ConnectiCon, drag brunch, Hartbeat Music Festival in Hartford
It’s a week of smooth transitions. It’s not a huge leap from graphic novels (at ConnectiCon) to modern poetry and prose (at the Hartford Book Festival), or from a drag brunch on Pratt Street to a “Golden Girls” binge in Ridgefield. There are 27 people in a musical in Stamford and 27 bands at an outdoor music festival on the Hartford riverfront.
Comfortable arts community everywhere you turn.
Con quest
One of the state’s biggest pop culture confabs, ConnectiCon, began on Sept. 9, got its cosplaying out of the way on Saturday night, and winds down on Sunday, Sept. 12 (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.) at the Connecticut Convention Center, 100 Columbus Blvd. Hartford. Among the dozens of celebrities signing autographs are cartoon voice artists Billy West (“Futurama,” “Ren & Stimpy,” “Doug”) and Rob Paulsen
(“Pinky and the Brain,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,”). Sunday’s packed schedule ranges from a panel discussion entitled “It’s Good to Be Bad: The Subtle Art of Villainy” to trivia matches and a hypnotist. Admission is through the purchase of
a “membership” rather than tickets. A single-day Sunday membership is $25. connecticon.org.
Drag brunch live outside
Sky Casper is taking his longrunning Pink Eggs and Glam drag brunch show outdoors, starring Bootsie and Sutton, live in the Pratt Street historic district on Sept. 12. Several Pratt Street restaurants, including Sorella, Sunberry, and Vaughan’s, are offering food and drink specials. The eateries open at noon; showtime is 1 p.m. RSVP at facebook.com/ events/606215533700615. Free.
Fabolous Oakdale
The rapper Fabolous is in the Dome Room area at the Oakdale, 95 Turnpike Road, Wallingford at 8 pm. on Sept. 17. He started having hits back in the early ‘00s with the albums “Ghetto Fabolous” and “Street Dreams.” $55-$155. oakdale.com.
The Golden age of television
“Forever Golden” is a big-screen celebration of the sitcom “The Golden Girls” held over two evenings, Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. at the Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 Ridge Road, Ridgefield. The two-hour screening features key episodes in the show’s long history.
For those who remember things like titles of TV episodes, expect from “The Pilot,” “Journey to the Center of Attention,” Henny Penny — Straight, No Chaser,” “The Case of Libertine Belle” and “Grab That Dough.” $12.50. ridgefieldplayhouse.org.
‘Sit down, John!’
Curtain Call Inc. in Stamford was one of the first small theaters in the state to get back to producing live shows, over a year ago now. So they feel ready to embrace a big (27-person) cast and stage the historical musical “1776.” It’s the third time Curtain Call has done the show, most recently in 2010. The theater’s executive director Lou Ursone, a champion for the rights of community theaters to receive national COVID relief funding, is in the cast as John Adams. Did they have social distancing in Independence Hall in the late 18th century? Performances are Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m., Sept. 17 through Oct. 9, plus added Thursday shows on Sept. 20 and Oct. 7 at 8 p.m., at Curtain Call’s Kweskin Theatre, Sterling Farms Theatre Complex, 1349 Newfield Avenue, Stamford. $35, $25 senior citizens, $20 children under 21. curtaincallinc.com.
Reading, writing and trailblazing
The 3rd Annual Hartford Book Festival organized by Literary Integrated Trailblazers (aka Hartford’s L.I.T.) is a “celebration of reading and writing” for all ages, with author appearances, poetry readings, workshops, panel discussions, children’s activities and more. There are live events as well as virtual ones. Sept. 17 from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and Sept. 18 from 10 to 4 p.m. at Hartford Public Library, 500 Main St., Hartford. Special guests include Nzima Hutchings, T’Challa Williams, Alphonso McGriff and Lashawn Middleton. Then Sept. 19 from 3 to 9 p.m. at the Free Center, 460 New Britain Ave., Hartford, with featured poet Tarishi Midnight Shuler. hartfordslit.com.
Keeping the HartBeat
After going virtual last year, Hartbeat Music Festival (not to be confused with the HartBeat Ensemble theater troupe) gets back to playing music live and loud,
Sept. 18 from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Mortensen Riverfront Plaza, Hartford. It’s the type of all-day nonstop festival on a big lawn, near the water, that we dreamed would someday happen again. The 2021 lineup is lengthy and formidable: Adelaide Punkin, Among the Acres, Austin James and the Nomads, Balkun Brothers, Chand BrowneSpringer and Dreamvoid, Coleus, Heather McLarney, Jake Kulak and the Lowdown, Jason Ingriselli and the Miles North, Jesús Pagan, Kenny Mehler, Khadija Lisa, Klokwize, Laini and the Wildfire, The Lost Tribe, Miles Elliot Trio, Moon Matrix of the Lizard People, Mr. Qwes, Nat Reeves, Nikita, One Time Weekend, Prince Negasi and the Souls of Zion, Self Suffice, Streetlight Shakers, Tetramer, Tangsauce ...and of course the fest’s main organizers, The Professors of Sweet, Sweet Music. Something for everybody — if anybody’s left who’s not in one of those many bands. hartbeatmusicfestival.com.
Pharoah at Foxwoods
Who can forget Jay Pharoah’s drop-the-mic impression of Barack Obama debating Mitt Romney? Pharaoh was a highlight of “Saturday Night Live” from 20102106, and has since done a slew of movies, sitcoms, animated shows and, most recently, a game show, “Nickelodeon’s Unfiltered.” Pharoah’s at Foxwoods Resort Casino’s Great Cedar Showroom, 350 Trolley Line Blvd., Mashantucket, Sept. 18 at 8 p.m. $32 and $54. foxwoods.com.
Better than average
Nate Bargatze’s second comedy special for Netflix, “The Greatest Average American,” debuted in March, but his “Raincheck Tour” just a few months later has him doing all new material. Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. at the Warner Theatre, 68 Main St., Torrington. $32-$156. warnertheatre. org.
‘Vivir Mi Vida’
Tropical salsa superstar Marc Anthony has had hits in many other styles as well, and is also known as an actor (that was him as Mr. De La Vega in the “In the Heights” movie) and philanthropist. The suave singer’s Pa’lla Voy tour bring him to Mohegan Sun Arena, 1 Mohegan Sun Blvd., Uncasville, Sept. 18 at 8 p.m. $61-$161. mohegansun.com.