The summer arts season began (June 6-22 at UConn) and ends (Sept. 20 through Oct. 13 at Bridgeport’s Downtown Cabaret) with that enchanted musical set in the Greek Isles, “Mamma Mia.”
So trust the Greeks. The nine muses of Greek Mythology — Calliope, Clio, Erato, Euterpe, Melpomene, Polyhymnia, Terpsichore, Thalia and Urania — are the universal guides to the arts. They each have a specialty and cover every cultural angle.
Of course, when you think “calliope” in Hartford, you’re probably thinking of the music of the carousel at Bushnell Park, but the ancient Greeks wouldn’t have known about that.
Music
The muse of music, Euterpe would be thrilled with the diverse offerings in Connecticut.
The two Infinity Hall locations offer everyone from ’60s pop star B.J. Thomas (Hartford, June 29) to Taj Mahal (Hartford, July 21) to Cowboy Mouth (Norfolk, July 25) to Dweezil Zappa (Hartford, Sept. 10). Also lots of acoustic folk and tribute bands. infinityhall.com.
The vast Xfinity Theatre, still known to many as “The Meadows” (61 Savitt Way, Hartford, livenation.com) welcomes some of the biggest tours of summer: The Disrupt Festival (July 7), Wiz Khalifa (July 13), Florida Georgia Line with Morgan Wallen (July 19), Heart (July 20), Breaking Benjamin (Aug. 2), Iron Maiden (Aug. 3), Korn and Alice in Chains (Aug. 10), Dierks Bentley (Aug. 15), Carlos Santana (Aug. 21), Brantley Gilbert (Aug. 24), Brad Paisley (Aug. 29), Hootie & the Blowfish (Aug. 31), Zac Brown Band’s “Owl Tour” (Sept. 8) and, for a bloody finale to the season, the “‘Game of Thrones’ Live Concert Experience” (Sept. 11). livenation.com.
The metal mavens at Hartford’s Webster Theater have a working knowledge of Greek gods, since mythic themes feature so heavily in that music. Set it Off is there June 28, Baroness (July 14), The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus (July 17), Amigo the Devil (July 25), Summer Salt (July 26), Betraying the Martyrs (July 27), Jetty Bones (July 28), the rapper DMX (of “It’s Dark and Hell is Hot” fame) (Aug. 2) and The Struts (Sept. 22). Many of these shows have multiple opening acts. webstertheater.com.
The Oakdale Theater in Wallingford is also on the ’90s/’00s nostalgia tip, with Third Eye Blind and Jimmy Eat World on July 9 and more: Blues Traveler and G. Love (July 20), Kirk Franklin (Aug. 1) and the exemplary tribute band Australian Pink Floyd (Aug. 23). There’s a burst of present-day pop Sept. 5 with Maren Morris and a live Peppa the Pig tour for kids (and piglets) Sept. 8. oakdale.com
The Hartford Symphony is in Simsbury for its summer Talcott Mountain Music Festival. Most of the shows are tributes to pop legends: An orchestral Motown revue June 28, Rob Zappulla singing Sinatra songs July 12 and “The Music of Elton John” July 26. There’s also a “Celebrate America!” day-after-Independence-Day show July 5 and an evening of Tchaikovsky July 19. hartfordsymphony.org.
The state’s casinos cover all the musical bases: Mohegan Sun (mohegansun.com) has Pentatonix on June 13 and Wu-Tang Clan on June 14, then Phish July 9 and 10, just a few days before Queen Latifah July 13. A week after that, there’s Lionel Ritchie July 20 and a double bill of Elvis Costello and Blondie on July 21. Back-to-back in August: Jonas Brothers Aug. 21 and Nickelback Aug. 22.
Over at Foxwoods (foxwoods.com), July brings Alice Cooper (July 4), JoJo Siwa (July 20) and Reba McEntire (July 26 and 27), among others, while August has the Steve Miller Band (Aug. 2), Tesla (Aug. 8) and Mark Knopfler (Aug. 16).
Storytelling
Calliope is the muse of epic poetry — the kind of longform dramatic storytelling we find in “The Odyssey” and “The Iliad,” and later in “Gilgamesh” and “El Cid.”
The muse of storytelling in Connecticut is Matthew Dicks, a Moth StorySLAM champion and bestselling author who’s taught many of the top storytellers in the state. Dicks is leading a weeklong “Storytelling Boot Camp” July 29 through Aug. 2 at the Connecticut Historical Society Museum and Library, 1 Elizabeth St., Hartford.
Among the many regular storytelling events in the state are the Story City troupe on the first Friday of every month at the Buttonwood Tree (605 Main St., Middletown, buttonwood.org) and the “The Mouth-Off” hosted by Chion Wolf at the Mark Twain House & Museum, 351 Farmington Ave., Hartford (860-247-0998, marktwainhouse.org). “The Mouth-Off”‘s July 12 show has the theme “Back in the Day.”
In September in New Haven, College Street Music Hall is hosting live shows by two of the biggest names in podcast storytelling: the serial “Welcome to Night Vale” on Sept. 6 and “The Moth Mainstage” Sept. 26 (203-867-2000, collegestreetmusichall.com).
Poetry
Erato is the muse that rocks the realm of poetry. The world-famous Sunken Garden Poetry Festival at the Hill-Stead Museum, 35 Mountain Road, Farmington, continues with National Book Award winner Terrance Hayes (July 10), a “Celebration of Indian Poetry & Culture” (July 21) with Aimee Nezhukumatathil and Rajiv Mohabir, “Poetry of Our World” (July 31) with Mai Der Vang and Chris Abani (July 31), along with the annual Young Poets Day (Aug. 11) featuring Elizabeth Acevedo plus winners of the Fresh Voices Poetry Competition. hillstead.org.
History
The muse Clio recommends: the Fourth of July celebration at Mystic Seaport (mysticseaport.org); the Saturday afternoon East Haddam Stage Company (ehsco.org) shows at Gillette Castle State Park, which augment the history of Gillette Castle; the “Educational Pow Wow!” July 11 in the gathering space at the Pequot Museum in Mashantucket (pequotmuseum.org), and the “Be Seen: Portrait Photography Since Stonewall” exhibit documenting queer identity, through Sept. 15 at the Wadsworth Atheneum (thewadsworth.org).
Theater
The muses divide theater into comedy and tragedy (you know the masks). The tragedy muse, Melpomene, doesn’t have as much to do in the summertime, which is largely given over to musicals. But you will find some heavy dramas among the workshops at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in Waterford (theoneill.org), whose world-renowned National Playwrights Conference presents readings of new works by established playwrights (among them Craig Lucas, Kimber Lee and Anna Ziegler) July 3 through 27. The Playwrights Conference follows the O’Neill Center’s National Music Theater Conference’s readings of three new musicals June 22 through July 12. The O’Neill summer season ends with the Cabaret & Performance Conference July 31 through Aug. 10.
Some of the musicals you’ll find in Connecticut this summer are on the darker side, including two by the daring songwriting team of John Kander and Fred Ebb. Connecticut Repertory Theatre (crt.uconn.edu) is unleashing the pre-war decadence of “Cabaret” July 4-21, while Playhouse on Park (playhouseonpark.org) is exploring the racial injustice of “The Scottsboro Boys” June 26 through Aug. 4.
Lighter theatrics include the dog-starring musical “Because of Winn Dixie” at Goodspeed Opera House through Sept. 1, followed at the same august location Sept. 13 through Oct. 6 by the ballet-boy delight “Billy Elliot” (goodspeed.org); the heartwarming odyssey “Passing Through,” a new musical receiving a workshop production at Goodspeed’s Norma Terris Theatre in Chester July 26 through Aug. 18 (goodspeed.org); “Fully Committed,” a one-man, multi-character comedy about working at a fancy restaurant, which TheaterWorks is doing Aug. 1 through Sept. 1 at the Wadsworth Atheneum (theaterworkshartford.org); the hairdressing hilarity of “Shear Madness” Sept. 18 through Oct. at the Ivoryton Playhouse.
Comedy
The muse of Comedy is Thalia, and she’s feeling pretty good about the Hartford area these days. Sea Tea Comedy Theater continues to anchor the local improv/sketch comedy scene. There are new places to see stand-ups, like Elbow Room in West Hartford, while the old rooms like City Steam in Hartford, FunnyBone in Manchester and Bobby V’s in Windsor Locks persist. Big names come to the casinos: Foxwoods has Rob Schneider July 12, “Weird Al” Yankovic July 19, Jerry Seinfeld Aug. 3, the comical podcasters from the “85 South Show” Aug. 9, Ron White Aug. 24, Gabriel Iglesias Sept. 1 and Dave Attell Sept. 20. Mohegan Sun (mohegansun.com) has TruTV’s Impractical Jokers July 7 and 8.
Paula Poundstone’s at both Infinity Hall outposts in July: in Norfolk July 12 and in Hartford July 13. Vic DiBetetto’s at the Hartford Infinity July 19. infinityhall.com.
Dance
Terpsichore, the muse of dance, watches over Connecticut Ballet. The company, which performs year-round in Hartford and Stamford, brings a range of classical and modern dances (including some recent premieres) to outdoor stages throughout the state. Exact performance dates in July had not been announced at press time. Locations should include Hartford’s Elizabeth Park. connecticutballet.org.
Astronomy
Urania is the muse of the stars, and you have to gaze skyward to appreciate the swoops, flips and other aerial feats of Cirque du Soleil, whose Mexican-themed circus spectacle “Luzia” has set up its big top through July 21 on Hartford’s Market Street. You’ll also be wanting to catch the action at ground level: the juggling, the cycling, the clowning. The big top shows are the purest way to see a Cirque du Soleil show, since the circus itself controls every aspect of the production. cirquedusoleil.com.
