Summer Fun (Part 2 - Thursday & Friday)

Thursday July 23:
The Oddfellows Playhouse Summer Shakespeare Academy presents "Love's Labours Lost", directed by Jeffery Allen, Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on the OP Main Stage, 128 Washington Street. Like many of the Bard's creations, this one has a "play-within-a-play", has servants much smarter than their masters, but, in a creative twist, not a completely "happy ending" (in other words, no wedding.) That said, it's quite a lot of fun watching the King and his "posse" attempting to ignore falling in love with the Princess and her court because the men have taken a vow to devote themselves to 3 years of study and not to woo women during that time. It's a hoot watching the men trying to keep that vow.

For more information, call 347-6143 or go to www.oddfellows.org.

The comedy troupe known as Chicago City Limits comes to Wesleyan's CFA Theater Thursday night at 8 p.m. to present "Wikiphobia." Described by CCL as "fast-paced, high energy, comedy", the show works on the fact that "the internet is slowly seeping into every corner of our lives and transforming the world as we know it: "Google" is no longer just a number; "Friend" is no longer just a noun; and virtual, user-generated facts are as good as actual, factual facts."

The group, in existence since the late 1970s, is actually based in New York City and has been having a banner year with its latest production, "Manic Depression." For ticket information, call the University Box Office at 685-335 or go to www.wesleyan.edu/cfa.

Friday July 24:
The Buttonwood Tree presents an evening of "pop-rock" when the duo of Miles Nasta & Ricky Duran performs 2 sets of original music. Nasta, a Middletown resident, and Duran, a native of Grafton, Massachusetts, play songs that have a real "crunch" without being too heavy or sappy. The music starts at 8 p.m. For more information, call 347-4957.

Boney's Music Lounge welcomes back the Tom Sanders Band for an evening of heavy-hitting blues and more. The Quintet, based in Higganum, has been together since 2003 and can really shake the rafters. They'll start at 8:30 p.m. For more information, call 346-6000 or go to www.myspace.com/tomsandersband.

I mentioned in a previous post that Joe Fonda & Michael Musillami had to cancel their Friday evening for ARTFARM and had been replaced by pianist Noah Baerman & Friends. All that is true but, in a further clarification, it's the Noah Baerman Trio that will entertain the crowds. Joining Noah will be his regular rhythm section of Henry Lugo (bass) and Vinny Sperazza (drums.) For more information, go to www.art-farm.org. To paraphase the Friends of Distinction take on Hugh Masakela's "Grazin' in the Grass", "Groovin' in the Grove is a gas! - can you dig it?"