Marvel Universe, shows at The Bushnell and Hartford Stage and HPL’s Big Read
With two of Connecticut major regional theaters opening their seasons and the first touring Broadway musical coming back to The Bushnell since COVID, the theater season is indubitably back. Poetry too. Rejoice in the words.
’Nuff Said
For his book “All of the Marvels,” Douglas Wolk read 27,000 Marvel comics to try to grasp the totality of the universe it creates, which he sees as a self-contained epic work of novelistic fiction, spanning decades and also reflecting on real-life societal changes. He discusses his superheroic lit-crit effort Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. It’s a free virtual program. marktwainhouse. org.
From ‘Pamela Brown’ to ‘Machine #2’
Leo Kottke’s sultry, folky guitar sounds can be found everywhere. That’s him, for example, playing the theme song of Al Franken’s podcast. He’s played with members of Phish and is a well-known name to NPR listeners. He’s also been an acoustic guitar legend since the late 1960s. Kottke’s at Infinity Hall, 30 Front St., Hartford, on Oct. 12 at 8 p.m. $39-$49. infinityhall. com.
Buffetted and videoed
“Escape to Margaritaville,” the Jimmy Buffett jukebox musical, visits The Bushnell Oct. 12-17 ($31.50$107.50)While you’re wandering the lobby, check out the new permanent video installation featuring a host of local artists. $31.50-$107.50. bushnell.org
‘The Chinese Lady’ at last
“The Chinese Lady” finally arrives at Long Wharf. It was within days of opening in mid-March 2020 when COVID hit.
The production returns to open the Long Wharf ’s 2021-22 season. Oct. 12-31. Lloyd Suh’s play concerns a 19th century woman who’s put on display as the first Chinese woman to ever set foot in America. Performances are Tuesday at 7 p.m., Wednesday at 2 and 7 p.m., Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. $59. longwharf.org.
He brought the rock
Concert promoter Jim Koplik recalls some of the acts he brought to Connecticut in the 1970s and ‘80s. It’s in honor of the place where a lot of those shows (like Queen’s first live performance of “Bohemian Rhapsody”) took place, the Palace Theater in Waterbury, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary. Oct. 14 at 7:30 p.m. at the Palace Theater, 100 East Main St., Waterbury. $20. palacetheaterct.org.
Mango Street Lives
Hartford Public Library is in the midst of its 2021 Big Read, with events centered around Sandra Cisneros’ novel “The
House on Mango Street.” On Oct. 14 at 4:30 p.m. on Zoom, curator Cesáreo Moreno, of Chicago’s National Museum of Mexican Art, does a presentation based on the gallery exhibit he did about the novel, which is about a 12-yearold girl growing up in that city. hplct.org.
Ah, Hartford Stage
Eugene O’Neill’s only comedy, “Ah, WIlderness!” finally hits Hartford Stage, with a multicultural cast. It’s the first show to be directed at Hartford Stage by Melia Bensussen since she became artistic director there two years ago. It’s an inspired choice, as it’s set in Connecticut, around O’Neill’s boyhood stomping grounds of New London.
Oct. 14 through Nov. 7. 50 Church St., Hartford. Tuesday through Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m. $30-$100. hartfordstage.org.
Plays plays plays
The Warner Theatre, 68 Main Street, Torrington, holds its 10th anniversary International Playwrights Festival Oct. 15 and 16 at 8 p.m. featuring scads of one-acts from all over the place. $15. warnertheatre. org.
Legendary
After a postponement
or two, John Legend plays Foxwoods Resort Casino’s Premier Theater, 350 Trolley Line Blvd., Mashantucket with his “Bigger Love” tour Oct. 16 at 8 p.m. $76-$251. foxwoods.com.
The writer of ‘Lunch Portraits’
Poet Debora Kuan reads as part of the Asian American Poets and Community Dialogue series, Oct. 16 at 2 p.m. at Connecticut Historical Society, 1 Elizabeth St., Hartford. chs.org.