"SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD" OFFERED AT BREGAMOS THEATER

The Bregamos Community Theater is a hidden gem at 491 Blatchley Avenue in the Fair Haven section of New Haven, just off I-91 and even GPS has trouble directing you to its welcoming, eclectic doors. In the heart of Erector Square, it was originally the brain child of Rafael Ramos, who in 2019 received the C. Newton Schenck III Award for lifetime achievement in the arts from the Arts Council of Greater New Haven. For more than a quarter of a century, Ramos worked for the Livable City Initiative, New Haven's anti-blight agency. He is proud that Bregamos Theater has become a community center accessible to the youth and adults of the state. According to Ramos, the theater’s name, Bregamos, means “we tweak it until it works,” and since 2000 has secured its nonprofit status. In 2007, it moved to Blatchley Avenue and exists as an all-volunteer effort, working with dozens of diverse organizations. Lara Morton, as creative producer, co-founded FUSE on site here in 2019, with the goal of “telling a story.” FUSE’s current offering is “Songs for a New World” with music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown, a show that is described as neither a musical or a song cycle, but an abstract piece of diverse songs all connected by “the moment of decision.” Brown defines it as “the moment…it’s hitting the wall and having to make a choice, or take a stand, or turn around and go back.” Come meet Amber Emerson, Tiessa Hills, Susan Kulp, Brian Meltzer, Kelaey Mulligan and Ty Scurry on the weekend of Saturday, January 14 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, January 15 at 3 p.m. with Matt Durland on piano. The musical numbers range from a woman who threatens to jump form her penthouse apartment to gain her husband’s attention in “Just One Step,” two lost souls who bemoan their poor luck in “The River Won’t Flow,” a woman in “Stars and the Moon” who chooses wealth over love and regrets it, an unhappy Mrs. Claus who is bidding a sad farewell to her unresponsive mate and many more. The program, directed by Noah Golden, ends with “Hear My Story” and the hope that everyone can overcome hardship by standing together. For tickets ($15-22), go online to FuseTheatreCT.org. Masks are required while in the theater. Follow/Like Us on FB and Instagram: @fusetheatrect or #fuseislit Go on a musical adventure and discover the crossroads and decisions that need to be selected in order to succeed.