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.