Take Five 2006 with Jan Silver

HIGHLIGHTS
Labor Day weekend brings a wide variety of entertainment. The Wynton Marsalis Quintet’s performance at Guild Hall has been sold out for weeks, but there are still a few tickets for the “Night of 75 Stars” on Saturday and Playwrights’ Theatre of East Hampton’s new comedy Russian Romance on Sunday. Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center has classic rock singer/guitarist Peter Frampton on Friday and comedian David Brenner on Sunday.
This is the final weekend of performances for the comedy Darwin in Malibu at Bay Street Theatre, Sag Harbor, and comedian Dave Attell is the “Comedy Club” star there on Monday. The Hampton Synagogue, Westhampton Beach, has a busy Saturday evening with Israeli Consul General Arye Mekel speaking at 6:45 p.m. and the Folksbiene Yiddish Theatre performing at 8:30 p.m. Singers/songwriters Suzanne Vega (Fri.) and Martin Sexton (Sat. & Sun.) perform at Amagansett’s Stephen Talkhouse, and accomplished jazz vocalist Kevin Mahogany offers two shows nightly at Estia’s Cantina (Thurs. & Fri.).
This is the closing weekend of the Hampton Classic Horse Show, and the Shinnecock Indian Nation invites all to its 60th Powwow this Friday through Monday. For details, read on.
THEATER and COMEDY
This is the closing weekend of Bay Street Theatre’s production of Crispin Whittell’s comedy Darwin in Malibu. The amusing show stars Hal Linden, Richard Easton, Neal Huff, and Anna Chlumsky. Showtimes are Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Saturday matinee at 4 p.m. and Sunday at 7 p.m. Tickets are $45-$60. On Monday at 8 p.m., Comedy Central favorite Dave Attell is the “Comedy Club” headliner ($48). All tickets are sold after 11 a.m. at the box office (631-725-9500) or online at www.baystreet.org.
Comedian David Brenner, known for his commentary on current events, takes the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center’s stage on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. (tickets $70-$100; call 631-288-1500 after noon or online www.whbpac.org). The Hampton Synagogue, Westhampton Beach, invites everyone to a Saturday performance by Manhattan’s Folksbiene Yiddish Theatre at 8:30 p.m.(free admission). Performers include Bruce Adler, Joanne Borts, Zalmen Mlotek, and a surprise guest.
East Hampton’s Guild Hall closes its 75th season with three dynamic evenings. The Wynton Marsalis Quintet’s Friday performance is, alas, sold out. On Saturday, Patricia Watt produces and James Larocca directs 75 stars starting at 8 p.m. – each doing their bit – to celebrate the venerable cultural center they have graced over the years. Some of the performers are Chevy Chase (reputedly playing the piano!), Elaine Stritch, Joy Behar, Phyllis Newman, Alec Baldwin, the Wallach family (Eli, Anne Jackson, Katherine and Roberta), Bob Balaban, Dina Merrill, Itzhak Perlman……and the list goes on (tickets $60-$65). On Sunday at 8 p.m., Playwrights’ Theatre of East Hampton and the John Drew co-produce a staged reading of Murphy Guyer’s new comedy, Russian Romance with Mercedes Ruehl, Tandy Cronyn, Gerard Doyle and Tina Jones ($18-$20).
MUSIC
The melodic and soulful songs of singer/guitarist Peter Frampton, a popular music icon since the 1970s, will be heard tonight, September 1, at the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center, 8:30 p.m. Tickets ($125-$175) are sold at the box office after noon (631-288-1500) or online at www.whbpac.org.
Recommended performers at local clubs and restaurants: Amagansett – Stephen Talkhouse (call 631-267-3117 for tickets) – Suzanne Vega then Nancy Atlas (Fri.), Martin Sexton then Dana Fuchs (Sat.), Martin Sexton then Dollarman (Sun.), World Party Band (next Thurs.); Estia Cantina – acclaimed jazz vocalist Kevin Mahogany with trio (Thurs. & Fri.); Montauk – Montauk Yacht Club (Fri. 3-7 p.m.), music weekends at Gurney’s Inn; East Hampton – Turtle Crossing (Mama Lee & friends Fri.), Maidstone Arms (blues Wed., Jane Hastay and Peter Weiss on Fri.), Babette’s (pianist Paul Gene on Sat.); Sagaponack – wine/cheese/music 5 to 7 p.m. Thurs. at Wolffer Estate Vineyards; Bridgehampton – pop standards and soft jazz at Kipling’s Fri. & Sat.; jazz brunch Sun. at World Pie; music Tues. & Sun. eve at Pierre’s; Sag Harbor – reggae Sun. 4-7 p.m. at B.Smith’s; Southampton – music weekends at Lori’s (75 Main St.) and Tugboats North Sea, jazz Sun. 4-7 p.m. at Southampton Inn; Hampton Bays – Thurs. & Fri. at Edgewater; Westhampton Beach – music at Casa Basso (Sat.), Passionfish (chef Tom Schaudel & band on Mon.), Westhampton Beach Steak House (Fri. & Sat.); Riverhead – Eastenders Coffee House (Thurs.-Mon.), Tweed’s (Fri. & Sat.).
SPEAKERS
There is a reception Saturday, 5 to 7 p.m., to view fine-arts photographer Kathryn Szoka’s new photo series, “Sag Harbor Is: A Photographic Celebration” at Canio’s Books, Sag Harbor. The photos will illustrate a new book Sag Harbor Is: A Literary Celebration, edited by Maryann Calendrille, to be published later this month.
Ambassador Arye Mekel, Israeli consul general in New York, will speak on Saturday, 6:45 p.m. at The Hampton Synagogue, Westhampton Beach, on “Israel: Past and Future.” The public is invited and there is no admission charge.
FILMS
Sag Harbor’s John Jermain Library screens the BBC production of Shakespeare’s The Tempest on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. There is no admission charge but arrive about 15 minutes early to get a good seat.
SPECIAL EVENTS
The Shinnecock Indian Nation’s annual Powwow invites tribes in North and South America to participate in dancing and singing competitions, and display indigenous arts, crafts and foods this Friday through Monday. Some of the entertainers expected are the award-winning Thunder Bird Sisters (Shinnecock), an Oklahoma Cherokee rapper, Mexico’s Tlacopar Aztec Dancers and flutist Derek Whirlwind. The Powwow features a grand-entry procession at 7 p.m. tonight and at noon and 7 p.m. on other days. Admission is $10 for adults, $7 for seniors and children. The location is the Shinnecock Reservation off Old Montauk Highway, Southampton.
The Hampton Classic Horse Show has many exciting competitions in its closing days. Friday, the $15,000 NTM Open Jumper Derby and the $50,000 Grey Goose Vodka World Cup Qualifier go on. Saturday is Cablevision Kids’ Day with special acts and activities for children in the World of the Horse Exhibition Tent, and it is also the finals of the $10,000 Wolffer Estate Equitation Championship, the $25,000 Sotheby’s Challenge Cup and the $15,000 WGHR Farm Junior/Amateur-owner Jumper Classic. Sunday is the finals starting with the $30,000 FTI Consulting 7-and 8-year-old Young Jumper Championship (that’s a big prize for young’uns!), the $25,000 Calvin Klein Show Jumping Derby, and the $150,000 Prudential Financial Grand Prix at 2 p.m. There are many places to eat at the show, and a large section of elegant shops. General admission is $10 per person or $20 per car, with no charge for children on Saturday. Reserved grandstand seating on Sunday is an additional $15 or $25 for premium seating. More information is on the website at www.hamptonclassic.com.