WELCOME 2023 WITH LAUGHTER AT SEVEN ANGELS THEATRE

What better way to usher in the New Year 2023 than with laughter! Seven Angels Theatre in Waterbury stands ready to fill your prescription for joy twice over with COUNTDOWN NEW YEAR’S EVE COMEDY NIGHT at 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.on Saturday, December 31. A free glass of champagne is available for toasting before each show and the bar opens 45 minutes prior to each performance. Straight from New York City are four professional comics - Richie Byrne, Jim Mendrinos, Mark Riccadonna and Kevin Bartini. Richie Byrne has a resume any comic would be delighted to claim as his own. Since 2009, he has been the warm up comedian for The Doctor Oz Show and has recently performed at Radio City Music Hall as the opening act for Dr. Oz Health and Happiness Summit. In addition Richie is both a singer and an actor and has appeared on such shows as “Sex and the City,” “The Sopranos,” and “Law and Order Criminal Intent.” If you travel to the Big Apple, he can also be seen at New York Comedy Club, Broadway Comedy Club, Greenwich Village Comedy Club, Comic Strip Live and a bevy of others. For three decades Jim Mendrinos has earned his star record in stand-up comedy and performance pride. His uncommon comedy observations about life belie his ever so common persona. If he isn’t riffing about politics around the world, he is revealing his personal relationships with humor. He chooses humanity as his topic of the night. Stick with Jim as he mines the field, from valleys to peaks and back, that he finds personally challenging. Appearing as a Gotham Comedy Club comic, he is the author of “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Comedy Writing” and also teaches his craft. He has appeared on stages around the world, including SiTV Comedy Central, the Fox News Network, HBO and the BBC. Moving to New York City in search of his calling and his happiness, Mark Riccadonna earned his education at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and joined “The Company” upon graduation. When he found Stand-Up Comedy, he realized success as a storyteller around New York City and then farther afield. A writer, actor and director, this versatile man recently had a lead role in “Days of Power,” played Cooler in “Un$uited,” and has been a contributing writer to such projects as Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update,” columnist and travel writer for “Today’s Man” Magazine, wrote and directed “Radio Gods” television pilot, starred in “Game Night” (winner of the International Film Festival NYC) and has also been seen on AXS TV’s “Live at Gotham,” FOX’s “Laughs,” and heard on Sirius XM and Bob and Tom, as well as many other venues Earning his chops as a TV and radio personality, a writer and a nationally touring comedian, Kevin Bartini enjoys a recurring role on “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” as Billy Jones as well as making numerous appearances on ABC’s hidden camera show “What Would You Do?” Jon Stewart takes credit for discovering Kevin and hiring him to warm up audiences at the Daily Show and The Colbert Report, ultimately making Kevin one of the most desired Audience Warm-Up comics in television! His credits can be enjoyed by audiences from shows like Match Game with Alec Baldwin, The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore, The Opposition with Jordan Klepper, The President Show, Bunk Debate Wars, TruTV’s Comedy Knockout, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and many others. For tickets ($45), call the Seven Angels Theatre, Plank Road, Waterbury at 203-757-4676 or online at SevenAngelsTheatre.org. Light up the last night of the year with enough illumination to keep you happy and warm until the winter snows melt and spring arrives.

"CHRISTMAS ON THE ROCKS" A DRINK BRIMMING WITH LAUGHTER

TheaterWorks Hartford wants you to laugh your way, heartedly and happily, into the holiday season. A decade ago, Artistic Director Rob Ruggiero conceived and has since directed a unique Christmas idea. He invited seven playwrights, who had each had at least one of their works performed on the TheaterWorks Hartford stage, to pen a vignette about a favorite childhood hero or heroine holiday character. Ruggiero set the tales in a bar on Christmas eve, into which they wandered one at a time. This year Ted Lange, of “The Love Boat” fame, serves again as the friendly, easy listening bartender as “Christmas on the Rocks” stays open for business until Friday, December 23. The wildly talented and funny Jen Cody and Harry Bouvy bring all our childhood pals to entertaining life, now as grown-ups. To keep the show fresh, new episodes are incorporated each year while others are temporarily retired. Come meet Zuzu, the youngest daughter of George Bailey of Bedford Falls, New York who needs an angel Clarence to save him from himself. Poor Zuzu is traumatized by bells of every chime, from church bells to school bells to cow bells. Most especially she fears the bell that signals an angel is getting his wings. Jacques Lamarre has created “A Miserable Life” as a new anxiety riddled scene. Next in the tavern door, in “All Grown Up” by John Cariani, we meet Ralphie Parker from “A Christmas Story” whose mother always warned him not to shoot his eye out with the B B gun he wanted. He sees his dad’s famous lady leg lamp on the counter and confesses his love of all things plushy, like the pink bunny suit his Aunt Clara sent him. P. S. He is sporting an eye patch. “My Name is KAREN” by Jenn Harris and Matthew Wilkas tells the tale of the cartoon girl who created Frosty the Snowman, an ungrateful three balls of snow that doesn’t give Karen the credit she feels she deserves. She enters the bar with a hair dryer and brags about Frosty’s demise, even as the police surround the area. She uses social media to proclaim her victory and triumph. Rudolph moves to the shadows as Hermie the Elf announces he doesn’t want to make toys any longer. He wants to be a dentist in Jeffrey Hatcher’s “Say it Glows.” A guilty conscience is evident as Hermie confesses his misdeeds as a misfit as well as his love for root canals. Join him in downing his favorite drink of root beer and Novocaine. Have you ever entertained your children with a visit from The Elf on the Shelf, hiding it in strange places every night, in configurations that hurt. In “Snitch” by Jenn Harris, we enter the toxic work environment of this elf who has to watch the kiddies so she can tell Santa if they have been naughty or nice. Clearly this elf wants a new and less abusive work assignment. With echoes of a manger in Bethlehem and a nod to “Fiddler on the Roof,” in trumpets the Little Drummer Boy in "Drumsticks and Chill” by Judy Gold and Jacques Lamarre. While he marvels that the best Christmas songs were written by Jews, he deplores the existence of anti-semitism and complains that he is suffering from performance anxiety. Clara, the ballerina from “The Nutcracker,” dances into the bar to complain about the crazy czar of love who she married. She proceeds to pound the possible 55 kinds of nuts on the bar, all while gulping vodka. Her love and hate relationship with her nutcracker soldier hubby is a delight to behold, as she agonizes over his non-gender specific infidelity. She just may kill him with love in “Still Nuts about Him” by Edwin Sanchez. “Merry Christmas, Blockhead” by Jacques Lamarre is last but certify not least as Charlie Brown shuffles in, despondent that he has just buried Snoopy #4. On the verge of divorce from his wife and long time psychiatrist Lucy, he has embraced a life of “oy veys” and “good griefs” and sees little to ever make him happy. That is until a certain Little Red Headed Girl enters the tavern and they begin to dance. For tickets ($25 and up), call TheaterWorks Hartford, 233 Pearl Street, Hartford at 860-527-7838 or online at www.twhartford.org. Performances are Tuesday-Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m and 6:30 p.m. and Friday, December 23 at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. For an extremely comical and slightly cynical look at our childhood idols, let “Christmas on the Rocks” prepare you a cocktail of holiday libations with a twist.

"THE HIP HOP NUTCRACKER" DANCES INTO TOWN

Since 1892, “The Nutcracker,” a charming ballet by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, has had the ability to enchant families. But it wasn’t until the late 1960’s that it became a Christmas tradition, especially in North America. The magical tale of a young girl Clara is set on Christmas Eve when her godfather surprises everyone gathered around a beautiful Christmas tree with toys, including four life-size dolls who dance to the delight of the guests. He also has a special Nutcracker that Clara is drawn to, fascinated, but her brother Fritz accidentally breaks it. Her godfather fixes it and Clara returns during the night to assure herself all is well. After an army of mice appear, the Christmas tree grows taller as well as the Nutcracker assumes a greater presence. A battle ensues, the Nutcracker becomes a Prince and he and Clara travel through the forest to the Land of the Sweets, ruled by the Sugar Plum Fairy and have wild adventures. That was then, this is now and “The Nutcracker” has gone to amazing new heights as it goes, are you ready, Hip Hop! Be prepared to be wildly entertained as Tchaikovsky’s classic tale is reimaged into a contemporary dance spectacular with a dozen all-star dancers, a DJ, a violinist and Mr. Kurtis “The Breaks” Blow, a founding father of hip hop and the first rapper to be signed to a major label in 1979. “I love taking this show on the road each year and creating lifelong memories for our audiences,” says Kurtis Walker, known professionally as Kurtis Blow. “And to be celebrating our 10th season this year is such a big accomplishment for the show.” It’s a big accomplishment for Blow as well; who on December 6, 2020, had a heart transplant that has given him a new life. He paved the way for generations of hip hop artists and fans after scoring the first certified gold record rap song in 1980, “The Breaks.” Called an “electrifying dance experience,” this is "The Nutcracker” as you’ve never seen it before. Clara and her Nutcracker still go on a dream adventure, they battle the mice gang, travel to the Land of the Sweets and learn the lessons of the holiday season, all while transforming the 130 year old story from 19th century Germany to a diverse, colorful, and dramatic New York City in the most magical way possible. If you are in the New Haven area, head to the Shubert, 247 College Street , on Friday, December 30 at 7 pm for tickets $40-76, by calling 203-562-5666 or online at Shubert.com. If you are in the Hartford area, call the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, 166 Capitol Avenue, at 860-987-5900 or online at bushnell.org on Saturday, December 31 at 8 p.m. with tickets $23 and up. Bring a new tradition to the family holiday celebration by experiencing the magic of "The Nutcracker” in a unique and fantastic way as a dancing Hip Hop trip into time.

"COME FROM AWAY" SOARS INTO THE BUSHNELL

There is no one who doesn’t remember when the planes hit our country on that fateful tragic day of 9/11/2001. The impact of that disaster lingered long after the thick smoke cleared. But that day did produce something positive: the response of a community in Newfoundland when a convoy of planes mysteriously landed there and no-one knew exactly why. The heartwarming musical "Come From Away” centers on the focus and attention fixated on five days and some of the worst events in our country’s history, the destruction of towering buildings in New York City, a field in Pennsylvania and government structures in Washington,D. C. Ten years later husband and wife David Hein and Irene Sankoff traveled to Gander, Newfoundland to record the amazing story of a humanitarian miracle. Without warning on that fateful day, 38 planes from all over the world were diverted to Gander, once a major stop for refueling for international flights, but long since abandoned as planes no longer needed to stop for more gas. The almost 6700 passengers on the planes, the pilots and the people of Gander had no idea what was happening. Without warning or preparation, the good citizens of the small town rushed to open their homes and hearts to those strangers, providing baby formula, dog food, pillows and blankets, casseroles, a place to sleep and comfort before the tragedy was even revealed. Run to the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts for a marvelous musical that captures the generosity of this small community of Canadians from Tuesday, December 20 to Saturday, December 24 as “Come From Away” soars into Hartford. The planes were originally diverted for fear some were also part of the terrorist plot, like the plane that crashed in a Pennsylvania forest. The 11,000 citizens of Gander didn’t stop to ask questions. The striking bus drivers immediately returned to work to ferry the passengers around town. Twelve actors and seven musicians will take you on the journey of generosity, playing the passengers, pilots and people of Gander to musically illustrate the way good folks can respond with hope in the midst of devastating tragedy. This national tour includes Marika Aubrey, Kevin Carolan, Harter Clingman, Christine Toy Johnson, Julie Johnson, James Earl Jones II, James Kall, Julia Knitel, Ali Momen, Kristen Peace, Danielle K. Thomas, Jeremy Woodard, Jordan Barbour, Clint Butler, Kate Etienne, Amir Haidar, Phyre Hawkins and Cailin Stadnyk. Come visit the dog catcher, the mayor, the chief of police, the first female pilot to command a major airline jumbo jet, a woman who fears her fireman son has been lost in the downing of the World Trade Center, a gay couple searching for acceptance, two strangers who find each other and romance and so much more. This is a musical happening, brimming with spirit and patriotism, a tribute to faith and resilience, a gift of compassion in the face of tremendous loss. The birth of “Come From Away” occurred at the Goodspeed’s Festival of New Musicals when the first staged reading took place and I was also at the Broadway production the day Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau brought 500 of his people to see the show in New York on Canada’s 150th birthday. For tickets ($42 and up, with a special military discount for Friday’s matinee), call the Bushnell, 166 Capitol Avenue, Hartford at 860-987-5900 or online at www.bushnell.org. Performances are Tuesday and Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.,Thursday at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Friday at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Saturday at 1 p.m. The musical is directed by Christopher Ashley, with musical staging by Kelly Devine and musical supervision by Ian Eisendrath. This is not a show to be missed. If nothing else, it will restore your faith in the innate goodness of neighbors to reach out and hug you with friendship and love.

GOODSPEED MUSICALS INVITES YOU TO SPEND "CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT"

In 1943 an ambitious gal from Iowa lands in New York City with the dream of becoming the spokesperson for Tomorrow’s Woman. After months of false starts, Elizabeth Sandor takes a job writing a column under the name Liz Lane that starts her on a road that just begins her journey. Go to Goodspeed Musicals on the Connecticut River in East Haddam to follow this plucky lass navigate her way to success and satisfy her ambitions. Don’t hesitate because her travel plans will expire on Friday, December 30. Audrey Cardwell’s Liz is a no-nonsense, self sufficient and focused female who is ready to take her philosophy on the road, straight into your heart. In this play with book by Patrick Pacheco and Erik Forrest Jackson, with music by Jason Howland and lyrics by Amanda Yesnowitz, we get to revisit the film that starred Barbara Stanwyck so many decades ago. It hasn’t lost its sparkling personality and festive frivolity. Liz holds her own against the males who rule the publishing roost, until she is asked to host a war hero (Josh Breckenridge) at a Connecticut farmhouse, with Victor Beecham (Matt Bogart) set up to pose as her husband, thanks to Liz’s associate and Victor’s brother Dudley (Raymond J. Lee). Can Liz convince people like her boss Mr. Yardley (Melvin Tunstall III) that she is the consummate housekeeper when she is clearly not really married, or a mother, or a gourmet cook? The complications abound, making the official fact finder Gladys (Rashidra Scott) quite suspicious, especially as she sings “Something's Fishy.” It’s only with the help of Felix (James Judy) and Norah (Tina Stafford) that Liz has any hope of pulling off the scheme. Other catchy tunes include “Recipe for Success,” “A Capital Idea,” “The World of Liz Lane” and “Christmas in Connecticut.“ Amy Anders Corcoran directs this holiday confection with sweetness and spice. For tickets ($30-81), call Goodspeed Musicals, 6 Main Street, East Haddam at 860-873-8664 or online at goodspeed.org. Performances are Wednesday and Thursday at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Masks are recommended but not required. Come let Liz Lane, who is a big fan of Eleanor Roosevelt, pull out all the holiday stops in her charming efforts to play Tomorrow’s Woman today.

THE CT GAY MEN'S CHORUS CELEBRATE THE SEASON IN STYLE

’Tis the season and the Connecticut Gay Men’s Chorus is ready to celebrate in style. Come to the Katherine Hepburn Center for the Performing Arts in Old Saybrook this Sunday at 2 p.m. for the Christmas concert “We Need a Little…” and you can fill in the blank. We need a little Christmas, joy, laughter, singing, and love. Well, you’re in luck. The CGMC is primed and ready to perform them all, and then some. What better way to get into the holiday spirit, with a concert by these talented gentlemen who love to perform and fill your stockings with only good stuff, no lumps of coal in sight. Remember it’s Christmas and these guys know how to celebrate the season. They will don their red Santa suits and fill the Kate with your favorite Christmas melodies. Keep your eyes open for their witty parodies and clever lyrics and all time playful sense of humor. Please take note that the CGMC also sponsors a colorful and fantastic BingoMania with a new hostess Loosey LaDuca once a month usually on the second or third Saturday at The Annex, 554 Woodward Avenue, New Haven, Admission is $25 and food is available,. Masks are optional. Be prepared for fun and a quite different Bingo your grandmother never played. This game is for adults only. The next one is Bad Elves on Saturday, December 17, with doors opening at 6 p.m. and the games starting at 7 p.m. The Chorus is looking for a new home for this fundraiser in the future. Auditions are being held on Tuesday, January 3 and 10 if you are a male 18 or older, and men of all orientations are welcome who love to sing, Call 203-777-2923 for more information. Ring in the holiday season with a visit with the Connecticut Gay Men’s Chorus as they are already in the holiday spirit and happy to welcome you aboard Santa’s sleigh.

"THE BRIGHTEST THING IN THE WORLD" SHINES AT THE YALE REP

Everyone has secrets, from a life experience or event that one would prefer stay silent and part of our past. But if we are lucky enough to meet someone, a significant other, we might be tempted to reveal that secret and share it in a moment of intimacy. The Yale Repertory Theatre in New Haven is offering a world premiere of such a revelation in “The Brightest Thing in the World,” a play by Leah Nanako Winkler that was commissioned by the Yale Rep and supported by the Binger Center for New Theatre. It will play until Saturday, December 17 at 1120 Chapel Street, under the perceptive direction of Margot Bordelon. Outward appearances can be deceiving. To meet Lane, the manager of the Revival Bakery, you would imagine her life is as sunny and storm free as her bubbling personality. She loves to bake and greet her customers and radiates a welcoming vibe that appeals to one customer in particular, Steph. Katherine Romans’ Lane is excellent at presenting a positive outlook on life and Michele Selene Ang’s Steph is quick to fall under her adorable spell. Steph is balancing a life as a journalist with a job as a florist to meet an abundance of personal financial responsibilities. Completing this triangle of friendship is Lane’s older sister and primary care giver, Megan Hill’s Della. We watch as Lane and Steph learn to trust each other, and their relationship blossoms like one of the beautiful flowers that Steph arranges at her job. Della looks on and marvels at how happy Lane becomes and how amazing it is that Della suddenly has a new man in her life to balance the promise of romance. The rose colored glasses come off when Lane confides her secret past to Steph and clouds obscure the horizon. That revelation prompts Steph to confess a thirteen year old secret from her life and both experience the need for forgiveness, for themselves and for each other. While each feel underestimated, they are grateful for the amazing relationship they have developed. For tickets ($15-65), call the Yale Repertory Theatre at 203-432-1234 or online at yalerep.org. Performances are Tuesday-Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Masks are required. We all struggle. Sometimes we are not strong enough to overcome the obstacles from the past that obstruct our present and future.

A MUSICAL CHRISTMAS CAROL COURTESY OF PANTOCHINO PRODUCTIONS

Come see Scrooge who has his night shirt in a twist, think candy canes upside down, in a brand new musical version courtesy of Pantochino Productions at the Milford Train Station, the Milford Arts Council, The MAC, until Saturday, December 18, perfect for the whole family to hoot, holler and enjoy. This is Dickens’ legendary tale told with an unusual cast of characters, but in the full spirit of the holidays. Speaking of spirits, they begin with the long dead Jacob Marley who was in life the greedy partner of Ebenezer Scrooge. Marley has returned to warn his old business buddy to mend his ways, and stop making money his sole aim in life. Marley has promised to send Scrooge a trio of visitations, this time from a most unusual series of high fashion ghosts, purported to all be Victoria Sautee. Were Scrooge and Marley a lively singing duo in a former life? A group calling themselves The Merry Singers would suggest this is so as they delight us with such tunes, cleverly written by Justin Rugg, who doubles as a genuine bah humbug Scrooge. The tunes include the encouraging “You Can Change,” “Raise Your Glasses.” “We’ll Have a Plain, Simple Christmas,” “Nobody Likes You, Mister Scrooge” and “Final Destination.” The Merry Singers include Maria Berte, Ryder Blanchard, Sam Everett, Skye Gillespie, Mary Mannix, Don Poggio, Shelley Marsh Poggio and Nora Simonelli. Davis Burke plays Tiny Tim. Jimmy Johansmeyer’s Bob Scratchit engages delightfully as the musical's narrator as well as being the producer of a lovely rainbow selection of colorful costumes. This version is Scrooge with a sense of humor and a lot of laughter, as written with book and lyrics by Bert Bernardi, who has been leading this award winning not for profit theater company for a dozen years. Their good works include summer theatre camps, classes, after school drama programs and teen theatre. For tickets go online to www.pantochino.com. Performances are Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. You are invited to bring food and drink for their cabaret style seating. Vaccinations are recommended but not required. Masks are optional. Come watch Scrooge undergo a redemptive makeover as he realizes, just in time, that love and charity are a wonderful way to live.

"IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE" WONDERFUL AT HARTFORD STAGE

What would the holidays be without a visit to Bedford Falls, New York to watch George Bailey realize what an impact his life holds for everyone in his community. Without George, so many tragedies would have occurred and so many joys would never have happened. George Bailey is, undoubtedly, the reluctant iconic hero of one of the season’s most beloved stories. Whether you have known George Bailey for decades or you are a brand new acquaintance, Hartford Stage’s production of “It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Show” is filled with care and affection, thanks to its adaptation by playwright Joe Landry. Until Saturday, December 24, you are invited to follow in George’s footsteps as he walks through his life in Bedford Falls, an ordinary existence that he himself might describe as dull and without definition. Created as a 1940’s radio show, on Station WBFR, for Playhouse on the Air, the story by Philip Van Doren was originally a Frank Capra movie starring Jimmy Stewart. Here a troupe of talented actors – Price Waldman, Evan Zes, Godfrey L. Simmons, Jr., Nicole Shalhoub and Jennifer Bareilles- play multiple roles as they recreate George’s life, up to the moment when he decides it isn’t worth living and the world would be better off if he had never been born. While Ebenezer Scrooge has his three ghostly visitations on Christmas Eve, George is blessed with only one: Clarence, an apprentice angel who is more than two centuries old and has yet to earn his wings. The hard working and dependable George, who saves his brother Harry from drowning, stops a pharmacist from dispensing a prescription with poison, stands up to the town’s tyrant, Mr Potter, helps a community live in homes rather than shacks and marries a fine woman Mary and raises three children, learns that he is not a failure in life and that he has friends who bless him. Director Zoe Golub-Sass creates a compassionate atmosphere on stage, where the terrific sound effects by Foley Artist Liam Bellman-Sharpe are like another character. There are even commercials for places like G. Fox Department Store to add realism to the production. For tickets ($30 and up), call the Hartford Stage, 50 Church Street, Hartford at 860-527-5151 or online at www.HartfordStage.org. Performances are Tuesday to Sunday at 7:30 p.m., with matinees Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. Masks are encouraged but not required. Let your imagination soar as you listen to this tale of redemption and what it means to live a life of purpose, and if you pay close attention you may hear a bell ring as Clarence finally earns his wings.

"CHICAGO" WILL RAZZLE DAZZLE YOU AT THE PALACE IN WATERBURY THIS WEEKEND

Musicals can be written about any topic under the sun, from sinking ships like the Titanic, to villains who try and often succeed in killing a president to mad barbers who make meat pies out of their clientele. So is it any wonder that there is a musical that touts the prowess of women who eliminate their husbands and boyfriends in grisly ways, and brag about their deeds. Seeking fame, fortune and the spotlight are tricky endeavors, especially if your claim to notoriety is murder. Come meet Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart who are competing for the same front-page headlines. With a lot of “razzle-dazzle,” these two femme fatales will sing and dance their way into your heart, just be sure there’s no pistol tucked among their prancing parts. As Broadway’s longest running revival and winner of six Tony Awards,now celebrating its 25th anniversary, plus being a smash movie hit, “Chicago” will be taking deadly aim at the Palace Theater in Waterbury for three performances only from Saturday to Sunday, December 3rd to 4th. This musical created by John Kander and Fred Ebb, with choreography by Ann Reinking, in the style of Bob Fosse, is stuffed with glitz and glamour. Based on a true story set back in 1924 Chicago, the show features two legendary beauties who are charged with murder and the less-than-scrupulous lawyer who is hired to keep them from the electric chair. While both ladies enlist the favor of Mama Morton, the jail’s accommodating matron, Roxie has the added benefit of the support of her faithful husband Amos, who sings a wonderful song that expresses how he feels about himself, “Mr. Cellophane.” Other great numbers are “All That Jazz,” “Reciprocity” and “We Both Reached for the Gun,” where the lawyer Billy plays ventriloquist to Roxie’s dummy. For tickets ($54-97), call the Palace, 100 East Main Street, Waterbury at 203-346-2000 or online at www.palacetheaterct.org. Performances are Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Be electrified by this 2400 watt sparkler of a musical, with mayhem and murder front and center on the marquee. Get your jazz hands and feet ready for the razzle dazzle to begin.

IVORYTON PLAYHOUSE PRESENTS A NEW HOLIDAY FAVORITE: "WINTER WONDERETTES"

Even though Thanksgiving is barely a delicious and gratitude stuffed memory, the Ivoryton Playhouse wants you to hang wreaths on the door and put lights on everything that moves or not to get into the Christmas spirit. The year is 1968 and the place is the Essex Hardware Store and the Winter Wonderettes are in fine performing mode for your holiday entertainment. Until Sunday December 18th, this quartet of sweetly harmonizing and energetic ladies are pulling out all the merriment and mistletoe to make you a red and green tinsel laden spectacular present of musical delights. Created by Roger Bean, with choreography by Elizabeth McGuire, musical direction by Mark Ceppetelli and direction by J., Clayton Winters, the Winter Wonderettes - Katie Bates, Daron Elaine Cockerell, Meagan Lewis-Michelson, Emily Kay Shrader and swing Jordan Adams - are primped and primed to raise the roof with robust revelry. Put on your festive finery and play along as these gals polish the holiday props with signs of the season, from elves to reindeer, Santa’s throne to Christmas bells. They playfully squabble as they prepare to greet Santa who has their hardware holiday bonus checks, but they have a surprise in store. Tunes like “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” “Jingle Bell Hop,” ”Old Mister Kringle,” “Ring Those Christmas Bells,” “Sleigh Bells Ring” and “Santa Baby” and many more light up the holiday sky with joy. A few lucky audience members even get to show off their talents on stage. The ladies also take the audience around the world with holiday delight to a variety of countries. For tickets ($55 adults, $50 seniors, $25 students), call the Ivoryton Playhouse, 103 Main Street, Ivoryton at 860-767-7318 or online at 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. Masks are encouraged but not required. Your Christmas stocking is packed with musical and dancing treats as this foursome sparkles and shines its way to being the stars on the top of Ivoryton Playhouse’s holiday tree.

SEVEN ANGELS THEATRE PRESENTS FOLK MUSIC TRIBUTE ON NOVEMBER 19

AllMusic has called Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. “among the most beloved entertainers of his era.” He brought a special signature to folk music, recording almost 300 songs, about 200 of which he wrote himself. Professionally, he was a gifted American songwriter-singer, guitarist, actor, activist and humanitarian, focusing his efforts on world hunger and the environment. You might know him better as John Denver. Calling Colorado his home for much of his life, in 1974 he was named poet laureate of the state. The gift of an acoustic guitar when he was 12 from his grandmother changed the course of his life, an unhappy one as part of a military family that relocated frequently. His stern father did not encourage his musical aspirations. Hits like “Leaving on a Jet Plane,” “Take Me Home Country Roads,” “Rocky Mountain High,” “Thank God I’m a Country Boy, “Annie’s Song,” “Sunshine on My Shoulders” and “Calypso,” mark some of his musical genius. On Saturday, November 19 Seven Angels Theatre in Waterbury, at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., will present “Remembering John Denver” with singer, songwriter and tribute artist Ted Vigil. Vigil, who looks and sounds like John Denver, has performed with Denver’s lead guitarist Steve Wiesberg who stated “Apparently the audience thinks they all look and sound like John. I don’t see it. I see it with Ted. A very strong physical resemblance…Uncanny!” For tickets ($35), call Seven Angels Theatre, Plank Road, Waterbury at 203-757-4676 or online at SevenAngelsTheatre.org. John Denver died in a plane crash, in a light plane he had recently purchased and was piloting in 1997 at the age of 53. Let Ted Vigil “convince you that John Denver never died! His look and sounds," according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, “ are scary!” Scary good that is!

MAGICAL THINGS ARE HAPPENING AT THE BUSHNELL ON NOVEMBER 22

Do you believe in magic? Have you followed the journey of Harry Potter in books, plays and on the big screen? Do wizards and warlocks rev up your imagination engine? If so, then hold on to your wands and top hats for a superlative evening courtesy of “The Illusionists-Magic of the Holidays” for one night only on Tuesday, November 22 at 7:30 p.m. The Bushnell’s Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford will be ready to amaze the whole family with on stage thrills and treats. These five talented gentlemen have appeared around the globe, wowing spectators from London’s West End to Broadway, and all points in-between. Thanks to producer Simon Painter, Cirque du Soleil and Magic Space Entertainment, these superstars are out-of-this-world astonishing. Billed as a mind reader who doesn’t read minds, Chris Cox has his own shows in Britain’s “Chris Cox’s Mind Boggling Magic” and “Killer Magic.” Named “The Mentalist,” he’s known for his charisma and charm, always with a sense of silliness and mischief. He can make you think he’s reading your mind but is he? With magic skills that developed in his homeland of Korea when he was only 12, Hyunjoon Kim has collected a bookshelf of awards. He is skilled in pure hand manipulation, calling upon discipline and skills to achieve his goals with playing cards appearing and disappearing everywhere. The country of Spain offers a prodigy hailed as the “Magician D’Or”, “Golden Magician” and “Heir of Illusion”: Pablo Canovas. With beauty and charm, he creates illusions that defy belief. At the tender age of 4, Paul Dabek donned a blanket from the sofa and a top hat to wow his parents with his magic act skills. To date he is considered one of the funniest magicians across six continents. He is dubbed by Time Out magazine a “superb showman” and “simply stunning” by The Times of London and a “first class entertainer” by BroadwayWorld.com. Climb aboard his comedy train and discover for yourself what Dabek can do with a deck of cards, a newspaper, a scarf and a banana. Come witness James More, the world’s leading viral illusionist, who emerged in 2013 on Britain’s Got Talent and hasn’t stopped his magic act since then. From Britain to Russia, Australia to Broadway, More is a master with suspension and a sword. For tickets ($30 and up), call the Bushnell, 166 Capitol Avenue, Hartford at 203-987-5900 or online at www.bushnell.org. Check online for the latest Covid information. Let this holiday magic show astonish and amaze as these five international performers show off their spectacular skills.

FLY ON A MAGIC CARPET TO THE BUSHNELL FOR "ALADDIN"

If you were granted three wishes after rubbing on a genie’s golden lamp, what might you request? Unlimited wealth, fame and eternal life? Love, happiness and good health? A mansion, a faithful pet, a devoted spouse? Friendship, joy and three more wishes? While you are dreaming, hop aboard a magic carpet and travel to Hartford’s Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, by way of Arabia, to experience Disney’s “Aladdin” until Sunday November 13. This Broadway musical is based on the animated Disney film with book by Chad Beguelin, music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Howard Ashman, Tim Rice and Beguelin. Imagine you live on the street, stealing food to live, using your wits and imagination to exist, when you sight the incredibly lovely Jasmine, the daughter of the sultan of Agrabah. If this sounds like you, then your name is Aladdin (Adi Roy) and you are destined for great and dangerous adventures. When you are invited to Jasmine’s exotic palace, you find a magical oil lamp in the Cave of Wonders, a lamp that contains a smart talking and intensely powerful Genie (Marcus M. Martin). He has the ability to grant you a trio of wishes and when you realize that Jafar (Anand Nagraj), an evil sorcerer, plans to steal Jasmine’s kingdom, you know exactly what you want and need to wish for from your new best friend. Meanwhile the genie has his own wish: his freedom. Will Aladdin be able to save Princess Jasmine (Senile Ahmady) from a forced marriage by her wacky father and protect her kingdom at the same time? With his trusty monkey Abu, he has quite the quest. For tickets($42 and up), call the Bushnell, 166 Capitol Avenue, Hartford at 860-987-5900 or online at www.bushnell.org. Performances are Tuesday to Thursday 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 1p.m. Check online for any Covid restrictions. Go sailing across the skies with Aladdin and Jasmine as they discover how their friendship can blossom into an eternal love, capable of defeating evil.

PLAYHOUSE ON PARK CREATES COMPELLING "FENCES" IN WEST HARTFORD

The poet Robert Frost always advocated that fences made good neighbors. Traditionally fences are built to keep something inside or to prevent someone outside from getting inside its boundaries. For Rose Maxson, it's the hope that her family will be kept safe and protected and for her husband Troy of eighteen years, the fence is to ward off the devil and the specter of death. To see an astonishing production of August Wilson's involving family drama "Fences," take your carpenter's tool box and head for West Hartford’s Playhouse on Park by Sunday, November 20. "Fences" is part of an amazing ten part cycle, the Century Cycle, with one play for every decade of the 20th century, about African-Americans living in August Wilson's hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. "Fences" is set in the 1950’s. Jamil A, C. Mangan is magnificently flawed as Troy, a man whose ancestors were slaves and sharecroppers, who literally left his humble beginnings in the South, to walk North for a better life. A long stint in prison where he learns to hone his talent for baseball and his meeting with a strong and dedicated woman Rose were both defining moments in his life. Rose, beautifully captured by Yvette Monique Clark, knows what it means to "stand by your man." She is loyal and the sturdy bridge between Troy and the world. As Troy, the everyman,who works as a garbage man providing for his family, he holds his little universe together, with the knowledge that Rose is standing beside him. Whether he is loaning his son Lyons (Nestor Garland) ten dollars, helping his disabled brother Gabriel (Daniel Danielson) live on his own or share a bottle of bourbon with his best friend Bono (Eric Carter), Rose is ready to support him. When Troy actively interferes with their son Cory's (Khalfani Louis ) dreams of being a football star, Rose protests. Later when she learns of Troy's betrayal of infidelity, she rebels. Yet she relents and asserts her maternal instincts and takes his illegitimate child, (an adorable Sahana Arulampalam and Gibson Quinn), into their home. Kenny M. Green directs a sterling cast in an awesome production that defines theater at its best. Bravo! For tickets ($45=55), call Playhouse on Park, 244 Park Road, West Hartford at 860-523-5900 ext. 10 or online at www.playhouseonoark.org. Performances are Tuesday at 2 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., and Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Masks are encouraged but not required. Come meet Troy Maxson, the consummate story teller, who lives in the past and what could have been, and tragically allows that past to dictate his son Cory's future. “Fences” is the winner of the Pulitzer Prize and two Tony Awards.

FOLLOW THE FARCE "LEND ME A TENOR" TO NORWALK'S MUSIC THEATRE OF CT

If you’re a fan of farce, slamming doors, mistaken identities and comic confusion, then Norwalk’s Music Theatre of Connecticut has a wonderfully entertaining show for you until Sunday November 20. It’s always convenient to have a friendly neighbor close by when you need an unexpected ingredient for a baking project. Having good neighbors available to borrow a few eggs or a cup of sugar for a cake you are baking is one thing, but asking to borrow an operatic singer, a tenor, is quite another. You know the incredible number of details that go into making an event a success as well as the plethora of problems that can derail the big project, if you've ever staged a major fundraiser. For Henry Saunders, the manager of the Cleveland Grand Opera Company, the bulk of the responsibilities are on his sturdy shoulders. He has invited the greatest Italian tenor of his day, Tito Mirelli, to perform his signature role of Otello. It's is a grand coup...until Mirelli fails to show up on the big day. Come help Saunders and his capable assistant Max cope with the multitude of mistakes that can cause mutiny in Ken Ludwig's comic farce "Lend Me a Tenor" being humorously brought to life at MTC. Expect slamming doors every other minute and comic timing that is precise and hysterical. Saunders, the bombastic boss Jim Schilling, doesn't start to panic until his prize diva is two hours late. He has sent his capable aide Max, an industrious Michael Faso, to the train station but he has come back to the hotel alone. Meanwhile the list of people anxious to meet Tito, for an autograph, an assignation, an audition or an acquaintance is getting longer by the moment, from Saunder's impressionable daughter Maggie (Alexandra Fortin), the bellhop who wants to sing (Jeff Gurner), Julia, the chairman of the opera guild who wants bragging rights (Jo Anne Parady) to Tito's leading lady Diana (Emily Solo) who wants her career to get a big boost. Everyone has an agenda of what they want Tito to deliver, not the least of which is his wife Maria, a fiery Cynthia Hannah, who is sick and tired of his excesses, in food, drink and women. Tito arrives and everyone pounces on him. When an angry and unforgiving Maria storms out of their hotel suite, she is the catalyst for an avalanche of mishaps from an overdose of medication to a mistaken suicide note, from a supper of shrimp mayonnaise on the verge of botulism to not one but two Otellos anxious to perform on stage. The cast is uniformly great as they slam doors and wreck havoc, including the super star himself, Frank Mastrone as Mirelli, in all his flamboyant and excessive splendor. Director Pamela Hill balances the panic and the pleasure, the frantic and the funny, with outrageously over-the-top results. Add in Sean Sanford’s fun set and Diane Vanderkroef’s sophisticated costumes for more delights. Bravo! For tickets ($40-65), call Music theatre of Connecticut, 509 Westport Avenue, Norwalk (route one) at 203-454-3883, or online at admin@musictheatreofct.com. Performances are Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Masks are highly recommended but not required. Brush up on your opera and your Italian as the fun and fur fly when Tito Mirelli as Il Stupendo and his egotistical entourage come to town.

"GUYS AND DOLLS" A SUREFIRE HIT AT ACT OF RIDGEFIELD

Sky Masterson has been known to make a bet on which cockroach will reach a wedge of cheese first or whether Mindy’s Deli will sell more cheesecake or strudel on any given day. But when he makes a wager that he can convince a certain prim and proper Salvation Army recruiter to accompany him to Cuba for a lunch date, he may have overestimated his powers of persuasion and charm. To discover first hand how successful this influential gambler is take your dice, loaded or not, to ACT of Ridgefield for a quick lesson or three courtesy of Damon Runyon’s inspired characters in the classical musical comedy “Guys and Dolls” laying odds of success until Sunday, November 20, with book by Jo Sterling and Abe Burrows and music and lyrics by Frank Loesser. Get ready to love this show a bushel and a peck, one that has been plotting saints against sinners for over seven decades, thanks to the adorable and sympathetic entreaties of Donna Vivino’s Miss Adelaide. The epitome of patience, she has been standing at the altar for fourteen years, waiting for her fiancé Nathan Detroit, a reluctant and fast talking Phil Stoves. The fact that Miss Adelaide abhors gambling and Nathan can’t wait to make a quick buck running crap games make the chances of him being honorable in the next century about 100 to 1. Nathan plots to con the biggest bettor of them all, the smooth Matt Faucher as Sky Masterson, to finance his latest illegal endeavor by tricking him. He bets Sky he can’t get the pious and pure head of the Save-A-Soul Mission run by a dedicated to saving sinners Katherine Riddle as Miss Sarah Brown to fly off with him to Havana. Unexpectedly Sky accomplishes the impossible and ends up pledging one dozen genuine sinners to Sarah’s cause, like Nicely-Nicely Johnson (Izzy Figueroa) and Big Jule (Victor Hernandez), while the local constable (Mike Boland) tries unsuccessfully to catch all the gamblers in the act. Glorious Frank Loesser tunes propel this inspired musical like Adelaide’s perpetual cold in “Adelaide’s Lament" caused by Nathan’s irresponsibility, Sarah’s grandmother Arvide’s (Rebecca Hoodwin) tender love advice in “More I Cannot Wish You,” Nicely-Nicely’s fervent plea “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat” and Sky’s determined prayer “Luck Be a Lady,“ among many others. Daniel C. Levine directs this colorful cast of characters on a rollicking set designed by Jack Mehler, with a rainbow of costumes created by Claudia Stefany, in a high powered production that's a sure crowd pleaser. For tickets ($63-152), call ACT (A Contemporary Theatre) 36 Old Quarry Road, Ridgefield at 475-215-5497 or online at boxoffice@actofct.org. Performances are Thursday at 7 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m. (plus 2 p.m. on November 11), Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Masks are encouraged but not required. Resident music supervisor Bryan Perri will perform a special fundraiser of songs, stories and conversation, “Broadway Unplugged,“ on Monday, December 12 at 7 p.m. Come place your winning wager on a surefire and guaranteed bet!

COMEDIAN PAUL REISER TO SHINE WITH LAUGHTER AT THE BUSHNELL

Paul Reiser has written New York Times best selling books: Couplehood, Babyhood and Familyhood. In addition, he recently starred with Kevin Hart in the Netflix comedy Fatherhood. He is clearly enamored with “hoods.” Comedy Central has voted Reiser one of the “Top 100 Comedians of All Time” and you have the unique opportunity to learn about his obsession with hoods and his comedic career at the Belding Theater in Hartford’s Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday, November 12 at 8 p.m. This prolific and talented stand up comedian has entertained us for eons with Helen Hunt on “Mad About You,” as the married couple Paul Buchman and his charming wife Jamie Stemple and their trials and triumphs living in New York City. From 1992 to 1999, we laughed at episodes like the saga of the Thanksgiving turkey dinner where they tried to please all their guests, Murray feasts on the guest of honor and a turkey literally flies out the window. To catch another side to this versatile performer, watch for him as Dr, Sam Owens in Hawkins, Indiana in the mid 1980’s in the Netflix science fiction horror drama television series “Stranger Things.” Previously he was a detective in “Beverly Hills Cop” and its sequels, a villain Carter Burke in “Aliens,” and more recently the boyfriend in “The Kominsky Method.” Starring in more than thirty films and more than twenty television shows and series, Paul Reiser is no stranger to the entertainment world. For tickets ($37-60), call the Bushnell, 166 Capitol Avenue, Hartford at 860–987-5900 or online at https;//bushnell.org. Check the website for Covid information. Let the multi-talented comedian and actor Paul Reiser share stories guaranteed to delight you and make you smile and laugh.

WATERBURY'S PALACE THEATER OFFERS A BEVY OF INTERESTING EVENTS

In addition to theater tours, concerts and Broadway national tours, Waterbury’s Palace Theater is sponsoring a collection of interesting events for your entertainment and enlightenment. For example, they offer “2nd Act” where people mostly over 50, delight audiences in their lovely Poli Club upstairs with stories of career changes made later in life. If you share a love of theater, for example, with Stuart Brown, who started his love affair with Broadway more than five decades ago, you were a captive audience on November 1 at the Palace for his intriguing new journey. Recently retired as director of student services at UCONN Waterbury Brown now has more time and energy to devote to his passion for performances, particularly musical theater. From the time he saw “Grease" in 1973, he has been fascinated by the Great White Way, as a theater critic member of the Outer Critics Circle and current president of the Connecticut Critics Circle and the creator of his own radio show TheSoundsofBroadway.com with 80,000 engaged listeners every month. In addition to “2nd Act” that highlights achievements of individuals of a certain age, the Palace also offers a series for authors entitled “I Wrote That!” Dr. Charles McNair, a primary care physician from Watertown, will discuss his two war novels on Veterans Day, November 11 at 2 p.m, “Soldiers of a Foreign War” and “In a Dark Wood.” On Thursday, November 17 at 7 p.m., the hilarious humorist Gina Barreca will showcase the latest anthology she edited “Fast Funny Women: 75 Essays of Flash Nonfiction.” Discover how humor and courage have played an integral part in getting women to survive and thrive during life’s challenging times. Next up on the Palace’s agenda is a table play reading “36” by actress and playwright Kate Katcher on Saturday, November 19 at 2 p.m. sponsored by the League of Professional Women, directed by Misti B. Wills and produced by Lauren Yarger of Gracewell Productions. It’s summer 1984, with Ronald Reagan in the White House, and it’s a watershed year for mom Maxine who is delicately balancing in the air all the demanding balls of her family’s life. What happens when the juggling act bounces in a dozen downward directions? This event is free but is by invitation only. Mary Jane Robinson, a 47 year old secretary, will tell her story on Tuesday, December 6 at 7 p.m. about putting aside her steno pad and applying to be a police officer. On Saturday, December 17 at 1 p.m. come with the kiddies to hear author Melissa Shapiro DVM read about her deaf blind pink puppy in “Piglet Comes Home.” For more information and reservations ($10-20) for these events call the Palace, 100 East Main Street, Waterbury at 203-346-2000 or online at www.palacetheaterct.org. Let the Palace widen your horizons as you learn about these intriguing adventures.

MARRIAGE IS ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK AT YALE REP

For George and Martha, the old adage “all’s fair in love and war” rings true. As a married couple of more than twenty-three years, they are quite versed in the buttons to push to set off each others’ alarm bells. Add in a more than modest amount of alcohol and a much younger couple, Nick and Honey, who are the discerning audience to witness their shenanigans, and you have quite the conversation starter. To enter the boxing ring that frames their verbal discourse, come meet George and Martha, the professional antagonists well-schooled in the pros and cons of a fist fight of words. Until Saturday, October 29, the Yale Repertory Theatre, 1120 Chapel Street, New Haven will referee the minute-by-minute confrontation of Edward Albee’s masterwork “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,” all three hours of it, that will leave you devastated by the vitriol that saturates the fascinating 1960’s stage created by Miguel Urbino. Dan Donohue’s George at first appears mild-mannered but soon reveals his true colors as he parries and thrusts all the insults that Rene Augesen’s Martha flings in his face. He is a history professor and a disappointed author whose one and only novel was dismissed as inadequate by the president of the university, Martha’s esteemed father. It's 2 in the morning and they are just home to a place Martha refers to as a dump, after attending a party welcoming a new faculty member Nick and his wife Honey. George is not pleased that Martha has arranged this “party” but then he is rarely delighted with anything Martha says or does. When Nate Janis’ Nick and Emma Pfitzer Price’s Honey arrive, the alcohol and conversation flow freely, too freely. Soon it’s an Abbott and Costello routine gone mad as the older couple bray and hiss insults, spilling secrets and playing nasty word games, much to the confusion of the younger folk. The violence escalates as the humiliations pile up until words are replaced by physical attacks. It’s like witnessing a traffic accident that appalls you but you cannot look away. James Bundy directs this absorbing drama, one that hasn’t been staged in Connecticut in three decades. For tickets ($15-65), call the Yale Rep at 203-432-1234 or online at yalerep.org. Performances are Tuesday Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and matinees at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday and Saturday. Masks are required. Prepare yourself, with boxing gloves, so you can return any of the flying insults that may mistakenly land in the audience as you sit front and center to the often funny and unfair fight and eventual and temporary cease fire that ignites before your disbelieving eyes.

A LESSON IN RESILIANCE AT WESTPORT COUNTRY PLAYHOUSE

Dr. Endesha Ida Mae Holland was an American scholar, civil rights activist, teacher and playwright who rose from abject poverty, was raped at age eleven, was expelled from school and became a prostitute and eventually achieved a doctorate in American studies from the University of Minnesota. A trio of dedicated women-Claudia Logan, Tameishia Peterson and Erin Margaret Pettigrew-are bringing her incredible story to stirring life at Westport Country Playhouse until Sunday, October 30. With a string of spirituals like “We Shall Overcome,” “May the Circle Be Unbroken,” and “This Little Light of Mine” sprinkled throughout, we follow the devastating but ultimately triumphant tale of a young black girl who grew up in the south. “From the Mississippi Delta” was written by this inspiring woman, who was jailed thirteen times for her devoted civil rights work and is directed with sensitivity by Goldie E. Patrick. From her mother, she learned lessons like “I can be more than words” and “You don’t have to be gold to shine.” Her mother, known as “ain’t baby,” encouraged her to be somebody, to aim high as the birds and to keep her feet pointed to the top of the ladder. These pieces of philosophy served her well as she struggled up every rung of that ladder. She adopted Endesha, which means driver, as her first name to honor her African heritage. Her mama told her stories while she ironed other people’s clothes. After being expelled from school, she took to the streets and earned her way as a prostitute. Taking on the banner of the civil rights movement pushed her in a new and more honorable direction and she became a favored speaker at rallies. This important work led her to resume her education and enter the university. It took her more than a dozen years to earn her bachelor of Arts degree in black studies and then she went on to earn her doctorate to honor her mother, a midwife. For tickets ($40-70), call the Westport Country Playhouse, Route 1, Westport at 203-227-4177 or 888-927-7529. Performances are Tuesday at 7 p.m., Wednesday at 8 p.m., Thursday at 8 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. Get a lesson in resilience and courage as you learn how Dr. Holland climbed a sturdy ladder and sang with the birds.

HARTFORD STAGE POISED TO CATCH YOUR "TALE" IN "THE MOUSETRAP"

Agatha Christie was the mistress of mystery, and one of her most intriguing tales was “The Mousetrap.” The Hartford Stage is inviting you to register as a guest at Monkswell Manor until Sunday, November 6 for a deadly game of cat and mouse. The play opened on London’s West End in 1952 and has now being playing for seven decades, with a brief hiatus during the pandemic. Ms. Christie predicted the play would run eight months. It is based on a true story and began life as a radio show, “Three Blind Mice,” and was written for Queen Mary’s birthday. The Guardian has stated “the play and the author are its stars.” The director Jackson Gay stated it is “super fun to direct this thriller on stage, getting scared and surprised together…a communal experience to feel like your life is in danger.” It is a dark and snowy night in 1947 and the residents of the Monkswell Guest House find themselves trapped by the storm. These strangers, or are they, soon find there may be a murderer in their midst as a woman has been strangled hereby and a Detective Sergeant Trotter (Brendan Dalton) has arrived on skis to warn the guests of imminent danger. The inn’s owners are novices as neither Mollie (Sam Morales) or her new husband Giles (Tobias Segal) have ever ventured into the bed and breakfast business before. Plunging through their doors are snow beset travelers Christopher Wren (Christopher Geary) a young man who loves exploring and cooking, Mrs. Boyle (Yvette Ganier) who takes criticism to a high art form, Major Metcalf (Greg Stuhr) who observes everything as he solemnly smokes his pipe, Miss Casewell (Ali Skamangas) who loves to act out with dramatic effect, and Mr. Paravicini (Jason O’Connell) who finds their dangerous situation a hoot as he arrives unexpectedly due to a car accident. What has brought these unique individuals together? Is someone plotting revenge? I am not allowed to tell, as you will be forewarned when you attend. The spooky set by Riw Rakkulchon and the glorious costuming by Fabian Fidel Aguilar are worth the price of admission alone, and the talented cast is superb. For tickets ($30 and up), call the Hartford Stage, 50 Church Street, Hartford at 860-527-5151 or online at www.HartfordStage.org. Performances are Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday 2 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Also Tuesday, November 1 at 7:30 p.m. and Wednesday, November 2 at 2 p.m.. Masks are encouraged but not required. Come play Sherlock Holmes and delight in the mystery surrounding Monkswell Manor and its intriguing bevy of occupants, one of whom could well be a murderer, and at least one of them is the quite dead victim.

CHESHIRE'S NELSON HALL THEATRE AT ELIM PARK HAS SLATED A QUARTET OF MUSICAL WONDERS

Elvis will be in the building at Cheshire’s Elim Park Place for two razzle dazzle performances on Friday, October 28 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Get your hips swiveling and your toes tapping as musician Travis LeDoyt brings this iconic and beloved singer to life in song, dance and personality plus. His likeness to “The King” has been deemed astonishing. Come witness the sequins and glitz and hear the super sounds that abound. Call 203-699-5495 or online at Nelsonhall.org for your hot spot. Prepare to be patriotic as the New Haven Symphony Orchestra Brass Quartet ushers in a fitting and well-deserved tribute to our military veterans on Thursday, November 3 at 2 p.m. The stirring melodies of WWII, the marches and jazz, will warm your heart in this military celebration of our proud defenders of democracy. For a full range of sensational musical selections from opera to rock, please welcome the Jersey Tenors to the Elim Park stage on Friday, November 11 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. These special performers will offer Frank Sinatra to Bruce Springsteen, Elton John to Bon Jovi, and so much more. Come on Thursday, December 8 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and let the acclaimed concert and recording artist Michelle Berting Brett channel the purity and joy of Karen Carpenter in this unique tribute concert: Carpenters’ Christmas. Holiday favorites such as “Winter Wonderland” will crown her greatest hits like “We’ve Only Just Begun” and “Close to You”for your listening pleasure. Tickets are all the shows are $42 each, seniors 62 and over and students $40, military discount $38 with group rates for 10 and 30. Call 203-699-5495 or online at Nelsonhall.org. Proof of vaccination and a photo ID are required. Masks are strongly encouraged. Fill the season with the splendid selections Elim Park Place, 150 Cook Hill Road, Cheshire has to offer the community. You’ll be delighted you did.

MISTRESS AUTUMN

MISTRESS AUTUMN IS PLAYING COY THIS YEAR WITHHOLDING HER PALETTE OF COLORS AND USUAL CHEER. SHE KNOWS IT’S OCTOBER AND A TIME OF CHANGE BUT SHE IS RELUCTANT TO SEE HER HUES REARRANGED. SUBTLE IS THE WORD FOR HER ARTISTIC DISPLAY NOTHING TOO CRIMSON OR SAFFRON DOES SHE ARRAY. IMPATIENTLY I AWAIT THE GLORIOUS SCENERY I REMEMBER THAT MUST APPEAR SOON, BEFORE THE SNOWS OF DECEMBER. LEAVES WILL SOON DO A PIROUETTE AS THEY DANCE TO THE GROUND AND I WANT TO BE FRONT AND CENTER FOR THE BEAUTY THAT WILL SURELY ABOUND. COME ON LADY, LET DOWN YOUR GOLDEN LOCKS AND SHOW YOUR GOWN OF JEWELS IF FOR NO OTHER REASON THAN TO PLEASE ME AND OTHER NEW ENGLAND FOOLS. BONNIE

MILFORD'S PANTOCHINO PRODUCTIONS PLANS TWO HOLIDAY HOOPLA EVENTS

Just in time for Halloween, Pantochino Productions in Milford is busy with a double header of shows. First up is “School Spirits,” filled with spooks and ghosts and lots of scary fun. An original musical by Bert Bernardi for book and lyrics, with music by Justin Rugg, and a bevy of red, white and black costumes by Jimmy Johansmeyer, it introduces the students of Mockingbird High School as they happily start their new school year and unhappily learn that their precious place of learning is scheduled for demolition to let another Super Value Plus Drugstore be built. Luckily the “misfit” students devise a plan to save their beloved school. Led by Crystal (Annabel Wardman) and her magic powers, she mobilizes her trio of ghost friends (Maya Barnes, Nathan Horne and Ali McLaren) to join her pals Shellac (Delia Canarie), Keen (Jamie Lamb), Liverwurst (Christopher Serrano), Ace (Connor Rizzo) and Spooki (Fiona Pasley) and determine a plan of action. Thus is born a Halloween Talent Show, directed by teacher Miss Raven (Hannah Duffy) with the full support of the principal Mr. Crow (Jeremy Ajdukiewicz). The only objector to the fundraiser is Miss Cassowary (Valerie Solli), who has a witch’s hat full of reasons why she wants the school closed. Bert Bernardi directs this fun and talented show where the good guys win all the jelly beans and peanut butter cups. For tickets ($25), go online to Pantochino Productions, 40 Railroad Avenue, Milford at www.pantochino.com. Shows are Sundays, October 23 and 30 at 2 p.m. Masks are optional. To keep up the creepy atmosphere, “The Rocky Horror Show” is also on the bill until Sunday, October 30. This classic spook show with book, music and lyrics by Richard O’Brien features a haunted castle owned by Dr. Frank “N” Furter (Jimmy Johansmeyer) that is visited one dark and stormy night by a young couple Brad (Dan Frye) and Janet (Skye Gillespie). Strange things keep happening in this cult favorite and is a fixture for Halloween. For tickets ($30), go online at www.pantochino.com. Shows are Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 7:30 p.m. until the 30th of October. Masks are optional. Put the spook back into Halloween where it belongs and visit Pantochino Productions for a hearty dose of witchy magic. Then don your Santa cap for “Christmas Carol-A Panto!” from December 2-18 for a welcome cup of holiday cheer for the whole family to enjoy.

"MY CHILDREN, MY AFRICA" A GRIPPING SOCIAL AND HISTORICAL COMMENTARY

Athol Fugard is the impassioned voice of his native land of South Africa. At age 90, he is recognized as an outstanding playwright, director, actor and novelist, penning intense, political plays opposing the class system of apartheid, where Blacks have been suppressed by the white ruling leaders. In 1985, TIME named him “the greatest active playwright in the English-speaking world.” You now have the unique opportunity to be present at one of Athol Fugard’s intense dramas “My Children! My Africa!” until Sunday, October 9 at the Hartbeat Ensemble in Hartford. Melanie Dreyer directs this production that begins as a tiny flame of heat and slowly becomes a serious conflagration. A dedicated Black teacher known affectionately as Mr M., a masterful Godfrey L. Simmons, Jr., has finally found the student of his dreams, Thami Mbikwana, a bright and engaging Jelani Pitcher. Mr. M. has accepted that white people control the power and Blacks are forced to be racially segregated. The struggles have existed for decades as his people have been victims of white supremacy. In his own small way, Mr. M. wants to change the odds. As leader of his school’s debate team, where Thami is a rising star, he issues an invitation to a posh private white school to stage a debate. Brianna Joy Ford’s Isabel Dyson is the privileged and quick on her feet competitor to arrive, eager to defend women and their rights in the arena of words. As Isabel and Thami gain a friendship, the issue of apartheid grows larger and more dangerous until the three are swept into the gripping mouth of its destruction. For tickets ($25, students $20), call Hartbeat Ensemble, Carriage House Theater, 360 Farmington Avenue, Hartford at 860-548-9144 or online at hartbeatensemble.org. Performances are Thursday Friday, and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 pm. Masks are required. On Wednesday, October 12 at 5:30 p.m., the theater will hold a free “special dialogue event.” Can democracy reign in a land where the oppressed are not allowed a voice in their own history? Come be swept up in this real and dramatic struggle as only Athol Fugard can tell it.

"THE GREAT GATSBY" WEAVES ITS MAGIC SPELL AT IVORYTON PLAYHOUSE

Being a man of mystery, one who has created lies and fabrications to hide his true identity, can be a burdensome responsibility. Just ask Jay Gatsby who during the Gilded Age, the Roaring Twenties, found himself creating a new persona for himself. He conveniently forgot his humble beginnings in the mid-west and is now a sophisticated gentleman, wealthy beyond imagination, possibly a graduate of Oxford, perhaps a decorated war hero, maybe the owner of a string of drug stores, and even, perhaps, a successful bootlegger during Prohibition. Why might Gatsby have established such a colorful version for himself? Five years before the love of his life, Daisy, a socialite, has rejected him because of his status in the world. Now he has declared his improved place in society and he is anxious to win Daisy’s love again. To witness the transformation of this complex character, hurry to the Ivoryton Playhouse until Sunday, October 23 to observe F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic "The Great Gatsby,” adapted for the stage by Simon Levy and directed with white glove care by Todd L. Underwood by a talented cast of performers. This dramatic saga is narrated by Gatsby’s near by neighbor and second cousin to Daisy, a modest and moral Nick Carroway (Joe Cordaro). He is often amazed and dismayed by the actions of the people who populate West Egg Long Island. He unwittingly is privy to Daisy’s (Katharina Schmidt) interactions with Gatsby and her husband Tom’s (Greg Brostrom) affair with Myrtle (Siobhan Fitzgerald), one Myrtle’s husband George (Daniel Rios, Jr.) is totally unaware exists. Meanwhile Jay (Erik Kochenberger) looms large in a swirl of shadows as he interacts with a business friend Meyer (Gabe Belyeu) and a professional golfer Jordan (Carlyn Connolly), both of whom conduct themselves in a less than admirable way. Gatsby’s hope for an American dream is ultimately swallowed in a series of tragedies. For tickets ($55, seniors $50, students $25), call the Ivoryton Playhouse, 103 Main Street, Ivoryton at 860-767-7318 or online at 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. Masks are recommended but not required. You will soon be caught up in the machinations and motives that surround these people who seem to party for a living and exist by a code of behavior that honorable folks would surely question. Danger and decadence and disillusionment are definitely present in th dramatic depiction of the destruction of the American dream.

BILLIE HOLIDAY EXPOSES HER PASSION AND PAIN AT PLAYHOUSE ON PARK

All Eleanora Fagan wanted in life was a house of her own, m some children to fill it, and a night club where she could sing for her friends. Her childhood, however, set her on a path of sadness where her mother was frequently absent, she left school at elevens as a teen a neighbor tried to rape herm and her mother sent her to be “a maid” at a house of prostitution. From this tragic beginning, Eleanora transformed herself into a gifted vocalist known for her style, tempo and phasing as well as her influence on jazz music and improvisational skills. Until Sunday October 16m you are cordially invited to make the acquaintance of Billie Holiday at West Hartford’s Playhouse on Park in the moving musical “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill” by Lanie Robertson. In 1958, Frank Sinatra stated, “It is Billie Holiday who was, m and still remains, the greatest single musical influence on me. Lady Day’s unquestionably the most important influence on American popular singing in the last twenty years. Billie sang and recorded with such stellar bands as Count Basie, Pau Whitman, Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw, among others, often finding the color of her skin an impediment to where she was allowed to perform. Her history with abusive men and her additions to drugs and alcohol pursued her at every step. Serving time in prison cost her dearly, but friends organized a comeback concert at Carnegie Hall to a sold out crowd The damage to her career and to her addictions dictated that she only earned $11 in royalties the year before her death in 1959. Danielle Herbert is sadly luminous as Bilie, as she tries to recapture the bloom on her trademark gardenias a flower she wore in her hair nightly performing. Musical director Nygel D. Robinson portrays her pianist and protector, her main man Jimy Powers, as she sings such classics as “God Bless the Child,” “Ain’t Nobody’s Business If I Do,” “When a Woman Loves a Man,” “What a Little Moonlight Can Do” and “Strange Fruit.” For tickets ($42.50-55, with special tickets to sit on stage with wine and chocolates), call Playhouse on Park, 244 Park Road, West hartford at 860-523-5900, ext. 10. or online at www.playhouseonpark.org Performances are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2p.m. Masks are encouraged but not required. Stephanie Pope Lofgren directs this heartfelt tale of a star, one whose difficult life tried to dim her sparkle. According to Billie Holiday, “Singing in a club is heaven,..,.and the best part of living to me.” She endured racial prejudice and and great odds to overcome and reach her goals. Let her velvet voice caress you and her silky sounds and glorious vocals astound you, so you can learn the price she paid former passion.

TRAVEL DOWN "SUNSET BOULEVARD" WITH MTC

The iconic silent film star Norma Desmond stands at the top of a staircase contemplating her incredible movie career and remembering her prior glories. Now she worries how she will capture those intoxicating times again. Can she reign as queen once more and, if so, how will she accomplish that marvel? To follow her disillusionment and story of fame, come to Music Theatre of Connecticut in Norwalk for an up close and personal meeting with the former star herself Norma Desmond in "Sunset Boulevard” based on the Billy Wilder film, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and book and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton until Sunday, October 2. . Elizabeth Ward Land is regal as Norma Desmond as she tries to recapture her famed youth, earning our admiration and pity, as she pens a play about Salome, picturing herself as the adventurous lead, a role she is sure will catapult her back to the top of her game. Norma Desmond refuses to fade into the shadows and when she meets an attractive young writer, Trevor Martin’s Joe Gilis, she seizes upon him as her last best chance to fulfill her wishes of stardom. All she has to do is wait for the call from the famed director Cecil B. DeMille, a disinterested Jeff Gurner, and her dreams will reach fruition. Joe Gillis is firmly trapped in her unrealistic scheme, whether he is her ghost writer or lover. When a film company employee, Sandra Marante's Betty, reaches out with a real chance for Joe to get his career on track, it results in unfortunate and tragic results. Not even Norma’s faithful servant and protector, James Patterson’s Max, can save the ailing queen and restore her to glory. Others in the cast include Paul Aguirre, Philip Callen, Helen Clare, Matt Grasso, Leigh Martha Klinger, Emily Solo and Jacob Sundlie. Songs like “New Ways to Dream,” “Too Much in Love.” and “The Perfect Year” propel the action. Kevin Connors directs this intriguing tale of theater where the past tries to eclipse and change the present. For tickets ($45-65), call Music Theatre of Connecticut, 509 Westport Avenue, Route 1, Norwalk, at 203-454-3883 or online at www.musictheatreofct.com. Performances are Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Masks are required. Follow the former star as she dramatically emerges from behind the red velvet curtain to retake her well earned place center stage.

LET ALISON BECHDEL BE YOUR GUIDE FOR "FUN HOME" AT THEATER WORKS HARTFORD

Alison Bechdel did not grow up as a member of the Brady Bunch or the Partridge Family. It took her years to discover who she was and how she fit into her family unit, especially as it related to her enigmatic dad. To learn the answers to Alison’s past, please attend Theater Works Hartford’s amazing dramatic musical journey “Fun Home” now extended until Sunday, November 6, with book and lyrics by Lisa Kron and music by Jeanine Tesori. “Fun Home” was adapted from Alison Bechdel’s cartoon driven graphic novel of the same name. In it you meet her at three distinct ages: childhood Skylar Lynn Matthews, her first year of college Julia Nightingale and as a middle-aged adult Sarah Beth Pfeifer. All are gifted in their portraits as they look back and evaluate the past. Imagine growing up in a funeral home and playing hide and seek with your siblings (Myles Low and Sam Duncan and after 10/16 Jasper Burger) among the caskets that crowd your living space. Memories, both pleasant and painful, populate her story. She fondly remembers her father Bruce, a conflicted Aaron Lazar, who lovingly restored their Victorian house, playing “airplane” with her and alternately how her mother Helen, a supportive Christiane Noll, would play the piano louder and louder to drown out the sounds of her husband seducing a young man in the room below. Her father hid his sexuality, even when Alison goes off to college and realizes she is a lesbian, after meeting her new partner Joan, the reflective Cameron Silliman. Songs like “It All Comes Back,” Not Too Bad,” “Come to the Fun Home,” ‘’Maps,” ‘’Raincoat of Love,” “Ring of Keys” and “Telephone Wire” reveal many of the stumbling blocks that Alison must overcome on her path of self-discovery. Various young men in the cast are portrayed by Ali Louis Bourzoui. Rob Ruggiero directs this passionate pouring out of self-power. For tickets ($25-60), call TWH, 233 Pearl Street, Hartford at 860-527-7838 or online at boxoffice@twhartford.org. Performances are Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. (with talk back), Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. (mask required), Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2:30 p.m. (mask required) and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Take a personal and poignant path along with Alison as she struggles to learn who her father was and how their lives interacted in this Tony Award-Winning Musical.

MARRIAGE IS ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK AT THE YALE REP

For George and Martha, the old adage “all’s fair in love and war” rings true. As a married couple of more than twenty-three years, they are quite versed in the buttons to push to set off each others’ alarm bells. Add in a more than modest amount of alcohol and a much younger couple, Nick and Honey, who are the discerning audience to witness their shenanigans, and you have quite the conversation starter. To enter the boxing ring that frames their verbal discourse, come meet George and Martha, the professional antagonists well-schooled in the pros and cons of a fist fight of words. Until Saturday, October 29, the Yale Repertory Theatre, 1120 Chapel Street, New Haven will referee the minute-by-minute confrontation of Edward Albee’s masterwork “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,” all three hours of it, that will leave you devastated by the vitriol that saturates the fascinating 1960’s stage created by Miguel Urbino. Dan Donohue’s George at first appears mild-mannered but soon reveals his true colors as he parries and thrusts all the insults that Rene Augesen’s Martha flings in his face. He is a history professor and a disappointed author whose one and only novel was dismissed as inadequate by the president of the university, Martha’s esteemed father. It's 2 in the morning and they are just home to a place Martha refers to as a dump, after attending a party welcoming a new faculty member Nick and his wife Honey. George is not pleased that Martha has arranged this “party” but then he is rarely delighted with anything Martha says or does. When Nate Janis’ Nick and Emma Pfitzer Price’s Honey arrive, the alcohol and conversation flow freely, too freely. Soon it’s an Abbott and Costello routine gone mad as the older couple bray and hiss insults, spilling secrets and playing nasty word games, much to the confusion of the younger folk. The violence escalates as the humiliations pile up until words are replaced by physical attacks. It’s like witnessing a traffic accident that appalls you but you cannot look away. James Bundy directs this absorbing drama, one that hasn’t been staged in Connecticut in four decades. For tickets ($15-65), call the Yale Rep at 203-432-1234 or online at yalerep.org. Performances are Tuesday Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and matinees at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday and Saturday. Masks are required. Prepare yourself, with boxing gloves, so you can return any of the flying insults that may mistakenly land in the audience as you sit front and center to the often funny and unfair fight and eventual and temporary cease fire that ignites before your disbelieving eyes.

TAP YOUR WAY TO 42ND STREET AT GOODSPEED

Miss Peggy Sawyer, a wannabe dancer fresh off the bus from Allentown, Pennsylvania, is anxious to take a giant bite from the Big Apple. It’s time to don your tap dancing shoes and join her as she captures hearts on the Great White Way, after a few wrong turns. You’ll wish you had a gift certificate to an Arthur Murray studio when you experience the razzle-dazzle spectacular of “42nd Street,” the musical comedy powerhouse at the Goodspeed Musicals in East Haddam until Sunday, November 6, with book by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble. Come meet Peggy Sawyer with all her eager enthusiasm and talented feet. The fact that she arrives too late for the dance audition for the new Julian Marsh musical “Pretty Girl” doesn’t stop her from landing a coveted spot in the chorus line. Being on Broadway means Peggy will put in twelve hour days, seven days a week, for five weeks of rehearsal, and earn the princely sum of $32 a week. Times are tough, but that doesn’t discourage this bright eyed optimist from practicing her shuffle, pivots, pull backs, wings and two steps with gusto. As luck would have it, Peggy, a bright as a new penny Carina-Kay Louchiey, accidentally bumps the leading lady, a fixture in show business, star Dorothy Brock (Kate Baldwin) and knocks her literally off her feet, breaking her ankle. With the help of Julisn Marsh (Max von Essen), and co-stars Billy Lawlor (Blake Stadnik) and Maggie Jones (Lisa Howard), Bert Barry (E. Clayton Cornelious) and Annie Reilly (Eloise Kropp), Peggy finds herself with thirty-six hours to learn the dance routines to take over for the lead. A little intrigue takes place when Ms. Brock’s sugar daddy (David Jennings) who is financing the show potentially bumps heads with Pat Denning (Patrick Oliver Jones), her lover. This pretty bright and bouncy show features such great numbers as “You’re Getting to Be a Habit with Me,” “I Only Have Eyes for You,” “We’re in the Money,” “Forty-Second Street,” “Shuffle Off to Buffalo” and “Lullaby of Broadway.” Come see how the newest star in the firmament comes through to save the day. The projection designs by Shawn Duan are amazing and add sparkle to every number. For tickets ($30-85), call Goodspeed Musicals on the Connecticut River in East Haddam at 860-873-8668 or online at goodspeed.org/ticket-onsale. Performances are Tuesday at 2 p.m., Wednesday at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 3 pm. and 8 pm, and Sunday at 2 p;.m. and 6:30 p.m. Masks are encouraged but not required. Put on a pair of tap dancing shoes and hoof on over to the Goodspeed for a happy time of show business glitz and glamour when the shiny as a new constellation, Peggy Sawyer, uses her fancy frenetic frenzy flying footwork to get her name in lights.

"MEAN GIRLS" STRUT THEIR POWER AT THE BUSHNELL

If your memory is accurate, we all know the cliques of girls and groups of boys who banded together in high school and excluded the outsiders who were never allowed into the sacred circle. Those who belonged would not dane to acknowledge the lessers who stood beyond the privileged. In the world of females, they were known as the mean girls. They were the cheerleaders who dated the captains of the football and basketball teams. They ran for prom queen and class president. They were envied and admired whether they deserved to be or not. From Tuesday, September 27 to Sunday, October 2, they are coming in full regalia and force to the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford in “Mean Girls” with book by nine-time Emmy Award winning Tina Fey, based on her screen play for the film. Music is by three-time Emmy Award winner Jeff Richmond and lyrics by two-time Tony Award nominee Nell Benjamin. Casey Nicholaw, Tony Award winner, directs and choreographs. North Shore High School in Chicago, Illinois is not what the new girl Cady Heron expects when she moves there from Kenya. The color of her skin immediately labels her as different and the social group known as the Plastics, run by the Queen Bee Regina, soon set their sights on her for a special inauguration to high school life. Cady is lucky to have two real friends Janis and Damian who want to help and protect her but she is destined to make her own mistakes as she tries to fit in to this complicated new life, like a strange animal in a fierce jungle of unknowns. Which club should she join? Which boyfriend should she pursue? Which friend is really a foe in disguise? Should she run for Spring Fling Queen? So many choices, so many decisions. And who wrote the nasty and insulting Burn Book that is circulating lies all over school? Great songs and dances pop up throughout. For tickets ($34-128), call the Bushnell, 166 Capital Avenue, Hartford at 860-987-5900 or online at www.Bushnell.org. Shows are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. What is the price you are willing to pay to be popular and, in the long run, is it worth the sting of success?

A JOURNEY OF "4000 MILES" BEGINS WITH A SINGLE STEP IN WESTPORT

How fortuitous to view Amy Herzog’s moving generational play “4000 Miles” on Grandparents Day this past Sunday. Actress Mia Dillon who stars as grandma Vera calls it “sunny, moving and touching” and "a full (theatrical) meal.” Her co-star grandson Clay Singer terms it “a magnifying glass on humanity.” This cross country odyssey conveys challenges and losses and captures wonderful turning points in family relationships. Come experience what happens when a genuine card carrying Communist and a free wheeling hippie renew their relationship as grandmother and grandson? 91 year old Vera Joseph has no warning that Leo had plans to crash on her Greenwich Village doorstep until he arrives in the middle of the night. After suffering a great personal loss, while biking across the country, Leo seeks refuge at grandma’s house. He needs to figure things out, examine his life choices and, essentially, grow up. Using bits and pieces from her own history, playwright Amy Herzog has fashioned a play of personal exploration, “4000 Miles,” getting its wheels in gear at Westport Country Playhouse until Sunday, September 4. A finalist for a Pulitzer Prize in 2013, “4000 Miles” spans three generations, giving voice to many of the issues that face the elderly and the youth of today. Mia Dillon stars as Vera, the feisty and forgetful bubbe who doesn’t hesitate to take in her conflicted grandchild. She recognizes that he is lost and seeking direction. She too is searching for answers, her confusion due to a great extent to what could be early Alzheimer’s. Clay Singer’s Leo has major issues with his personal relationships, with his parents, his adopted step-sister, his girlfriend Bec (Lea DiMarchi) and even a one night pick-up Amanda (Phoebe Holden). Despite all his problems, Leo acknowledges that a family member can be “a really good friend I happen to be related to.” As Leo opens his heart and reveals his deepest thoughts, he connects with Vera in ways neither one of them ever could have anticipated. David Kennedy directs this inter-generational exploration of feelings on a deliberately dated set designed by Arnulfo Maldonado. All we need are the lace antimacaassars on the arm chairs. For tickets ($40-70), call Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court, Route 1, Westport at 203-227-4177 or online at www.westportplayhouse.org. Performances are Tuesday 7 p.m., Wednesday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., Thursday at 8 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3p.m. Masks are required. After more than nine decades of diversity, in politics and bed partners, Vera has a wealth of knowledge to impart to her young guest, whether or not he is ready to listen and to learn. Come discover the virtual joys of hugging a hippie spiritually and conjuring up memories of a beloved grandma.

CHARLIE BROWN IS HOLDING COURT AT THE LEGACY

Happiness is attending Legacy Theatre’s highly entertaining production of “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” until Saturday, September 3. Happiness means spending two delightful hours with a sextet of friends, even if some of them are wishy-washy, passive-aggressive, co-dependent, prickly- pearish, obsessed with Mozart and fuzzy furry. Come meet the clan/family of one Charlie Brown whose desires to be accepted and loved have occupied the comic strip pages, thanks to Charles Schulz, for decades. Come visit our old friend Charlie front and center for viewing, warts and dimples and all, in Legacy's engagingly charming “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” based on the comic strip “Peanuts” created by Charles Schulz, with book. music and lyrics by Clark Gesner. Gather your kites to help Charlie, your blankets to keep Linus company, your philosophy advice for Sally, some classical sheet music for Schroeder, a few psychiatry problems for Lucy and a filled supper dish for Snoopy and settle in for a fun time with the gang. Chris Lemieux’s wonderful Charlie is still off-balance. Should he or shouldn’t he approach the little red-haired girl he loves? Will he or won’t he get a Valentine this year? Is it possible to pitch a baseball game and actually win? He is joined in his angst by a sweet little sister Sally, spunkily created by Sophie Rapiejko who creates new philosophies for herself every other minute, like a simple “NO” to a more complex “Why are you telling ME?” Next up is the piano serenading Schroeder, played by a dedicated to Beethoven Cory Candelet, who loves to ignore the matrimonial advances professed by a regal Olivia Hoffman as the newly self-elected Queen of Crabbiness. Not to be ignored are the blanket clutching for comfort Linus, Lucy’s little brother, a sensitive Clayton Matthews, and everybody’s special animal friend, the adorable and cuddly Dan Frye as Snoopy, who knows how to dance for his supper. More than a dozen musical numbers like “The Book Report,” “My New Philosophy.” “Suppertime,” and “Happiness” are sure to please. Keely Baisden Knudsen, Artistic Director, directs this warm and fuzzy delight. For tickets ($35-60), call The Legacy Theatre, 128 Thimble Island Road, Branford at 203-315-1901 or online at www.LegacyTheatreCT.org. Performances are Thursday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Coming in September are concerts by Broadway’s Eric Anthony Lopez on September 4, Back in Time with Natalie Hamilton on September 9-10, The Tales of Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh September 10, 17, 24, and October 1, a Play Reading Festival September 11and 18, The Great Gatsby A Live Radio Play September 15 to October 1, a film Born at the Water’s Edge September 17, a Film Festival September 19-21, and a film Poetic September 25. A dance concert Natyamandala is set for October 2. Let the Peanuts gang take you on a tour of their childhood and you might be surprised and happy to recognize some of it as your own.

JOHNNY CASH TRIBUTE SHINES AT IVORYTON PLAYHOUSE

Even if you are not a fan of country music, there is so much to love about Ivoryton Playhouse’s current offering of “Ring of Fire The Music of Johnny Cash” that I dare you, even double dare you, to go. For many, country music makes them happy and those fans raise their hands up high to signify Johnny Cash is one of their favorites on the music cavalcade of hits. If black is your signature dress code of choice, then you've won the trifecta and Ivoryton Playhouse is delivering the prize until Sunday, September 11. Richard Maltby Jr. conceived his show "Ring of Fire" that he wrote with William Meade. Stuffed with songs, and anecdotes about this enigmatic man in black, you'll hear treats like "I Walk the Line," "A Boy Named Sue," "I've Been Everywhere" and "If I Were a Carpenter" that you'll want to sing along with as well as lesser known additions like "Jackson," "Cry, Cry, Cry,” “Straight A’s in Love" and "Hey, Porter.” You’ll learn that Cash wrote his first song when he was only eight, and later penned two autobiographies. Tunes like "Five Feet High and Rising," written by Cash about the flooding of his family's farm (twice) and "Folsom Prison Blues" about the prison reform he advocated for and the free concerts he provided for inmates are just two more of his homespun melodies. Among the dozens of songs, a little bit of his life and times peeks through, a sense of the man and his music, his hard times and high times, his love for a girl named June Carter and his career on the stage. These extremely talented seven performers-Brittany Brook, David M. Lutken (musical director),Morgan Morse, Leenya Rideout, Nygel D. Robinson, Sam Sherwood and Spiff Wiegand- give it their all to create a spectacular evening of entertainment, even if you don't love Johnny Cash (perish the thought). Sherry Lutken directs and choreographs this love fest with spice where the musical instruments, from mandolin to bass to percussion, harmonica, washboard and chair, banjo, fiddle, and chord zither, electrify and excite. The night I attended the show’s creator Richard Maltby Jr. was in attendance and I chanced to sit next to Kim, the daughter of Howie Stange, who proudly told me her dad was in the Country Music Hall of Fame. This American musician, singer and pianist could pick up any musical instrument and play it proficiently. In 1958, he recorded “Are You Lonesome Tonight?,” a record Elvis took to number one on the Billboard Charts two years later. For tickets ($55 adults, $50 seniors, $25 students), call Ivoryton Playhouse, 3 Main Street, Ivoryton at 860-767-7318 or online at www.ivorytonplayhouse.org. Performances are Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Please bring your ID and vaccination card. Masks are required if you are not vaccinated. The Ivoryton Playhouse has two more evenings of Cabaret for you to enjoy: On Monday, August 22 at 7:30 p.m. Schuyler Beeman will do Broadway up proud and on Monday, August 29 at 7:30 p.m. return for “You and I” featuring Charlie Widner on vocals and guitar and Eric Trudel on piano, sliding from Billy Joel to The Beatles and from Schubert to Sondheim. Tickets are adults $35 and students $20. Let this mighty versatile cast introduce you to the man and his music. Meet Mr. Johnny Cash in all his reincarnations and you'll love them all. As a star of country music, Johnny Cash’s wattage continues to shine bright and also casts a burning light on musical genres from rockabilly to rock and roll, blues to folk to gospel. Labeled one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century, he has been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. Come get reacquainted with this mysterious “Man in Black,” who was known for wearing dark apparel in honor of the poor, homeless and imprisoned, had a distinctive deep and resonant bass-baritone and a rebellious streak that marked his manner. After the Sunday matinee, about 4:45 pm, bring yourself with or without an instrument for a free Hootenanny outdoors.

"ITALIAN MOM LOVES YOU" PREMIERES AT SEVEN ANGELS THEATRE

Can you keep a secret? Today is Nana’s 85th birthday and her loving daughter Antoinette is planning an Italian feast as a surprise. You are invited to join the family and friends and you don’t have to bring anything, but a box of Stella Door S shaped cookies or a bottle of red wine would be nice. Until Sunday, August 21, the festive table groaning with ziti and sausage and peppers will be set for you at Seven Angels Theatre and don’t forget to come. Antoinette invited you personally and she promises it will be PHENOMENAL. “ITALIAN MOM LOVES YOU” is a world premiere written by the star of the show Daniel Franzese and Jacques Lamarre. Lamarre is still recovering from another world premiere a week ago, “Secondo,” at Theater Works Hartford so he is clearly on a comedic roll. Franzese plays Antoinette, a loud and commanding woman who is juggling a lot of meatballs in her world. Not only is she single handedly planning Nana’s celebration, she is cleaning up after the family pooch Rocky, preparing for her daughter Rosalie to graduate high school and set off for Emory University, her son Anthony is about to be married, her ex-husband Nicky is carrying on with a new woman, her neighbor just might be burying her husband in her flower garden, and she is anxiously waiting to see if her offer for a condo in Boca Raton has been accected. No wonder she is busy yelling, and coaxing, and managing, and inviting everyone she talks to on the phone to join today’s party. She complains and kisses in the same breathe as she commands son Anthony to go to Caputo’s Deli for vital party stables, loudly encourages daughter Rosalie to pick up the guests who need transportation, threatens ex-husband Nicky to come without his newest girlfriend, and watches her neighbor act suspiciously out her kitchen window. How will things work out for Antoinette as she juggles so many balls of mozzarella? And don’t forget the alligators who may live next door to her in Boca Raton! No wonder she prays to the Virgin Mary. For tickets ($39-49), call Seven Angels Theatre, 1 Plank Road, Hamilton Park, Waterbury at 203-757-4676 or online at SevenAngels Theatre.org. Performances areTuesday to Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2p.m., with a Saturday matinee at 2 p.m. on August 20. Check online for any COVID requirements. Set your musical dials for a return, after a five year absence, of the spectacular Billy McGuigan and his 6 piece band for two shows only Friday and Saturday, August 26 and 27 at 8 p.m. “Yesterday and Today” led by brothers Billy, Matthew and Ryan is an interactive Beatles Experience where the audience dictates the songs that are played and their comments become the anecdotes for the show. Tickets are $45. Come meet the family cheerleader Antoinette as she shakes her pom poms and creates a sturdy party pyramid of love.

COME FOR LOVE AND ADVENTURE TO THE LEGACY THEATRE THIS WEEK

Some of us, we will remain nameless, survived the pandemic thanks to continually viewing Hallmark Movies and Mysteries. We have even been known to watch Christmas in July telecasts, enjoying the snow storms in the middle of genuine heat waves of 90 degree summers in the Northeast. Of courses we are quite aware of how the romantic comedies will end, with a steamy romantic kiss and pledges of love everlasting. Broadway veteran Anne Runolfson is all too aware. For an intimate peek into Anne’s world, head immediately to Legacy Theatre in Branford for “My Unauthorized Hallmark Movie Musical” on Thursday, August 11 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., Friday’s August 12 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, August 13 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Who doesn’t love a romantic adventure, one worthy of a Cinderella and her Prince Charming? Let Anne and her imaginative cast of eight companions fashion a world of fantasy where all men are potential knights riding to the rescue on sturdy white steeds and all women are pure of heart and worthy of being swept off their glass slippered feet. No need to dress in a gown or bring a magic wand. Anne Runolfson will have all the special effects easily at hand for your romantic escapade. For tickets ($35-60), call Legacy Theatre, 128 Thimble Island Road, Branford at 203-315-1901 or 1-800-595-4849 or online at Info@LagacyTheatreCT.org. Check COVID requirements. Get ready for some “Happily ever afters” as Anne Runolfson serves as your personal guide to love forever and a day.

COME TO GOODSPEED TO MEET THE RED HOT "ANNE OF GREEN GABLES"

If you are an eleven year old orphan who has never had a loving home to call her own, who hates her red hair and freckles and being called “Carrots,” you are probably Anne with an “e” and the darling heart of a world premiere powerhouse at Goodspeed Musicals until Sunday, September 4. “Anne of Green Gables A New Musical” will quickly capture you, heart and soul and freckles! For more than a century, Anne has been speaking her mind, without pausing for breathe, and enjoying imaginative adventures. Originally created by Lucy Maud Montgomery in 1908, "Anne of Green Gables” is a favorite children’s classic tale now being showcased through the creative minds of Matte O’Brien for book and lyrics, and music by Matt Vinson. When middle-aged siblings Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert on a farm in Avonlea on Prince Edward Island, Canada, request a boy from an orphanage to adopt to help Matthew with chores, they never expect to welcome Anna into their lives. While Matthew immediately surcomes to Anne’s charms, Marilla wants no part in this spirited and feisty nuisance. Juliette Redden is a delicious delight as she tries to make a home in the first place that accepts her. With her best friend the sweet and accepting Diana (Michelle Veintimilla) and her teasing enemy, the modestly perfect Gilbert Blythe (Pierre Marais), Anne soon wins over hero Matthew (D.C. Anderson) while Marilla (Sharon Catherine Brown) and her nosy neighbor Mrs. Lynde (Aurelia Williams) remain immune to her good qualities and must literally be cajoled to her side. Anne uses her big words and her big heart to win over all her naysayers. In her decidedly melodramatic ways, she perfects her ability to apologize to those she has offended without actually admitting she is sorry. As she and Diana bond as kindred spirits and Matthew becomes the father she never had, Anne finally becomes part of a family and community and is euphoric. Tunes like “Different Kind of Girl,” “Ashes of My Youth,” and “Before You Hit The Ground” propel the action while Philip S. Rosenberg’s lighting shines throughout. Jennifer Jancuska keeps an energetic ensemble of Emily Agy, Jarred Bedgood, Tristen Buettel, Giovanni Da Silva, Amanda Ferguson, Patrick Oliver Jones, Nick Martinez, Morgan McGhee, Jenna Lea Rosen and Avery Sobczak on their toes or acting in other roles. Director Jenn Thompson puts all the diverse elements together for a seamless and joyous production. For tickets ($30-81), call Goodspeed Musicals, 6 Main Street, on the Connecticut River in East Haddam, at 860-873-8668 or online at goodspeed.secure.force.com. Performances are Tuesday at 2 p.m.(on selected dates). Wednesday at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Thursday at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. (on selected dates). Check the website for Covid requirements. Masks are required. If you’ve ever felt like an outsider, with the immense task of fighting to find your place, you will soon cheer Anne on in her quest to be loved and accepted and, finally, truly and happily, at home.