From Vonnegut to brews, Five Things to Do this weekend in or near South Bend

Oompa-Loompas and "The Candy Man" take up residence in New Prairie this weekend, while the South Bend Symphony Orchestra sets sail with a guest conductor at the helm. With its love for shifting time signatures, jazz appears like the perfect genre for a musical tribute to novelist and Indiana native Kurt Vonnegut. Also, families can take a peek through the looking glass this weekend, while adults can quench their thirst with samples from several regional breweries at the "La Pour" event in LaPorte. For the outdoors, see Joseph Dits' suggestions taken from his weekly Outdoor Adventures column. Don't forget to check The Tribune's online events calendar for more activities, too.

Pianist performs Vonnegut suite at Merrimans’ Playhouse

SOUTH BEND — The Jason Yeager Quartet performs “Unstuck in Time: The Kurt Vonnegut Suite” at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 10 at Merrimans’ Playhouse, 401 E. Colfax Ave., Suite 135.

The quartet consists of Yeager on piano; Lucas Pino, woodwinds; Michael O’Brien, bass; and Jay Sawyer, drums.

The suite, set for release Nov. 11, includes 11 compositions inspired by the incisive wit and skewed vision of Vonnegut, an Indianapolis native and one of the 20th century’s most inventive and celebrated novelists. This year marks his centennial.

The eclecticism of “Unstuck in Time” reflects the often-uncategorizable nature of Vonnegut’s work: Although he could be categorized as a satirist, a science fiction writer, a humorist, a fantasist or any number of other terms, none are quite sufficient to contain him.

Beginning with the earliest composition on the album, “Blues for Billy Pilgrim,” written shortly after Yeager had read “Slaughterhouse-Five,” the pianist attempted to capture that eccentricity and uniqueness during his next decade of writing.

He drew from across Vonnegut’s canon for inspiration: The stealthy opener, “Now It’s the Women’s Turn,” references the lesser-known 1987 novel “Bluebeard,” while the freewheeling, Caribbean-inflected “Bokonon” is named for the outlaw religious leader from “Cat’s Cradle.”

“Ballad for Old Solo” is dedicated to one of the aliens from Vonnegut’s “Sirens of Titan,” who are also the subject for the cosmic, album-closing “Tralfamadorian Rhapsody.”

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The chanted motto and carnivalesque motif of “Kilgore’s Creed” paint an off-kilter portrait of Vonnegut’s alter ego, Kilgore Trout, and “Rudy’s Waltz” pays tribute to the protagonist of the 1982 novel “Deadeye Dick.”

In addition to “Unstuck in Time,” Yeager also recently released “Hand in Hand,” a collaborative album with spouse Julie Benko, who is currently performing as the Fanny Brice alternate in the Broadway Revival of “Funny Girl.”

Tickets are $10-$5.

For more information, call 574-310-9977 or visit merrimansplayhouse.org.

Bethel University goes down the rabbit hole with ‘Alice in Wonderland’

MISHAWAKA — “Alice in Wonderland” opens Nov. 11 and continues through Nov. 12 at Bethel University’s Everest-Rohrer Chapel/Fine Arts Center-Auditorium.

Adapted for the stage by Eva Le Gallienne and Florida Friebus from the book by Lewis Carroll, the story follows Alice down the rabbit hole as she discovers the magic of Wonderland, a place where animals speak in riddles, nonsense makes sense, and the adventures of young Alice reveal her pluck, intelligence and imagination.

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Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 10 and 11 and at 1 p.m. Nov. 12. The Nov. 11 performance will be interpreted for the deaf community.

Tickets are $15-$10.

For more information, call 574-807-7080 or visit betheluniversity.edu/tickets.

New Prairie Theatre Company opens ‘Roald Dahls Willy Wonka JR.’

NEW PRAIRIE — The New Prairie Theatre Company presents “Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka JR.” from Nov. 11 to 13 at New Prairie High School, 5333 N. Cougar Road.

The cast features 45 New Prairie students in fifth through 12th grades.

Based on the book “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” by Roald Dahl, the musical features the songs by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley from the 1971 film “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” and a book by Bricusse and Timothy A. McDonald. It also includes new songs by Bricusse and Newley.

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“Willy Wonka JR.” follows enigmatic candy manufacturer Willy Wonka as he stages a contest to find an heir by hiding golden tickets in five of his scrumptious candy bars. Whoever comes up with these tickets will win a free tour of the Wonka factory, as well as a lifetime supply of candy.

Four of the five winning children are insufferable brats, but the fifth is a likeable young lad named Charlie Bucket, who takes the tour in the company of his equally amiable grandfather. The children must learn to follow Mr. Wonka’s rules in the factory — or suffer the consequences.

Performances are at 6 p.m. CST Nov. 11, 2 and 6 p.m. CST Nov. 12, and 2 p.m. CST Nov. 13.

Tickets are $10-$7; $5 per person for groups of 10 or more. Tickets are available at the door only; cash or check only.

SBSO travels musical seas for Nov. 12 concert

SOUTH BEND — The South Bend Symphony Orchestra performs its second Masterworks concert of the season at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 12 at the Morris Performing Arts Center, 211 N. Michigan St.

Titled “Debussy’s La Mer,” the concert features water-themed works:

• Wagner’s Overture to “The Flying Dutchman,” with its opening horn theme and the sound of the aggressive waves of the ocean to create dramatic highs

• Marvin Curtis and Bryan Edington’s “St. Joseph River Suite,” from the soundtrack to the WNIT Public Television documentary “Then, Now and Always … The St. Joseph River Story”

• Smetana’s “The Moldau,” designed as a river piece as a realistic sonic boat ride to evoke the sounds of one of Bohemia’s great rivers — the Vltava River.

• Debussy’s “La Mer” (“The Sea”), three sketches for orchestra that bring to life the evocative sense of motion blended to form mystical, altering sounds as it tips the scales from serene, clear waters to the terrifying power that the sea holds

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Guest conductor David Lockington leads the orchestra.

Tickets are $79-$10.

For more information, call 574-235-9190 or visit morriscenter.org.

Area breweries participate in ‘La Pour’ brew fest in LaPorte

LAPORTE — The seventh annual “La Pour Brew & Wine Fest” takes place from noon to 4 p.m. CST Nov 12 at LaPorte Civic Auditorium, 1001 Ridge St.

Participating breweries include Burn ’Em Brewing, Evil Czech Brewery and Public House, Greenbush Brewing Co., Odd Side Ales, Shoreline Brewery, Solemn Oath Brewery, Sun King Brewery, Tree City Brew Co., Upland Brewing Company, Zorn Brew Works Co., 10-56 Brewing and 18th Street Brewery.

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VIP entry begins at noon CST and includes a Journeyman Distillery tasting. General admission entry begins at 1 p.m. CST.

Food by Bare Bones will be available, and Neil Allesee will perform live music.

Tickets are $65, VIP; $40, general admission; and $15, designated driver.

For more information, visit event.ontaptickets.com.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: A Vonnegut suite, sea music, beer, Willy Wonka and Wonderland on tap