Category: Arts & Leisure - Page 56

Sunday, October 18, 2026

Recruiting to Help Preserve Westport’s Artistic Past

The Friends of Westport Public Art Collections (WestPac) today hosted its first recruitment event seeking volunteers to aid in its mission of supporting the care, conservation, maintenance, display, and educational uses of the Westport Public Art Collections for present and future generations of students and residents. About two dozen persons attended the session at a private home. Pictured: Town Curator Kathie Bennewitz with Scott Bennewitz of Friends of WestPAC and a Picasso from the WestPAC collection. Those interested in volunteering should contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Lynn U. Miller for WestportNow.com

Tuesday, January 22nd, 2019

The Chamber’s ‘Supper & Soul’ Returns Feb. 9

Touted as a date night on the cusp of Valentine’s Day, another installment of the dinner and concert series “Supper & Soul” is set for Saturday night, Feb. 9, at Westport’s Seabury Center, the Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce (WWCC) announced.

For the cost of $75 per ticket, participants get a three-course meal at one of eight downtown restaurants, see a David Wax Museum band concert at the Seabury Center and return to any of the same restaurants for happy hour-priced drinks, said Matthew Mandell, WWCC executive director.

David Wax Museum is a husband and wife band offering a mix of rock, folk and Americana. The group has played at around the country, including the main stage at the Newport Folk Festival.

“This is a great band and perfect for the venue,” said Mandell. “They’re energetic, engrossing and will call to your soul.”

Monday, January 21st, 2019

Granger at the Movies: ‘Stan & Ollie,’ ‘The Upside,’ ‘Replicas’

By Susan Granger

Special to WestportNow

In “Stan & Ollie,” after fame and fortune left the world-famous vaudeville comedy team of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy far behind, they embarked on a career-concluding tour of Great Britain.

A brief prologue introduces the duo making “Way Out West” (1937). Flash-forward to 1953, when they’re desperately trying to attract audiences, trotting out classic routines, playing to half-empty music halls in the hinterlands before winding up on London’s West End, eager to secure financing for a new Robin Hood spoof, titled “Rob ‘Em Good.”

Disgruntled but not discouraged, they turn to public relations stunts to sell tickets. In addition to Hardy’s persistent health problems, they’re constantly bickering, dredging up old grievances.

Tenacious Stan (Steve Coogan) was always more driven, easygoing Ollie (John C. Reilly), a prolific gambler, was less ambitious: “We’re friends because (producer) Hal Roach put us together, and the only reason we stayed together is that audiences wanted it.”

Friday, January 18th, 2019

On Exhibit

Visitors view “Frida,” an acrylic on upholstery fabric by artist Juanita Torres at a Saugatuck Congregational Church reception tonight marking the opening of “Art Across Borders,” an exhibit featuring the visual art of 18 Latino artists. It was curated by Norwalk resident Rene Soto, owner of Soto Art Gallery, 1 Wall St., Norwalk. His work was among those featured from Guatemala, Uruguay, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and Peru. The exhibit will remain in Hoskins Hall through March 18. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Wearable Art

Rene Soto (2nd r), curator of a Saugatuck Congregational Church exhibit “Art Across Borders” featuring the visual art of 18 Latino artists, poses tonight with models (l-r) Judith Domingues from Mexico, now a Norwalk resident, Skye Riss of Wilton, and Leidy Berrera from Guatemala, now a resident of Stamford. The patterns on the dresses were hand-painted by Soto, a musician and artist who owns the Soto Art Gallery, 1 Wall St., Norwalk. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Weather Forces Postponement of Playhouse MLK Jr. Event

Due to the winter storm predicted for the Westport area, the 13th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Day Celebration scheduled for Sunday at the Westport Country Playhouse has been postponed, organizers announced today.

“We are working to find a new date and hope to make that announcement in the coming week.” an announcement said.

“Your safety is important to us so we encourage you to stay indoors and off the roads during the storm.

“We thank you for your interest in the Martin Luther King Celebration program, and we hope to see you at a future community event at the Westport Country Playhouse.”

Wednesday, January 16th, 2019

Yale Whiffenpoofs Sing in Westport

The 14 members of Yale University’s legendary Whiffenpoofs will perform at Christ & Holy Trinity Church on Saturday, Feb. 2 at 5 p.m. The nation’s oldest and most prestigious a cappella collegiate ensemble will offer a diverse program of hits from across the decades. Westport’s own Nicholas Massoud, a graduate of Staples High School, where he performed with the Staples Players and the Orphenians, will be on hand with his colleagues. Tickets are $25 for adult general admission, $10 general admission for children 18 and under, $35 for preferred seating, and $60 for a family ticket. They may be purchased online at https://chtwestport.nm-secure.com/tickets, by calling the church office at (203) 227-0827, or at the door, if tickets are still available. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo

Carol Channing Lunches in Westport

Broadway legend Carol Channing (r), who died Tuesday at her California home at age 97, appeared once at the Westport Country Playhouse in George Bernard Shaw’s “The Millionairess” in 1963. According to press reports at the time, the show was sold out. In advance of the season, Channing attended the Playhouse’s annual subscription drive kickoff luncheon May 2, 1963 at the Westport New Englander Motel where this photo was taken. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Westport Town Crier file photo

Monday, January 14th, 2019

Granger at the Movies: ‘Bird Box,’ ‘On the Basis of Sex,’ ‘Aquaman’

By Susan Granger

Special to WestportNow

“Bird Box,” Netflix’s streaming post-apocalyptic horror thriller, presents a world in which most of the global population has committed violent suicide. The only way to survive is not to ‘see it,’ whatever it is that is causing this mysterious, malevolent plague.

As her story begins, Malorie Shannon (Sandra Bullock) is instructing her two blindfolded children (Julian Edwards, Vivien Lyra Blair) about navigating a white-water river trip. They must NEVER remove their blindfolds: “If you look, you will die!”

A five-year earlier flashback reveals two horse-loving sisters — cynical, reluctantly pregnant Malorie (Sandra Bullock) and free-spirited Jessica (Sarah Paulson).

After the supernatural annihilation strikes, Malorie takes refuge in a house with other strangers.

Sunday, January 13th, 2019

Flames Destroy Stratford Shakespeare Theater

The Shakespeare theater in Stratford burned to the ground early today in a fire that devastated the theater community. The theater had strong ties to Westport. Opened in 1955, it was the brainchild of Lawrence Langner, co-founder of The Theatre Guild and the Westport Country Playhouse. During the 1960s and 1970s, Westport students and those from across the region often visited the theater. Among those performing there were Katharine Hepburn, James Earl Jones and Christopher Plummer. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Photo courtesy of DoingItLocal.com