Dan's Papers - August 10, 2007 - Take Five 2007 with Jan Silver

Here comes another entertaining South Fork summer week of top-draw music artists, first-class theater, expert lecturers, and independent films. James Taylor is the star performer at Social@Ross in East Hampton on Saturday evening. Soloists from New York City Opera (Sat.) and then cabaret star Michael Feinstein (Sun.) are at Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center. The Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival has four programs this week, Pianofest artists play their Grand Marathon finale, and jazz great Freddy Cole performs on Shelter Island next week.

This Sunday, Playwrights Theatre of East Hampton and Guild Hall's John Drew Theater present a Broadway cast in a staged reading of Joe Stein's hit comedy Enter Laughing. The John Drew Theater's new production of the Steve Martin absurdist comedy Picasso at the Lapin Agile starts previews next Tuesday at East Hampton Studios, and Bay Street Theatre also begins preview performances of its final summer production, Charles Busch's satiric thriller The Lady in Question, next Tuesday. Bellport's Gateway Playhouse has the musical Gentleman Prefer Blondes onstage now.

The BENEFIT scene quiets down to a dull roar this weekend. My suggestions: Guild Hall's Summer Gala starts with a preview of Billy Sullivan's portraits then dinner/dance with Peter Duchin Orch. and auction on Friday, Aug. 10 (6 p.m., Guild Hall and Mulford Farm, $1200 or $250 for under-35; call 631-324-0806); "An Evening with artist John Chamberlain," for the Ross School Scholarship Fund, East Hampton (Fri., Aug. 10, 7 p.m. screening of new documentary "John Chamberlain and Miss Lucy Pink," Q & A with artist and filmmaker, plus cocktail party, $200, 631-907-5407 or email edunn@ross.org); East Hampton Chamber of Commerce Artists Studio Tour from Bridgehampton to Amagansett includes Guild Hall and Pollock-Krasner House (Sat., noon to 5 p.m., $25, 631-324-0362); Mercedes Benz Polo Challenge donates admission fee to South Fork Breast Health Coalition (Sat., 4 p.m., Two Trees Farm, Bridgehampton, $20 per car donation); EECO Farm's family dinner dance includes children's activities (6 p.m. Sat., EECO Farm. Long Lane, East Hampton, $125 adult or $300 family, 631-324-5523); Jewish Center of the Hamptons' big yard sale to fund East End Food Pantry (Sun., 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., JCOH East Hampton).

Playwrights Theatre of East Hampton co-produces staged readings of both new and classic plays with the John Drew Theater at Guild Hall, East Hampton. This Sunday, 8 p.m., at East Hampton Studios, Wainscott, it's Joseph Stein's hit comedy Enter Laughing based on Carl Reiner's early struggles to start an acting career. Broadway/TV/ film actors Jerry Adler, Cady Huffman, Anne Jackson, Eli Wallach and Lewis J. Stadlen head the large cast. Joe Stein will be there to answer questions after the performance and a dessert reception follows ($18-20). Next Tues., the John Drew presents its production of Steve Martin's absurdist comedy Picasso at the Lapin Agile featuring a cast of local, veteran actors at East Hampton Studios (8 p.m., Tues.-Sat., $28-30). Tickets to all performances: John Drew box office (631) 324-4050 or www.guildhall.org, Theatermania 866-611-4111 or www.theatermania.com.

Bay Street Theatre, Sag Harbor, begins previews of its final summer mainstage production, Charles Busch's satiric thriller The Lady in Question, next Tuesday at 8 p.m. (pay-what-you-can tickets for Tues. night sold at theater box office 11 a.m.). The Broadway cast includes Julie Halston, Richard Kind, Larry Keith and Charles Busch. Regular tickets ($50-65) are sold at the box office (631-725-9500 or online at www.baystreet.org.

The Gateway Playhouse, Bellport, has the Anita Loos/Joseph Field/Jule Styne musical Gentlemen Prefer Blondes in its big barn theater through August 25. For tickets ($37-43) call (631) 286-1133, 888-4TIXNOW or go online to www.gatewayplayhouse.com.

The luxe Social@Ross dinner-and-intimate-show performance with a big-name artist features the master acoustical guitarist/singer/songwriter James Taylor on Saturday. Part of the proceeds benefit East Hampton's Ross School scholarship fund. Tickets ($3,000 per) are sold at www.discoversocial.com or call 800-803-6644.

The Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center brings in young stars of the New York City Opera to sing arias from the upcoming season's productions (Sat., 8:30 p.m.). There is a pre-performance cocktail party and dinner with V.I.P. seating for $200 per ticket (631-288-2350); regular seats are $60-$100. On Saturday, national cabaret star Michael Feinstein performs his "My Romance" show with songs by the Gershwins, Cole Porter, Harold Arlen and Irving Berlin ($100-140). For all regular PAC tickets, call (631) 288-1500 or go online to www.whbpac.org.

The Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival presents four programs this week. "An Evening with American Masters" (Gershwin, Copland, and more) includes an outdoor cocktail party Fri., 6 p.m., at Channing Daughters Winery ($75 benefit). On Sun., 6:30 p.m., hear pieces by Beethoven, Dvorak and Moravec in the Presbyterian Church ($30); next Wed., 7:30 p.m. at the church, listen to the music of Schoenfield, Mendelssohn and Dohnanyi ($30). Next Thurs., 5 p.m. at the Children's Museum of the East End's amphitheater, songs by "Wolfgang Amadeus Schmutzinberry" are featured ($10). Call the BCMF box office at (631) 537-6368 or online www.bcmf.org for seats.

Opera of the Hamptons' soloist Kristin Sampson and music director Atarah Hazzan offer excerpts from La Traviata this Friday, noon, at Southampton's Rogers Memorial Library (no charge; call 631-283-0774 ext. 523 to reserve seats). Pianofest, the program for emerging concert pianists, bids audiences adieu with its Grand Marathon recital Saturday, starting at 7 p.m., in the Avram Theater at Stony Brook Southampton. Tickets are $10 at the door. Damon Ferrante, the Montauk Library's composer-in-residence, presents two talks on American opera in the 21st century, with performers and recordings next Tues., Aug. 14, and Sun., Aug. 19, 7 p.m. in the library (gratis). Freddy Cole, Nat's brother, will offer two evenings of jazz at The Dory Restaurant, Shelter Island, next Wed. and Thurs. (7 & 9 p.m., $15 cover, 631-749-4300).

Recommended musicians and performers at local clubs & restaurants: Montauk -Wed., 9:30 p.m. comedy at Gurney's Inn, Sun. afternoon jazz at 888 Gigshack; Amagansett - at the Stephen Talkhouse (631-267-3117) on Fri., southern rock/pop North Mississippi Allstars then Hot Lava, Sat.-Jefferson Airship/Starship's Marty Balin then Nancy Atlas Project, Sun.-rock/blues Southside Johnny & Asbury Jukes, Tues.-southern blues guitar master Sonny Landreth, Wed.-folk music duo Aztec Two-Step. Estia Cantina, Amagansett (631-267-6320) - salsa Thurs. with Mambo Loco. East Hampton - jazz Fri. at Almondito; Fri. pop and jazz standards with Jane Hastay and Peter Martin Weiss at Coco Restaurant (Maidstone Arms); Turtle Crossing--Annie Morgan Band on Thurs., Mama Lee & Friends on Fri.; Babette's has pianist Paul Gene on Sat., East Hampton Point has reggae Sun, The Lodge has improv comedy on Tues. Sagaponack - Twilight Thursdays (5-7:30 p.m.) at Wolffer Estate Vineyard with live music. Bridgehampton - World Pie jazz brunch Sat. with Sari Kessler Trio, jazz brunch Sun. with Stefanie Cardinali Group, Pierre's Restaurant--light jazz with Dennis Raffelock on Sun. and Jody Carlson next Tues. Sag Harbor--Annie Morgan Band late. Fri. at Mumbo Gumbo. Water Mill - acoustic guitarist Steve Fredericks on Thurs. at Muse. Southampton - Latin rhythms with Ludmilla on Thurs. at Le Chef, reggae Fri. at Wildthyme, open mike Thurs. at Tugboat's North Sea House. Hampton Bays - live music Fri. at Buckley's Inn Between; live music Fri. & Sat. at Oakland's. Westhampton Beach - acoustic musicians Fri.& Sat, in Annona's lounge, acoustic guitarist Steve Fredericks (Fri.) and Mambo Loco Cuban jazz band (Sun.) at The Patio, jazz with Swingset Quartet at Westhampton Steakhouse weekends; Las Vegas Comedy Allstars then Billy Hill Band at Atlantica on Sat.; East Quogue - Paul Mahos Band on Tues., Fri. & Sun., Annie Morgan Band on Wed. at Docker's.

Well-known media expert Neal Gabler is the Bridgehampton Library's "Fridays at Five" speaker today ($15; rainsite, Bridgehampton School). Canio's Books, Sag Harbor, has memoirist Louise Bernikow reading from Dreaming in Libro: How A Good Dog Tames A Bad Woman on Sat., 6 p.m. BookHampton brings novelist Jill Bialosky to Southampton, Sat., 6 p.m., with Life Room and dynamic local realtor Lori Barbaria tells how to Abracadabra in Sag Harbor, 8 p.m., Sat.

Artist Eric Fischl and Parrish Art Museum curator Merrill Falkenberg will speak about the new portrait exhibit on Sat., 6 p.m., at the Southampton museum (call 631-283-2118 ext.45). Joe Pintauro and Lila Zemborian are the final readers in the Amagansett Marine Museum's summer "Poetry Marathon" series (4 p.m. Sun.). Manhattan's Skirball Center panel of experts speaks about sex (!) this Sun., 5 p.m., at Temple Adas Israel, Sag Harbor. Tina Brown talks about her best-selling The Diana Chronicles on Sun., 5 p.m., at the Quogue library ($15). Photographer Kathryn Szoka introduces her photos of "Through the Season at Quail Hill Farm" next Thurs, 4 p.m. at the Amagansett library.

Sag Harbor's John Jermain library screens the Viva Cuba (Cuba, 2005) on Friday, 6:30 p.m. (arrive at 6:15). Southampton's Parrish Art Museum continues its "Classics from Janus" series with Jean Cocteau's masterpiece Beauty and the Beast (France, 1946); the film goes on Friday, 8 p.m. ($5 members, $7 guests). The Hampton Synagogue's complimentary film series at Hampton Arts Cinema, Westhampton, continues next Monday, 7:30 p.m., with King of Beggars (Israel, 2007). Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center's feature next Tues. through Thursday is the poignant comedy Year of the Dog (USA, 2007).