Things to do and see this week in Connecticut music, theater and spring festivals for May 1-7
From flower festivals to Cinco de Mayo, it’s a week of freshness and frolic in the Connecticut arts scene as folks head out to parks again. There are also indoor shows which promise a degree of intimacy, from “A Night with Trey Songz” at Foxwoods to classically inclined metal shredder Yngwie Malmsteen in a “listening room” environment at Infinity Music Hall to the delicate strains of a Sitar fronting the Hartford Symphony Orchestra.
Stop and smell the daffodils
It’s a fine weekend to smell the flowers. There’s the 39th annual Fine Art & Flowers fundraiser which runs April 29 through May 1 at the Wadsworth Atheneum ($20, $17 students, $13 youth, $5 Atheneum members, Hartford residents and children; thewadsworth.org/flowers/). There will be live music in the museum’s Avery Court Sunday from 2 to 5 p.m. There’s also the Meriden Daffodil Festival April 31 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and and May 1 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Meriden’s Hubbard Park, with hundreds of thousands of blooming daffodils, dozens of live bands and all the usual festival fun, including rides, food, crafts tents and more (daffodilfest.com; free).
Heavy on the metal
Swedish neo-classical heavy metal guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen wails May 1 at 8 p.m. at Infinity Hall, 32 Front St., Hartford. $44-$64. infinityhall.com.
Twain and race intertwine
In what’s likely to be a fascinating blend of classic fiction and contemporary social issues, Dr. Laura Skandera Trombley and Dr. Ann Ryan discuss “Mark Twain & Critical Race Theory” May 4 at 7 p.m. virtually at Mark Twain House. Trombley and Ryan are both scholars specializing in the life and works of Twain. Describing the event the Mark Twain House says, “Instead of invoking false dichotomies, what we hope to accomplish here — using Twain’s writing as just one example — is to demonstrate how thoroughly American it is to wrestle with ‘critical race theory,’ a phrase that Twain would have found as unwieldy as it is imprecise. Nonetheless, it is a concept that inspired his major works.” Free. Registration required. marktwainhouse.org.
Punk rock with a purpose
The politically profound, peripatetic “gypsy punk” ensemble of immigrant musicians Gogol Bordello, led as ever by Eugene Hütz, return to New Haven, a city they’ve visited many times since forming in New York in 1999. Gogol Bordello’s “Solidaritine Tour” hits town May 5 at 8 p.m. for an all ages show with opening act Amigo the Devil at College Street Music Hall, 238 College St., New Haven. $27.50-$35. collegestreetmusichall.com.
Cinco de Mayo celebrations
Some Cinco de Mayo events are outdoor celebrations involving several different eateries and bars, plus live music. A couple of these May 5 street parties: Parkville Market, 1400 Park St., Hartford, where Tony Gonzalez and Friends are playing on the patio from 6-9 p.m. (parkvillemarket.com). There and a special Cinco de Mayo edition of the monthly “Eat in the Street” gatherings in downtown New London, with the Latin salsa band Komboloko playing in Hygienic Art Park, plus other “roaming entertainment” (downtownnewlondonassociation.com).
Michael Bolton’s ‘Beautiful World’
Michael Bolton returns to TV May 2 to defend his song “Beautiful World” as the Connecticut representative in the semifinals of “American Song Contest.” Then, on May 6, you can catch Bolton live singing his greatest hits at 7:30 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena, 1 Mohegan Sun Blvd., Uncasville. $20 and $30. mohegansun.com.
Sitar symphony
This month’s Hartford Symphony Orchestra Masterworks concert is “Scheherazade & Shankar.” That means Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Scheherazade” and Ravi Shankar’s “Sitar Concerto No. 1.” And who’s playing the sitar? Anupama Bhagwat. May 6-8 at the Belding Theater in The Bushnell, 166 Capitol Ave., Hartford. Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 3 p.m. $38-$72. hartfordsymphony.org.
‘A Night with Trey Songs’
Trey Songz has had eight hit albums in the past 17 years,s. the latest is 2020′s “Back Home.” The singer is on a low-key “A Night with Trey Songs” tour, May 7 at 8 p.m. at the Premier Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino, 350 Trolley Line Blvd., Mashantucket. $88-$158. foxwoods.com.
Trio of laughter
Three New York stand-ups — Andy Pitz, Clayton Fletcher and Shaun Eli — converge on Infinity Hall, 20 Greenwoods Road West Norfolk May 7 at 8 p.m. The are part of the “Ivy League of Comedy” tours. $28-$38. infinityhall.com.
Riverdance returns
The Irish dance sensation Riverdance was on the way to kick up its heels in Connecticut in mid-March of 2020 when all the theaters went dark. Two years later, the whirling, kicking, fiddling ensemble is finally here on what was once its 25th anniversary tour. May 6 at 8 p.m., May 7 at 1 and 7 p.m. and May 8 at 2 and 8 p.m. at the Oakdale, 95 S. Turnpike Road, Wallingford. $35-$85. concerts.livenation.com.
Christopher Arnott can be reached at carnott@courant.com.
