Drama, comedy, catharsis and spectacle play out under real and imagined skies.
Monday, August 11
Starting at 7 p.m. at Cafe Nine, an Emo Night powered by DJ Zombii promises “wall-to-wall anthems” spanning “My Chem, Paramore, Taking Back Sunday, ADTR, Fall Out Boy, deep cuts, guilty pleasures, and stuff you forgot you screamed in your bedroom.”
Tuesday, August 12
From noon to 6 Tuesdays through Saturdays (and until 8 p.m. on Thursdays), The Dome at the Yale Schwarzman Center hosts Celestial Garden by Leo Villareal. “This never-before-exhibited artwork features an original soundscape and employs a suite of ten projectors that map the entire dome’s intrados. Villareal, whose work explores the physicality of light in both the spatial and temporal dimensions, uses custom software to orchestrate the perpetually evolving, abstract compositions, inspired by nature’s intricate, ever-changing patterns. Plush carpets and seating allow a contemplative pause for viewers to be immersed in a dynamic and continuously unfolding interplay of light and sound.”
Wednesday, August 13
At 2 p.m., Wilson Branch Library screens In the Mood for Love (2000), a “delicately mannered and visually extravagant” Chinese-language movie set in 1962 and filmed as though it were made then, too. “Chow Mo-Wan (Tony Leung Chiu Wai) and Su Li-Zhen (Maggie Cheung Man Yuk) move into neighboring apartments on the same day. Their encounters are formal and polite—until a discovery about their spouses creates an intimate bond between them.”
At 8, a lighter mood is set in Pitkin Plaza, where the hit comedy Legally Blonde (2001) screens as part of the Movies in the Plaza series.
Also at 8, darkness is the crucial ingredient during “a magical night under the stars” at Massaro Community Farm. “Bring a blanket or chair and settle in as we watch one of the summer’s most spectacular celestial events—the Perseid Meteor Shower. This annual display is known for its bright, fast-moving meteors and is best enjoyed away from city lights.”
Thursday, August 14
At 2 and 7 p.m., Legacy Theatre in Branford picks up with the first not-yet-sold-out showtimes of its August production of Sweeney Todd.
Starting at 8 after a 7:30 preshow, it’s opening night for Elm Shakespeare Company’s annual run of Shakespeare in Edgerton Park, this time featuring a Bollywood-infused take on A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Friday, August 15
“After a successful 50-year history,” the Milford Oyster Festival is paring back to two evenings. Today and tomorrow from 5 to 10 on Milford’s Fowler Field, expect food, refreshments, live music and, for an additional wristband fee, amusement rides.
At 6, Three Sheets hosts a Jazz Happy Hour offering “smooth sounds” and “killer” bar specials.
Saturday, August 16
From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the 63-year-old North Guilford Country Fair at North Guilford Congregational Church features the fair’s “famous peach shortcake” along with savory food, live music, a quilts exhibit, a “barn bonanza,” a many-spendored “kids’ corner” and more.
Also in Guilford, and also starting at 10, is the annual Peach Festival at Bishop’s Orchards, with food and drink trucks, live music, “tasty peach treats” and more.
From 3 to 6 p.m., the grand opening of Waterhaven Fine Art Gallery, located at 545 Long Wharf Drive, also functions as an opening reception for its first show, Tidal Vision. The show features “the work of three artists—a sculptor and two painters—whose practices are entwined with the life of the sea and the creatures it sustains.”
At 6:30, a nostalgic, mostly ’90s hip hop show at Westville Music Bowl convenes Cypress Hill, Atmosphere, Lupe Fiasco and The Pharcyde.
Sunday, August 17
At 2, the historic Pardee-Morris House hosts Daniel Coburn, adjunct professor of geology at Southern Connecticut State University, discussing another important local historical site, via “Memories in Stone: The Geology of Grave Markers of the Grove Street Cemetery.”
Also starting at 2, party band Diva and the Playboys play Riva, West Haven’s new outdoor bar near the beach.
Written by Dan Mims. Image, featuring a moment during Leo Villareal’s Celestial Garden, photographed by Gary Mamay. Readers are encouraged to verify times, locations, prices and other details before attending events.
