From ‘Hadestown’ to hair band Slaughter, it is a wild week in CT arts

It’s a week of myths, legends and wild gyrations on Connecticut stages.

The Broadway musical “Hadestown,” a pop/rock song cycle based on Greek myths, is in New Haven, a dance based on “Alice in Wonderland” is at The Bushnell and the hot modern dance troupe Rennie Harris Puremovement is at Yale.

The Decemberists, who crafted sustained story-based concept albums in the 2000s, are at College Street Music Hall. Drag star Varla Jean Merman is larger than life at TheaterWorks Hartford, while an equally wild comedy show, the play “You Can’t Take It With You” get the community theater treatment in Suffield.

Other legends range from Lyle Lovett to the hair band Slaughter.

And don’t forget that Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus is back in Connecticut, May 3-5, at Hartford’s XL Center.

It’s an overwhelming week of over-the-top entertainment. Here’s some of the things to see in Connecticut.

Varla Jean Merman: ‘Stand By Your Drag’ TheaterWorks Hartford, 233 Pearl St., Hartford

The famous and fabulous drag queen Varla Jean Merman returns to TheaterWorks in her latest one-person show written by Hartford area playwright Jacques Lamarre. Two performances, April 28 at 4 and 7 p.m. $35-$60. twhartford.org.

Journey and Toto Total Mortgage Arena, 600 Main St., Bridgeport

Two ridiculously popular pop bands of the 1970s and ‘80s, Journey and Toto, still have enough fans that they can tour arenas together, doing AM radio standards like Toto’s “Hold the Line,” “Rosanna” and “Africa” and Journey’s “Any Way You Want It,” “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’” and “Don’t Stop Believin’.” April 29 at 7:30 p.m. $114.60-$579.75. totalmortgagearena.com.

Rennie Harris Puremovement Yale Schwarzman Center, 168 Grove St., New Haven

Rennie Harris Puremovement American Street Dance Theater, the nationally renowned streetsmart contemporary dance troupe from Pennsylvania, is visiting the Yale campus for a free public performance of “Nuttin’ But a Word” April 30 at 7:30 p.m. at the university’s Schwarzman Center. The performance will be followed by a Q&A session. RHPM will also lead a dance class on the April 28. schwarzman.yale.edu.

‘Hadestown’ Shubert Theatre, 247 College St., New Haven

The earthy Broadway hit about the mythic figures Orpheus, Eurydice, Persephone, Hades and Hermes returns to Connecticut April 30 through May 5 at New Haven’s Shubert Theatre, with a different cast than it had when it played Hartford just over a year ago. This isn’t one of those shows that insists on duplicating the performing styles of its original cast, so it might be worth a fresh look to hear how Anaïs Mitchell’s haunting score sounds with these voices. Performances are Tuesday and Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., Thursday at 1 and 7:30 p.m., Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. $64.30-$138. shubert.com.

New Haven Symphony Orchestra: ‘Alisdair’s Finale’ Woolsey Hall, 500 College St., New Haven

Alisdair Neale’s final concert as music director of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra features Mahler’s “Titan” symphony and two works by early 20th century Black female composer Florence Price: “Ethiopia’s Shadow in America” and “Andante Moderato for Strings.” May 2 at 7:30 p.m. at Yale’s Woolsey Hall. $39-$69. newhavensymphony.org.

Rich Vos Mohegan Sun, 1 Mohegan Sun Blvd., Uncasville

Rich Vos has been a working comedian since the ‘80s. You might remember him as a regular on “Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn” in the 2000s. He has co-hosted over 550 episodes of the podcast, “My Wife Hates Me” and still makes time to perform in clubs. Vos is at Mohegan Sun’s Comix Comedy Club for a three-night stand May 2 and 3 at 8 p.m. and May 4 at 6 and 8 p.m. $20-$45. mohegansun.com.

‘You Can’t Take It With You’ Mapleton Hall, 1305 Mapleton Ave., Suffield

The Suffield Players’ opened its current season with the oddball 1941 comedy “Arsenic and Old Lace” and is closing it May 2-18 with the oddball 1936 comedy “You Can’t Take It With You.” The Pulitzer-winning Kaufman & Hart classic shows the crazy goings-on at the Vanderhof/Sycamore/Carmichael household, activities which range from creative dance to political pamphleteering and income tax dodging. Performances are May 2-4, 10, 11, 17 and 18 at 8 p.m. and May 12 at 2 p.m. $22, $19 students & seniors; $15 for May 2 preview performance. suffieldplayers.org.

Spose The Webster, 31 Webster St., Hartford

Maine rapper Spose just released his 10th album “What Can Go Wrong?” and is on tour, playing The Webster May 3 at 8 p.m. Another Maine act, the more rock-based Rigotmetrics, opens. $20; $400 VIP booth. thewebsterct.com.

The Jayhawks Infinity Hall, 32 Front St., Hartford

Progenitors of the ‘90s pop genre alternately known as alt-country, Americana or No Depression, the Jayhawks (whose hits include “Waiting for the Sun” and “Save It for a Rainy Day”) return to Infinity Hall Hartford May 3 at 8 p.m. $38-$68. infinityhall.com.

Lyle Lovett and Lisa Loeb Garde Arts Center, 325 State St., New London

An intriguing pairing of Lyle Lovett (“Pontiac”) and Lisa Loeb (“Stay”) takes to the stage of the gorgeous Garde Arts Center in New London on May 3 at 8 p.m. $48-$125. gardearts.org.

Slaughter Mohegan Sun, 1 Mohegan Sun Blvd., Uncasville

While other ‘90s heavy metal bands are charging exorbitant tickets prices on multi-band bills in arenas, you can find Slaughter (still helmed by Mark Slaughter and Dana Strum) playing their hits “Up All Night” and “Fly to the Angels” for free at Mohegan Sun Wolf Den May 3 at 8 p.m. mohegansun.com.

‘Invincible Summer’ Hole in the Wall Theater, 116 Main St., New Britain

The Actors Ensemble theater company is using Hole in the Wall Theater’s space in New Britain to present local playwright Kevin Stuart Brodie’s “Invincible Summer,” about the friendship between a concert pianist with Parkinson’s Disease and an outspoken nonagenarian Irishman. Performances are May 3 and 4 at 8 p.m. and May 5 at 2:30 p.m. $25, $20 students & seniors; group rates available. hitw.org.

The Decemberists College Street Music Hall, 238 College St., New Haven

The Decemberists were the darlings of the literate intellectual indie pop set in the 2000s. Though not as prolific as they were in their early years, they’ve released an album and an EP in the last decade, recently put out two singles and announced the forthcoming album “As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again.” The Decemberists will wow the college crowd May 4 at 8 p.m. at New Haven’s College Street Music Hall. $65.29, $219.76 for “VIP experience.” collegestreetmusichall.com.

Connecticut Ballet’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’ The Bushnell, 166 Capitol Ave., Hartford Palace Theatre, 61 Atlantic St., Stamford

Connecticut Ballet goes down the rabbit hole with its graceful, fanciful dance adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland.” The hour-long dance (presented with an intermission) is choreographed by Connecticut Ballet’s artistic director Bret Raphael. There are two performances, in two locations: May 4 at 2 p.m. at The Bushnell ($66-$105, bushnell.org) and May 18 at 2 p.m. at the Stamford Palace ($60-$85, palacestamford.org).