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.

TRAVEL TO RUSSIA TO DISCOVER "THE INSPECTOR" COURTESY OF THE YALE REP

Will there ever be a time, either in 1836 or 2025, that honest politicians are not an oxymoron. Unfortunately, in villages, cities, states and even countries leaders in charge of how a community is directed can often ignore laws and democracy and overlook the needs of its citizens, to enrich their own pockets. For a comic lesson in bad politics, look no further than the Yale Repertory Theatre's current adaptation of Nikolai Gogol's “The Inspector” until Saturday, March 29 in New Haven. Adapted and directed by Yura Kordonsky, it proves that communities anywhere in the world can be duped and deceived by the corrupt people in charge.

In a remote Russian village in 1836, the mayor and his cronies have been cheating the citizenry successfully for decades. Imagine then their utter dismay when thanks to the snoopping of the Postmaster, they learn a government inspector from St. Petersburg is traveling to their town incognito to evaluate their financial deeds. Since these civil servants are incompetent thieves bankrupting their town; they have every reason to be frightened their scams and fraud will be uncovered.

What lies must they concoct and what lengths must they manufacture to conceal their dishonesty? Led by Brandon F. Burton’s mayor and his family, Elizabeth Stahlmann’s wife Anna and Chinna Palmer’s daughter Maria, the plot thickens as the snow falls deeper and deeper, With the help of briberies from the town leaders, the Public Health Director Whitney Andrews, the Postmaster Annelise Lawson, the School Superntendent John Evans Reese. the Judge Darius Sakui, and the Doctor Grayson Richmond, with the added help of Piotr Ivanovich Bobchinky’s Edoardo Benzoni and Piotr Ivanovich Dobchinsky's Malik James who may be related, the town is in cahoots to deceive the inspector and save their reputation without jail time. Their plot might have succeeded if Samuel Douglas’s Ivan Khlestakov and his aide Nome SiDone’s Osip were actually the Inspector.

Chaos and confusion reign as the teams of con men actually deceive each other while rogue rats and mice and associated animals roam the town causing pandemonium. For tickets ($15-65), call the Yale Rep, 1120 Chapel Street, New Haven at 203-432-1234 or online at yalerep.org. Performances areTuesday at 8 p.m., Wednesday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., Thursday act 8 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., and Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Free shows for high school students will take place at 10 a.m. March 25 and 26.

Come visit the dark but funny side of humanity where the fear of being discovered promotes the art of the fraud to a new level of deception.

TRAVEL WITH DOROTHY TO THE LAND OF OZ AT THE JORGENSEN AT UCONN APRIL 6

Can you believe the novel “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” was written by L. Frank Baum way, way. way back in 1900 but didn’t become an MGM fantasy classic movie until 1939. With its Technicolor yellow brick road, it featured Judy Garland as Dorothy with her precious dog Toto, living in rural Kansas on her Uncle Henry and Aunt Em’s farm. Dorothy wishes she could be anywhere else and a sudden tornado gives her a dream come true when she finds herself in the Land of Oz seeking a Wizard.

To share this magical story with your little ones, travel to the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts for one performance only of “The Wizard of Oz” on Sunday, April 6 at 2 p.m. on the campus of the University of Connecticut in Storrs. This one hour show will be performed by the Vital Theater Company who, since 1999, has consisted of a community of artists who believe “a shared theatrical experience profoundly affects people's lives" and so they create stories "to challenge audiences to ask questions, make discoveries and engage in dialogue.”

The Vital Theater Company was started by four young artists in New York City who identified original properties and adaptations like comedies, dramas and operas, and on weekends performed for children using fairy tales and original stories, often with singing and dancing. They took their shows on the road across the United States, to the islands and to Canada. Their production of “The Wizard of Oz” is based on the Royal Shakespeare Company and is a great family event.

When Dorothy lands in Oz, where little people named Munchkins live, she finds them celebrating what Dorothy’s fall on a house there does: kills the Wicked Witch of the East. Gilda the Good Witch magically puts the Wicked Witch's ruby red slippers on Dorothy’s feet, warning her never to take them off, to prevent the Wicked Witch of the West from stealing her sister’s ruby slippers for herself.

Travel with Dorothy and Toto as she meets three friends, a Scarecrow who wants a brain, a Lion who lacks courage and a Tinman who desires a heart. Together they go off to find the Wizard and encounter obstacles along the way, including Flying Monkeys, all while singing such grand songs as “Over the Rainbow,” “We’re Off to See the Wizard,” “If I Only Had a Brain,” “The Lollipop Guild” and “Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead.”

Ironically Dorothy who only yearned to leave Kansas, now only wants to get back home again. With the help of her friends, and ultimately the aid of the Wizard, her wish comes true. Recommended for children ages 2-7 or even to 99, the production features a talented cast of six actors including Jackson Cline, Christopher Michael Milligan, Matthew Wangermann, Madeline de la Parra, Edoardo Amador Morales and Ally Gishi, the Munchkins as puppets, one flying monkey and one funny witch. For tickets ($26-29), call the Jorgensen, 2132 Hillside Road, Storrs at 860-486-4226 or online at https://childrenstheatre.org/shows-and-tickets/. A paid NORTH garage ($5) is available for parking with a free van available by calling 860-461-4991.

Not a day goes by when you don’t catch a reference in American culture in music, movies or television by singers like Pink Floyd, Madonna or Metallica, or in movies like “Star Wars” or television like “The Simpsons.” This timeless story contains elements of bravery, being who you are and living your truth, being grateful for what you have, discovering your unique voice and learning “there’s no place like home.” Following the yellow brick road is a spiritual path. Dorothy needs something from each of her friends. Her heart is in the Scarecrow, her thinking mind is encased in the Tinman and the Lion captures her emotional intelligence. Together the trio save Dorothy from the Wicked Witch, defeat evil and ensure a happy ending.

Now it’s time to click your heels together three times and be the best you that you can be. Bring the children and grandchildren to this grand adventure in make believe and go off to see the Wizard together.

COME EASE ON DOWN THAT YELLOW BRICK ROAD WITH DOROTHY IN "THE WIZ" AT THE BUSHNELL

If Dorothy is about to ease on down the road, that yellow brick road of musical theater fame, you just might like to accompany her to Oz and beyond. Adapted from L. Frank Baum’s “The Wizard of Oz,” “The Wiz” is being revived for a magical new adventure at the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts from Tuesday, March 11 to Sunday, March 16 with Dana Cimone as Dorothy and Alan Mingo Jr. as The Wiz.

This all African-American cast will also feature Sheherazade as Glinda, Kyla Jade as both Aunt Em and Evillene, D. Jerome as Tinman, Mykal Kilgore as Lion and Elijah Ahmad Lewis as Scarecrow plus an ensemble of acting partners, Be prepared to be wowed by this book by William F. Brown, music and lyrics by Charles Smalls, with additional material by Amber Ruffin, scenic design by Hannah Beachler and costumes by Sharen Davis, under the direction of Schele Williams, with choreography by JaQuel Knight.

Get your feet ready for a combination plate of jazz, modern pop and ballet while your ears delight in such glorious tunes as “Ease on Down the Road,” “It’s a Brand New Day,” “Soon As I Get Home,” “He’s the Wizard,” “Mean Old Lion,” “Be a Lion,” “Meet the Wizard, “Believe in Yourself” and more.

Come join Dorothy, a 24 year old elementary school teacher from Harlem, who finds herself on a mysterious urban adventure, traveling to the Land of Oz where she befriends three friends, a Scarecrow, a Tinman and a Cowardly Lion, as she seeks the help of the great Oz. Caught in a snowstorm, after her precious dog Toto runs away, Dorothy finds them both transported to the Emerald City. From the time Dorothy lands in Oz, and accidentally kills the Wicked Witch of the East, she encounters Munchkins, more good and evil witches, Poppy Girls, the mysterious Oz and Flying Monkeys. Thankfully Glinda the Good Witch guides her and her magic silver slippers home again.

For tickets ($34-140), call the Bushnell, 166 Capitol Avenue, Hartford at 860-987-5900 or online at bushnell.org/shows-concerts/the-wiz. Performances are Tuesday to Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Whether you find yourself in need of a brain, a heart or courage, or just a delightful and colorful adventurous theatrical experience, you will thoroughly enjoy your musical journey on the yellow brick road with Dorothy and Toto and her exciting enemies and engaging friends.