Staples Players’ spring production is “Twelfth Night.”
People might think: “Teenagers doing Shakespeare. I’ll pass.”
Don’t!
For one thing, Players is no ordinary high school troupe. Their near Broadway-quality shows always entertain, excite and inspire.
For another — and this is key — this “Twelfth Night” is not really Shakespeare. It’s a big, bold musical, filled with singing and dancing.
Ben Herrera as Malvolio, with “Twelfth Night” ensemble.
It’s funny. It’s fun. It’s accessible.
And it zips along: 12 songs are packed into a quick — and very engrossing — 90 minutes.
Players directors David Roth and Kerry Long knew they were taking a risk. “Twelfth Night” — whether familiar Shakespeare, or an unfamiliar musical — is a tough sell.
(From left): Charlie Watson, Matthew Bukzin, Jackie Peterson and Henry Carson in “Twelfth Night.”
But they loved Shaina Taub’s music. They knew that the cast recording was popular with theater people. (When the Public Theatre debuted the show in 2018, the New Yorker called it “less an interpretation of Shakespeare’s comedy than a block party sprinkled with iambic pentameter.”)
And when the directors announced it this winter, they challenged Players cast members to listen to the jazz-funk-pop score with open ears.
The next days, the young actors were singing in the halls. (Click below for senior Sophia Betit, singing during rehearsal.)
During their 65-year history, Players have tackled Shakespeare before. Roth and Long directed “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in 2005, and “Romeo & Juliet” 3 years later.
As with much of The Bard’s work, despite being over 400 years old, “Twelfth Night” remains timely.
The plot deals with “our perceptions of gender — what it means to be a man or a woman, and how women are perceived in society,” Roth says.
(After a shipwreck, a woman dresses as a man to get a job. And of course, there are love complications.)
Quinn Mulvey as Viola. (All photos/Kerry Long)
“The message of the show is about walking in another person’s shoes, and seeing how the world perceives you,” Long explains. “There’s not a lot of equity.”
“Twelfth Night” is not “Mamma Mia!” or “Grease.” But — like those Staples Players blockbusters — it too will thrill audiences of all ages.
“We want to expose people to shows we love,” Roth says. “Take a 90-minute leap of faith with us!”
(“Twelfth Night” performances are March 17, 18, 24 and 25 at 7:30 p.m., and March 19 and 25 at 3 p.m. Youngsters 12 and under get a sweet swag bag, including a coupon for a free ice cream cone donated by Saugatuck Sweets, plus a button proudly announcing “My first Shakespeare!”
(Click here for tickets, and more information. Click below to hear the original cast recording music.)
(“06880” is your hyper-local source for Westport entertainment news. Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
The pedestrian struck by a motorist on Saturday night has died.
Matthew Balga of Norwalk succumbed at Norwalk Hospital, He was 54.
The Riverside Avenue crash, near the William F. Cribari Bridge, remains under investigation by Westport police, assisted by the Fairfield Accident Team.
Well, not exactly. The Man in Black has been dead nearly 20 years.
But Johnny Folsom 4 — a great tribute band — headlines the next “Supper & Soul” concert. It’s Saturday, May 13, at the Westport Library.
The Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce-sponsored event is tons of fun. For $85 a ticket, you get a 3-course dinner at one of 11 downtown restaurants, plus the show.
After the concert, show your ticket at any of the restaurants, and get happy hour pricing on drinks.
Participating restaurants include 190 Main, Arezzo, Basso, Capuli, Casa me, De Tapas, Don Memo, Nômade, Spotted Horse, Goji and Walrus Alley.
Click here for tickets, and more information. (Concert-only tickets are available too — they’re $35.
Johnny Cash was famous for playing in prisons. This may be his — well, his tribute band’s — first library gig.
Alert “06880” reader — and nearby Winslow Park neighbor — Dick Truitt writes:
“Just inside the Westport Country Playhouse parking lot entrance to the Winslow Park dog run is a box containing a defibrillator, placed there to help save people who suffer emergency heart issues.
“The box has gathered filth over the years. But the bin on top has been a sort of lifesaver itself to folks who might find they have lost small and sometimes critical items in the vast park. It’s the informal “lost and found” headquarters.
“The other day it contained a pair of glasses, a right-hand glove, a tube of lip balm, a military-style dog tag, 3 key tags and, most importantly, 4 residential-style keys — all apparently from someone’s front door.
“A dog walker reported that there is a regular turnover of items in the bin. She noted, however, that no one has yet showed up with a brush and bottle of soap.”
Lost and found at Winslow Park. (Photo/Dick Truitt)
Nick Diamond was a varsity soccer player at Staples High School. After graduating in 2004, he moved to Seattle.
Nick’s 3-year-old son Noah was recently diagnosed with Sanfilippo Syndrome. Known also as “childhood Alzheimer’s,” it is a rare and terminal disease.
With continued research and advocacy, a cure is possible. Nick and his wife Kristen organized Plunge for a Cure, o raise awareness and funds to support the fight against this disease.
Philip Halpert — Nick’s best friend from Staples — took the plunge yesterday at Compo Beach. His wife Carrie joined in.
Philip Halpert takes the plunge.
To learn more about the plunge — and contribute — click here. (David Halpert)
We seldom think about it, but nearly everything we rely on in our homes — clocks, speakers, kitchen equipment, even toys — contains silicon chips.
David Pogue thinks about it. And because CBS pays him to think about — and explain — things like this, chips were the focus of his story yesterday on “Sunday Morning.”
What makes his piece “06880”-worthy — besides the fact that he is our Westport neighbor — is that when he needed props (to smash with a hammer), he headed to our local Goodwill.
He found all the chip-stuffed stuff he needed. And spent a grand total of $9 on it.
Two striking photos, and a reproduction/adaptation of a famous work open this week’s online art gallery.
Other readers submitted their usual intriguing array of paintings and drawings too.
Remember: This is your feature. Everyone is invited to contribute. Age, level of experience, subject matter — there are no restrictions.
All genres are encouraged. Watercolors, oils, charcoal, pen-and-ink, acrylics, lithographs, collages, macramé, jewelry, sculpture, decoupage and (yes) needlepoint — whatever you’ve got, email it to 06880blog@gmail.com. Share your work with the world!
Untitled (Andrew Colabella)
“GULLable” (Patricia McMahon)
“Pieter Claesz’s Dinner at the Katzes/” Artist Norm Siegel based this on “the famous Dutch 17th century still life food artist– updated with all the foods I loved that now give me heartburnand acid reflux.”
“A Little Snow” (Karen Weingarten)
Artist Lawrence Weisman calls this “Character of Westport,” then adds, “or one of them at least.”
Untitled (Mona Brown)
“The Tennis Players: Igor Stravinsky and His Taller Friend” — acrylics (Peter Barlow)
“Whelk” (Amy Schneider)
“A Very Little House on the Prairie” (Steve Stein)
Photographer Rindy Higgins describes this monotone: “I was impressed with the gray on gray on gray, illustrating that the Saugatuck River is the same as the Sound is the same as the sky: the oneness of all.”
(Admission to “06880”‘s online gallery is free. But contributions are gladly accepted. Please click here — and thank you!)
“Lux Freer” — Triple Threat Academy‘s award-winning, locally shot and produced independent film — enjoyed a pair of premieres last month.
The plot involves Lux, a middle-class non-binary teen who feels like an outcast in their new town of rich jocks and beauty queens, until a wishing well and the most popular guy in town offer a view from the top of the social ladder.
A private screening at the Sacred Heart University Community Theatre included 21 cast members (22, counting Sophie Walther, who Zoomed in from the UK).
Cast and crew of “Lux Freer,” at the SHU Community Theater. In front: co-producers Cynthia Gibb and Jill Johnson Mann.
Staples High School 2022 graduate Echo Bodell — who stars as Lux Freer — flew in from the Savannah College of Art & Design. Echo, a non-binary songwriter/ actor, plays the non-binary protagonist, Lux Freer.
Jean Louisa Kelly — recently seen in “Top Gun: Maverick” — was there, with her daughter Josy Pitaro (Lux’s villain).
Cameron Mann — who played a pivotal role in “Mare of Easttown” — joined assistant costume designer Zoe Mann (aka his twin). Their older brother Jamie Mann (“Country Comfort”) — who in addition to acting in the film, choreographed the big dance number — could not make it. He’s at the University of Michigan, studying musical theater.
Watching proudly were director/co-producer Cynthia Gibb and writer/co-producer Jill Johnson Mann. Gibb — another Staples graduate — began acting at 15, in Woody Allen’s “Stardust.” She went on to great fame, in “Fame.”
“Lux Freer” reminded her of that joy. She appreciated sharing the magic of film acting with her Triple Threat Academy students.
Director Cynthia Gibb has worked with Echo Bodell for years. Here the star is, on the big screen.
“Lux Freer”‘s world premiere was Saturday, at the Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival. Bodell and several other cast members joined Gibb on the red carpet.
The film won Best USA Film and Best First-Time Director at New York’s Cinematography Awards in December), and followed up with Honorable Mention for Best LGBTQ Short Film at the Los Angeles Indie Short Fest last month.
At the actual “red carpet” in Los Angeles (from left): Jennifer Ryan (Miss Savannah), Leanna Mitev (Linah Freer), director Cynthia Gibb and Echo Bodell (Lux Freer).
“Lux Freer” was created during Triple Threat Academy’s summer film camp. Students — novice and professional actors — collaborate with a professional crew to create a film, gaining experience in front of the camera and in crew apprentice roles.
Gibb calls the cast “a blend of professional actors with impressive credits, and many making their screen debuts.
“It is also a blend of the ‘popular kids,’ and those who exist on the fringes of the social strata.
“At the beginning, there were clichés. By the end, we were one big film family. It was life imitating our art.”
“Parts of the script are inspired by actual scenarios experienced by Echo on their challenging journey to live in a way that is true to themself,” says Johnson Mann.
“After the film wrapped, Echo told us that those were the best two weeks of their life. They stepped into the spotlight timidly on Day 1, and strutted out a new person on day 10.”
Several trans teens in the cast also found acceptance, like-minded friends, and a new confidence, the writer/co-producer adds.
Next up: another independent film, this summer. Details will be announced soon.
(Click here for more information on Triple Threat Academy, including enrollment.)
(Westport is an arts town — and “06880” covers all the arts. Please click here to help support us what we do. Thank you!)
There will be no 5-peat for the Ridgefield High School boys basketball team.
But there may be a first for Staples.
The 4th-seeded Wreckers demolished the #1, 4-time reigning champion Tigers last night 71-54, in the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference (FCIAC) semifinal at Wilton High.
Staples’ only league championship came exactly 60 years ago, in 1963. But there was no actual tournament then — just the standings — so this title would be a long-awaited first.
First-year coach Dave Goldshore’s team faces #3 Danbury for the crown tomorrow (Friday, March 3, 6 p.m., Wilton). The Hatters topped Trumbull 52-50, in last night’s other semi.
The Wreckers — who got 23 points from Chris Zajac, 16 from Gavin Rothenberg, 15 from Cody Sale and 11 from Sam Clachko — proved their earlier 61-54 victory at Ridgefield was no fluke. After that loss, the Tigers went on a 16-game winning tear.
Beyond their first-ever FCIAC tournament crown, Staples has added motivation in tomorrow night’s title match: Danbury won this year’s regular season game, 63-54.
The 2023 Staples High School boys basketball team.
The longtime Westporter — and Emmy-winning television executive producer and director of shows like “Live at Lincoln Center” — often donates his talents to his home town.
Up next: a 3-part Westport Library series focusing on cardiovascular health.
Part 1 (March 14) focuses on coronary artery diseases, with Drs. Robert Altbaum, Ari Pollack and Mitchell Dreisman in conversation.
Part 2 (March 22) covers valvular heart disease; Part 3 (April 17) is on atrial fibrillation.
All 3 sessions begin at 7 p.m. All will be led by Dr. Altbaum, with coronary experts. Click here for details.
NOTE: Heart disease may not seem to be in Andrew Wilk’s wheelhouse. But before he turned to television and the performing arts, he wanted to be a doctor.
Andrew Wilk’s first session on heart disease includes (starting 2nd from left) Drs. Robert Altbaum, Ari Pollack and Mitchell Dreisman.
Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward continue to make news.
This June, Sotheby’s will auction “The World of Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman.” A series of sales of more than 300 items — drawn primarily from their Westport home — will include film and entertainment memorabilia, automotive and racing collectables, family photographs, antique furniture and fine decorative arts.
Special items include autographed letters and photographs from presidents Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, and Joanne’s wedding dress and ring from her marriage to Paul in 1958.
PS: Happy belated birthday to Joanne Woodward. The actress turned 93 on Tuesday.
Click here for more information. (Hat tip: Valerie Szeto)
Bridgewater Associates — the Westport-based world’s largest hedge fund — keeps a low profile.
But a Bloomberg article yesterday notes:
Bridgewater is capping the size of its flagship funds, plowing more money and talent into artificial intelligence and machine learning, expanding in Asia and in equities and doubling down on sustainability. To pare costs and free up resources, it’s also embarking on a firm-wide reorganization over the next two weeks, eliminating about 100 jobs in a workforce of roughly 1,300.
“Just doing what we’ve been doing isn’t good enough,” (CEO Nir) Bar Dea, 41, said in an interview. “Evolve or die. That’s what’s happening here.”
In other Bridgewater news, Rob Copeland’s new book — “The Fund: Ray Dalio, Bridgewater Associates and the Unraveling of a Wall Street Legend” — is available for pre-order.
Called “the unauthorized, unvarnished story of famed Wall Street hedge fund manager Ray Dalio,” it “peels back the curtain to reveal a rarified world of wealth and power, where former FBI director Jim Comey kisses Dalio’s ring, recent Pennsylvania Senate candidate David McCormick sells out, and countless Bridgewater acolytes describe what it’s like to work at his fascinating firm.”
Fresh off last night’s packed opening of the Artists Collective of Westport March pop-up show opening, Eric Chiang is showing various artworks — from small to very large, and from realistic landscapes to abstract — at 3 other high-quality group shows, now through May.
Through Mar 18: “Artists Collective Members Show”(Gordon Fine Art Gallery, 1701 Post Road East).
March 8 – May 9: “Music to Our Eyes” and “Piece by Piece” (Westport Library); opening reception March 8, 6 to 8 p.m.
Early March through April 16: “Home” (Greens Farms Church Gallery Hall).
NOTE: The Artists Collective show is on view at the Westport Country Playhouse barn now through Sunday, March 5 (2 to 6 p.m.). There’s an artists’ talk Sunday, at 5 p.m. too.
Speaking of art: The Westport Book Shop‘s guest exhibitor for March is George Radwan.
He’s showing birdhouses, inspired by shacks he saw years ago in Soweto. He’s also exhibiting small mixed media pieces, constructed of found and repurposed materials.
All artwork is available for purpose. To see more of Radwan’s work, click here.
Bonnie Marcus has owned a design company (next to Arezzo Restaurant) for over 20 years. From her small studio, she and her team of Westport moms ship invitations and greeting cards to thousands of stores around the world, including Bloomingdales, Harrods, Target and Barnes & Noble. Celebrities like Britney Spears, Cindy Crawford and Christina Aguilera A-listers who have ordered invitations for special events.
Tonight you can see where Bonnie’s creativity comes from. An art exhibit featuring her great-uncle — abstract artist/painter/printmaker/social activist Louis Schanker opens at the Stamford JCC (7 p.m.).
Shanker and his wife, blues singer and socialite Libby Holman, enabled their close friend, Martin Luther King Jr,. to travel to India to learn firsthand non-violent techniques to battle racism in America.
Shanker’s paintings, sculptures and prints are on display through March 17. Click here for details.
Coretta Scott King and Bonnie Marcus.
================================================
Today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo is celestial: Venus and Jupiter, taken by Diane Lowman from her window.
Is the one on top Venus (smaller than Jupiter?) or Jupiter (further away than Venus)? Diane did not say.
And finally … Karen Carpenter was born on this day in 1950, in New Haven. She died 32 years later, from complications of anorexia.
(Wow — there’s a lot of news today. “06880” covers it all, every day. To help keep it coming, please consider a contribution. Click here — and thank you.)
For many youngsters, that was a chance to play. For older folks, it meant the chore of shoveling.
But all kids did not play, and all adults did not shovel. Let alert “06880” reader Bill Hall tell this tale:
“Imagine my septuagenarian joy yesterday morning when I heard a knock on my front door. Two young neighbor lads, ages 8 and 11, were there with shovels in hand.
“They said they would help shovel the heavy, wet snow — a frequent widow maker. I welcomed their offer. They went to it right away. clearing a walk ramp, paths to cars, accumulated snow from limbs of bushes and more. Their industry is to be admired.
“I remember thinking years ago, ‘where are the young folks who used to come to mow lawns and shovel snow?’ That breed seemed to have vanished.
“But not completely. Apparently there are still some ambitious young folks who offer their youthful strength (and charm).
“I asked before they started what their charge would be. They shyly said, ‘I don’t know, 5 or 10 dollars.’ I said, “you’re on!”
It was a joy to see them work so hard and fast. It was an equal joy first to meet these young lads, and see their joy upon completing my requests and receiving their cash. No Venmo here.
“Many years ago when I was a student at the University of Michigan, I sang a song in a musical with the lyric, ‘Where Is America, what has become of her? What strange place do I see?’
“I saw a glimpse of some good ol’ American and altruistic values today embodied in 2 boys, Drew and Leo. Thank you. guys!”
Beginning today, Westport Emergency Services dispatch moves from Westport Police and Fire headquarters to Fairfield County Regional Dispatch.
This joint venture between Westport and Fairfield has been in the works for several years. Fairfield moved its dispatch to the combined center at Sacred Heart University a year ago.
Westport residents will not see any change in service. All calls will be routed to FCRD, to be handled by civilian call takers and dispatchers.
Westport’s knowledgeable, expert civilian dispatchers possess have moved to the new center.
Police Chief Foti Koskinas says, “We expect to provide better service to Fairfield and Westport, with better access to public safety in one combined dispatch center. Our officers, firefighters and emergency telecommunicators working in conjunction with each other, in one center, will enhance the level of service provided to our communities.”
Fire Chief Michael Kronick adds, “At the FCRD, there will be a call taker and a dispatcher to help expedite dispatch efforts to handle emergency situations more effectively. The FCRD includes built-in redundancy and an extra level of back-up to keep emergency communications operational should the need arise.”
The Police Department’s non-emergency phone number remains the same: (203) 341-6000. 911 is still the emergency number. And every firehouse has an outside phone to report emergencies.
“Honey Cake & Latkes: How Food Memories Nourish the Soul” is the heart-warming title of an important upcoming event (March 16, 7 p.m., Chabad of Westport).
Westport food writer Liz Rueven and Dr. Maria Zalewska — executive director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Foundation — join Holocaust survivors Tova Friedman and Eugene Ginter.
They’ll provide a deep look into a collection of heirloom recipes from concentration camp survivors.
Noshes will be served and the (more than a) cookbook, “Honey Cake and Latkes,” will be available for purchase.
The event is free, but pre-registration is required (click here).
Author and historian Richard DeLuca brings his illustrated lecture “Motion: Transportation, Climate Change and Big History” to the Weston History & Culture Center on March 26 (4:30 p.m.; free for members, $5 for non-members).
DeLuca will discuss 4 centuries of transportation history in Connecticut — from stagecoaches to interstates — and how that story has led to our current environmental crisis.
This event is part of the closing reception for the exhibition “The Curious Case of Eleven O’clock Road: How Weston Got Its Place Names.” It’s open every Thursday and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m., through March 26,
MoCA Westport’s next exhibit — “Rainbow in the Dark” — features German contemporary artist Anselm Reyle.
He is known for foil and strip paintings, and sculptures. Remnants of consumer society, discarded materials, and symbols of urbanity and industrial change play a central role in his works.
This exhibition includes neon installations, foil works, 2 vases in Reyle’s signature Fat Lava style, straw bale sculptures, a new collection of abstract photography, and a video.
The show is on view from March 19 through May 28. An opening reception is set for Saturday, March 18 (6 to 8 p.m.).
The BackCountry Jazz BeBoppers headline the next Voices Café concert. The energetic student ensemble comes to the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Westport on Saturday, March 11 (8 p.m.).
As always at Voices, there is café-style seating at tables, or individual seating. Concert-goers bring their own snacks and beverages and food, or buy snacks there.
General admission is $25 per person; livestream is also available. Students can use Coupon Code “jazzstudent” for discounts. Click here for tickets and more information.
Thomas “Bo” Hickey — the legendary athlete and coach who died Tuesday at 77 — is best remembered as a football, basketball, baseball and track star at Stamford Catholic High School, Denver Broncos running back, and a state champion football and boys ice hockey coach at New Canaan High.
But his coaching career began at Staples High School, as an assistant under Paul Lane. Rams coach Lou Marinelli hired him away in 1980, and the pair went on to win 8 state and 4 FCIAC titles. Hickey was an assistant for 31 years, but his value to NCHS was immeasurable.
His 20-year hockey head coaching record includes 10 FCIAC and 1 state crown.
Bo Hickey, during his induction into the FCIAC Hall of Fame. (Photo/John Nash)
This week brings another online art gallery, filled with a wide variety of mediums, colors, themes and more.
As always:
Remember: This is your feature. Everyone is invited to contribute. Age, level of experience, subject matter — there are no restrictions.
All genres are encouraged. Watercolors, oils, charcoal, pen-and-ink, acrylics, lithographs, collages, macramé, jewelry, sculpture, decoupage and (yes) needlepoint — whatever you’ve got, email it to 06880blog@gmail.com. Share your work with the world!
Untitled. Artist Anne Bernier says: “A little delayed from Valentine’s. 💖 Who needs Hallmark when you can make your own cards?”
“Seaweed” (Lis Hisgen)
Untitled (Mona Brown)
“1947 WDX Dodge Power Wagon” (Peter Barlow)
“Boats in Dry Dock” (Kathleen Burke)
Photographer Laurie Sorensen says: “This photo was taken at Mohonk Mountain House stables in New Paltz, New York. Haven’t we all had days when this sign might be appropriate?!”
“Strange Roommates” (Patricia Driscoll)
“Acrylic Pour” (Amy Schneider)
Everglades picture digitally made into a watercolor (Diane Yormark)
“Did You Think You Could Improve on the Chagall Levi Window?” (Steve Stein)
“Day Laborer” (Lawrence Weisman)
Artist Roseann Spengler writes: “Although this is not horticulture, it is nature. I was inspired to do something after listening to Dick Rauh’s incredible talk at the library.”
(Every Saturday, “06880” proudly showcases our many talented artist/readers. Contributions keep this blog going. Please click here — and thank you!)
The Ukrainian American Club of Southport — adjacent to the I-95 northbound entrance ramp — is the site of a “thank you” party for Westport’s help with our new sister city of Lyman, Ukraine.
In 3 weeks, we raised $252,000. Funds have paid for building materials, communication equipment, trash and police trucks, meals, holiday gifts and more.
The July 9 event will be a day of music, food and fellowship. There will be plenty of opportunities to donate too — the need in Lyman is ongoing — but all are welcome.
The New York Times marked today’s 1-year anniversary of the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine with a retrospective of photos — and the memories of the men and women who took them.
Two Staples High School graduates — both Pulitzer Prize winners — are included.
Lynsey Addario (Staples ’91) stunned the world with this photo, in March:
(Photo/Lynsey Addario for New York Times)
She says:
In war, anything can change in a moment. Leading up to this photograph, mothers were running with their children from the Irpin bridge across my viewfinder toward the relative safety of Kyiv. Mortar rounds were coming in, urgency was in everyone’s step. Pink and blue puffy coats passed with rolling luggage. Surely the Russians wouldn’t target a civilian evacuation route?
But each round came a little closer, bracketing onto desperate people fleeing for their lives. And then I saw a flash, heard the crash and felt the impact from a wave of air being compressed in an explosion that smashed into our bodies as we dived for cover.
The aftermath will stay with me forever. When we stood up, my neck was sprayed with gravel. I asked my colleague Andriy if I was bleeding. “No,” he said. It was dusty and chaotic. We couldn’t see across to the other side of the street, so we didn’t know that a mother, her two children and a church volunteer had been killed. Somehow, we had been spared.
Tyler Hicks (Staples ’88) took this image in November:
(Photo/Tyler Hicks for New York Times)
He writes:
Bakhmut, in the eastern Donbas region, began last year as the home of about 70,000 people. Over the year of war, I’ve watched the fighting chew this city apart, as both sides have thrown masses of troops and weaponry into desperate attempts to control it.
In the earlier months it was always tense, but there were still civilians on the streets; Ukrainians, particularly in the east, have learned to live in the shadow of war. On this visit, it had reached a clear turning point in its militarization.
This armored vehicle passed me as I was leaving a military hospital, and the faces of the soldiers seemed to represent what has taken shape in the city’s shell: a relentless determination to fight.
Click here for all the Times photos, and photographers’ comments.
This Monday, (February 27, 11 a.m.), the Connecticut General Assembly’s Transportation Committee holds a public hearing on Bill #6745. The proposed legislation addresses a statewide plan for the installation of sound barriers. (Click here for the full bill.)
To register to speak about the proposal, click click here. To submit written testimony about it, click here. To watch the hearing, click here. (Hat tip: State Senator Tony Hwang)
Sound barrier under construction on I-95 in Darien.
Last week’s trash pick-up at Westport Animal Control was successful.
But there’s still more to do be done on Elaine Road (Compo Road South, between I-95 and the train tracks).
Elaine Road serves as the entrance to the water sewage treatment plant, and public access for boat and kayak launches, along with Animal Control. It attracts plenty of I-95 trash too, from vehicles and their irresponsible drivers and passengers.
All volunteers are welcome on March 5 (11 a.m.). Bring garbage bags, and dress appropriately.
Speaking of pitching in: Yesterday was Police Chief Foti Koskinas’ birthday.
Westport’s top cop leads a department of 64 uniformed officers. In his spare time, he pitches in wherever he can around town.
Here’s a typical shot: Police Chief Koskinas helping clean garbage from the I-95 hill, in Saugatuck. It was Sunday — his day off. (Photo/Andrew Colabella)
The Y’s Women had a 2-fer yesterday. They enjoyed a pair of Westport treasures: the Westport Public Art Collections and MoCA.
The women enjoyed a private tour of the museum’s current exhibition, “Paul Camacho: El Ritmo y La Unidad” (which closes Sunday). Camacho was active in Westport’s art life in the 1960s and ’70s.
MoCA also shows 20 other abstractionists, including Alexander Calder and Robert Motherwell. All are from WestPAC’s holdings of more than 1,800 works.
Because most of their art is in schools and town buildings — not always available to the public — the Y’s Women were thrilled to see so many outstanding works. (Hat tip: Jilda Manikas)
Sorelle Gallery’s first “On View” feature of the year opens March 3. Artists Ned Martin and Pete Sack will be showcased on the main wall of the Church Lane gallery, through March 25.
Both artists create abstracted work with an emphasis on color and geometric design elements.
To learn more about the artists and the show, click here.
Speaking of art: George Billis Gallery may have moved to Fairfield (1700 Post Road). B
But the upcoming spring show is true to its Westport roots.
Local resident Dala Najarian is one of the 8 featured artists — and it was curated by fellow Westporter Amy Zoller.
Najarian works in a variety of mediums, including watercolor, acrylics, mixed media and oils. A passionate photographer, her Shadow Series merges the realistic quality of a photo with the abstract translation of a scene, to depict a dreamlike painting.
The opening is March 2 (5 to 8 p.m.). It runs through April 16.
Looking for a historic speakeasy in Westport, featuring jazz, food, drink and gambling?
Head to the Suzuki Music School in Colonial Green on March 4 (7 p.m.). The basement will be transformed into the type of illicit space F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald knew well from their time here.
The Rich Goldstein Trio and Joe Carter Trio will perform. Tickets ($125) include food and drink, and $25 of (charity) gambling chips. Click here for tickets, and more information.
Proceeds benefit the Suzuki Music Schools, and Westport Museum of History & Culture.
The evening marks the mid-event of the 2023 Connecticut Guitar Festival. Opening night at MoCA Westport (Friday, March 3) features classical guitarist Rene Izquierdo and contemporary Guitarist Jordan Dodson.
The Saturday daytime lineup includes education for young and old guitar students at MoCA: master classes, lectures, an open mic and a 3 p.m. showcase concert by the Yale Guitars.
The Guitar Festival ends Sunday at MoCA with a free children’s pillow concert headed by festival artistic director Mak Grgic, and an honors concert of young area students.
Click here for full details of the Connecticut Guitar Festival.
Westport Police report 2 custodial arrests between February 16 and 22.
One followed a report that a family member was acting erratically. During a mental health emergency, a Westport resident swung at officers, causing minor injuries. He was charged with 2 counts of assault on a public safety employee.
The other arrest was for failure to appear.
The Police Department is still unable to report information on traffic and other citations.
One arrest last week was for failure to appear for a court date.
Wheels2U’s on-demand, group ride, door-to-train platform shuttle service is free tomorrow (Friday, February 24).
The normal fee to and from the Westport and Greens Farms stations is $2.
Riders use the Wheels2U Westport app to request a pickup between 5:45 and 10 a.m., and 4 and 9:30 p.m., for rides between either train platform and their front door. Pickups for trips to the stations should be requested 20 minutes before normally leaving to drive to the station.
For more information about Wheels2U, including how to download the Wheels2U app and book a ride, click here. For more information about the Westport Transit District’s services for the elderly and people with disabilities, click here.
A Westport woman is having a hard time finding a handyman.
The work involves basic repairs, including painting, screens and other things.
She’s not on Facebook (the usual place to search for such things), and has had no luck finding one on her own. If you know of a good handyman — or you are one yourself — click “Comments” below.
But Staples Players’ productions always come with a twist. Next month’s show by the award-winning high school troupe is a catchy, contemporary musical version of the Bard’s romantic comedy.
They’ve been excited about it, ever since rehearsals began.
Last week, they got an added jolt: Composer Shaina Taub came to the Staples stage, to chat — and sing — with the cast.
The visit started as a shot in the dark. Co-director Kerry Long reached out on Instagram, noting that Taub’s friend Justin Paul — composer of “Dear Evan Hansen,” “The Greatest Showman” and “La La Land” — is a Players alum.
Taub’s schedule is packed, but she graciously agreed to visit.
Shaina Taub (front row, center, hands clasped) enjoys a sing-along with Players. Andrew Maskoff is at the piano. (Photo/Kerry Long)
The Westport teens related to her stories about growing up as a musical theater kid in Vermont. She described the importance of her extended theater family at Central Park’s Delacorte Theater, and the daunting task of writing an adaptation of Shakespeare after a call from the Public Theater.
Long and co-director David Roth led a Q-and-A session. A question about her writing process brought this advice about getting something — anything — down: “A C+ song on paper is better than an A+ song that hasn’t been written.”
Then the real fun began: a sing-along around the piano.
“There’s something amazing for theater kids to sing songs with the person who wrote them,” Long says.
“Our students are obsessed with the music. They all the know the words to every song, even if they don’t sing it in the show.”
Shaina Taub (left) with Sophia Betit. The senior plays Feste in “Twelfth Night” — the role Taub originated in her own show at the Public Theater. (Photo/Kerry Long)
Taub is now an accomplished composer and actor. But she went right back into “theater kid” mode, singing and bopping joyfully with the young cast.
It was a magical 90 minutes.
Then — the moment it was over — rehearsal began.
Shaina Taub could surely relate.
(Staples Players perform “Twelfth Night” at 7:30 p.m. on March 17, 18, 24 and 25, and 3 p.m. on March 19 and 25. Click here for tickets, and more information. Hat tip: Jill Johnson Mann)
(Staples Players is where teenagers meet Shakespeare — and Shaina Taub. “06880” is “where Westport meets the world” — and you read all about it. Please click here to support your hyper-local blog. Thank you!)
Click here to help support “06880” via credit card or PayPal. Any amount is welcome, appreciated — and tax-deductible! Reader contributions keep this blog going. (Alternate methods: Please send a check to “06880”: PO Box 744, Westport, CT 06881. Or use Venmo: @blog06880. Or Zelle: dwoog@optonline.net. Thanks!)
