Into the woods we go for this week in CT arts with Broadway classics and outdoor concerts and festivals

It’s a good week to venture into the woods.

The West Hartford Summer Arts Festival is doing the Stephen Sondheim musical “Into the Woods” with a cast of high school and college students, while Castle Craig Players in Meriden is doing the same psychologically deep fairy tale show with an adult cast. Forests also figure strongly in “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” which the Greater Hartford Shakespeare Festival is doing for one more weekend outdoors at the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford.

Other blooming delights for midsummer include The Wallflowers at Foxwoods, the flower-power frenzy of the Happy Together Tour at the Oakdale Theatre, the Old Lyme Midsummer Festival, the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival in Goshen and the Litchfield Jazz Festival in Washington. The final Hartford Symphony Orchestra Talcott Mountain Music Series concert in Simsbury is “Serpentine Fire — The Music of Earth, Wind & Fire.”

Into the woods or onto the lawn, the great outdoors looks pretty great this week in Connecticut arts. Here are some of the top things to do and see.

‘Into the Woods’ West Hartford Summer Arts Festival, 1106 New Britain Ave., West Hartford

“Into the Woods” is ideal for youth theaters. The first act of the Stephen Sondheim/George Furth musical retells famous fairy tales, adding humanity and melody. The second act takes the tales in unusual directions, probing the minds and motives of the enchanted characters. There’s also a giant in it. West Hartford Summer Arts Festival, whose performers are in high school and college, is doing the whole show on July 27 and 28 at 7 p.m., then on July 29 at 1 p.m. are doing just the first act, which works for smaller children and family audiences. $25, $12 for the one-act Saturday matinee. westhartfordsaf.com.

Serpentine Fire — The Music of Earth, Wind & Fire Simsbury Meadows Performing Arts Center, 22 Iron Horse Blvd., Simsbury

The final Hartford Symphony Orchestra concert of this year’s outdoor Talcott Mountain Music Series at the Simsbury Meadows is a tribute to Earth, Wind & Fire. Earth and wind will be plentiful on the lawn, and the symphony should bring some fiery licks to “Boogie Wonderland.” July 28 at 7:30 p.m. $27.50 lawn seats. https://hartfordsymphony.org/.

The Wallflowers Foxwoods Resort Casino, 350 Shoreline Trolley Blvd., Mashantucket

Jakob Dylan’s band The Wallflowers has undergone so many line-up changes over the years that he has deemed it indistinguishable from his solo projects. His own role in the band has changed over the years. He’s always been the vocalist and songwriter, but he started as its rhythm guitarist and now often plays lead. On the albums, he’s played everything from keyboards to drums. The latest Wallflowers album is “Exit Wounds,” from 2021. The band’s biggest-selling and best-known album remains 1996’s “Bringing Down the Horse.” The Wallflowers rock Foxwoods’ Great Cedar Showroom on July 28 at 8 p.m. $45. foxwoods.com.

Old Lyme Midsummer Festival 2023 Florence Griswold Museum, 96 Lyme St., Old Lyme

The two-day Old Lyme Midsummer Festival is a townwide affair that includes a sidewalk art sale, a 5K run, a classic car show, a “Parading Paws” dog show, gallery exhibits and family activities. It all kicks off with a July 28 concert by the Savage Brothers, 7-9 p.m., on the lawn of the Florence Griswold Museum. florencegriswoldmuseum.org/visit/programs-events/midsummer-festival/.

Litchfield Jazz Festival Thomas S. Perakos Arts & Community Center, 22 Kirby Road, Washington

The weekend-long Litchfield Jazz Festival opens on July 28 with the festival’s Jazz Camp students playing at a gala party at 5:45 p.m. followed by acclaimed pianist Brandon Goldberg and his trio (plus special guest Don Braden) at 7:30 p.m. Saturday brings the Ehud Asherie Trio at noon, the Steve Nelson Quartet at 1:45 p.m., the Champian Fulton Trio at 3:30 p.m. and the Peter Bernstein Quartet at 5:15 p.m. The festival concludes July 30 at noon with the traditional “Sunday Brunch In The Garden” concert, this year featuring the David Dejesus Latin Jazz Band. That’s three trios, two quartets, a gala and a brunch. General admission is $49 on Friday and $75 on Saturday. The Sunday jazz brunch is $100. Other ticket deals are available. litchfieldjazzfest.com.

Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Goshen Fairgrounds, 116 Old Middle St., Goshen

Dozens of artists are playing the 25th annual Falcon Ridge Folk Festival in Goshen, some of them multiple times over the fest’s three days. The diverse line-up includes Aztec Two-Step, Bog Hollow, Bunkhouse Boys, Jim & Madeline Christensen, Ebony Hillbillies, Faux Paws, Gaslight Tinkers, Tracy Grammer, Phil Henry, Alice Howe & Freebo, Joe Jencks, Lucy Kaplansky, Stephen Kellogg, Beth Molaro, Grace Morrison, Nerissa & Katryna Nields, Ellis Paul, Sam Robbins, Crystal Shawanda, The Slambovian Circus of Dreams, The Storycrafters, David Jacobs-Strain & Bob Beach, Erin Ash Sullivan, Livingston Taylor, Tempest, Richard Thompson, Tony Trischka’s EarlJam, Kathryn Wedderburn and Annie Wenz. Some of the acts are assisted by the Fabulous Falcon Ridge All-Star House Band. The music happens from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, with an added Thursday Night Music Stage for those who come early or take advantage of the on-site camping opportunities. Tickets are $165 for all three days ($240 with camping), $60 for a single day (no camping). Children aged 13-19 are $75 for three days ($120 with camping). Children under 12 are free and there are discounts for seniors, students and military. The Thursday Night Music Stage is free for 3-day ticketholders or $20 otherwise. falconridgefolk.com.

‘Into the Woods’ Almira F. Stephan Memorial Playhouse, 59 West Main St., Meriden

Here’s another “Into the Woods,” by Meriden’s Castle Craig Players, July 28 through Aug. 12. All performances are currently sold out, but there’s a standby list on the website. castlecraigplayers.org.

Happy Together Tour Oakdale Theatre, 95 S. Turnpike Road, Wallingford

The Happy Together Tour, headed by the band that did the rapturous love song of that title, The Turtles, has been a bright spot in the summer touring season for decades. Howard Kaylan (whose many other hits include “Elenore” and “She’d Rather Be With Me”) retired from touring a few years ago, and the band now features vocalist Ron Dante of The Archies. Also on the bill, representing the cream of summertime ‘60s pop, are The Cowsills, Gary Puckett, Little Anthony, The Cowsills, The Classics IV and The Vogues. July 29 at 7:30 p.m. at the Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford. $39.50-$180. concerts.livenation.com.

Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa, Too $hort Xfinity Theater, 61 Savitt Way, Hartford

While all the ‘60s pop stars are crooning at the Oakdale, several decades of rap icons share a stage at the Xfinity Theater. Too $hort has been rapping since the ‘80s, Snoop Dogg since the ‘90s and Wiz Khalifa since the 2000s. They’ve crossed paths in various ways over the years and are now sharing a tour. July 29 at 6 p.m. Tickets range from $35 for the lawn to $750 for the top VIP package. concerts.livenation.com.

Shane Gillis The Bushnell, 166 Capitol Ave., Hartford

Comedian Shane Gillis was let go from “Saturday Night Live” the same day it was announced that he’d been hired when some controversial remarks from his “Secret Podcast” show got dredged up. He weathered that storm, seems to have learned a few lessons and still packs ‘em in at live shows. He’s on the big stage at The Bushnell July 29 at 7 p.m. $48-$61. bushnell.org.