Comedy Round-Up: SNL Veterans, Michael Blackson, Sea Tea Wrestling Match

Cloe Poisson | Cpoisson@courant.com
Hartford Ballroom, a dance studio on Arbor Street, holds regular monthly tango and salsa nights, with instruction and dancing, and parties that follow. Full story here
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The Lock Museum of America in Terryville has opened an adventure room with the goal of finding the prize. Adventurers are free to roam the five upstairs rooms — totaling about 2,000 square feet — and find six clues that will open a chest. More information here.
Peter Casolino | Special To The Courant
Chion Wolf, a Connecticut Public Radio personality, hosts a monthly live advice show at the Sea Tea Comedy Theater in Hartford, where she and panelists discuss people's problems and how to solve them. Read story here.
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HAPPY HOUR UPWARD HARTFORD Hartford's co-working space hosts a complimentary happy hour on Wednesdays from 4 to 6 p.m. A great opportunity to network, drink some beer and play some ping pong. Free. upwardhartford.com.
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Tickets are on sale now for the 2018-19 season of Met Live in HD, the ongoing series of live and recorded performances by New York's Metropolitan Opera, shown in cinemas nationwide. Among the offerings is the Met directing debut of Hartford Stage artistic director Darko Tresnjak: Saint-Saëns' "Samson et Dalila," showing in October. Full story here.

By Christopher Arnott | carnott@courant.com | Hartford Courant

PUBLISHED: July 14, 2018 at 6:00 a.m. | UPDATED: December 31, 2018 at 1:44 p.m.

Four “Saturday Night Live” veterans, including one of the show’s longest-serving members, are at Mohegan Sun Arena at 8 p.m. July 28.

Jon Lovitz, active on “SNL” from 1985-90, was best known for his “Lying Man” character (who was allegedly married to Morgan Fairchild) and for his impressions of Michael Dukakis and Harvey Fierstein.

Chris Kattan, who was on the show from 1996-2003, gave the world Mr. Peepers, Mango, and one of the head-bobbing Butabi Brothers. Finesse Mitchell was an “SNL” cast member from 2003-06, playing everyone from Morgan Freeman to Venus Williams, and creating the feisty ghetto resident Starkisha.

Master impressionist Darrell Hammond was an “SNL” regular for 14 seasons, from 1995 to 2009. His longevity record was broken only last season (by Kenan Thompson). Hammond still serves as the show’s announcer.

Tickets for “Veterans of SNL” are $29.

Also on the Mohegan Sun grounds this week, the Comix Club offers the drag variety show “Lipstick, Lashes & Lies,” with hostess Mia E Z’Lay, 10:30 p.m. July 27. $15, plus a $10 food/drink minimum.

The Mohegan Sun resort casino complex is at 1 Mohegan Sun Blvd., Uncasville. 860-862-7000, mohegansun.com

Michael Blackson

Michael Blackson, billed as “the African King of Comedy,” returns to the Funnybone club July 27 and 28. Blackson, who’s originally from Ghana and is known from the movies “Next Friday” and “Meet the Blacks,” performs Friday at 8 and 10 p.m. and Saturday at 7 and 10 p.m. Tickets are $45. 194 Buckland Hills Dr., Manchester. 860-432-8600, hartford.funnybone.com

Sea Tea Wrestling Sketch

At the Sea Tea Comedy Theater on July 27 at 8 p.m., improv competitions take the shape of a wrestling match, with all the hustle and bustle that implies. “The Wrestling Sketch Show” pits Sea Tea Improv troupe members against each other in what’s described as “a metaphorical steel cage” battle. The battles include BJ Quagan vs. Peter Gacek, Josh Wells vs. Tom McCudden, Laura Manasewich vs. Julia Pistell and a tag team match of Cassandra Khan and Nate Gagnon against Jack Hughes and Nate D’Entremont. Tickets are $10. 860-578-4TEA, seateaimprov.com