Alt-rock royalty hits a home run with The Baseball Project and Pixies this week in CT arts

It’s a good week for fans of Harry S. Truman (whose grandson is portraying him in a one-man show at The Kate), Alice in Wonderland (thanks to the ever-dreamy Momix), songs about baseball (as pitched by the all-star Baseball Project band) and stand-up comedy (from Australia and elsewhere).

The biggest thrills are likely to be for those who spent the early 1990s in the emerging indie rock and emo scenes. The Pixies, Cat Power, Modest Mouse and Sunny Day Real Estate are all in Connecticut this week, the first three of those acts all on the same bill at Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater. All of them have split up or taken long hiatuses over the years, so opportunities to see them now shouldn’t be taken for granted.

Spread a little pop of darkness at the end of summer. Here are some of the top things to do and see this week in Connecticut arts.

‘Give ‘Em Hell Harry’ Katharine Hepburn Cultural Center, 300 Main St., Old Saybrook

“Give ‘Em Hell Harry” is a one-man show about President Harry S. Truman — you know, the guy who became president after Roosevelt died, held up a newspaper saying that he’d lost to Dewey when he hadn’t and dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The one-man play, written by Samuel Gallu, was performed for decades by James Whitmore. Now it’s being done by Truman’s own grandson, Clifton Truman Daniel, who has also written a book about his grandfather and served on the board of the Harry S. Truman Library Institute. Truman gives ‘em hell on Sunday at 1 p.m. at The Kate in Old Saybrook. $48. thekate.org.

The Baseball Project Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 East Ridge, Ridgefield

A rock supergroup featuring two members of R.E.M. (guitarist Peter Buck and bassist Mike Mills), two members of Steve Wynn & The Miracle 3 (the amazing Wynn himself and drummer Linda Pitmon) and multi-instrumentalist Scott McCaughey of Young Fresh Fellows, The Baseball Project only sings songs about baseball. The band members all share a lot of the game, though they all root for different teams. Sunday at 7 p.m. $35-$55. ridgefieldplayhouse.org.

Jen Kober Hartford Funny Bone, 194 Buckland Hills Dr., Manchester

Jen Kober has acted on TV series from “Treme” to “American Horror Story” and appeared in a slew of stand-up comedy specials. She’s an accomplished stand-up who’s quick on her feet and boasts a “rock ‘n’ roll” style. Aug. 24 at 7 p.m. at the Funny Bone in Manchester. $27-$42.hartford.funnybone.com.

Pixies, Modest Mouse, Cat Power Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater, 500 Broad St., Bridgeport

Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater continues to court the ‘80s/’90s nostalgia crowd, and this is one of the sharpest multi-band bills yet, including Boston’s legendary Pixies, the Pixies-influenced “Float On” success story Modest Mouse and one of the most acclaimed alt-rock solo acts of the ‘90s, Cat Power. Aug. 24 at 7 p.m. $39.50-$214.50. hartfordhealthcareamp.com.

‘Rent’ Cheney Hall, 177 Hartford Road, Manchester

The White Rabbit Theatre company counts the minutes in a year, bringing Jonathan Larson’s modern Bohemian musical to Manchester’s Cheney Hall from Aug. 25 through Sept. 3. This is the Glastonbury-based troupe that did Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None” at Cheney Hall last year and is not to be confused with the hall’s resident company, the Little Theater of Manchester. Performances are Aug. 25, 26, 31 and Sept. 1 and 2 at 7:30 p.m. and Aug. 27 and Sept. 3 at 2 p.m. $26, $22 seniors, $18 children. whiterabbittheatre.org.

Sunny Day Real Estate Toad’s Place, 300 York St., New Haven

When talking about the alt/indie bands of the early ‘90s (including those three playing at Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater on the 24th), never forget the underrated emo pioneers Sunny Day Real Estate. The band has split up and reunited multiple times. The latest reunion was last year and has led to this national tour, which brings Sunny Day Real Estate back to a club they last played nearly 23 years ago. Aug. 25 at 8 p.m. $35. toadsplace.com.

Jim Jeffries The Bushnell, 166 Capitol Ave., Hartford

Australian comedian Jim Jeffries has made 10 comedy specials since 2004, appeared in movies and TV series — including his own “Jim Jeffries Show” on Comedy Central — and is as busy in the UK as he is in Australia or the U.S. Somehow, he finds time to tour. Jeffries is at The Bushnell on Aug. 25 at 7 p.m. on his “Give ‘Em What They Want” tour. $50.25 to $208.25. bushnell.org.

MOMIX: ‘Alice’ Warner Theatre, 68 Main St., Torrington

The legendary Connecticut-based movement troupe MOMIX pops out of the rabbit hole with a modern take on “Alice in Wonderland” at Warner Theatre’s Oneglia Auditorium on Aug. 26 at 2 and 8 p.m. and Aug. 27 at 2 p.m. The Saturday matinee is a special family show. warnertheatre.org.

Plainville Hot Air Balloon Festival Norton Park, Plainville

Look to the skies. The Plainville Hot Air Balloon Festival is returning Aug. 25-26 after a three-year hiatus for its 36th weekend of performances, vendors, fireworks, a car show, art displays and hot air balloons. The festival opens Friday at 3 p.m. and features the Connecticut Firefighters Pipes and Drums ensemble at 6 p.m. then a “balloon glow” preceding the fireworks at 9:30 p.m. Saturday has balloon launches at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. and the general fair opening at 9 a.m. plainvillect.com.

Schemitzun 2023 Mashantucket Pequot Cultural Grounds

The Schemitzun ceremony at the Mashantucket Pequot Cultural Grounds on Aug. 26 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and April 27 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. is an annual harvest festival honoring local indigenous people with tribal dances, live music, Native American crafts and fire-pit cooking demonstrations. schemitzun.com