HEARTFELT "HARMONY" WITH MUSICAL MESSAGE AT MUSIC THEATRE OF CT

The world does not easily learn the lessons of history and we are often doomed to repeat our mistakes and to not see the realities of what is happening right around us. The signs of evil are evident and we close our eyes to the danger. A new musical with an original score by Barry Manilow and book and lyrics by Bruce Sussman is making its Connecticut Professional Regional Premiere at Norwalk’s intimate Music Theatre of Connecticut in “Harmony" until Sunday, September 27 and it is a powerful and majestic true tale and message we all need to heed as well as enjoy. it has been called “impossible to forget.”

Two Rabbis tell the story, the younger an idealistic Constantine Pappas and the elder a tested and true Frank Mastrone. And what a story it is. It is the late 1920s Berlin and a musical genius named Harry (Jeff Raab) wants to create a unique band like one he admired in America and so he held auditions. He was fortunate to find a doctor who couldn’t stomach blood named Erich ( Cameron Edris), a honky tonk piano player named Irwin who preferred the moniker Chopin (Michael Alonzo), a guy with a resume as a bass comic opera star Bobby (Dominic Pagliaro), an unhappy waiter ready for a challenge Lesh (Christian Libonati) and, finally, Joseph a cantor’s son from Poland studying to be a Rabbi (Constantine Pappas). These six song and dance men soon became "hotter than horseradish.” They were three Jews and three Gentiles, one of whom fell in love with a Jewish activist Ruthie (Michelle Pauker). Calling themselves The Comedian Harmonists, their amazing sound and humor and personalities soon made them an international sensation, making films, touring Europe and even performing at New York’s Carnegie Hall.

Their allegiance to their homeland of Germany made them immune to the threatening echoes to their lives. The Rabbi fell in love with Mary (Jazmin Gorsline) who promised to convert to Judaism when they married and Chopin who gave his heart to Ruth. The rise and control of the Nazis shook their world and caused them to question all that they held dear. Suddenly their world was uninviting and filled with dangers. Songs like “And What Do You See?.” and “Every Single Day” took on new meaning as change reared its ugly head and a tune like “This Is Our Time” temporarily rallied their group. The humor of their international conflict surfaced in “Your Son Is Becoming a Singer!” One moment the singers are considered an asset to the Nazi cause as “ambassadors” and the next moment they are called traitors. Are they able to escape before they are arrested, interrogated, punished and deported?

Kevin Connors directs this involving true story that will grab your heart and not let go. Others in this excellent cast include Helen Clare, Quinlyn Kessler, Matt Mancuso, Robert Peterpaul, and Joseph Torello. For years, decades, their story was lost but now you have the incredible opportunity to help bring it into the light and bathe in its illumination again. Don’t miss this chance to grab hope and the love and friendship these men exemplify. For tickets ($51-74 plus fees), call Music Theatre of CT, route 1, 509 Westport Avenue, Norwalk at 203-454-3883 or online at admin@musictheatreofct.com. Performances are Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.

Let “Harmony" educate you about this amazing six man vocal sextet who despite one of the darkest periods in the world’s history managed to make their music illuminate the darkness like “Stars In The Night."

WESTPORT COUNTRY PLAYHOUSE OFFERS ONE DAY TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES

The Fab Six is gathering for one night only, Thursday, September 10 at 7 p.m., to pay tribute and salute the music, iconic and incredible, of the Fab Four at Westport Country Playhouse. Get ready for a fun evening of song for Come Together: The Playhouse Sings the Beatles! as their classic tunes light up the stage and you can be there to help them sing up a storm.

Heading the celebratory team is Music Director Drew Wutke leading a sensational live band and some of the playhouse’s top notch favorite performers: Matt DeAngelis, Apollo Levine, Carla R. Stewart, KJ Hipppensteel, and Brooke Jacob. Tunes like “Help!.” ”I Want to Hold Your Hand,” ‘Hey, Jude,” "Something,” and “Let It Be” will fill the air with nostalgic joy, plus so many more memorable hits. In addition to being a well respected musical director, Drew Wutke is a vocal coach and piano accompanist and one of New York’s most in-demand multidisciplinary artists who plays and directs music all over the world.

The Fab Four, the leaders of the “British Invasion,” and The Lads from Liverpool are the epitome of boy bands, even though they had a lot of trouble settling on what to call themselves. In a relatively short time, they tried out The Quarrymen (named after a school two attended), Johnny and the Moon Dogs, Long John and the Silver Beetles, The Black Jacks Skiffle Group (for one week), The Nerk Twins (for two days), The Beat Brothers, The Beatals, The Silver Beats, finally settling on The Beatles, as a tribute to Buddy Holly and the Crickets.

Those four lucky and plucky lads from Liverpool are legendary in the world of rock and roll. From the moment John, Paul, George and Ringo took up their guitars and drums, it was magic. Ed Sullivan introduced this famous quartet to the United States on his really big television show and the rest, as they say, is musical history.

Don’t miss this grand opportunity to relive the music that moves mountains of music fans. Maybe your personal favorites like “Yesterday,” “Penny Lane.” “All My Lovin’,” “A Hard Day’s Night.” and "We All Live in a Yellow Submarine” will be on the play list.

For tickets ($50, 55, and 65), call the Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport at 203-227-4177 or online at WESTPORTPLAYHOUSE.ORG.

If you’re a Beatlemania fan, then run right over to the Playhouse’s wonderful tribute to those popular performers and icons of rock and roll royalty.

JOHN DENVER TRIBUTE BY TED VIGIL SOARS MUSICALLY AT SEVEN ANGELS THEATRE

When Henry John Deutshendorf Jr. was eleven years old, he received a gift from his grandmother that determined his destiny. His grandmother’s guitar led him to pursue his love of singing by encouraging him to join a boys’ choir and to take guitar lessons. If his grandparent had presented him with a basketball or a set of golf clubs, how different he and his future might have become.

When a career in music presented itself, Henry John Deutshendorf Jr. was advised to change his name because it was too long for a marquee. Heeding that thought, he changed his moniker to the beautiful capitol of his favorite state and became John Denver. If his music and story are important to you, mosey on over to the Seven Angels Theatre in Waterbury for two performances on Saturday, August 29 and Sunday, August 30 for the rich and inspiring tribute to John Denver created by Ted Vigil for your listening pleasure.

John Denver has been called “among the most beloved entertainers of his era.” He brought a special signature to folk music, recording almost 300 songs, about 200 of which he wrote himself. Professionally, he was a gifted American songwriter, singer, guitarist, actor, activist and humanitarian, focusing his efforts on world hunger and the environment. Calling Colorado his home for much of his life, in 1974 he was named poet laureate of the state.

An unhappy childhood as part of a military family that relocated frequently, his stern father did not encourage his musical aspirations. Hits like “Leaving on a Jet Plane,” “Take Me Home Country Roads,” “Rocky Mountain High,” “Thank God I’m a Country Boy, “Annie’s Song,” “Sunshine on My Shoulders” and “Calypso,” mark some of his musical genius.

Seven Angels will present this special tribute with singer, songwriter and tribute artist Ted Vigil. Vigil, who looks and sounds like John Denver, has performed with Denver’s lead guitarist Steve Wiesberg who stated “Apparently the audience thinks they all look and sound like John. I don’t see it. I see it with Ted. A very strong physical resemblance…Uncanny!

Ted Vigil was born in Seattle and raised in the Olympia area. Performing since the age of ten, he has competed in talent contests nationally, been recognizing for how amazingingly he looks and sounds like his musical icon, cruised the Caribbean as his hero, played twice for the John Denver fundraiser “Windstar Foundation” in Aspen, Colorado and won a bucket full of country western accolades.

For tickets ($30 and up), call Seven Angels Theatre, Plank Road, Waterbury at 203-757-4676 or online at SevenAngelsTheatre.org.

John Denver died in a plane crash, in a light plane he had recently purchased and was piloting in 1997 at the age of 53. Let Ted Vigil “convince you that John Denver never died! His look and sounds," according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, “ are scary!” Scary good that is! Since 2006 Ted Vigil has paid tribute and faithfully embodied John Denver in a unique and sentimental singalong that audiences cherish. Thank God he’s a Country Boy!

COME LEARN THE LESSONS OF HOPE, HEART AND HUMANITY OF "COME FROM AWAY" AT IVORYTON PLAYHOUSE

The world changed forever on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. Today 25 years later the effects of that tragic day are still echoing in our history. it is our duty and responsibility to remember that day and learn the lessons it taught us. The Ivoryton Playhouse is giving us that unique opportunity and I urge you to take advantage of this gift by attending a performance of "Come From Away."

This incredible musical focuses its attention on five days of our past and some of the worst events in our country’s history, the destruction of towering buildings in New York City and government structures in Washington, D. C. on 9/11/2001. 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 Ivoryton Playhouse for a marvelous musical that captures the generosity of this small community of Canadians until Sunday, September 6 as “Come From Away” soars on magical wings into Connecticut.

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 incredible actors-Mimi Bessette, Patrick Steven Bovo, Dana Costello, Dee-Dee Darby-Duffin, Joseph Dellger, Stacia Fernandez, Miles Hanna, Logan Marks, Jason Ivan Rodriguez, Autumn Eliza Sheffy, Billy Clark Taylor and Vicki Wepler- and eight inspired musicians-Angie Benson, Mark Gehret, Israel Corona, Austin Tewksbury, Dakota Singerline, Tara McGurk, Em Squatrito and Sam Moffet- 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. I was fortunate enough to see the birth of “Come From Away” for the first time at the Goodspeed’s Festival of New Musicals when the initial staged reading took place and also attend the Broadway production the day Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau brought 500 of his people to see the show in New York on Canada’s 150th birthday.

Stirring songs like “WELCOME TO THE ROCK,” “ON THE EDGE,” “ME AND THE SKY,” and “38 PLANES” embrace the action. Todd L. Underwood beautifully directs and choreographs this amazing true tale. For tickets ($65, seniors $60, students $25), call the Ivoryton Playhouse, 103 Main Street, Ivoryton at 860-767-7318 or online at ivorytonplayhouse.org.

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.

ENTER THE SOUTHERN CHARM OF "OLD OAK RIDGE" WITH SOUND AND STAGE THEATER COMPANY

For a quartet of years, The Sound and Stage Theater Company, a non-profit enterprise, has taken a unique turn in their entertainment offerings: they have written their shows in house in a totally original style. Dawn Taubl takes full credit for the innovative writing and direction not to mention choreography while Carol Taubl is responsible for the inspired music and lyrics and what a team they make. Put on your dancing shoes because tonight Sunday, August 9 at 7 p.m., at Congregation B’Nai Jacob in Woodbridge, their large cast of teens and adults is prepared to razzle dazzle you with a musical comedy “Old Oak Ridge.” that will delight you in a delicious bittersweet way.

Prepare yourself for a visit to Old Oak Ridge, a Southern community about to celebrate two major events for their town: the 350th Birthday of the town and the 500th Anniversary of a sacred and beloved angel oak tree. At the heart this is a play about the importance of family, the roots you plant in your home town and why the environment needs to be protected. Its the 1950’s in a fictional South Carolina locale where everybody knows your name and your business and secrets have a hard time surviving among the gossip grapevine.

Sunny and sweet voiced Jessica Coppola’s Daisy Dawson takes a few days off from the College of Charleston to attend the festival with her mother Ginny (Kim Adzigian) and her grandpa Hank (Mark Hall). While mom is supportive of the big doings and enthusiastically involved in the poodle skirts being sewed for the sock hop and preparing the food fixings, grandpa seems to want to sleep until the party is over.

Recording all the excitement is a news team led by Sam Taubl’s Chuck Sterling and his crew Scout (Nicole Scout) and Jackson (Adam Hall). Scout has her own agenda for being in town: to find her birth mother and establish her own history. Other townsfolk’s involved actively in the tale are the Sheriff (Hannah Bellows). the mayor (Jamin Mucherino). the environmentalist Evie (CC Hayden) the researcher and helper Babs (Tina Marie Manus), the Pastor (Joanna Bair) and Bobby (Jeremiah Taubl).

Others in the energetic cast include Jenna LaBranche, Tommy Francese, Eli Blatchley, Elizabeth Wilkinson, Hannah Lorenzo, Rosemary Wilkinson, Ivy Somma, Grace McAnnally-Linz, Juliana Vaiuso, Kathryn Mucherino, Alexa Charney, Thomas Sicignano, Melissa Lewis and Laura Regan.

Before the queens of the sock hop are crowned, there are sneaky plots, plans to take the town’s history, efforts to be environmentally conscious, a collection of acorns with letters on them, a line of young men who want to date Daisy, the search for Scout’s birth mother, a lot of gossip that may or may not be true, community secrets just aching to be revealed, and a storm the night before the festival that almost cancels everything.

Songs like “Where They Know My Name,” “Oak Ridge Grapevine,” “Sunset Shimmy,” “Roots Deeper than the River,” “Gunnin’ for the Truth,” and “Seedlings Left to Grow” keep the plot moving rhythmically along. Tickets for tonight are $30 at the door. The theater is also supporting “Tree Angels for Haiti” by planting 256,000+ trees on the island of Haiti as well as donating 15,200+ supplies to help the environment.

Travel down South for a sweet, funny and emotional visit with the Dawson family and all their many friends, to help them preserve their roots, their branches, their wings and their legacy.

ENTER DANGEROUS TERRITORY WITH "THE CANNIBALS OF MCGOWER COUNTY"

Scavengers swoop in quickly to abandoned and neglected buildings to find unique objects to either enhance their own homes or discover items they can sell for a profit. They time their hunts to arrive and depart with great haste, in and out in different locations, discovering trays of salt and pepper shakers and pink wall piggy hangers with great delight.

To enter the unusual ghost town world of two long time scavengers, take your courage and your big garbage bags to TheaterWorks Hartford’s world premiere of Drew Larimore’s “The Cannibals of McGower County” until Sunday, August 30. Prepare for a bizarre encounter with Annalee Jefferies’s Lindalyn and Constance Shulman’s Viola that will keep you unsettled and puzzled as the drama twists and turns with explosions and surprises.

Lindalyn and Viola are having a wonderful time exploring and hunting for treasures when they alarmingly realize, to their dismay, that they are no longer alone at the west Texas barbecue restaurant. A young couple Edward Hoke’s Blaze and Gus Birney’s Sarah Nell, clearly in the early stages of love, appear. He has just bought the ghost town, including the long closed restaurant and he is exuberant about his new love for Sarah Nell and the prospect of a promise filled future together. He even has a diamond engagement ring to prove his good intentions.

What could happen when these two diverse sets of competitors collide? Will they respect their differences or mightily clash in disastrous ways? Jen Wineman directs this wild and wooly encounter that not everybody survives. For tickets ($43-78), 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., with additional shows Saturday, August 22 at noon and 4 p.m. and Thursday, August 27 at 1 p.m.

Take a volatile adventure with unexpected consequences that may just shock your sensibilities. Secrets long buried are sure to be revealed in this macabre tradition of Southern Gothic.

MUSIC THEATRE OF CT OFFERS EXCITING READINGS AND A ONE WOMAN SHOW

Music Theatre of CT is opening its doors to offer exciting readings by local CT playwrights, performed by Broadway and regional actors. So far Stuart Brown has offered an involving mystery, “Conduct Unbecoming.” directed by Jim Schilling about five college faculty members and their new leader on a retreat on a remote island when one participant mysteriously dies. The second reading was by Jack Rushen, “Taming the Lion,” directed by Kevin Connors, a true story about the explosive and controlling relationship between the first openly gay actor, William Haines, in the late 1930’s and M.G M. mogul Louis B. Mayer.

The third installment, coming Tuesday, August 11 at 7:30 p.m. is “36.” the debut novel by Kate Katcher, now a play directed by Deb Levy that tells the story of the Weiss family, orchestrated by the matriarch Maxine to the best of her ability. Her daughter Shellie has an unusual relationship with mom that is both challenging and intense. Shellie is back in Brooklyn with news that she is reluctant to tell, afraid to hear her mother’s reaction and rightly so.

It is from her Bubby, the grandmother of the Weiss family that we learn the origin of the play’s title: the 36 people, the Lamed Vav, the Jewish people who in times of crisis can be consulted for aid or simply for conversation. Bubby sincerely believes her husband Sheppie was one of the blessed 36. It was his job not to offer advice but to “justify the existence of mankind in the eyes of God.” These 36 suffer in silence for the rest of the world. Bubby also believes her daughter Maxine is continuing her husband’s responsibilities to be the heart of the world and absorb its misery.

Bubby’s husband as a boy fled his war torn homeland and was eventually smuggled to America and used his artistry as a baker to make a living. He died before Shellie’s younger sister Shira who was named for him was born. Shira is intellectually challenged but has an immense capacity for caring and empathy. This family struggles to handle the joys and troubles that come to their door, all the ups and downs that ultimately bring them closer together, all while questioning their resilience and faith.

Kate Katcher creates a family you will want to embrace and, perhaps, make your own. Jewish customs are woven into the intimate tapestry of the Weiss household as they determine who will be the next Lamed Vav to save the world. Let her welcome you into her intimate realm as if you are one of the many who call Maxine on the telephone to help them cope with a troubling question in their lives. Enjoy the sensitive and sassy, heartfelt and humorous journey with the interesting Weiss family created by the wonderfully colorful and imaginative mind of Kate Katcher. Tickets are $28.

Next up is a personal one woman show by Randye Kaye about her life journey on Saturday, August 15 at 8 p.m., “Cracks and All: A Perfectly Imperfect Life” as part of the Hot Summer Nights series. Ms. Kaye write plays, does radio work, teaches workshops on mental health, voiceover actor, humorist, improv and stage actor, podcast host, writer, motivational speaker, author, drama teacher, and director. Her books include Happier Made Simple: Choose Your Words Change Your Life, and Ben Behind the Voices: One Family’s Journey From the Chaos of Schizophrenia to Hope. She is also the host of WSHU’s All Things Considered and does a podcast Good at Heart. Because of her family history she is instrumental in leading a free eight week course on mental health and family issues with emphasis on education support and connection. Part of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the free course relies on “Search,” support, education, acceptance, respect, communication skills and hope and humor. For more information, email www.nami.org.

Clearly Randye does not want any person to feel alone in their journey. She is also one of 3 Moms in the Trenches, who each have a child with schizophrenia and have each written a book about the experience. Her show will touch on her 43 year old son who has battled mental illness since his teens and how with the right outlook ordinary things can appear as miracles. Her mission is to change pain to purpose and refusing to bow to despair. For tickets ($45 plus fees), call MTC, 509 Westport Avenue, Norwalk at 203- 454-3883 or online at admin@musictheatreofct.com.

Let Kate Katcher and Randye Kaye provide stimulating evenings of revealing family entertainment. You will be a more knowledgable person for entering their remarkable worlds.