A “supermoon” meets Christmas tree stars and other nostalgic symbols, as local Thanksgiving-time traditions get a jump on the holiday season.
Monday, November 14
Between gazing at yesterday’s and tonight’s rare supermoon, which appears some “30% brighter and 14% larger” than usual, enjoy a tea-and-talk about Margaret Wise Brown, author of children’s book classic Goodnight Moon (1947). Starting at 4 p.m. inside the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library (121 Wall St, New Haven; 203-432-2977), curator Tim Young is set to discuss the library’s “small collection of material by Brown,” including private drafts and correspondence. Free.
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Tuesday, November 15
“In Washington, DC, in late November 1941, admirals compose the most ominous message in Navy history to warn Hawaii of possible danger, but they write it too vaguely. They think precautions are being taken, but never check to see if they are. A key intelligence officer wants more warnings sent, but he is on the losing end of a bureaucratic battle and can’t get the message out.” Such are the crucial “warnings, clues and missteps” explored in Countdown to Pearl Harbor: The Twelve Days to the Attack (2016), a just-released book by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Steve Twomey, who comes to R.J. Julia Booksellers (768 Boston Post Rd, Madison; 203-245-3959) tonight at 7 for a free talk and signing.
Wednesday, November 16
Topping an 8 p.m. bill at The Ballroom at The Outer Space (295 Treadwell St, Hamden; 203-288-6400), Balance and Composure balances its hyper-controlled blend of ’90s rock, pop and shoegaze against the looser-letting, heart-on-sleeve soul-searching of second opener Foxing and the washy “indiepop-art jangle” of first opener Mercury Girls. $23, or $21 in advance.
Thursday, November 17
“Conceived and written by Frederick Kennedy” but “developed in collaboration with the entire company,” Yale Cabaret’s premiere run of Collisions begins with an 8 p.m. show tonight and ends with an 11 p.m.-er on Saturday. A “multimedia project… juxtaposing music, dance, digital media, and theater” with “elements
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Friday, November 18
Honoring an annual tradition—albeit one that normally happens the weekend after Thanksgiving—the Shubert Theater (247 College St, New Haven; 800-745-3000) presents a loving rendition of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. Like the original story, it’s set in Victorian England, with “a snowy set” that “evokes both the chilling poverty and luxurious wealth of 19th-century London.” Unlike the original, this one incorporates “two dozen” actual carols, colorful choreography and a flying bed (Scrooge’s). The four-show, three-day run begins tonight at 7:30.
Saturday, November 19
Road Trip! Revelry is the name of tonight’s opening party for Road Trip!, a new exhibition at the New Haven Museum presenting “a lively exploration of America’s love for traveling by car, and an entertaining tribute to the kitsch and the creativity of roadside architecture.” The soiree, which happens from 6 to 8:30, features a DJ “
Sunday, November 20
Located at the corner of Temple and Chapel Streets in downtown New Haven, Trinity Church’s Annual Holiday Bazaar, a fundraiser to help the church pay for maintenance projects while helping New Haveners get homey and/or thrifty holiday gifts (plus tasty mid-shopping meals and desserts), ends today with hours from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. But you should probably get there sooner—whether Thursday between noon and 8 p.m. or Friday or Saturday between 9 a.m. and 6—because, as this writer witnessed in 2015, the once-a-year event has regulars: early birds who descend quickly and decisively upon the tables and racks of winter clothes, tree ornaments and tchotchkes handmade by parishioners; the tag sale featuring jewelry, kitchen wares and books, to name a few categories; and the “cookie walk,” a pay-by-weight buffet of homemade confections. There’s also a counter serving reasonably priced food, which last year included $5 bowls of some of the best vegetarian chili I’ve ever had, plus a large silent auction.
Written and photographed by Dan Mims. Image depicts last night’s supermoon over New Haven. Readers are encouraged to verify times, locations and prices before attending events.
