A TRIO OF ONE ACT PLAYS AT WESTPORT COUNTRY PLAYHOUSE SEPTEMBER 23

If you’re a theater lover, what better way to welcome autumn than with a series of three one-act plays at the Lucille Lortel White Barn at the Westport Country Playhouse. On Saturday, September 23 at 2 p.m.the Connecticut Chapter of the League of Professional Theatre Women (LPTW) invites you to celebrate Women of a Certain StAGE, focusing on women over 40, with a delightful afternoon of theater and music. The program is produced by Lauren Yarger (Gracewell Productions). Both men and women are invited and you don’t need to be a member of the League. Admission is free but donations are most welcome. A reception will follow.

The offerings include: — The Bardo State by Susan Cinoman (playwright and writer for TV’s “The Goldbergs”) — I Know by Jacquelyn Reingold (co-founder of Honor Roll!, an advocacy organization for women playwrights over 40) — Giving Birth by Lauren Yarger (Co-Founder of the CT Chapter LPTW) LPTW President Lynnie Godfrey, accompanied by Hilarie Clark Moore on piano, will provide the song portion of the program. Special guests including two-time Emmy-Award winner Dorothy Lyman (“Mama’s Family;” “All My Children” and more). Seating is free but limited and there will be a waiting list (donations will be accepted). RSVP at https://WomenofaCertainStAGE.eventbrite.com. Questions? CTChapterLPTW@gmail.com.

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COME MEET THE NEWEST AMBASSADOR FOR PEACE AND HOPE

You’ve all heard of “Where’s Waldo” and Flat Stanley, but now there is a new character in town. Come meet Little Amal who is not so little. She is a 12-foot puppet who represents a 10-year old Syrian refugee girl and she is coming to America in general and Hartford in particular to encourage peace and hope for our troubled world.

In 2017 the idea of Little Amal was born. Her birth took place in London at the Good Chance Theatre when a play about an infamous refugee camp in France called “The Jungle” told the tale of thousands of refugees wanting to get to the United Kingdom. It featured a single child named Amal whose only word known in English was “school.”

When a trustee of the theatre David Lan decided to call attention to immigrant rights two years ago, he planned to walk the route a Syrian refugee would take but instead an over-sized puppet of Amal burst to life. Built by South African Handspring Puppet Company, Amal took on a Mexican style who could walk and whose face moved with the help of a trio of puppeteers, including one inside her body. She has an incredibly expressive face that can show emotion even though she cannot talk. Her name means “hope” in Arabic and she is alone on her travels, seeking her mother. She represents our human family, a little child desperate to find her parent. Her walk’s purpose is to highlight not just the devastating circumstances of refugees but also their potential. When you think of Little Amal, remember the amazing puppets for the Broadway play “War Horse.”

As the symbol for human rights, Amal has been welcomed by over a million people in 15 countries from Turkey to Canada, Ukraine to Norway, with the message “Don’t forget about us.” From September 7 to November 5, Amal will travel 6000 miles across the United States, from Boston to San Diego, with a visit to Hartford at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, September 12, "when a family of cheeky squirrels test her determination.” Come fill the streets of Hartford, starting at Trinity and Elm Streets, in Bushnell Park, to Gold Street, Main Street, right on Prospect Street, into Burr Mall to share her message of hope. Amal will chase the squirrels as she dances through the music laden streets. Artists from theatre, vocalists, teachers, government and religious groups, even an orchestra, and a group making a patchwork blanket will mark her visit to Connecticut. Go to WalkWithAmal.org for more information. The Amal Fund has been created to raise money for children who have fled persecution and war.

Follow Little Amal as she unites the community, traveling the avenues of Hartford, drawing attention to the pressing needs of immigrants, refugees and those seeking asylum. Come welcome this animatronic child who has been described as “the most ambitious public art project ever attempted,” winning the “Time Out Public Art Award|” in 2021. Little Amal is too big to ignore.

COME MEET AND GREET "THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR"

Leave it to the Bard, William Shakespeare, to stuff his comedy “The Merry Wives of Windsor” with a happy assortment of characters and plot lines. He starts with two jealous husbands, their wives who are willing to stir a pot of trickery, one fat knight who needs funds and determines to woo two wealthy women to fill his pockets with coins, a desirous mistress who has a trio of suitors vying for her hand, and schemes galore to keep you entertained.

Get thee over to Edgerton Park on the border of Hamden and New Haven, bring a picnic, chairs or blankets, the kiddies and family pet, and take a seat under the stars to let the Elm Shakespeare Company present a delightful production of “The Merry Wives of Windsor” every night, except Mondays, until Sunday, September 3 at 7:30 p.m. A half hour of musical treats precedes the show.

Raphael Massie's Sir John Falstaff is the portly knight at the center of the scheming when he sends two almost identical love letters to Liz Daingerfield’s Mistress Ford and Abigail C. Onwunali’s Mistress Page, two friends who are happily married to Walton Wilson’s Mister Ford and Malachi dre Beasley’s Mister Page, respectively. The women quickly learn of Falstaff’s trickery and decide to have fun with a little revenge of their own. Mister Ford when he learns of his wife’s suspected infidelity disguises himself as Master Brook and cleverly enlists Falstaff to help him court his own wife, while uncovering her unfaithful ways.

Meanwhile the lovely lass Anne Page, Terra Chaney, is juggling the affections of three suiters, the smooth talking James Andreassi’s Dr. Caius, Gracy Brown’s Justice Shallow’s personal choice of husband her cousin Michael Allyn Crawford’s Slender, and Anne’s true love, Stefani Kuo’s Fenton.

Come see how the wives use a laundry basket to further their schemes, how Anne ends up with the proper husband and what happens to Falstaff for all his deceptions. Dawn Monique Williams moves the action merrily along, inserting a few modern tunes to enliven the story, on a lovely set created by Alexander Clark.

Donations are most welcome and appreciated, suggested at $25. Mark your calendar for Shakespeare by the Sea, a gala for the theater company at Amarante’s Sea Cliff, 62 Cove Street, New Haven on Wednesday, September 13, rain or shine, starting at 5:30 p.m. with cocktails, buffet and auction. Go online to start your bidding for silent auction items and to make your reservations.

Make this comic production a highlight of your summer as you root for Falstaff to literally fall on his face as his schemes and trickery go amiss.

"BEAUTY AND THE BEAST" WALTZES INTO BRANFORD'S LEGACY THEATRE

In a tiny town, meet the beautiful lass Belle who loves books and reading about adventures, mystery and romance more than anything or anyone in her life, with the possible exception of her father Maurice who loves to create inventions that may or may not work. Little does Belle realize that she will soon face and encounter all the elements of her precious books in her own life.

Come open the fairy tale book that features this sweet maiden and the monster who frightens the little village where she lives. As fairy tales go, “Beauty and the Beast” is one of the enchanted best. Belle, a luminous Melanie Martyn, is a lovely miss who would enjoy reading her precious books from dawn to dusk, as long as she doesn’t have to fend off the affections of the vain and egotistical Gaston, the epitome of vanity Scott A. Towers, who imagines himself to be a desirable gift to womankind, with his helpful sidekick LeFou, Robert Peterpaul, as his most faithful fan.

Meanwhile in a castle in the forest, an enchantress, Kiersten Bjork, for displeasing her, has cast a handsome prince into a hideous beast. Only a love that is pure and true can release him from his spell, and only before the last petal falls from a bewitched rose. Time is running out and he and his household will be cursed for all eternity. The Beast is cloaked in the persona of Dan Frye.

Enter the fascinating musical and magical world of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” waltzing into the Legacy Theatre in Branford until Sunday, August 27, with book by Linda Woolverton, music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice. Follow the brave heroine Belle hoping to rescue her father Maurice, David Bell, who after getting lost in the woods, sought shelter at the castle of the Beast and becomes his prisoner. The angry Beast, who guards his privacy, locks her father in a dungeon.

Belle discovers the castle and a troop of unlikely helpers in Lumiere the candelabra, Niko Charney, Mrs. Potts the teapot, Susan Kulp, her son Chip the teacup, Patrick Clifford, Madame de la Grande Bouche, Nia Alsop, Cogsworth the clock, Josiah Rowe, and Babette, Bella Pacheco Rarick, who all add a special charm to the story. To free her father, Belle offers to stay in the castle with the Beast if he will just let her father go home. In a wild adventure, Belle and her father escape, Gaston and the villagers attack the castle, the Beast is grievously wounded and Belle learns the meaning of true love.

For tickets, call for availability to the Legacy Theatre, 128 Thimble Island Road, Branford, at 203-315-1901 or online at info@LegacyTheatreCT.org, Performances are Thursday at 7 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m.

Discover for yourself how the magic spell is broken, how the enchanted objects become human again and how “happily ever after” is the way all fairy tales are supposed to end. Treat yourself and your family to this wonderful “tale as old as time,” directed with affection and kindness by Keely Baisden Knudsen.

"JERSEY BOYS" OH, WHAT A NIGHT!

Who would think that four teens singing under the street lights,on a corner where crime was ever present, could transform their lives from trouble to triumph? But here’s the real deal, believe it or not.

Long ago and far away, well not that far, just in New Jersey and not that long ago just the 1960's, there were four lads who were headed down the wrong road, one that could have landed them behind bars. Fortunately for them and for the music world, they detoured and discovered a rhythm and talent that made them headliners. Their intriguing story is captured for all eternity in "Jersey Boys," with book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, music by Bob Gaudio, and lyrics by Bob Crewe.

They will come and sing their story, which resembles a Rocky Road ice cream sundae, alluding to the bumpy road they traveled as well as an ice cream flavor with a base of chocolate or vanilla, studded with nuts and marshmallows. For four young kids from the Garden State who flirt with crime before devoting their time to being crooners, both definitions apply. They definitely knew how to capture a sweet sound, a harmonious taste, and their career clearly was a rocky road journey.

To get better acquainted with these four charming lads, travel to the Ivoryton Playhouse by Sunday, September 10 for their sensational tale as the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons unrolls before your fascinating eyes. Along the way, they wrote their own songs, invented their own sound, sold 175 million records, all before celebrating their big 3-0.

Through trial and error in experimentation as to who fit the membership best, as well as criminal trials for misdemeanors, this quartet of singers struggled to make a name for themselves, to even find a name they liked for their group. Once Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi recruited Frankie Valli and later Bob Gaudio, the troupe was set to explode on the Billboard charts. Soon Gaudio was churning out hits and songs like “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Walk Like a Man,” “Oh, What a Night,” “My Eyes Adore You,” “Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You” and “Working My Way Back To You,” giving them entrée into the big time.

Success is not without its price and “Jersey Boys” tells its tale straight up, warts and all. All the time on the road plays havoc with the families left behind and on the guys the fans adore. The struggles for power within the group also take their toll. Tommy DeVito’s gambling addiction almost destroys them until Frankie Valli steps forward and honorably takes on the burden of paying off his debt to the mob.

The guys are great in their roles, making their story real, their struggles believable, their success sweet and undeniable. Come hear Evan Ross Brody as Tommy, Sean Burns as Frankie, Brendan McGrady as Nick and Michael Notardonato as Bob bring this quartet of blue collar boys to life strikingly and harmoniously. This great musical stuffed with memorable tunes will have you wanting to dance up the theater aisles. Todd L. Underwood gets full credit for directing and choreographing, with Mike Morris at the helm for musical direction.

For tickets ($60, seniors $55, 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.

Million of people have cheered after seeing this Tony, Grammy and Olivier Award-winning musical. Now it's your turn to shout out your joy! Let four guys from Jersey adore you with their eyes and their voices as they work their way into your heart. Oh, what a night!

"THE LINDA RONSTADT EXPERIENCE" EXPLODES AT SEVEN ANGELS THEATRE

Linda Ronstadt, an American singer, songwriter and actress, is considered one of the most successful female vocalists in the history of pop music. She began her career in the mid-1960’s as part of the folk-rock trio The Stone Poneys, with the hit “Different Drum” in 1967, but it was her solo career that launched her into stardom.

Linda Ronstadt encompasses a wide range of musical genres, from rock to pop, country to rhythm and blues, gospel to opera, and even Mexican music, using her soulful voice to interpret classical songs. For five decades and producing 31 albums, she has earned titles like the Queen of Country Rock and the First Lady of Rock, being inducted into the 29th Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along the way. Once one of the most highly paid women in rock and roll, she was tragically sidelined by Parkinson’s disease in 2013 when it stole her voice.

Seven Angels Theatre in Waterbury is paying tribute to her with “The Linda Ronstadt Experience'' starring American Idol Star Tristan McIntosh on Saturday, August 19 at 7:30 p.m., with an opening act by Eddie Seville and his outlaw rock band Steel Rodeo. Tristan McIntosh will present songs like “You’re No Good,” “When Will I Be Loved,” “Blue Bayou,” and “That'll Be the Day” filling the rafters with joyful memories.

Ronstadt credits hearing her family sing in the living room or on the radio by her age 10, thanking her mom for her love of opera and her dad for her love of pop from the Great American Songbook. In 2019 she received the Kennedy Center Honors for her lifetime artistic achievements. Tristan McIntosh will do her justice as she pays tribute to her legacy of successes.

For tickets ($40), call Seven Angels Theatre, 1 Plank Road, Waterbury at 203-757-4676 or online at sevenangelstheatre.org.

Make plans to return to Seven Angels the following weekend on Saturday, August 26 at 8 p.m. when Back to the Garden 1969 The Woodstock Experience returns with flavor and fire. Come hear The Who, Janis Joplin, Blood, Sweat and Tears, The Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane and many other legends of the era sing again.

Let Seven Angels Theatre be your concert destination for all the best of the musical scene.

WISP PRESENTS "THE BIRTH OF BROADWAY: MOZART 2 MIRANDA" AUGUST 11-13

Have you ever wondered how Broadway became a theatrical institution? How the Great White Way became the epitome of dramatic and musical bliss? Well, the Wagner-Iovanna Studio Productions (WISP) has created an original innovative answer in a musical revue “The Birth of Broadway: Mozart 2 Miranda" as a delightful sampler of treats covering more than two centuries of musical history and tradition.

For the weekend of Friday, August 11 to Sunday August 12, you will be enchanted by a fascinating parade of scenes from both musical theatre and opera, using the music, dance and scenery that marked the legacy. Highlighting Bizet to Hammerstein, Puccini to Sondheim, Verdi to Fosse, and so much more, you will be entertained by this unique musical journey.

These marvelous memories will be brought to you by newly minted Shoreline talent as well as professional Broadway and Opera performers. Cabaret seating is offered so you are invited to bring food and drink to your table. Performances will be at The Old Stone Church, 251 Main Street, East Haven. For tickets ($30, ages 10 and under $25) call WISP at 203-494-1633 or online at www.buy.tututix.com/wisp. Shows are at 7 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Watch WISP’s salute to more than 200 years of Broadway history right before your eyes, bringing Times Square right to your doorstep. Be a tourist in your own hometown thanks to the talented performers of all ages under WISP’s careful nurturing and care.

THE TERRIS THEATRE HAPPILY PRESENTS "HERE YOU COME AGAIN"

From time to time, we all feel we need the help and guidance of a guardian angel, a fairy god mother, a savior, a motivational mentor, a guiding light or even a fantastic friend. In the depths of despair as we attempt to tackle a problem of crisis proportion, we seek a compassionate soul to travel that dark road with us and stand by our side until we see the light. When May 2020 came crashing into our lives, uninvited, and COVID 19 became a frightening reality, we all started washing our hands, spraying our intimate world with Lysol, wearing a mask, distancing ourselves from others and praying this was a minor bump in our busy lives. Such, unfortunately, was not to be our reality and still is a questionable factor as we plan each day.

A trio of industrious souls took this abrupt detour in their lives to create a musical: Bruce Vilanch, Gabriel Barre and Tricia Paoluccio. The Terris Theatre in Chester, closed for the years of the pandemic, has now gloriously reopened to share “Here You Come Again” until Sunday, August 27.

Come make the acquaintance of Matthew Risch’s Kevin who is struggling to deal with the loss of his lover Jordan, the dissolving of his comedy career and the insulting fact that he now lives in his parents’ attic. Because of the possibility of infecting his folks, Kevin must climb a ladder and enter through a window to access his loft that is stuffed with such diverse items as a disco ball, a pair of pumpkins, a fishing pole, a guitar, ice chest, laptop, milk carton table, strings of Christmas lights and one lonely license plate. No wonder he is depressed.

The only bright star in his firmament is his enduring and sustaining love of the country rock icon Dolly Parton. When Tricia Paoluccio’s Dolly magically appears in his attic retreat, a glimmer of hope lights up Kevin’s world. Dolly of the ultimate optimism tries to coax Kevin out of his funk with songs and stories of courage and confidence, encouraging him to like himself and see positive sign posts for the future. With tunes like "Love is Like a Butterfly,” “9-5,” “God’s Coloring Book,” “Jolene,” “Islands in the Stream,” “I Will Always Love You,” and “Light of a Clear Blue Morning,” Dolly and Kevin sing their way through a journey of sadness to joy. The pair are splendid together as Dolly pulls Kevin by his imaginary boot straps and suspenders to become the man he wants and needs to be. Gabriel Barre directs and choreographs this charming comedy, on a marvelous set by Anna Louizos, with sequined costumes by Bobby Pearce.

For tickets ($49), call The Terris Theatre, 33 North Main Street, Chester at 860- 873-8668 or online at goodspeed.org/tickets-onsale. Performances are Wednesday at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Thursday at 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. In honor of Goodspeed’s 60th anniversary, you are invited to donate $60 or any amount to the future success of their productions. The Terris Theatre is called the Little Goodspeed or Goodspeed at Chester.

The pandemic is still very much in our world. Come see how one man manages to survive all the challenges that many of us are still facing. We wish we could all have the wonderful Dolly Parton sashay through our closet door ready and eager to save us.

"ROBIN - THE ROBIN WILLIAMS TRIBUTE EXPERIENCE" AT SEVEN ANGELS THEATRE

The world lost some of its sunshine and star power when the famed comedian Robin Williams died almost nine years ago today. He was our Mork, our favorite alien, Adrian Cronauer the wise cracking disc jockey in “Good Morning Vietnam,” a philosophical English professor in “Dead Poets Society, the desperate dad who becomes a female nanny to get time with his kids in “Mrs Doubtfire,” and the gregarious genie in “Aladdin.”

Williams played a healing doctor with a prescription for laughter in “Patch Adams,” Teddy Roosevelt in “Night at the Museum,” the voices of penguins in “Happy Feet” and “Happy Feet Two,” as well as a string of other movies, television, and Broadway roles. Now, thanks to Seven Angels Theatre in Waterbury, for one night only, Saturday, August 12 at 8 p.m., “Robin - The Robin Williams Tribute Experience” will magically appear before your disbelieving eyes. Courtesy of the genius of Roger Kabler, comedian and impressionist, Robin Williams will greet you once again.

With signature suspenders, wild floral shirt, curly haired wig and frenetic spirit, Roger Kabler will channel the iconic performer and his eclectic, electric energy. As jester and clown, Kabler will conjure up his icon with facial expressions, crazy dance moves and trademark mannerisms.

Kabler claims he dreams as Robin, communing and connecting with his essence, empowering him as if he were “hang gliding in a hurricane.” He honestly believes he would have Robin’s Seal of Approval for his act.

For tickets ($35), call Seven Angels Theatre, 1 Plank Road, Hamilton Park, Waterbury at 203-757-4676 or online at sevenangelstheatre.org. The bar opens at 7 p.m. Groups are welcome.

Start practicing your Na-Nu, Na-Nu, and KO and Shazbut for the late great Robin Williams is back in town.