Yale’s on break, but New Haven’s not. Gripping film, indie lit, stirring sounds and “ecstatic” dance keep us moving.
Monday, March 13
Best Video has, perhaps unexpectedly, saved the best for last. Best Picture winner Moonlight (screen-capped above), showing tonight at 7:15 for $7, is the finale in the nonprofit film center’s 2017 Oscar series, and it was scheduled this way before the Oscars even happened. In the film, “a young man deals with his dysfunctional home life as he comes of age in Miami during the ‘War on Drugs’ era, struggling to find himself as he experiences the ecstasy, pain and beauty of falling in love while grappling with his own sexuality.” 1842 Whitney Avenue, Hamden. (203) 287-9286.
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Tuesday, March 14
R.J. Julia (768 Boston Post Rd, Madison; 203-245-3959) is hosting a Local & Independent Author Night featuring writers of historical fiction. They include Vic Butsch and Tommy Coletti, co-authors of A Journey to the Gallows, about a Connecticut man who seeks war and finds trouble; Beth M. Caruso, who wrote about Alice Young, the victim of America’s first witch hanging, in One of Windsor; and Dick Pirozzolo, author of Escape from Saigon, which imagines a slew of characters trying to make it out alive during the infamous Fall of Saigon. 7 p.m. Free.
Wednesday, March 15
At 9 p.m. at Cafe Nine (250 State St, New Haven; 203-789-8281), local experimental-soul artist Puma Simone presents “We the People,” an “R&B/comedy/poetry open mic.” Joining the brave souls who elect to get up on stage is featured artist Mooncha, a New Haven-based crafter of warm, groovy “chillhop.” $5.
Thursday, March 16
From 5 to 7 p.m., Represented—“a group exhibition that explores both personal and cultural approaches to depicting women in art”—gets an opening reception at the Arts Council’s Sumner McKnight Crosby Jr. Gallery (70 Audubon St, Fl 2, New Haven; 203-772-2788). Featuring artists Adam Chambers, Teresa Fortsch, Rosa Ibarra, Pierre Merkl and Allen Scott, the materials used in the work range from paint to paper to clay. Free.
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Friday, March 17 – St. Patrick’s Day
If the holiday is top of mind, Irish bars like Christy’s, Duffy’s, Liffey’s, The Trinity or The Playwright should have you covered.
Meanwhile, Rhombal, a quartet put together by bassist Stephan Crump, opens Firehouse 12’s spring jazz series tonight with shows at 8:30 ($20) and 10 ($15). The resulting eponymous record, expertly hewn and richly tempered, is inspired by and dedicated to Crump’s brother, who died too young of cancer. “Rhombal is not about sadness,” Crump intones over a teaser video. “Much more, it’s a commemoration of death well-confronted, of a spiritual evolution I witnessed in my brother during our last days together, and of how close we left each other, after what had been for many years a very troubled relationship.”
Saturday, March 18
Hosted by Your Community Yoga (39 Putnam Ave, Hamden), New Haven Ecstatic Dance presents “Harmonizer.” Offering live music, yoga, sound healing, radical Kirtan, a cacao ritual and, of course, ecstatic dancing—read more about that here—the event lasts from 6 to 11 p.m. and costs $20 (or $15 in advance), or $5 more if you want to partake in the cacao bit.
This weekend, Toad’s Place (300 York St, New Haven; 203-624-8623) hosts two famous acts who peaked near the turn of the millennium. Headlining a 9 p.m. bill yesterday ($30, or $25 in advance) was reggae-popmeister Shaggy, best-known for his sly breakout single “It Wasn’t Me.” 24 hours later ($40, $35), the headliner is rapper DMX, best-known for his defiant anthem “X Gon’ Give It To Ya.”
Sunday, March 19
From 2 to 3 p.m., the Eli Whitney Museum (915 Whitney Ave, Hamden; 203-777-1833) hosts the co-founders of the Killingworth-based raptor rehabilitation center A Place Called Hope, plus some of their feathery charges: two owls, a kestrel and a hawk. “Our avian visitors, too injured to leave the sanctuary, have become partners in its mission,” the museum says. “Their stories will help you understand how we all can better share the hills, rivers and forests these raptors once ruled without our imposition.” Free; donations welcome.
Written by Dan Mims. Readers are encouraged to verify times, locations and prices before attending events.
