T he week begins calmly, with a soft-hitting show at a small local club and a good opportunity to quiet the mind. Then titters and giggles and other crowd noises begin to emanate from popular spots along New Haven’s northern and southern borders, spreading into downtown and elsewhere by the weekend.
Monday, August 17
Waterbury-based singer/songwriter Terri Lynn usually performs solo, with just a guitar and a mic. So when she takes Cafe Nine’s stage tonight, expect it to feel a little empty—until she starts singing, anyway. Youthful but sonorous, her voice creates a sense of fullness in short order, via slow, wistful folk and country tunes. Also slated on the 9 p.m., $5 bill are middle act Stefanie Austin and opener Krizta Moon. 250 State Street, New Haven. (203) 789-8281.
Tuesday, August 18
Shh. The Art of Living Foundation, the New Haven Zen Center and the Shambhala Meditation Center of New Haven are co-organizing a free “evening meditation” session tonight at 6 p.m. for meditators of all experience levels at the Ives Main Library (133 Elm St, New Haven). If you’re planning to go, just be sure to call the library at 203-946-8138 and let ’em know.
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Wednesday, August 19
“They put the laughter in manslaughter” goes the catchphrase for Murder for Two, a musical comedy showing on the main stage at Long Wharf Theatre tonight through August 30. Featuring two actors sharing a character list 13 roles long, with a deft lot of live piano-playing, Long Wharf calls it “a winking homage to old-fashioned murder mysteries.” $61.50. 222 Sargent Dr, New Haven. (203) 787-4282.
Thursday, August 20
Beginning its annual three-week run tonight at 8 p.m., Elm Shakespeare Company celebrates 20 summers of staging Shakespeare in the park by staging more summertime Shakespeare in the park. The park in question is Edgerton Park (75 Cliff St, New Haven), and the play in play is Twelfth Night, whose plot is driven by romantic attractions, mistaken identities and merciless pranking. Its stature within The Bard’s oeuvre is just about opposite that of Pericles, the presentation ESC gave us last year (pictured above), and makes a fitting send-off for Elm Shakespeare’s founder and longtime artistic director—and Night’s director—James Andreassi, who’s announced that he’s stepping down from the company’s top creative post after the final curtain call this summer. 8 p.m. Free; donations accepted.
Friday, August 21
For four days starting tonight, with a break between this Sunday and the following Saturday, the music venue complex at 295 Treadwell Street, Hamden—including craft beer bar The Outer Space and larger spot The Ballroom at the Outer Space—is hosting a bonanza blitz of local bands (and even a couple of special reunions) to fundraise for its flagship all-ages venue, The Space. According to a GoFundMe page launched last month—which, as of this writing, has raised over $25,000 from 537 donors—the money is needed to make up for shortfalls caused by winter weather-cancelled shows and at least one promoter who never made good on his debts, plus “necessary upgrades and improvements to both technical and visual components of the venue.” See the full schedule of bands via this Facebook post, where organizers also note a suggested donation of “$20 per show or $35 for two.” (203) 288-6400.
Saturday, August 22
Honoring “women in jazz,” the 2015 New Haven Jazz Festival starts off with a bang tonight. Its big tentpole show on the green counts off at 6 o’clock, when the Jazz Haven All-Star Youth Band is set to warm up the stage for the Isabella Mendes Quintet at 6:45 and the Karrin Allyson Quartet at 8. Before the show’s even over, the festival’s “Jazz Week” starts swinging through different bars and clubs and restaurants around town, with the final performances happening Sunday, August 30. Free to attend.
Sunday, August 23
The Connecticut Open women’s pro tennis tournament, held inside the Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale (45 Yale Ave, New Haven), sees its opening round of play today at 11 a.m. (following qualifying rounds Friday and yesterday), with more sessions every day until Saturday, the 29th, when the singles and doubles winners emerge. The obvious favorites on the singles side are Simona Halep, who won here two years ago and is currently ranked third in the world, and Petra Kvitova, who took the crown last year and is ranked fifth globally. Daily tickets start at $13 for kids and $26 for adults, with prices increasing as the tourney advances.
Written and photographed by Dan Mims. Readers are encouraged to verify times, locations and prices before attending events.
