Dan's Papers - August 24, 2007 - Take Five 2007 with Jan Silver

We're into the summer home-stretch with much wonderful entertainment this week. Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center has comedian Jim Gaffigan on Saturday and master flamenco guitarist Ottmar Liebert with Luna Negra on Sunday. The final star of the Social@Ross V.I.P. dinner concert series Saturday is Tom Petty with The Heartbreakers. Sag Harbor's Bay Street Theatre has Charles Busch in The Lady In Question followed by comediennes Joy Behar, Julie Halston and Angela LaGreca late Saturday night and Lewis Black on Monday night (sold out).

East Hampton's John Drew Theater has Steve Martin's comedy Picasso at the Lapin Agile onstage and breaks Sunday for the "American Musical Theatre Salute" to Irving Berlin's Hollywood musicals. The Perlman Music Program plays its final chamber music workshops this weekend, the Parrish Art Museum has a big "Project Night-Beat" concert on Saturday, and the Hampton Classic Horse Show opens on Sunday. (For details on all of the above plus some interesting speakers and independent films, read on after the "Benefits" section.)

Recommended benefits: Guild Hall has its "Garden as Art" weekend starting with a benefit cocktail party Fri., 6 p.m., at Chris Browne and Andrew Gordon's East Hampton oceanfront estate ($250 for two days); the all-day Sat. schedule starts with 9:30 a.m. breakfast at East Hampton Studios, 10:30 a.m. introduction by Martha Stewart to a talk by Dan Hinkley of Heronswood Nursery, benefactors' lunch at decorative art dealer Barbara Macklowe's home, then self-guided tours of more than six gardens ($100-125 for lecture & tour; call 631-324-0806); Southampton Historical Society's late summer cocktail party with jazz at Rogers Mansion, 17 Meetinghouse Lane (5:30 p.m., $35 & 50, 631-283-2494 or www.southamptonhistoricalmuseum.org; Fighting Chance, the local East End cancer counseling and support service, celebrates its fifth anniv. Sat. with BBQ and auction (incl. round of golf at National Golf Links) at Sue and Rick Davies' East Hampton home ($300, 7 p.m., 631-725-4646); "An Evening Under the Stars" dinner & show Sat. with Diana Ross hosted by Jill & Cliff Viner at Stony Brook Southampton, 7:30 p.m., for Diabetic Research Institute Foundation (212-888-2217 or mailto:neregion@drif.org).

The Hampton Classic Horse Show opens Sunday with local competition in the morning, and a show sponsored by Manhattan Mortgage starting at noon (Frisbee-catching dogs, dressage exhibition and Nicolock $20,000 show jumping competition). Admission - $10 per person or $20 per car - benefits Southampton Hospital. Monday,the beautiful shops are open all day, and competitions continue Tuesday through Sunday, with the $150,000 FTI Grand Prix next Sunday. See www.hamptonclassic.com for more information.

Sag Harbor's Bay Street Theatre has the Charles Busch camp thriller The Lady In Question onstage Tuesday to Sunday through Sept. 2 ($50-65). At 11 p.m. on Saturday, "Three Gals Undone" - Joy Behar, Julie Halston, Angela LaGreca - throw a late-night comedy party with music after the Bay Street show ($50). On Monday evening, Lewis Black does two stand-up comedy shows at Bay Street which sold out when they were announced in April but check at the box office just before 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. for no-show space ($50). For all Bay Street tickets, call (631) 725-9500 or online www.baystreet.org.

East Hampton's John Drew Theater has temporarily relocated to East Hampton Studios in Wainscott while the historic playhouse is restored. The JDT has an entertaining production of Steve Martin's 1993 absurdist comedy Picasso at the Lapin Agile at East Hampton Studios running Tuesday through Saturday, 8 p.m., until August 31 with a matinee on Sept. 1 ($28-30). Sunday, there's an "American Musical Theater Salute" to Irving Berlin (see Music & Dance, below).

Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center has comedian Jim Gaffigan on Saturday, 8:30 p.m., known for his low-key "white-bread boy" humor ($95-125, 631-288-1500 or www.whbpac.org).

The final Social@Ross evening, the V.I.P. dinner-and-concert series, benefits East Hampton's Ross School scholarship fund. This Saturday, it starts with cocktails at 6 p.m. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers ("Mary Jane's Last Dance," "You Got Lucky," "Free Fallin'") are the headliners. Tickets at $3,000 each feature parking, round-trip transfers to the venue, open bar and continuous food service, choice of seating, comfortable rest rooms (www.discoversocial.com or 800-803-6644).

The John Drew Theater presents an "American Musical Theatre Salute" to Irving Berlin in Hollywood on Sunday, 7:30 p.m., at East Hampton Studios, Wainscott. Broadway stars Melissa Errico and George Dvorsky will sing, accompanied by musical director James Followell and Lee Davis's narration ($45-50, reception after show; 631-324-4050 or www.guildhall.org). Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center has Ballet Ambassadors family show "The Unicorn's Secret" on Friday, 8 p.m. ($12). Master flamenco guitarist Ottmar Liebert and his Luna Negra band give a concert there on Sunday, 8:30 p.m. ($40-70, 631-288-1500 or www.whbpac.org).

Classical guitarist Bret William and Giacomo LaVita perform selections by Piazzolla, Ginastera, deFalla and other Latin composers at the Montauk Library on Friday, 7:30 p.m. (no charge). The Perlman Music Program teachers and students play their final works-in-progress concerts this Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m., at the Shelter Island campus (confirm schedule at 631-749-0740). Southampton's Parrish Art Museum hosts a big "Project Night-Beat" party with music, drinks, munchies on Saturday, 8 p.m. ($10 at the door).

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. - rock/pop with Vic Thrill & Mad Larry, then reggae with Winston Irie; Sat. - singer/songwriter Suzanne Vega, then Amy Birdsong followed by Little Head Thinks; Sun. - reggae with Yellowman then Winston Irie; Wed. - Steel Pulse; Jazz at Estia Cantina, Amagansett (631-267-6320) - Grammy Award-winning songwriter Jesse Harris on Sun., 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 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.

The final summer Bridgehampton library "Fridays at Five" speakers are Bob Drury and Tom Clavin talking about their bestseller Halsey's Typhoon: The True Story of A Fighting Admiral, an Epic Storm and an Untold Rescue ($15; rainsite, Bridgehampton School). Canio's Books, Sag Harbor, has folksinger/historian Stephen Sanfilippo on Fri., 6 p.m., "Remembering Sacco & Vanzetti," the two Italian immigrants unjustly executed in 1927. On Sat., 6 p.m., at Canio's, editor Helen Houghton presents poets Grace Shulman, Carol Muske-Dukes, Harvey Shapiro and others included in the anthology Music Lover's Poetry Anthology.

BookHampton has Susan Richard speaking about Chosen By A Horse at the Southampton store Sat., 6 p.m.; Anthony Pagliarudo speaks about Celebutante: On the Avenue in Sag Harbor on Sat., 7 p.m.; and Dr. Anne-Marie Testa speaks about Bully In Your Relationship in East Hampton on Sat., 8 p.m. On Sunday, 5 p.m., at Temple Adas Israel, Sag Harbor, the final "Food, Sex & Money" experts discusses "Money." Panelists are Stephen J. Dubner, co-author of the bestseller Freakonomics, Rabbi David Ingber of Manhattan, and Rabbi Jan Urbach of the Conservative Synagogue of the Hamptons. There is no charge and the talk is open to all.

The Parrish Art Museum's "Classics from Janus" continues with Akira Kurosawa's masterpiece Rashomon (Japan, 1950) this Friday, 8 p.m., and next Friday is Luis Bunuel's Viridiana (Mexico/Spain, 1961) followed by Fellini's LaStrada (Italy, 1954) on September 7. Tickets are $5 for Museum members, $7 for guests at the door.

The Hampton Arts Cinema screens the 2006 comedy Keeping Up with the Steins at 7:30 p.m. on Monday (Jeremy Piven, Garry Marshall, Doris Roberts). Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center's "World Cinema" feature next Tues.-Thurs. is the beautiful, romantic Golden Door (Italy, 2006).