East End Hosts Hot Cultural Events Through the Fall
Though the East End is famous for its jam-packed summers, the fall arts-and-entertainment scene is hotter than ever. Here are just a few upcoming highlights from local arts organizations.
Bay Street Theater and Sag Harbor Center for the Arts will host a number of entertaining events, from comedy festivals to musical performances.
On September 13, HarborFest All Star Comedy, hosted by Joseph Vecsey, will include stand-up performances by Marina Franklin, Akaash Singh and others, with music provided by DJ Nicky K. Stroll around Main Street to take in all that HarborFest has to offer during the day before heading to the show at Bay Street at 8 p.m.
Columbus Day Weekend will see a trifecta of distinctive acts. Grammy-nominated jazz pianist and vocalist Judy Carmichael presents her act “I Love Being Here With You” on Friday, October 10. The next day, Judy Gold brings her unmatched brand of stand-up to the stage in “25 Questions for a Jewish Mother.” Finally, Betty Buckley will perform her all-new show, “Vixens of Broadway,” on October 12.
On October 18, guitarist G.E. Smith (former lead guitarist of Hall & Oates) arrive for “Masters of the Telecaster.”
Bay Street Theater and Sag Harbor Center for the Arts, 1 Bay Street, Sag Harbor. 631-725-9500, baystreet.org.
East Hampton’s Guild Hall includes an expansive museum and the historic 360-seat John Drew Theater, named for Drew Barrymore’s great-great-grandfather.
On Friday, August 29, at 8 p.m., Alec Baldwin will host “SummerDocs #4: The Overnighters,” presented by the Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF). The film, which premiered and won an award at Sundance, has been described as “a modern-day Grapes of Wrath.”
Acclaimed singer-songwriter Ben Folds will bring his signature brand of rock on Saturday, August 30, at 7:30 p.m. After the performance, the Southampton Publick House will host an after-party just outside in the Minikes Garden, featuring craft beer tasting, food and music.
On Sunday, August 31, “Stirring the Pot: Conversations with Celebrities” see award-winning chef Daniel Boulud in conversation with New York Times food and wine columnist and cookbook author Florence Fabricant. The event will be held at 11 a.m. That evening, at 7:30 p.m., contemporary vocalist Linda Eder will perform a range of tunes, crossing genres from show tunes to country to pop to jazz.
Enjoy a staged reading on Saturday, September 6, at 8 p.m., with the performance of The Old Masters. The play, written by Simon Gray, is directed by Harris Yulin and stars Yulin alongside Amy Irving and Kathleen Chalfant.
On Sunday, September 7 at noon, Guild Hall will host a gallery talk on the work of artist Robert Motherwell, with Phyllis Tuchman, a guest curator who put together “Robert Motherwell: The East Hampton Years.” The show, devoted to the paintings Motherwell created while living on the East End, runs through October 13. Also on view through October 13 is New York-based artist Arlene Slavin’s sculptures and her “Intersections” series of paintings.
Friday, September 26 will herald the screening of Medea by Euripides (presented by National Theatre Live). The broadcast begins at 8 p.m. The theater will screen National Theatre Live’s Skylight, a long-running production written by David Hare, directed by Stephen Daldry, and starring Bill Nighy, Carey Mulligan and Matthew Beard, on Friday, October 24, at 8 p.m.
From Friday, November 7 to Sunday, November 23, Round Table Theatre Company will be presenting Hamlet at 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays.
Guild Hall, 158 Main Street, East Hampton. 631-324-0806, guildhall.org.
The Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill boasts a permanent collection as well as rotating exhibitions and exciting live events.
The final installment of Jazz en Plein Air is Friday, August 29, from 6 to 8 p.m. and features Hector Martignon’s Foreign Affair Quartet.
On Friday, September 5, the museum will host “Sounds of Summer: Bluegrass & BBQ,” featuring the Ebony Hillbillies (a rootsy, all-black string band—the only one of its kind in the New York City area). The event, begins at 5 p.m. and is free with museum admission.
PechaKucha Night Hamptons, Volume 9, is Friday, September 19, at 6 p.m. This recurring event, named for the Japanese word for “chit-chat,” invites each of its presenters to take 20 seconds each to show 20 slides in order to discuss “living creatively on the East End.”
On Friday, September 26, at 6 p.m. the Parrish Art Museum screens Enter Here, a film by Amei Wallach about the work and lives of Ilya and Emilia Kabalov, the celebrated artists from Russia who now live on the North Fork. The next day, at 11 a.m., Watershed—a series of short talks on water issues on the East End given by artists, writers, scientists and environmental advocates—takes place in the Lichtenstein Theater. This is presented in conjunction with “Platform: Maya Lin,” an installation by ecological artist Maya Lin.
Judith Dolkart, director of the Addison Gallery of American Art, will be delivering a lecture on the relationship between artist William Glackens and philanthropist Albert C. Barnes on Saturday, October 4, at 11 a.m.
“The Artist’s View: Steven and William Ladd” will take place on Sunday, October 26, at 11 a.m. This event will comprise a gallery tour of Steven and William Ladd’s exhibition, “Mary Queen of the Universe,” hosted by the brothers themselves. Space is limited, so reservations are encouraged.
On Sunday, November 2, at 11 a.m., the museum will host “The Curator’s View: Jill Brienza on Alan Shields,” which is an insider’s tour of the exhibit “Alan Shields: In Motion,” hosted by guest curator Jill Brienza.
The Parrish Art Museum, 279 Montauk Highway, Water Mill. 631-283-2118, parrishart.org.
The Suffolk Theater in Riverhead, a cabaret-style venue with tables and a full-service restaurant and bar, remains as beautiful as when it first opened in 1933.
On Friday, August 29 at 8 p.m., soul legend Booker T returns, bringing his innovative style—and re-interpretation of such artists as Outkast—to the East End. See story on page 119.
On Friday, September 5, Dead on Live, a highly praised Grateful Dead tribute band, will perform a note-for-note re-creation of the Grateful Dead’s Workingman’s Dead and American Beauty albums. The next day, the theater hosts “Broadway Salutes Stevie Wonder,” an event that features musicians and cast members from a staggering number of Broadway shows.
Looking for “the best ABBA tribute band in the world?” ABBAFAB will perform on Friday, September 12. Mamma Mia!
Saturday, September 13 marks the latest appearance of The World Famous Recording Drifters with Rick Sheppard. On Friday, September 19, singer-songwriter Billy Bragg will grace the theater with his unique style. Bragg combines folk, punk and poetry in his haunting songs, and remains a prominent figure in American and English folk music.
Saturday, September 27 will see the return of the Long Island Comedy Showcase, featuring standup from Stevie G.B., John Larocchia, Bill McCarty and a number of surprise guest comedians. The next evening, the Long Island Sound Chorus (a chapter of Sweet Adelines International) will offer a tribute to the Beatles. This all-female barbershop harmony group will perform with special guests The Rum Hill Rockers.
On Saturday, October 4, visitors can enjoy the musical stylings of The Brooklyn Bridge, which has been making music for over 45 years. Next up, on Friday, October 10, will be The Fast Lane, widely hailed as the most authentic-sounding Eagles tribute band in the world. Known throughout Europe and North America and lauded by the International Press Association, the native New Yorkers who make up The Fast Lane will perform impeccable renditions of classic Eagles songs.
On Friday the 17, the comedic genius of Gilbert Gottfried will fill the theater with laughter. On Thursday, October 23, the theater will host Glenn Tilbrook, the lead singer and guitarist Squeeze.
The Chris Robinson Brotherhood’s scheduled summer performance date has been rescheduled to Thursday, November 6. This group, headed by the legendary singer of the Black Crowes, promises to bring the house down with their signature brand of blues rock.
November 8 brings the first in a series of tributes to the ’60s, when Melanie Safka, who tantalized audiences with her performance at Woodstock, takes the stage. She’ll perform hits from her legendary four-year career, including the No. 1 track “Brand New Key.”
The Californian folk rock band The Association comes roaring into town on Saturday, November 15, ready to perform a set of their many popular singles (including “Windy” and “Along Comes Mary”). This three-time platinum band was the first band to open a rock ’n’ roll festival (1967’s Monterey Pop Festival, where they played alongside Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, Otis Redding and the Grateful Dead), and they promise to bring some of that fabled ’60s energy to Riverhead.
The first week of December will continue on where The Association left off—The Sixties Show plays on Saturday, December 6. This act features former members of Billy Joel’s band, former members of Elton John’s band, members of the Boston Pops Orchestra and members of The Smithereens. Don’t miss this authentic ’60s experience.
Suffolk Theater, 118 E. Main Street, Riverhead. 631-727-4343, suffolktheater.com.
Since 1997, the nonprofit Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center (WHBPAC) as hosted world-class performers, a year-round arts education program, and a long-running film series.
WHBPAC’s current weekend film series will continue through October 5. Films scheduled include The Zero Theorem, The Trip to Italy and Boyhood. Movies are shown on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Tap dancing virtuoso Savion Glover will perform “Solo in Time” on Friday, August 29, at 8 p.m. This is a “continuation of the tradition of interpreting music through tap dancing’s percussiveness—using tap as sound, and sound as dance.”
The next night, Chris Isaak arrives singing a number of his greatest hits (such as “Wicked Game” and “Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing”) alongside new songs from his latest album, Beyond the Sun. The show begins at 8 p.m.
On Sunday, August 31 at 8 p.m., Demetri Martin will perform his signature brand of stand-up comedy.
The East End Music & Arts Festival takes place September 19–20, featuring rare collaborative performances by rock band Tonic, pedal steel guitarist Robert Randolph, American Idol singer Paul McDonald and R&B singer Edwin McCain. Shows begin at 8 p.m. (9/19) and 7 p.m. (9/20).
John Sebastian and David Grisman will bring their signature brand of acoustic folk-rock to the center on Saturday, October 18 at 8 p.m. The collaboration between these two legends is called “Satisfied,” which is billed as “stunning collection of acoustic duets featuring traditional folk tunes, blues, classic instrumentals and originals.”
On Saturday, October 25, at 8 p.m., Natalie Merchant (lead singer of 10,000 Maniacs), will perform a number of her classic anthems, as well as music from her new self-titled album—her first collection of wholly original songs in 13 years.
At 8 p.m. on Saturday, November 1, poetic singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega, famous for her hits “Luka” and “Tom’s Diner,” will perform contemporary folk music from her latest release, Tales from the Realm of the Queen of Pentacles.
Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center, 76 Main Street, Westhampton Beach. 631-288-1500, whbpac.org.
For a full lineup of arts and entertainment events, visit Events.DansPapers.com.