Category: Art & Theater

The Art Roundup 24/11/28

The latest from NH’s theater, arts and literary communities

• Open house: The New Hampshire Antique Co-op will host its annual holiday open house Friday, Nov. 29, through Sunday, Dec. 1, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Visitors will enjoy delicious refreshments and sweet treats, a gift card contest, a scavenger hunt with prizes, and a gallery preview tour of a new fine art exhibition, “Light and Brush: Luminous and Tonal Paintings from the 19th Century to Present,” according to the press release. The event is family-friendly and free. Call 673-8499 or visit nhantiquecoop.com.

• Call for art: See Saw Art (66 Hanover St., Suite 201, Manchester) has an open call exhibition “Presently” with submissions due on Saturday, Nov. 30. All media are welcome — 2D, 3D, video works, performance — and they ask that one to four works be submitted to be considered, according to their website. “Presently” aims to exhibit small works at an approachable price, and traditional fine art paintings, prints and photographs will be considered, as well as ready-made textile, clothing, ceramics and crafts, according to their website, but there is no overall theme. All sizes of works will be considered, but smaller works are preferred due to gallery limitations. The exhibit will run from Saturday, Dec. 14, through Friday, Dec. 22. There will be an opening reception on Saturday, Dec. 14, from 4 to 8 p.m. and a closing reception on Sunday, Dec. 22, from 4 to 8 p.m. Visit seesaw.gallery.

• Call for actors: Auditions for the Community Players of Concord production of The Gods of Comedy will be held Sunday, Dec. 8, and Monday, Dec. 9, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Community Players Studio (435 Josiah Bartlett Road, Concord). They ask that those who sign up become familiar with both of the monologues listed on their website. It is not necessary to memorize the monologues, but participants will be asked to present them at their audition, as well as to cold read scenes from the script, which will be provided, according to their website. There is also a list of character descriptions which might be helpful as you consider auditioning. Questions can be emailed to Director Betty Lent at [email protected]. Visit communityplayersofconcord.org/gods-of-comedy/ for more information.

• Call for more actors: Bedford Off Broadway will hold auditions for their winter show Boeing-Boeing by Marc Camoletti, which will be presented on Fridays through Sundays, March 7 through March 16. The show will be directed by Declan Lynch with Pat Napolitano as stage manager, according to a press release. Rehersals are Sunday afternoons and Monday and Wednesday evenings with tech week starting Sunday, Dec. 2. Auditions will be held Monday, Dec. 9, and Tuesday, Dec. 10, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Bedford Town Hall (70 Bedford Center Road and 3 Meetinghouse Road in Bedford across from the library), the release said. Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script, which calls for two men and four women. Email [email protected] for information.

• Author event: At Balin Books (375 Amherst St., Somerset Plaza, Nashua) on Saturday, Nov. 30, at 11 a.m., author Hattie Bernstein will be speaking on and signing copies of her book Don Quixote’s Hammer. The book asks “What if cancer wasn’t, as scientific consensus holds, a case of errant genes or recalcitrant cells? What if there was a problem in the body’s wiring, an electrical issue that hobbled the impulse transmitted from the brain to the organ, disrupting internal balance, and initiating disease?”Hattie is a journalist who has written for the Boston Globe, was a freelancer for the New York Times, and was the recipient of the third national Media Award from the Research Society on Alcoholism, according to the event’s website. Visit balinbooks.com or call 417-7981.

• Greatest year in the history of film? “1999: The Year in Film”will be the topic of a Zoom discussion from the Derry Public Library (derrypl.org) on Monday, Dec. 9, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Register online to discuss the The Matrix of it all.

• Get in the winter spirit: The black-and-white movie, described as an “anarchic slapstick action comedy” Hundreds of Beavers will screen on Friday, Dec. 6, at 7 p.m. at NHTI in Sweeney Hall in Concord. Admission costs $10. See the trailer for the movie, which features a cast of beavers (human-sized mascot-y looking versions of the bucktoothed creatures), at hundredsofbeavers.com.

Holiday standard

A Christmas Carol returns to Palace

By Michael Witthaus
[email protected]

A sure sign of the holiday season’s arrival is the return of A Christmas Carol to the Palace Theatre in Manchester. The Charles Dickens tale of spiritual redemption always provides a reliable way to spark a fire in even the coldest heart. The Palace’s Artistic Director, Carl Rajotte, believes this year’s production has even more to offer.

To begin with, the technical toys at the company’s disposal are constantly being tweaked. A new video wall installed in 2019, but too late for that year’s run, was used for the first post-pandemic production. In subsequent years, they’ve found new ways to leverage the technology.

“We’re playing a lot more with special effects this year and we’re definitely doing different videos,” Rajotte said by phone ahead of an initial first act rehearsal. “It’s not just here’s the brand-new video wall. It’s complementing other things; we’re getting better with combining the lighting, the projections and the special effects.”

There are new costumes, and new blood. “Four people from Jersey Boys have stayed on to do Christmas Carol,” Rajotte said. “We have Austin Mirsoltani back from Beautiful. He played Gerry Goffin in that; he’s playing Bob Cratchit this year. There are quite a few new people to the show. It’s fun.”

When Rajotte came to the Palace in 2002 he was charged with bringing magic back to the perennial holiday production. At the outset, he had desire and a vision but not much else to work with. “They didn’t really have the money back then to hire a composer,” he said. “We had to use a lot of public domain or a cappella music. We even did tracks for many years.”

In 2013 the show went on tour, providing Rajotte with an opportunity to upgrade.

“I said to the board and the president, ‘We’ve got to create our own music now; we have to hire a composer,’” he recalled. Joe Mercier, a local composer, came on board. “We created a whole new show — the same script, but all new music. Then the year after that tour, we brought it back to the stage here. It’s been that music since then.”

Colorful, kinetic and professionally cast, the Palace’s unique version of A Christmas Carol has evolved into an effort on par with Broadway shows and national touring companies. It’s a crowning achievement for a company that in recent years has consistently punched above its weight class.

Though it’s a well-oiled machine, the presence of actors who haven’t done the Dickens story before keeps Rajotte and his team on their toes. “We know it like the back of our hands, nothing shocks us,” he said, “but we forget sometimes that for people brand new to the show, it is not an easy project. There’s a lot to do, and a lot to learn.”

The Palace Youth Theatre company is again represented, with 140 young actors split into four teams. Rajotte noted that many of them have been part of the show for years, like Jenna Bienvenue, who plays Elizabeth in Spirit of Christmas Past. “She’s an adult now, a professional. I asked her, in front of everybody on the first day, ‘How many Christmas Carols have you done?’ She said, ‘Well, gosh, I can’t count. Ever since I was 8, I’ve done it every single year.’”

The presence of the youngsters reminds Rajotte about what’s important in the family-friendly show. He often hears them singing along to adult numbers from their dressing room, which is next to his. “I love this show so much; we think about it all year long,” he said. “My goal when I put this together 22 years ago was to make it feel like it’s coming from a child’s point of view, that it’s how they would see things.”

A Christmas Carol
When: Fridays, 7:30 p.m., Saturdays, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Sundays, 2 p.m. through Dec. 29, and Thursday, Dec. 19, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St., Manchester
Tickets: $35 and up at palacetheatre.org

Featured image: A Christmas Carol. Photo Courtesy of the Palace Theatre.

The Art Roundup 24/11/21

The latest from NH’s theater, arts and literary communities

• Chorale concerts: NH Master Chorale Director Dan Perkins planned this month’s concerts, “A Breath of Ecstasy,” which will take place at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 23, at South Church in Concord and at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 24 at the Plymouth Congregational Church. The overall theme is “For a Breath of Ecstasy,” taken from a 2017 composition by the American composer Michael John Trotta that sets seven of Teasdale’s poems from “Love Songs,” a collection published in 2017, which won the original Pulitzer Prize in poetry. Tickets are available through nhmc.ticketleap.com/f24 or at the door.

• Murder mystery: Murder’s In the Heir will be presented by the Majestic Theatre (880 Page St., Manchester, majestictheatre.net) on Friday, Nov. 22, through Sunday, Nov. 24. “Almost every character in this hilarious mystery has the weapon, opportunity, and motive to commit the unseen murder. And it’s up to the audience to decide who actually did it!” according to the press release. Murder’s in the Heir is directed by Becky Rush and stars Michele Bossie, Natashia Da Cunha-Lund, Katie Davis, Matthew Davis, Larissa Gault, Scott Howard, Alex Jozitis, Benjamin Mahon, Ilana Peet, Lee Peet, Eric Petit, Josh Sanborn, Krystal Timinski and Marinda Weaver, according to the same release. The show will run Friday, Nov. 22, at 7 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 23, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 24, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for ages 65 and above and 17 and under. Tickets can be purchased by calling 669-7469, by visiting majestictheatre.net or at the door before the show, according to the release.

• Art at the Center: The Sandy Cleary Community Art Gallery is located on the ground floor of the Nashua Center for the Arts inside the concourse that runs along West Pearl Street, from the Main Street Lobby entrance to the West Pearl entrance, according to their website. The gallery gives local artists the opportunity to display and sell their work to thousands of people attending concerts and events at the Center annually. Their new rotation, which runs from October through December, features four of Nashua’s talented artists, Dan Marshall, R.D. Lembree, Sandy Machell and Monique Sakellarios. Visit nashuacommunityarts.org/sandy-cleary-community-art-gallery.

• Small art: Pillar Gallery + Projects’ newest exhibit is “NANO” and the show runs until Wednesday, Dec. 18. “NANO” is a juried exhibition focused on smaller works. The press release describes the exhibit thusly: “In a fast-paced culture perpetually interested in bigger, NANO showcases the impact of works that are intimately-scaled.” The exhibition will be installed salon-style to highlight the range of processes and thematic exploration and they are accepting 2D and 3D works in all media. 2D works must be no larger than 6 x 6 inches (8 x 8 inches framed) and 3D works no larger than 4 x 4 x 4 inches. Visit pillargalleryprojects.com.

• Tour historic houses: At Strawbery Banke Museum (14 Hancock St., Portsmouth) participants can join expert guides for a 90-minute tour exploring three centuries of Thanksgiving traditions. Attendees will travel through time and visit four historic houses as they learn how this holiday has evolved over time, according to their website. They will discover how people celebrated Thanksgiving in 1777 at the William Pitt Tavern, experience the height of the Victorian period in 1870 at the Goodwin Mansion, share in the experience of a Jewish immigrant family learning about the American holiday in 1919 at the Shapiro House, and learn about Thanksgiving on the home front in 1943 at the Abbott House and Store, according to the same website. Members $20; non-members $25. Tours on Saturday, Nov. 23, and Sunday, Nov. 24, take place at 11 a.m., noon, 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. Tours will also occur on Friday, Nov. 29, Saturday, Nov. 30, and Sunday, Dec. 1, at these times: 10 a.m, 11 a.m., 11:30 a.m., noon, 1 p.m., 1:30 p.m., and 2 p.m. Visit strawberybanke.org.

Happy days

Bye Bye Birdie revisits rock’s early times

Long before there was streaming and hundreds of cable channels, three networks ruled, and families gathered around the television like a hearth every Sunday night to watch the Ed Sullivan show. This is the world of Bye Bye Birdie, the latest performance from Community Players of Concord.

Opening Nov. 22 at Concord City Auditorium, the 1960 musical was inspired by Elvis Presley’s induction into the army, which sidelined him at the height of his career. It begins as Conrad Birdie (Travis Laughlin), his name a play on Presley’s rock rival Conway Twitty, goes to a small Midwestern town to kiss a fan on national television before shipping overseas.

This publicity stunt is the culmination of (ostensibly) a contest hatched by Rose Alvarez (Annie Lelios), the secretary and fiancée of Albert Peterson (Nathan Smith), who writes Birdie’s songs and needs a way to milk his cash cow a bit more. Rosie helps him pen a send-off tune called “One Last Kiss,” and the two decamp for Sweet Apple, Ohio, their star in tow.

Awaiting them are screaming teenagers, including Kim MacAfee (Holly Keenan), whose announcement of her resignation as President of the Conrad Birdie fan club was paused when Rose picked her name from a file drawer, and named her winner of the singer’s final smooch.

Kim’s leaving her post because at age of 16 she believes she’s matured past swooning for pop stars. This is one of many anachronistic touches in the show, like shared household phone lines — yes, kids, back then it was one to a family, attached to the wall and equipped with a dial.

It was also a time when having a steady was serious business, but Kim’s reassurances on that topic aren’t enough to placate her boyfriend Hugo (William Fogg). With help from a now-jealous Rose, set off by a showbiz climber (Emma Daley) making a play for Albert, he plots to sabotage the kiss.

Add to that brew Albert’s conniving mother (Valerie Kehr), who is intent on breaking her son’s engagement, and things heat up quickly.

Bye Bye Birdie is often performed by high schools and local theaters, but it’s Community Players of Concord’s first time doing it.

“It’s a good family show,” director Judy Hayward said by phone. “I found out after we decided that some of the people in Concord had wanted to do it for several years. I guess maybe the timing wasn’t right, and now it is.”

The musical is full of numbers brimming with joy and innocence, like “Put On a Happy Face,” sung by Albert to a high schooler, part of a Conrad send-off group in New York City who despairs that by the time her idol returns from his two-year military hitch, she’ll be too old for him.

Other standouts are “How Lovely to Be a Woman,” “A Lot of Lovin’ to Do” and “English Teacher,” the latter a reflection of Rose’s wish that Albert was in a different, more intellectual career than pop music. “Kids” is a charming complaint about wayward youth in the 1950s, while “Normal American Boy” is a slice of prehistoric public relations work.

Problems such as boys with too much Brylcreem in their hair and girls with shorn braces ready to conquer the world (and call mom and dad by their first names), all mad with rock ’n’ roll, are a welcome distraction at a moment when half of the country is loath to turn on the news.

Hayward is pleased with the progress of rehearsals, with both leads settling into their roles, and Laughlin finding his inner Presley. “They’re great, and they’re always prepared,” she said. “Annie was off book early on, which is always a plus, and Nathan’s doing a great job, and Travis is swiveling his hips just like Elvis.”

What’s her favorite part of this production? “Seeing it come together,” she said. “In the arts … there’s always something to improve. It’s not like making a costume — sewing something and having a finished product. Seeing this progression of things getting better and better, that’s what I like.”

Bye Bye Birdie
When: Friday, Nov. 22, and Saturday, Nov. 23, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 24, at 2 p.m.
Where: Concord City Auditorium, 2 Prince St., Concord
Tickets: $20 ($18 age 65 and up, 17 and under) at communityplayersofconcord.org

Featured image: Travis Laughlin as Conrad Birdie. Courtesy photo.

The Art Roundup 24/11/14

The latest from NH’s theater, arts and literary communities

• Twiggs closing: Twiggs Gallery will celebrate its art instructors with its final exhibition. The exhibition, “GLOW,” marks the gallery’s “farewell after an inspiring 10-year run,” with their doors closing on Dec. 14, according to a press release. The show “spotlights the diverse, heartfelt work of its dedicated art instructors,” the release said. The artists’ reception is on Saturday, Nov. 16, from 1 to 3 p.m. at Twiggs Gallery (254 King St., Boscawen; TwiggsGallery.org). In a statement, gallery owner Laura Morrison said, “This last exhibition is truly bittersweet. Our teachers have offered so many wonderful classes over the years, and we wanted to celebrate them by giving them an opportunity to show their favorite pieces of art. … It’s a beautiful and heartfelt exhibit.” Twiggs is open Thursday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 4 p.m.

• Ghosts before Christmas: On Friday, Nov. 15, at 7 p.m. the Derry Opera House presents “The Fright Before Christmas,” a program exploring the many Yuletide monsters and legends that have almost been lost to the ages. The program is based on years of research by storyteller Jeff Belanger, looking at the history of the holiday and ghostly traditions such as the stories of Krampus, the Belsnickel, Tomtens, and Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, according to the website. Belanger is the Emmy-nominated host, writer and producer of the PBS and Amazon Prime series New England Legends and the weekly New England Legends podcast. Belanger does not recommend this program for a young audience. Participants will need to register via the Derry Public Library atderrypl.org. Visit derryoperahouse.org.

• Exhibit in Concord: Outer Space Arts (35 Pleasant St., Concord; outerspacearts.xyz) is showing an exhibit of work by Emma cc Cook & Em Kettner titled “Caterpillar” until Saturday, Jan. 18. Emma cc Cook graduated with a BFA in painting from University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, and studied at the Angel Academy in Florence, Italy, according to the event page. Cook often combines dark paintings on canvas with abrupt insertions of walnut sticks, textural variations, and intriguing thematic ventures that are inspired by rural American West landscapes and the broad discourses surrounding identity, history, environment and erasure, according to the website. Outer Space will donate 5 percent of its profits from any sales of her work to a nonprofit of the artist’s choosing, according to the same website. The gallery is open Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., according to its Facebook page.

• Jazzing it up: Symphony New Hampshire and the Capitol Center for the Arts are teaming up for a three-part series of Illuminated Ensembles. American Standards is the first of the series; it will take place on Sunday, Nov. 17, at 4 p.m. at the Bank of New Hampshire Stage (16 S. Main St., Concord) and will feature Symphony New Hampshire’s Jazz Ensemble. This intimate and immersive experience will bring the Great American Songbook into a whole new light, according to the press release. Tickets are $37. Call the Capitol Center for the Arts box office at 225-1111 or visit ccanh.org.

• Wood and fiber: The Wood & Fiber Art exhibition featuring the works of Jim and Peg Doyle is open to the public during Gafney Library (14 High St., Sanbornville) hours: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from noon to 7 p.m., Friday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Saturday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Peg works with fabric and fiber art and Jim enjoys working with natural wood such as tree stumps, branches and burls, according to a press release. An artists’ reception woill be held on on Saturday, Nov. 16, from 10 a.m. to noon.

• Beethoven: Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra Family Matinees Chamber Series’ next installment is “Adventures with Beethoven” on Saturday, Nov. 16, at 3 p.m. with the Essex Piano Trio to perform ‘The Archduke’ and other masterful works for piano, violin and cello at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Portsmouth, according to a press release. Admission is a suggested $15 per family donation at the door. Visit portsmouthsymphony.org.

Handmade treasures

Early holiday shopping at Form + Function Artisan Fair

By Michael Witthaus
[email protected]

For anyone shopping for a special gift and looking to bypass Amazon and big box stores, the upcoming Form + Function Artisan Fair at 3S Artspace in Portsmouth is the perfect choice. The sixth annual event will include an evening market for the first time, on Friday, Nov. 15, as well as an all-day affair on Saturday, Nov. 16.

The event brings together more than 20 artisans offering everything from pottery to jewelry, textile products such as scarves and winter caps, even cosmetics, handmade in New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts. As the name implies, it’s usable art for sale, with care and craftsmanship that should impress most gift recipients.

Artisans include Donna Pioli, whose Claypio coffee cups, vases, colanders and bowls have unique glaze profiles and fanciful touches such as flowers that resemble melted ribbon candy. Amy Vander Els makes jewelry; her Lottie Necklace is a gold chain with a pale yellow serpentine turquoise stone dangling from it.

The clothing offered by Larkin & Larkin can be hippie-inspired — its proprietor began selling her art in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury neighborhood. For example, there’s a denim jacket with an embroidery of a melding sun and moon as the centerpiece, but another has a country vibe, with Dolly Parton’s photo sewn on it.

Items vary in cost, 3S Arts Marketing Manager Sara O’Neill said by phone recently.

“It’s curated specifically to have kind of breadth in both the type of craft that people work on and also in price points,” she said. “In the ceramics category, we’ll have something in the $40 range, and it could go all the way up to $300. That swath also applies through jewelry. We have some glass-blowing crafts happening, and there’s range between those.”

There’s something for everyone, even those not interested in another cup or necklace, like Holmes and Hudson’s skincare products. “We actually carry them in our shop year-round, but I’m assuming they’ll bring some special things that normally we don’t carry,” O’Neill said. “Natural body products like soap and toners and hand creams, all of that kind of stuff.”

O’Neill is a fan of Off Menu Pots, a company that’s based in Portsmouth’s Button Factory. “I spend all of my money there every year at their booth,” she said. “I really love their large platters, and they do some small cups…. They have really great colorways, like a very terracotta kind of a blushy blue, and they draw florals and skulls, so it’s a little bit sweet and salty.”

The event provides an easy path to supporting the arts, O’Neill said.

“It focuses on the maker space versus what you might traditionally think of as visual arts, which we reserve for our exhibits in the gallery and the yard sale where artists submit 2D works,” she said. “This is more handmade categories versus painting, charcoal, that type of thing.”

It’s underwritten by 3S Arts’ five lead sponsors — AC Hotel, Katzman Contemporary Projects, MacEdge and Raka, all in Portsmouth, and The Brook Casino in Seabrook. “This is the third year in a row where they’ve chosen 3S as a beneficiary of their charitable gaming,” O’Neill said of The Brook, “and Katzman is a wonderful supporter of the arts, they have their own gallery… AC, MacEdge, Raka — it’s a wonderful group.”

Their support is vital, particularly at this moment.

“In this past year, hearing all of these stories of the art museum at UNH and the Mona Gallery, which has transitioned into another art gallery, but as a nonprofit going under. It’s a critical time if you don’t want to see these arts organizations go away,” she said. “It’s a critical time for us, for sure.”

Finally, the fair is a great way to keep giving local, and give back to the community. “Shopping for your loved ones this holiday season overrides that Black Friday feeling,” O’Neill said. “You’re getting something much more wonderful and original shopping at Form + Function. It’s Small Business Saturday — we kind of fall into that category.”

Form + Function Artisan Fair
When: Friday, Nov. 15, 5 to 9 p.m., and Saturday, Nov. 16, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: 3S Artspace, 319 Vaughan St., Portsmouth,
More: Free admission, details at 3sarts.org

Featured image: Courtesy Photo.

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