"LUCKY STIFF" A FUNNY MUSICAL MYSTERY FARCE AT SEVEN ANGELS

If you’re a very lucky person, even if it is unexpected or undecidedly good fortune where your luck is unremarkable on the surface, one might call you a "lucky stiff.” Additionally there might be an element of green-eyed jealousy or super surprise in the unusual circumstances. You might consider yourself an average Joe, an ordinary guy, even a failure, who suddenly and unexpectedly gets lucky, clearly unworthy of the gifts you get.

Seven Angels Theatre in Waterbury is taking a wild and crazy dip into the topic with their current production of “Lucky Stiff,” a comic farce with book by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty. The comedy is based on Michael Butterworth’s “The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo” written in 1983.

Be prepared to laugh as you follow our unsuspecting hero, Constantine Pappas as Harry Witherspoon, a modest shoe salesman. Harry discovers that an uncle he never met has died and left him oodles of money in diamonds, like $6 million worth. Before he can buy a Porsche or a yacht, he must take his dead uncle (Rick Fountain) in a wheel chair on an all-expense trip to Monte Carlo for a week and treat him as if the uncle is still alive, hence he’s a lucky stiff.

Beware there is a woman (Molly Model as Annabell Glick) from the Universal Dog Home of Brooklyn who is also a rival for the loot and she is hoping Harry will make a mistake and violate the terms of the inheritance so her charity will get the diamonds for her canine cause. They are both being pursued by a money hungry woman with a gun who killed the uncle and will kill again if it allows her to win, Savannah Stevens as Rita LaPorte. Due to her poor eyesight, Rita accidently killed her lover Tony. Or did she?

Confused by this musical comedy mystery yet? Bellhops, maids, corpses in wheelchairs, nightclub singers, nosy landlords, optometrists, lawyers, casino players and flashy Italians all run around slamming doors and searching for a heart shaped box filled with gems. The talented cast also includes Hailey Aviva, Zayaz Da Camera Jonah King, Abby McGough, Paul Rescigno, and Jonathan Zalaski. From the moment the company sings “Something Funny’s Going On,” the hijinks start running out of control, thanks to the zany direction and choreography of Robert Mintz.

For tickets ($40-42, Vets and First Responders $37, students $20), call Seven Angels, 1 Plank Road, Waterbury at 203-757-4676 or online at sevenangelstheatre.org. Performances are Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Remember many performances have specialty nights with edible treats.

Come discover if anyone wins the diamonds, who is actually the corpse in the wheelchair and whether Monte Carlo proves lucky for anyone willing to risk everything for money or love.

"RENT" A MUSICAL TRIBUTE BY JONATHAN LARSEN AT MTC

“Rent” is the kind of musical that tears your heartstrings, even as it elevates your soul. It is filled with emotions that stir you, trouble you and make you want to make their often tortured lives better. These are artists, young people that want the world to acknowledge them and all they are striving to achieve. There is a beauty in their struggle and a hope in their promise.

Jonathan Larsen literally gave his life to “Rent’s” creation. As composer and playwright, he accumulated a veritable treasure chest of awards including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Book and Best Original Score as well as the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical, Book and Lyrics, all for his seminal work “Rent.” Unfortunately, tragically, Larson died the day before the first preview of “Rent” Off-Broadway at the age of only 35 in New York City.

A musical adaptation of Puccini’s opera “La Boheme,” “Rent” shadowed much of Larson’s life as he too lived in a rundown New York apartment with many roommates, including having a love affair on and off with a female dancer. He used an illegal wood-burning stove to combat the building’s lack of heat, with everyone a struggling artist trying to create a bohemian life style. One of Broadway’s longest running shows, you now have the unique opportunity to experience Jonathan Larson’s opus “Rent” at the Music Theater of Connecticut until Sunday, October 12.

In 1989, when Larson was only 29, he began working on the musical “amid poverty, homelessness, spunky gay life, drag queens and punk.” The title “rent” stands for lives “torn apart.” Puccini’s work more than 100 years earlier centers on young wannabe artists and the devastation of tuberculosis while Larson introduced HIV/AIDS, Puccini’s Paris became New York’s East Village, and many of the characters’s names stayed close to the original.

For example, Mimi the seamstress sick with TB is now Mimi (Gabriela Gomez) the exotic dancer with HIV. The poet Rodolfo is now Roger (Jacob Heimer ), a song writer/musician who is HIV positive and Mimi’s boyfriend. Roger’s roommate is Mark (Joe Tolentino) a filmmaker, adapted from Marcello, a painter. The singer Musetta becomes Maureen, (Olivia Fenton) a bisexual performance artist who loves Joanne, (Ladonna Burns) a lesbian lawyer, while the musician Schaunard is now the drag queen Angel. Angel (Cedric Leiba Jr.) is dating Tom Collins,(Darrick Penny) the earnest philosopher Colline who teaches his theories of life at college. The landlord Benoit is now Benny. (Matt Mancuso) who holds the key to their survival.

Larson wrote “Rent” in part to celebrate the achievements of the artists stolen by illness so young and to show how the community copes with a tragedy within its ranks. In “Rent,” we meet Mark the narrator cinematographer who is chronicling the activities of his friends as he adjusts to his ex- girlfriend Maureen’s new relationship with Joanne . Meanwhile his roommate Roger is trying desperately to compose one “glory” song before AIDS takes him. His chance meeting with another AIDS patient Mimi may be just the impetus and candle of inspiration he needs.

The time is Christmas eve and there is no holly and no heat, no mistletoe and no money, but the motley group have gathered to celebrate with the natural exuberance and hope that the youth cling to so promisingly. Sexual gender blurs as this questioning generation musically explores the seasons of love contained in the 525,600 minutes that make up a year, contemplate the death of the soul in “Without You” and do a dance of protest in “Tango: Maureen.”

For tickets ($50-60), call the Music Theatre of Connecticut, 509 Westport Avenue, Norwalk at 203-454-3883 or online at musictheatreofct.com. Performances are Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. A special performance on Sunday, October 5 at 7 p.m. will benefit the Norwalk High School Theatre Company.

Explore this spirited and high decibel Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning musical, wonderfully staged and choreographed by Chris McNiff, with a sincere and talented cast that explodes to the rafters with a exuberant hunger for love, life and art.

"MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET" A SOLID WINNER AT PLAYHOUSE ON PARK

Are you ready, set, go for an explosive retro concert that signals the explosive rocket ship that is Rock ’n Roll? Can you picture yourself at a time that captures the best of the best before these legends went forth to meet their destinies?

Is your music wedded to the 1950's? Do you identify with swivel hips and wild gyrations? Would you like to return to yesterday for your listening and dancing pleasures? If so, then do I have a musical marathon designed just for you. The date is December 4, 1956 and the sacred place is Memphis, Tennessee at a small recording studio named Sun Records run by Sam Phillips. On that memorable day four icons of the music world wander in and Mr. Phillips, the Father of Rock 'n Roll, realizes the significance of that event.

Playhouse on Park in West Hartford invites you to be front and center at Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux's "Million Dollar Quartet" rocking the rafters until Sunday, October 19 when Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley perform an impromptu jam session, one that was smokin' hot and unforgettable. "Million Dollar Quartet" recreates that one and only legendary day in the history of rock 'n roll.

Think of it as a personal playlist of your favorite hits as these great tunes come tumbling out. Listen to "Great Balls of Fire," "Sixteen Tons," "Blue Suede Shoes," "Whole Lot of Shakin' Goin' On," "Hound Dog," "Folsom Prison Blues," "I Walk the Line," "Long Tall Sally" and "See You Later, Alligator,” and many more.

Carl Perkins (Chris Coffey) had come to Sun Records that day with his brother Jay (Joey Nuhfer) and Fluke (Jeffrey Kelly) as back up and Sam Phillips, (John Elliott) the owner of Sun, added Jerry Lee Lewis, (Alex Burnette) a recent acquisition, to the mix as pianist. When Elvis Presley (Brian Steinberg) dropped by with his girlfriend (Paloma D'Auria), he added his voice to the cauldron and it was the final arrival of Johnny Cash (Kendall McShane) that made the magical witch's brew complete.

These guys, all at different stages of music fame, sat down and sang like a group of old friends, without rehearsals or formal plans, and Cowboy Jack Clement, the engineer, was smart enough to record it. There were jealousies and recriminations among the four, but music was the uniting element that made the day so memorable. It happened that day and never again.

Country music, rockabilly and rock 'n roll merge and marry as these fellows sing just for the pure pleasure of the sound. For Sam Phillips, these four men were like his four sons and this show reveals a lot about their relationship, where they came from and where they were going. Sam gave each of them their chance and then promoted them to fame and success. It is a sensational staged recreation of the actual event. Director Alessandro Gian Viviano brings us front and center to the excitement on a versatile studio set designed by Suzu Sakai. Mike Winch's sound rocks, thanks to Chris Coffet’s music direction.

For tickets ($45-55, morning shows at 10:30 a.m. $25, with discounts for students, seniors, military), call the Playhouse on Park, 244 Park Road, West Hartford at 860-523-5900, ext. 10 or online at www.playhouseonpark.org. Performances are Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Tuesday, Saturday and and Sunday at 2 p.m.

Prepare for an explosion and fireworks as this quartet hits all the right notes, with fancy flying fingers on guitars, bass, drums and piano, and voices close to heaven. Come and enjoy every perfect sound and especially the fantastic finale.

'NOISES OFF" A FRANTIC FANFARE OF A FUNNY FARCE AT THE LEGACY THEATRE IN BRANFORD

Ever wonder what happens backstage before a performance? How well do the cast of characters commingle as they run their lines and rehearse? Is their jealousy and green eyed envy lurking behind the ruby curtains? Does the director have to separate the children so they learn to play fairly and share? You are going to be privy to these questions and their surprising answers if and when you attend the classic farce “Noises Off!” by Michael Frayn, a farce to end all farces, that takes you behind the curtain and in front of it as well, thanks to the Legacy Theatre of Branford until Sunday, October 12.

Dedication and discipline, talent and timing are mainstays of the acting profession. A level of spirit, as in" the show must go on," is expected. What happens, you might ask, when the cast of a show, a British flop of a comedy called "Nothing On," allows their personal intrigues to interfere and sabotage their production both in front of and behind the audience? A creative chaos or a hilarious hurricane is the answer.

It’s dress rehearsal and all the last minute details should have long ago been ironed out and resolved. This time is simply the fine tuning before the big opening night. Costumes are worn, props are in place and the performers are letter perfect and flawless in their delivery. Not! To add to the mischievous magic of the performance you get to see James Roday Rodriguez as Lloyd, the long suffering and intense master of the show, taking command of the performance just as he did for so many years as the perceptive detective on “Psych.” Roday is joined on stage by Kurt Fuller who played the coroner on “Psych” now assuming the role of the very thirsty burgler. Joining them is Allison Miller as Dotty who can’t seem to control the plates of sardines, Jimmy Johansmeyer as the romancing and athletic Garry with his paramour Brooke delightfully partially undressed thanks to Jamie Gray Hyder, Michael Trotter as a wounded Frederick with his companion in crime Melanie Martyn as Belinda, and theatrical stage managers Emily Gardt adept as Poppy and Mariah Sage as a trying to be helpful Tim.

Imagine the nightmare that Lloyd, a stalwart director, experiences when plates of sardines go missing, doors either won't close or open, the actor playing the bungling burglar is off getting drunk and half the cast is having an affair with the other half. There's more intrigue going on behind the curtains than in front of it.

Look out for bottles of brandy, bedsheets, bouquets of flowers, boxes, baggage, a baby, bathmats, battle axes and blood, not to mention sheiks, sardines, sex maniacs and slamming doors. Silliness is clearly on parade, in one door and out the other, from the first moment Dotty, a dizzy and determined dame, answers the phone. The cast and crew are off and running, literally and figuratively. Keely Blaisden Knudsen directs this funny bundle of misdirection and missteps with great timing and ease.

For tickets ($40.50), call The Legacy, 128 Thimble Islands Road, Branford at 203-315-1901 or online at LegacyTheatreCT.org. Shows are Wednesday at 7 p.m., Thursday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m.and 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. It’s time to celebrate the Legacy’s 5th Anniversary with a Gala on Friday, October 10 from 6-9 p.m. at Branford’s Pine Orchard’s Yacht and Country Club. Get your tickets now.

You may never look at sardines quite the same way ever again after they go flying on stage during the hilarious havoc of "Noises Off!" where a sneak peek backstage may prove hazardous to your health but clearly not to your funny bone.

PUT "AUSTEN'S PRIDE" ON YOUR DANCE CARD AT THE PALACE THEATER IN WATERBURY

All romantic minded people are intrigued by the on again and off again courtship of the charming gentleman caller Fitzwilliam Darcy and an adamantly reluctant Elizabeth Bennet. Preserved for all time in the intriguing chapters of “Pride and Prejudice” penned in 1813 by Jane Austen, you are now cordially invited to a musical reimagining of a tale of the author herself and her own journey of infatuation and love. Can one gain insight into your own heart as you write the words to an imaginary couple of your creation?

Come be fascinated by the beating heart of Olivia Hernandez’s Jane Austen as she creates a bewildering and besotted relationship between her hero played by Dan Hoy's Fitzwilliam Darcy and the reluctantly approachable Elizabeth Bennet portrayed by Delphi Borich. Ms. Austen is known for her depiction of life in the Regency style, during the entire reign of King George IV of England, until 1830. As a novelist, she clearly understood the changeable nature of love gained and love lost and filled her writings with that evidence.

Come to the Palace Theater in Waterbury to experience how her own relationships and courtships influenced those heroines of fiction in “Austen’s Pride” from Friday, September 26 at 8 p.m. to Saturday, September 27 at 2 p.m.and 8 p.m. In her lifetime her writings were mostly anonymous but she did enjoy some success as a writer which renewed her sense of purpose and her need for money. “Pride and Prejudice” was acknowledged as the “fashionable novel” of its season. Her novels were praised for their drawing of her characters, her moral attitude, her domestic realism and her refreshing and entertaining style.

“Austen’s Pride” is a delightful and charming musical of her life and her beloved recreations by Lindsay Warren Baker and Amanda Jacobs. Enter the mind of the author Jane as her publisher is so pleased with the sale of her novel “Sense and Sensibility” that he requests a new manuscript. Unfortunately Jane doesn’t have one at the ready. Luckily her sister Cassandra (Dianica Phelan) is encouraging and urges Jane to open her heart to new ideas. Discover how Jane finds her voice as the story of Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam develops its intimate soul. Songs like “Fine Eyes,” “My Poor Nerves.” “When I Fall in Love,” “Not Romantic,” “Darcy’s Letter,” and “I Can’t Resist a Redcoat” are rich in meaning. Director Igor Goldin is a storytelling master of romance.

For tickets ($45-89, with special $30 tickets available with the code FALLINLOVE), call the Palace Theater, 100 East Main Street, Waterbury at 203-346-2000 or online at PALACETHEATERCT.ORG.

Let Jane Austen romance your heartstrings in this delightful tale of love and longing.

"A CHORUS LINE" HIGH STEPPING IT AT GOODSPEED MUSICALS UNTIL NOVEMBER 2

Whether you are a new Fred Astaire or blessed with two left feet, you are primed to get the urge to dance if you waltz or two step your way to Goodspeed Musicals for a healthy and hearty dose of their current dance card offering of “A Chorus Line” in all its super powered splendor for its 50th Anniversary spectacular extended until November 2.

5, 6, 7, 8 and step, kick, kick, touch, pivot, step, combination, and smile. Grab your leggings and leotard and join the group of hopefuls as they audition for a new Broadway musical. With pleas to God to help them "get this job," watch a talented troupe of dancers exuberantly strut their stuff with pride.

If you have ever put your heart on the line, whether it’s to make the cut for a baseball league, earn a part in a high school musical, a spot on the cheer leading squad or a place in the school band, you know the fear and excitement that fills you as your turn in the spotlight comes. If the tryout, interview or audition is for employment, then the stakes are ratcheted up a few hundred notches.

Imagine “So You Think You Can Dance” meeting The Miss America Pageant and you have an idea of the message in “A Chorus Line,” a musical that has garnered nine Tony Awards, five Drama Desks as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. This long running musical will be kicking up its classy heels at Goodspeed Musicals and you will want to be there for every passionate step.

Conceived in 1974 by Michael Bennett, with book by James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante, music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban and choreography by Michael Bennett and Bob Avian, “A Chorus Line” takes you directly into the hearts, minds and pits of the stomach of seventeen wannabe Broadway dancers at one of the most important auditions of their young careers.

Come meet Caroline Kane as Judy, Diego Guevara as Paul, Patrick Higgins as Mark, Alex Drost as Al, Jonah Nash as Richie, Sammy Schechter as Greg, Beatrice Howell as Val, Aaron Patrick Craven as Don, Haley Bjorn as Kristine, Travante S. Baker as Larry, Ryan Mulvaney as Bobby, Lisa Finegold as Bebe, Mikaela Secada as Diana, Mario Rizzi as Mike, Liesie Kelly as Maggie, Emma X. O’Loughlin as Connie, and Scarlett Walker as Sheila.

These hopefuls not only have to prove they can strut and kick, they must also reveal themselves. Brassy or bubbly, insecure or comic, they are asked by the director Zach, a caring and focused Clifton Samuels, to tell all about their background, family, hopes, dreams and fears. The past history between Zach and Karli Dinardo as Cassie, who is begging Zach for a chance, is revealed in all its dramatic splendor. In the process, we learn who they are as the eager seventeen, who have already been hand picked from hundreds, are whittled down to the fortunate eight, the four boys and four girls who will comprise the chorus line of the brand new show. You’ll find yourself rooting for your personal favorites to make the cut. Rob Ruggiero directs this intimate portrait of dancers revealing their souls and their passions, in songs like “I Hope I Get It.” “I Can Do That,” “The Music and the Mirror,” “What I Did For Love” and “One."

For tickets ($47-88), call the Goodspeed Musicals , 6 Main Street, East Haddam at 860-873-8664 or online at Goodspeed.org. Performances are Wednesday at 2 p.m and 7:30 p.m., Thursday at 7:30 p.m.and select 2 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. and select 6:30 p.m.

Join the millions from Sweden to Switzerland to Singapore, Argentina to Australia to Austria, Norway to the Netherlands to New Zealand, who have thrilled at the transformation of a handful of really, really wannabes into “singular sensations."

"LITTLE WOMEN THE MUSICAL" SINGS WITH JOY AT CENTER STAGE IN SHELTON

If your heart told you that you had to be a writer and tell your stories to the world, you might get discouraged when you receive your twenty-second rejection letter from a prospective publisher. But not if your name is Jo Marsh and you feel an obligation to share your tales of love, intrigue, violence and gore with your yet to be found readership.

You are cordially invited to enter the Victorian Age of Literature, courtesy of Louisa May Alcott and Center Stage Theatre of Shelton until Sunday, September 28.

The heartbreak and hope of the Civil War years will be displayed with laughter and tears by Jo Marsh, the writer of the family, who has been advised by her publishers to write about what she knows and to include the stories of her sisters Beth, Meg, and Amy to add realism and romance.

In "Little Women the Musical,” with book by Allen Knee, lyrics by Mindi Dickstein and music by Jason Howland, you will find a story based on Alcott’s 1868-69 semi-autobiographical two-volume novel. The play revolves around the traditional minded Meg (Katt Twohill), the hope-to-be-successful novelist Jo (Anna Giordano), the shy and retiring Beth (Joelle Cote) and the romantically inclined Amy (Quinlyn Kessler) and their home in Concord, Massassachusetts that includes their beloved mother Marmee and reflects the sad absence of their father who is serving as a chaplain in the Union Army.

Jo weaves vignettes about her melodramatic sisters into the musical telling of her publishing rejection letters, her original play “An Operatic Tragedy” she wishes to produce for Christmas joy, the difficulties Marnee (Casey Lynne Ortiz) has running the house in wartime, a proposed trip to Europe with Aunt March (Katelyn Botsford Tucker), romantic entanglements for neighbor Laurie (J.R. Resto) and his tutor Mr. Brooke (Daniel Schwartzberg) and Professor Bhaer (Kyle Attanasio) with March sisters, disagreeable situations with Mr. Laurence (Scott Sheldon), a skating race and a dance ball, Beth's tragic death and a new marriage proposal, all set to music.

Director Justin Zenchuk is responsible for this dramatic family production stuffed with dreams, love, kindness, hope and promise for the future, with Katie Ciurleo as music director, with Jacob Marcus ably assisting them both. Special kudos to Anna Giordano for being a magnificent warrior for her family, shining as bright as a new sun, always eager and ready to save the day.

With equal friction and foolishness and fondness, the sisters exhibit a whole plethora of emotions as they grow up in a difficult time for our country, without a father near at hand and with a mother unsure of how to react to the problems of the day, all on a unique and creative set by Scott Sheldon, Melanie Byron, Courtney Chapman and Bob Dellacorte.

For tickets ($20-39), call Center Stage Theatre, 54 Grove Street, Shelton at 203-225-6079 or online at boxoffice@centerstageshelton.org. Performances are Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.

Come enjoy the acquaintance of a quartet of siblings as they find their voices and proclaim to the world that they are worthy of dreams coming true, discovering the loves of their life and holding out for a much desired promise for tomorrow.

KRISTINA WONG BRINGS COMEDY IN A GROCERY BAG TO FAIRFIELD'S QUICK CENTER

Musicals can be written about any topic under the sun, from ships hit by icebergs to green monsters who dwell in the swamp, people who want to assassinate presidents to yentas who arrange marriages according to cultural traditions. No subject matter is too bizarre or controversial to be ignored.

For a new twist on an old theme, come make the acquaintance of Kristina Wong, an Asian-American entertainer who has personally tackled political issues, cat skeptics, sweatshops, sewing squads, and now she is a self-proclaimed “Food Bank Influencer” plying her important message about food insecurity in a musical at Fairfield University Quick Center on Friday, September 12 at 8 p.m.

Would you believe that one out of eight Connecticut residents wrestles with a lack of nutritional food. Kristina Wong is showcasing this emergency food system, celebrating it with humor and music, highlighting the need to collect and distribute free food. She encourages helping your neighbors and community by sharing produce and giving gift cards to those in need. Personally she uses her energy to go to food banks and then filling a refrigerator in her Korean neighborhood.

Kristina Wong wants to shorten the food line and close the wealth gap, until the need for food banks no longer exists. With enthusiasm, she wants to take away the stigma of needing free poultry and produce. This self-described "nutsy lady” sews her stage sets on a Hello Kitty sewing machine, taking back her power to make a point. Jessica Hanna directs what is clearly the only solo karaoke show of food distribution musical on stage.

For tickets ($35, $25 Quick member, $5 Fairfield University student), call Fairfield University Quick Center,1073 North Benson Road, Fairfield at 203-254-4010 or online at quickcenter.fairfield.edu/2025-26-season-calendar/theatre/kristina-wong.html.

In 2020 she organized 800 Aunties in 33 states to sew 350,000 much needed masks during the pandemic over 504 days utilizing Facebook. A 2022 Pulitzer Prize finalist in Drama for her “Sweatshop Overlord” program, Kristina Wong is a unique, one-of-a-kind entertainer with a solo show highlighting her love of food banks and what their generous shelves offer in abundant harvest. You may even get some food to take home.

VISIT THE SHARON PLAYHOUSE FOR COMPANIONSHIP AND COMEDY WITH "SYLVIA"

For companionship and unconditional love, you have to look no further than the furry four legged friend of man, the dog. A puppy can chew a large hole in your heart as well as in your favorite shoe. But not everyone is an animal lover, willing to feed and water, scoop and groom, as Greg discovers when he brings home “Sylvia” to his unsuspecting and unwelcoming wife Kate.

Until September 7, The Sharon Playhouse will be setting out doggy treats and water bowls for this adorable comedy by A. R. Gurney. Jen Cody is affectionate, cuddly and cute, curious and contentious as Sylvia, the dog Greg, Jonathan Walker, chooses to love and wife Kate, Jennifer Van Dyck, resolves to hate. Sylvia, however, elects to ignore the tension and plants her paws firmly on the forbidden and off limits sofa. Be forewarned, Sylvia has a severely challenged potty mouth and says exactly what she feels in four letter to twelve letter statements. Ages 12 and up please.

Greg, enduring problems at the office and suffering from becoming an empty nester, finds comfort and solace in Sylvia’s slobbering displays of adoration. Kate, with a challenging job of teaching Shakespeare to junior high school students, would prefer to relegate Sylvia to her proper place, the pound. Sienna Brann interacts with all three as she plays comic roles as Tom and Leslie, a fellow dog park visitor and a therapist even while she gets up close and personal with Sylvia (much to her dismay) when she visits their apartment.

How Sylvia performs the greatest trick of all, winning over Kate, is revealed in this well acted play, directed with playful and caring touches by Colin Hanlon.

For tickets ($25-55), call The Sharon Playhouse, 49 Amenia Road, Sharon at 860-364-7469 or online at www.Sharonplayhouse.org. Performances are Thursday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m.

There’s no need to sit up and beg, for Sylvia is eager to put her head on your knee and please you to pieces. Just be sure to bring along a few doggy bisquits for treats when she does her collection of tricks.