Dan's Papers - August 17, 2007 - Take Five 2007 with Jan Silver

Welcome to another summer week filled with good theater and comedy, gifted popular and classical musicians, informative speakers (including Russell Means speaking about native American art) and noteworthy independent films. Guild Hall's John Drew Theater just opened the comedy Picasso at the Lapin Agile, has Jennifer Muller/The Works dance performaning Sat. in East Hampton, and fits in a staged reading of David Mamet's blistering Oleanna on Sunday in Wainscott. Sag Harbor's Bay Street Theatre debuts its production of Charles Busch's tongue-in-cheek thriller The Lady in Question and then Craig Shoemaker is the Comedy Club headliner on Monday. River Theatre Company puts on a new two-character play Hate Mail in Sag Harbor, and the comedy improv troupe Just Say Yes comes to Southampton's Parrish Art Museum on Saturday night.

Linda Ronstadt's show tonight at Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center is sold out, but there are still a few seats for popular singer/songwriter/pianist Rufus Wainwright's show on Saturday. The Perlman Music Program presents a faculty/student chamber concert tonight in Sag Harbor. Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival closes its successful summer season with concerts tonight and Sunday, and Opera of the Hamptons performs a new "From Opera to Broadway" at Duck Walk Vineyards, Southold, late Saturday afternoon. The second Hamptons Hip Hop Festival runs late Saturday night into early Sunday a.m. at Turtle Bay East, and the next classic Guitar Fest concert is Sunday evening in East Quogue. Read details, below, on all of the above.

Everyone is welcome at benefit doings this weekend. The umpteenth annual Artists & Writers Softball Game is Saturday, 3 p.m., with proceeds going to East Hampton Day Care, East End Hospice and Phoenix House. Alec Baldwin, Donny Deutsch, Roy Scheider, Mercedes Ruehl, Ken Auletta, Mike Lupica, Bob Balaban are expected players with Dan Rattiner and possibly Rudy Giuliani as umps (Herrick Park in East Hampton Village, behind Main St. and Newtown Lane, adults $10, no charge for children, raindate Aug. 25). Ellen's Run, a two-part event for East End breast-cancer support services, starts Saturday, 6 p.m., with "Sneakers del Arte" cocktail party and auction of celebrity & artist-signed sneakers by Hillary & Bill Clinton, Dale Chihuly, Billy Joel, Robert Wilson, and 70 others under a tent at Ellen & Chuck Scarborough's Southampton lawn, co-hosted Betsey Johnson, Dan Rattiner and Chris Wasserstein ($150, 631-329-5480); second part is Sunday morning's 5K run at East Hampton High School (register 7:00 to 8:30 a.m., race starts 9 a.m.; $25 fee in advance, $30 day of race; call 631-907-1952 or www.ellensrun.org.) "Rock the Farm," cocktail party and concert with Nancy Atlas Project, Giving Tree Band and others to benefit Row New York and The Giving Tree Foundation (Sat., 6 p.m., John's Lane Farm, 145 Middle Highway, East Hampton, $75 online at www.givingtreenyc.com or $85 at the door). GLAAD holds its annual summer benefit party Sunday, 3 p.m., at a Sag Harbor estate ($125; www.glaad.org/events).

Guild Hall's John Drew Theater just opened its main summer production, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, the 1993 Steve Martin absurdist comedy which had a successful Off Broadway run. Led by JDT's artistic director Josh Gladstone, the show plays at East Hampton Studios, Wainscott, on Tuesday through Saturday evenings, plus one matinee, through Sept 1 ($28-30). On Sunday at 8 p.m., Isaac Klein directs a staged reading of David Mamet's searing 1992 drama Oleanna, with Broadway actors Larry Pine and Joanna Howard ($18-20). Call the box office (631-324-4050) or Theatermania (866-811-4111) for tickets; order online at www.guildhall.org or www.theatermania.com.

Bay Street Theatre, Sag Harbor, now has previews of its final summer mainstage production opening Saturday. Charles Busch's satiric thriller, The Lady in Question, with Mr. Busch, Candy Buckley, Julie Halston, Larry Keith and Richard Kind, plays Tuesday through Sunday evenings with Wed. and Sat. matinees until September 2 ($50-65). On Monday night, award-winning comedian Craig Shoemaker takes center stage in Bay Street's Comedy Club series (8 p.m., $50). For tickets, call the box office after 11 a.m. (631-725-9500) or go online to baystreet.org.

The River Theatre Company produces a new play by Bill Corbett and Kira Obolensky, Hate Mail, at the Goat in a Boat Theater, Christ Episcopal Church, Rte. 114, Sag Harbor, on Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m. Brittany Brown and Eric Trigg, directed by Toni Munna, are the writers in the escalating clash of between an activist artist and a trust-fund guy ($15 at the door). Just Say Yes, the local improv comedy troupe using audience suggestions to jump-start comic riffs, will be at Southampton's Parrish Art Museum on Sat., 8 p.m. (tickets $15-17 at the door).

The Manhattan-based modern dance troupe Jennifer Muller/The Works is presenting a special program of three pieces outdoors at an East Hampton estate on Saturday. There is a V.I.P. cocktail party at 4 p.m. ($100 includes the performance) and the program starts at 5 p.m. ($30; no charge for children). Call Guild Hall at (631) 324-0806 or (631) 324-4050 for reservations; online, www.guildhall.org.

Tickets for Linda Ronstadt--the master of rock, country, Latin, and pop classics--at Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center are sold out for this evening's performance but, if you're near the Main St. theater at 8:30 p.m., check for SROs or cancelled seats ($125-200). On Sat. at 8:30 p.m., singer/songwriter/pianist Rufus Wainwright fills his show with his originals and the pop standard repertory including songs from his new CD Release the Stars ($95-135). For PAC tickets, call the box office at (631) 288-1500 or go online to www.whbpac.org.

The Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival closes its 24th summer season with two concerts this weekend: pre-dinner tonight (6 p.m., features string quartets by Mozart, Schubert, Beach) and Sunday (6:30 p.m., piano quartets by Schuman and Schnittke, plus flute piece by Ter Veldhuis) at the Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, Main St. Tickets ($20-40) are sold at the box office (631) 537-6368 or online at www.bcmf.org.

The Perlman Music Program's faculty/student chamber music concert tonight includes Itzhak Perlman, 7:30 p.m. at the Old Whalers Church, Sag Harbor (tickets $10-50). There are also workshop performances at its Shelter Island campus through August 25. Call the Program at (631) 749-0740 for tonight's tickets and workshop schedule or go online to www.perlmanmusicprogram.org/.

Opera of the Hamptons performs its popular "From Opera to Broadway" program at Duck Walk Vineyards North, in Southold, Sat. 5:30 p.m. The international artists sing favorite arias and show tunes while listeners enjoy wine (BYO dinner, seats). Tickets are $45 in advance or $55 at the vineyard (631-728-8804 or www.operaofthehamptons.org.

Vocalist Rhonda Liss and pianist Dick Swain perform their cabaret show "Moonlight Becomes You" at the Unitarian Universalist Meetinghouse, 977 Bridge-Sag Harbor Tpke. on Sat., 8 p.m. ($25). The second Hamptons Hip Hop Festival is Saturday, 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., at Turtle Bay East, East Quogue. With professional DJs spinning classic, freestyle and breakdance beats, admission is $15 until midnight, $20 after. Herb Levine & friends' classical Guitar Fest continues Sunday, 7 p.m., at the East Quogue Methodist Church with bossa nova and jazz specialists plus Australian-born master guitarist Rupert Boyd ($15 at the door; 631-949-1377).

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.-- bassist Tom Fruend, then Chris Barron followed by disco/rock with Booga Sugar, Sat.--gospel/blues/country Ollabelle then The Majestic Band, next Wed.--20th Anniv. Celebration with Nancy Atlas, Klyph Black, Little Head Thinks, Terrence Simian ($10 benefit for Wounded Warrior Project), next Thurs.--Nancy Atlas Project; Jazz at Estia Cantina, Amagansett (631-267-6320) - master jazz pianist Junior Mance next Tues. & Wed., 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--pianist Paul Gene on Sat., Fiddlers Cove--live music Sat., Sun, Tues.; East Hampton Point--reggae Sun, The Lodge--improv comedy on Tues. Sagaponack- Twilight Thursdays (5-7:30 p.m.) at Wolffer Estate Vineyard with live music. Bridgehampton - World Pie jazz brunch Sun. with Stefanie Cardinali Group, Pierre's Restaurant--light jazz with Vanessa Trouble 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.

The Bridgehampton library's "Fridays at Five" speakers, well-known authors Kay and James Salter, talk about their home entertaining anecdotes chronicled in Life Is Meals: A Food Lover's Book of Days ($15; rainsite, Bridgehampton School). Carol Muske-Dukes will read from her new novel about 1970s New York, Channeling Mark Twain, at Canio's Books, Sag Harbor, on Sat., 6 p.m. Novelist Dani Shapiro will read from her new novel Back & White at BookHampton, East Hampton, on Sat., 8 p.m. On Sun., 2 p.m., at BookHampton, Sag Harbor, Stephen Pascal will talk about his well-received book The Grand Surprise: The Journals of Leo Lerman.

Native American movement leader Russell Means speaks at Setsuo Ito's "Earthscapture" preview at the artist's hilltop Bridgehampton studio, 984 Noyack Path, on Saturday, 5:30 p.m. (benefit for Total Immersion School, $100 includes book & poster, call 631-813-9024). Trinity College prof. Mary Tompkins Lewis talks about Cezanne, Impressionism and Post-Impressionism at the Quogue Library on Sun., 5 p.m. ($15). Next Monday, 7 p.m. at the Hampton Bays Library, eco-explorers talk about "Pirates, Ghost Ships and Seafaring Superstitions" (call 631-728-6241 for seats).

The John Jermain Library, Sag Harbor, shows the comedy Unaccompanied Minors (USA, 2006) on Fri., 6:30 p.m. (seating at 6:15). The Parrish Art Museum's "Classics from Janus Films" continues Fri., 8 p.m., with Jean Cocteau's masterpiece Beauty and the Beast (France, 1946); admission is $5 for Museum members, $7 for guests. On Sunday at 7 p.m., the Parrish screens The Music of Regret (USA, 2006), Laurie Simmons' mini-musical documentary about the pain and regret when families feud ($5 Museum members, $7 guests). Westhampton Beach's Hampton Arts Cinema shows the documentary Six Days (Israeli/Arab, 2007 ) on Sunday at 7:30 p.m., and the Peter Falk comedy Checking Out (USA,2005) on Monday at 7:30 p.m. Next Thursday at 8 p.m., the Quogue Library shows the Lizzie Gottlieb's documentary about her brother Nicky, Today's Man, exploring his Asperger's Syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism.