Does the commercialism surrounding the Christmas holidays make you feel more like "Bah, Humbug!" than "Joy to the World?" If so, you may have company. Maybe what we all need is just what Cape Cod Theatre Company is offering, the Cape Cod premiere of "Elf, the Musical." Based on the classic 2003 movie that starred Will Ferrell as Buddy, "Elf" is the tale of a young orphan who accidentally crawls into Santa's...

PHILADELPHIA – Think you know the truth about Thanksgiving? Think again. As people across the nation prepare to sit down to another turkey dinner, David Silverman has an important message for them: it's all a lie. If you want the truth, read his new book “This Land Is Their Land,” which aims to eradicate what Silverman calls the Thanksgiving myth. Silverman, a historian, college professor and author of four pr...

These days of craziness in the world are leaving me sad, worried and just plain upset. Everyone’s talking but no one’s listening. We might as well be a big old flock of bickering grackles swaggering about in the backyard looking for the best treats and tidbits while pooping wherever we want, when we want, with no regard to anyone or anything else. We’re making a racket and making a mess and we don’t care. Som...

Chatham Elementary School Attendance Improvements In 2018, Chatham Elementary School received zero out of four points from the state accountability system for attendance. In 2019, due to efforts both at home and at school, the data showed positive trends and CES earned three out of four points. However, with CES' lowest performing scores, the data still reflects the need to continue the focus on how abs...

Over the past 30 years, thousands of people in this country and abroad have been treated to the music and dance of the renowned fiddle ensemble Childsplay. The group's repertoire ranges from Celtic to Irish to Appalachian and bluegrass, with styles bridging jazz, swing and classical music. After more than three decades, the group has embarked on their final tour and a Nov. 21 Harwich performance at Monomoy Reg...

There’s absolutely nothing rotten about Cape Rep’s production of “Something Rotten!” Madcap high jinks, double entendres, crazy asides and outright silliness abound in this Broadway hit. Director Stephen Sposito and an incredible cast are up to the task in the final production of the Cape Rep’s 2019 season. Conceived by Karey Kirkpatrick, a screen and songwriter for Disney Animation, and Wayne Kirkpatrick, ...

Even after reviewing hundreds of shows, I’ve never critiqued a near sold-out show right at its opening. Eventide Theatre Company, the little theater that can, was one of a dozen playhouses around the country lucky enough to be given the performance rights to Aaron Sorkin’s new, currently running Broadway adaptation of Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird”—hence, all the hype and fast ticket sales; the entire run ...

There’s a lot that’s shiny and new out there in the world, both real and virtual. There are places we dream of visiting, books we long to read and things we hope to do. It can be easy to feel dissatisfied. An unprecedented and constant chatter of news buzzes around us, subjecting us daily to insults and lies, arguments and nasty confrontations. It’s wearing on the heart and soul as well as the mind, I thin...

It’s that time of year again, when hunters are in the woods, fields, marshes and on our beaches. Each town has slightly different dates for different kinds of hunting, but most are governed by the state. You can usually find out what season or seasons we’re in by looking at various state sites. All hunting is forbidden on Sundays in Massachusetts, except by indigenous peoples, who can hunt pretty much any day of ...

CHATHAM – Music Director Joe Marchio will lead the Chatham Chorale, with guest soloists and chamber ensemble, in an “Ode to Music” at the First Methodist Church Nov. 9 and 10, both at 3 p.m. Featured on the program is George Frideric Handel’s “Ode for Saint Cecilia’s Day.” Tenor Charles Blandy, soprano Joan Kirchner, and the Quartett Giocosa join the singers in Handel’s cantata, composed in just 10 days in 173...

Photographer Kim Roderiques of Chatham has two main passions in life: animals and children. In creating her Dec. 12 fundraising event “Pirouettes, Pliés & Pets” that will benefit both children and animals, she brings these two passions together and adds a third element: dancers. “It’s this unbridled joy when you mix animals with dancers,” Roderiques said in a telephone interview last week. “All of a sud...

It’s still dark out but there’s a bird chirping outside my window. Several, actually. One is making a steady, monotonous chirp, probably a house sparrow. The other is a bit more melodic, trying on different calls, most likely our resident young mockingbird. He has stood, or flown, steadfast against all rivals so far, including an older but apparently not feistier opponent who tried for several days to oust him. ...