‘42 Street,’ Tom Jones, ‘Gatsby,’ Jill Sobule among the 10 best things to do the week beginning Sept. 11

Here are The Courant’s art picks for the 10 best things to do in Connecticut the week of Sept. 11 to 17.

It’s a great week for greatness in Connecticut arts as the state welcomes one of the best bluegrass mandolinists of the 20th century, Sam Bush; one of the most honored metal band frontwomen of her era, Maria Brink of In This Moment; the screen-to-stage musical extravaganza ”42nd Street”; a concert version of a musical about one of the great early jazz pianists, ”Jelly’s Last Jam”; the great experimental rock act My Morning Jacket; and one of the most popular pop baritones of all time, Tom Jones.

Oh, and speaking of great, how about a new radio-theater-style adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s great American novel “The Great Gatsby”?

You can also find these great acts at venues that are a great fit for what the artists do. “Gatsby” is on a nice intimate stage in a lushly renovated landmark theater building in Branford. “42nd Street” is at the Goodspeed Opera House, an historic institution devoted to American musicals. Singer and songwriter Jill Sobule strums at the Mark Twain House & Museum. Tom Jones plays a casino not too different from the one he ran through in the movie “Mars Attacks.” Sam Bush plays one of the best listening rooms in the state, Infinity Hall.

Greatness abounds.

‘The Great Gatsby’

Legacy Theatre, 128 Thimble Islands Road, Stony Creek

Performances at the Legacy Theatre in Branford take many forms over the next fortnight. There’s a play reading festival Sept. 11 and 18, a film festival Sept. 19 to 21 and, on Thursdays through Sundays for three weeks (Sept. 15 through Oct. 1), a play based on a famous novel that’s presented as if it’s a live radio play. It’s “The Great Gatsby,” with performances Thursday at 2 and 7 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m. The adaptation is by Connecticut-based playwright Joe Landry, who did the similar radio-theater reworking of “It’s a Wonderful Life” that’s coming back to Hartford Stage this fall. $35-$60. legacytheatrect.org.

In This Moment

Oakdale, 95 S. Turnpike Road, Wallingford

When you are a female vocalist in a metal band, as Maria Brink has been for the decade-old head-banging act In This Moment, you receive honors such as “Rock Goddess of the Year,” which she won from Loudwire in 2013 and 2015; “Women in Heavy Metal Who Matter, ” according to Yell! magazine; and as one of the “25 Hottest Chicks in Hard Rock & Metal,” ranked by Revolver Magazine. Musical quality appears to an afterthought in all this praise, so be assured that the band rocks. In This Moment’s “Blood 1983″ comes to the Oakdale in Wallingford Sept. 15 at 7 p.m. There are three other acts on the bill: the female metal trio Cherry Bombs, Texas rockers Nothing More and the anonymous masked alt-metal collective Sleep Token. $34-$199.50. concerts.livenation.com.

‘42nd Street’

Goodspeed Opera House, 6 Main St., East Haddam

The Goodspeed Opera House is shufflin’ off to Buffalo and declaring “We’re in the Money.” The revival of “42nd Street,” which begins previews Sept. 16 and runs through Nov. 6, marks a grand return to big splashy song-and-tap-dance frivolity at the historic venue. It’s a classic American musical, yet it began as a 1933 Hollywood movie and wasn’t adapted to the stage until 1980. Randy Skinner, who choreographed one of the Broadway revivals, is the director and choreographer of this rendition. 6 Main St., East Haddam. $30-$85. Wednesday and Thursday at 2 ad 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 3 and 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 and 6:30 p.m. goodspeed.org.

Jill Sobule

Mark Twain House & Museum, 351 Farmington Ave., Hartford

The singular singer-songwriter Jill Sobule is a special friend of the Mark Twain House and Museum. She performed at the house’s virtual gala last fall and is now doing her fourth full live concert there Sept. 16 at 7 p.m. Sobule’s best-known songs include “Supermodel,” “I Kissed a Girl” (years before the unrelated Katy Perry one), “Karen by Night” and “Resistance Song.” $30, $25 Twain House members. marktwainhouse.org.

Legend of the Black Duck

Cheney Hall, 177 Hartford Road, Manchester

The true-life incident when a Coast Guard Patrol fired upon a rumrunning boat inspired local author Walt Scadden to write a short story, which he has now turned into a play. Two local theater groups, the Little Theatre of Manchester and the Pine Street Players, have combined to present it for a single performance, Sept. 16 at 8 p.m. at Manchester’s Cheney Hall. $20. cheneyhall.org/the-black-duck.

Pop 2000 Tour

Palace Theatre, 61 Atlantic St., Stamford

Boy bands, strangely, don’t grow up to be men bands. They keep doing the same songs at whatever age. The “Pop 2000″ tour coming to the Stamford Palace Sept. 16 at 8 p.m. is hosted by Chris Kirkpatrick of *NSYNC and features O-Town, Ryan Cabrera & LFO. Relive your youth, and theirs. $25-$50. palacestamford.org.

Tom Jones

Foxwoods Resort Casino, 350 Trolley Line Blvd., Mashantucket

The Welsh wonder Tom Jones has, in an unparalleled career that’s lasted nearly 60 years, gone from crooning movie themes (”Thunderball,” “What’s New, Pussycat?”) to 1970s TV variety shows to sizzling dance-pop in the ‘90s (”Kiss,” “Sex Bomb”) and recent acclaim as powerful blues singer. Tom Jones sings Sept. 16 at 8 p.m. at Foxwoods’ Premier Theater. $70-$95. foxwoods.com.

My Morning Jacket

Westville Music Bowl, 45 Yale Ave., New Haven

The hugely influential Kentucky art rock band My Morning Jacket continues to be productive and progressive. The band reportedly wasn’t sure if it would regroup after a hiatus in the 20-teens, but the last couple of years has brought a sequel to the band’s 2015 opus “The Waterfall” and a newer album titled “My Morning Jacket” just last year. Now they’re on the road with opening act Joy Oladokun. Sept. 16 at 6:30 p.m. at the Westville Music Bowl in New Haven. $25-$199. westvillemusicbowl.com.

Sam Bush

Infinity Hall, 32 Front St., Hartford

Bluegrass fiddler and mandolinist Sam Bush was the longtime leader of New Grass Revival and also toured or recorded with Emmylou Harris, Lyle Lovett and Bela Fleck. He plays Hartford’s Infinity Hall Sept. 17 at 8 p.m. $38-$48. infinityhall.com.

Jelly’s Last Jam

Long Wharf Theatre, 222 Sargent Dr., New Haven.

Just a week after its workshop production of the work-in-progress musical “Dignity, Always Dignity,” the Long Wharf Theatre is offering a concert version of a seldom-seen musical from the 1990s about the jazz pioneer Jelly Roll Morton. This version had its roots in a student production directed by Patricia McGregor at the Yale (now Geffen) School of Drama. McGregor is consulting on this concert version, which is directed by Dennis Whitehead Darling. Sept. 17 at 2 and 8 p.m., Sept. 18 at 2 p.m. $35-$150, $10 students. longwharf.org.

Christopher Arnott can be reached at carnott@courant.com.