TRIBUTE TO "THEATRE PEOPLE" COURTESY OF WESTPORT COUNTRY PLAYHOUSE

If you are a lover of theater, it doesn’t matter if you are a playwright or director, a designer of scenery or costumes, in charge of music, props, lighting or sound all behind the curtain, or treading the boards acting in a comedy, tragedy, romance or farce in front of the curtains with a facial expression, a dance step, or a commanding voice or being a member of the audience enthusiastically supporting the cast with joy and encouragement, you are all incredibly theatre people necessary for a successful production to occur. From now until Saturday, April 12, Westport Country Playhouse is honoring your love of the craft by paying homage to Paul Slade Smith’s adaptation of Ferenc Molnar’s "Play at the Castle.” Smith’s “Theatre People” is a sterling tribute to all things dramatic and comical, showing off the best of the theatrical world.

Husband and wife writing team, Charlotte and Arthur Sanders, gloriously adept in the hands of Isabel Keating and Michael McCormick, are on the verge of either a grand success in their chosen profession or a terrible disaster that could literally bankrupt them. Having checked into a lavish bedroom in a Newport mansion, they are guarding their golden egg, Rodolfo Soto’s Oliver Adams, who is about to sign a lucrative contract for his first novel. Oliver has pledged his love to a beautiful angel, Mia Pinero’s singer Margot Bell whom he met a year ago at a party at the Sanders' home and has written his new book to, his heart’s desire, but she does not know.

Now Margot is ensconced in the bedroom next door, about to remeet Oliver after a year of not seeing him, but conducting a correspondence of love letters. He has idealized her as an angel, a pure and virtuous idol with no knowledge of sex, who, instead, is happily carrying on an affair with her stage partner Victor Pratt, an amorous Michael McCorry Rose.

How to protect Oliver’s sensibiities and preserve that Margot is as pure as the driven snow and has not “drifted.” Charlotte has to stretch her creative juices. Luckily she has the help of the housekeeper Olga, in the capable hands of Erin Noel Grennan, to deliver champagne, sandwiches, pancakes and laughter for a happy ending, Mark Shanahan directs this romantic love letter to thespians, on a glorious bedroom set designed by James J. Fenton, and lovely costumes by Annie J. Le.

For tickets ($50-75), call Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court, Westport at 203-227-4177 or online at www.westportplayhouse.org. Performances are Tuesday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., Wednesday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., Thursday at 7 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 3 p.m. followed by a talkback.

Eavesdropping through walls and doors leads to a passionate ode to lips, lust and love that presents delightful complications in this 1948 era homage to the art of romantic storytelling.

SOAR INTO "COME FROM AWAY" AT THE WATERBURY PALACE THEATER

On that fateful tragic day of 9/11/2001, there is no one who doesn’t remember when the planes hit our country’s shores. The impact of that disaster lingered long after the thick smoke cleared. But that day did produce something positive: the response of a community in Newfoundland when a convoy of planes mysteriously landed there and no-one knew exactly why. The heartwarming musical "Come From Away” centers on the focus and attention fixated on five days and some of the worst events in our country’s history, the destruction of towering buildings in New York City, a field in Pennsylvania and government structures in Washington, D. C.

Ten years later husband and wife David Hein and Irene Sankoff traveled to Gander, Newfoundland to record the amazing story of a humanitarian miracle. Without warning on that fateful day, 38 planes from all over the world were diverted to Gander, once a major stop for refueling for international flights, but long since abandoned as planes no longer needed to stop for more gas. The almost 6700 passengers on the planes, the pilots and the people of Gander had no idea what was happening. Without warning or preparation, the good citizens of the small town rushed to open their homes and hearts to those strangers, providing baby formula, dog food, pillows and blankets, casseroles, a place to sleep and comfort before the tragedy was even revealed.

Run to the Palace Theater in Waterbury for a marvelous musical that captures the generosity of this small community of Canadians from Friday, April 4 to Saturday, April 5 as “Come From Away” soars into town. The planes were originally diverted for fear some were also part of the terrorist plot, like the plane that crashed in a Pennsylvania forest. The 11,000 citizens of Gander didn’t stop to ask questions. The striking bus drivers immediately returned to work to ferry the passengers around town. Twelve actors and seven musicians will take you on the journey of generosity, playing the passengers, pilots and people of Gander to musically illustrate the way good folks can respond with hope in the midst of devastating tragedy.

Come visit the dog catcher, the mayor, the chief of police, the first female pilot to command a major airline jumbo jet, a woman who fears her fireman son has been lost in the downing of the World Trade Center, a gay couple searching for acceptance, two strangers who find each other and romance and so much more. This is a musical happening, brimming with spirit and patriotism, a tribute to faith and resilience, a gift of compassion in the face of tremendous loss. The birth of “Come From Away” occurred at the Goodspeed’s Festival of New Musicals when the first staged reading took place and I was also at the Broadway production the day Canada’s then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau brought 500 of his people to see the show in New York on Canada’s 150th birthday.

Songs like “Welcome to the Rock,” “I Am Here,” “On the Edge,” “Me and the Sky,” “Stop the World,” and “Somewhere in the Middle of Nowhere” will light your heart.

For tickets ($47 and up,), call the Palace Theater, 100 East Main Street, Waterbury, at 203-346-2000 or online at www.palacetheaterct.org. Performances are Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. The musical is directed by Christopher Ashley, with musical staging by Kelly Devine and musical supervision by Ian Eisendrath.

This is not a show to be missed. If nothing else, it will restore your faith in the innate goodness of neighbors to reach out and hug you with friendship and love. We certainly need that show of community right about now.

PACK SOME EMOTIONAL BAGGAGE FOR A TRIP TO "POCATELLO" AT UCONN

Kenny Rogers has sung about “The Gambler” for many years as a cautionary tale about being on a road to nowhere, playing a card game with no aces or a full house. He cautions you must know when to hold your cards and know when to fold ‘em, when to walk away and when to run. You especially need to know when the dealing is done. This is one of life’s hard lessons especially when you believe you can change the results by throwing in the cards life deals you and change the outcome.

Just ask Eddie, a nice guy who has suffered with a lousy hand in so many ways but who sincerely believes he can resolve the conflicts his family has endured and so he never stops trying. As the branch manager of an Italian restaurant in Idaho, he is willing to run special promotions to bring in new customers as he watches his precious hometown suffer downturns in prosperity. Playwright Samuel D. Hunter invites you to visit his beloved town of “Pocatello” courtesy of the Connecticut Repertory Theatre at the Jorgensen Theatre on the campus of the University of Connecticut until Sunday, April 6.

Chris Martin’s Eddie sincerely wants to rectify all the problems of the people in his world, his mother and brother, his brother’s wife and daughter, his friends, and their families and his employees. Of course, he has tasked himself with saving the restaurant too as if he has the powers of a Superman. His childhood traumas still haunt him like the suicide of his father and he is surrounded by people who abuse alcohol and drugs, question their sexuality, want to dissolve their marriage, are fighting against their aging process, lack self-confidence, and are suspicious of unhealthy food processes that may kill them.

Desperation is being served on the menu and everyone is forced to examine their lives and, hopefully, to make some changes, to acknowledge their problems and wake them up to some solutions. The cast is challenged to make each member struggling emotionally to survive in this dying town: Djanna, Eliza Anderson, Daniel Pawlyk, Carol Halstead, Zachary Russell, Akur Oryem, Dale Rose, Halli Gibson, and Aly Liew. Director Paul Mullins serves a hearty helping of emotional bread sticks at every table.

For tickets ($32-42), call the CT Repertory Theatre, Hillside Road, Storrs at 860-486-2113 or online at art.uconn.edu. Performances are Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday ay 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Watch for Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” coming to the Nafe Katter Theater April 24-May 4.

As a child, Samuel D. Hunter loved the Olive Garden Restaurant with all “its fake Italian” splendor, like a Disneyland. In “Pocatello” he is trying to save his hometown and all the special people he is connected to and make their lives of quiet desperation better. Wish him God speed and good luck in his ambitious task.

COME CELEBRATE "ME, MYSELF AND BARBRA" WITH JENNA PASTUSZEK AT WESTPORT COUNTRY PLAYHOUSE

What better way to celebrate Barbra Streisand’s 82nd birthday than by waltzing over to the Westport Country Playhouse on Thursday, April 24th to meet with Jenna Pastuszek who has created a unique and personal musical show “Me, Myself and Barbra” for your special enjoyment. Called an evening a lifetime in the making, Jenna explains the show as a wonderful surprise. One moment she was serving kosher hot dogs at bar mitzvahs, sporting a neon purple bow tie and the next she was being invited to write a new concert about Judy Garland. That musical review was so successful, she was asked if she had another concert to offer and, spontaneously, the name of one of her favorite singers popped out of her mouth: Barbra Streisand! The only problem was that show did not exist…yet. That was in the summer of 2021 and now Jenna has toured it from Los Angeles to Nantucket, Colorado to Wisconsin as a “happy accident” and intimate cabaret production, with her musical director Drew Wutke.

Even though she has not exactly met Barbra in person, Jenna has researched her to be sure this is a quality show about a singer she knows, loves and admires. She has read her autobiography, listened to countless interviews and studied her music and created a set list that focuses on her standards from 1957-1963, from such composers as Cole Porter and Harold Arlen and shows like “Funny Girl” on Broadway. She credits Barbra as “one of the women who taught me how to sing.” Over the years, she has added songs, watched the show evolve and grow, expressed “why I care about her, a modern vintage,” building a solo cabaret performance for those who know Barbra well and for those who are just making her acquaintance.

With interactive stories, some comedy and Borscht Belt tales, Jenna has concentrated on her first three albums and her crowd favorites like “Bewitched,” “Miss Marmelstein,” “He Touched Me,” “Happy Days Are Here Again,” ”Second Hand Rose, “Wicked” and “People.” When asked if there will be a third Hollywood legend on the horizon, Jenna dangled such iconic female stars as Liza, Cher, Bette or Celine as possibilities. Her love of singing began when her mother took her to her first Broadway show at five years old to see “Les Miz” and she was bitten by the bug permanently. She is continuing the tradition with her young son who is obsessed with his first play “Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile” and the fact that his mom uses a microphone and sings.

For tickets ($45 for the show, and $55 for the show and birthday foods and drinks), call Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court. Westport at 203-227-4177 or online at westportplayhouse.org. The birthday party is at 6 p.m. and the show at 7 p.m.

Clearly thanks to Judy and Barbra, Jenna Pastuszek will always have bluebirds flying over her rainbow, never letting anyone rain on her parade. Come hear her with style and panache, with respect and reverence, with talent and tenderness gift the audience with the memorable tunes that make Jenna and Barbra so special and such passionate musical delights.

BE CAREFUL OPENING THE COMIC "WEDDING BINDER" AT SEVEN ANGELS IN WATERBURY

What little girl hasn’t dreamed of her wedding, no matter how many years or decades in the future it is? The veil, the long train, the magnificent dress, the cascade of your favorite flowers, being the center of attention, the four layer cake of your most delicious flavors, the array of presents, the catered meal, the elaborate venue that might even be a destination wedding, all the color coordinated choices from bridesmaid dresses to initialed napkins, picking fish bowls or floral stuffed vases for centerpieces, and having “your” once in a lifetime day. And, of course, the simple fact that you are marrying the love of your life for a happily ever after, your prince charming, your soul mate, your husband.

Thanks to Seven Angels Theatre in Waterbury, your invitation is in the mail for the upcoming nuptials of Cherie and Ken’s important day until Sunday, April 6 and the favor of your response is eagerly awaited. This world premiere comedy by Jacques Lamarre, “The Wedding Binder,” has been front and center in Cherie’s heart and mind. Ever since she received the gift of a Fairy Tale Wedding Barbie, Brenna Peerbolt’s Cherie has started collecting ideas and conceptions for planning all the special and intimate details of her future grand event.

Now with a diamond ring safely on her finger, she can’t wait to indulge all her fantasies, especially with the help of her best friend and roommate Fior Rodriguez’s Michelle. It does not take long before Cherie is forced by fate to become disillusioned and dismayed when problems in the form of her mother Susan Haefner and her fraternal twin sister Sydney Yargeau’s Kitty unload a bouquet of budget restrictions that interfere with all of Cherie’s dreams. Must the Vera Wang gown she has fantasized about now come from Macy’s and be a contest to fight for with 500 other brides-to-be? Will her elaborate reception now take place at the Knights of Columbus Hall? Will Kitty by fault of biology default to be her special Matron of Honor?

To add to the confusion her precious and beloved Wedding Binder now has a mind of its own, thanks to Billy Winter, as he tries to control the nuptials and not lose his footing in how all the decisions are made. Poor Cherie, as the option of becoming a Bridezilla edges closer and closer to reality. Can her incredible day be saved or is she doomed to disappointment? Sasha Bratt directs this orange blossomed celebration with white gloved perfection.

For tickets (40 and under $30, otherwise $40), call Seven Angels Theatre, 1 Plank Road, Waterbury at 203-757-4676 or online at boxoffice@sevenangelstheatre.org. Performances are Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m.

No gifts are necessary for Cherie and Ken’s big day, just a sense of humor and a whole lot of empathy and maybe a handful of rice to wish them well.

"LAUGHS IN SPANISH" AND ENGLISH COURTESY OF HARTFORD STAGE

Art Basel is the major, significant, triumphant, ultimate art event in Miami every year since 2002. What would you do but freak out if you are a gallery owner and all your exciting artwork has disappeared just on the event’s eve? In addition your phones won’t stop ringing. Your assistant Caro is acting suspiciously. Could things get any worse? If your name is Mariana, the unfortunate answer is YES! You discover your well known but often absent mother Estella has arrived on your doorstep complete with her problems and her matched set of luggage.

For twenty two years Art Basel Miami Beach hosts one of the biggest art events there, with additional ones in Basel Switzerland, Hong Kong and Paris. With hundreds of galleries of paintings, sculpture, video art, murals, prints and photographs from dozens of countries, the showings are the epitome of the art world. You have the unique opportunity to enter Mari’s complicated chaos in Alexis Scheer’s colorful comedy “Laughs in Spanish” until Sunday, March 30 at Hartford Stage, under the direction of Lisa Portes.

As Miami’s longest running contemporary and modern art fair, Studio Six Miami’s owner Mari has every right to be on the verge of panic. Her reputation is on the line, Her career is on the verge of destruction. What fire does she extinguish first? Why does her mother pick this chaotic moment to insert her ubiquitous presence when it always spells trouble? For playwright Alexis Scheer, this comedy takes her back to her home, a Valentine to Miami and to her grandparents’ dress shop and to her parents’ button company, both on the streets where Art Basel now resides.

Here cultures clash, voices change, relationships shift, all while Mari tries frantically to right her world before it implodes. Who stole her art? Is Caro the wannabe artist who wants her own work mounted at the gallery working with her policeman/ boyfriend Juan guilty of the heist? Will Mari be able to reconcile her years of differences with her movie star mom Estella? Can Mari relax long enough to find the love she so deserves to have?

Art lovers will be especially intrigued making the acquaintance of galley owner Stephanie Machado’s Mariana, her painter assistant Maria Victoria Martinez’s Caroline, Caroline’s love interest Luis Vega’s Juan the policeman, Mari’s dramatically endowed mother Maggie Bofill’s Estella and potentially more than Mari’s good friend Olivia Hebert’s Jenny.

For tickets ($30-105), call the Hartford Stage, 50 Church Street, Hartford at 860-527-5151 or online at ticketing.hartfordstage.org/laughs-in-spanish. Performances are Wednesday - Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. with talk back afterward. Watch for a special auction of spring items in “Bids in Bloom” April 25 to May 18, a Red Carpet Party tor the 70th Annual Tony Awards, a Broadway event Sunday , June 8 and a current fundraising tribute to the founder of the Hartford Stage Jacques Cartier 1930-2024, in the Set the Stage Campaign, HartfordStage.org/Set-the-Stage.

Get ready to rhumba as this colorful comedy creates laughter in Spanish and English for your art-full enjoyment.

PLAYHOUSE ON PARK WELCOMES THE IRISH UNTIL MARCH 30

What better time than St. Patrick’s Day to enjoy a hearty corned beef and cabbage dinner, a riotous parade of frivolity all dressed in green and a merry musical about the Emerald Isle. Thankfully Playhouse on Park in West Hartford is providing a charming version of Frank McCourt’s love letter to his homeland in “The Irish and How They Got That Way” until Sunday, March 30 for your enjoyment and edification.

Author and playwright Frank McCourt has woven the history, traditions and music of his people through letters, paintings, journals, folk songs and memories to create a charming and ironic portrait of 150 years of the Irish struggle to succeed in America. Come enjoy songs like “Danny Boy,” "Finnegan’s Wake, “Galway Bay,” “Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye,” “Mother Machree," “No Irish Need Apply.” “Who Threw the Overalls in Mrs. Murphy’s Chowder” and “You’re a Grand Old Flag” to mention a few.

With laughter and emotion and sentiment, three men and three women, Joe Boover, Victoria Chaieb, Elleon Dobias, Josh Karam, Jack Murphy and Katrien van Riel take you on a journey thanks to Frank McCourt’s memories in both story and songs showing both his wit and his pride. Called "a fiting tribute to everything Irish,” you will note the blarney, the magic of leprechauns, the toll of the Potato Famine, the pride of everyone from James Cagney and George M. Cohan to John F. Kennedy, even if you can’t taste the flavor of a pint of Guinness, The Irish migrant story is captured with reverence revealing the injustices suffered both in the homeland and in their adopted country, all with honesty and humor, knowing in your heart that being Irish is not an easy fate. Each of the actors is skilled at a slew of instruments from guitars to accordions, complete with Irish jigs.

For tickets ($27.50 and up, with a special Guinness night Tuesday, March 25 to taste the brew) call Playhouse on Park, 244 Park Road, West Hartford at 860-523-5900, ext. 10 or online at playhouseonpark.org. Performances are Wednesday at 7:30 p.m, Thursday at 2 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. with a talkback after.

Even if your name isn’t Danny, Paddy,Timothy or Shawn, everyone is Irish thanks to Frank McCourt and the “honey lips” of these enthusiastic and energetic performers who wish a Top o’ the morning to you.