Aga-Boom: Making a Mess Was Never So Fun

Veterans of Cirque du Soleil and the Moscow Clown Theater are the world-class master clowns who will dump their special brand of chaos on Jorgensen this Sunday, April 10, in 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. shows. 

"Aga-Boom," the show created by Dimitri Bogatirev, starts with the careful clowning of Iryna Ivanytska, Bogatirev's wife, as Boom, the female in the trio. As Boom tries to clean house, she falls under the spell of a big red button labeled “Do not touch!” “A message like that inspires more vocal audience reaction than a Jerry Springer sideshow,” a Winnipeg Free Press reviewer wrote. Soon an irritated astronaut, played by Valery Slemzin, appears, followed by the third star, Aga, played by Bogatirev, who defies gravity with objects that range from suitcases to paper airplanes. Much mayhem ensues, involving toilet paper streamers and giant trash bag balloons and, of course, audience participation.

Parents may feel a little guilty allowing the hilarious abandon, but they shouldn’t worry. They won’t have to clean up afterward.

The Bank of America Children’s Series event tickets are $13 for adults, $11 for children. For information or tickets, call 860-486-4226 or visit jorgensen.uconn.edu. Free parking across the street in the North Garage.

Kenny Chesney and Friends at Mohegan

In his biggest tour in five years, country megastar Kenny Chesney will perform Friday and Saturday, April 8 and 9, at 8 p.m. at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville. The Associated Press calls Chesney "among the hardest charging acts on the road." The talent himself says about his tour, "We're going to be playing new songs and lots of old favorites, and I can already tell it's going to be a lot of fun."

Chesney recorded his latest album, “Hemingway’s Whiskey,” in 2010, and it entered the Billboard 200 at No. 1, the sixth time that’s happened with one of his albums. He also made a documentary about high school football, The Boys of Fall, now on pre-order at Walmart.

Appearing with Chesney will be Billy Currington and Uncle Kracker. For tickets ($125 and $95), call 1-888-777-7922 or visit Mohegan Sun entertainment.

Jazz and World Music Trio at UConn

Bela Fleck, Zakir Hussain and Edgar Meyer – masters of their own instruments and styles – are even more impressive in their abilities to cross over from genre to genre. When all is said and done, the mixture of a bluegrass banjo player, an Indian classical musician and a Western classical bassist yields a unique brand of jazz.

This trio of diverse musicians of the world comes together on Jorgensen’s stage Friday, April 8, at 8 p.m. Tickets are going fast.

Fleck, founder of the avant garde fusion group Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, has been nominated for Grammys in, by far, the most categories in Grammy history – country, pop, jazz, bluegrass, classical, folk, spoken word, composition, and arranging. He first fell for the banjo at age 15 when he heard Flatt and Scruggs play on the TV show “The Beverly Hillbillies.”

This tour of genre-bending virtuosos is winding down, so see them in Storrs, if you can.

The event is sponsored by 88.5 FM WFCR/WNNZ 640 AM. For tickets ($30, $27 and $25), call 860-486-4226 or visit jorgensen.uconn.edu.

Elvis is Alive! … in Stafford Springs

This weekend and next, Elvis will return to the building. That is, if it’s the Old Town Hall (Ben Muzio Town House) in Stafford Springs on Friday and Saturday, April 8-9 and 15-16.

Comic and dramatic vignettes in "Elvis People," a play by Doug Grissom, reveal the cultural impact of the King and his Elvis touch. Stories stem from his first appearance on the “Ed Sullivan Show” in 1956 and lay out his effect on devoted fans, naysayers, wheeler dealers, music lovers and even those who wanted so badly to be him, or to call him back from the dead.

Community actors from Stafford, Tolland, Willington and Manchester appear in this Stafford Arts Commission production, directed by commission chairperson Georgia Michalec and sponsored by the North Central News. Show time is 8 p.m. on all four nights. Doors open at 7:30. Tickets are $8, $5 for seniors. For information, call 860-684-9500 or 860-684-5211.

Art for Earth's Sake at the Lutz

Earth Day (April 22) is around the corner, and it's time for teaching the creative side of recycling, starting with the young. On Thursday and Friday, April 7-8, the Lutz Children’s Museum in Manchester will hold three hands-on events for kids.

“Trash to Treasure” will show 3- to 5-year-olds how to make art out of that throwaway stuff, and teach them to make their own recycled paper, collages and other artifacts. The class is Thursday, 10-11 a.m.

“Make Art, Not Trash” will engage kids ages 6-10 to combine art and the three R’s to turn something junky into funky. The class is Thursday, 4-5 p.m.

“Eco Art” takes the same theme and delivers it to 2- to 3-year-olds, with their caregivers along, of course, on Friday from 10 to 10:30 a.m.

The Lutz is at 247 S. Main St., to register call 860-643-0949.

Spanish Film ‘Timecrimes’ at Great Path

You’ve heard of trying to find yourself. Well, that’s the least of the challenges for the ordinary man who climbs into a time machine when things get weird at his new home, in the film “Timecrimes.” The 2007 sci-fi mystery will be shown Friday, April 8, at Great Path Academy on the Manchester Community College campus. The Spanish film, which is part of the MCC International Film Series, will be shown in the SBM Charitable Foundation Auditorium.

The show starts at 7 p.m. and is free. For information, visit the Manchester Community College Web site.