in November, “Take Care” features the singles “Headlines,” “Make Me Proud” and “The Motto.”

Melissa Etheridge to play MGM Grand, tix on sale Friday

Tuesday, March 27, 2012 by:Pat Quinn
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Singer/songwriter Melissa Etheridge (above) will stop at the MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods on Sunday, June 10, at 8 p.m. as part of her 2012 international tour.

Tickets, which cost $45, $35 and $25, go on sale Friday, March 30, at 11 a.m. via Ticketmaster.

Catapulting onto the music scene with the release of her 1988 self-titled debut, Etheridge hit her commercial and artistic stride with her fourth album, “Yes I Am” (1993). Featuring mega hits like “I’m the Only One” and “Come to My Window,” the record earned her a second Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Performance and went platinum six times.

In February 2007, she marked a career milestone with a victory in the Best Song category at the Academy Awards for “I Need to Wake Up,” written for the Al Gore documentary on global warming, “An Inconvenient Truth.” Her latest album, “Fearless Love” (2009), was released to a Top-10 Billboard debut.

Etheridge can also be heard on the syndicated “Melissa Etheridge Show,” broadcasting daily on major radio stations throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Weezer to play Mohegan Sun Arena

Monday, March 26, 2012 by:Scott Gargan
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After disembarking from a recent cross-Caribbean concert cruise, Weezer has announced a headline performance at Mohegan Sun Arena on Thursday, May 31.

Tickets, which cost $35, go on sale Saturday, March 31 via Ticketmaster.

Hosted in January, the Weezer Cruise featured more than a dozen bands performing over four days on a cruise from Miami to Cozumel. The Los Angeles power pop band will stop at Mohegan Sun, before appearing in Atlantic City, N.J. the following evening.

To date, Weezer has released nine full-length albums — including the landmark LPs “Weezer” and “Pinkerton” — selling more than nine million records in the United States. Their most recent album, “Death to False Metal,” was released in 2010. They are currently in the studio working a on their tenth studio album.

‘Sound of Music’ adds shows; performances start March 30

Monday, March 26, 2012 by:Christina Hennessy
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Above: Fourteen area young artists were chosen from 120 auditionees for roles as von Trapp children in Curtain Call’s ‘The Sound of Music.’ It will play March 30 through May 5 at Stamford’s Kweskin Theatre. Two teams of children play the von Trapp children during alternating performances.

Beginning Friday, March 30, Stamford’s Curtain Call theater company will be presenting the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical “The Sound of Music,” at its Kweskin Theatre.

The cast, which features actors from across Fairfield and Westchester (N,.Y.)  counties, includes 14 young performers chosen from 120 young people who auditioned for the roles. The little more than a baker’s dozen are split into teams to play the von Trapp brood during alternating performances.

The production, inspired by the story of Maria Rainer and Count Georg von Trapp, has already inspired strong ticket sales, said Lou Ursone, Curtain Call executive director and producer for “The Sound Of Music.” Five additional performances have been tacked on to the original schedule of performances, pushing the production run to Friday, May 5.

The 38-member cast is led by director Karen Randazzo of Trumbull.

The musical, which earned a Tony Award, includes some classic songs, such as “My Favorite Things,” “Climb Every Mountain,” “The Sound of Music” and “Do, Re, Mi. ”

The cast includes Alicia Ditta, Sarah Gold, Morgan Humbert, Alyssa Moorin, Brianna Tarzia, Joe Vitti, Danny Ward and Jamil Zraikat of Stamford; Julia Robertson Barbieri, Liz Harrington, Emily Hull, Emily Katz, Christine Mallardi, Mickey Mallardi, Katie Morris, Tom Petrone and Kat Rosenfield of Norwalk; Tom Butterworth, Claire Leville, Nancy Leville and Whitney Woerz of New Canaan; Michal Barnea, Jack Smalls, Elizabeth Szele and Victoria Szele of Greenwich; Meaghan Elliot, Christian Melhuish and Tyler Jent of from Westport; Abigail Hubbard of Bridgeport; Vickey Gill of Milford; Clara Blackwell of Redding; Terry Le Bel of Shelton; Dan Travers of Stratford; Danny Randazzo of Trumbull; Doreen DeMilo-Ineson of Somers, N.Y.; and Janis Chapin of Tarrytown, N.Y.

“The Sound of Music will play Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday afternoons at 2 p.m.. There are three Thursday evening performances at 7:30 p.m. on April 19, 26 and May 3. Matinee seats still available for April 28 and 29.

Tickets are $28 for adults, $20 for senior citizens and $14 for students/children. Thrifty Thursday price: all seats $18. Call 203-461-6358 or visit www.curtaincallinc.com. The Kweskin Theatre is at the Sterling Farms Theatre Complex, 1349 Newfield Ave., Stamford.

Out and about: Things to see and places to be this weekend

Friday, March 23, 2012 by:Christina Hennessy
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Music is the predominant diversion this weekend, but there are plenty of other events to enjoy, too, including some special evenings with Hollywood legends, a train ride with a bunny, a night of fashion and three days full of French cinema.

You can check out Eric Hutchinson at Mohegan Sun Casino on Saturday, March 24, or Livingston Taylor at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown on the same night. Taylor’s nephew, Ben Taylor, will be performing at an autism benefit on Saturday, too. The Greenwich Choral Society presents “Alexander’s Feast” this weekend, while Tom Chapin will join with some up-and-coming talent at Newtown High School on Sunday, March 25. Arrival from Sweden, an ABBA tribute band, arrives in Fairfield on Wednesday night, the same evening Snoop Dogg is at Toad’s Place in New Haven.

Perhaps you are a tad star struck with show biz legends. On Saturday, March 24, Shirley MacLaine comes to Torrington to talk about her life and career, while Mickey Rooney does that same, on the same night at Sacred Heart University.

Other events focus on some family friendly fare, such as the Easter Bunny Train in Danbury, the home and outdoor living expo in Stamford, the night of “fun and fashion” in Danbury, a performance by Japanese drumming ensemble Tao (see video below) and a family concert in Greenwich.

French film buffs will be camping out for the weekend at Purchase College’s Performing Arts Center when the Alliance Francaise of Greenwich hosts its annual “Focus on French Cinema” event (see preview above). Fans of the Beatles will want to head over to the Avon Theatre next week for a multimedia presentation about the band’s album “Revolver.” And those who are fans of pianos will want to check out their parts in a new art exhibit that opened in Greenwich this week.

These are just a few of events and activities that are lined up for the next few days. You can check out the full listing of activities in the Go entertainment guide, published every Thursday.

Artists use parts and pieces to create unique compositions

Thursday, March 22, 2012 by:Christina Hennessy
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Above: ‘Trilobite’ is one of the pieces in ‘Piano As Art’ which opens with a reception from 6-8 p.m., at the Flinn Gallery at the Greenwich Library, on Thursday, March 22. Contributed photo/Steven Rossi

For two Greenwich artists, the last couple of years has been all about making their art sing.

“Piano As Art,” an exhibit of art inspired and created by pianos and their parts, will open Thursday, March 22, at the Flinn Gallery at the Greenwich Library, second floor, 101 W. Putnam Ave., Greenwich. The project represents a three-way collaboration that includes artists  Shauna Holiman and Penny Putnam, as well as Faust Harrison Pianos.

The show features about 35 pieces that vary from wall-mounted works to those on pedestals. There also are some tall, freestanding sculptures.

“The fun thing about taking apart a piano is that all these pieces are all very much alike,” Holiman said. “So, you get something very rhythmic … a lot of it looks very musical.”

You can read more about the project and exhibit in my story here.

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