It is nearly 50 years since George V. Higgins introduced us to Boston’s grubby criminal underworld in “The Friends of Eddie Coyle.” In 2001 Dennis Lehane introduced us to a new generation of criminals and grifters in “Mystic River.” So debut author Matt Fitzpatrick of Chatham, 47, is swimming into a rich literary tradition with his first novel “Crosshairs: A Justin McGee Mystery” (Green Place Books, 2018). ...

Sustainable Practices, a Cape-wide non-profit organization, is hosting the Sustainability Film Series at the Chatham Orpheum Theater. The documentary screening series began in the fall of 2017 and is returning on Sept. 1 at 10 a.m. with “The True Cost,” a film that tackles the topic of where clothes come from. “It’s about the clothes we wear,” reads the official synopsis, “the people who make them, and the imp...

It's a warm summer evening at the Martin Vanderhof New York home. Martin is the patriarch of a warm and welcoming extended family whose dinners begin with a prayer of Thanksgiving: "We all have our health and leave the rest to you!" "You Can't Take It With You," George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart's three-act comedy, makes for a sizzling conclusion to the Monomoy Theatre's 83rd summer season. Guest Director Mic...

CHATHAM — Local author Elizabeth Rudnick Hessler has novelized countless films for Disney, one of the world’s largest entertainment conglomerates, including recent live-action remakes such as 2015’s “Cinderella” and 2017’s “Beauty and the Beast.” Hessler’s latest Disney adaptation is of “Christopher Robin,” a film released in early August featuring classic characters such as Winnie the Pooh and Piglet. “I f...

Andrew Singer of Yarmouth has just released his compelling new memoir “China Sings to Me: A Journey into the Middle Kingdom and Myself” (Station Square Media, 2018). Singer, 52, who practices law in Dennis, spent the 1986-1987 college year in China. In 1986 both China and Singer were very different, and one of the great pleasures of this well-written coming-of-age story lies in observing how Singer changes and...

Do you believe in something because everyone says it’s so? Are you so afraid of being looked upon as a fool so much that you lie to yourself? Are you confident in your role in life? Do you believe in yourself? Take the fool-or-not test in this adaption of “The Emperor’s New Clothes” at the Cape Cod Theatre Company, Harwich Junior Theatre. on Division Street in West Harwich. The Theater has been a major player ...

Something about “then and now” shots of familiar places always captivates us – the older photographs reveal ghosts of what once existed in spots we know so well. So you might want to take a second look at “Double Take: Historical and Current Panoramic Photographs of Chatham,” a show of then-and-now photographs of the town on display at the Atwood House and Museum. If you already saw the show, which opened earl...

"Everyone in Yonkers is afraid of Grandma." Neil Simon's "Lost in Yonkers" won the 1991 Pulitzer and Tony Awards. "Lost" is not quite as light-hearted as his "Brighton Beach Memoirs" trilogy of comedies. In his character study of the Kurnitz family, Simon conveys two powerful messages that are keenly felt in Monomoy Theater's intensely thorough production, directed by Francesca James. Guest Artist Ellen Fis...

It was a little more than 24 hours before opening night of "As You Like It" at the Monomoy Theatre, and Allison Layman, who was preparing to go on as Rosalind in Shakespeare's comedy, was "nervous and excited." In addition to tackling the demanding role, often referred to as "Hamlet for women," Layman was also being directed for the first time by her father, Monomoy guest artist and favorite Terry Layman. Alli...

CHATHAM — Researchers at the Whydah Museum in West Yarmouth and Provincetown recently used DNA tests to draw some conclusions about the human bones Whydah divers have found at the site of the 1717 shipwreck off Eastham. First, a thigh bone that had a one-in-40 chance of belonging to the Whydah’s Captain Sam Bellamy did not belong to the infamous pirate. DNA from the bone was compared to DNA from Bellamy’s re...

CHATHAM — As a little girl, Jo Ann Ritter was fascinated by color. She "colored continuously." And later in life, as an artist, this is evident in her work. Beautiful colors in harmony with each other, combined with a subtle use of shading, create a calm, peaceful mood in her oil paintings. Ritter is a plein air painter, one who paints outside and captures the scene fresh from life. Ritter initially studied ...

"All the world's a stage!" Monomoy Theater's playful production of William Shakespeare's sportive, pastoral comedy "As You Like It" is set to the Age of Regency about 1790. Autocratic Dukes and Lords continue to rule their jurisdictions with full control over their subjects including brothers, sons, and daughters, or so it seems. "And all the men and women merely players." Written in 1599, "As You Like It" ...