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.

TAKE A SLICE OF HEAVENLY PIZZA AT THE PALACE THEATER WITH "MYSTIC PIZZA"

What could be better than a slice of thin crust pizza loaded with mushrooms and onions and peppers, hot enough to burn the roof of your mouth, but well worth the momentary pain.

Life is not as predictable, unfortunately, as the pleasure of devouring a pizza layered with pepperoni. The passage from awkward and uncertain adolescence to the independence and certainty of adulthood can be a rocky road, especially for a trio of young waitresses trying to forge a future for themselves at a pizza parlor in Mystic,Connecticut. We all remember Julia Roberts as the adorable Daisy in the 1988 MGM movie, written about our state by Amy Holden Jones while she was summering here and frequented the small hometown pizzeria of the same name. Enjoy the tunes like “Mad About You,” “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now,” “True Colors,” and “Take My Breath Away,” and a dozen others.

Kudos to the Palace Theater for offering up this sizzling and spicy treat until Sunday, October 4 for our just past summertime fun and musical pleasure as we become acquainted with Jojo who may or may not be ready to commit herself to marrying her boyfriend Bill Montijo, even when it’s her actual wedding day, Kat Arujo who is willing and able to work a multitude of jobs so she can earn her way to college but hits a major roadblock when she is intrigued by the married architect Tim Travers and lastly Daisy who falls under the spell of the sophisticated and well-to-do Charles Gordon Windsor, Jr., an artist who has already flunked out of law school.

No one promised young love was a bouquet of orange blossoms and each girl discovers the promise and the heartbreak coming her way. The pizzeria’s owner Leona Silvia has her own set of decisions to make but is the caring mother hen to her tender chicks. The sisters Daisy and Kat and their best friend Jojo all want something more from life and are willing to sacrifice and work hard to achieve it.

For tickets ($49-89), call the Palace Theater, 100 East Main Street, Waterbury at 203-346-2000 or online at palacetheaterct.org. Performances are tonight at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. On Saturday, October 3rd at noon come to the Poli Restaurant upstairs for a festive gourmet pizza party, with salad and gelato provided by LaTavola Pizza Truck for $50. Call Denise at the box office at 203-346-2010 for reservations.

Show all your true colors as the power of love takes all your breath away as nothing is gonna stop us now. Come experience a delicious slice of heaven.

PLAYHOUSE ON PARK INTRODUCES YOU TO "THE HAPPIEST MAN ON EARTH"

At the age of 100, one year before his death, Eddie Jaku, a German-Jewish survivor of the Holocaust, had his unique memoir, unforgettable and inspiring, published by Pan Macmillan Australia. Born in Leipzig, Germany, he grew up in a Jewish family in peace until as a teenager that idyllic world exploded. During the terrifying Night of Broken Glass known as Kristallnacht, November 9, 1938 when Eddie endured a severe beating by Nazi youth, he was arrested and sent by train to a concentration camp Buchenwald and later Auschwitz, along with thousands of other German Jews and “undesirable” people according to Hitler’s master plan of extinction.

To hear a wonderful Robert Resnikoff relate Eddie’s incredible story, fly to Playhouse on Park in West Hartford before Sunday, October 18 for a moving and emotional lesson in hope and happiness, compassion and caring, and his refusal to surrender to hatred despite a thousand reasons to do so. Webster’s Dictionary when describing a term like “resilience” should have a picture of Eddie next to that word. Mark St. Germain has adapted Eddie’s tale of survival into a significant and must see play “The Happiest Man on Earth” that has been sensitively and beautiful directed by Sasha Bratt, the theater’s new co-artistic director, for lessons in how to live your life with meaning and mission.

For seven long years as a captive, watching his family and friends torn away from him, Eddie used his talents and his education as an engineer to save his own life. Despite the starvation and the daily horrors, he was deemed "economically indispensible” as he could make and repair the machinery like the crematoriums that the Nazis depended upon to carry out their terrifying mission. His friendship with a fellow prisoner Kurt helped both men to save each others’ lives.

After the war finally ended in 1945, Eddie learned his entire family had been killed but he chanced to meet Flore and they married. Until the moment he held his new born son however, he was still suffering from his past. The birth of his son snapped the fog he was trapped in and he determined at that moment to choose to be happy and call his life “beautiful.” Focusing on joy, gratitude and kindness rather than sadness, depression and personal tragedy, Eddie knew everyone suffered from daily issue and determined to help people benefit from his lessons and learn how to live their best possible life.

Eddie Jaku vowed to smile, to value a good wife and friends, knowing we are strong together, and that it provides more pleasure to give than to take. He recommended calling your mother now to tell her you love her, and that extends to your children, family and friends. Hugs work too. He believed if you are healthy and happy, you are a millionaire and that happiness doubles every time you share it.

For tickets ($46-58.50), call Playhouse on Park, 244 Park Road. West Hartford at 860-523-5900 ext. 10 or online at playhouseonpark.org. Performances are Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday matinees and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday. A talkback follows the Sunday matinee.

For Eddie Jaku, it was okay to dislike but not hate. He felt the greatest thing you will ever do is to love someone and tell them so. Unbelievably in 2020, nearly 80,000,000 people were forced to leave their homes and become refugees. Remember Eddie's story and find your way to your home from darkness to light.

LYRIC HALL IN NEW HAVEN PRESENTS "MR. WONDERFUL" A TRIBUTE TO SAMMY DAVIS JR.

When you hear songs like “Mr. Bojangles” and “The Candy Man,” who comes to mind immediately but the iconic and ground breaking multi-talented entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. His memorable music will echo in our hearts forever and you have the unique opportunity to welcome him back, in all his illuminating glory, for one day only, Saturday, September 26 at 3 p.m and 8 p.m., at Lyric Hall, 827 Whalley Avenue, in the Westville section of New Haven. Back in the day, Lyric Hall was originally, from 1913 to about 1920, a vaudeville and silent film house.

Grab hold of this exciting chance, as if it is the golden ticket on the merry-go-round, to see and hear Solomon Kee, theater performer, singer and dancer, bring Sammy Davis Jr. back to life in his extraordinary original show “A Night with Mr. Wonderful - The Sammy Davis Jr. Spectacular.” In 2011, Solomon Kee was a last minute replacement in a production called “Fly Me to the Moon.” In doing his research for the role, he developed a keen connection with the star, admiring Davis’s artistry, life and resilience, resulting in his personal passion to keep Davis’s memory and legacy alive.

The title of his show refers to a Broadway musical “Mr. Wonderful” in 1956, attributed to Sammy's father and showcases his talents as a comedian, singer, instrumentalist and tap dancer. Now return to the 1960’s and 1970’s and discover how Sammy was an activist breaking down racial barriers all the while becoming a primary member of Frank Sinatra’s legendary Rat Pack as well as earning the coveted title “The Greatest Living Entertainer in the World.”

According to this Waterbury native, "I first developed 'A Night With Mr. Wonderful' back in 2011 to celebrate Sammy's unmatched musicianship, but over the years, the piece evolved into something much deeper. Sammy broke down doors in a divided America while giving audiences pure magic every night. Bringing his full story—the triumphs, the struggles, and the timeless joy of his music—to the stage is my way of keeping his extraordinary legacy alive.”

For tickets ($35 general admission and $50 VIP admission with dinner), go to tixfox.co/e/rTdZ3MTXbX.

Let Solomon Kee invite you to get up close and personal with his good friend Sammy as he takes the stage of Lyric Hall in a brilliant performance and tribute.

"THE ODD COUPLE" PAIRS HUMOROUSLY AT BRANFORD'S LEGACY THEATRE

Can a man who serves his poker buddies a choice of green or brown sandwiches with warm Coke find happiness with a man who trims the crust from his lightly toasted b.l.t. creations, accompanied by a cold beer? The answer is a Duncan Hines Unseal of Approval, but Oscar Madison and Felix Unger, both divorced friends, give it an Olympic try.

Oscar Madison is sloppy and scattered and wallows in a pigpen of an apartment, all eight rooms of it. Felix Unger is fastidious and organized and a fussy compulsive neatnik. What brings both men together under one roof is the genius of Neil Simon and his classic comedy “The Odd Couple.”

Delight in watching the Legacy Theatre of Branford bring this pigpen of humor to the stage, now extended until Sunday, October 11. Turn the clocks back to 1966 and sit down at the poker game where Felix Unger, immaculately portrayed, with buttoned down perfection, by Erik Bloomquist lands on the doorstep of his good friend Oscar Madison, comfortably and casually expressed in a teddy bear persona by Ben Pitts. When Felis announces his wife Frances has asked him to leave home permanently, Oscar proposes he move in to prevent Felix’s suicide threats from becoming real. Both men are clearly having fun with their on stage bantering and so does the audience.

What seems on the surface to be ideal, with Felix sharing 50% of the costs and 100% of the housekeeping duties, so Oscar can finally catch up on his child support payments, soon turns into an ugly war of Pledge and Lysol. All the “improvements” which Felix has wrought turn into “annoyances” for Oscar to find fault with and complain about and become reasons enough to drive each other crazy. When Oscar calls Felix’s ladle a spoon, it’s a cause for a duel at high noon.

The weekly poker game with Speed (Stephen Depasque), Murray (Neil Fuentes), Roy (Max Evans) and Vinnie (Dominic Paolillo) soon bites the dust, if there were any dust. The Pigeon sisters are adorably supportive in the hands of Penny Amara and Desi Amato and give the bachelors new material to argue about with delightful consequences and crying towels. Jamie Burnett’s apartment set is a great location for the domestic quarrels. Eric Santagata directs this fussing, fighting and feuding feast of fun.

For tickets ($41.50-66.50), call the Legacy Theatre, 128 Thimble Island, Branford at 203 -315-1901 or online at LegacyTheatreCT.org. Performances are Thursday at 7 p.m., Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.

Check in with Oscar and Felix before Felix has a nervous breakdown or Oscar kills him as they drive each other crazy in the name of brotherhood, bachelorhood and friendship.

ENTER THE COURTROOM WITH LONG WHARF'S NEW, POWERFUL "THE FORD/HILL PROJECT"

Like a verbal fisticuffs with words instead of boxing gloves, “The Ford/Hill Project” is a confrontation that can literally and figuratively knock you off your feet. The energy and emotion of MaYaa Boateng’s Anita Hill and Christina Kirk’s Christine Blasey Ford are powerful messengers as these two brave women give up their private lives to go pubic to right a wrong before decisions are put into law.

In a new theatrical production created by Elizabeth Marvel and Lee Sunday Evans, and directed by Lee Sunday Evans, Long Wharf Theatre is presenting a unique opportunity to witness the Supreme Court nominations for approval of Amara James Aja’s Clarence Thomas and Roderick Hill’s Brett Cavanaugh with performances September 19-20 at Quinnipiac University Theater and September 25-27 at Southern CT State University’s Garner Recital Hall. in collaboration with Waterwell and in partnership with Quinnipic University, this documentary also includes a talk back and a Decompression Space, both with staffed mental health experts for the audience’s well being directly after the performance. This coveted space for these austere conversations are now open to you to hear the exact testimonies, told as an interplay of words by all the participants, recreating the tensions and antagonisms that occurred thirty years apart, as two women stood tall to accuse in court the nominees and expose their past behavior that disqualified them for public office on the highest court in the land.

Just like a preacher at a wedding could announce “if you have any reason why these two should not be wed, speak now,” Anita Hill and Christine Blasey Ford stood up to state their personal cases, refusing to stay silent without giving their testimony. And they were both vilified for their courage as Brett Cavanaugh and Clarence Thomas were approved, their damaging pasts ignored.

Come yourself and judge their credibility, and hear Clarence Thomas call them “lies” and a “travesty” as he denied any charges of sexual harassment, never threatening her job while Brett Cavanaugh confessed to liking his beer but not to almost raping Christine at a party where she feared for her life. Cavanaugh accused her of being false in one thing and false in everything. He called her “evil.” To these men, their accusers were creating a circus, a lynching, a charade, an unethical sham.

For the women, they were righting a wrong, coming forward to encourage other women to do the same, to acknowledge the most difficult experiences of their lives, even if it meant risking their own dignity. These women were pioneers, exposing their personal pain in a privileged world of white powerful men, to inspire the “Me, Too” movement and expose the Jeffrey Epsteins of this world. Anita Hill and Christine Blasey Ford were noble, calling out the “office wolves” by revealing their personal traumatic experiences.

For tickets ($55, college student $15, K-12 free, limited Pay What You Can ), call the box office at 203-693-1486 or online at longwharf.org.

Stand up and be counted, stand up and vote. Do not stay silent and help to change the world.