Times … and dates: April 6 to April 13, 2023

Times … and dates: April 6 to April 13, 2023

TRIBUTE TO THE QUEEN OF SOUL CeCe Teneal celebrates the music and enduring legacy of Aretha Franklin at the John W. Engeman Theater on April 11.
Thursday April 6

Atelier lecture

The Atelier at Flowerfield in St. James will present an online lecture at 7 p.m. with artist Kirk Larsen who will tell you why you’ve “gotta” see his upcoming exhibition, “WOW!” You’ve Gotta See This”, which opens April 13. To register, go to https://theatelieratflowerfield.org/lectures or call 631-250-9009.

An Evening of Jazz

The Jazz Loft, 275 Christian Ave., Stony Brook presents a concert by The Jazz Loft Big Band, a 26-piece Jazz Orchestra directed by Jazz Loft Director Tom Manuel, titled Stan Kenton’s Cuban Fire Suite tonight, April 7 and 8 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $40 adults, $35 seniors, $30 students, $25 children at www.thejazzloft.org. For more info call 631-751-1895. 

Friday April 7

Vanderbilt Evening Birdwatch

Join the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum, 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport for an Evening Birdwatch and Architecture Tour with the Museum’s director of curatorial affairs from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Participants will enjoy the unique opportunity to view the Vanderbilt estate at dusk, when the grounds are closed but the birds are active. Sturdy hiking footwear is strongly suggested, and participants are asked to bring their own binoculars. Walks will also be held on April 7 and 21, and May 5 and 19. Tickets are $12, free for members. To register, visit www.vanderbiltmuseum.org.

Saturday April 8

Birding by the Beach

Town of Brookhaven presents a free environmental program, Birding by the Beach, at West Meadow Beach, Trustees Road, Stony Brook at 10 a.m. and again at the Cedar Beach Nature Center, Harbor Beach Road, Mt. Sinai at 2 p.m. Long Island is a popular stop over and nesting area for many avian species. Join the group in observing and identifying the birds that spend time on our coast. Please wear closed comfortable shoes, bring binoculars and a field guide if you have them. Registration is required by emailing [email protected].

Second Saturdays Poetry Reading 

All Souls Church in Stony Brook continues its Second Saturdays Poetry Reading series via Zoom from 11 a.m. to noon. Hosted by Suffolk County Poet Laureate Richard Bronson, the featured poet will be Greg Alexander. An open-reading will follow;  all are welcome to read one of their own poems.  For more information, call 631-655-7798.  Participants can access the program through the All Souls website https://www.allsouls-stonybrook.org/

Sunday April 9

Port Jefferson Farmers Market

The Port Jefferson Winter Farmers Market will be held at the Port Jefferson Village Center, 101-A E. Broadway, Port Jefferson every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. through April 30. Featuring over 20 vendors. Call 473-4778.

Port Jefferson Easter Parade

The Greater Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce hosts the Port Jefferson Easter Parade in the Village of Port Jefferson at noon. Enjoy an old-fashioned “Easter Bonnet” walking parade from Theatre Three to the Port Jefferson Village Center (all are welcome to wear their Easter best and march) followed by an Easter Egg Hunt on Harborfront Park’s Great Lawn at 12:15 p.m. for children ages 2 to 8. Call 631-473-1414 for more info.

Monday April 10

Civic Association Meeting

The Sound Beach Firehouse, 152 Sound Beach Ave., Sound Beach will host a meeting by the Sound Beach Civic Association at 7:30 p.m.  On the agenda is narcan training. Registration is required for anyone who wants a certificate of completion and an emergency resuscitation kit that includes nasal naloxone. Open to all. For more information call 631-744-6952.

Tuesday April 11

TV Garden Club Meeting

The Three Village Garden Club invites the community to attend its general membership meeting at the Setauket Neighborhood House, 95 Main Street, Setauket at 11 a.m. Guest speaker Kimberly Simmen of KMS Native Plants in Lake Grove will present a program titled “Insect Friends and Foes.” For further information, call 631-751-2743.

Stirring Up History 

The Bates House, 1 Bates Road, Setauket presents Stirring Up History: The Timeline of Food with resident historic cook and educator Diane Schwindt from the Ketcham Inn museum at 7 p.m. From caveman to fast food and a lot in between…. explore moments in time that changed the course of food history. A display of authentic historic hearth ware will be discussed, concluding with food samples. A fun-filled evening of surprising facts that will leave you hungry for more! Tickets are $15 per person at www.frankmelvilllpark.org. 

An evening of Swing Dance

Swing Dance Long Island, a non-profit social dance club, holds weekly dances every Tuesday evening at the  Huntington Moose Lodge, 631 Pulaski Rd. Greenlawn with beginner swing lessons at 7:30 p.m. and dancing from 8 to 10:30 p.m. Singles and beginners are welcome.  No partner necessary. Admission is $15 on DJ night,  $20 on band night on the third Tuesday of the month. Call 516-521-1410.

Portrait of Aretha

The John W. Engeman Theater, 250 Main St., Northport continues its Special Events series with a concert titled Portrait of Aretha at 8 p.m. CeCe Teneal honors the legacy of the Queen of Soul with personalized interpretations of both popular and lesser-known songs from this 18-Grammy-Award-winning icon’s 50-year career, including “Chain of Fools,” “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” “Rock Steady,” and “Until You Come Back to Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do).” Tickets are $45 per person. To order, call 631-261-2900 or visit www.engemantheater.com.

Wednesday April 12

Jam Session at the Jazz Loft

Join The Jazz Loft, 275 Christian Ave., Stony Brook for a Jam Session featuring The Jazz Loft Trio lead by Keenan Zach from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 at 7 p.m., $5 after 8 p.m. To order, visit www.thejazzloft.org.

Thursday April 13

Atelier art reception

The Atelier at Flowerfield, 2 Flowerfield,  Suite #9, St. James hosts an opening reception for its’ latest exhibit, WOW! You’ve Got to See This!  by Kirk Larsen in Atelier Hall at 5:30 p.m. The exhibit runs through May 25. For more info, call 631-250-9009.

Vanderbilt Planetarium lecture

At 7 p.m. the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum’s Charles and Helen Reichert Planetarium, 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport will host Dr. David Munns, professor of history at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, for an evening lecture on the diverse technical systems needed to support life in space. Munns’s lecture will draw heavily from his 2021 book Far Beyond the Moon: A History of Life Support Systems in the Space Age. Tickets are $10, free for members, at www.vanderbiltmuseum.org.

Theater
DID YOU HEAR THE NEWS?
The Long Island premiere of Pride@Prejudice opens at Theatre Three this Friday night at 8 p.m. Photo by Steven Uihlein/Theatre Three

‘Pride@Prejudice’

Theatre Three, 412 Main Street, Port Jefferson, presents the Long Island premiere of Pride @ Prejudice from April 7 through May 6. Watch Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy fall in love all over again — this time filtered through the world of the internet. Modern voices interject and build on this classic love story in the form of blog posts, chat room discussions, quotes from film adaptations, and even letters from Ms. Austen herself to create a delightfully postmodern view of 19th century England. Five actors play nearly two dozen roles in this hilarious and moving homage to Jane Austen’s most beloved novel, Pride and Prejudice. Tickets are $35 adults, $28 seniors and students, $20 children ages 5 and up. To order, call 631-928-9100 or visit theatrethree.com.

‘The Scarlet Pimpernel’

The swashbuckling musical adventure The Scarlet Pimpernel heads to the John W. Engeman Theater, 250 Main St., Northport from March 16 to April 30. Percy Blakeney, a proper Englishman, takes on a sword fighting and dashing double identity as The Scarlet Pimpernel to save French citizens from the blood-hungry guillotine. His exploits soon become the talk of Paris, however, the fanatical Agent Chauvelin will stop at nothing to catch the Pimpernel and send him to the guillotine. For ticket info, call 631-261-2900 or visit www.engemantheater.com. 

‘The Comedy of Errors’

The Theatre at Suffolk County Community College, Ammerman campus, 533 College Road, Selden presents a production of The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare in the Shea Theatre in the Islip Arts Building on April 13, 14, 15, 20, 21 and 22 at 7:30 p.m. and April 16 and 23 at 2 p.m. Mature content. General admission is $15. For tickets, call 631-451-4163. 

‘(Mostly) True Things’

The Performing Arts Studio, 224 E. Main St, Port Jefferson presents (Mostly) True Stories With A Twist “A Rough Start,” a game wrapped in a storytelling show that features true stories, with a twist, on April 15 at 7 p.m. This show features 4 true stories but 3 of them include subtle little lies. In the second act, the audience questions the storytellers, then votes for the person they think told it straight. Winners get a tote bag, and the whole truth about each story is shared before the end of the evening. It is a combination of comedy, heart and community that is truly a unique experience. Hosted by Jude Treder-Wolff, performers will include Nina Lesiga and David Lawson. Tickets are $15 online at Eventbrite or $20 at the door (cash only). Visit www.mostlytruethings.com. 

Film

‘Legacy’

Four Harbors Audubon Society presents a viewing of the documentary Legacy at the Smithtown Library, 1 North Country Road Smithtown on April 7 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Narrated by Sting, photographer and director Yann Arthus-Bertrand looks back on his life and fifty years of commitment to his photographic art and the planet’s plight. Free and open to all but reservations required by calling 631-766-3075 or 631-360-2480 ext. 232.

‘Lift’

The Port Jefferson Documentary Series continues on April 10 at Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson with Lift which shines a spotlight on the invisible story of homelessness in America through the eyes of a group of young homeless and home-insecure ballet dancers in New York City. The story centers around ballet dancer and mentor Steven Melendez, who was a seven-year-old boy living in a Bronx homeless shelter who had his life turned around when he was the recipient of the New York Theater Ballet (NYTB) Project LIFT’s generosity. Guest speakers will be Director David Petersen and Steven Melendez. Tickets are $10 at the door or at www.portjeffdocumentaryseries.com.

New York Cat Film Festival

Cinema Arts Centre, 423 Park Ave., Huntington hosts the 5th annual NY Cat Film Festival on April 10 at 7 p.m. This collection of short films from around the world educates, entertains, and help us explore the mystique of the fascinating felines who share our lives  with submissions from Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Iran, Italy, Kuwait, Malta, Poland, Spain, Taiwan and the UK. A portion of ticket sales benefit the Golden Paw Society, Inc. Tickets are $15, $10 members at www.cinemaartscentre.org.

‘Young Frankenstein’

The Cinema Arts Centre will screen  the comic gem Young Frankenstein on April 12 at 7 p.m. with an introduction by Glenn Andreiev. Part homage and part parody of Universal Pictures 1930s monster movies, Mel Brooks gives the old horror classic a riotous comic twist! Grandson of the infamous Victor Frankenstein, Frederick (Gene Wilder) inherits his family’s estate in Transylvania. With the help of a hunchbacked sidekick, Igor, and a leggy lab assistant, Inga, Frederick finds himself in the mad scientist shoes of his ancestor as he brings to life a creature to rival his grandfather’s. Rated PG. Tickets are $15, $10 members at www.cinemaartscentre.org.