Summer love fills the stage as The Valley Players revive the hit musical "Grease!" this weekend at Amesbury Playhouse Dinner Theatre, 194 Main St., Amesbury.
Danny Zuko, played by Rick Andrade of Amesbury, and Sandy Dumbrowski, played by Amesbury's Megan Little, lead the gang at Rydell High as the T-Birds and Pink Ladies sing and dance their way through the burger palace, drive-in movie theater, a pajama party and the prom. The songs recall the Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley era of the 1950s.
"Grease!" opens Saturday and runs through July 27. Performances are Friday and Saturday nights with dinner at 7 and the curtain at 8:30, and Wednesdays with dinner at 6 p.m. and the show at 7:30. There are two shows on Sundays — a matinee with the meal at noon and performance at 1:30 p.m. and an evening offering with dinner at 5 and the curtain at 6:30. A weekday matinee is also planned for Wednesday, July 23, with a meal at noon and curtain at 1:30 p.m.
Reservations are required and can be made by calling 978-388-9444. Visit www.amesburyplayhouse.com for more.
Bridge Gallery welcomes Georgetown artist
Rick Hayes of Georgetown has joined the roster of artists at the Bridge Gallery, 113 Merrimac St., Newburyport.
A retired emergency department physician, Hayes has studied art at the University of Hawaii, Montserrat. College of Art in Beverly, and Massachusetts College of Art in Boston, among other schools..His artistic interests include photography, printmaking, air brush, children's book illustration,.portrait painting, and computer and graphic design.
Hayes currently is focused on oil painting, an interest he discovered in 2000 while working on a Navajo reservation..He began by painting landscapes and eventually incorporated figures into his work, often portraying some emotional crisis..He is known for his vivid and dramatic pieces, vibrant palette and bold, confident brush strokes. His work has been featured at the Newburyport Art Association and The Governor's Academy in Byfield.
Bridge Gallery is open Thursday through Monday from noon to 6 p.m. Visit www.bridgegallerynewburyport.com for more.
Merrimac artist in plein view for exhibit
Merrimac's Susan Hebenstreit is showing off her paintings in an exhibit this month at Chase & Lunt Insurance, 47 State St., Newburyport.
Hebenstreit has two decades of experience in the arts, creating paintings as well as murals and stained glass pieces. One of the founding members of Women in the Wild, a plein air group that enjoys creating art outdoors, she is vice president of the Newburyport Art Association.
Her exhibit at Chase & Lunt features 25 paintings, and is part of the art association's Wings Exhibit program. It runs through July 31. A wine and cheese reception is planned for Friday, July 18, from 5 to 7 p.m. Call 978-462-4434 for more.
R&B beat launches Georgetown summer concerts
Georgetown kicks off its seventh annual summer concert series this weekend with the rhythm and blues beat of the Orville Giddings Band.
The free outdoor series takes place Sundays from 5 to 7 through Aug. 17 at Kiwanis Ice House Performing Arts Pavilion located in American Legion Park off Prospect Street. The rain location is Penn Brook Elementary School on Elm Street in Georgetown.
Following Sunday's opener with the Orville Giddings Band, the schedule will feature Rust Never Sleeps, a Neil Young tribute band, on July 13; Don't Call Me Shirley, an '80s and '90s rock and pop band on July 20; Darby Tench and Alan Schneider, opera, on July 27; the folk and rock of Simons and Goodwin on Aug. 3; and Route 97 North, highlighting the Beatles on Aug. 10. A local band challenge will close out the series on Aug. 17.
Local nonprofit groups, including the Kiwanis Club, Mike Donohoe Scholarship Committee, Georgetown Cultural Council and Knights of Columbus, will sell food during the concerts. For more on the series, visit www.gtownculture.org.
Blues on the Merrimack cruise
After inclement weather forced its postponement last weekend, the 13th annual Blues on the Merrimack cruise featuring vocalist Shirley Lewis takes to the sea Sunday from 6 to 9 p.m. aboard the Captain's Lady III.
Lewis, a Blues Trust Lifetime Achievement Award winner who has shared the stage with B.B. King, James Cotton and Pinetop Perkins during her 50-year career, will be joined by lead and slide guitarist J. Laite, Lee Lundy on bass guitar, and Richard Malcolm on percussion. They'll serve up the blues, from the Mississippi Delta to Chicago's South Side.
The cruise leaves from Captain's Fishing Parties on Plum Island Point in Newburyport. Tickets are $32 in advance, $36 the day of the event. They are available at Captain's Fishing Parties (800-427-1333), Dyno Records on Middle Street in Newburyport (978-462-9630), or online at www.NewburyportBluesCruise.com.
Among Criminals heading back to Newburyport
The reggae-Latin rock band Among Criminals returns to Newburyport to spread its "music with a message" Thursday, July 10, from 8:30 to 11 p.m. at The Grog, 13 Middle St., Newburyport.
The show is part of the first leg of the group's summer tour, which will include stops at the Chit Chat Lounge in Haverhill on July 11 and Captain Carlo's in Gloucester on July 12.
Then on Sunday, July 13, the Philadelphia-based band will head back to Newburyport for an afternoon of music (and conversation) in Market Landing Park on the waterfront.
For more on the band's visit to Newburyport, visit www.comity.org. To learn more about the band, visit www.amongcriminals.com and myspace.com/amongcriminals.
Entertaining duo performing at NECC
Entertainers Paul Gosselin and Barbara Schofield bring their "Zip & Doo Dah" show to Northern Essex Community College's Life Long Learning Program in Haverhill on Thursday, July 10, at 2 p.m.
They'll warm things up with nostalgic songs, jokes, heartwarming stories and traditional sing-alongs. The performance takes place in room 103A in the Technology Center. Admission is $1.
Life Long Learning is a program of lectures, study groups and trips for older adults, but is open to all interested individuals. Contact Charlene Boucher, Life Long Learning Program coordinator, at 978-556-3825 or cboucher@necc.mass.edu.
Twilight Harbor Tour with historical society
The Historical Society of Old Newbury is hosting a Twilight Harbor Tour and excursion to view the historic tall ships in Salisbury on Friday, July 18, from 7 to 10 p.m.
The three-hour cruise aboard the Prince of Whales will depart from Newburyport's central waterfront at 7 p.m. It will feature a light supper and commentary by guest speaker Steve Klomps of the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem.
Tickets are $49, $29 for members of the historical society. Reservations are required by calling 978-462-2681.
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