THE ODD COUPLE is a 1965 Broadway hit play by Neil Simon, and was followed by a successful film and television series, as well as other derivative works and spin offs, many featuring one or more of the same actors. The plot concerns two mis-matched roommates, one uptight and the other slovenly. Felix Ungar, a neurotic, neat freak newswriter, is thrown out by his wife, and moves in with Oscar Madison, a slovenly sportswriter. Together with their friends Murray the Cop, Speed, Roy and Vinnie, they all try to cope with the trials of marriage and divorce by playing poker, drinking beer, and complaining to each other. Living with the slovenly, dumpy Oscar is no picnic and living with Felix is like living with a permanent maid! To escape the hum-drum life of two newly separated bachelors, Oscar introduces Felix to the "Pigeon" sisters, Gwendolyn and Cecily. What should have been a cozy evening for four turns into a pity party with enough tears to fill a highball glass! As tempers rise, Oscar kicks Felix out and ironically sends him into the coddling arms of the Pigeon Sisters.

The Odd Couple concept is best described in the one-sentence treatment Simon submitted to Paramount. "Two men--one divorced and one estranged and neither quite sure why their marriages fell apart--move in together to save money for alimony and suddenly discover they're having the same conflicts and fights they had in their marriages."  In side-splitting Neil Simon fashion, roommates Oscar and Felix skip the honeymoon and go straight to the hilarious bickering.

Directed by Donna Storms

The biggest, brightest, boldest, most sparkling dance musical ever on the Goodspeed stage! It’s the ultimate Broadway fairy tale as a stage-struck understudy becomes an overnight star. Packed with razzmatazz and plenty of pizzazz, it will set your heart pounding with its rhythmically tapping feet and hit parade of songs: “Lullaby of Broadway,” “We’re In The Money,” “Shuffle Off To Buffalo,” and, of course, “42^nd Street.” Tony Award winner for Best Musical, it’s Tap Dance Heaven!

Join us for a fun-filled trip to the Bronx Zoo. A ticket includes general admission, the Bengali Express Monorail, the Children’s Zoo, the world renowned Congo Gorilla Forest, and more. The bus will depart the museum promptly at 8:00 AM and return at approximately 6:00 PM. Information will be provided by the Lutz staff about the zoo and some favorite spots to check out. Please join us for a day of fun for the whole family. All ages welcome!

Artist Reception May 1, 6 - 8 p.m.

Chet Kempczynski

retro:works

Hartford Public Library opens ARTWALK, a new exhibition space in Downtown Hartford.  The ARTWALK will draw from a diverse community of artists to showcase the creative spirit of Metro Hartford.  The inaugural show features Hartford native Chet Kempczynski.  Kempczynski attended the Hartford Art School and the Paier School of Art, Connecticut, where he studied with the realist painter Ken Davies. Over the last four decades, he has exhibited extensively in the U.S., Spain and France.  This retrospective show captures the transitions in his work from small and precise still life images in oil to oil monotypes that capture the exterior and interior light, color and essence of landscapes. The ARTWALK is made possible through the generosity of our donors, including the Beatrice Fox Auerbach Foundation Fund at Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.

…Age is a dynamic public art collaboration between Greater Hartford cultural organizations.  Created under the banner of the national Age in America project, the exhibition represents a conversation between generations of artists, poets, and community members and showcases the unique contributions of participating organizations working together with the theme of age and aging in our region.    

Main Street walkway between Hartford Public Library and the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art

Thursday, May 14 through Friday, August 28

Opening Reception, 5:00 p.m.-6:30 p.m. Hartford Public Library, Hartford History Center, 3^rd Floor

Group exhibition of photos by architects highlighting the ways these designers perceive their surroundings through the camera´s lens and present their images as art. Guest curator: Roberto Espejo.

Plant Clinic Open for the Season

Monday, May 11, 9:00am- 12 noon and 12:30- 3:30pm

Having a plant or gardening dilemma? Bring any questions or plant samples to the UCONN Master Gardeners for help. The Plant Clinic is open Monday through Friday throughout the growing season.  This is a FREE service. Call 203-322-6971 for questions, visit www.bartlettarboretum.org or email visitorservices@bartlettarboretum.org

Far Away Places and Spaces—A Group Photography Show

This exhibition reflects places or realities different from our every day environment. On view are ethereal landscapes, refracted light skies and murky depths. Exhibiting artists were encouraged to create abstracted or surreal images that would evoke emotion and transport the viewer deep into the imaginary world of the artist's design. Admission and parking are free. Open to the public of all ages. There will be an opening reception on Friday, May 22 from 6 pm to 9 pm. The show is from Friday, May 22 through Sunday, June 28th. Gallery hours are Friday through Sunday from noon to 5 pm.

Walk the Talk of the Town! on Thursday, May 21st. Join in Village of Walnut Beach's Art Stroll from Firehouse Gallery where a juried exhibit "Figuratively Speaking" will be held.  Opening Reception begins at 6:00 pm and ends at 8:00 pm. Meander down to Walnut Beach Cafe & Gallery where food and drink always flow and stroll around the corner to SoBoBo Art Gallery where twenty-three artists and artisans are featured and exhibit their unique art. Artists include: Frieda Howling, Rona Harris, Julia Ambrose, Jan MacLean, Jon Westberg, Allan Dudek and many more. It is safe to say that all the work in SoBoBo is "Figuratively Speaking."

When you are done you must stop at Walnut Beach Creamery for an evening dessert!  They offer home-made ice cream with flavors galour!  The ice cream melts in your mouth titlating your tastebuds! They are right next door to SoBoBo Art Gallery.

Firehouse Gallery Opening Reception - 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm - 81 Naugatuck Avenue

Walnut Beach Cafe & Gallery - 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm - 37 Naugatuck Avenue

SoBoBo Art Gallery - 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm - 17 Broadway

See you there!

 Opening Reception: Friday May 15, 6-8pm & Film and Multimedia Project Screenings begin 7pm

The annual Arts and Media Festival showcases projects produced by MxCC’s Broadcast Communications, Fine Arts, Graphic Design and Multimedia students.  In addition to the student film and multimedia projects screening, student works are displayed throughout the Jean Burr Smith Library, Pegasus Gallery and the Niche.  This exhibition allows each instructor to share the most accomplished examples of student skill, ingenuity and creativity with our entire campus and local community.

The Jean Burr Smith Library is located on the first floor of Chapman Hall,Hours: Monday - Thursday 8:30am-8:00pm Friday 8:30am-4:30pm & Saturday 8:30am-1:30pm when classes are in session.

Pegasus Gallery, Hours: Monday & Wednesday 5pm-8pm & Saturday 9:30-1:30pm when classes are in session.

The Niche is located on the first floor of Founders Hall and open: Mondays through Thursdays 8:30am-6:00pm, Fridays & Saturdays 8:30am-4:30pm when classes are in session.

In an engaging collection of photos, building materials, architectural models, period magazine and film clips, seeks to make the case for the beauty, fragility and compelling preservation needs of New Canaan's world-class collection of Modern-style residences. Five guided walking tours of Hartford's Modern architecture offered May 16, 19, 21, 26, 28. Opening reception, May 7 from 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. 

Ivoryton, CT:  On May 27^th, 2009, Sunny Thompson brings her tour-de-force one woman show Marilyn: Forever Blonde to the Ivoryton Playhouse for a four week run.

Shortly before her untimely death in 1962, Marilyn posed for what would be her final photo session. The show is a recreation of what might have been Marilyn’s last chance to tell her own story in her own words.

Conceived by award winning producer and writer Greg Thompson, the script has been painstakingly researched from hundreds of quotes from Marilyn herself and the result is two hours in Marilyn’s presence. Moving at a swift, engaging pace, the show delicately balances a rags-to-riches tale with a musical autobiography by revealing the troubled, insecure woman hiding behind the sex symbol. Songs from many of Monroe’s films are incorporated into the play, beautifully sung by Thompson without backing orchestra or musical accompaniment, revealing a haunting sense of the sadness that underlies much of her rise to stardom.

The show has garnered rave reviews from San Francisco to New Zealand – check this link for details http://www.marilynforeverblonde.com/

Marilyn: Forever Blonde is directed by Stephanie Shine and stars Sunny Thompson as Marilyn.

Marilyn: Forever Blonde opens on May 27^th and runs thru June 21 for 4 weeks.

A gala opening night black tie reception will be held on Friday, May 29^th.  Tickets are limited for this event. Performance times are Wednesday and Sunday matinees at 2pm. Evening performances are Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30pm, Friday and Saturday at 8pm. Tickets are $35 for adults, $30 for seniors, $20 for students and $15 for children and are available by calling the Playhouse box office at 860-767-7318 or by visiting our website at www.ivorytonplayhouse.org  .(Group rates are available by calling the box office for information.) The Playhouse is located at 103 Main Street in Ivoryton.

Our popular outdoor concert comprises music by six of our country’s greatest composers:- Copland, Ives, Bernstein, Gershwin, Anderson and Sousa. The suite from Porgy and Bess forms the centerpiece. 

Bring a lawn chair and picnic.  Eat, drink and listen with friends!

MSOC’s annual Pops concert includes songs from movie musicals and selections from Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, and Ben Hur. Program features the silent Laurel and Hardy short film Double Whoopie, with musical accompaniment provided by the orchestra. 

On June 6th and 7th the Annual Sculpture in The Garden Show and Tag Sale will open to the public, from 9 am to 5 pm and children are welcome. In this time of thrift, it is completely appropriate to have this show which features sculpture and art made from recycled materials. The garden of the Beverly Kaye Gallery will be filled with truck, car, and tractor parts, along with nuts and bolts, transformed into life sized horses, moose, sunflowers, dancers, musicians, birds and more. There will be handmade sculpture from West Africa, birdhouses, pillows, dolls, and robots surrounded by garden whimsies. Concrete benches covered with ferns and wonderful surprises will delight viewers of all ages. This yearly show has been writen up in international art magazines, including the current issue of Raw Vision, and features many Connecticut artists who are mostly self-taught. A really fun event! 

BeverlyKayeGallery.blogspot.com and www.artbrut.com/annex.shtml

When Elwood P. Dowd starts to introduce his imaginary friend, Harvey, a six-and-a-half-foot rabbit, to guests at a society party, his sister, Veta, has seen as much of his eccentric behavior as she can tolerate. She decides to have him committed to a sanitarium to spare her daughter, Myrtle Mae, and their family from future embarrassment. Problems arise, however, when Veta herself is mistakenly assumed to be on the verge of lunacy when she explains to doctors that years of living with Elwood's hallucination have caused her to see Harvey also! The doctors commit Veta instead of Elwood, but when the truth comes out, the search is on for Elwood and his invisible companion. When he shows up at the sanitarium looking for his lost friend Harvey, it seems that the mild-mannered Elwood's delusion has had a strange influence on more than one of the doctors.
Connecticut Heritage Productions in association with The Advocate Performing Arts Association will present Mary Chase’s Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy, Harvey. Directed by Peter Loffredo.
Performances are June 4th, 5th, 6th, 11th, 12th and 13th at 8:00pm and June 6th, 7th, 13th and 14th at 2:00pm

The Enfield Community Federal Credit Union (ECFCU) will be sponsoring a fundraising event on Saturday, June 6 from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. in the credit union’s parking lot (the rain date is June 13). This event is open to the community. The proceeds from this event will go The Arthur C. Luf Children’s Burn Camp, which is located in Union, CT. This camp began in 1991 with the purpose of providing a safe and natural outdoor environment for children who have suffered physically and emotionally from burn injuries. The children are encouraged through social and physical activities to develop their self worth. It is the only one of its kind in the Northeast. An ECFCU member Mark Jordan, who himself is a burn survivor and former firefighter, is a dedicated volunteer.

The event will include: Bounce House – Sponsored by the Lego’s Children Fund, Hot dogs, cotton candy, sno-cones, facepainting, prize drawings, games, balloons, coloring, give-a-ways and children’s fingerprinting by the police. There will

also be a firetruck and race car for children to explore!

For those making a donation, raffle tickets will be given for a chance to win some great prizes!! ECFCU will be

accepting donations through the end of June.

“We are looking forward to once again sponsoring this wonderful family event. We had a successful event last year and

look forward to this year’s. The community can come together to have fun and at the same time assist in continuing the

Arthur C. Luf Children’s Burn Camp’s mission. We are honored to be a part of this fundraiser,” said Kathleen Gleason,

President and CEO, of the Enfield Community Federal Credit Union.

Thank you to our event contributors! Big Y Supermarket; Costco Wholesale; Custom Cabinetry; Enfield Police Explorers; Falcon Press; Family Hair Care: "A Little Off The Top"; Food Bag, Hazard Ave.; Hayes Racing Group; JoDi’s Sound Center; Jonathan’s operated by Dave Thorenson; Lake Compounce Family Theme Park; LEGO; Once Upon A Child; Puttin' On The Ritz; Stafford Motor Speedway; Taylor Rental; The Children’s Museum, West Hartford; Thompsonville Fire Dept.; CT Trolley Museum;.

For more information about this camp visit www.ctburnsfoundation.org, to make a donation please come in to the
Enfield Community Federal Credit Union located at 11 Cranbrook Boulevard in Enfield.

For more information about ECFCU call us at 860-253-5100 or visit us online at www.enfieldcommunityfcu.org

This Venezuelan group wowed our audience last year. They had us all moving in our seats with their contagious rhythms, traditional and contemporary, played on a variety of native instruments. This family group plays with intense feeling.

The Connecticut Film Industry Mixer (FIM) is an event that brings together all of Connecticut’s film industry resources under one roof. The event is expected to draw more than 700 people – writers, directors, producers, musicians and others, as well as the general public. Talent from inside and outside Connecticut – including actors and Hollywood producers, will be on-hand as well. The FIM will feature panel discussions, sit-down interviews with select VIP’s, live performances, a fashion show, and stand up comedy acts, all showcasing Connecticut talent. 

Former Speaker of the House Jim Amann will be there to receive an award of recognition for his support of the Connecticut film industry this Saturday at the Fourth Annual Film Industry Mixer as well. The mixer is being held in partnership with the Connecticut Film Festival.  

For more information, please visit http://www.filmindustrymixer.com/