It’s a time for arrivals and departures at this midpoint of summer, at least when summer is charted on the arts and entertainment calendar. On the arrivals board, Portland Chamber Music Festival, one of the Port City’s top summertime happenings for the past 19 years, will crank up the violins, cellos and quite a few […]

The golden age of American musical theater produced a score of masterpieces that never cease to fascinate and entertain. One of these is “Gypsy,” the biggest hit from 1959. “Gypsy” pushes many emotional buttons on many levels, and Maine State Music Theatre is currently running a sensationally good production of this enduring tour de force. […]

Greater Portland Books & Authors Meet the Authors: Maine books for kids, 1-2 p.m., Saturdays in July, Portland Observatory, 138 Congress St., Portland, 774-5561. Wednesday 7/24 Christina Baker Kline, author of “Orphan Train,” 12 p.m., Portland Public Library, 5 Monument Square, Portland, 871-1700 ext. 723, free. The Poetry of Summer: Annie Finch and Her Favorite […]

Greater Portland Books & Authors Wednesday 7/17 Sam Halpern, author of “A Far Piece to Canaan,” 12 p.m., Portland Public Library, 5 Monument Square, Portland, 871-1700 ext. 723. Thursday 7/18 Travis Brown, author of “How Money Walks,” 5:30-7 p.m., Portland Country Club, 11 Foreside Road, Falmouth, 321-2550, $35, includes a signed copy of the book. […]

Two productions in very different branches of musical theater are the top offerings on late July’s arts and entertainment calendar. Ogunquit Playhouse just opened Mel Brooks’ “Young Frankenstein,” which is extraordinarily funny and extremely tuneful. The set, which soars more than 20 feet into the uppermost reaches of the playhouse, is one of the astonishing […]

Greater Portland Books & Authors Saturday 7/13 Connie Smith, author of “Pea Soup Fog,” 1 p.m., Portland Observatory, 138 Congress St., Portland, 774-5561. Thursday 7/18 Travis Brown, author of “How Money Walks,” 5:30-7 p.m., Portland Country Club, 11 Foreside Road, Falmouth, 321-2550, $35, includes a signed copy of the book. Film Thursday 7/11 “The Sandlot,” […]

With the long Fourth of July weekend behind us, Maine enters its most intense period of summer, with many concerts and other performances beckoning residents and tourists alike. Summer music festivals are among our state’s most appealing attractions. Amongst the pines and ponds of western Maine, the Sebago-Long Lake Music Festival is set to open […]

A powerful and epic opera that is written in the idiom of pop music is the second offering of the summer season at Maine State Music Theatre in Brunswick. “Les Miserables” was a Broadway mega-hit in the 1980s and 1990s. In 2008, it was one of the biggest hits in MSMT’s history. Five years later […]

Greater Portland Books & Authors Saturday 7/6 Chris Van Dusen, author of “If I Built a House,” 1 p.m., Portland Observatory, 138 Congress St., Portland, 774-5561. Saturday 7/13 Connie Smith, author of “Pea Soup Fog,” 1 p.m., Portland Observatory, 138 Congress St., Portland, 774-5561. Film Wednesday 7/3 “Gettysburg,” 12 p.m., Portland Public Library, 5 Monument […]