It’s the classic book “Madeline’s Christmas” by Ludwig Bemelmans come to life! It’s Madeline and her classmates in their distinctive school uniforms of blue with yellow hat and the all-important red scarf singing and dancing with delight on the Harwich Junior Theatre stage. This production is the ideal holiday getaway, because the show will transport you to a different time and place, and fill you with holiday...

One very small cast is putting on one great big play at the Academy of Performing Arts in Orleans this month: “Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol.” See it, even if you’re not a fan of all things Christmas, because it’s simply a whopping good piece of theater. Directed by Peter Earle, who is the Academy’s executive and artistic director, four superb actors deliver on the literate, witty script by Tom Mula. Dressed ...

What happens when you add an element of mystery to shopping – when you never know what you might find? That’s the way it is at Second Glance Thrift Boutique in West Harwich. Every day the merchandise on the floor is a bit different and it’s always seasonal. And with prices so reasonable, you better not hesitate to purchase what you like. The store even accepts credit cards. “If you see it, we say buy it, be...

The most dangerous four-letter word in the digital world is “Send.” “Once you send it, you have no control over it,” Bill Burke of the Cape and Islands District Attorney's Office community outreach program said, during a recent “Parent University” on technology and social media at Monomoy Regional High School. “You can never get it back.” That not only goes for potentially illegal activities like sexting an...

They’ll make you laugh, tear up a little but most all make you feel good. Trish LaRose and Jared Hagan are at it again in a musical revue called “Sing Like There’s No Tomorrow” at the Cape Rep Theater in Brewster. Under Richard Jay Sullivan’s nifty direction, these two smoothly transition from song to song, often with a brief introduction but most of all with heart and soul. This Cape Rep collaboration is a winne...

CHATHAM –Fishing is a key element in the fabric of Cape Cod. Sports fishing is a vital part of its summer tourist industry, the mainstay of the Cape’s economy. Commercial fishing, whether by nets or rod and reel off boats, lobstering, aquaculture or shellfishing is not only a source of employment and financial resources for those involved, but it is also a part of the tradition, history, culture and society of th...

HARWICH – Want to get into the holiday spirit early and at the same time find some inspiration for your own decorating? The Garden Club of Harwich’s Holiday House Tour on Dec. 1 – a tour of five beautifully-decorated houses and the South Harwich Meeting House — might be just the ticket. Also, “this year as something new and different we’re having a mini-boutique,” says club member Dottie Miller. Garden Club...

CHATHAM – Whether you are a child, a teen or an adult who loves books, an extraordinary opportunity is coming to the Eldredge Public Library (EPL) on Nov. 18 when Anita Silvey, probably the nation’s premiere expert on children’s literature, speaks at the library. “The talk is for everyone with a love of literature and books,” says Tammy DePasquale, EPL’s assistant director and youth services librarian. “She’s ...

CHATHAM – Ask Monomoy Regional Middle School science teacher Nancy Gifford what makes science awesome and her answer is simple: everything. Recently, her enthusiasm for teaching earned her the Massachusetts Association of Science Teachers State Educator of the Year award, about which she's still more than a bit surprised. “I didn't see it coming,” she said. As it turns out, Gifford, who began teaching in...

Bestselling author Leslie Meier of Harwich has just celebrated the publication of her 25th mystery, appropriately called “Silver Anniversary Murder” (Kensington Books, 2018). “I feel very fortunate to have the success I’ve had with my books,” Meier said during a recent email interview. “I’m immensely grateful to my readers and hope I can keep writing books that people will want to read. Writing is the best job...

Ever wondered how William Shakespeare came up with “Romeo and Juliet?” Surely only a man in love could have conceived of such a love story, right? Marc Herman and Tom Stoppard creatively wrote the screenplay “Shakespeare in Love” with such an idea in mind. Their script, with Lee Hall’s adaptation for the stage, incorporates Shakespearean dialect with a contemporary flair. The play, on stage now at the Cape Rep...

Their name is pronounced DIE-squith, and for sure a whole lot of D’Ysquiths die during the Academy of Performing Arts in Orleans' regional premiere of Tony Award winner “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder,” by Robert L. Freedman and Steven Lutvak. This funny show that comes complete with slamming doors, clever music and one actor who plays nine D’Ysquiths, male and female, many of whom meet their ends by vari...