We all need a “secret garden” to escape to or to tend to, especially after the year or two we’ve had! Frances Hodgson Burnett’s beloved book “The Secret Garden” is a tale of change and how we deal with change when tragedy is its impetus. Some seek out a secret garden while others choose to ignore its existence. The Cape Cod Theatre Company/Harwich Junior Theatre’s Susan Kosoff (book and lyrics) and Jane Staab ...

It was 30 years ago today when Hurricane Bob blew through Cape Cod, battering the peninsula with sustained winds averaging 96 to 100 miles per hour and gusts reaching as high as 125 mph. Monday, Aug. 19, 1991 was a day hard to forget; the hurricane hit in the middle of the Cape's tourist season. Bob was a short duration event that left long-lasting impacts. Power was lost throughout the Cape, and in some areas...

"Nat Turner in Jerusalem," currently running at Wellfleet Harbor Actor's Theater, showcases the kind of superb talent and commitment to craft we have come to expect from WHAT, demonstrating the powerful impact that one person's unwavering convictions may have on others. This timely, intense and moving production is marked by two strong performances that anchor the show and challenge our understanding of our ow...

Before I sat down to write, I went out to the vegetable garden. The morning was quiet but muggy and heat was already rising. The sun gold tomatoes, those little tomatoes that taste as sweet as summer, were ripening and spreading everywhere, and early morning is the best time for picking. It was cool, the birds were hopping about, and a few bees were already busy at their pollinating jobs. There were purple beans ...

“ Doubt: Noun, The   state  of  being   uncertain   about   the truth or reliability  of  something.” When doubt creeps in, it’s difficult to dismiss it. But when your doubt concerns a responsibility, a moral obligation, you must face it head on. In playwright John Patrick Shanley’s “Doubt, A Parable,” the consequences of doubt are immeasurable to all involved. He was ki...

A free event on Saturday, Aug. 14 will kick off a new documentary film series at the Chatham Orpheum Theater. The doors will open at 9 a.m. for a 9:30 screening of “Let 'Em Play,” a film by Scott Marshutz, the first documentary in the Orpheum's new Amazingly DisAbled film series. The series, created and hosted by Carol Yindra of the Orpheum's Hungry Traveler film series, will consist of documentaries showcasin...

NORTH HARWICH— For years, the Family Pantry of Cape Cod has been a reliable source of help for our neighbors in need, providing healthy food, clothing, assistance with utilities and more. In spring 2020, as we all know, things got harder for a lot of Cape Cod residents as the pandemic threw day-to-day life into a chaos of uncertainty. Businesses closed their doors. People found themselves with greatly reduced o...

On a perfect sunny morning I headed for one of my favorite spots, a meadow by the sea that is a little wild but also a little looked after by a conservation organization. This means that trees have not been allowed to take over, and at the moment it is full of milkweed, Queen Anne’s lace, chicory, several kinds of thistle and goldenrod getting ready to bloom. The bluebirds that nested here earlier in the...

Looking for a night out that is different? A night of pure, unadulterated entertainment? Cape Rep’s “Rock the Bard: Midsummer” fits the bill! First of all, Cape Rep may have been ‘dark’ for over a year, but they certainly weren’t idle. The new outdoor courtyard space is lovely and opens up so many possibilities for this innovative theater. For this production audience members are seated at tables underneath the s...

I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised when “Jungle Cruise,” the latest Disney period film to be based on a theme park ride (but almost certainly not the last), opened with an orchestral arrangement of a Metallica song — performed by Metallica themselves! It’s a bit of an odd choice, but the music, courtesy of James Newton Howard, continues to be wonderful throughout the entire film — thank goodness for its str...

For many lovers of theater, a performance of Shakespeare's “A Midsummer Night's Dream” outdoors, on a beautiful Cape Cod August evening under the stars, is about as good as it gets. What could possibly be better? Enter Cape Rep's “Rock the Bard: Midsummer,” a romantic, sexy, silly interactive rock adaptation of the lovers' stories in the Bard's comedy of fairies and romantic intrigue. “Rock the Bard” features s...

ORLEANS – Poise (noun): Easy self-possessed assurance of manner; gracious tact in coping or handling (Merriam-Webster). See also: Violet Roche, Orleans resident. For someone who just recently celebrated her 13th birthday, Violet Roche has a remarkable amount of poise, in every sense of the word. She spent her birthday on stage, dancing at the US Nationals Irish Dance Championships, and while she did very wel...