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.

CENTER STAGE THEATRE TAKES YOU UNDER THE SEA WITH SPONGEBOB

A unique musical adventure awaits you if you are daring enough to travel under the sea to the fictional town of Bikini Bottom and make the acquaintance of one character known as SpongeBob SquarePants, delightfully created with courage by Harry Rosenay. Do not be dismayed that he resembles a square kitchen sponge as that’s just part of his charm. He lives in a pineapple house, in a coral reef, with nearby best friends Patrick Star,(Jack Schafler), his neighbor Squidward Tentacles (Isaac Motes) and Sandy Cheeks (Taylor Tunstall).

Conceived and directed by Tina Landau, with book by Kyle Jarrow, orchestrations by Tom Kitt, choreography by Christopher Gattelli and songs by a number of composers, “SpongeBob SquarePants The Broadway Musical” will be making its spectacular stop at Shelton’s Center Stage Theatre by theYouth CONNection, with students from ages 14 to 23, until Sunday, August 2 and the whole family is invited.

Originally a highly successful animated series on Nickelodeon, it has now garnered 12 Tony Award nominations. Filled with sponges, squid, starfish, snails and sardines, it quickly plunges the residents of Bikini Bottom into panic mode. A nearby volcano at Mount Humongous will soon erupt and the town will be destroyed.

The evil doers in town, the married couple Sheldon Plankton (Ian Rosenay) and Karen the Computer (Anna Edwards) have a plan to talk the citizens into entering their escape pod, but it’s really a plot to hypnotize the unsuspected to like the chum they serve at their restaurant the Chum Bucket. Their rival restaurant the Krusty Krab would be devastated. A fundraising concert is planned to help the cause.

While being only a sponge, the inventive SpongeBob has a plan of his own to save the town, calling on his friendship with Patrick and Sandy to help. Difficulties ensue and the townspeople are soon conflicted about whom to believe and to follow. Loyalties are tested and disaster seems inevitable. Come discover for yourself if Bikini Bottom is doomed to disappear forever. A giant cast of enthusiastic kids keeps the high energy jumping all the way to the top of the menacing volcano. Kudos to co-director Rob Esposito working with co-director Katie Sedlock who also works overtime as choreographer and costumer.

For tickets ($22-42), call the Center Stage Theatre, 54 Grove Street, Shelton at 203-225-6079- or online at centerstageshelton.org or boxoffice@centerstageshelton.org. Performances are Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.

Can a lowly simple sponge find the courage to save his home and his friends and prove his bravery? Grab a crab, an octopus or a snail and help to save the day, turning the tide from “No Control” to “Hero Is My Middle Name” to “Best Day Ever.”

WESTPORT COUNTRY PLAYHOUSE SALUTES AGATHA CHRISTIE

Playing the game of Clue with Professor Plum in the dining room with a candlestick will in no way prepare you for a visit to the Westport Country Playhouse for the hundredth anniversary of Agatha Christie’s “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.” Until Saturday, August 1, the story called her masterpiece will be filled with likely murder suspects, each hiding secrets and concealing motives. Since 1926, her crime novel has enjoyed being named in fifth place by the Crime Writers Association in Britain in a list of The Top Crime Novels of All Time, and has also been the first sound film in 1931, a radio play in 1939, an even longer radio play in 1987, a television play in 2000, and a graphic novel in Japan in 2018. Now sit back and thoroughly enjoy Artistic Director Mark Shanahan’s new adaptation of the original where you are challenged to find the killer. Evaluating clues and debating the possibilities is half the fun of the game.

The story’s narrator Dr. James Sheppard, a genial and helpful John Rapson, introduces the first victim, a Mrs. Ferrars, who committed suicide over her guilt at killing her abusive husband a year earlier. She is a rich widow in the English country village of King’s Abbot and engaged to marry Roger Ackroyd, Mark Silence, and this is all according to the milkman who shared all the gossip with Dr. Sheppard’s unmarried sister, a caring Erin Noel Grennan’s Caroline. Also quickly revealed is that someone has had knowledge of her crime and has been blackmailing her.

The good doctor is soon summoned to the mansion of his friend Roger Ackroyd, a wealthy widower and owner of a nearby estate. Roger urgently wants to speak to him, but before he can, Roger is found with an antique dagger in his neck. When the local constable arrive, Allen Gilmore’s Inspector Raglan, a number of suspects have gathered to exclaim over the latest crime. They include Major Blunt, Richard R. Henry, Roger's niece Flora, Shereen Ahmed, Flora’s fiancee Ralph Paton, Joe Delafield, Flora’s mother Gertrude, Karen Ziemba, Roger’s secretary Helen, Nicole Shalhoub, Roger’s maid Ursula, Katy Tang, and, of course, the Butler, Parker, Tom Hewitt. Summoned to help solve the crime is also the famed, newly retired Anthony Cochrane’s Hercule Poirot. There are no end of suspects fully capable of being both blackmailer and murderer, all with assorted motives and numerous secrets they each are in no hurry to reveal.

Splashes of humor lighten the interrogations that ensue, as an inquest is promised, other villagers are questioned as to their whereabouts, and some red herrings are scattered. At intermission, it is a lot of fun to speculate on who the responsible party might be or if there could be a pair of murderers at work. The audience is encouraged to use their “little grey cells” in determining who had opportunity and who had a need for money, a desire for lust, or a seeking for revenge. Mark Shanahan directs this involving drama on a stylishly designed set by Charlie Corcoran.

For tickets ($60-90), call the Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court, Westport at 203-227-4177 or online at westportplayhouse.org. Performances are Tuesday at 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.

Come test your detective skills on what Mark Shanahan calls his adaptation, “a labor of love,” one that stays mostly faithful to the original and be sure not to give away the name of the perpetrator when you laud his literary efforts.

MAGICAL MUSICAL "MATILDA" COMES TO NEW CANAAN THANKS TO STONC

The Summer Theatre of New Canaan has a special treat for children of all ages that is filled with music and mystery, magic and meanies, that will keep you on the edge of your seat at the air conditioned New Canaan High School on 11 Farm Road until Sunday, July 26 in New Canaan.

Imagine how Harry Potter must have felt being brought up by family members who were muggles and not understanding or compatible with his magical tendencies. Now think of a clever little girl, known for her creative and brilliant ways, who is being raised by less than intelligent caregivers. Her dad is a car salesman with all the attendant challenges in the honesty department while her mother is an amateur ballroom dancer who wants to be valued for her looks and dancing skills rather than her mind.

Come meet Matilda, a precocious and precious Charlotte Surak and the enterprising star of “Matilda the Musical,” created from a story by Roald Dahl and being brought to prominent life by Tim Minchin, music and lyrics, book by Dennis Kelly, and additional lyrics by Chris Nightingale, three weeks only.

At the age of five, Matilda has her hands full at home dealing with her parents, Harry and Zinnia Wormwood, (Christopher Hudson Myers and Rachel MacIsaac Myers), who are less than encouraging. They feel that their daughter is “batty” and do little to feed her intellect. At school, at Crunchem Hall, Matilda continues to fight the establishment as Agatha Trunchbull (Meghan Louise Taylor) is the headmistress from H-E- Double Hockey Sticks and gives tyrants and bullies a bad name.

Fortunately, Matilda finds allies who appreciate her in her meek but supportive kindergarten teacher, Miss Honey, (Mary McNulty) and Mrs. Phelps, (Keisha T. Fraser) the helpful librarian, who provides reading challenges and loves Matilda’s incredible stories. Here is a little girl who cut her imagination on Charles Dickens and Rudyard Kipling and is enamored by Will Shakespeare.

To help herself get along, Matilda is not adverse to using a little trickery to get the results she desires, like waking up her parents to their neglect of her needs. She also imagines an elaborate story of two famed acrobatics (Hannah Risner and Miguel-Andres Garcia) who can’t have children and the tragedy they experience. Matilda mischievously puts glue on her father’s hat so it won’t come off, gets blamed for eating a chocolate cake desired by the headmistress even though it was devoured by a fellow student Bruce (Jack Ranieri) and helps all the revolting students like Lavender (Valentina Miller) when a bug appears mysteriously in Miss Trunchbull’s water glass.

Her greatest triumph, however, is her defeat of the headmistress, who dismisses her students as “shriveled losers.” Come see how Matilda puts her properly in her place, because even the nicest child sometimes has to be “a little bit naughty.” Songs like “When I Grow Up,” “Naughty” and “Revolting Children” underscore Matilda’s path to happiness.

For tickets ($29-$94), call Simmer theatre of New Canaan at 203-966-4634 or online at stoncl.org. Performances are Friday at 6:30 p.m., Saturday at 1:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Allegra Libonati directs this exciting tale with skill and sensitivity.

Take a seat at your school desk with your plaid book bag, make some paper airplanes and spitballs and prepare to learn some important lessons about life, taught by a special child with telekinetic powers and her slightly revolting but enthusiastic friends.

HOLD ON FOR "THE WILD PARTY" AT PLAYHOUSE ON PARK

The Jazz Age is alive and well,if by well you mean atuffed with debauchery and exhaustive energy. It’s out of control, challenging, ablaze with madness and on fire with action. When you hear the words party and orgy, you don’t automatically think the two are synonymous, but tempers can explode and secrets can escape and emotions can be bombshells ready to accidentally ignite the night. West Hartford’s Playhouse on Park is sending out invitations to an event you won’t soon forget. Until Sunday, August 16, you are invited to “The Wild Party” with book, music. and lyrics by Andrew Lippa, based on the poem by Joseph Moncure March and unforgettable is a mild reaction for what you will experience.

The vaudeville performers Queenie, a sleek Mollie Downes, and Burrs,a searching and unsatisfied Trevor Bunce, crave a little excitement in their relationship and decide throwing a party is a wonderful idea to inject excitement into what has become routine and stale. This anything goes event opens the door to more danger then they ever could have anticipated as their Manhattan apartment is filled with provocative people determined to let their inhibitions evaporate and have a wonderful wild time. The glamour of the Jazz Age exudes magical music and offers temptations that are quickly grabbed with naked abandonment. Queenie and Burrs are totally unprepared for what happens but that doesn’t stop them from freely participating in the sexual excitement.

You are invited, with an element of caution, to join in with the free for all party goers, Cory Simmons, Maddi Bowman, Kathleen Cameron, Caleb Barton, Lily Bucko, Elijah Martinez, Gavin Leahy, Julia Solecki, Joseph Rafael Davila, Kenneth Galm, Sophia Cantin and Kate Glennon, as they spiral in sordid and sensual ways, coupling in dozens of decadent pairings. Booze and drugs fuel the encounters as tempers escalate and threaten to raise the roof. All are seeking pleasure and an end to loneliness by whatever means necessary, no matter what the ultimate cost. Sean Harris directs this voyeuristic voyage, with challenging choreography by Darlene Zoller and stark musical direction by Colin Britt.

For tickets ($44-55), call Playhouse on Park, 244 Park Road, West Hartford at 860-523-5900. ext. 10 or online at www.playhouseonpark.org. Performances are Tuesday to Sunday with a talkback after the Sunday, 2 p.m. matinee.

All the guests are seeking change and drama, love and an end to being alone, but will this wild party provide them the answers they crave?

SKIP DOWN THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD WITH DOROTHY AT THE LEGACY THEATRE IN BRANFORD

One of the most beloved classics of musical theater history is lighting up the Legacy Theater in Branford until Sunday, August 9th. The Yellow Brick Road is beckoning you to skip along with Dorothy and Toto as they adventure to the land of Oz to meet the Wizard.

If you’re looking somewhere over the rainbow for blue birds, you know you’re not in Kansas anymore but rather on a unique and special journey to see that wonderful Wizard of Oz. Put Toto in his basket, fasten your ruby slippers, grab the hands of Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Lion and the Tinman and prepare to travel to that magical land, in the Emerald City, where the famous and powerful Oz resides.

L. Frank Baum penned the original book in 1900 and in 1939 MGM transformed it into a marvelous motion picture that has been viewed by billions. This mysterious magical show was written by Harlen Arlen and E. Y. Harburg, with background music by Herbert Stothart. Stuffed with Munchkins, good and wicked witches, flying monkeys, a tornado, a Scarecrow with no brain, a Tin man with no heart and a Lion with no courage, “The Wizard of Oz” follows the journey of Dorothy and her little dog Toto as they travel to the Emerald City in search of the great and mystical Oz. The magical movie is now celebrating over 80 years as a family classic. Called the “first totally American fantasy for children,” it will be sailing in a hot air balloon into the Legacy Theatre in Branford for a fabulous family experience courtesy of its wonderful cast.

Annika Jonker is precious and precocious as the adventurous Dorothy who puts her darling dog Toto (a debut role for Gus) into a basket and survives a tornado to land in a strange land called Oz. In the midst of the storm, the Wicked Witch is killed by Dorothy’s house and Glinda the Good Witch (Sarah Anne Hughes) awards Dorothy the prized ruby slippers. The Munchkins come to celebrate and before you can sing “Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead” three times, Dorothy and Toto are skipping down the Yellow Brick Road to Oz, and meeting Charles Romano's Scarecrow who desperately wants a brain, Garrett Van Allen’s Tinman who is aching for a heart and Jimmy Donohue’s Lion who is petitioning bravely for courage. Also complicating their mission is Olivia Fenton in Kansas as the meanie Miss Gultch and the even meaner spirited Wicked Witch who can do without both Dorothy and her pup.

Their journey is fraught with dangers, obstacles in their path like poppies, snowmen, Witch’s Winkies and Jitterbugs. Helping the little girl who only wants to get home to Kansas are her Uncle Henry (Rick Fountain), Professor Marvel (Rod Brogan), and Glinda the Good Witch who is always on Dorothy’s side.

Other active cast members are Lucas Dylan, Sophia Coppola, Nicholas Futris, Fletcher Hooten, Sophia Nardone, Madeline Olexy, Jenna L, Ptachcinski, and Ron St. John III who sing and dance with joy. Kudos go to Eric Santagata for his choreography as well as Hannah Ryan who bravely served as director, Jimmy Johansmeyer for his colorful costuming, Ryan Howell for his versatile set, and David Marottollo for sparkling music direction.

For tickets ($41.50-66.50), call Legacy Theatre, Stony Creek, Branford at 203-315-1901 or online at LegacyTheatreCT.org . Performances are Thursday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m., and 7 p.m.,. and Sunday at 2 p.m.

Treat the children or grandchildren and yourself to one of the most enduring, charming and a little scary musicals of all time adapted by The Royal Shakespeare Company for your total enjoyment.

TIMELY PATRIOTIC MUSICAL "1776" SALUTES AMERICA AT IVORYTON PLAYHOUSE

Were it not for the patriotic fervor of John Adams, would we be a free and independent country today? To determine the answer to that historical question, seek the good counsel and wisdom found in Peter Stone and Sherman Edwards’ stirring musical “1776” being performed splendidly by the Ivoryton Playhouse until Sunday, July 26. Start waving your red, white and blue flags as you enter.

In the hot summer of that year in Philadelphia, representatives of each of the thirteen colonies are meeting at the Second Continental Congress to decide the fate of a fledgling nation. Should it surrender to the dictates of King George of England, the greatest protector on earth, or should it break free and declare its independence, even if that means war?

Heading the opposition, those who want to stay under England’s protective wing, is Pennsylvania’s John Dickinson, played with arrogant opinionated flair by Josh Powell. How to convince this handful of leaders to pit a tiny nation of two million against a mighty power five times its size is accomplished with the penning of Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence. Women in the guise of Adam's wife Abigail (Kelly McCormick) and Jefferson's spouse Martha (Emelie Latzer) add their good counsel to their husband’s cause.

Kenn McLaughlin directs this stirring and spirited footprint in our nation’s past with passion, on Scarlet Jacobs' sturdy congressional set, with a parade of colorful period costumes by Heidi Hanson and choreography by Robert Mintz. The music directed by Amy Jones adds a rainbow of sparks to the story, making for an evening of dramatic fever and comedic tension, all beautifully balanced and executed. Songs like “For God’s Sake, John, Sit Down,” “The Lees of Old Virginia,” “Cool, Cool Considerate Men,” and “ Molasses to Rum,” keep the spirit moving forward. Kudos to the entire cast that also includes John C. Baker, Michael Barra, Tommy Betz, Cory Candelet, Michael Cartwright, Ben Clouse, Sawyer Coffin, Christopher Conte, Galen Donovan, Joshua Steele Kelly, Kenneth Linsley, Kenneth Robert Marlo, Dino Nicandros, William Pazdziora, Elio Perez, Jason Pintar, Alex Stone, RebeccaTobin, Allan Zeller, Adelina Peretti and Nathan Szymanski.

For tickets ($65, seniors $60, students $25, with discount tickets available Thursday night if unsold) call the Ivoryton Playhouse, 103 Main Street, Ivoryton at (860) 767-7318 or online at info@ivorytonplayhouse.org. Performances are Wednesday at 2 p.m., Thursday at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Friday at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. , with matinees Sunday at 2:00 p.m. Many performances are already sold out.

Convince the “cream of the colonies” to vote yea to a rebellion to become the first to break free from a parent in the history of the world. March back in history with these patriotic souls who risked everything to write the Declaration of Independence to inform the world that England was our enemy that needed to be defeated. Controversial issues like slavery that the South wanted to preserve almost defeated the resolution. Luckily saner heads prevailed and democracy was preserved.