INTENSE WORLD PREMIERE OF "THE SALVAGERS" AT YALE REP

The frosty outdoors of a Chicago winter does not begin to measure up to the chilly conditions inside the home of Boseman Salvage Senior and his son Junior. No amount of fireplace heat or furnace generated gas or electrical air vents are likely to warm up the relationship of this parent and son unit. Emotions are ready to ignite as the generational pair are ready and able to bicker and explode over each and every family argument. As the snow piles grow, so does the antagonism. Baby, it’s cold inside.

The Yale Repertory Theatre suggests you get your scarf and gloves ready for the world premiere of “The Salvagers” by Harrison David Rivers until Saturday, December 16, an intense play commissioned by the Yale Rep, through the auspices of the Binger Center for New Theatre.

Issues heat up with the Salvagers as dad, Boseman Salvage Senior (Julian Elijah Martinez) and son (Taylor A. Blackman) disagreed about practically everything. Dad is a locksmith, one who ironically does not possess the magic key to unlock a meaningful relationship with his son. For his part the son wants to be recognized as a legitimate actor, one who ravels in reciting Shakespeare, but he doesn’t know the lines he must speak in dealing with his father.

Yet with his mother Nedra (Toni Martin), he has no problem expressing his love. His parents were too young, mere teens, when he brashly entered their lives. Even when father and son find comfort in a loving relationship, dad with a substitute teacher Elinor (McKenzie Chinn) and Junior with restaurant co-worker Paulina (Mikayla LeShae Bartholomew), the intriguing family differences do not dissipate. Can these fractured personalities be “salvaged”? Will their secrets and lies ever be healed?

For tickets ($15-65), call the Yale Rep, 1120 Chapel Street, New Haven at 203-432-1234 or online at www.yalerep.org. Performances are Tuesday at 8 p.m., Wednesdays at 2 p.m. (select) and 8 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m., and Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Enter this involved family and discover the pains and promises as they struggle to survive and thrive much more than a brutally cold Chicago winter.

TAKE A MUSICAL "SLEIGH!" RIDE WITH THE CT GAY MEN'S CHORUS

Santa Claus is currently circling Connecticut with a magical gift for you to unwrap for the memorable holiday of Christmas. The Connecticut Gay Men’s Chorus is all dressed up in its green, red and gold finery, they’ve rehearsed an advent calendar full of preparation and their sense of humor is bubbling to the rafters as “Sleigh!” comes merrily to town.

The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center in Old Saybrook is all aglow in its Christmas best for three performances on Saturday, December 2 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, December 3 at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. while the Sacred Heart University Theatre in Fairfield is set to explode in fur and frolic on Saturday, December 16 at 8 p.m.

Rafters will surely ring with the joy filed music of the season as these talented men “slay” the dickens out of Santa’s special day. What would the day be without their unique blend of tunes spiced with their adorable sense of humor. Your favorites are sure to be on their nice, not naughty list, courtesy of Artistic Director Greg McMahon.

For tickets ($35), go online at www.ctgmc.org. Help celebrate 35 years of standing up tall for inclusion, activism, and diversity.

It’s not too early to plan for a sparkling spring happening when these clever guys perform “Pure Imagination: A Magical Musical Journey” at the Kate on Saturday, April 27 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Take a delightful dose of a delicious Christmas prescription, thanks to the CTGMC. You’ll feel all the better for the experience.

GET SET FOR "A MAGICAL CIRQUE CHRISTMAS" AT THE PALACE IN WATERBURY

Forget the tinsel, the gingerbread houses and the stockings hanging on the fireplace mantle. Put down the tumbler of egg nog and the Christmas tree shaped butter cookies. It’s time for a mystical introduction to the holiday that your family has never experienced before when “A Magical Cirque Christmas” flies into the Palace Theater in Waterbury for one sparkling and spectacular night, Tuesday, November 28 at 7 p.m.

Imagine Santa Claus on his gift-filled sleigh dropping off a bevy of high flying performers, like a circus dressed up for the holiday in awe-inspiring splendor. You won’t know where to look first as acrobats, high wire acts, dancers and singers astonish you with their talents. Spin your spirits to new heights, juggle your joy to new levels of fun. This is an incredible marriage of Christmas and circus designed to dazzle like you’ve never imagined before and you will find yourself enchanted by every jaw-dropping moment. What a wonderful gift for the whole family to celebrate during this season of happiness.

For tickets ($39-86), call the Palace Theater, 100 East Main Street, Waterbury at 203-346-2000 or online at https://www.palacetheaterct.org.

Wrap yourself in amazing splendor as you kick off the glorious holiday season with a hearty dose of magic and merriment.

LONG WHARF THEATRE PRESENTS A MOVING"THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING"

Tragedy doesn’t always give a warning when it is about to disrupt your life. Even if your partner has been ill for fourteen years, his death will still bea shock. The only way to prepare for these eventualities is to cherish every day, to balance the precious with the precarious, to feel gratitude for the moment and to live in the present…to not postpone joy.

Unthinkable things happen to people, even good people, like car crashes, chronic illnesses, and, the inevitable worst case scenario, death. Joan Didion, journalist, essayist and novelist, was all too familiar with the curses and tragedies of life as she received a double dose of devastation that was a painful reality in the two years from 2003 to 2005. Her husband and writing partner of forty years, John Gregory Dunne, died suddenly and her daughter, Quintana Roo, 39, died after an extended illness.

>p>To work through her grief, Didion penned a book “The Year of Magical Thinking,” which won the National Book Award and which she adapted into a one woman play. From now until Sunday, December 10, Long Wharf Theatre will be presenting this personal, poignant and powerful tale starring the legendary Kathleen Chalfant.

Didion, who has been hailed as “the finest woman prose stylist writing in English today” by novelist and poet James Dickey, used the written word as therapy to try and understand what went wrong in her world. This is a cautionary tale, as she wanted the audience to be aware that what happened to her could happen to you.

When her novelist, screenwriter and literary critic husband died unexpectedly on December 30, 2003 of a heart attack, at the same moment her beloved daughter was in an induced coma suffering from septic shock, Didion found that life can change in an instant, that grief has its place but also its limits, and that the writer’s instincts to constantly “revise” work unfortunately don’t apply to life. She wanted a “do over,” a new ending, so that even as she went through the rituals of a funeral she was preparing for John to return. She couldn’t give away his shoes because he would need them when he came back.

In an intimate setting, as if she is talking directly to you, Kathleen Chalfant is wonderfully convincing as she takes you through that unimaginable time when she tried to “see it straight,” when the sea went silent, when she attempted to correct the reversible error. Artistic director, who conceived the show through Keen Company, Jonathan Silverstein keeps a taut and sensitive hold on the personal, intensely familiar and internal exploration of feelings.

For tickets (free for students, at libraries, pay-it-forward, up to $125 at individual homes), go online to longwharf.org/shows-events/the-year-of-magical-thinking/ for the play’s performance dates and locations in and around New Haven in homes, gathering spaces and libraries.

Learn how Joan Didion used “magical thinking” to survive a time when everyone of importance in her life was snatched away in an instant. That she survives is a testament to her strength and resilience.

LIGHT UP THE HOLIDAY WITH "MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET CHRISTMAS" AT IVORYTON

Do you need a little inspiration and motivation to get ready for the December 25th holiday that is just around the red, gold and green corner? Might you like to enthusiastically greet Santa Claus and even Rudolph? If you answered yes, then Ivoryton Playhouse has just the perfect solution for your energy and burst of excitement: “Million Dollar Quartet Christmas” lighting up the playhouse until Sunday, December 17. Wow, is it wonderful!

Are you still proud that your music tastes are stuck decades back in the 1950's? Do you delight in singers with singing guitars, champions of the ivory keys, swivel hips and wild gyrations? Is yesterday your favorite place for your listening and dancing pleasures? If so, then do I have a musical marathon designed just for you. The date is December 4, 1956 and the sacred place is Memphis, Tennessee at a small recording studio named Sun Records run by Sam Phillips. On that memorable day four icons of the music world wander in and Mr. Phillips, the Father of Rock 'n Roll, realizes the significance of that event.

Ivoryton Playhouse invites you to be front and center at Colin Escott's "Million Dollar Quartet Christmas" rocking the rafters when Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley perform an impromptu jam session, one that was smokin' hot and unforgettable. "Million Dollar Quartet Christmas" recreates that one and only legendary day in the history of rock 'n roll, this time around moving it seamlessly and memorably to the final days leading up to December 25.

Think of it as a personal playlist of your favorite holiday hits as these great tunes come tumbling out. Listen to “Home for the Holidays,” "Blue Christmas,” “Go Tell It on the Mountain.” “Santa Baby,” “Ring of Fire,” “Boogie Woogie Santa Claus,” “Jingle Bells,” and “Run, Rudolph, Run” and so many more. Even when the show seems to be over, these guys return for a special additional Christmas concert, all dressed up in their holiday finest.

Carl Perkins (Sam Sherwoodl) had come to Sun Records that day with his brother Jay (Mark Gehret) and Fluke (Dakota Singerline) as back up and Sam Phillips, (Ben Hope) the owner of Sun, added Jerry Lee Lewis, (JP Coletta) a recent acquisition, to the mix as pianist. When Elvis Presley (Daniel Durston) dropped by with his girlfriend Dyanne (Margaret Dudasik), he added his voice to the kettle and it was the final arrival of Johnny Cash (Scott Moreau) that made the spicy cider's brew complete.

These phenomenally talented guys, all at different stages of musical success, sat down and stood up and sang like a group of old friends, without rehearsals or formal plans, and Cowboy Jack Clement, the engineer, was smart enough to record it. There were a few jealousies and recriminations among the four, but music was the uniting element that made the day so memorable. It happened that day and never again. Mixed in to the great music were the memories each had of the holiday, going way back to their childhoods, when getting an orange in their stocking was a blessing.

Country music, rockabilly and rock 'n roll merge and marry as these fellows sing just for the pure pleasure of the sound. For Sam Phillips, these four men were like his four sons and this show reveals a lot about their relationships, where they came from and where they were going. Sam gave each of them their chance and then promoted them to fame and success. On this day he even gives them each a personal gift. It is a sensational staged recreation of the actual event. Director Katie Barton wraps the excitement like a sacred Christmas present, with Ben Hope providing musical direction, on a realistic studio set designed by Martin Scott Marchitto. Jonathan White's sound rocks everything up to the star on the Christmas tree.

For tickets ($60, seniors $55, students and children $25), call the Ivoryton Playhouse, 103 Main Street, Ivoryton at 860-767-7318 or online at www.ivorytonplayhouse.org. Performances are Wednesday at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m, Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.

Prepare for an explosion and fireworks as this quartet hits all the right notes, with fancy flying fingers on guitars, bass, drums and piano, and voices close to heaven. Come and enjoy every perfect sound. You will surely be ready to embrace that December holiday with happiness and joy and no one will ask you if you’ve been naughty or nice.

ENTER THE MAGICAL WORLD OF THE "MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL" AT THE BUSHNELL

Get ready for fantastic splashes of vibrant color, lavish costumes and sets, awe inspiring romance, an explosion of carnival proportions and a world where glamour and glitz are magically married. Whether you are an aristocrat or an up and coming Bohemian, you will glory in the extravagance and passion that abounds in the three rings of splendor erupting before your unbelieving eyes.

The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford will present “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” in all its dramatic splendor from Tuesday, November 21 to Sunday, December 3. Think of a gigantic kaleidoscope that explodes in brilliant hues. Think Paris, the can-can, the Eiffel Tower, and so much more. Follow the tale of Satine, the featured performer of the Moulin Rouge and a much desired courtesan. While she falls madly in love with an Englishman Christian, a poor poet, the club’s owner Harold Zidler, a master showman, has different plans. With his beloved club in danger of closing, he has planned to have a wealthy Duke fund his next season by forming a love match with Satine. Not aware of the Duke’s violent temper, Harold bravely puts his business saving plan in motion.

French for Red Windmill, Moulin Rouge encapsulates everything you could want in a musical with splendiferous acting, singing and choreography, not to mention drama and delectable puckers of love. With nods to Baz Luhrmann’s artistic film production, this gem with music from the Rolling Stones, Beyonce, Elton John, Queen, Madonna, and The Beatles focuses on freedom, love, truth and beauty as you’ve never experienced them before.

Plan an exciting visit to Montmartre where artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec delighted in painting the Bohemian life style he so adored in the early 1900’s. For tickets ($43 and up), call the Bushnell, 166 Capital Avenue, Hartford at 860-987-5900 or online at bushnell.org. Performances are Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., Thursday (not Thanksgiving) at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Get set for an exciting evening of romance and tragedy as you experience the grand epic that is the Moulin Rouge.

SQUARE ONE THEATRE HOSTS A TIMELY "THANKSGIVING PLAY"

Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday when the family gathers to give prayers and gratitude for all the blessings we are thankful for enjoying. A golden glazed turkey with cranberry sauce and buttery mashed potatoes are followed by pumpkin pie and a televised football game or two. There is no need to spend hundreds of dollars on gifts and all the guests present are generally in a jovial mood. What could possibly go wrong?

Square One Theatre in Stratford is investigating what could possibly occur in the holiday happening in Larissa FastHorse’s probing satire "The Thanksgiving Day” weekends until Sunday, November 19 at the Stratford Academy. The playwright is the first Native American woman to bring a show to Broadway, as she pokes fun of how history and theater can get lost in the translation as Lillian Garcia’s Logan is challenged to create a forty-five minute holiday play for third graders that doesn’t offend anyone.

Logan enlists the aid of David Victor's Jaxton, J. Kevin Smith’s Caden and Lynnette Victoria’s Alicia to aid her with this thorny cornucopia of a problem. With this quartet of theatrical people in hand, why should it prove so problematic to improvise a script? Logan is afraid she will alienate all the generous donors who provided grants for the school project. Caden has come equipped with a set of possible scenarios that go back way before the Mayflower landed on Plymouth Rock. Jaxton enjoys a special relationship with Logan and they use yoga and meditation to inspire their movements while Alicia, the professional actress, has confidence she can play any role that is presented to her. Meanwhile at the center of the conumdrum are the indigenous people that they are trying to honor and not denigrate. What could possibly be a problem with four white clueless adults in charge?

For tickets ($22, students and seniors $20, reserved front row $25), call the Square One Theater Company, 719 Birdeye Street, Stratford at 203-375-8778 or online at squareonetheatre.com. Performances are Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. A discussion of the play will take place at the Stratford Library in the Lovell Room on Tuesday, November 27 at noon.

Come see “The Thanksgiving Play,” one of the ten most produced plays in America this season, where you won’t find a new recipe for stuffing but where you might find some thought provoking ideas about Native Americans and their history.