Weekend - June 24, 2021 by repubnews

For the most up-to-date listing of events, go online to masslive.com/entertainment

Weekend

‘SWING INTO SUMMER’: Weir River Concert Band to play Stone Church, E3 OFF THE MENU: Restaurants beginning to see rebound, E7 BEER NUT: Brews and live music a perfect match, E11

| THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021

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ON THE COVER

Return to Grandmothers’ Garden

The 23rd annual Grandmothers’ Garden Tour will take place Saturday and Sunday, spanning six private gardens in Westfield, Southwick and Granby, Connecticut. Above is a view of Grandmothers’ Garden in Westfield. At right, from top: statues of children play in the garden and a Zinnia flower adds a splash of color to the garden. See more photos online at Masslive.com. (DON TREEGER / THE REPUBLICAN)

23rd annual tour to feature 6 private gardens this weekend

By Cori Urban

IF YOU GO

he 23rd annual Grandmothers’ Garden Tour on Saturday and Sunday will feature six private gardens open to the public. With the theme “Garden Inspirations,” this year’s tour will showcase gardens in Westfield, Southwick and Granby, Connecticut.

Event: Grandmothers’ Garden Tour When: Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Where: Six gardens in Westfield, Southwick and Granby, Connecticut Cost: $20 For more info: Visit grand mothersgarden.org or call 413-537-4277 or 413-5695562

Special to The Republican

Visiting the gardens “brings pleasure and also gives ideas to gardeners,” said Betty J. Platt, garden tour co-chairman. Westfield’s Chauncey Allen Park is a municipally owned 11- acre park; its most significant feature is Grandmothers’ Garden, a formal flower garden designed by Thomas Desmond, of Simsbury, Connecticut. The half-acre garden

was constructed by volunteer efforts under the direction of Elizabeth Bush Fowler in 1933. The garden, originally created as a memorial to Grandmother Steiger, occupies the northeast corner of Chauncey Allen Park, a property donated by Albert Steiger to the City of Westfield. The garden was designed in the colonial revival style with a central gazebo and is filled with period flowers

A blooming Astilbe plant adds color to Grandmothers’ Garden in Westfield. (DON TREEGER / THE REPUBLICAN)

and plants, interspaced with spring bulbs, annuals, fragrant herbs, flowering trees and shrubs. “The garden brings pleasure to all who visit,” Platt said, noting that local schools have field trips to the garden to aid

in horticulture classes. A major revitalization and historic recreation of Grandmothers’ Garden was initiated 23 years ago. “This effort of restoration and maintenance is still ongoing and is being carried on by many area gardening

volunteers,” Platt added. In the last couple of years, the main garden paths and bed edgings were rehabilitated and two new stone benches were installed to replace wooden benches. Last year the paths and bed edging in the herb garden were rehabilitated, new benches in the gazebo were installed and wooden SEE GARDEN, PAGE E3

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THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021 | E3

GILBERTVILLE

‘Swing into Summer’ with outdoor concert Weir River Concert Band features 30-plus member, multigenerational ensemble

‘S

IF YOU GO Event: Weir River Concert Band concert When: Sunday, 2 p.m. Where: Stone Church, 283 Main St., Gilbertville Cost: Free For more info: Online at FriendsoftheStoneChurch. org

By Cori Urban

Special to The Republican

wing into Summer” with the Weir River Concert Band at a free outdoor concert on Sunday at the Stone Church, located at 283 Main St.

The Weir River Concert Band is a 30-plus member, multigenerational ensemble of musicians playing flutes, clarinets, saxophones, trumpets, French horns, tubas and percussion. The group plays music from movies, television favorites and traditional band music classics. “Anyone who has ever played an instrument in a school group will immediately relate to the players and the repertoire, which will bring back hopefully fond memories and maybe the urge to play yet again,” said John P. Sacco, concert band director and conductor. “We strive to provide an opportunity for young musicians to grow while still challenging more experienced players.” Selections in the concert will include “The Music Man,” “Annie,” “Magnificent 7,” “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “Themes from Pearl Harbor.”

“Music plays an important part in the enrichment of the human spirit,” said Sacco, a former public school instrumental music teacher who performed with the Doc Bastarache Big Band out of Westfield State College. “There has always been a ‘need’ in human beings to express musically. Whether it was with banging stones or rhythmic drumming on hollow logs, music provided that unique sense of satisfaction and creative accomplishment that can’t be found in any other way.” The concert band offers community members an opportunity to perform that would not normally be available to working adults and students together. Originally formed in 2006, the band has had players ranging from age 11 to 85. Members rehearse once a week in the evening and offer two concerts per year, Christmas and

waiting to be entertained in a live music format. We hope to be able to satisfy that need.” The Stone Church concert will take place rain or shine; in case of inclement weather it will be moved into the sanctuary of the Stone Church. Friends of the Stone Church is presenting the band concert on the lawn from 2 to 4 p.m. The public is invited to bring lawn chairs or blankets. Refreshments will be available, and public health guidelines in effect at the time of each concert will be observed. The concert is partially funded by the Mass Cultural Council. Friends of the Stone Church is a nonprofit community orgaThe Weir River Concert Band will perform a free outdoor nization, the mission of which concert Sunday at the Stone Church in Gilbertville. is to preserve and protect the summer. attendees,” Sacco said. “That Gilbertville Stone Church and “While many enjoy sports, has all been missing during to facilitate its use by and serconcerts offer an opportunity this (pandemic) crisis, leaving vice to the regional community. to satisfy a unique part on the a great void in the area of culFor more information, go human psyche and socialize tural entertainment. There are online to Friendsofthe and commiserate with other so many people out there just StoneChurch.org.

Garden

PO Box 1432, Westfield, MA 01086. They also can be purchased on the day of the tour at Grandmothers’ Garden.

For more information, go online to grandmothers garden.org or call 413-5374277 or 413-569-5562.

CONTINUES FROM PAGE E2

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benches in the garden were replaced with stone benches. Platt is pleased the garden tour is resuming after last year’s COVID-19-necessitated hiatus. “It means a lot to myself and fellow gardeners,” she said. All proceeds from the tour go to Grandmothers’ Garden for continued improvements. Tickets are $20 per person and can be purchased by sending a check to F.O.G.G.,

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MUSIC / MOVIES DVD RELEASES

Singer-songwriter Frank Manzi will play an outdoor concert to benefit the Mental Health Association on June 30 at the Wilbraham Country Club.

Bob Odenkirk is tired of being a ‘Nobody’ Tribune News Service

Frank Manzi concert to benefit Mental Health Association

rank Manzi will play an outdoor benefit concert for the Mental Health Association on June 30, from 5 to 7 p.m., at the Wilbraham Country Club. Paul Anka will bring his “Anka Sings Sinatra” tour to Mohegan Sun Arena on Nov. 7.

ber of 2019 and will feature Australian Morgan Evans as the opening act. Evans reached the top of the U.S. Charts with his single “Kiss Somebody.” The new tour is named after Eldredge’s recent single, which comes from his latest album, 2020’s “Sunday Drive.” Tickets are $49.50 and $39.50, and are on sale via Ticketmaster.com and LiveNation.com.

• Paul Anka will bring his “Anka Sings Sinatra” tour to (JOHN SHEARER / INVISION FOR AMERICAN Mohegan Sun on Nov. 7. FRIENDS OF MAGEN DAVID ADOM / AP IMAGES) The legendary performer will sing a mix of Ol’ Blue Ardolino of Real Living Realty Eyes’ hits along with plenty Professionals, which is spon- of his own songs during the soring the event. “We thought show at the Uncasville, ConGeorge Lenker this event would be a great necticut, casino. LiveWire way for us to gather, raise “The ‘Anka Sings Sinatra’ much needed funds and help tour will honor a great artist The evening, which will a very important cause.” who has influenced me more also feature light fare, is $25 than anyone else throughout per person and tickets can be Liner notes my career, Frank Sinatra,” purchased at the door or by • Brett Eldredge will bring Anka said in a press release. visiting mhainc.org/donate. his “Good Day Tour” to Mo“It will be a night filled with “We know there is a great hegan Sun Arena on Nov. 4. his songs, my songs, my way!” need for mental health serThe tour will be his first U.S. Tickets are $49, $39 and vices, especially coming out of trek since his annual “Glow $29 and are on sale through the pandemic,” said Chester Live” holiday tour in Decem- Ticketmaster.com.

“Nobody”: A dadsploitation flick about a seemingly mild-mannered husband and father who rediscovers his inner rage tops the DVD releases for this week. Bob Odenkirk stars as the titular “Nobody,” a suburban dad named Hutch who’s always getting pushed around, but has a lurking certain set of skills. Emasculated following a home burglary where he does nothing to stop the robbers, Hutch finally snaps and taps into his repressed past life as an assassin when confronted by hooligans on a bus. Directed by Ilya Naishuller, the film “is a riff on the ‘John Wick’ model, which makes sense, because it’s written by ‘John Wick’ screenwriter Derek Kolstad, who’s had some fun with the formula adapting it for comedian-turned-dramatic-actor Odenkirk,” writes Tribune News Service critic Katie Walsh in her review. “Lean, mean and brutish, ‘Nobody’ is best enjoyed as the juicy piece of pulp that it is,” Walsh concludes. “But Odenkirk, stepping into an action hero role for the first time, brings a sense

Bob Odenkirk stars as Hutch Mansell, an underestimated and overlooked dad and husband, in “Nobody.” (UNIVERSAL / TNS)

of dolefulness and rue to this performance. Hutch’s character arc is fascinating, because his turn to violence doesn’t necessarily render him virile, but vulnerable, which allows him to connect to his family, and himself.” Also new on DVD “The Unholy”: After being visited by the Virgin Mary, a young hearing-impaired woman can hear, talk and even heal the sick. But as strange events begin to occur, it becomes clear the “miracle” may be the work of an evil force. SEE DVD, PAGE E6

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MOVIES ONLINE STREAMING

‘Rise Again,’ ‘Luca’ lead new releases By Michael O’Sullivan

humor, coarse language, some mature thematic elements and brief violence. 95 minutes.

The Washington Post

“Night Walk” is a crime thriller about an American traveler in the Middle East (Sean Stone, son of director Oliver Stone) who is unjustly arrested and imprisoned by corrupt officials after the death of his girlfriend (Sarah Alami). Mickey Rourke plays a fellow prisoner in this gritty action-thriller about one man’s quest for justice. R. Available on various streaming Luca (voice of Jacob Tremblay, right) and Alberto (Jack Dylan Grazer) are sea monsters who platforms. Contains coarse transform into human boys in “Luca.” (DISNEY / PIXAR) language throughout, including Based on Matthew Logelin’s derogatory slurs, violence and memoir “Two Kisses for Mad- sexual references. 97 minutes. dy, “Fatherhood” is a dramedy by director/co-writer Paul The documentary “RevoluWeitz (“Grandma”) about a tion Rent” follows co-director widower (Kevin Hart) strugAndy Señor Jr., the son of gling to raise his daughter Cuban exiles, and his effort (Melody Hurd) alone. PG-13. to stage a production of the Available on Netflix. Contains musical “Rent” in Cuba – the some strong language and sugcountry’s first Broadway musigestive material. 110 minutes. cal produced by an American company in more than 50 Set on the Italian Riviera, years. The New York Times “Luca” is an animated feature writes: “Despite the intrigufrom Pixar about a sea moning premise of the film, its ster (voice of Jacob Tremblay) cursory and lopsided narrative who becomes a human boy on approach dilutes its salient dry land, where he befriends themes and messages.” TVanother of his kind (Jack MA. Available on HBO Max. An archival image featured in the documentary “Rise Again: Dylan Grazer). PG. Available In English and Spanish with Tulsa and the Red Summer” shows some of the destruction on Disney Plus. Contains rude subtitles. 90 minutes. caused during the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. (LIBRARY OF CONGRESS / NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC)

Also streaming The documentary film festival “AFI Docs” opened Tuesday with a timely profile of tennis player Naomi Osaka, and runs through Sunday, with a mix of virtual access and in-person screenings at the AFI Silver. This year’s offerings – featuring 77 films from 23 countries – also includes “Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain” and “Summer of Soul (... Or, When the Revolution Could Not be Televised),” the directorial debut of Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson. Full lineup

and virtual screening access is available at docs.afi.com. Oliver Masucci plays the late German filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder (“The Marriage of Maria Braun”) in the dramatic biopic “Enfant Terrible.” According to Screen Daily, Oskar Roehler’s film is “somewhat repetitive, but it’s never boring. It’s just not very insightful.” Unrated. Available on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Xbox, Vudu, Dish Network and major cable providers. In German with subtitles. 134 minutes.

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The new documentary by Dawn Porter (“John Lewis: Good Trouble”), “Rise Again: Tulsa and the Red Summer” marks a somber anniversary: the centennial of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, in which as many as 300 Black Tulsans were killed – and a neighborhood known as Black Wall Street destroyed – during a race riot in the aftermath of the arrest of a Black teenager accused of assaulting a white girl. But Porter’s film – which relies heavily on the reporting of Washington Post journalist DeNeen Brown, who appears in the film as a consultant and guide – doesn’t just go over the same ground Brown has written about extensively. Rather, the film, and Brown, metaphorically, walk in the footsteps of journalist Ida Wells, contextualizing Tulsa in the larger narrative of white resentment of Black success that exploded violently into the open two years before Tulsa, in 1919. Dubbed the Red Summer by writer and civil rights activist James Weldon Johnson, the period included multiple incidents of white violence against Black Americans in such cities as East St. Louis, Omaha, Washington and Elaine, Ark. The film’s context is powerful and sobering, and not just because of what it unearths from 1919. “Rise Again” opens and closes in a Tulsa cemetery, where searches are ongoing for the mass graves of Black Tulsans, but it places the events of the past in an even wider frame: against the backdrop of today’s headlines about police shootings and the continuing calls for racial reconciliation. Unrated. Available on National Geographic and Hulu. Contains some disturbing archival images, discussion of violence and mature thematic elements. 88 minutes.

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MOVIES

DVD

Vin Diesel, left, and Michelle Rodriguez appear in a scene from “F9.” (GILES KEYTE / UNIVERSAL PICTURES VIA AP)

MOVIE REVIEW

‘Fast’ franchise looks to the past in ‘F9’ By Katie Walsh

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and set pieces would be to ruin the fun of discovery for What a ride it’s been for the audiences; suffice to say there “The Fast and the Furious” will be moments where you’ll franchise. Now spanning say, “they won’t …” but rest Jakob (Finn Cole and John 20 years and nine films, this assured: they will, and how. Cena), who resurfaces in soap opera of motor fuel Narratively, “F9” does Dom’s life. Turns out he’s and melodrama has defied something no other “Fast” another freelance precision logic, physics and death again film has done before: It looks driver/special agent, who and again while weaving to the past. In a flashback frequently works with Dom’s an intricate tapestry of a storyline that takes place in (many) enemies. What are cinematic text that’s filled 1989, we finally meet young the odds? with callbacks, cameos and a Dominic Toretto (Vinnie With Jakob’s return, Dom deep-rooted lore that always Bennett and, of course, later, has to reckon with his past, returns to the intertwining Vin Diesel) and learn more and the dissolution of his values of family and vintage Director Justin Lin, who also helmed the American muscle cars. Director Justin Lin, who third, fourth, fifth and sixth films in the also helmed the third, series, and evolved the franchise from fourth, fifth and sixth films minor street racing thrillers into outlandish in the series, and evolved the franchise from minor street displays of car ballet, is back behind the racing thrillers into outlandcamera for “F9: The Fast Saga” (he also coish displays of car ballet, is wrote the screenplay with Daniel Casey). back behind the camera for “F9: The Fast Saga” (he also co-wrote the screenplay with about the infamous vengeful blood family, which he Daniel Casey). Lin ups his wrench attack that landed replaced with his chosen own ante with the outrageous him in prison, a crime that’s family. This motley crew of vehicular stunts in “F9,” been oft mentioned through- gearheads we’ve come to and it’s hard to imagine any out the series. The flashback know and love over the years future installments exceedis a way of exploring some includes the fast-talking Roing the automobile acrobatics of the darker secrets of the man (Tyrese Gibson), techy Lin and Casey have concoct- Toretto family, specifically Tej (Chris “Ludacris” SEE ‘F9’, PAGE E9 ed. To describe the stunts regarding prodigal brother Tribune News Service

politicians. “Hunter Hunter”: A family living off the grid CONTINUES FROM PAGE E4 as fur trappers in a remote “The Paper Tigers”: forest becomes the hunted Former martial arts prodwhen a rogue wolf returns to igies known as the Three the area. But all may not be Tigers, now middle-aged and what it seems in this horror dealing with the mundane thriller. responsibilities of every“Siberia”: Willem Defoe day life, must put aside old stars as a man haunted by his grudges and reconnect to past who moves to Siberia avenge the murder of their and opens a bar. One night, kung fu master. he travels by sled dog to a “Death in Texas”: A man nearby cave, where he conreturns home to El Paso, fronts his personal demons Texas, following his release and traumatic past events. from prison, and discovers Directed by Abel Ferrara. his mother is dying of liver “Umbrella Academy: failure. With her low on the Season One”: In this Netflix transplant list, the man sets series, a family of former out to find an organ through child superheroes must come illicit means and becomes in- back together as estranged volved with a cartel. Starring adults to save the world. Stars Ronnie Gene Blevins and Elliot Page, Tom Hopper and Bruce Dern. David Castaneda. “Georgetown”: Christoph “Night of the Sicario”: Waltz, who also directed, Natasha Henstridge and Cosstars as an opportunistic tas Mandylor must protect social climber who marries a the daughter of a key witness wealthy widow in Washingin a federal court case who is ton, D.C., so he can gain acbeing hunted by members of cess to the world of powerful a drug cartel.

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THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021 | E7

DINE & WINE

Restaurants beginning to see rebound

S RESTRICTIONS have been lifted and pandemic-related states of emergency come to an end, those who follow the restaurant industry continue to see mixed news in the numbers describing the performance of the industry overall. Sales compared to 2019 were up in May 2021, continuing a positive trend that began in March of this year. Fast food sales, which had rebounded sharply in early 2021, have slowed their rate of growth somewhat, but revenue gains in the fine dining sector have gotten stronger as indoor dining restrictions have mostly gone away. The statistics, however, are not all rosy. Guest counts continue to decline, reflecting fewer consumer dining occasions and higher average checks per restaurant visit. The latter is typically a good thing, and some analysts suggest that higher average purchase amounts reflect a change in consumer behavior — takeout family meals and special occasion get-togethers rather than a return to pre-pandemic restaurant usage patterns. Part of those higher check average metrics are also menu price-related, as more and more operators find themselves needing to cover higher wage, food, and supplies costs. The future of the restaurant industry will be measured by factors not as easy to quantify as customer counts and average check. If workers continue to return to the workplace rather than work from home, for instance, fast food and casual dining operations are likely to benefit. Should consumers tire of takeout and delivery food, with its cost and quality issues, average check amounts might decline, but customer counts will improve as customers return to the dining room. And finally, the impact of

Sushi + Ramen is available at toasttab.com/saki-sushi -ramen/; the restaurant’s telephone number is 860-3353781. • The Collegian Court Restaurant in Chicopee this month introduced a new menu. Hugh Robert EntrÇe selections include Off The Menu traditional favorites like the restaurant’s Polish plate as wiches as well as breakfast well as the likes of blond wraps such as a “Western”; orange salmon, mango pork a corned beef hash, cheese, chop, and zuppa de pesce for and egg wrap; and a “Chicken two. Fajita” wrap. A selection of flatbreads The Storrowton Tavern in West Springfield is offering outChicken and waffles is is now being created for apdoor dining all summer, with live music scheduled Saturday available, as is French toast petizer or light meal enjoyevenings. (HOANG ‘LEON’ NGUYEN / THE REPUBLICAN) served with either syrup or ment, with topping variations fresh fruit. including “Polish” (mashed inflation and the end of govas a well-deserved vacation. For lunch, Eat offers an potato, kielbasa, and horseernment stimulus payments Over the next week or so, a array of specialty sandwiches, radish cream), steak & cheese, could also lead to a reset in quick phone call to your favor- wraps, 6-ounce hand-pressed and pulled pork. the month ahead when it ite dining destination might burgers, and entree-sized The dessert selection makes comes to the numbers - and be a wise precaution before salads. room for pumpkin bread, a dining out habits that drive setting out. The management them. and staff might just be taking an early summer break. Side dishes • Storrowton Tavern in • On July 4, Champney’s West Springfield is promoting Restaurant at the Deerfield its outdoor dining experience Inn and Historic Deerfield, this summer, offering service Inc., will be co-sponsoring on its patio as well as on the a Sunday Summer Stroll. Storrowton Village green, a An early evening on-foot cool and secluded oasis from foray through Deerfield, the summer heat. walk, which begins at 4 p.m., The restaurant is also ofincludes entertainment such fering live music on Saturday as music and poetry readings. evenings. The Storytellers, a The theme of the July 4 tour West Springfield-based group will be Deerfield’s role in the that performs an eclectic mix American Revolution. The Collegian Court Restaurant in Chicopee is rolling out a of country, folk, pop, and At 5 p.m. the stroll moves to new menu this month. (DON TREEGER / THE REPUBLICAN) rock, will be featured through the Deerfield Inn, where parSeptember. ticipants order dinner from Eat Bistro is open Monday long-time Collegian Court sigMenu information is Champney’s menu, enjoying through Friday from 7 a.m. to nature item, presenting it “a la available at the operation’s a 20% discount on their en2 p.m., with breakfast availmode” with candied walnuts, website, storrowton.com. tree selections. After dinner a able until 10:30 a.m. The ice cream, and caramel sauce. The restaurant answers at tour-based trivia competition restaurant answer at 413-276Every Friday and Saturday 413-732-4188. takes place. 0040. from 3 p.m. on the restauTickets for the Summer rant features a complete • With the Independence Stroll are $10. Contact the • Now open in Enfield at 54 slow-roasted prime rib dinner Day holiday approaching, Deerfield Inn at 413-774-5587 Hazard Avenue, Saki Sushi that includes baked potato, some restaurant owners may for details. + Ramen House offers an fresh vegetable, popover, be planning to take a few extensive assortment of sushi, clam chowder, and a wedge days off over the long holiday • Eat Bistro on Page Bousashimi, and hand rolls as of cheesecake for dessert. weekend. levard in Springfield introwell as ramen and rice bowl Available on dine in or take The Salem Cross Inn in duced a new menu earlier this options. Monthly specials out basis, the prime rib special West Brookfield is an exammonth. supplement the regular menu, has limited availability. ple; the Salem family and The establishment’s break- and outdoor seating is availCall the Collegian Court at their staff will be taking the fast agenda features more able for those who prefer it. 413-331-4444 to make reserSEE MENU, PAGE E9 period of July 1 through 4 off than a dozen breakfast sandOnline ordering from Saki

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TELEVISION & THEATER TELEVISION TO STREAM

Rom-com, coming-of-age comedy are hidden TV gems By Inkoo Kang

The Washington Post

The search for love lands the protagonists of two new winsome comedies in some unlikely pockets of London. Graduate student Amina (Anjana Vasan), a rebel against rebellion who drags her permissive parents through a more traditional marriage process than they’d prefer, finds herself at the back of a halal butcher shop auditioning to join the titular female Muslim punk band in Peacock’s “We Are Lady Parts.” Gig worker Jessie (Rose Matafeo), a New Zealand native giving the big city everything she’s got (with little in return), ends up in an even more unexpected locale on HBO Max’s “Starstruck”: a movie star’s bed, a fact she only realizes the morning after. “Lady Parts” and “Star-

THEATER TO STREAM

Pride goes online With streaming, you can now bask in Pride from home By Elisabeth Vincentelli

New York Times

From left, Sarah Kameela Impey, Juliette Motamed and Anjana Vasan appear in “We Are Lady Parts.” (SAIMA KHALID / PEACOCK)

mysterious force propels any self-respecting microbiology PhD candidate to get out of the lab and onstage? Horniness, of course.) Featuring a multiracial and multicultural array of Muslim women (whose casually demure, neck-to-ankle-coverage clothes range from tomboy-

WHERE TO WATCH • “Starstruck” (six episodes) is available now on HBO Max. • “We Are Lady Parts” (six episodes) is available now on Peacock.

show, though it, too, is interested in emotionally grounded tweaks to a crowd-pleasing formula (in this case, that of the romantic comedy). And it shares with “Lady Parts” the heralding of an exciting new voice we’ll undoubtedly hear more from, as well as an introduction to the kind of magnetic screen presence you instantly want to root for. In the case of “Starstruck,” those two are the same person: series lead and creator Matafeo. The comedian, who also released a special Nikesh Patel and Rose Matafeo appear in “Starstruck.” (MARK on HBO Max last summer, JOHNSON / HBO MAX) deftly achieves the balancing ish to bohemian to vampish), act of indulging in the show’s struck” aren’t particularly high-concept premise of a similar shows — more distant “Lady Parts” is a thoughtful cousins than close sisters. and purposeful step forward normie dating a celebrity The first is a relatively novel in greater representation that while gleefully sanding down and culturally specific bealso evinces a deep skeptisome of the aspirational lated-coming-of-age story, cism of the oft-simplistic, gloss from the fantasy. When about a young woman finally outrage-based representation Jessie, her character, is first defying the rules that, in a politics so common online caught leaving her A-list love interest’s apartment by the bid for structure and a sense today. “Starstruck” is a lowpaparazzi, they immediately of belonging, she’d largely SEE TELEVISION, PAGE E12 er-stakes, less ambitious imposed on herself. (What

Let rainbow-festooned theater and cabaret take over your computer, tablet or television this month: With streaming, you can now bask in Pride from home. A beloved queer institution is Armistead Maupin’s “Tales of the City” series. This month, American Conservatory Theater is streaming a musical adaptation, from 2011, with a score by Jake Shears and John Garden of the Scissor Sisters. It’s good to have Anna Madrigal (Judy Kaye), Mary Ann Singleton (Betsy Wolfe) and Michael “Mouse” Tolliver (Wesley Taylor) back at 28 Barbary Lane. Through June 27; act-sf.org. Meanwhile, the Tank and All for One Theater are streaming the 2019 off off-Broadway production of Crystal Skillman’s wonderful solo play “Open,” starring the gifted Megan Hill as a nerdy, lovable amateur magician dealing with a crisis with her girlfriend, who is in the hospital. Through June 27; afo.nyc. Flushing Town Hall in Queens will be keeping the cabaret flame alive with Darius de Haas’ tribute to Billy Strayhorn, “Something to Live For” Through July 21, flushingtownhall.org

Brantley in The New York Times called it “breathless and radiant.” The Lincoln Center Theater/LCT3 production is now streaming, with a superb cast that includes Karen Kandel and Ismenia Mendes. Through July 4; lct.org. ‘La Comédie-Française Chante Gainsbourg’: At 341 years old, the ComédieFrançaise in Paris is like Catherine Deneuve in “The Hunger”: ageless and looking fabulous as it adapts to changing times. The French Institute Alliance Française is streaming this concert to commemorate the 30th anniversary of songwriter Serge Gainsbourg’s death. The set list features a well-curated mix of hits, including a coolly sexy version of “Love on the Beat” by Rebecca Marder, and lesser-known gems like “Vu de l’Extérieur.” Through June 30; fiaf.org. ‘The Comedy of Errors’: The least you can expect with two sets of identical twins are mistaken identities and slapstick comedy — and that is what Shakespeare delivers in this unabashedly goofy romp. Rodgers and Hart used it as a basis for their musical “The Boys from Syracuse,” and Kent Gash set his finger-snapping 2014 staging during the Harlem Renaissance. That production is now online, by way of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Through June 26; osfashland.org.

‘Becoming Dr. Ruth’: Come Other Pride theater offerings again? If you can’t catch Tovah available to stream online Feldshuh playing sex therainclude: pist Ruth Westheimer live at the Bay Street Theater in Sag ‘Marys Seacole’: Jackie Sib- Harbor, New York, through blies Drury had a good 2019: June 27, you can stream her in She won the Pulitzer Prize for the same Mark St. Germain drama with “Fairview” and play thanks to the North Coast premiered “Marys Seacole,” Repertory Theater in Califora play that hops in time nia. Through July 4; north and space for the story of a coastrep.org. Jamaican nurse (Quincy Tyler Bernstine) and what it means This article originally apto be a female caregiver. Ben peared in The New York Times.

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vations or get more information. • Participating Friendly’s Restaurants have rolled out what the brand is referring to as “classic New England summer menu.” Available until Sept. 19, the lineup is designed to reflect the food experiences that go along with a day at the shore. Featured items on the summer menu include a grilled lobster roll served with fries and coleslaw and a Cape Cod Supermelt sandwich made with fried cod. Newly created menu specialties are also part of this warm weather assortment, with options like a lobster and shrimp quesadilla and a wonton shrimp wrap filed with grilled shrimp bacon, crunchy wonton strips, and a sesame-ginger dressing. Flavorful experiences in the form of an A.1. Steak Sauce burger and a Buffalo shrimp quesadilla can be enjoyed at Friendly’s locations over the next three months. Two new ice cream constructs — a Superman Sundae made with red, yellow, and blue punch ice cream and a

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Summer Breeze Sundae that features lemon ice cream and strawberry sauce. The summer menu is available at participating locations and can be enjoyed on a dine-in basis or ordered for takeout and delivery using the Friendly’s app. • As part of its announcements regarding the 2021 Big E, the management of the Eastern States Exposition recently publicized the Big E’s BIG Summer, a program of entertainment and food options that will serve as a prelude to the Big E’s run in September. The Big E Bakery will be open Saturdays and Sundays, and the Sam Adams Beer Garden will offer outdoor dining from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. The Big E will also be hosting an online “Virtual Farmers Market” at farm ersmaket.thebige.com/p/ farmers-market. Hugh Robert is a faculty member in Holyoke Community College’s hospitality and culinary arts program and has nearly 45 years of restaurant and educational experience. Robert can be reached on-line at OffTheMenuGuy@aol.com.

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In this film, he questions why they always come out of brawls, crashes and exploCONTINUES FROM PAGE E6 sions unscathed, an apt Bridges), Dom’s love Letty question to pose after eight (Michelle Rodriguez), his spine-crunching installsister Mia (Jordana Brewster), ments. and amazingly, against all In “F9: The Fast Saga,” odds, fan favorite Han (Sung all of the “Fast” franchise’s Kang) is back, returned from soapy narrative peccadilloes the dead, in an especially come to fruition, from secret spine-tingling resurrection. siblings, to death-defying That’s not to say that the characters, to the stable of gang’s all here, as Paul Walk“Scooby Doo” villains out to er’s tragic 2013 death means get Dom’s family (Charlize Brian is absent, but within the Theron returns as evil hacker earnest optimism of the “Fast” Cipher). The absolutely franchise, Brian is immortal, bonkers storyline is the foununseen but alive and well in dation for the absolutely bonthis universe. This question of kers action, which is what we immortality and the family’s look to the “Fast” franchise seemingly invincible nature for. In “F9: The Fast Saga,” is explored in a meta way in bonkers on top of bonkers “F9,” especially by Roman, results in a truly delightful who has always served as a and vividly sensorial time at bit of an audience surrogate. the movies.

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DINE & WINE

6 California Sauvignon Blancs perfect for summer

HEN IT COMES to white wines from California, Chardonnay casts a long shadow over practically every other type of wine. What a shame. There are so many other great California white wines out there. And if there’s one type of wine in particular that deserves far more attention, it’s Sauvignon Blancs from the Golden State. I’ve long been a big fan of Sauvignon Blanc wines. They’re often drier and crisper than many other white wines. I especially enjoy Sauvignon Blancs from New Zealand, where the wines have a delightful, fresh cut grass flavor and aroma that seems to perfectly capture the essence of spring and summer in a bottle. New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs are also some of the best bargains around. Many great ones cost less than $12 a bottle. Recently, I tasted several California Sauvignon Blancs. I will admit I was a bit skeptical at first since some California winemakers seem obsessed with adding oak and butter flavors to their wines. Thankfully, the California Sauvignon Blancs I tasted thoroughly impressed me with their crisp, refreshing flavors and finish. I liked two California Sauvignon Blancs so much I went in search of more great ones from California and accidentally veered a little north as well. This week, you can read about six subtle, refined Sauvignon Blancs from California, plus one from Washington. They range in price from $9 to $32 a bottle. Let me add they’re just the tip of the iceberg. There’s many more outstanding Savignon Blancs from California and beyond just waiting to be discovered. Hope you enjoy.

butter flavors with hints of sea salt and a dash of butter. 2020 Chateau St. Michelle Sauvignon Blanc Columbia Valley (Washington state) • Tasting notes: I will admit I brought my wrong glasses into the store and mistakenly bought this wine thinking it was from California instead of Washington state. I’m glad I made such a mistake. This wine has a crisp, clean, slightly tart finish with hints of fresh picked green apple. Let me add this wine is slightly sweet but not overpowering. A delicious wine at a great price.

Several of the Sauvignon Blanc wines recommended this week. (KEN ROSS PHOTO)

Wines recommended this week • 2020 Bonterra Sauvignon Blanc ($8.99 at Table & Vine in West Springfield) • 2020 Ferrari Carano Fume Blanc Sauvignon Blanc Sonoma County ($12.99 at Table & Vine) • 2020 Justin Sauvignon Blanc Central Coast ($14.99 at Table & Vine) • 2019 Charles Krug Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley ($14.99 at Table & Vine) • 2020 Chateau St. Michelle Sauvignon Blanc Columbia Valley (Washington state) ($9.99 at Table & Vine) • 2020 Gamble Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc ($28 Suggested Retail Price) • 2018 Stags’ Leap Winery Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley ($32 SRP) Wine tasting notes 2020 Bonterra Sauvignon Blanc • Tasting notes: This wine hits all the right notes — tastes great, made with organic grapes and costs less than $10 a bottle. What more could you ask for? Its flavors and aromas have a bright, light, clean finish — the fresh cut grass notes you often find with many Sauvignon Blancs, mixed with

hints of vibrant, ripe fruit flavors and a touch of green apple. An absolute winner at an amazing price. 2020 Ferrari Carano Fume Blanc Sauvignon Blanc Sonoma County • Tasting notes: This elegant, refined wine has long been an affordable favorite of mine from California’s Sonoma County. The finish and flavors on this wine are soft and subtle. There’s a distinct green apple and almond flavor and aroma, but it’s not overpowering or intense. It’s has just the right balance and complexity, making this wine an ideal choice for enjoying on a hot, lazy summer afternoon.

Ken Ross Wine Press

2020 Gamble Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc • Tasting notes: This wine and the next one are the ones that inspired me to write this week’s wine column and search for more California Sauvignon Blancs. I just love this wine’s subtle, light, well-rounded flavors and aromas — which range from a dash of fresh cut grass to hints of melted butter and sea salt. Let me add this wine tastes great with seafood or perfect on its own.

2018 Stags’ Leap Winery Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley • Tasting notes: Stags’ Leap Winery consistently produces outstanding wines with a clean, bright finish that emphasizes the grapes’ flavors and the uniqueness of the soil. (The opposite is wines with 2020 Justin Sauvignon overpowering oaky flavors Blanc Central Coast and other tricks employed • Tasting notes: One of my 2019 Charles Krug Sauvi- by some winemakers in an favorite California wineries, gnon Blanc Napa Valley attempt to hide flaws.) This Justin’s Sauvignon Blanc has • Tasting notes: Charles beautiful, understated wine a wonderful blend of a wide Krug winery has a long, has a light, crisp dry finish range of flavors — fresh, ripe well-earned reputation (the with hints of fresh cut grass. green apple mixed with a winery was founded in 1882) An absolutely pleasure to slight, subtle tartness and a for making well-balanced, drink. hint of sea salt. Let me add affordable wines. This crisp, Cheers! that like other Justin wines, dry, refreshing Sauvignon the flavors here are soft, Blanc is no exception. This Wine Press by Ken Ross understated and speak in a flinty, white wine has the appears on Masslive.com every whisper rather than a roar. A most mineral like finish of Monday and in The Repubreally wonderful wine at an the wines recommended this lican’s weekend section every affordable price. week. There are also soft Thursday.

I’ve long been a big fan of Sauvignon Blanc wines. They’re often drier and crisper than many other white wines.

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DINE & WINE

Brews and live music a perfect match

Fort Hill Brewery in Easthampton offers live music Thursday through Sunday every week. (MICHAEL BONNER)

New England TRAVELER CAPE COD

Iron Duke Brewing in Ludlow books bands in its taproom and has started up its live music schedule.

With many music venue bars closing or shifting away from that model over the years, it can sometimes seem like there are fewer and fewer places to go out to dance, see your favorite band, or hear some new original music. But plenty of craft breweries seem to be ready to fill in the gap. demic yet, but I assume it will soon). Both have stages and regular rotations of bands. Fort Hill brings live music Thursday through Sunday every week. Likewise, Iron Duke in Ludlow books bands in its taproom and just restarted its live music schedule a few weeks ago. Up in Bernardston, Hitchcock Brewing

also has revived its Thursday-through-Sunday music slate. Westfield River Brewing (in the city of the same name) only has sporadic music events listed right now, but maybe that will change as protocols relax a bit more. And not that the super-popular Tree House Brewing needs to do anything besides make its esteemed beers, but

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ITH THE ONGOing proliferation of new breweries popping up everywhere, I often get asked what I think of the trend. I guess the question behind the question is really: Can we sustain this kind of growth? I have no idea if or when this bubble will burst. We have seen some reductions in growth as far as certain aspects of sales, but not really in terms of people willing to throw their hats into the ring as the next new brewery. And while I’m always happy to see more craft brewers, I do sometimes worry how many will survive. But there is one aspect of many newish breweries that I love: They are also employing their bars or tasting rooms as music venues. With many music venue bars closing or shifting away from that model over the years, it can sometimes seem like there are fewer and fewer places to go out to dance, see your favorite band, or hear some new original music. But plenty of craft breweries seem to be ready to fill in the gap. For example, two of Easthampton’s breweries, New City and Fort Hill, have featured bands for quite a while now. (New City had not resumed music post-pan-

ish Misfortune, and I assume those might resume as things get safer. Likewise, I hope Brew Practitioners, formerly of Florence but soon reopening in East Longmeadow, will bring back its open mic night that was so popular in the former location. I apologize if I didn’t George Lenker mention a local brewery that Beer Nut features live music, but there are so many I couldn’t get to it looks like the new location them all. I mainly wanted to in Deerfield will be holding showcase what a symbiotic events, including concerts at relationship beer has with musome point. sic. It’s really a match made My own local, the in heaven (a place that I’m Northampton Brewery, has sure has beer, despite what long had Sunday afternoon the Clean Living song claimed Irish music sessions with Ban- years ago).

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assume she’s the housecleaner. Later, recounting her presumed one-night stand with Tom the Movie Star (Nikesh Patel of Hulu’s “Four Weddings and a Funeral”) to her roommate (Emma Sidi), Jessie brags with genuine pride, “I am forever a stain on his sexual history.” “Starstruck” often feels like a one-woman show, with a much greater emphasis on the com than the rom, but Matafeo and the dryly funny Patel share the kind of relaxed, banter-y chemistry that makes or breaks shows like this one. Even with the entire season coming in at just about two hours with six 20-minute episodes, there are a couple of saggier stretches, especially when Tom’s out of the picture. But a later subplot about Jessie’s loneliness as a transplant with little to show for her struggles in the city grounds the series in a stinging melancholy. That the show is able to weave these disparate story lines together as convincingly as it does is a testament to Matafeo’s irresistible invitation to empathize with the bittersweet travails of her character without a hint of self-pity. But why settle for one soul mate when you can have four? In “We Are Lady Parts,” Amina’s crush on a bearded hottie on campus leads to her true love: A tribe of women who can see her potential and want to help her reach it. Her best friend Noor (Aiysha Hart) certainly doesn’t seem interested in doing so. (If studiously conventional Amina allows herself one deviation from the norm - the only one Noor allows - it’s her old-fashioned tastes: country crooners, black-and-white movies and florid romance novels. She admires in voiceover one potential partner’s “shoulders of a Mesopotamian warlord.”) Lady Parts’ uncompromising frontwoman Saira (Sarah Kameela Impey) is the only one who believes in Amina at first. The band needs a

guitarist, but Amina’s never been able to perform in front of people without throwing up. Hardened, tattooed Saira - whose relationship with her family frayed after the early death of her sister - is willing to mentor Amina when even the group’s resident softy, bassist Bisma (Faith Omole), is ready to give up on the talented newbie. Amina keeps her musical activities a secret from her devout school friends, forcing the already nervous priss into a double life. There’s some broad fun in that, but “Lady Parts” becomes the unassuming powerhouse that it is when it dives deeper into Saira’s backstory and the group’s minor members court some internet fame, to predictably disastrous results. Drummer Ayesha (Juliette Motamed) and band manager Momtaz (Lucie Shorthouse) invite an influencer (Sofia Barclay) to interview Lady Parts, unaware that the social media savant is more interested in notoriety than the truth. A certain kind of culture warfare gets clicks, and the band’s naivete in letting someone else tell their story, even in 2021, feels all too believable when they’ve been mired in Saira’s outdated ideas about publicity-eschewing “integrity” for so long. To add insult to injury, Lady Parts gets written up in the interview as “unskilled,” but the show’s actual music is a blast - rushes of joy on an already sweet and effervescent show. The original songs are catchy, mostly riffing on minor annoyances like little sisters and unreliable men, though one flirts with edge when they scream, “Broken by the empire / Raised by MTV.” But Impey’s punk cover of “9 to 5” in the band’s first successful performance proves that Saira’s secret dreams of going big aren’t just delusions, and a rendition of Queen’s “We Are the Champions” serves as both a subversive anthem for the characters and a stirring reminder that our collective culture can only improve when everyone feels empowered to speak and to sing.

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