Like the carousel at its end, this week goes round in a glittering swirl of color and contour.
Monday, September 10
Headlining this week’s Manic Mondays show at Cafe Nine (250 State St, New Haven; 203-789-8281), Sugar Candy Mountain sounds delicious, its airy, psychedelic altitudes caramelized by retro warmth. Young opener Sean Henry, a New Yorker formerly known as Boy Crush, brings a youthful and affected sort of grunge, while other opener Jake Shaker, a local appearing under the name Skating, plays it straighter but also wider, fusing “soul, doo wop and emo music.” Free with RSVP or $5 at the door.
Tuesday, September 11
The “Listen Here” series, in which New Haven Theater Company actors read short stories selected by New Haven Review editors, continues at 7 p.m. at the Institute Library (847 Chapel St, New Haven; 203-562-4045). Tonight’s stories are Dave Eggers’s After I Was Thrown in the River and Before I Drowned and David Sedaris’s You Can’t Kill the Rooster, with fresh cookies to eat, tea to drink and a moderated talkback to follow. $10 suggested donation.
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Wednesday, September 12
The Windham-Campbell Prizes Literary Festival, an annual affair honoring and featuring a handful of authors, playwrights and poets through a series of free and public engagements, begins this evening with a 5 p.m. ceremony and keynote address by poet Elizabeth Alexander in Sprague Hall (470 College St, New Haven). Tomorrow and Friday, 17 events—like a talk inspired by the influential works of philosophy that emerged from the cafes-cum-salons of pre-war Europe, a “shop” talk with “two of America’s finest playwrights” and a discussion about “Memories, Secrets and Lies: Writing on Family”—span several Yale venues and, as you can see, a rich variety of topics.
Thursday, September 13
Pacific Standard Tavern (212 Crown St, New Haven) hosts a tribute to a band from the other side of the Atlantic: the Beatles. But it’s a psychedelia-forward take delivered by local whizzes including singer/guitarist Tim Palmieri, with tickets costing $10 for two sets of “later-era Beatle songs” starting at 9:30 p.m.
Friday, September 14
Yale Cabaret (217 Park St, New Haven; 203-432-1566), a black box special in part for its commitment to experimental theater—and for its ability to fulfill the age-old combination of dinner and a show—presents a production of Marita Bonner’s The Purple Flower. “Credited as the first known experimental work written by a black American woman,” Flower “combines both biblical imagery and political allegory in order to inspire revolution and disrupt what she calls ‘the thin-skin-of-civilization.’” Performances happen today and tomorrow at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m., with tickets going for $25 or $15 for Yale faculty/staff and $12 for students.
Saturday, September 15
With events from last Sunday to this—including a Monday opening reception for Rupture, an art exhibit at the New Haven Pride Center (84 Orange St, New Haven; 203-387-2252); two Thursday dance-and-drag performances of Escapade: An Unusual Experience at Lyric Hall (827 Whalley Ave, New Haven; 203-389-8885); and the crowning of Mr. and Miss Gay New Haven last night at Partners Cafe (365 Crown St, New Haven; 203-776-1014)—PRIDE New Haven peaks with a 2:30 p.m. march leaving from the Pride Center and 3:30 block party downtown on Center Street, which goes until 10 and features “food vendors, shopping and information booths, a large outdoor stage with performances throughout the day” and a DJ spinning in-between.
Sunday, September 16
Sunday in the Park, a yearly festival in Edgerton Park (75 Cliff St, New Haven), promises “a fun day for the whole family,” with “fresh flowers and veggies for sale, white elephant tag sale, silent auction, pony rides, birds of prey, children’s games, bungee jump, baked goods, music and more!” 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free to attend.
From 4 to 7 p.m., the historic carousel at Lighthouse Point Park (2 Lighthouse Rd, New Haven) is the centerpiece of Beer & Oysters on the Sound, a benefit for the New Haven Land Trust. “Come ready to savor Copps Island Oysters, … sample beer from 16 local breweries and welcome a talented host of homebrewers,” organizers say. Regular tickets cost $35 in advance or $40 at the door, with discounts for teens and kids.
Written and photographed by Dan Mims. Readers are encouraged to verify times, locations and prices before attending events.
