This week’s all over the map, from New Haven to Hamden to North Haven, and it’s “all over the map,” with a church as a movie theater, a video store as a concert hall, a field as a fantastical realm and a university as a magnet for classic cars.
Monday, May 23
Yale’s big museums—the Yale University Art Gallery (1111 Chapel St, New Haven; 203-432-0600; free), the Yale Center for British Art (1080 Chapel St, New Haven; 203-432-2800; free) and the Peabody Museum (170 Whitney Ave, New Haven; 203-432-5050; $13, with discounts for seniors and children)—are open for a rare Monday thanks to the influx of families surrounding today’s commencement proceedings. Visiting hours for YUAG and YCBA run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and while it seems a good bet that the same goes for the Peabody, we recommend calling ahead.
sponsored by
Tuesday, May 24
For New Haven (and the rest of the northern hemisphere), the sun shines longer and brighter this time of year thanks to the tilt of the Earth’s axis. But if you crave even more sun, head to Leitner Observatory (355 Prospect St, New Haven; 203-432-3000) tonight, where the planetarium show Solar Superstorms is playing at 7 and 8 p.m. “One of the most intensive efforts ever made to visualize the inner workings of the sun,” as the film’s website puts it, a molten, roiling trailer there notes specifics like “jets of super-hot gas, rising waves of fire
Wednesday, May 25
At 6 p.m.—with a 5:30 potluck to start—the Church of the Redeemer (185 Cold Spring St, New Haven; 203-787-5711) hosts a free screening focused on death—or, more specifically, life just before death. Being Mortal, an hourlong PBS Frontline documentary inspired by Dr. Atul Gawande’s best-selling book of the same name, “explores the relationships between doctors and patients who are nearing the end of life,” organizers say, explaining that it “investigates the practice of caring for the dying, reports on the burgeoning field of palliative care and explores ways patients can live their lives fully, all the way to the very end.” After the film, a 7 p.m. discussion digs into the material and is set to include “perspectives from medical, ethical, legal and long-term care professionals.”
Thursday, May 26
Playing “thoughtful, meandering… aggressive, head-scratching” compositions and sometimes unusual instruments—including a Chapman stick—Electronhic, a.k.a. the New Haven Improvisers Collective, is celebrating its latest album release tonight during an 8 p.m. show at Best Video (1842 Whitney Ave, Hamden; 203-287-9286). The record, Reaching Out, starts with the slow but driving, mellow but frenetic funk/jazz track “Deedle Doodle Deuxe,” and it ends with the title track, a mostly linear, atonal free-for-all that manages to find form through a series of melodic and rhythmic exclamations. $5.
sponsored by
Friday, May 27
Firehouse 12 (45 Crown St, New Haven; 203-785-0468) also offers oddly contoured improvisational music, this time courtesy of the avant-garde Daniel Levin Quartet, a “drummerless” outfit that does have a vibraphonist alongside a cellist, violist and contrabassist. Video of a past performance with a tweaked lineup reveals serious range, from a discordant mash of overlapping licks and hit sections riding urgently plucked bass lines to a song of slow, backwoods mourning that crests as if it just trudged into town to attend the funeral of a dear friend. The first show, at 8:30 p.m., costs $20, while the second, at 10, costs $15.
Saturday, May 28
It’s that time again. The annual Robin Hood Springtime Festival, located at the North Haven Fairgrounds and now in its second of three weekends, brings fantasies to life for cosplayers, LARPers and regular people who enjoy the company of cosplayers and LARPers. If past years are a good indication, there’ll be witches and fairies, knights and rogues, lords and ladies, jesters and bards, plus plenty of spellcasters given this weekend’s “Wizards” theme. Proper gear from swords to masks will be sold, medieval-ish foods and pints of beer will be downed and various entertainments will play out, including an original Robin Hood-inspired story performed by professional actors throughout the day. Regular tickets start at $19 (with discounts for the young), and today and tomorrow only, there’s an 18+ “Feast of the Merry” from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., which includes a five-course meal and special performances for $45 more. 300 Washington Avenue, North Haven. (860) 478-5954.
Sunday, May 29
As early as 8 a.m., classic cars will begin parking at Quinnipiac University (275 Mt. Carmel Ave, Hamden) for the 22nd Annual Memorial Weekend Car Show. At full strength from noon to at least 3 p.m., when the awards are handed out, spectator admission to the apparently very large show—one past participant says it typically draws about 500 entrants—costs $4 if you’re 12 or over, and nothing if you’re not.
Ahead of the holiday tomorrow, the city’s official Memorial Day observances are happening today. A public wreath-laying ceremony at Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park—located near the southernmost tip of Long Wharf Drive—happens at 1 p.m. That’s followed by a 3 p.m. ceremony with the mayor, unfolding near the New Haven Green’s World War Memorial Flagpole, which in turn leads to SCSU’s Lyman Center (501 Crescent Dr, New Haven), where a “free patriotic concert” by Orchestra New England begins at 5 p.m.
Written and photographed by Dan Mims. Readers are encouraged to verify times, locations and prices before attending events.
