OPERA THEATER OF CT OFFERS MUSICAL LOVE POTION

Almost 200 years ago Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti wrote a comic opera in two acts that took him less than six weeks to pen. Since 1832, it has remained one of the most frequently performed operas in the world and now, thanks to Opera Theater of Connecticut, you have the opportunity to delight in all its romantic ups and downs and curves and twists. The Andrews Memorial Theater, Main Street, Clinton will be the setting for “L’Elisir D’Amore” on Tuesday, August 6, Thursday, August 8 and Saturday, August 10 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, August 11 at 6 p.m. in air conditioned comfort. The production will feature full orchestra, a rainbow of colorful costuming and supertitiles to explain the Italian.

When a poor, young peasant Nemorino, sung by tenor John Noh, loses his heart to a flirtatious farm owner Adina, created by Claudia Rosenthal, he has little hope of success. He comes upon her as she reads a story about Tristan and Iseult to a group of villagers, explaining how Tristan wins his lover by drinking a magic love potion. Nemorino gets the idea that he could secure a magic drink and win the fair maiden.

Meanwhile a regiment of soldiers arrives led by the pompous Sergeant Belcore, baritone Luke Scott, who takes one look at Adina and promptly declares he desires her for his wife. The fickle Adina plays her two suitors against each other, feigning indifference to Nemorino, while plotting to marry the soldier. Conveniently a shyster doctor is in town pedaling potions, Dr. Dulcamara, played by Adelmo Guidarelli, and sells Nemorino a cheap bottle of wine and takes his last coins. Watching nearby is Adina’s good friend Giannetta, played by soprano Lisa Williamson.

The plot thickens as the lovesick Nemorino enlists in the army to secure money to purchase additional elixir for he believes it will work miracles. A jealous Adina postpones her marriage and casts besotted eyes on Nemorino and suddenly anything is possible. Come see for yourself who wins the immodest maiden. Just to hear the love-struck Nemorino sing the masterful and moving aria “Una furtiva lagrima” is worth everything.

To make the evening more memorable, order an al fresco boxed supper from Chips’ Pub III for $15 at least 24 hours in advance, and dine on the lawn overlooking Clinton Harbor. Plan to come an hour and a half early to hear an Opera Talk by Artistic Director Alan Mann so you will be better prepared for the experience.

For tickets ($55, seniors $50, students $30 or $40 for groups of 8), call the theater company at 860-669-8999 or go online tooperatheaterofct.org.

Add sparkle and shine to your summer with Opera Theater of CT by attending this 34^thanniversary production, suitable for the whole family, that will make your heart sing with dozens of romantic possibilities.

WESTPORT COUNTRY PLAYHOUSE PRESENTS “HERSHEY FELDER AS IRVING BERLIN”

True confession time…I am a Hershey Kiss. Not the delicious silver wrapped candy, although they are a favorite. It’s my unofficial name for anyone who is a proud member of the Hershey Felder Fan Club. Mr. Felder is simply a virtuoso genius, a master of the piano, a composer, actor, producer and director. He has married his extensive piano skills to his talents as an actor and created unique portrayals of famous men in the world of music.

Past creations, the products of extreme research and writing, are Chopin, Beethoven, Leonard Bernstein, Debussy, Liszt, Tchaikovsky, Gershwin and, now, Irving Berlin. To witness this marvelous magician, run to the Westport Country Playhouse by Saturday, August 3 to immerse yourself in Berlin’s story.

Born in Imperialist Russia, he came to America’s shores at the age of five. He helped support his family by selling newspapers for a penny and then became a singing waiter. Who knew he would grow up to be a winning composer of the American Song Book?

From his start on the Lower East Side, his stint on Tin Pan Alley, with the Follies, Berlin would go on to find fame on Broadway and , eventually, Hollywood. Felder as Berlin plays many of his more than1000 tunes, like “God Bless America” that he gave to Kate Smith and the highest selling record of all time “White Christmas” that he resented Elvis Presley stamping with his own style. Felder also does impersonations of “The King,” the bombastic Ethel Merman and the sweet singing of Ethel Waters, among others.

Important moments in Berlin’s life are highlighted, the women he loved, the family he cherished, the trials and triumphs of his musical career, all directed by Trevor Hay. The audience is invited to sing along on many of the special songs, like “Always,” and after the show,the charming Mr. Felder as himself asks for any questions you might have about his personal life.He might tell you of the two years he devotes to each composer personality and how he selects which to become.He might reveal how he came to play the piano and when he started on the stage.He might even reveal the composer he is next going to embody. No question is outside the limits.

For tickets ($30 and up), call Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court, Westport, on route 1 at 203-227-4177 or 888-927-7527 or online atwestportplayhouse.org.Performances are Tuesday at 7 p.m., Wednesday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m.

Let Hershey Felder introduce you to his good friend Irving Berlin, the man and the music, and you too might find yourself a member of my personal fan club, the Hershey Kisses.

THROWN STONE THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS TWO THEATRICAL GIFTS

Parenting and pregnancy are at the heart and core of two plays being performed in repertory at Ridgefield’s intimate Thrown Stone Theatre Company housed in the Ridgefield Conservatory of Dance at 440 Main Street in Ridgefield until Saturday, August 3.  They will engage you, possibly at times enrage you, drive you to both laughter and tears and definitely provoke conversation.  That conversation, that “leaning in to listen,” is one of the goals of the theatre’s Co-directors Jason Peck and Jonathan Winn.

Enjoying its East Coast premiere is “Birds of North America” by Anna Moench and directed by Jason Peck

concerning a father John, J. R. Sullivan, and his daughter Caitlin, Melisa Breiner Sanders, who seen to fly together but never touch wings. They are birders.  They often take stances in his Maryland backyard and search for unusual and rare species to record.  These sightings bring them great joy.

But if you remove the winged creatures from the equation, father and daughter have little to say and less to agree on together.  They both suffer from disappointments in life, but there is little empathy or shared compassion.  The pair is like radio stations tuned to different channels and the result is static.  The play follows a decade in their strained relationship and attempts at communication, a beautiful bittersweet “flight” of thought.

The Connecticut premiere of “Cry It Out” by Molly Smith Metzler, directed by Gina Pulice, takes us literally out of the warm comforting womb and into the realities of birth.  Two new moms, with no one but their babies to coo to, meet over melons at Stop and Shop.  Their instant recognition of need for support brings them to their shared backyard for more than friendship, a sisterhood.  Maria McConville’s sassy Lina with her frazzled home life and economical needs is a wonderful contrast to Clare Parme’s privileged lawyer/mom Jessie, yet the two snap together faster than a size infant onesie.

Jessie had a traumatic time at delivery that makes going back to the corporate world virtually impossible.

How can she leave her miracle child?  Lina, for all her smart wit, is terrified to leave her Max with her almost mother-in-law who drinks and lies about it.  But she has no choice financially.

Enter into the backyard koffee klatch Jonathan Winn’s Mitchell who literally lives above them on a cliff of wealthy homes.  His wife, Wynter Kullman’s Adrienne, is a successful jewelry designer who seems to be having great difficulty bonding emotionally to motherhood.

Molly Smith Metzler writes from personal experience as a new mom so you will identify with many of the issues.  The title refers to the practice of letting babies “cry it out” when put to sleep.  For tickets ($29-59), call Thrown Stone at 203-442-1714 or go online to thrownstone.org.  “Cry It Out” will be performed in repertory with “Birds of North America.”  Check for times:  Thursday at 8 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Both productions are well acted and well worth your time and consideration.  Plan to see one or both.  You will surely “lean in” to catch all the inferences and innuendoes that abound and will definitely provoke a provocative conversation.

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‘PASSING THROUGH” HAS MUSICAL MESSAGES AT THE TERRIS THEATRE

Actor Max Chernin is about to set off on a 4000 mile journey from Pennsylvania to California and yet never leave Chester, Connecticut.  He has been cast to play Andrew Forsthoefcl who at the age of 23 decided to find himself as he walked across the country.  This true tale resulted in a memoir “Walking to Listen” which has now been transformed into a new musical enjoying its world premiere at Goodspeed’s Terris Theatre in Chester from Friday, July 26 to Sunday, August 18.

Entitled “Passing Through,” the show has had its beginnings at the Goodspeed Festival of New Musicals, the Johnny Mercer Writer’s Colony also at Goodspeed and the Rhinebeck Writer’s Retreat.  With music and lyrics by Brett Ryback and book by Eric Ulloa, “Passing Through” will chronicle Andrew’s trek across a patchwork quilt of Americana, with musical genres changing as he travels.  As Andrew walks, with only a backpack, he stops and talks, interviews, has conversations with strangers.  And, most of all, he listens.

These interactions become life lessons and, ultimately, help him to deal with a personal family issue that is troubling his soul.  The real Andrew began his odyssey by training and walking, mapping out the friends he would visit along the way, but, in the end, setting off on a wing and a prayer.  The walking allowed him time for introspection, moments of self-reflection, as he absorbed other people and cultures. Along the way, he matured.  His podcast “Walking to Listen” documents his one year adventure as he searches for life answers.  The people he meets become less strangers and more like friends, so much so that many of them flew or drove to Half Moon Bay, California,  his final destination, to celebrate the culmination of his journey with him.

Since Max Chernin was seven, and discovered acting in “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” he has been committed to the stage. His favorite roles have been in ”Sunday in the Park with George” (even though he was George’s understudy and never actually played the role) and meeting Steve Martin, the kind, dedicated and smart writer when he was in “Bright Star.” Now he would have to say playing a real person, Andrew, is a ”dream role, being able to create and debut this beautiful score.  I am thrilled.” He is also looking forward to meeting Andrew in person when he comes opening weekend.

For tickets ($49-54), call Goodspeed Musicals at 860-873-8668 or online at www.goodspeed.org for special offers. Performances are Wednesday at 2 p.m. and 7:30 pm., Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 pm. and 6:30 p.m.  Performances will take place at the Terris Theatre, 33 North Main Street, Chester, exit 6 off route 9.

As for the message in the musical, Max Chernin wants people “to listen carefully to what is said around you” as well as internally, messages inside you that you tell yourself.  He cautions you to change how you receive other people’s viewpoints for they represent the “root of humanity.” Be prepared for revelations.

YALE SUMMER CABARET IS FULL ‘SWING’

THE CAST OF "THE SWALLOW AND THE TOMCAT"
PHOTOS BY ELSA GIBSONBRADEN

Danilo Gambini is part of a triumvirate that includes Jecamiah M. Ybanez and Estefani Castro, the three fearless leaders, the trio of Artistic Directors, who are responsible for this summer’s Yale Cabaret.  Titled ”Verano,” which means summer in Spanish, they have fashioned a four part line up of shows where they encourage you, the audience, to laugh, to cry and to fall in love.

Now, at the half way mark in the season, you are invited to join a playground in the park to romp on a swing with the animal characters in Brazilian writer Jorge Amado’s whimsical children’s novel “The Swallow and the Tomcat.”

Danilo Gambini’s association with the charming story dates back years to a fateful bus ride he was taking in his native Brazil, from Rio de Janeiro to San Paulo.  Reading the tale of the bird and the cat had such a profound effect on him that he cried for a half hour after finishing it.  The book was never meant to be published. It was penned by Amado as a gift to his one year old son.

Years later, the son, now a grown up, found the book and begged his father to publish it.  Only after the son had watercolor illustrations added did the father relent. Danilo Gambini found the book “unbalanced, free , careless in a beautiful way” and has searched for a way to honor it by presenting it on the stage.

Gambini had seen two versions which were poorly executed and “dumbed down for the audiences” in an unsatisfying way.  Now as a third year student, a Directing M. F. A. candidate at the Yale School of Drama, he has the unique opportunity to direct “The Swallow and the Tomcat” in his own vision in collaboration with Dramaturg/Adapter Emily Sorensen.

Calling it a ”complicated big challenge,” he has translated the tale from Spanish to English, had original tunes composed by Solon Snider, Composer and Music Director, that are beautifully sung and clever costuming without animal fur or feathers designed by Stephanie Bahniuk.

Come by Saturday, July 27 to meet this menagerie that includes Adrienne Wells as the Owl, Morning and Papa Duck, Anula Naviekar as Toad, Daddy Swallow and Nightingale, Dario Ladani Sanchez as Cow, Wind and Vulture, Julian Sanchez as Priest Parrot ,Mommy Swallow, Freud the Mole and Don Juan, Reed Northrup as Tomcat and Mamma Duck and Zoe Mann as Pigeon and Swallow.

Tomcat has a bad rap in the neighborhood.  Whatever goes wrong, from crushed flowers to stolen baby birds, he is blamed.  But is he the selfish, evil creature the community accuses him of being?  Only Swallow has a unique perspective on his personality. Could there be a spark of friendship or even love between them?

The Yale Summer Cabaret team also includes Oakton Reynolds, Managing Director, Martin Montaner V., Director of Production, Laura Cornwall, Box Office Associate, Olivia Louise Tree Plath, Stage Manager, Emily Duncan Wilson, Sound Designer and Music Director, Evan Anderson, Lighting Designer and Elsa Gibsonbraden, Scenic Designer. Each production in the basement of 217 Park Street, New Haven is reconfigured to accommodate the play.  One week your waiter may be taking your meal order and the next you might see him on center stage.  That is the beauty of the cabaret: its inventiveness and surprises.

Director Danilo Bambini invites you onto the garden path to discover answers for yourself in this family fable.  Call 203-432-1567 or go online to summercabaret.org for tickets ($29, Yale faculty $19, students $16, children $8) to performances Thursday at 8 p.m., Friday at 11 a.m. and 8 p.m., Saturday at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. This production has been open for school groups and children’s camps.

Come early (6:30p.m. for 8 p.m. shows) and enjoy tasty offerings by the Queen of Tarts Catering, like Panko Fried Zucchini ($8), Chicken Milanese ($18) and Gluten Free Molten Chocolate Cake ($9).  The menu will change for the next production August 8-17 of “Latinos Who Look Like Ricky Martin” by Emilio Rodriguez and directed by Jecamiah M. Ybanez. Performances are Thursday at 8 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. and Saturday at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.

This summer one of the focuses of the season is the struggle for Latinx representation. This final offering is a fresh, clever comedy that questions identity and authenticity.

Since 1968, Yale School of Drama students have been using theater as a healing balm, as a dialogue starter, as a challenging stick to grow through art. This season is especially dedicated to the Latinx community on a regional to international level with the goal of connecting through compassion, understanding, conversation and caring.

Come experience this lively troupe of actors as they charm you into this bittersweet tale of love and reconciliation in this beautiful neighborhood. Be sure to return in August for the Ricky Martin look-alike contest.

“THE WIZARD OF OZ” TAKES YOU OVER THE RAINBOW

 

If you’re skipping down the Yellow Brick Road and 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. 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 mysterious Oz. The magical movie is now celebrating 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 Seven Angels Theatre in Waterbury one more weekend until Sunday, July 21 for a fabulous family experience courtesy of its wonderful community cast.

Madeleine Tommins is precious and precocious as the adventurous Dorothy who puts her darling dog Toto (a debut role for Mylo) into a basket and survives a tornado to land in a mystical land called Oz. In the midst of the storm, the Wicked Witch is killed by Dorothy’s house and Glinda the Good Witch (Cristin Marshall) 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 Justin Torres’ Scarecrow who desperately wants a brain, Carey Cannata’s Tinman who is aching for a heart and James Donohue’s Lion who is petitioning bravely for courage.

 Their journey is fraught with dangers like the mean spirited Pam Amodio as the Wicked Witch of the West, who puts obstacles in their path like poppies, snowmen, Witch’s Winkies and Jitterbugs and even one Flying Monkey (Gene Bascetta). Helping the little girl who only wants to get home to Kansas are her Uncle Henry (Joe Stofko), Professor Marvel (Scott Kealey), the Mayor of Munchkin City (Colton Zawista) and the Coroner (Robert Melendez).

Other active cast members are Tina Vlamis, Sydney Yargeau, Nicole Thomas, Aubrie Dell’Agnese, Diane Delucia, Sharon Amundsen, Norma Jean Lombard, Ella Perrotti, Ashleyn Leigh Kish, Bryce Zalewski and Lily Thompson who sing and dance with joy. Double kudos go to Madeleine Tommins for her choreography as well as for Dorothy and to James Donohue who bravely served as director as well as the Lion.

 For tickets ($25, kids $15, family 4 pack $70), call Seven Angels, 1 Plank Road, Waterbury at 203-757-4676 or online atwww.SevenAngelsTheatre.org. Performances are Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Free ice cream for the kids at the evening shows.

Treat the children or grandchildren and your self to one of the most enduring, charming and a little scary musicals of all time.

 

SAYBROOK STAGE COMPANY LAUNCHES “ROMANTIC COMEDY” AT THE KATE

If you’re a wildly successful and much admired playwright, with hits on the Great White Way, might you be forgiven for also being self-centered, arrogant and possessing a sword tongue like Zorro, always ready to cut and slice. Jason Carmichael, full of himself, and opinionated writer is on the verge of two major life events: he is about to gain a lovely society belle Alison St. James as his wife and he is poised to lose his highly motivating collaborator who has the nerve and audacity to retire.

 

As if that isn’t enough drama for anyone to handle, even someone as adept with words and phrases as Carmichael, a naïve and well meaning mouse of a woman from Vermont, a school teacher who wants to write plays, is ready to invade his personal space and make herself at home.

 

Before you can pay homage to George Bernard Shaw three times, the two unlikely pair are off and running to pen the occasional flop and the better received successes that will mark their association for more than a decade. Will the romantic flashes ever take root and spark between them or are they destined to be ships passing in the night without a convenient tugboat nearby to bring them together? Phoebe Craddock has long been a worshipping fan of Carmichael and is ready and eager to be the perky new partner that he is in need of hiring.

 

To meet the sophisticated playwright and his adoring new collaborator, come to the Katherine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, 300 Main Street, Old Saybrook from Thursday, July 18 to Sunday, July 21 courtesy of the Saybrook Stage Company. Be prepared to laugh at the light hearted antics that engage the talented acting troupe of Devin Carney, Cat McDonald, Terri Corgliano, Brett DePetrillo and Shannon Keegan.

 

For tickets ($17-23), call the Kate at 860-510-0453 or go online tokatherinehepburntheater.org. Performances are Thursday at 8 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.

 

Fill a summer day or evening with joy and laughter

courtesy of the Saybrook Stage Company as they present their 18^thproduction at the Kate.

“PIPPIN” IS AWESOME & EXTRAORDINARY IN NEW CAANAN

  

Pippin is many things to many people. His name signifies one of 

 the Hobbits who joins Frode on his quest to follow the Fellowship of the Ring, a yellowish apple 

with a rare, wine like flavor, a brand of computer created by Apple to play CD games and the eldest 

son of one of the world’s greatest emperors, Charlemagne. Summer Theatre of New Canaan is giving 

special attention to only the last Pippin, the offspring of Charles the Great, in its sparkling, spangled and spectacular reimagined production of “Pippin” by Stephen Schwartz and Roger O. Hirson.

Running to Sunday, July 28, “Pippin” is a razzle-dazzle menagerie of fantastic figures, a mysterious and mystical journey to an exotic spot that promises other-worldly, miraculous and magical events.

We meet Pippin, played with wide eyed idealism by Zach Schanne, who has just graduated from the University of Padua and is actively searching to discover a life that is not common place or ordinary, but rather completely fulfilling. To that end, he enlists the aid of his father Charlemagne, Frank Mastrone, a gruff and self-absorbed king, his alluring step mother Fastrada, Jodi Stevens, who only wants to promote the well being of her own progeny Lewis, a battle ready Omen Sade, and the Leading Player or Master Showman, an engagingly fascinating Melissa Victor, who could easily be mistaken for the devil or an angel.

Another important person in Pippin’s world is his grandmother Berthe, Janelle Robinson, who sings him a lovely song about not worrying and just living, “No Time at All,” that the audience is invited to share. A love interest is introduced with the widow Catherine, Ella Raymond and her child Theo, alternately played by Julia Desai and Josh Rosenberry, but Pippin, who has already tried to find his way in the arts, religion and even to unseat his ruler father is still not satisfied. Allegra Libonati and Christian Libonati, sister and brother, most cleverly direct this coming-of-age story as Pippin searches for his true calling, his corner of the sky. 

With unique costuming and makeup reminiscent of Tarot cards designed by Orli Nativ, wild dance movements courtesy of Doug Shankman, exquisite lighting effects by Colleen Doherty, compelling sound by Ian Loftis, a theater in the round set created by Brad Caleb Lee and spirited music directed by Kenneth Cartman, this production is over-the-top wonderful. An outstanding ensemble includes Matthew Aaron-Liotine, Erica Perez-Barton, Kelcey Matheny, Donovan Mendelovitz, Graham Mortier and Samantha Sayah. It is being held in the big white tent behind the New Canaan Library on 56 South Street Street, with free parking near by.

For tickets ($29-69), call Summer Theatre of New Canaan at 203-966-4634 or online at www.info@stonc.org. Performances are Thursday at 8 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 4 p.m. There will be a Wednesday show at 8 p.m. on July 24. STONC is also offering children’s shows, “The Light Princess,” at 11a.m. on Sundays until July 28 as well as a two man performance by Bros Do Prose, a world premiere of "Treasure Island,” 3 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday from July 1 to 28 ($22-30).

Keep your eyes glued on the imaginative center ring as Pippin rides off into the world to capture his destiny in every magical and mysterious way possible. 

UCONN’S CT REP PRESENTS CAPTIVATING “CABARET”

In Berlin’s Kit Kat Klub in the 1930’s, the singers sang louder and the dancers were busy tapping their shoes to the beat of the moment while partiers swirled faster to avoid noticing the changes outside the door. Times were darkening, storm clouds were gathering and the atmosphere was becoming increasingly oppressive. But if you never looked past the door, you could deceive yourself that the Nazis were not ready to pounce and make the world decidedly different forever.

More than five decades ago, Fred Ebb and John Kander captured Joe Masteroff’s book and John Van Druten’s play and the mood of this troubled era, as World War II was about to explode Hitler’s plans, in the Tony Award winning musical “Cabaret.” Until Sunday, July 21, the Connecticut Repertory Theatre will flaunt this Broadway hit in a spectacular production at the Harriet S. Jorgensen Theatre in Storrs on the campus of the University of Connecticut.

This production, which combines Equity actors with students is worth the trip to Storrs. Laura Michelle Kelly is striking as Sally Bowles, the transplanted cabaret singer from Britain who refuses to acknowledge the growing threat of Naziism as she lives in her dream world of fantasy. She plays opposite her American lover, the would-be novelist Clifford Bradshaw, who is captured with precision by drama student Rob Barnes. While Cliff tries to write his novel, he innocently gets involved with Ernst Ludwig (Aidan Marchetti) who urges Cliff to smuggle in money for his cause, while Fraulein Kost (Leslie Blake Walker) uses her time to finance her own pursuits.

Equity performers Forrest McClendon as the masterful emcee and Jonathan Brody and Dee Hoty as the older love interests, one Jewish and one German, are excellent in their demanding roles. Scenic designer Alexander Woodward creates a fascinating set which is filled with Fan Zhang’s kaleidoscope of costumes. Director Scott LaFeber and choreographer Christopher d'Amboise keep the action moving forward dramatically.The scantily clad dancers are sensual, sexy, seductive and slightly shocking while the music ranges from the intoxicating “Willkommen,” to the tantalizing “Don’t Tell Mama,” to the sweet as a pineapple “It Couldn’t Please Me More.” Each song has a distinct place in the storyline. 

For tickets ($48 and up), call the CT Rep, Harriet S. Jorgensen Theatre, Storrs, on the campus of the University of Connecticut (exit 68 off I-84) at 860-486-2113 or online atcrt.uconn.edu. Performances are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 7 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. There is a 2 p.m. matinee on Wednesday, July 17.

Watch the world wake up and discover the party is over in this thought provoking look at one of the darkest times in our recent history.

EUGENE O’NEILL THEATER CENTER IN WATERFORD SETS SUMMER STAGE

THE EUGENE O'NEILL THEATER CENTER IN WATERFORD

Think of the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in Waterford as a unique ship that is about to leave the port.  All summer long, you are invited to hop on board for an adventure on the high theatrical seas.  No need for life jackets or rafts or seasickness pills as the water will be calm…but what happens on the theatrical boards may be dramatically bumpy.  Hold on!

You’ve literally missed the boat for the annual National Puppetry Conference that culminated in two pubic performances June 14 and 15.  Workshops and rehearsals were held on such topics as mechanism building, writing, music, marionettes and much more, all under the skilled hands of Pam Arciaro, Artistic Director.

Have no fear, there is a lot waiting for you to experience.  Out of 320 submitted new musicals, a trio have been selected to be showcased as staged readings from June 21 to July 12 in the National Music Theater Conference. Already staged was “Borderline” with book by Aryanna Garber and music and lyrics by Benjamin Velez, June 22, 23, 26 and 28 that involves Anna, a disturbed young woman recently expelled from college, who has to deal with probation, a soon-to-be-remarried papa and a plethora of problems.

Next up is “Jeanette” with book by Lauren M. Gunderson and music and lyrics by Ari Afsar June 29, 30. and July 3 and 5.  In 1916, even before women were granted the right to vote, Jeanette Rankin was elected to the U S Congress.  She became the voice for women’s suffrage.  Come hear her roar in this exciting pop musical.

Completing the three is “Undesirables” with book and lyrics by Hansol Jung and lyrics and music by Brian Quijada on July 6, 7, 10 and 12.  A newly orphaned Korean girl, Jin, comes to America in1923 and soon becomes involved in an underground world where the have-nots suddenly develop super powers, with a blend of pop, folk, reggae, hip-hop musical genres.

The newly renovated Blue Gene’s Pub held “The Incubator Concert” on June 21 that featured new works performed by emerging composers:  “The River is Me” by Troy Anthony and Sukari Jones, “Fora” by Joe Broderick and Matthew AC Cohen, “Mill Girls” by Diana Lawrence, Samantha Beach and Jess McLeod, and “Diana Steals the Show” by Joe Kinesian and Kellen Blair. 

Hold onto your life jackets as the National Playwrights Conference, under the direction of Wendy C. Goldberg, Artistic Director, examines 1416 submitted new plays to select eight to be staged July 3 to 27. Among those selected is Craig Lucas’s “Death of the Republic” July 3, a drama that releases unexpected consequences between a moral philosopher and his finest student.

In Zaya Dohrn’s “The Humanities” on July 5 and 6, we encounter a modern university whose invitation to a provocative speaker unleashes unanticipated reactions.  Charly Evon Simpson’s “it’s not a trip, it’s a journey” on July 10 and 11 concerns a quartet of friends who take to the road and travel west to discover personal truths.

George Brant’s “Tender Age” showing July 12 and 13 deals with Martin who takes a job in an Immigration Detention Center to help parents and children in the system when an epidemic strikes close to home and heart. Come experience Anna Ziegler’s “Antigones” July 17 and 18 when the classic story is challenged by the #metoo movement to decide if women have control over their own bodies.

In Terarrance Arvelle Chisholm’s dramatic “Black Dick” July 19 and 20 we meet an overtaxed black detective James Flood as he tries to rescue a teenage white girl.

On July 24 and 25 Kimber Lee will present “UNTITLED F*CK M*SS S**GON PLAY,”

a visceral snapshot of a “woman trapped in a cycle that bleeds through time and space (who) looks for a way out. ” In “Winter People” by Laura Neill, July 26 and 27, we meet five women and their families who want to know why and how a Hamptons’ mansion has burned and who is the culprit. Award-winning casts and creative teams will bring these new works to the stage at one of the O’Neill’s four theaters, two outdoor, two indoor.

The acclaimed Writer-In-Residence this summer is Isaac Gomez who has many plays premiering all over the country.  For tickets ($30) to the staged readings of plays and musicals, call the box office at 860-443-1238 or online at boxoffice@theoneill.org.  Inquire about the cabaret shows and ticket prices. Also ask how you can become a member to support all these wonderful activities.

Stay tuned for nine nights of Cabaret, under the stewardship of John McDaniel, Artistic Director, beginning with a free night on July 31.  Brad

Simmons presents “Storytellers” on August 1, Tori Scott “Thirsty!” August 2, Barb Jungr “Barb, Brel, and More!” August 4, Carole Cook “Tonight!” August 6, Junior Fellows “We Are the Champions:  The Music of Queen!” August 7, An Evening with Cabaret Fellows August 8, Daniel J. Watts “The Jam: Only Child” August 9 and The Cabaret Finale August 10.  Take note of the free performance of the TheaterMakers on Monday, July 22 at 7 p.m., a product of six intensive weeks of study.

The captain is ready to set sail so don’t get left at the dock.  There are too many wonderful opportunities to experience as the USS Eugene O’Neill sets its course.

“THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS” AT PLAYHOUSE ON PARK A MUST SEE

THE CAST OF "THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS"   PHOTO BY MEREDITH LONGO

When nine teenage African –American boys, ages 13 to 20, in 1931, hop in a train boxcar in Alabama, traveling North for freedom, adventure and employment, their lives are permanently and irrevocably changed.  They are falsely accused of raping two white women, who lie to get out of being arrested themselves, and soon find they are convicted with no real evidence of a crime. These young men, known as The Scottsboro Boys, are the subject of a daringly dramatic musical with book by David Thompson, music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb. West Hartford’s Playhouse on Park will bravely tell their story of racial injustice until Sunday, August 4.  This is powerful theater with teeth that bite the historical truth and should not be missed.

This travesty of civil rights abuse has been fashioned into a minstrel show orchestrated by the only white member of the cast Dennis Holland as The Interlocutor, aided by Mr. Bones, Ivory McKay, and Mr. Tambo, Torrey Linder, who portray a wide variety of characters.  Protesting his innocence for decades is Troy Valjean Rucker as Haywood Patterson, who even when he can claim his freedom refuses to say anything but the truth, he did not do this crime.  Standing along with him are the other eight accused, who face lynching or the electric chair:  Justin Sturgis as Roy, Jerry Hamilton as Andy, Trishawn Paul as Eugene, Cedrick Ekra as Clarence, Alex Robertson as Willie, Jaylan Evans as Ozie, Grant Reynolds as Charles and Cedric Greene as Olen.  The cast is uniformly powerful as they adjust to the continuing verdicts of guilty, even though there is no evidence and one of the accusers admits her story was a lie.

With passion and poignancy, the boys sing and dance their innocence as the minstrel show progresses, and rallies, letters and protests scream against the injustice of it all.  Trial after trial produces the same verdict. Two legal precedents are set, that juries must be integrated and that accused have the right to proper counsel.  The author Harper Lee even used this incident in her book “To Kill a Mockingbird.”  Despite any progress in the civil rights movement, almost six decades later the Central Park Five, mostly  African-American youth, were arrested without evidence and convicted of raping a white jogger. It took more than a decade for them to be exonerated and the real culprit convicted when he confessed.

Each of these boys suffered unimaginable fates because of the lies told against them.  Their story is one you must acknowledge and understand, lest it happen today. Kudos to director Sean Harris for having the courage to tackle this unforgivable tale, with musical director Melanie Guerin and choreographer Darlene Zoller.

For tickets ($30-50), call Playhouse on Park, 244 Park Road, West Hartford at 860-523-5900, ext. 10 or online at www.playhouseonpark.org.  Performances are Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 pm.  Please stay for the talk back with the cast and a prominent member of the community after each show.

Come balance the truth and the lies, the lightness and the darkness, the frivolity and the fear, as this intense struggle plays out in front of your eyes.  At the end, watch the silent lady, Renee J. Sutherland, give meaning and hope to the tragic ordeal.