This week’s round-up of live entertainment in and around Manchester is brought to you by A. Robert Dionne of Ted Herbert Music School & Rentals. Email your entertainment events to rob@majestictheatre.net for consideration. Be sure to add your events to the InkLink community calendar for possible inclusion in the live radio report on WMNH 95.3 (The Morning Show with Peter White – “World of Entertainment” LIVE every Thursday at 8 a.m.)
THURSDAY, MAY 5th
- Taylor O’Donnell / Currier (Manchester) / 5pm
- Sean Coleman / Homestead (Manchester) / 5:30pm
- Mugsy Duo / Stumble Inn (Londonderry) / 7pm
- The Quireboys / Angel City Music Hall (Manchester) / 8pm
- Blues Therapy / Stonecutter’s Pub (Milford) / 8pm
FRIDAY, MAY 6th
- Ally Beaudry / Great North Aleworks (Manchester) / 4pm
- Rose Kula / Village Trestle (Goffstown) / 6pm
- Songs with Molly / To Share Brewing Company (Manchester) / 6pm
- Ryan Williamson / Murphy’s (Bedford) / 7:30pm
- D-Comp / Derryfield (Manchester) /8pm
- Kick / The Goat (Manchester) / 9pm
- Lucas Roy / Bonfire (Manchester) / 9pm
- Crooked Coast / Shaskeen (Manchester) / 9pm
SATURDAY, MAY 7th
- Kimayo / Backyard Brewery (Manchester) / 6pm
- BootScam / Liquid Therapy (Nashua) / 6pm
- Ryan Williamson / The Foundry (Manchester) / 6pm
- Paul Lussier / Coach Stop (Londonderry) / 6pm
- Chris Perkins / Molly’s Tavern (New Boston) / 7pm
- Plan B / Pasta Loft (Milford) / 8pm
- Sean McCarthy / Murphy’s (Manchester) / 9pm
- Wiki 3 / Strange Brew Tavern (Manchester) / 9pm
SUNDAY, MAY 8th
- Brad Myrick / The Foundry (Manchester) / 10am
- Chris Lester / Chen Yang Li (Concord) / 3pm
- Jonny Friday Duo / Derryfield (Manchester) / 5pm
- Henry Laliberte / Cheers (Concord) / 5pm
- Open Mic Blues Jam / Strange Brew (Manchester) / 7pm
Always be sure to check a venue’s website or Facebook page for last minute changes.
The Rex Theatre
23 Amherst Street ~ www.rextheatre.org (603)668-5588
FNC at the Rex – DAVE RUSSO / May 6th at 7:30pm
Recently named “Best Male Comic” in the city by the Boston Examiner, Dave Russo has been a mainstay of Boston comedy for the last fifteen years. As co-host of NESN’s Dirty Water TV, he produces a regular comedy series, in addition to reporting on the best of Boston night life. He has appeared on The E! TV series “The Entertainer”, NBC’s “The Today Show,” FOX 25 with Gene Lavanchy, “The Phantom Gourmet,” and was hand-selected by the producer of NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” to perform on NESN’s Comedy All-Stars. Dave was recently featured on BostonGlobe.com’s “Boston, A Comedy Capital” panel, where he participated in a discussion of the history and future of Boston comedy. You can hear him every Friday on 980 WCAP.
BRITISH INVASION / May 7th at 7:30pm ~ May 8th at 2pm
British Invasion pays tribute to the best musical influences and singers from across the pond! This high energy concert features music from THE BEATLES, THE ROLLING STONES, THE POLICE, THE ZOMBIES, LED ZEPPELIN, and so much more. British Classis Rock live on stage at the Rex Theatre.
The Palace Theatre
80 Hanover Street ~ www.palacetheatre.org (603)668-5588
COLIN MOCHRIE & BRAD SHEERWOOD / May 5th at 7:30pm (mainstage)
Armed with only their wits, Whose Line is it Anyway? stars Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood are taking to the live stage and they’re…Scared Scriptless.
ERIC MINTEL JAZZ QUARTET / Saturday, May 6th at 7:00pm (spotlight room)
The Eric Mintel Quartet will perform some of the most beautiful jazz standards ever written and put their own spin on these timeless classics.
THE PRODUCERS / April 22-May 15 (mainstage)
Mel Brooks’ classic cult comedy film, now as a big Broadway musical. The Producers once again sets the standard for modern, outrageous, in-your-face humor. It is a truly “boffo” hit, winning a record twelve Tony Awards and wowing capacity crowds night after night. The plot is simple: a down-on-his-luck Broadway producer and his mild-mannered accountant come up with a scheme to produce the most notorious flop in history, thereby bilking their backers (all “little old ladies”) out of millions of dollars. Only one thing goes awry: the show is a smash hit! At the core of the insanely funny adventure of producing a show is a poignant emotional journey of two very different men who become friends. With a truly hysterical book co-written by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan (Annie) and music and lyrics by Mr. Brooks, The Producers skewers Broadway traditions and takes no prisoners as it proudly proclaims itself an “equal opportunity offender!”
The Majestic Theatre
880 Page Street ~ www.majestictheatre.net (603)669-7469
LUCKY STIFF / MAY 13-15 (Derry Opera House)
Based on “The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo by Michael Butterworth” / Lucky Stiff is an offbeat, hilarious murder mystery farce, complete with mistaken identities, six million bucks in diamonds and a corpse in a wheelchair. The story revolves around an unassuming English shoe salesman who is forced to take the embalmed body of his recently murdered uncle on a vacation to Monte Carlo. Should he succeed in passing his uncle off as alive, Harry Witherspoon stands to inherit $6,000,000. If not, the money goes to the Universal Dog Home of Brooklyn… or else his uncle’s gun-toting ex. Featuring a tuneful Flaherty and Ahrens score, an ensemble cast of zany characters and small rock combo orchestra, Lucky Stiff is an audience charmer. Presented by the Majestic Academy of Dramatic Arts Teens.
CHARLOTTE’S WEB / May 20-22 (Majestic Studio Theatre)
Adapted by Joseph Robinette. Based on the book by E.B. White / All the enchanting characters are here: Wilbur, the irresistible young pig who desperately wants to avoid the butcher; Fern, a girl who understands what animals say to each other; Templeton, the gluttonous rat who can occasionally be talked into a good deed; the Zuckerman family; the Arables; and, most of all, the extraordinary spider, Charlotte, who proves to be “a true friend and a good writer.” Determined to save Wilbur, Charlotte begins her campaign with the “miracle” of her web in which she writes, “Some pig.” It’s the beginning of a victorious campaign which ultimately ends with the now-safe Wilbur doing what is most important to Charlotte. This is a beautiful, knowing play about friendship that will give audiences an evening of enchantment.
FEATURED EVENTS:
MUSIC: STRYPER / May 5th at 8pm / Tupelo Music Hall (Derry)
The members of Stryper have proven themselves as metal stalwarts, leaving an indelible mark on the genre with each new release. With such hits as “Calling On You,” “Free,” “Honestly,” and “Always There For You,” Stryper’s album sales now exceed over 10 million worldwide. Add to that one of the most successful Christian rock albums ever, 1986’s multi-platinum To Hell With The Devil, and the unique distinction of being the first band in history to notch two songs in MTV’s Top 10 with “Free” and “Honestly.”
Since returning from a 12-year hiatus in 2003, Stryper has managed to release new music annually. Their most recent full-length album, “Fallen” [Frontiers Music SRL], reached #44 on the Billboard Top 200 and #2 on the Top Hard Music Albums chart. www.tupelomusichall.com
MUSIC: CONSIDERING MATTHEW SHEPARD / May 5 & 7 (Durham, Virtual)
This 2016 semi-staged dramatic oratorio in three-parts by contemporary composer Craig Hella Johnson chronicles the 1998 heinous murder of Matthew Wayne Shepard. The work is structured after the baroque Passions of J.S. Bach and incorporates a variety of musical styles. Johnson sets a range of texts by poets including Hildegard of Bingen, Lesléa Newman, Michael Dennis Browne, and Rumi as well as passages from Matt’s personal journal, interviews and writings from his parents Judy and Dennis Shepard, newspaper reports and additional texts. This performance is a collaboration between the UNH Vocal Arts Project and the UNH Chamber Singers and is recommended for mature audiences. This performance contains historical descriptions, media coverage, images, language and concepts that may be disturbing. It is intended for mature audiences only. https://unh.universitytickets.com/
THEATRE: LAST GAS / Community Players of Concord at the AUDI / May 5-7
A play by John Cariani. Nat Paradis is a Red Sox-loving part-time dad who manages Paradis’ Last Convenient Store, the last convenient place to get gas, or anything, before the Canadian border to the north and the North Maine Woods to the west. When an old flame returns to town, Nat gets a chance to rekindle a romance he gave up on years ago. But sparks fly as he’s forced to choose between new love and old. LAST GAS takes a hilarious and heartbreakingly hard look at love lost and found, and at what it means to “get back to happy.” http://communityplayersofconcord.org/current-season/
Email your entertainment events to rob@majestictheatre.net for consideration. Be sure to add your events to the InkLink calendar for possible inclusion in the live radio report on WMNH 95.3 (The Morning Show with Peter White – “World of Entertainment” LIVE every Thursday at 8 a.m.)