"MEAN GIRLS" STRUT THEIR POWER AT THE BUSHNELL

If your memory is accurate, we all know the cliques of girls and groups of boys who banded together in high school and excluded the outsiders who were never allowed into the sacred circle. Those who belonged would not dane to acknowledge the lessers who stood beyond the privileged. In the world of females, they were known as the mean girls. They were the cheerleaders who dated the captains of the football and basketball teams. They ran for prom queen and class president. They were envied and admired whether they deserved to be or not. From Tuesday, September 27 to Sunday, October 2, they are coming in full regalia and force to the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford in “Mean Girls” with book by nine-time Emmy Award winning Tina Fey, based on her screen play for the film. Music is by three-time Emmy Award winner Jeff Richmond and lyrics by two-time Tony Award nominee Nell Benjamin. Casey Nicholaw, Tony Award winner, directs and choreographs. North Shore High School in Chicago, Illinois is not what the new girl Cady Heron expects when she moves there from Kenya. The color of her skin immediately labels her as different and the social group known as the Plastics, run by the Queen Bee Regina, soon set their sights on her for a special inauguration to high school life. Cady is lucky to have two real friends Janis and Damian who want to help and protect her but she is destined to make her own mistakes as she tries to fit in to this complicated new life, like a strange animal in a fierce jungle of unknowns. Which club should she join? Which boyfriend should she pursue? Which friend is really a foe in disguise? Should she run for Spring Fling Queen? So many choices, so many decisions. And who wrote the nasty and insulting Burn Book that is circulating lies all over school? Great songs and dances pop up throughout. For tickets ($34-128), call the Bushnell, 166 Capital Avenue, Hartford at 860-987-5900 or online at www.Bushnell.org. Shows are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. What is the price you are willing to pay to be popular and, in the long run, is it worth the sting of success?

A JOURNEY OF "4000 MILES" BEGINS WITH A SINGLE STEP IN WESTPORT

How fortuitous to view Amy Herzog’s moving generational play “4000 Miles” on Grandparents Day this past Sunday. Actress Mia Dillon who stars as grandma Vera calls it “sunny, moving and touching” and "a full (theatrical) meal.” Her co-star grandson Clay Singer terms it “a magnifying glass on humanity.” This cross country odyssey conveys challenges and losses and captures wonderful turning points in family relationships. Come experience what happens when a genuine card carrying Communist and a free wheeling hippie renew their relationship as grandmother and grandson? 91 year old Vera Joseph has no warning that Leo had plans to crash on her Greenwich Village doorstep until he arrives in the middle of the night. After suffering a great personal loss, while biking across the country, Leo seeks refuge at grandma’s house. He needs to figure things out, examine his life choices and, essentially, grow up. Using bits and pieces from her own history, playwright Amy Herzog has fashioned a play of personal exploration, “4000 Miles,” getting its wheels in gear at Westport Country Playhouse until Sunday, September 4. A finalist for a Pulitzer Prize in 2013, “4000 Miles” spans three generations, giving voice to many of the issues that face the elderly and the youth of today. Mia Dillon stars as Vera, the feisty and forgetful bubbe who doesn’t hesitate to take in her conflicted grandchild. She recognizes that he is lost and seeking direction. She too is searching for answers, her confusion due to a great extent to what could be early Alzheimer’s. Clay Singer’s Leo has major issues with his personal relationships, with his parents, his adopted step-sister, his girlfriend Bec (Lea DiMarchi) and even a one night pick-up Amanda (Phoebe Holden). Despite all his problems, Leo acknowledges that a family member can be “a really good friend I happen to be related to.” As Leo opens his heart and reveals his deepest thoughts, he connects with Vera in ways neither one of them ever could have anticipated. David Kennedy directs this inter-generational exploration of feelings on a deliberately dated set designed by Arnulfo Maldonado. All we need are the lace antimacaassars on the arm chairs. For tickets ($40-70), call Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court, Route 1, Westport at 203-227-4177 or online at www.westportplayhouse.org. Performances are Tuesday 7 p.m., Wednesday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., Thursday at 8 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3p.m. Masks are required. After more than nine decades of diversity, in politics and bed partners, Vera has a wealth of knowledge to impart to her young guest, whether or not he is ready to listen and to learn. Come discover the virtual joys of hugging a hippie spiritually and conjuring up memories of a beloved grandma.

CHARLIE BROWN IS HOLDING COURT AT THE LEGACY

Happiness is attending Legacy Theatre’s highly entertaining production of “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” until Saturday, September 3. Happiness means spending two delightful hours with a sextet of friends, even if some of them are wishy-washy, passive-aggressive, co-dependent, prickly- pearish, obsessed with Mozart and fuzzy furry. Come meet the clan/family of one Charlie Brown whose desires to be accepted and loved have occupied the comic strip pages, thanks to Charles Schulz, for decades. Come visit our old friend Charlie front and center for viewing, warts and dimples and all, in Legacy's engagingly charming “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” based on the comic strip “Peanuts” created by Charles Schulz, with book. music and lyrics by Clark Gesner. Gather your kites to help Charlie, your blankets to keep Linus company, your philosophy advice for Sally, some classical sheet music for Schroeder, a few psychiatry problems for Lucy and a filled supper dish for Snoopy and settle in for a fun time with the gang. Chris Lemieux’s wonderful Charlie is still off-balance. Should he or shouldn’t he approach the little red-haired girl he loves? Will he or won’t he get a Valentine this year? Is it possible to pitch a baseball game and actually win? He is joined in his angst by a sweet little sister Sally, spunkily created by Sophie Rapiejko who creates new philosophies for herself every other minute, like a simple “NO” to a more complex “Why are you telling ME?” Next up is the piano serenading Schroeder, played by a dedicated to Beethoven Cory Candelet, who loves to ignore the matrimonial advances professed by a regal Olivia Hoffman as the newly self-elected Queen of Crabbiness. Not to be ignored are the blanket clutching for comfort Linus, Lucy’s little brother, a sensitive Clayton Matthews, and everybody’s special animal friend, the adorable and cuddly Dan Frye as Snoopy, who knows how to dance for his supper. More than a dozen musical numbers like “The Book Report,” “My New Philosophy.” “Suppertime,” and “Happiness” are sure to please. Keely Baisden Knudsen, Artistic Director, directs this warm and fuzzy delight. For tickets ($35-60), call The Legacy Theatre, 128 Thimble Island Road, Branford at 203-315-1901 or online at www.LegacyTheatreCT.org. Performances are Thursday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Coming in September are concerts by Broadway’s Eric Anthony Lopez on September 4, Back in Time with Natalie Hamilton on September 9-10, The Tales of Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh September 10, 17, 24, and October 1, a Play Reading Festival September 11and 18, The Great Gatsby A Live Radio Play September 15 to October 1, a film Born at the Water’s Edge September 17, a Film Festival September 19-21, and a film Poetic September 25. A dance concert Natyamandala is set for October 2. Let the Peanuts gang take you on a tour of their childhood and you might be surprised and happy to recognize some of it as your own.

JOHNNY CASH TRIBUTE SHINES AT IVORYTON PLAYHOUSE

Even if you are not a fan of country music, there is so much to love about Ivoryton Playhouse’s current offering of “Ring of Fire The Music of Johnny Cash” that I dare you, even double dare you, to go. For many, country music makes them happy and those fans raise their hands up high to signify Johnny Cash is one of their favorites on the music cavalcade of hits. If black is your signature dress code of choice, then you've won the trifecta and Ivoryton Playhouse is delivering the prize until Sunday, September 11. Richard Maltby Jr. conceived his show "Ring of Fire" that he wrote with William Meade. Stuffed with songs, and anecdotes about this enigmatic man in black, you'll hear treats like "I Walk the Line," "A Boy Named Sue," "I've Been Everywhere" and "If I Were a Carpenter" that you'll want to sing along with as well as lesser known additions like "Jackson," "Cry, Cry, Cry,” “Straight A’s in Love" and "Hey, Porter.” You’ll learn that Cash wrote his first song when he was only eight, and later penned two autobiographies. Tunes like "Five Feet High and Rising," written by Cash about the flooding of his family's farm (twice) and "Folsom Prison Blues" about the prison reform he advocated for and the free concerts he provided for inmates are just two more of his homespun melodies. Among the dozens of songs, a little bit of his life and times peeks through, a sense of the man and his music, his hard times and high times, his love for a girl named June Carter and his career on the stage. These extremely talented seven performers-Brittany Brook, David M. Lutken (musical director),Morgan Morse, Leenya Rideout, Nygel D. Robinson, Sam Sherwood and Spiff Wiegand- give it their all to create a spectacular evening of entertainment, even if you don't love Johnny Cash (perish the thought). Sherry Lutken directs and choreographs this love fest with spice where the musical instruments, from mandolin to bass to percussion, harmonica, washboard and chair, banjo, fiddle, and chord zither, electrify and excite. The night I attended the show’s creator Richard Maltby Jr. was in attendance and I chanced to sit next to Kim, the daughter of Howie Stange, who proudly told me her dad was in the Country Music Hall of Fame. This American musician, singer and pianist could pick up any musical instrument and play it proficiently. In 1958, he recorded “Are You Lonesome Tonight?,” a record Elvis took to number one on the Billboard Charts two years later. For tickets ($55 adults, $50 seniors, $25 students), call Ivoryton Playhouse, 3 Main Street, Ivoryton at 860-767-7318 or online at www.ivorytonplayhouse.org. Performances are Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Please bring your ID and vaccination card. Masks are required if you are not vaccinated. The Ivoryton Playhouse has two more evenings of Cabaret for you to enjoy: On Monday, August 22 at 7:30 p.m. Schuyler Beeman will do Broadway up proud and on Monday, August 29 at 7:30 p.m. return for “You and I” featuring Charlie Widner on vocals and guitar and Eric Trudel on piano, sliding from Billy Joel to The Beatles and from Schubert to Sondheim. Tickets are adults $35 and students $20. Let this mighty versatile cast introduce you to the man and his music. Meet Mr. Johnny Cash in all his reincarnations and you'll love them all. As a star of country music, Johnny Cash’s wattage continues to shine bright and also casts a burning light on musical genres from rockabilly to rock and roll, blues to folk to gospel. Labeled one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century, he has been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. Come get reacquainted with this mysterious “Man in Black,” who was known for wearing dark apparel in honor of the poor, homeless and imprisoned, had a distinctive deep and resonant bass-baritone and a rebellious streak that marked his manner. After the Sunday matinee, about 4:45 pm, bring yourself with or without an instrument for a free Hootenanny outdoors.

"ITALIAN MOM LOVES YOU" PREMIERES AT SEVEN ANGELS THEATRE

Can you keep a secret? Today is Nana’s 85th birthday and her loving daughter Antoinette is planning an Italian feast as a surprise. You are invited to join the family and friends and you don’t have to bring anything, but a box of Stella Door S shaped cookies or a bottle of red wine would be nice. Until Sunday, August 21, the festive table groaning with ziti and sausage and peppers will be set for you at Seven Angels Theatre and don’t forget to come. Antoinette invited you personally and she promises it will be PHENOMENAL. “ITALIAN MOM LOVES YOU” is a world premiere written by the star of the show Daniel Franzese and Jacques Lamarre. Lamarre is still recovering from another world premiere a week ago, “Secondo,” at Theater Works Hartford so he is clearly on a comedic roll. Franzese plays Antoinette, a loud and commanding woman who is juggling a lot of meatballs in her world. Not only is she single handedly planning Nana’s celebration, she is cleaning up after the family pooch Rocky, preparing for her daughter Rosalie to graduate high school and set off for Emory University, her son Anthony is about to be married, her ex-husband Nicky is carrying on with a new woman, her neighbor just might be burying her husband in her flower garden, and she is anxiously waiting to see if her offer for a condo in Boca Raton has been accected. No wonder she is busy yelling, and coaxing, and managing, and inviting everyone she talks to on the phone to join today’s party. She complains and kisses in the same breathe as she commands son Anthony to go to Caputo’s Deli for vital party stables, loudly encourages daughter Rosalie to pick up the guests who need transportation, threatens ex-husband Nicky to come without his newest girlfriend, and watches her neighbor act suspiciously out her kitchen window. How will things work out for Antoinette as she juggles so many balls of mozzarella? And don’t forget the alligators who may live next door to her in Boca Raton! No wonder she prays to the Virgin Mary. For tickets ($39-49), call Seven Angels Theatre, 1 Plank Road, Hamilton Park, Waterbury at 203-757-4676 or online at SevenAngels Theatre.org. Performances areTuesday to Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2p.m., with a Saturday matinee at 2 p.m. on August 20. Check online for any COVID requirements. Set your musical dials for a return, after a five year absence, of the spectacular Billy McGuigan and his 6 piece band for two shows only Friday and Saturday, August 26 and 27 at 8 p.m. “Yesterday and Today” led by brothers Billy, Matthew and Ryan is an interactive Beatles Experience where the audience dictates the songs that are played and their comments become the anecdotes for the show. Tickets are $45. Come meet the family cheerleader Antoinette as she shakes her pom poms and creates a sturdy party pyramid of love.

COME FOR LOVE AND ADVENTURE TO THE LEGACY THEATRE THIS WEEK

Some of us, we will remain nameless, survived the pandemic thanks to continually viewing Hallmark Movies and Mysteries. We have even been known to watch Christmas in July telecasts, enjoying the snow storms in the middle of genuine heat waves of 90 degree summers in the Northeast. Of courses we are quite aware of how the romantic comedies will end, with a steamy romantic kiss and pledges of love everlasting. Broadway veteran Anne Runolfson is all too aware. For an intimate peek into Anne’s world, head immediately to Legacy Theatre in Branford for “My Unauthorized Hallmark Movie Musical” on Thursday, August 11 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., Friday’s August 12 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, August 13 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Who doesn’t love a romantic adventure, one worthy of a Cinderella and her Prince Charming? Let Anne and her imaginative cast of eight companions fashion a world of fantasy where all men are potential knights riding to the rescue on sturdy white steeds and all women are pure of heart and worthy of being swept off their glass slippered feet. No need to dress in a gown or bring a magic wand. Anne Runolfson will have all the special effects easily at hand for your romantic escapade. For tickets ($35-60), call Legacy Theatre, 128 Thimble Island Road, Branford at 203-315-1901 or 1-800-595-4849 or online at Info@LagacyTheatreCT.org. Check COVID requirements. Get ready for some “Happily ever afters” as Anne Runolfson serves as your personal guide to love forever and a day.