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.