Busy Busy Week (Part 1: 6/09-6/11)

Tuesday Jazz at Public will take the summer off but not before its final show on June 9. Florida native Ellen Whyte (now a resident of Portland, Oregon) brings her blues-soaked music to Middletown for a 6 p.m. show. Joining her for this East Coast appearance will be the versatile pianist Don DePalma, tenor saxophonist Jimmy Biggins, bassist Bob Laramie and drummer Trevor Davis (all familiar names to Tuesday Jazz fans.)


Should you decide to catch just the first set of Ms. Whyte's show, you can then head over to KidCity on Washington Street for the ARTFARM Shakespeare Sonnet Slam and Elizabethan Bash. Performers of all ages will take part in reciting, acting out, shouting, whispering, etc., a 14-line work by the Bard of Avon. Special guest host is Middletown resident and Channel 3-WFSB News anchor Al Terzi. Proceeds will go to underwrite the "Shakespeare in the Grove" production of "The Taming of the Shrew" to be performed July 16-26 at MxCC. For more information, call 346-4390.

Wednesday, Main Street goes "car crazy" for the 12th Annual Cruise Night from 4:30 - 8 p.m. The street is closed off from Washington Street to the South Green, there's entertainment, food vendors and some pretty neat looking cars. Rain date is 6/17.

Thursday, the Middlesex County Historical Society holds an Open House at General Mansfield's handsome domicile, 151 Main Street, to introduce its new executive director Deborah Dickson Shapiro. Many local know Deb as an attorney and President of the Russell Library Board, but she was a history major in college and loves the subject (and, especially, Middletown history.) The Historical Society Board will be on hand to launch its capital & endowment campaign. The event is free and open to all (plus you can walk through the fine Civil War exhibition.)

The Green Street Arts Center presents an "Evening of Screenplay Readings" Thursday at 7 p.m. The program will includes excerpts from works by Michael Ennis, Sara Hallisey, Kristen Kuzcenski, Guy Russo, and Mark Sabo. Both Hallisey and Ennis have been accepted into the 2009 CT Film Festival Screenwriters Immersion Program. For more information, call 685-7871.

Connie Crothers has had a long and busy career as an improvising musician. The pianist studied with the legendary Lennie Tristano (1919-1978) and has performed or recorded with drummer Max Roach, saxophonists Lee Konitz and Warne Marsh and a host of fine musicians. Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m., Ms. Crothers will sit down at the piano in the performance space of The Buttonwood Tree and be joined by percussionist/composer Kevin Norton. For ticket information, call 347-4957.


The cast of "Harvey" returns to the stage at Oddfellows Playhouse this coming weekend for 5 more performances of Mary Chase's subtly funny 1944 comedy about Elwood P. Dowd, his sister and her daughter and the 6'6" Pooka rabbit named Harvey that isn't really there (or is it?) This Connecticut Heritage Productions and Advocate Performing Arts Association joint presentation, directed by Peter Loffredo, has several strong performances (Michael Eck as the protagonist is but one of the stalwarts.) For those of you who know that CHP and Mr. Loffredo have a long history of presenting thought-provoking shows that often challenge audiences prejudices, "Harvey" is a fun diversion. Yes, there is a message here but it's handled with plenty of humor and a touch of tenderness. Performances are 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday with 2 p.m. matinees on Saturday and Sunday. For reservations, call 347-7771.