Westport artist Darcy Hicks tonight discusses two of her entries, “Skull” and “Mother,” with art patron Ralph Scott of Stamford at the opening reception for the Westport Woman’s Club annual art show. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Members of the Artists Collective of Westport — (l-r) Amy Kaplan , Hernan Garcia , and Jane Fleischner — get ready for Sunday’s Pop Up preview party from 2 to 4 p.m. at 47 Main St. The event is held in advance of the Collective’s art studio tour on Saturday, May 4 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The self-guided tour includes a brunch buffet at Tavern on Main at 10 a.m. and access to 10 artists studios. For more information, click HERE. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Helen Klisser During for WestportNow.com

The Westport Country Playhouse today previews its first production of the 2019 season with the Tony Award-winning musical, “In the Heights,” an 18-member cast, with music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and book by Quiara Alegría Hudes. The play opens Saturday and runs through May 11. Director and choreographer, Marcos Santana, who performed in the Broadway production of “In the Heights, also choreographed last season’s Playhouse production of “Man of La Mancha.”  Before his smash hit “Hamilton,” Lin-Manuel Miranda wowed audiences with “In the Heights,” a love letter to New York City’s famed Washington Heights, a vibrant community on the brink of change. Pictured: (l-r) Didi Romero, Gerald Caesar, Rodolfo Soto and Ezequiel Pujols. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

By Susan Granger

Let’s all agree that penguins are adorable. In cinema, they’ve been immortalized in “March of the Penguins” and “Happy Feet,” among others.

Now Disneynature presents “Penguins,” a coming-of-age documentary, revolving around 5-year-old Steve (voiced by Ed Helms), a small Adelie who’s ready to mate and father some young ‘uns.

Clumsy Steve’s a bit of a latecomer to the icy nesting grounds, so he has to make do with available space and leftover rocks, while vocalizing mightily, hoping to attract a mate.

When Adeline appears, they perform an affectionate coupling dance to REO Speedwagon’s “Can’t Fight This Feeling.” Soon, Adeline is conscientiously guarding two eggs as Steve forages for food.

By Susan Granger

In Laika animation studio’s comedy-adventure “Missing Link,” Hugh Jackman voices eccentric, egotistic explorer Sir Lionel Frost. Plus there’s Zach Galifianakis as a charming, 8-foot tall, 630-pound Sasquatch named Susan, perhaps a distant cousin of Johnny Cash’s “A Boy Named Sue.”

The prologue involves a hilarious sequence in which Frost fails to prove the existence of the Loch Ness Monster because of a broken camera. Undaunted, he’s soon summoned to the woods of America’s Pacific Northwest in search of the titular “missing link” — aka Sasquatch, otherwise known as Bigfoot.

Snobbish, social-climbing Frost is determined to make a pivotal discovery that will qualify him for membership in London’s Victorian-era Optimates Club, an exclusive society of adventurers.

As it happens, he was contacted by Mr. Link himself, a lonely simian who hopes Frost will accompany him and, later, edgy Adelina Fortnight (Zoe Saldana) on an arduous journey to find his long-lost relatives, the Yetis, in the legendary Himalayan valley of Shangri-La, where they encounter an acerbic Elder (Emma Thompson).

By Susan Granger

Now that the multiplexes are inundated with superhero movies, some are bound to be mediocre — and “Shazam! — a cinematic adaptation of the DC comic — is not great or even good.

Orphaned 14-year-old Billy Batson (Asher Angel) is always searching for the single mother from whom he was separated at a Philadelphia Winter Carnival. Billy has a pure’ish heart which, seemingly, qualifies him to inherit the powers of the Wizard Shazam (Djimon Hounsou), who protects the world from the Seven Deadly Sins.

Utilizing the iconic archetype of a childhood dream — aka saying a magic word and suddenly transforming into a superhero — Billy becomes a costumed, caped, muscle-bound man (Zachary Levi).

Billy’s newfound power arouses the envy of evil Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong), who was always disparaged by his dad (John Glover) and subsequently rejected by the Wizard.

Karen and Ira Bloom (he’s the town attorney) photographed Flat Stanley at Wesport’s Compo Beach today. Flat Stanley is a character from a children’s book written in 1964. In 1995 Flat Stanley became a literacy project for many schools as Flat Stanley visits sites throughout the country. “Our daughter-in-law has a friend with a child in the third grade in a Memphis, Tennessee class,” Karen Bloom said. “We were asked to take Flat Stanley on a tour of Westport. Connecticut is the only state their Flat Stanley had not visited. Today we visited the Historical Society, Town Hall, Longshore, and the cannons at Compo Beach. He had a busy day. I will send the class the photos and a summary of his travels in Westport, and the kids will use this as part of their studies.” Read more about Flat Stanley HERE. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) J.C. Martin for WestportNow.com

Families converged on the Westport Country Playhouse today for two matinee performances of the perennially popular production, “Angelina Ballerina The Musical,” a feature of the Playhouse’s Family Festivities Series.  Based on the animated series, “Angelina Ballerina The Next Steps,” the show is produced by Vital Theatre Company.  (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com