EASTBOUND THEATRE INVITES YOU FOR A CUPPA IRISH TEA "OUTSIDE MULLINGAR"

The Eastbound Theatre in Milford has the kettle on for an intriguing cuppa Irish tea until Saturday, October 5 and you are cordially invited for a sip or three. It is 2008 at a cattle and sheep farm outside Killucan, in Ireland, and the funeral for Aoife Muldoon’s husband has just taken place. Now Aoife has sought comfort in the kitchen of her old friends Tony Reilly and his son Anothony, while her daughter Rosemary prefers to wait outside and smoke. In John Patrick Shanley’s “Outside Mullingar,” we are quickly drawn into the sensibilities and shenanigans of these neighbors, who have adjacent farms and decades of history.

The occasion of a funeral can easily spark conversations and thoughts about mortality and the preciousness and precariousness of life. Decisions can be questioned and fate evaluated, mistakes can be admitted and problems, long buried, can raise disturbing possibilities. John Bachelder’s Tony is opinionated and sure of himself. He sees his time on this earth is numbered and he is set on denying his son, Johnny Liszewski's Anothony. his rightful inheritance of the family farm, and giving it instead to his brother’s son Adam in America. Elise A. MurphyMulligan's Aoife is quite sure this is a tremendous mistake, one he will regret if he makes it.

Decades before Anothony made the dire mistake, accident or not, of pushing down a six year old Rosemary on her birthday no less and Molly McCullough’s Rosemary has never forgiven him. To punish him, she made her father purchase the strip of farm land from Tony where the embarrassing incident took place. Now Tony wants and needs that piece of land back so it will be intact for his nephew. To add a little spice to the story, Rosemary for all she is still angry at Anothony also harbors a strong affection for him, a singular love that he is unaware of existing. For his part, Anothony years before was traumatized when his own confession of love was rejected by a young villager Fiona. He has never recovered from that emotional hurt.

This sweetly sentimental tale of rejection, forgiveness, anger, misunderstanding, secrets, and affection is beautifully told, with dollops of creamy laughter to balance the bitterness of mistaken mischief. Will Tony ultimately deny his son his rightful property? Can Rosemary persuade Anothony to acknowledge all she has to offer him? Will true love triumph? This all too familiar family feud is sensitively directed by Richard Mancini.

For tickets ($35), call Eastbound Theatre, 40 Railroad Avenue South, Milford at 203-878-6647 or online at info@milfordarts.org. Performances are Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. A selection of treats are available for purchase.

Pull up a rocking chair and settle back for the revelations and relationships that slip like fog into the lives of the Reilly and Muldoon families as Eastbound Theatre celebrates its thirtieth season as a valued part of the Milford Arts Council in its mission of presenting quality theatrical performances.

JUST IN TIME FOR HALLOWEEN "HOCUS POCUS LIVE!!!" ALL OVER CONNECTICUT

What better time of year than Halloween to conjure up the trio of sisters, Winnifred, Sarah and Mary Sanderson, who way, way back in 1693 in Salem Massachusetts met a sad fate. It seems a young lad named Thackery Binx interfered with the witches and their witching business and caused them to be hung. For his troubles he was turned into an immortal black cat through a magic spell and he has waited patiently and impatiently for three centuries to be released from their powers. Now is the day of reckoning and you can witness everything.

Come enter the fascinating, frightening and funny tale all this autumn when “Hocus Pocus LIVE!!!” flies into a variety of venues all over Connecticut for your spooky and spectacular pleasure. This all new parody musical is the gift of Summer Orlando Productions, starring Summer Orlando, Barbra Joan Streetsand and Miranda Miranda. These sisters three will bewitch and amaze you, thrill and entertain you and scare and astound you.

On Halloween Eve, 300 years later, the sisters return for trick and treat madcaps and mischief to Salem and only one force can stop them on their broomsticks: a black cat. With spells, curses, potions and evil hearts, the trio have a mission that will affect Salem forever. Be careful not to call them “ugly” if you meet them in the dark of night.

“I Put a Spell on You” is the magical tune that casts a spell on all the children at the holiday party and brother and sister Max and Emily and their cohorts know the danger the town is facing. Can the children escape the curse? Will the black candle burn long enough for the coven of witches to win their revenge and regain their youth?

Choose your venue…first at the Torrington Warner Theatre, 68 Main Street on Friday, September 27 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, September 28 at 7 p.m., next in East Haven at Cabaret on Main, 597 Main Street with “immersion” on Friday, October 4 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, October 5 at 7 p.m., in Colchester at Priam Vineyards, 11 Shailor Hill Road on Saturday, October 26 at 8 p.m., and witches will fly at both Waterbury’s Palace Theater, 100 East Main Street on Wednesday, October 30 at 7:30 p.m. sponsored by Apex Community Care and again with flying witches in New London at the Garde Arts Center, 325 State Street on Friday, November 1 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, November 2 at 11 a.m. Go to HocusPocusLiveOfficial.com for prices and reservations.

Start planning your costume, brewing your potions and practicing your cackles, as this original spoof of songs, jokes and surprises flies all over Connecticut to make your family’s Halloween celebration extra special.

ROMANTIC ENTANGLEMENTS DELIGHT IN "I LOVE YOU, YOU'RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE"

As soon as God created Adam and Eve and mixed in an apple and a snake, problems began. In the beginning, God peopled the earth, which was then confined to the Garden of Eden, with Adam and Eve, and that is the precise moment when complicated romantic relationships began. Fast forward a few millenniums and playwright Joe DiPietro, with music by Jimmy Roberts, continues the story in his fascinating and funny musical series of vignettes “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change.”

For an intimate, charming and revealing look at dating, courtship, marriage, divorce, birth and death, the whole megillah, head directly to Center Stage in Shelton weekends until Sunday, September 29. In almost two dozen tales, you will be privy to the anxiety and angst, the preparation and the preening, the fuss and the futility of all the love drenched situations that have forever made the world go round and round and round. You’ve probably experienced a goodly number of them yourself.

Hop aboard the bus with Joelle Cote, Jen Beveridge, Nick Nunez and Jaxon Beirne as the quartet become your trusty tour guides on the often rocky path to true wedded bliss. From those awkward first dates when you want to skip right to the good stuff all the way to providing great pick-up lines at funerals, DiPietro doesn’t leave any possibility for romance stuck under any rocks. This troupe is worthy of venturing down all the bumpy paths for maximum humor and delight in the laughter department.

DiPietro deals with such pressing issues as “Men Who Talk and the Women Who Pretend They’re Listening,” a visit with new parents who are fixated on their recent arrival, lawyers who guarantee sexual satisfaction, a family drive in the car where everyone arrives alive and how not to make a dating video.

This talented quartet play studs and babes, men who cry at chick-flicks, women who offer to cook lasagna but really want to give themselves as the main dish, what happens when a man who promises to call actually does and the complicated tango dance of a married couple with children always under foot. Justin Zenchuk directs this engaging courtship cha-cha-cha with finesse. John Morrow on keys and music director, Allegra Pin on bass and Jose Bastardes on violin keep the pace moving forward with spirit.

For tickets ($36 adults and $18 students), call the Center Stage, 54 Grove Street, Shelton at 203-225-6079 or online at www.centerstageshelton.org. Performances are Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.

No matter what stage of the romance meter you measure yourself on, you’ll find a lot to enjoy on this highway of love. Come and abandon yourself to the varied parameters of romance and all the charms and chaos trapped within.

DOWNTOWN CABARET THEATRE SETS "SWEENEY TODD" ON FIRE

Are you a fan of beef pot pies, with their flaky crusts and yummy insides, the ones that warm your tummy on cold winter nights? Might you fancy one in the immediate future? Well, the Downtown Cabaret Theatre in Bridgeport has a cautionary note for your perusal that you might want to heed. Weekends until Sunday, October 13, a man bent on vengeance is wielding a razor in London for his personal amusement in “Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” with book by Hugh Wheeler and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and it is sharp, memorable, and on target wonderful.

You might ask where do the beef pot pies fit into the story? The answer is that Sweeney Todd has returned from years in an Australian prison where he was sent, unjustly, by an unscrupulous Judge Turpin and his untrusty aide the Beadle Bamford. The Judge fancied Sweeney’s wife and “stole” her and her infant daughter for his own disreputable desires and sent Sweeney away for life.

When Sweeney escapes, he is rescued at sea by a good Samaritan, Anthony Hope. Now Sweeney needs to set his plan of vengeance in motion and he finds a willing Mrs Lovett who aids him in his momentous task.

Mrs. Lovett’s pie business was once a flaky failure until she teams up with a certain mad barber in London’s Fleet Street to create a sensational savory of unusual and peculiar flavor. You’ll figure out the pies' distinctive secret ingredient if you are paying attention.

This is a musical adventure set in concert form as the barber becomes a barbarian in this passionate tale of revenge. Perry Liu is superb as Sweeney Todd, the alias he assumes who blames Judge Turpin (Mark Feltch) and his liege The Beadle (John Michael Whitney) for the treachery which led his wife to kill herself and the Judge to claim their infant daughter Johanna (Maddy Flagg) as his ward.

Now Todd, played with a steely determination and macabre manner, has returned to the scene of the crime to right the wrongs his family has suffered. With the aid of the lusty Mrs. Lovett, played delightfully by Priscilla Squiers, and a naval man Anthony (Charles Romano), Todd sets his diabolical scheme in place. Complications in the form of an old beggar woman (Carly Jurman), a blackmailer Pirelli (Elias Levy) and a wide eyed lad Tobias (Isabel Sonnabend) threaten his plans. Bradford Blake directs this involving dark tale plagued with the “chill of ghostly shadows.” The concert form features an orchestra of three on stage, conducted by Mark Ceppetelli on piano, with Harry Kliewe on reeds and Phoebe Suzuki on violin, magical lighting by Johanna Jackson and period costumes designed by Lesley Neilson-Bowman. The projections are dramatic.A

For tickets ($43.50 and 49.50) call the Downtown Cabaret Theatre, 263 Golden Hill Street, Bridgeport at 203-576-1636 or online at tickets@dtcab.com. Performances are Friday at 7:30 p.m.and Saturday at 3:30p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 3:30 p.m.

Return to nineteenth century London, if you dare, but be careful to have witnesses if you go to a local barbershop for a trim or a neighborhood pub for a succulent beef pot pie.

BRANFORD'S LEGACY THEATRE PRESENTS "DRACULA" FOR LAUGHTER AND LUNACY

With Halloween just around a trick or treat corner, it might be wise to check your supply of wooden stakes, mirrors, holy water and garlic cloves. You might also like to avoid spending a night in the company of anyone who fancies sleeping in a coffin and prefers Bloody Marys over water, coffee or tea. If you’re feeling especially courageous, Branford’s Legacy Theatre has just the terror filled and laughter driven entertainment for your screaming pleasure with the Connecticut premiere of “Dracula A Comedy of Terrors” by Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen, with tongue in cheek and better yet fangs in neck, until Sunday, September 29.

Do you like a good ghost story, married to a farce, stuffed with timely current references and just plain fun and adventurous? Come watch a mild mannered realtor Jonathan Harker as he travels to Transylvania, with some degree of trepidation to get the signature and check from a new client, one ready to purchase four London locations, a mystery man of wealth, one Count Dracula. Harder has traveled, not without anxiety and angst, to a dark land to complete this lucrative deal.

His commissions are so huge, Harder is willing to abandon his new fiancee Lucy right before their engagement party planned by Lucy’s father Dr. Westfield, who manages a hospital for the mentally challenged. What follows is a maniacal and monumentally funny mishap when five talented miscreants portray a dozen characters, so pay attention to the antics and activities, the chases and the chaos, the mystery and the mayhem.

Mario Haynes’ single minded Dracula adds a new love fixation to his unquencible appetite for a liquid ruby elixir, while Jimmy Johansmeyer alternates between being a man-starved Mina, Lucy’s sister, to a medical expert diagnosing rare and uncurable disorders Add in Allison Miller as the lovely sought after Lucy who also plays Kitty, a servant, and the coach driver and her intended, the meek Harker, the bosun on the ship and the gravedigger all portrayed by Josiah Rowe and Stephanie Stiefel Williams who transforms herself seamlessly from Lucy’s father to his prime patient Renfield as well as to a Sea Captain who goes down with his ship in a storm.

You may need a score card as the action travels from Transylvania to London and beyond, but the laughter and lunacy will carry you along, under the scintillating direction of James Andreassi. For tickets ($26.50-51.50), call the Legacy Theatre, 128 Thimble Islands Road, Branford or online at 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.

Watch for the 2024 Independent Film Festival on September 23-25, a children’s special The Carrot Salesman on September 28, a Sunday concert on October 6 with Howard McGillin of Phantom of the Opera fame, with John McDaniel on piano and the classic A Christmas Carol with James Andreassi as Scrooge from December 4-15.

Get ready to scream with terror and laughter as the inmates of the asylum are let out for a blood thirsty romp on the English moors.

MUSIC THEATRE OF CT INVITES YOU TO TAKE A "MASTER CLASS"

The famous Greek soprano Maria Callas exhibits perfection in her presence, pronunciation and performances as she will modestly admit as she explains her heavenly status, one in which her “rivals” hide in her giant shadow. As one of the most renown and well gifted opera singers of the 20th century, she is noted for her temperament as well as her talents, her successes as well as her scandals.

Nicknamed "La Diva," Callas has been praised to the roof of the Metropolitan Opera House and La Scala for her voice, her technique and her dramatic gifts, especially as she sang the works of Puccini, Verdi, Bellini and Rossini. She is noted for her personal triumph of transforming herself into a svelte and beautiful woman, forsaking her heavy build, as well as for her tumultuous love affair with Aristotle Onassis.

Now you have the unique opportunity to get up close and personal with Maria Callas in Terrence McNally's "Master Class" now gracing the stage of Music Theatre of Connecticut until Sunday, September 29. A master class is a gathering of students in a particular discipline, in this case opera, with a teacher of great skill and fame. Unfortunately patience is not a requirement so be sure to be attentive and adoring.

Imagine the fear and delight of a trio of students who are appearing in the auditorium of the Juillard School of Music. It is the early 1970's and they are in awe of Callas' greatness and also petrified they will be found personally and artistically lacking. Hers is the only ego allowed to encompass the space and lo to the uninitiated who forgets it.

Irene Glezos is truly superb as the grand diva who is loath to admit she is past her prime, that others have usurped her musical sphere, that upstarts like Jackie Kennedy could supplant her in Onassis' world. She is alternately kind and vicious in her treatment of Sophie, Emily Solo, Sharon, Heidi Giberson, and Tony, Constantine Pappas, as she encourages and destroys dreams. Each is waiting to be blessed by Callas and told they are worthy. She demands their total obedience as each one portrays their audition in a sincere, skilled and honest manner.

Even though she is at the end of her illustrious career, she still commands attention, alternating between advising and criticizing her students while reliving some of the highest and lowest moments in her life. Zachary Anderson accompanies on piano while Jim Schilling portrays the inept stagehand. Kevin Connors directs this personal portrait in the great intimate space that is MTC.

For tickets ($55-65), call MTC, 509 Westport Avenue, Norwalk at 203-454-3883 or online at admin@musictheatreofct.com. Performances are Friday at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m., with Thursday performances at 7 p.m. on September 19 and 26. Check out the many special ticket options and note that MTC has a new partnership with the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra debuting soon.

Let Irene Glezos conjure up the fiery and brutally honest Maria Callas as she reflects on her incredible life and tutors some of the upstarts who may one day take her place, or, heaven forbid, surpass her. Come capture her passion and watch it soar!

A TON OF TREATS AT SEVEN ANGELS THEATRE IN WATERBURY

Seven Angels Theatre in Waterbury has a plethora of pleasures coming your way this autumn.

If you want to talk about a parade of Hollywood stars, look no further than the fascinating impersonations by The Edwards Twins. On Saturday, September 14 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, September 15 at 2 p.m., you will be amazed to experience the talents of such luminaries as Cher and Celine, Billy Joel and Bette Midler, Barbra and Bocelli and so many more. Get your rose colored glasses ready. Tickets are $55.

Hold on to your giant hairdos and psychedelic garb as The Future Heavies light up your night on Friday, September 20 at 8 p.m. for some rocking 1980’s magic. Stars of the era will be in the spotlight from Cyndi Lauper to Journey, Madonna to Prince, Paul Simon to Survivor, and you can bask in all that musical glory. Tickets are $20.

Tune in for a tribute to Herb Albert and Sergio Mendes, who recently died, on Saturday, September 21 at 8 p.m. when Seven Angels rolls out the multi-colored carpet for Rob Zappulla and his orchestra. Rob Zappulla blowing brass bubbles from his famed trumpet, with his renowned 10-piece orchestra, will bring the best of Brazil, thanks to sensational singers Atla De Champlain and Leala Cyr. Tickets are $35.

On Friday, September 27 at 8 p.m., get ready to welcome Bruce MacPherson on keys, Bill Calabrese on bass, guitar and vocals, and Dave Lasalata on drums and percussion, better known as MACALAS. If you’re a fan of the music of Emerson, Lake and Palmer and progressive rock tunes, this is the show for you. Tickets are $27.

If John Mayer’s unique style of rock, pop and blues lights your musical fires, then be sure you’re in the audience awaiting Greg Mattson when he and his 6 piece band perform “Someday I’ll Fly: A John Mayer Tribute” on Saturday, September 28 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $27.

For a total change of pace, enter the literary world of Phil Benevento and Linda Storms as The Chase Parkway Players present "Poetry, Prose and a Play” on Sunday, September 29 at 2 p.m. After a first act of original poetry and prose, settle back for an original play by Benevento, “The Opening of a Door,” set in Waterbury in the 1990’s involving a strange souvenir that may just change lives. Tickets are $10.

Wow, come explore the wonders of a night with Lisa Carter’s Cher in the "Ultimate Cher Experience" on Friday, October 4 at 8 p.m. as you travel through seven decades of a phenomenal musical journey. These years are marked by the glitz and glamour of one legendary icon, compete with trademark costumes that scream her name. Tickets are $35.

Ready for a trip to Ireland by way of Waterbury, compete with magical illusions, a few myths and tidbits of history, storytelling and comedy, and maybe even dangerous feats guaranteed to amaze. Bring the family along either Saturday, October 5 at 8 p.m. or Sunday, October 6 at 2 p.m. for “CELTIC MAGIC” courtesy of writer David Greenwolf, starring with Bella Greenwolf, all to benefit World Tang Soo Do Association Region 9 Scholarship Fund. Tang Too Do is a Korean martial art. Tickets are $25.

These are just some of the treats Seven Angels Theatre has in store for your entertainment. For tickets, call Seven Angels Theatre, Plank Road, Waterbury at 203-757-4676 or online at SevenAngelsTheatre.org. Watch for construction on Plank Road. Use Harper’s Ferry Road to enter.

Let your autumn come alive with glorious entertainment opportunities courtesy of Waterbury’s Seven Angels Theatre. You can’t just watch the colorful fall leaves pirouette to the ground! Grab some tickets instead of a rake!

COME EMBRACE THE AMERICAN MUSICAL PREMIERE OF "MAGGIE" AT GOODSPEED

Too many citizens in too many countries of the world are suffering from famines and floods, unrest and unemployment, clashes of cultures and of the cross, just struggling to survive another day. Come meet one woman caught and trapped in a fight not of her own making, “Maggie,” with music by Johnny Reid, Matt Murray and Bob Foster, and book and lyrics by Johnny Reid and Matt Murray, in its United States premiere. Maggie will soon share your heart with her perilous plight until Sunday, October 20 in this musical based on a true story.

Enter Lanark, Scotland in the 1950’s where we first meet Maggie, pregnant with her third child, as she learns the devastating news that her husband has been killed in the coal mines. Follow her as she raises her three sons, beautifully portrayed by Wes Williams, Jeffrey Kringer and Sam Primack, working so hard to preserve their dreams, with the help of family, friends and neighbors.

Christine Dwyer is a magnificent Maggie who is forced by life to need to harden her spine as she struggles to raise her boys, one who yearns to be a musician, one a soccer star and one an engineer. With courage, humor and resilience, Maggie pledges to make their dreams reality. As 3000 Scots abandon their homeland every week to emigrate to kinder places and a better future, it becomes harder and harder to be optimistic and cling to hope.

Tunes like “Unbreakable,” “Everyone’s Gone,” "Gettin’ Outta Here,” "Queen for a Day” and “Walk Away” alternate the joys and sorrows that mark each day and event. Yet Maggie and her clan of women friends, Sophia Clarke, Kennedy Caughell, Terra C. MacLeod, mine their memories for the sake of humanity. Even as the Catholics and Protestants clash, and tension and violence rise, and it’s so easy to feel like you are an empty house with broken windows.

For tickets ($35-91), call Goodspeed Musicals, 6 Main Street, East Haddam at 860-873-8668 or online at goodspeed.org. Performances are 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.

Through it all, Maggie’s love stays true and strong, a protective cloak that she so generously wraps around her sons and her community, proving she is wondrously unbreakable.

COME HEAR A "HONEY HONEY" OF AN ABBA TRIBUTE SHOW AT TORRINGTON'S WARNER THEATRE

Who doesn’t love the music of ABBA, that sensational Swedish troupe that has thrilled thousands and thousands and captured hearts with its greatest hits thanks to the movies “Mamma Mia!” and “Mamma Mia! Here She Goes Again.” As far as tribute bands are concerned the Warner Theatre in Torrington is set to deliver one of the best, for one night only, Sunday, September 22 at 7:30 p.m. and you’ll be solidly square if you’re not there!

Come welcome “Arrived from Sweden: The Music of ABBA” so you can personally say “Thank You For The Music” and celebrate “Knowing Me Knowing You” as you morph into a delicious “Dancing Queen” or King for one incredible night. Backed by a 10-12 piece band, one founded in 1995 by Vicky Zetterberg-Norback and ABBA’s own musician Rutger Gunnarsson, this talented quartet will personally present the musical goods so true to the original, you’ll be hard pressed to believe they are not the genuine article.

A parade of ABBA’s greatest hits including your favorites like “Does Your Mother Know,” “Take a Chance,” “SOS,” “The Winner Takes It All,” “Super Trouper,” “Money Money Money,” “Gimme Gimme Gimme” and “Waterloo” will wow you as these incredible four, complete in dazzling costumes, entertain you all the way to the rafters. After all, this group has energized their souls in over 80 countries, almost 120 United States tours alone, to sold out stadiums of up to 50,000 screaming fans and now you are in for a “Honey Honey” of a treat.

With arrangements by ABBA’s original string and bass player the late Rutger Gunnarsson and the famed arranger Tommy Hansson, you are guaranteed a spectacular evening of exceptional entertainment. For tickets ($39 and up), call the Warner Theatre, 68 Main Street, Torrington at 860-489-7180, ext.1, or online at www.warnertheatre.org.

Let “Arrival from Sweden: The Music of ABBA” generously lay all their love on you!

DINERS AND DINOSAURS AND DESTRUCTION, OH MY!

You might seek comfort in an all night diner for a great cup of java, a slice of yummy coconut cream pie and a conversation with good friends. Or you might seek sanctuary if you knew in advance that a giant asteroid was hurtling toward earth on a crash course and the whole world was in grave danger of extinction. Thanks to playwright Darcy Parker Bruce, you have the opportunity to do both, courtesy of New Britain’s Hole in the Wall Theater until Saturday, September 7 for “Always Plenty of Light at the Starlight All Night Diner." If you are ready for a sci-fi adventure, with nods to Dr. Who, The Hitchhiker’s Guide, and Back to the Future, and a foreshadowing to the new television show Quantum Leap, you are invited to go time traveling back eons to when T-Rex and friends ruled the earth.

Guiding you on this journey into the unknown are the diner’s very pregnant waitress Jessa, a long suffering Mallory Spencer, who tolerates her boorish and unsupportive husband Johnny, and the diner’s trusty janitor Sam, a dependable Katie Ciurleo who doesn’t have the courage to confess her love for Jessa and desire to help her with her pending new arrival. Also on the scene are a frantic Dr. Moxie who knows what is going to happen and is alternately thrilled and frightened by what is looming on the horizon and his anxious assistant Danni, a boisterous Erin Walsh, who loves to collect specimens to study. Due to the illness of Robb Ecker, the play’s director Matthew Benjamin Horowitz stepped in to the role as the capable scientific advisor.

This quirky dinosaur play delights in a campy atmosphere while dealing with issues of love and lesbian relationships, trying to resolve whether the characters will choose to be true to themselves. Will Jessa admit that hubby Johnny is wrong for her and the new baby? Will Sam feel safe enough to tell Jessa how she feels? Can Danni reconcile with her parents and find comfort and acceptance? Will Dr. Moxie find a solution to their other worldly problems? How will a special cup of coffee at a special time help resolve their future?

The playbill is a diner menu…so clever. Tony Palmieri’s set design is welcoming as he believes in “building a beautiful place to invite people in.” The theater is a 50 year old all-volunteer organization that would love new members to come on board.

For tickets ($25, seniors and students $20), call the Hole in the Wall Theater, 116 Main Street, New Britain at 860- 229-3049 or online at www.hitw.org. Performances are Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 3 p.m and 8 p.m., with a talkback with the playwright after the Saturday, 8 p.m. show. The show is 75 minutes with no intermission.

If you are ready for a time travel adventure where Jurassic Park is right outside the Starlight Diner, then look no further than the Connecticut premiere of “Always Plenty of Light at the Starlight All Night Diner.” Leap into yesteryear at your own risk.