Musical parody ‘Vexed’ performs in Northampton
“Vexed: A Sapphic Story from Oz,” a queer-themed musical parody reimagining of Wicked will be performed at Bombyx on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 18 at 3 p.m.
The show, billed as “part camp, part catharsis, and pure Broadway delight,” is about Lezphelba and Gaylinda, who “dare to defy not just gravity but the suffocating weight of denial and bigotry” and “discover a harmony that reshapes Oz itself — celebrating love, music and the courage to be truly seen.”
Tickets are $40 general admission or $60 premier seating (seats in the first three rows of the orchestra or the first row of the balcony) at bombyx.live or at the door.
Eric Carle Museum hosts new exhibition
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst will open its new exhibition, “CLICK! Photographers Make Picture Books,” on Saturday, Jan. 17.
The exhibition, guest-curated by children’s book historian Leonard Marcus, features more than 90 photographic works organized into three sections: “Real Worlds,” in which photos show the world and real-life subjects in it; “Concept Books: The Alphabet and Other Good Ideas,” in which photos illustrate concepts like numbers, the alphabet, the difference between big and small, etc.; and “Photo Theater,” in which photography is used to create fictional worlds.
“Photographer-illustrators have long trained their camera eye with young people in mind,” Marcus said in a press release. “Their inventive, at times magical creations can be just what children, with their fascination both for real and imaginary worlds, crave.”
Admission is $15 for adults; $10 for students, teachers and seniors (65 and up); and free for members.
Call for filmmakers, reviewers
The Easthampton Film Festival recently opened submissions for its fifth season.
Filmmakers who want to submit their work can do so on the platforms FilmFreeway and Hiike, accessed via easthamptonfilmfestival.com/submit. Films of all genres are welcome, and local filmmakers are especially encouraged to apply.
Submissions are due by Sunday, Feb. 15. Selected filmmakers will be notified on Tuesday, March 31. The festival will run Thursday, April 23 through Sunday, April 26 at Abandoned Building Brewery in Easthampton.
The festival also invites locals to apply to join its selection committee, which screens and selects the movies for each year’s festival. To join, email committee chair Lena Vani to express interest. Interested participants should also list their preferred types of movies for reviewing. From there, Vani will reach out to set up a brief conversation about the selection process.
‘Golden Girls’-themed bingo at Bombyx
Bombyx will host three evenings of bingo — with some trivia — themed around the sitcom “Golden Girls,” starting Friday, Jan. 23, from 6 to 8 p.m. Events are for those 18 years and older.
Prizes will include tickets to upcoming shows at Bombyx and the Academy of Music and season passes to Look Park.
Participants are encouraged to dress in outfits inspired by their favorite characters. Cheesecake and mocktails will be available for purchase.
Two other events will also take place from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 13 and Friday, March 13.
Admission is $10 per person at the door or at bombyx.live/events/golden-girls-bingo and includes two bingo cards. (Additional cards will be available to buy as well.)
Couples Arts Nights at Eastworks
Resilient Community Arts will host two Couples Art Nights at studio 238 in Eastworks in Easthampton, from 6 to 8 p.m., on Friday, Jan. 16 and Friday, Feb. 13.
The workshops are open to couples (as well as throuples or other romantic configurations) who want to try making art in a new medium each month.
All materials are provided and all levels of art experience are welcome.
Admission is $40 per couple, with a $20 fee for each additional person.
‘Metamorphosis’ at Wistariahurst
Wistariahurst Museum in Holyoke has an ongoing exhibit “Metamorphosis” that runs until Feb. 24. This exhibit features artists who have attended one or more of the artist sessions held at Wistariahurst Museum. These sessions, led by artist and volunteer Linda Devine, serve as a way for local artists to network, share their work with one another and develop as artists.
To celebrate the growth of these artists, they will be exhibiting their work in Wistariahurst’s gallery. Metamorphosis has a theme of change, which each artist has interpreted their own way through several mediums, from painting and sculpture, to writing. Artists express themes of personal change, changes in nature, fashion, culture and more. Artists featured in this exhibit include J. Arthur Birth, Natasha Colon Ortiz, Linda Devine, Lydia E Freytes Rodriguez, Emily Munsell, Maureen Naff, Catalina Rojas, Whit Kilpatrick Russell, Carolyn Ruszala, Deborah Skelly, Darlene Swiszcz, Chuck Collins, and Mike Worden.
Open gallery hours will be held on Mondays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and Tuesdays, 4:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m., which will also be free and open to the public.
Sherlock Holmes-inspired comedy in West Springfield
The Majestic Theater in West Springfield will present the show “The Hound of the Baskervilles” through Sunday, Feb. 15 at various times.
The show, a fast-paced, slapstick-filled parody of Arthur Conan Doyle’s novel of the same name, features three actors who each play multiple roles. It’s about detective Sherlock Holmes and his assistant Dr. John Watson who try to solve a murder that may have a supernatural cause.
Tickets are $35 to $38 and are available at the box office, at majestictheater.com, or by phone at 413-747-7797.
