Arts Briefs: Wide variety of theater, music and more in the Valley, this weekend and next

'Torch Song' revival

The Torch Song Revival Collective, a group of mostly queer and trans theater artists, will be joining Easthampton Theater Company for a revival of "Torch Song," a two-act adaptation of Harvey Fierstein's "Torch Song Trilogy," a play about New York City drag queen Arnold Beckoff and his search for love and family. The show will be at the Flex Space at 33 Hawley in Northampton from Friday, July 25, through Sunday, Aug. 3. (Times vary.)

"All he wants is a husband, a child, and a pair of bunny slippers, but a visit from his overbearing mother reminds him that he needs one thing more: respect," a press release said. "Harvey Fierstein's Tony Award-winning play is celebrated for its humor, poignancy, and unflinching portrayal of the LGBTQ+ experience."

The production sold out its two-weekend run at CitySpace last year.

Tickets are pay-what-you-can (including free, if necessary) from $15 to $100 at the door and at torchsongrevival.com/tickets, and a portion of the profits will be donated to LGBTQ causes.

Note: this play contains adult language and situations.

Play about issues with 'Fiddler on the Roof'

Playwright and author John Feffer will perform his original one-man show, "The Wedding Jester," a play about the history of Jewish comedy and "Fiddler on the Roof," at CitySpace in Easthampton on Friday, July 25, and Saturday, July 26, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, July 27, at 3 p.m.

The show, which debuted at the Yiddish Book Center earlier this year, is about an extra in the 1971 movie "Fiddler on the Roof" who offers to help director Norman Jewison make the movie more authentic. The extra had lived in a shtetl himself and had been a “badkhn,” a jester for Jewish weddings, so he offers to consult with Jewison (who, despite his name, is not Jewish) to rework the script.

According to a press release, the play "challenges our notions of authenticity and of what is 'too Jewish' or 'not Jewish enough.' And it does what any good badkhn must do — it makes audiences laugh and cry."

Feffer said that he learned Yiddish to read the original stories by Sholem Aleichem that became the "Fiddler" script, and he composed original klezmer music to accompany the show as well.

"The Wedding Jester" is 75 minutes, followed by a short talkback. Tickets are $20 via Eventbrite.

Residency opportunityfor artists

The Artery Exchange, the residency program of Holyoke Art, invites artists to apply for its fall/winter 2025 residency.

The program provides artists with a private studio space, use of the Artery Exchange etching press, access to a makerspace, a stipend, and a supplies budget. Selected artists will create work for an exhibition at the Artery and will have teaching opportunities, networking events, and professional development assistance as well.

Applicants must be over 21 years old and not in a degree-seeking program.

The Artery Exchange Program debuted last year with Jay Neal, a Berkshires-based artist whose work includes paintings, block prints, and poetry.

To be considered, fill out the application at holyokeart.com/artery-exchange.

Classical quintet concert

The music series Sevenars will present a concert of the Springfield Chamber Players' Clarinet Quintet on Sunday, July 27, at 4 p.m. at The Academy (15 Ireland St.) in South Worthington.

The program will include works by Vaughan Williams, Alexander Borodin, Paul Chihara, and Bernard Hermann. All of the quintet members share Springfield Symphony Orchestra history.

This concert will be dedicated to the memory of the late Mark Auerbach, an arts reporter in western Massachusetts who died earlier this year.

Admission is free, but a suggested $20 donation is welcome at the door. The concert will also include free refreshments.

For more information, visit sevenars.org.

Learn to playthe darbuka

Raquy Danzinger, an expert musician, composer, and educator known for her virtuosity on the darbuka, a goblet drum, will hold a darbuka masterclass and concert at Bombyx on Saturday, July 26. The workshop will be from 4 to 5:30 p.m., and the concert will be at 7 p.m.

The masterclass will be open-level and will explore techniques, rhythms, and solo phrases.

Participants should bring a darbuka (or any other hand drum) and a notebook.

Danzinger also plays the 12-string shah kaman, a 12-string instrument based on the Persian kamancheh. The concert will feature original compositions as well as traditional and classical music played on the darbuka and shah kaman.

"Through her concerts, compositions, and teaching methodology, Raquy has made a significant contribution toward elevating the darbuka from a humble folk drum to a shining solo instrument fit for a concert hall," the event description said.

Tickets are $40 for the workshop only or $50 for the workshop and concert via bombyx.live. Card to Culture tickets are available.

Choir concert of one-hit wonders

The community rock choir Rock Voices will perform a concert exclusively of one-hit wonders at the Academy of Music on Saturday, Aug. 2, at 7 p.m.

The show will include one-hit songs from nearly every modern decade, including "Rockin' Robin," "Video Killed the Radio Star," "Take on Me," "I'm Gonna Be/500 Miles," "Somebody That I Used to Know," "Shut Up and Dance," and more.

Tickets are $13.95 to $25.16, fees included, or free for kids 12 and under via aomtheatre.com, at the box office, or by calling 413-584-9032 x 105. Card to Culture tickets are also available.

Staged reading of ‘A Smaller Place’

P.J. Adzima, the current Elder McKinley in "The Book of Mormon" on Broadway, and actress Ellen Barry will do a staged reading of the play "A Smaller Place" at North Hall in Huntington on Sunday, July 27, at 2 p.m.

The reading will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the play's first reading at North Hall — which was also the first ever event at North Hall.

The plot of the show, according to a press release is, "Jack, and his mother Muriel, have a good relationship. Every few weeks he drops by and brings groceries, and they catch up. But today, something doesn’t seem quite right; and as he and Muriel banter, a lot of things come out into the open - things they haven’t talked about in all these years. Veering back and forth between comedy and tragedy, Jack and Muriel find themselves in the midst of a life-altering conversation."

Admission is free, but donations will benefit the North Hall Association.