Blast Off to Adventure: Southampton Playhouse Screens Movies That Are out of This World

Southampton Playhouse will host its inaugural Hamptons Space Week from September 19 to 25, featuring a series of films and events that celebrate space exploration, scientific discovery and cinematic storytelling.

The week begins with a 30th anniversary IMAX screening of “Apollo 13” on Friday, September 19. Ron Howard’s acclaimed 1995 film chronicles NASA’s harrowing 1970 lunar mission and returns to the big screen to honor its enduring legacy and its message of resilience in the face of adversity.

On Saturday, September 20, the Playhouse will present “Deep Sky” in IMAX, a visually striking documentary that explores the work of the James Webb Space Telescope. A solar viewing will follow the screening, weather permitting.

The space-themed programming continues on Monday, September 22, with a special anniversary event celebrating Carl Sagan’s novel “Contact.” The evening will include a screening of the 1997 film adaptation starring Jodie Foster, which honors the story’s 40th anniversary. Special guests for the event will be announced at a later date.

“These films remind us why we look to the stars,” the Playhouse said in a statement. “They tell stories not just of science and discovery, but of the courage it takes to explore the unknown.”

Outside of the space lineup, the theater’s Martin Scorsese Family Film Series continues on Tuesday, September 16, with a screening of the screwball comedy “Monkey Business,” starring Cary Grant. The 1952 film follows a nerdy chemist whose accidental youth serum leads to romantic chaos and teenage antics.

On Monday, September 29, Southampton Playhouse will join theaters across the country for Silent Movie Day with a 100th anniversary screening of Charlie Chaplin’s restored 1925 classic, “The Gold Rush.” The 4K restoration features the Little Tramp’s misadventures in the Klondike and includes iconic moments such as the “shoe-eating” scene and the dinner roll dance.

The month concludes on Tuesday, September 30, with a screening of the new documentary “Elie Wiesel: Soul on Fire,” marking the Nobel Peace Prize winner’s birthday and revisiting his legacy 80 years after his liberation from Buchenwald. The event will include a Q&A with the film’s producer, Annette Insdorf, a Columbia University film scholar and longtime friend of Wiesel.

All events will take place at the Southampton Playhouse, located at 125 Main Street, Southampton. For more information, visit www.southamptonplayhouse.org.