THE BUSHNELL WELCOMES THE JOYFUL MUSICAL "MAMMA MIA!" OCTOBER 20-25

What happens when you travel to a beautiful Greek island, add in the exciting music of the Swedish singing group ABBA and complete the picture with a young bride-to-be who wants her father, one of three candidates, to walk her down the aisle? To find the intriguing answer, dance joyfully over to the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford to catch this lively with a capital L smash hit musical “Mamma Mia!” with music and lyrics by ABBA musicians Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus and book by Catherine Johnson from Tuesday, October 20 to Sunday, October 25.

Set on a mythical Greek island, the show is about a daughter Sophie, who at 20 is about to marry. Her fervent wish is to have her father walk her down the aisle, but there’s one small problem. Her mother Donna, a determined and vivacious woman who runs the island taverna, has never spoken Sophie’s father’s name.

So the industrious and clever Sophie sends wedding invitations to the three candidates for fatherhood as determined by invading the privacy of her mom’s diary of twenty one years previously: an architect Sam, an Australian travel writer Bill and a proper British banker Harry. All three men accept the invitation they believe is from Donna and show up conveniently on the eve of Sophie’s nuptials to Sky.

Fortunately the unsuspecting Donna has the moral grounding of Tanya and Rosie, the members of her old singing group, who literally and figuratively support her when the sparks of mistrust and accusations start to fly. The great ABBA songs like “Dancing Queen,” “The Name of the Game,” “S.O.S.,” “Thank You for the Music,” “I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do,” and “The Winner Takes It All” and more than a dozen more, make this show sparkle with neon lights that spell Amazing, Bouncy, Beautiful, and Alive, in snappy and pulsating style.

For tickets ($50 and up) call the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, 166 Capitol Avenue in Hartford at 860-987-5900 or online at bushnell.evenue.net/events/MAMMA. Performances are Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Come two hours early for a Fall Festival in the courtyard for fall themed food and drinks and outdoor games for fun.

Once upon a time a girl prays to have her father at her side for her wedding day. Is it a blessing or a curse when her prayers are answered three times over? Catch the joy of “Mamma Mia!” and discover for yourself. Wedding gifts are optional.

HARTFORD STAGE READY TO SCARE YOU WITH A NEW "DRACULA"

According to the Guiness Book of World Records, Dracula is the most portrayed literary character ever. Almost two centuries ago the Irish writer Bram Stoker created Dracula who has since become one of the most famous stars of English literature. Stoker even named his personal vampire Dracula because he thought the name meant “devil” in the Romanian language. To celebrate the holiday of Halloween, get your stakes and cloves of garlic ready for a frightening evening of thrills and chills with the American premiere of “Dracula” at the Hartford Stage until Sunday, November 1. This new psychological drama is the challenging work of Morgan Lloyd Malcolm, one exciting new one of the more than 800 adaptations penned over the years. She loves horror stories and considers hers "a powerful and rich story.” For director Jackson Gay, her introduction to this tale began when she was ten years old and played Lucy, one of the main characters, in a community production in Sugar Land, Texas. She loves "creating something both deeply unsettling and thrilling for an audience.”

Settle back and take a deep breathe as Sara Gutierrez’s Mina orchestrates this terribly disturbing tale stuffed with frights and delights for your listening pleasure. As the creeping dread of night surrounds you, you will be trapped in the horror at your own risk. Mina fancies herself the heroine as she is the only one alive at the conclusion and it is her words that reign supreme. She is betrothed to Jonathan who helps tell the tale, a willing Lucas Dixon, who is honored to be chosen to be her co-conspirator. Jonathan travels to Transylvania to help Count Dracula with purchasing a new house in London. Also central to the narrative is Mina’s good friend Lucy, portrayed by Scout Backus. Others with various roles in the tale include Caitlin Elizabeth Clouthier, Anney Giobbe, and Pauli.>/p>

Be prepared for lots of fangs and blood as the tale unravels, as Mina ratchets up the horror to a screaming feast, all the while snipets of laughter lessens the tension. How perfect to celebrate the spirit of the holiday!

For tickets ($10-120), call the Hartford Stage, 50 Church Street, Hartford at 860-527-5151 or boxoffice@hartfordstage.org. Performances are Tuesday to Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. Recommended for ages 14 and up. Every 2 seconds someone needs blood. Blood drives will be held at Hartford Stage October 20 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and at Hartford Health Care, 560 Hudson Street, Hartford on October 28 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. You will receive a special gift from Hartford Stage.

Just in time for your personal Halloween thrills and chills, let Hartford Stage unveil this new reimagined psychological suspenseful tale for you. This gothic classic has taken on a different spin and point of view and you are guaranteed to gain a suspenseful appreciation of monsters that just may scare you silly.

INVOLVING FAMILY DRAMA "LITTLE BEAR RIDGE ROAD" AT TWH

We don’t have much control over the family we are born into. We can hope for a loving and supportive environment, with parents and siblings who nurture and protect. What happens when these people nearest and dearest to us also fail us and the trauma that ensues? What happens when a child has a father who is a drug addict? What further damage occurs when that child, only ten years of age, appeals to his aunt to take him in to her home to raise him, only to be refused? Come meet Mishka Yarovoy’s Ethan and Denise Cormier’s Sarah.

Let TheaterWorks Hartford introduce you to Samuel D. Hunter’s disturbing family drama “Little Bear Ridge Road” until Sunday, November 8. You will soon be enmeshed in their story as the last two members of their family, when Ethen reluctantly returns to his Idaho home, after his father’s death, to sell his house and hopefully get enough money to help himself get on the right path of life. He is a writer who cannot seem to write, with a Master’s degree but no job. He seeks sanctuary with his aunt Sarah and she is no more ready to help him now than when he was ten.

Can they finally make a connection? Can he forgive and forget what happened in the past? Will he be able to put his life on a better keel? Will his meeting with Travis Anderson's James at a gay bar enable Ethan to find the love he so desperately craves? Will his independent and opinionated aunt reveal the secret she is hiding? It is only with the appearance and explanation of Janelle Anne Robinson’s Paulette that a final resolution and truths are revealed. Rob Ruggiero directs this involving family drama with sensitivity and compassion, a play he calls “a really great story.”

For tickets ($20-80 ), call TheaterWorks Hartford, 233 Pearl Street, Hartford at 860-527-7838 or online at twhartford.org. Performances are Tuesday to Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

For Sarah and Ethan, their lives are like the Reality TV shows they are addicted to watching, with each scene bizarre and unbelievable, yet a science fiction story about aliens that appeals to their senses.

"MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM" INTRIGUIES AT THE YALE REP

The prolific playwright August Wilson immortalizes his Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania hometown in an epic American Century Cycle that contains ten productions, one for each decade of the 20th century. Yale Rep at 222 York Street in New Haven is bringing to vibrant life a play, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” that enjoyed its world premiere way back in 1984 and you are invited to experience its complex joys again until Saturday, October 24.

For the decade of the 1920s, August Wilson sets his masterpiece in the steaming heat of a Chicago recording studio (not Pittsburgh this time around) as the two white entrepreneurs Neal Lerner’s Sturdyvant and Jeff Parker’s Irvin anxiously await the arrival of Maiesha McQueen, a difficult and opinionated star in their corral of talent. As a successful and legendary Black artist, Ma Rainey has earned the title “Mother of the Blues” and she exercises her control over her band and her music. It’s 1 p.m. and her faithful and devoted band members are ready to rehearse for the record they are creating, Terence Archie’s Cutler, Dion Graham’s Toledo, and Ray Anthony Thomas’s Slow Drag. Also ready to jive is the band’s newest member, Jimmie J. J, Jeter’s Levee Green who has his own original ideas about how the songs should be played, especially his own version of “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” that differs dramatically from the way Ma Rainey wants it orchestrated.

When Ma Rainey breezes in, quite late and demanding three bottles of Coca Cola, accompanied by her nephew Mark Yarde’s Sylvester and Brittany Antoinette Davis’s Dussie Mae, the stage has been set for an explosion of fireworks. Levee is not about to backdown on his demands and neither is Ma Rainey. She wants Sylvester to announce the opening of her rendition of the lead song, even though he stutters. As a young ambitious trumpeter, Levee confronts Ma head-on asserting he knows more than she does and tries to fast talk her into surrender. As Ma is trying her hardest to survive and even thrive in a world that is not welcoming, their confrontation is doomed to occur. Come learn how a pair of $11 shoes sets off the ultimate tragedy.

Timothy Douglas has directed every play in August Wilson’s Century Cycle and he was an understudy when it witnessed its world premiere in 1984. Now as director, Douglas is responsible for the tension and temperaments that make this play so dramatic.

For tickets ($20-65), call the Yale Rep, 222 York Street, New Haven at 203-432-1234 or online at yalerep.org. Performances are Tuesday 8 p.m., Wednesday at 2 p.m.and 8 p.m., Thursday at 8 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.

According to Timothy Douglas, “A key focus in Ma Rainey is on the fineness and nooks and crannies of the individual characters" and the intricacies of their interactions, their fortitude and their struggles. Come learn how music is life’s way of talking.

PANTOCHINO PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS "THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF SLEEPY HOLLOW" THIS HALLOWEEN SEASON

You’ve surely heard of the successful television series featuring “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, California and New York City and Atlantic City and many more, but are you acquainted with the newest group in town “The Real Housewives of Sleepy Hollow?” Thanks to Pantochino Productions and the clever writing talents and lyric rhyming of Bert Bernardi, the enchanting notes of music by Justin Rugg and the spectacular sewing skills of Jimmy Johansmeyer, you are in for a special adult treat as you view this brand new offering at the Milford Arts Council, The MAC, 40 Railroad Avenue, Milford weekends until the eve of Halloween Saturday, October 30.

The chills and thrills begin with a quartet of lovely ladies, all rich and beautiful, who run Sleepy Hollow with their whims and wantings, all while singing and drinking to their successes, with a rousing rendition of “I’m Not the Enemy.” Clad in spectacular gowns, they boast of their triumphs, with shots of tequila, living in McMansions, and enjoying their best lives. All that is suddenly challenged when Katrina Van Tassel arrives on the scene. Before her unwelcome appearance, they were busy being entertained by the local hunk Brom Bones, the desirable Killian Meehan. Now their status as the Queens of Sleepy Hollow, Rachelle Ianniello’s Catherina, Shelley Marsh Poggio’s Gerda, Maria Berte’s Heide and Mary Mannix’s Johanna is threatened by Chelsea Dacey’s Katrina and they must plot to rid her from their midst.

Surely Katrina’s protective father, Justin Rugg, and the newest village resident, the music teacher, Jimmy Johansmeyer’s intriguing Ichabod Crane will unite to save her. But what is the mysterious role of Valerie Loomis’s Miss Sally? You’ll have to bring your snacks and drinks and pull up a chair at the fun cabaret that Pantochino Productions has made available for you. Will the Headless Horseman make a scary appearance? Will Katrina be saved by her new courtly companion Ichabod? Come discover for yourself…if you dare.

For tickets ($37), go to www.pantochino.com. Performances are Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.

For pretensions and pranksters, gossip and gallantry, secrets and silliness, come to Sleepy Hollow for a night of candles and witchcraft and surprising shenanigans.

IVORYTON PLAYHOUSE OFFERS UP "A PIECE OF MY HEART" WITH COMPASSION

The history of war in the world is tragic and horrific and too often senseless. We also don’t seem to learn its lessons and keep repeating the same mistakes. Ivoryton Playhouse is offering a different perspective on wartime by introducing the audience to six nurses who all volunteered to go to Vietnam and patriotically and selflessly put themselves in harm’s way to serve the soldiers who were risking their lives to keep us safe. Taken from the true testimonies and experiences by twenty six nurses, you will find yourself caught in their stories as you watch “A Piece of My Heart” by Shirley Lauro and learn about their courage and bravery as they willingly put themselves on the battle field. Until Sunday, October 25, you can feel their emotional roller coaster as they struggle to serve, save lives and help a cause that was unpopular and misunderstood.

Come meet and empathize with Mandy Evans’ Whitney, Olivia Fenton’s Sissy, Angela Hall’s Steele, Alicia Kaori’s Leeann, Allie Seidbold’s Mary Jo, Autumn Eliza Sheffy’s Martha and Galen Donovan who portrayed all the American men. Like a Pandora’s box opening, these brave females faced great obstacles in a raw and reality based world, one they were poorly prepared or trained to survive. Faced with severely wounded soldiers who had lost limbs, with death imminent, they had to heal and hold hands if humanly possible. They endured rapes, drinking and drugs, and souvenirs like Agent Orange which they were told didn’t exist.

They wanted to make a real contribution to their country and yet when they finally came home it was not to be given the gratitude and respect they deserved. It would be a long time before The Vietnam Women’s Memorial would be erected as a tribute to their achievements. Today about 227,000 women are serving in active military service and if you add the reserves and National Guard the total rises to about 396,000 women. In countries like Israel, women are required to serve in the Army. Jacqueline Hubbard directs this moving and emotionally charged play that casts war and the men and women who fought it in a new and courageous light.

Songs like “Proud Mary,” “Down by the Riverside.” “Wild Blue Yonder,” “Leaving on a Jet Plane,” and “America, the Beautiful” light up the sky.

For tickets ( $60, seniors $55, $25 students, military discount $30 if currently serving), call the Ivoryton Playhouse, 103 Main Street, Ivoryton at 860-767-7318 or online at ivorytonplayhouse.org. Performances are Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday at 2 p.m.

Come watch this dedicated and devoted sisterhood of females take their place in history, willing to sacrifice their lives for the cause of freedom. Amen, as we thank all the military men and women for their selfless service. A piece of our hearts goes out to each and every one of them.

THE CRESCENT PLAYERS TRY TO PROVE LIFE IS A "CABARET"

The Southern Connecticut State University Theatre in collaboration with the Crescent Players is advancing the opinion that "Life is a cabaret" and it is determined to prove it. From Friday, October 9 to Saturday, October 17, you are invited to the proof in the pudding, Come to the Lyman Center Mainstage for this classic musical about Berlin in the1930’s and how people tried to escape reality by dancing and drinking their troubles away.

The ostrich was known for sticking its head in the sand and ignoring the world around it. The same could be argued for the citizens of Berlin when they kept themselves busy partying and dancing and drinking, faster and faster, so they were oblivious to the dangers swirling around them outside the night club doors. In this case it is the Kit Kat Klub and you are invited inside to witness the insidious changes that the party goers are blind to seeing and acknowledging.

Watch as the talented Crescent Players recreates the frantic and frenetic times created so masterfully by Joe Masteroff’s book, John Kander’s music and Fred Ebb’s lyrics in “Cabaret,” based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood.

The welcome mat is securely laid out by the seductive and most accommodating Emcee, Jade McGovern, who urges you to leave all your troubles outside and have a good time, especially with her bevy of Kit Kat Girls to entertain you. Headlining the show is the sparkling singer from Mayfair, England, Miss Sally Bowles, Aliza Clark, with stars in her eyes, who is busy breezing through life seemingly without a care. She dangles men like so much jewelry, using them to accommodate her needs, like the club owner Max and the newcomer to Berlin, the American writer Cliff Bradshaw, Trey Griggs, both naive and trusting.

On the train into Berlin, Cliff meets the dangerously single minded Ernst Ludwig, focused on the Nazi cause, who helps Cliff secure a room at the boarding house of Fraulein Schneider, a hard working and sincere elderly matron. She is busy keeping track of her tenants like the overly friendly to sailors Fraulein Kost, a convincingly enterprising woman,and the greengrocer Herr Schultz, who wants to make Fraulein Schneider his wife. The fact that he is Jewish and she is not becomes an obstacle of elephantine proportions.

Light hearted fun in songs like “Don’t Tell Mama” segue in alarming ways to the themes of “Tomorrow BelongsTo Me,” as it echoes the Nazi message, and the hidden in plain sight discrimination of “If You Could See Her,” as the Emcee dances with her monkey friend. Meanwhile dark clouds obscure the sun, foreshadowing the storm to come, as Larry Nye directs and choreographs this musical with hidden fangs in a decidedly wicked and “wunderbar” way with musical direction by Jill Brunell.

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For tickets($25 and free for SCSU students and children under 12), go to the Lyman Center, 501 Crescent Street, New Haven or online at LymanCenter.org. Performances are Thursday to Saturday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m.

Scrap off the glitter on the surface of the Kit Kat Klub and discover that all is not beautiful, no matter how hard the Emcee tries to make you believe it is so.