FOR A HEARTY DOSE OF LOVE AND LAUGHTER SEE FORTUNE FEIMSTER AT THE BUSHNELL MARCH 29

Who couldn’t use a healthy dose of love and laughter right about now? Fortunately for you, the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford is issuing a personal prescription for you when comedian, actress and writer Fortune Feimster comes to town for one night only: Friday, March 29 at 7 p.m. Feimster crashed the stand-up comic scene in 2010 with a great showing on "NBC’s Last Comic Standing." She starred as Colette on "The Mindy Project" from 2015-2017. Next, in 2019, she became the host of the hit radio show with Tom Papa "What a Joke with Papa and Fortune" where they interviewed celebrities and comedians, This was the first live programming on the Sirius XM channel "Netflix is a Joke."

Next up for Feimster was playing Heather on "The L Word: Generation Q," a reboot of "The L Word." In film, she has played teachers, a counselor, a Fairy Gay Mother, a janitor, a paramedic and a coach, among many others. On television, she has appeared on such shows as "2 Broke Girls,” “Glee," "RuPaul’s Drag Race," a judge on "Is It Cake?," and, most recently “FUBAR" with Arnold Schwartenegger as a CIA agent recently retired who discovers his daughter is also an agent. Tune in to her weekly podcasts.

Come find out for yourself how she enjoys riding the gay train, when it is appropriate to wear a top hat, the power of a Lifetime movie, why cakes and eating them are her favorite pastime and what is a Fun Dip? and why are they good for swimmers, among other humorous topics of interest. For tickets ($29.50 and up), call the Bushnell, 166 Capitol Avenue, Hartford at 860-987-5900 or online at bushnell.org.

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Let Fortune Feimster into your life to amuse and entertain you and to definitely make you laugh your troubles away, at least for the length of her show and all the way home. She has been hailed for her unique brand of storytelling and described as “affable, charismatic and one-of-a-kind."

CONNECTCUT PREMIERE OF "EVA'S PROMISE" AT LEGACY THEATRE MARCH 21

The Oscar Awards may be over but you have the unique opportunity to witness a glimpse of history, one girl’s journey to survive the Holocaust. Branford’s Legacy Theatre is honored to present the Connecticut premiere of “Eva’s Promise” on Thursday, March 21 at 7 p.m., with a post-film talk-back with Susan Kerner, a co-producer.

Board a train for the Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz with Eva, a mere fifteen year old. She has made a promise to her older sibling that if she survives the Holocaust, she will return to their home and unearth the poems and paintings Heinz has created and then hidden under the floorboards of their attic. When the war ends, Eva becomes the posthumous step-sister of Anne Frank when Eva's mother marries Anne’s father. You already know Anne’s incredible story. Now learn how Eva keeps her promise to Heinz to share his artistic legacy with the world.

Join the audiences who have already witnessed this special screening and sing its praises at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam and the Zekelman Holocaust Center. Jeff Provost, Managing Director of The Legacy Theatre, commented: “We are honored to have been selected as the venue for the Connecticut premiere of “Eva’s Promise.” This unique and special story, along with the filmmaker's talk-back, will be a highlight of the start of our fourth season serving the Shoreline communities and all of Connecticut."

For tickets ($20), call the Legacy Theatre, 128 Thimble Islands Road, Branford at 203-315-1901 or online at LegacyTheatreCT.org.

Follow Eva's journey to hope and redemption as she honors her commitment to her older brother Heinz’s artistic legacy with optimism and courage.

YALE REP WELCOMES FUTURISTIC TALE: "ESCAPED ALONE"

In a lovely English garden filled with an array of vibrant greenery, three friends gather for a cuppa tea, to chat about everyday matters they share. This is, however, no simple tea and sympathy party. It is much more like tea and terror when a fourth neighbor intrudes herself in their midst. The mundane suddenly becomes menacing: talk of tables and teapots, mathematics and moron jokes, birds and body parts, careers and cats, is interrupted by an explosion of lights as LaTonya Borsay’s Mrs. Jarrett prophesies about floods, famine, fires, fatal illnesses, and all matter of pending catastrophes. She interrupts the casual conversation with eye opening truths about the world, observations we can’t ignore or hide from, realities that demand we pay attention to at our own risk. As if it is not enough for each of these women to cope with their intimate world, they must arm themselves, like a superhero, to confront issues they would much prefer to close their eyes to every day.

For almost one spellbinding hour, famed playwright Caryl Churchill holds sway over Yale Repertory audiences as she unrolls her version of a future apocalypse in her drama “Escaped Alone” playing its mind games until Saturday, March 30. As these women of a certain age, seventy and above, converse we learn a lot about their lives, as hairdresser and murderer, as fearful of felines, as someone who prefers isolation to companionship, and of caution and concern for what the future holds in store for us. As they sip their tea, they finish each other’s thoughts as only good pals can do. They are smart and funny, sad and wise, regretful and forgetful, and ready to support each other when called upon to do so. Their group rendition of "Hit the Road Jack” is a pure delight.

Come make the acquaintance of Mary Lou Rosato’s Vi, Sandra Shipley’s Sally and Rita Wolf’s Lena, in addition to Mrs. Jarrett’s Angel of Doom’s LaTonya Borsay and discover for yourself who these unique women are and what you have to learn from them. Liz Diamond ignites her special directorial powers to make sure you will not soon forget Caryl Churchill’s cautionary tale.

For tickets ($15-65), call the Yale Rep, 1120 Chapel Street, New Haven at 203-432-1234 or online at yalerep.org. Performances are Tuesday to Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.

If an apocalypse, one or more, is on the horizon, what can each of us do to ward it off and preserve the world? Let Caryl Churchill brew us a cup of dark tea, filled with sweet sips and a bitter aftertaste.

COME MEET RUTH BADER GINSBURG: A SMALL GIANT OF JUSTICE AT WESTPORT COUNTRY PLAYHOUSE

Ruth Bader Ginsburg may have been short of stature but she was a giant in the world of legal justice, for women and men, blacks, Jews and Native Americans, and children. She was an outspoken advocate for gender equality for anyone who needed a voice, the “left out people,” winning arguments before the Supreme Court long before she became an illustrious member herself. A trailblazer, a member of the Harvard Law School, one of only nine women against five hundred men, Ruth employed liberal views of the law and never stepped back when she saw an injustice. Along the way, she earned a nickname and t-shirts taken from B.I.G. the Rapper as the “Notorious R.B.G.,” had a coloring book, workout book, bobblehead, tattoos, beer 9 (for when she was asked when there would be enough women on the Supreme Court, she answered nine), an opera (for her love of music and her deep friendship with fellow Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia), coffee cups, a species of praying mantis named for her and a Forever Stamp as well as much more memorabilia.

Ruth battled cancer five times, was the first to officiate at a same-sex marriage, was immortalized by Kate McKinnon on Saturday Night Live, solved the question that a hot dog is a sandwich with Stephen Colbert, attended college classes for her beloved husband and transcribed notes when he fought cancer while raising their daughter, earned more than two dozen honorary college degrees and in her chambers hung a sign “Zedek, zedek. tirdof” Justice, justice shall you pursue” as a reminder of her heritage and professional responsibility. Is it any wonder that Tony Award-winning playwright Rupert Holmes would use the pandemic to create a one-woman play about Ruth, a woman who reminded him of his wife who also lost a parent in high school and went to law school while raising a child, someone he greatly admired and appealed to him on so many levels.

To Holmes, this play about Ruth is “a passion project and a perfect fit.” It opened in 2022 on Yom Kippur after he had found the perfect actress Michelle Azar to become this Great Dissenter with elegance and truth, with an authentic, fluid and dynamic script: “All Things Equal: The Life and Trials of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.” The Westport Country Playhouse will be entertaining Ruth in her intimate legal chambers from Friday to Sunday, May 3-5 for a ninety five minute conversation that is both heartfelt and a little heartbreaking, meeting her as a dear friend who wants you to understand her journey. Laley Lippard sensitively and strongly directs Ruth’s talk to a visiting friend of her granddaughter's in her elegant legal chambers. Please join them.

To Rupert Holmes, Michelle Azar “inhabits her (Ruth) and channels her so authentically.” For Michelle Azar, after securing the role she did a deep dive into what made her tick, to pay homage to her, to honor her, viewing her as a lady who was willing to fight for her beliefs, shy as well as feisty, wanting to get into Ruth’s psyche and portray her with conviction. She calls Rupert a “master storyteller,” who uses music and projections to round out the tale and infuse Ruth’s spirit. Playing Ruth, Michelle feels, has changed her “enormously. I feel more tolerant and patient, wiser, older, humble, even more feisty, like I can claim my strengths. I can appreciate my parents more and it has changed how I am raising my own daughters, one almost 19 and the other 23. Ruth has been a gift.”

Michelle hopes audiences will gain admiration and respect for Ruth and learn each of us can do something to make the world a better place to live. She feels work has to be done, to make a peaceful protest for change. She loves Connecticut and is anxious to welcome spring here soon.

For tickets ($45-55), call the Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Power Court, Westport at 203-227-4177 or online at boxoffice@westportplayhouse.org or https://www.westportplayhouse.org/show/all-things-equal-the-life-and-trials-of-ruth-bader-ginsburg/ Performances are Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m.

As Rupert Holmes explained it, "I believe 'All Things Equal: The Life and Trials of Ruth Bader Ginsburg' will bring together the audience and the gracious RBG in an enlightening and touching encounter with the remarkable person 'behind the initials’ …Ruth…Justice…and the American Way.” Michelle Azar describes Ruth as a “True American original.” Don’t miss this unique introduction and conversation coming soon to Westport Country Playhouse for your personal enjoyment and edification. Michelle Azar will clearly have Ruth’s lace jabot firmly in place on her Supreme Court robes after her nomination in 1993 by then President Bill Clinton to be the first Jewish woman and the second woman ever appointed after Sandra Day O’Connor.

TAKE A LYRICAL AND SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY WITH "CHESTER BAILEY" AT STRATFORD'S SQUARE ONE THEATRE COMPANY

What would you do if your delusions were comforting for you, especially if you didn’t want to face reality? What if your doctor in his well meaning way, dedicated to dispelling those delusions, was uncertain if he were healing or helping or harming you? This dramatic dilemma is at the heart and soul of Joseph Dougherty’s gripping drama “Chester Bailey,” courtesy of Stratford's Square One Theatre Company weekends until Sunday, March 24.

The time is 1945 and Chester’s well meaning parents want to protect their son from serving in the war. When dad secures a job for Chester in the Navy Yard, mom feels this is a gift from God to keep Chester safe. When a tragic accident occurs at work, Chester is irrevocably harmed by a fellow worker and finds his life changed forever, a patient in the hospital. Unbelievably Chester does not acknowledge the severity of his injuries, but, rather, adapts to what he believes happened to him and builds a fantasy life for himself. He takes memories of a lovely red headed girl at a newsstand, dances with her at Luna Park and fashions a beautiful world of longing and love.

Kiel Stango’s Chester believes in his heart that he has found a world he can waltz in, with eyes that are not blind and hands that can hold and be held and he clings desperately to what only he can imagine. When Al Kulcsar’s Dr. Philip Cotton arrives at the mental institution to correct his distorted views, the two men battle for victory. Do both men suffer from delusions and disappointments and loss? Do the broken need to surrender their thoughts in order to be cured? Can this dream girl survive the doctor’s handiwork unharmed? This two-man 90 minute play will haunt you long after the curtain figuratively falls, excellent performances and taut direction by Tom Holehan.

For tickets ($22, senior/students $20, front row $25), call Square One Theatre, 719 Birdseye Avenue, Stratford at Stratford Academy at 203-375-8778 or online at www.squareonetheatre.com. Performances are Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. with matinees at 4 p.m. on Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday.

Literally let Chester hold your hands and guide you with his set of eyes to a world he has created that gives him hope, resilience, beauty and, most of all, love.

PREPARE FOR A TASTY MEAL BY "THE HOT WING KING" AT HARTFORD STAGE

If Colonel Sanders has a secret recipe of eleven herbs and spices, so does Cordell as he diligently prepares his culinary offering, for the fifth year in a row, for Memphis’s annual festival. Come visit "The Hot Wing King” written by Katori Hall with tension and tenderness and directed with passion by Christopher D. Betts. The Hartford Stage with be ringing the dinner bell until Sunday, March 24. Get your bib and tucker ready as you sit down for a pile high portion of sizzling barbecued chicken wings dripping with exotic spices and savory sauce.

“The Hot Wing King” is a play stuffed with humanity and joy as it probes the family relationship of two black men, Cordell captured by Bjorn DuPaty and his new partner Dwayne, a successful hotel manager Calvin E. Thompson. Cordell who has moved to Memphis two months ago to live with Dwayne is frustrated he hasn’t found a job already but he is hopefully this week’s annual “Hot Wang Festival” will change all that when he wins the $5000 first prize, that will allow him to open his own restaurant. He has assembled his team of friends, the sports minded Big Charles (Postell Pringle) and the flamboyant Isom (Israel Erron Ford) to man the pots and stove and he has perfected his unique sauce, with a pinch of Ugandan pepper as his secret ingredient, to seal the deal.

In the past, he has used such items as parmesan cheese, a blueberry sauce, crumbled bourbon infused bacon and a smoky flavor charcoal for his masterwork but he is sure he has the correct blend assembled this time around. With his great team line in place what would go wrong? Enter Dwayne’s brother-in-law TJ (Alphonso Walker Jr) with his own set of needs, mainly to find his son EJ (Marcus Gladney, Jr.) who has been straying from the path since the tragic death of his mom two years prior. Dwayne feels responsible for EJ and conflicted on how to protect him and not alienate his new companion Cordell. And how does he do that as well as protect Cordell’s 387 chicken wings? The results are heartbreakingly sweet and funny and proof that love can’t resolve everything but it can surely try.

For tickets ($30 and up), call the Hartford Stage, 50 Church Street, Hartford at 860-527-5151 or online at HartfordStage.org. Performances are Tuesday to Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., with matinees Saturday, Sunday and select Wednesdays at 2 p.m.

Come follow the boys as they battle their way to the top of the food chain, of friendship, of family and, of course, of love. There’ll be a "hot” time in the old town tonight.

HAVE FUN WITH A PAIR OF "GRUMPY OLD MEN" AT WATERBURY'S SEVEN ANGELS THEATRE

It’s abundantly clear that John Gustafson and Max Goldman have never heard of the “Good Neighbor Policy” as the two advanced in age curmudgeons live next door to each other and have made verbal dueling an art form. For decades they have hurled insults and derogatory remarks at each other with great glee. Do they even remember what they are feuding about at this point in time? To enter into their Hatfield and McCoy relationship, just grab a fishing rod, shovel or a hockey stick and travel to Seven Angels Theatre in Waterbury by Sunday, March 24 for “Grumpy Old Men The Musical,” with book by Dan Remmes, music by Neil Berg and lyrics by Nick Meglin. Just think of the Walter Matthau, Jack Lemon and Ann-Margaret comedy film from years ago and the fun will all come rolling back.

Enter the town of Wabasa at your own risk, where winter and ice fishing go mitten and glove, and folks for the most part are friendly and helpful. Not so Gary Harger’s John and Rob Bartlett's Max. The two barely tolerate each other until a new and exciting element enters the boxing match: the enchanting, artistic and engaging Ariel, portrayed by a charming Susan Kulp. Of course, both men set out to woo her, courting her with plastic flowers so she doesn’t have to witness their untimely wilting as well as sweeping gestures of affection.

Both Gary Harger and Rob Bartlett delight in their antagonism and the arrival of Ariel just sets them off to new heights of dispute. Who will win the fair maiden? How will John’s battle with the I.R.S., let by Marcia Maslo’s Synder and her vindictive ways play into the decision? Can John’s daughter Melanie (Emma Czaplinski) or Max’s son Jacob (Josh Powell) help resolve their father’s social distancing? Can the town folk’s helpfulness, like Punky (Semina DeLaurentis ) and Chuck (Al Bundonis) and Grandpa (Len Fredericks) working together help end the in-fighting? Meanwhile the bouncey music livens the scenes, especially tunes like “Opportunity Knocks,” “Life Is All About Livin’,“ “Snyder Comes Along,” and Max’s super sweet encouraging “In Like Flynn.”

Kudos to the entire cast and to co-directors Seminars DeLaurentis and Janine Molinari, music director Richard Carey and choreographer Janine Molinari. For tickets ($45), call Seven Angels Theatre, Plank Road, Waterbury at 203-757-4676 or online at SevenAngelsTheatre.org. Performances are Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Bring toiletries to the show to be given to St. Vincent DePaul's Church. Check online as many shows have a specialty party as a bonus. A special 4-show subscription flex pass is being offered for $136, for 4 different shows or 4 for one show, your choice. Upcoming shows include “A Bronx Tale The Musical,” a world premiere of “JBKO" (Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis) and the community musical of “Bye, Bye Birdie.”

Come pick a comic side as you root for Team Gustafson or Team Goldman as they both try to win the prize their heart: Ariel.

WATERBURY'S PALACE THEATER HONORS "THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF GEORGE MICHAEL" ON MARCH 7

Georgios Kyriacos Panaylotou may not be a familiar name, but this Greek and English man changed it when he chose his musical career to a much simpler George Michael. When he was eight, he suffered a head injury that led him to develop an interest in music. When he was a teen, his family moved to Radlett, England and he chanced to sit next to a chap Andrew Ridgeley at his new school, who would become his future partner in Wham! In 1981 when he was only 18 he legally changed his name.

A mere four years later Michael claimed the first of many Ivor Novello Awards as Songwriter of the Year from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors. To get an inside, up close and personal look into his life, head over to Waterbury’s Palace Theater on Thursday, March 7 for “The Life and Music of George Michael” for one fantastic night only at 7:30 p.m.

After a sensational Wham! tour of China, a never before occurrence by a Western popular group, Michael began his success as a solo artist. A duet with one of his favorite artists, Aretha Franklin, performing “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)” truly launched his musical mission, after earlier success with “Careless Whisper” and "A Different Corner.”

George Michael was not without his controversy over the songs he composed, like “I Want Your Sex” that was often tamed to “I Want Your Love.” In 1990 he released “Listen Without Prejudice Volume 1” in his desire to have his music taken more seriously. His world tour to Japan, England, the U.S. and Brazil the following year featured his favorite “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” by Elton John and the next year he performed it at The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert with Queen, for AIDS research, which he reflected was “probably the proudest moment for me of my career.”

In his personal life, he was conflicted by his sexuality and hiding his homosexuality, a fact that became public after his arrest for “engaging in a lewd act.” He struggled with substance abuse and lost his privilege to drive on many occasions. Michael often performed concerts for his favorite charities like AIDS and ill children. He died on Christmas Day 2016 at the age of 53 of health problems. Elton John said of him, “What a singer, what a songwriter. But more than anything as a human being he was one of the kindest, sweetest, most generous people I’ve ever met.”

For tickets ($95.40 and up), call the Palace, 100 East Main Street, Waterbury at 203-346-2000 or online at palacetheaterct.org.

Come celebrate George Michael, an English singer, songwriter and record producer who sold well over 100 million records worldwide in his incredibly colorful career.