SEVEN ANGELS THEATRE PROCLAIMS "IT'S A GRAND NIGHT FOR SINGING"

Waterbury’s Seven Angels Theatre is proclaiming “It’s a Grand Night for Singing” until Sunday, May 10 and you are cordially invited to make it a glorious occasion. Hopefully you’ll be requested to sing along without having to audition for a part. Singing is a delightful pastime and will make you feel happy and alive, spirited and full of joy.

A chorus of five will set the stage, the tempo and the harmony for a tribute to the great team of Rodgers and Hammerstein with a musical revue of Broadway Classics. Come feast on a banquet of hit tunes and some lesser known songs from such gems as "The King and I,” “The Sound of Music,” “Oklahoma,” “Carousel,” “Cinderella,” ”State Fair,” and “South Pacific.” What a treasure chest of jewels!

With a special cast that includes Morgan Cowling, Abigail Hammond, Elizabeth Fox, Kenneth Galm and Charles Romano, under the smooth direction of Constantine Pappas, and a great accompanying band of Richard Carsey on piano, Eric Pelletier on reeds, Igor Lepak on bass, and Mark Ryan and Bob Nolte on percussion, the stage is set. Sit back for a delightful serenade of tunes you fondly remember and many that will be new to your ears. More than thirty tunes are awaiting you, like Oklahoma’s Surrey with the Fringe on the Top, The Sound of Music's Maria, South Pacific’s I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair and South Pacific’s Some Enchanted Evening. The magic keeps rolling along.

For tickets, visit SevenAngelsTheatre.org or call 203-757-4676. Remember the speciality nights that accompany many performances. Shows are Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Look forward to Patricia Griffin, psychic medium on May 17, $32 and Lee-Ann Lovelace Live!, on May 24, $30 and The Broken Hearts-A Tribute to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers on June 6, $25. Check out the Youth Summer Theatre Program for ages 7-18 starting June 22.

In these stressful times, it is wonderful to let yourself relax for a few hours of pure listening pleasure and Seven Angels has just the perfect ticket here.

"LIGHTS. CAMERA. ACTION." CONCERTS CELEBRATING MOVIES AND MUSIC BY CTGMC

Movies and Music go together like Butter and Popcorn, especially when they are paired by the genius of the Connecticut Gay Men’s Chorus for a trio of festive spring concerts. This incredible men’s assemblage of superb voices are ready to present a parade of movies where songs are the stars and all you have to do is sit back and hum along with pleasure.

On Sunday, May 3 at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., take a seat at the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Center in Old Saybrook or on Saturday, May 9 at 8 p.m., let the SHU Community Theatre in Fairfield be your magical venue. Are your favorite songsters Cher, Elvis, Liza, Adele, Madonna, Barbra, Neil, Frank or Johnny, and you are sure to hear some of your favorites, You might enjoy some of your besties like from “My Fair Lady,” or “Oklahoma,” some newer history themed treats like “Hamilton” or “Les Mis.” Be surprised to sing along to "Beauty and the Beast” or "The Music Man.” You never know what gifts the CTCMC has in store. You just know that it will be spectacular fun and perfect for your entertainment needs.

Come treat yourself to “Lights. Camera. Action. A Celebration of the Music of the Movies” as the silver screen comes alive with “unforgettable moments to Academy Award-winning songs you know and love.” The CTGMC promises a trio of afternoons and evenings packed with “big harmonies, standout vocals and glorious melodies.” Who could ask for anything more.

If music be the spice of life, play on. And don’t forget the exciting BingoMania the chorus is famous for hosting on one Saturday night a month. The next one scheduled is May 16, “May the 4th Be With You.” Admission for cards is $25, with cash prizes up to $2500. Cocktails, snacks, desserts and drinks are available and costumes are encouraged. Door open at 6 p.m. and games start at 7p.m. at The Annex Club, 554 Woodward Avenue, New Haven (just off I-95).

For concert tickets ($45) go to www.ctgmc.org.

Let these creative and colorful guys salute the movies and their memorable music for a fun and entertaining matinee or evening showcase.

"NUNSENSE" IS HABIT FORMING FUN AT LEGACY THEATRE IN BRANFORD

The Little Sisters of Hoboken, bless their kind hearts, have a problem and you can help then solve it. Come to their fundraiser at the Legacy Theatre in Branford by Sunday May 17 and aid them in burying the last four nuns out of 52 who died when the sisters were served soup by Sister Julia Child of God.

The good Little Sisters of Hoboken, your favorite nuns, are at it again and you're invited to the party. They are being forced to hold a talent show fundraiser as an emergency measure to stave off the imminent visit by the New Jersey Board of Health. Those blue sisters are in the freezer. Hence, the need to quickly raise funds for burial plots.

If this hooky and humorous plot line tickles your fancy, then you are prime candidates for Daniel Goggins' highly successful comedy “Nunsense.” being irreverently presented in Branford.

Come meet the Mother Superior who jealously guards all her chicks and her coterie which includes Sister Robert Anne who is Brooklyn street smart and the driver of the convent van, Sister Mary Leo who is literally always "on her toes" as a wannabe ballerina, the second-in-command Sister Mary Hubert who like Avis keeps trying harder, and, last but not least, Sister Amnesia who lost her marbles and memory when a crucifix fell on her head.

These devoted ladies of the cloth will move heaven and earth to provide you with an angelic performance as they sing, dance, tell jokes, provide cooking lessons and even bring out Sister Marionette, all in the service of the Lord to entertain you. Playwright Dan Goggins has resurrected memories from his sojourn in the Catholic school system to create this easily "habit forming" pastime.

Come see Keisha T. Fraser as Sister Mary Hubert, Melissa Goldberg as Sister Mary Leo, Jennifer Smith as Reverend Mother, Sarah Vieira as Sister Robert Anne and Semina DeLaurentis as Sister Mary Amnesia, a role she originated off-Broadway in 1985. Be prepared for a religious quiz or three, with appropriate prizes if you are correct, the perpetual understudy Sister Robert Anne vying for her turn in the spotlight, a country western singing session, a turn of fleet feet doing "Tackle That Temptation with a Time Step" and much much more. You might even be tempted to convert if you are not already a Catholic. Director James Gray directs and choreographs this delightful romp in religious humor.

For tickets ($41.50-56.50), call the Legacy Theatre, 128 Thimble Islands Road, Branford at 203-315-1901 or online at Legacy TheatreCT.org. Watch for the next offerings of “The Wizard of Oz” July 9-August 2 and “The Odd Couple” September 10-October 4.

Prepare to be thoroughly engaged as the Little Sisters of Hoboken kick up their heels and pull out all the stops (and corks from the sacramental wine) to entertain you in heavenly splendor. Enjoy every moment of their angelic offerings.

TWH BRINGS "CIRCUS FIRE" TO FRIGHTENING REALITY

The circus has long been a fascinating adventure for young and old alike, a voyage to a magic land of entertainment that is a three ring excitement to thrill and marvel. When it comes to town you are encouraged to grab your popcorn, peanuts and Cracker Jacks, your orange circus peanuts, cotton candy, and snow cones, to anticipate the fun. Tragically, things can go wrong and the circus can be the scene of sadness, when the big tent is the shadow of terror and becomes an inferno. Now ”Circus Fire” is coming to town, a world premiere written by Jacques Lamarre, conceived by Jacques Lamarre, Jared Mezzocchi and Rob Ruggiero, with direction and multimedia experience by Jared Mezzocchi until Sunday May 31.

The First Company Governor’s Foot Guard at 159 High Street in Downtown Hartford becomes the scene in July 1944 when the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus, the Greatest Show on Earth, rolls into town to entertain the citizens of Hartford. Our country is at war and the heat of summer is imminent and heavy. Families are excited and full of happy plans. In a tent as big as a football field, a fire mysteriously start and suddenly an inferno erupts. Neither the community fire and police or the circus crew are prepared to help.

Tragically within minutes the tent is engulfed in flames and people are panicked and running for their lives, grabbing children’s hands and fleeing. Twelve actors-Mike Boland, Constantino Fernandez, Olivia Nicole Hoffman, Rebecka Jones, Caroline Kinsolving, Anastasia Maglaras, Eric Orsini, Stuart Rider, Janelle Anne Robinson, Godfrey L. Simmons, Jr., Marco Verna, and Dan Whelton-become the ring master, clown, band leader, circus worker, circus administrators, family members, and investigators who work to discover what happened. What happened to the 167 men, women and children who did not survive? Could it have been prevented? Who was responsible, the Hartford community or the circus, or both? Jacques Lamarre builds a tension that is heartbreakingly real.

For tickets ($65-80), call TheaterWorks Hartford at 860-527-7838 or online at twhartford.org. Performances are Tuesday to Saturday at 7:30 p.m.. and Saturday and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Don’t miss the party of the year on May 16 for PARTY ON PEARL, the 40th Anniversary of TWH.

Catch the fever of the stampede as excitement turns to terror, as the unthinkable becomes reality, as the greatest joy becomes intense tragedy, and you are witness to the horror.

PULITZER PRIZE WINNING DRAMA "PRIMARY TRUST" AT WCP

What would your life be like without family or friends? Lonely and sad probably.If at the tender age of ten your mother, your only living relative dies of cancer, you never experience a true sense of belonging again and how tragic might that be.

Trust is a promise that some one or some thing will honor a commitment, will do what they say they will, a feeling of confidence that one can feel safe and secure. What happens if trust does not exist, from a family member, a friend, a neighbor, even a stranger? Our whole foundation on how to depend on another person rests on these fundamental relationships. What happens when they don’t exist?

All our social interactions are the basis for trust. We need to have faith in each other and ourselves in all relationships for life, home, work, in society. Westport Country Playhouse is offering a lesson in “Primary Trust,” a winner of the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Drama by Eboni Booth, a sensitive study of survival and triumph of spirit, directed by Logan Vaughn until Saturday, May 2.

Come meet Kenneth, a late thirties-something African-American man, who has been hiding in the nooks and crannies of a used bookstore for decades. He is essentially hiding from life, stacking books by day and slurping mai tai drinks in a tiki bar named Wally’s by night. Without the companionship of his best friend Bert, he would be navigating life alone. Cranberry, New York is not a hot bed of social activity so when Kenneth is told by his boss Sam, an apologetic Greg Stuhr, he is sick and selling out, Alphonso Walker Jr's Kenneth in effect suffers a meltdown.

Having lost his mother when he was young, Kenneth must once again face a harsh reality. He must begin again. He must suddenly stand up for himself. He must find a new job. Most importantly, he must discover a new best friend because BBF Bert is imaginary. How Kenneth manages the nearly impossible tasks is a lesson in courage. His new boss Clay, also Greg Stuhr, miraculously takes him under his wing at Primary Trust Bank and, like the Lion, Tinman and Scarecrow in “The Wizard of Oz,” embues Kenneth with new courage. Jasmine Johnson’s legion of friendly waitresses at Wally’s gives him a sense of self-esteem and old imaginary pal Bert, Lance Coadie Williams, sticks around long enough to seal the do-over deal.

For tickets ($50 and up), call WCP, 25 Powers Court, Westport at 203-227-4177 or online at westportplayhouse.org. Performances are Tuesday-Thursday at 7:00 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 3:00 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 3:00 p.m.

Watch how Kenneth struggles to create a new world for himself when his existing one crumbles like a sand castle enveloped by the ocean tide. His story is heartbreaking, yet uplifting and ultimately one of courage and resilience.

"WATCHING MR. PEARSON" A WONDERFUL NEW FILM ABOUT DEMENTIA

Being diagnosed with dementia can indicate memory problems, thinking abilities, and difficult social interactions. Finding words and having problems with communications, getting lost while driving, trouble solving problems or organizing, poor coordination and confusion are common. People may exhibit depression, anxiety, and agitation, show changes in personality, have hallucinations, and show paranoia. Many people cope with a family member or friend who has dementia. Almost seven million people aged 65 or older suffer from this series of diseases and their experiences may seem drastically different. All are difficult to handle.

Thankfully two young men, Dillon Bentlage and Simon Kincade, became friends on the campus of Boston University and established as a writing team to make movies in such far away places as Holland and Australia, the latest being an informative and sensitive one entitled “Watching Mr Pearson.” Filmed in Guilford, Connecticut, it is a true family affair with Dillon serving as both co-founder and producer, his wife Dominika Zawada playing the role of the caregiver Caroline in a caring and creative way, how closely it relates to his personal grandmother and that his parents invite Dillon to shoot his movie in their beautiful home on the water.

Dillon utilized his own family experiences in Shelton to frame his film. focusing on a successful Hollywood actor Robert Pearson who suffers from a double loss, that of his career and the development of dementia. The bond between Robert and his caregivers, Caroline and Miguel, played by Luis Rizo, is touching and fragile, exhausting and difficult, at times horrible and at others unbelievable humorous. As director Dillon Bentlage movingly portrays how the progression of the disease affects Robert’s safety and sanity, equally difficult for the person struggling with the diagnosis and for the caregivers adjusting to the changing personalities of the patient.

For Caroline, she uses creatively restated scenes from Robert’s beloved old movies, with costumes and props, and dialogue, to try to reach him and pull him out of his emotional darkness and give him some of his old joy again. By contrast, Robert’s other caregiver Miguel does not share Caroline’s vision and wants to keep his treatment in a safer zone, more by the conventional books. Both must embrace patience if they can ever hope to succeed. They are the single resources most directly on the frontlines of this highly emotional battle.

This story and the devastating toll it takes on the patient and the family is all too familiar. The patient’s behavior can dramatically change, as a calm and loving person can demonstrate violence and anger. They can remember events and people from decades ago and forget what happened five minutes in the past, and ask again and again where they are and how they got there and how they will get home.

For actor Hugo Armstrong who plays Robert, the film is a learning lesson, a valuable lesson in its telling symptoms and how it affects the whole family irrevocably. Called “an actor’s favorite actor.” he has played every one from Uncle Vanya to a character on “Will Trent,” on “NCIS,” ‘Monk,” “Blacklist, detectives to lawyers, and also as writers and producers in the industry. Sam Burlington plays the young Robert, a Texas born actor and producer who fondly remembers growing up in front of a small tv watching movies. He too has been featured on such shows as “Will Trent” and “NCIS” and “Fallout.” Dominika Zawada’s Caroline is an international actress from Poland who captures the sensitivity of her role as caregiver in a sweet and charming manner. No person in her family has dementia but she was involved in the script at all the drafts. It opened her eyes to the different approach to care and now she is seeing the disease everywhere. For Luis Rizo, the male caregiver Miguel, he has known Dillon since being his roommate in college. They share a love of movies.

This project is clearly a labor of love. Dillon and co-writer Simon have already collaborated on films in the Netherlands and Australia. Dillon’s dad Autonius came to America from an old seafaring family in the Netherlands in 1993 and has been involved in pre- and post- editing. He even offered Dillon the use of his home in Guilford to film the movie, moving out with his wife for two months to make it easier. The set was so wonderful the house is like a character in the movie. When Dillon initially approached Hugo with the script, Hugo didn’t think he was right for the part. After reading the script and seeing its possibilities Hugo got to the last page and called Dillon to say it was “Wonderful.” Hugo found it “unexpectantly beautiful, achinging exquisite” and he couldn’t wait to go off to the races.

For Dillon Bentlage, this independent film set in one location, telling the story of one character and his personal struggle, shows his many lives and how he learns to know himself again. Watch for screenings across the country using links to watchingmrpearson and ktpictures.com. Let “Watching Mr. Pearson” open a door to dementia and how it affects the patient and the family and friends in profoundly personal ways.

"THE WEDDING SINGER" IS READY TO PARTY AT THE WARNER THEATRE IN TORRINGTON

Shakespeare once stated “If music be the food of love, play on.” But our love affair with music dates far beyond the Bard. Every society, past and present, has embraced music as a cultural constant, even back to isolated tribal groups and their primitive instruments. In 2008, a five-holed bone flute was discovered in a cave in Germany thought to be 35,000 years old. Think how colorless and silent our world would be without magical musical sounds.

The Warner Theatre in Torrington in general and the Nancy Marine Studio in particular are anything but colorless and silent as “The Wedding Singer” The Musical Comedy roars into town in party mode until Sunday April 26. For that popular and often confused Robbie Hart. love is a central theme of his life, after all he serenades brides and grooms at their marriages for a living. Is it wrong for him to desire that companionship and eternal romance for himself? Come watch the merry and energetic cast blow their bobby socks out of their sneakers with music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Chad Beguelin, book by Beguelin and Tim Herlihy, based on the 1998 film of the same name.

One of the hardest and most important decisions you must make in life is who to marry. This is a lasting and profound life answer with grand consequences. It may take years or even decades before you truly know whether the decision was truly correct or definitely a mistake. What answer could be so decisive in its scope? Who is the perfect one to bond with in marriage?

Ron St. John’s Robbie Hart has just suffered heartbreak when his fiancee Linda leaves him for her old flame Sammy. Meanwhile Robbie meets a lovely singer Julia, Julia Nelson, at a wedding venue and interesting sparks begin to fly. Poor, confused Robbie lives in Ridgefield, New Jersey with Rosie (Elyse Jasensky) a lively senior who believes in her heart her grandson will achieve his dreams, be a success in life and find true love. She is his number one fan club president.

Along the way, he has a short fling with Holly (Zayda), tries to reconnect with Linda (Katie Locascio), watches Julia select Glen (Paul Donovan-Lietz) as better husband material, has to see Holly hook up again with Sammy (Mike Zimmerman), and decide to join the financial firm run by Glen and quit his bandmates and his dream of being a rock star.

Lively tunes like “It’s Your Wedding Day,” “Casuality of Love,” “Come Out of the Dumpster,” “Saturday Night in the City,” “All About the Green,” “Right in Front of Your Eyes,” “Single,” and “Grow Old With You” keep the action jumping. This big hearted musical is directed and choreographed by Travis Kendrick-Castanho.

For tickets ($32-37), call the Warner Theatre, 84 Main Street, Torrington at 860-489-7180 or online at warner theatre.org. Performances are Friday at 7:30 p.m, Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.

Get your dancing shoes on, wrap a wedding present, and buy hop over to the Nancy Marine Studio Theater for some jazzy fun as orange blossom bloom and love fills the air. Let’s get this party started!

WHAT IS "THE LIFESPAN OF A FACT" AT PLAYHOUSE ON PARK

How important is the truth? Must it be accurate? Does anybody really care? Will the world revolve around news that is almost factual? Is what you read in the newspapers and magazines, see on the tv news channels, or hear on the radio. an estimate of the truth or a wild guess of what might really be occurring? How would you even know?

Playhouse on Park in West Hartford is offering you a real and dramatic entry into the publication world of veracity with an intriguing foray into fiction vs. fact, the rabbit hole of “false news,” the option of exaggeration to make the writing more enticing, the difference between truth in journalism and creativity in an essay. Based on the true book by essayist John D’Agata snd fact checker Jim Fingal, come see the play by Jeremy Kareken, David Murrell and Gordon Farrell, “The Lifespan of a Fact” playing until Sunday May 3rd.

John D’Agata has penned a powerful piece about a young man, a teenager who commits suicide in Las Vegas by jumping off a tall building. Emily Penrose is the editor of a literary magazine wishing to publish John’s piece, but only if her newest hire Jim Fingal can fact check its accuracy. Suddenly with Jim’s attentiveness the fifteen page writing mushrooms to over one hundred pages.

Edward Montoya’s Jim wants to be perfect and accurate at his assignment. He questions everything: the boy’s name, his parents’ reaction to the deed, every comment John makes, the color of the bricks on the building, the seconds of the fall, every minute detail. Shannon Michael Wamser’s John is not amused by the excessive investigation, while Suzanne O’Donnell’s Emily is the referee in charge of the two men not resorting to fisticuffs and whether the “article” even gets pblished. The volcano is about to explode with hot lava in danger of burning the trio. Matt Pfeiffer directs this cauldron of controversy.

For tickets ($38.50-58.50), call Playhouse on Park, 244 Park Road, West Hartford at 860-523-5900 ex. 10 or online at playhouseonpark.org. Performances are Tuesday at 2 p.m., Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., Thursday at 7:30 p.m.,Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Morning shows are at 10:30 a.m.and cost $25.

Come see the power struggle that wages between the three opinionated individuals and the controversial piece of writing that may help save a magazines’s future or destroy its integrity forever.

WORKING "9-5" WHAT A WAY TO EARN A LIVING AT MTC

Who would want to work for a mean and demeaning boss, one who dictates deadlines and uncompromising rules without consideration? Is the almighty paycheck and health insurance worth the daily punishment? What if you had the power to turn the tables (or desks) and get some satisfying revenge? Would you cringe away from the satisfaction or seize the opportunity? The moment for decision is now as Music Theatre of Connecticut in Norwalk launches the stellar musical “9-5” weekends until Sunday, May 3.

Come glory in the music and lyrics of the grand Dolly Parton paired with the delightful book by Patricia Resnick as three downtrodden female coworkers decide they have had enough guff and disrespect and they can’t take it any more. With a clever scheme and some heavy handed plotting, this trio of lady coworkers decide they have to take command of the copy machine and the coffee maker and take a stand for justice, women and the American way so watch out Franklin Hart the lines of battle have been drawn in the mimeograph machine.

Come watch as Gina Lamparella as Violet, Hannah Bonnett as Doralee and Elissa Demaria as Judy take on Joe Cassidy's Franklin Hart, with the help of Robin Lounsbury as Roz, Matt Mancuso as Joe, Christian Libonati as Dick, Scott Ahearn as Dwayne, Emma Kops as Maria, Alyssa McDonald as Kathy, Tyler Brian Miranda as Josh and Lucy Moon as Margaret and Missy. This cast is super enthusiastic and great on their feet. Tucked inside the plot for revenge, you might even discover a little romance.

The show is set in the late 1970’s, way before the #Me Too Movement got started. The stellar creative team is led by Director Amy Griffin and includes Choreographer Clint Hromsco, Music Director Zachary Anderson, Costume Designer Diane Vanderkroef. Lighting Designer Scott Borowka, and Scenic Designer Starlet Jacobs. Great fun songs keep the action jumping.

Tickets ($ 50-60 ), call the MTC, 509 Westport Avenue, Norwalk at 203-454-3883 or online at musictheatreofct.com. The production will run on Fridays at 8 pm, Saturdays at 2pm and 8pm. and Sundays at 2 pm.

Whether your boss is the nicest person in the world or a close relative of a monster, you will have an In box of joy watching this musical comedy of office politics play out on the stage of the MTC. Your desk chair and Rolodex, your rope and gun are waiting. Watch friendship and revenge battle against a sexist, egotistical bigot and cheer on the winners!

COME LEARN ABOUT NEW FILM "LADY PARTS"

When Bonnie Gross was only 13, she experienced a sharp, burning, stabbing pain in her stomach that escaped diagnosis for years, across four states by twenty different doctors. She was told she was crazy, that it was all in her head, and that she was making it up. This condition was isolating and was brought about when she rode a bicycle, tryed to use tampons, and later had sex. The problem was in her female genitalia, a body part that has been given such strange names as fufu, vajayjay, pussy, kitty, muff, fandango, hoo ha, down there, lady garden, pocketbook and happy clam. You may know it better as vagina.

After ten years of searching, and being told to use more lube and to stop concentrating on her symptoms, Bonnie found a doctor, Dr. Andrew Goldstein, who diagnosed her condition in five minutes and told her she needed surgery: a vulvar vestibulectomy. She discovered 16% of women suffer from this condition, but little is taught about it, little research is being conducted, and very few people are even talking about it. It was even more disturbing to learn the $10,000 surgery was not covered by insurance because the procedure was considered cosmetic.

All of this was happening while Bonnie was being offered her dream job and the length of her recovery would take a year to complete. Luckily for her, her parents were very supportive, had her move home to Philadelphia and were wonderfully helpful through ever step of the operation. This life changing validation occurred in 2016. By some miraculous stroke of fate, Bonnie Gross possesses skills that made it perfect for her to tell her story to the world in the form of a film, a documentary, a dramedy, a comedy. Her story is now “Lady Parts,” filmed in New York and Los Angeles, giving her a diagnosis and a platform to make a difference, to show how she was to finally find answers, to use her mother’s similar medical issue to expand the conversation for other women, to raise public awareness and create a community conversation.

With director Nancy Boyd and producer Bonnie Gross, the pair have used their personal and painful experiences, honestly and brutally truthfully, what they each went through for medical treatment, when having a sense of humor, surrounded by family and friends was critical. Come meet Paige, a brave Valentina Tammaro, on the verge of her dream career in Los Angeles and moving home to her parents, recovery a year over. The film won festivals, same resources with majestic connections like Tight Lipped, Intimate Rose, Hellocina, The Pelvic People, Isswsh and Our Body Justice Project and she will prepare for another surgery this summer.

Now thirty-two Bonnie Gross has championed to challenge her cause to research, education and treatment, to give the vagina "a voice,” and an ideal writer, filmmaker and comedian to make a major difference.

SAY HELLO, JERRY TO "JERRY'S GIRLS" COURTESY OF CENTER STAGE IN SHELTON

Composer and lyricist Jerry Herman is known for being one of the most successful composers on Broadway starting in the 1960’s. His upbeat and optimistic hit musicals, characterized by Herman for their “simple hummable show tunes” like “Hello, Dolly!,” “Mame,” and “La Cage aux Folles” won him the 2010 Kennedy Center Honors. His 1964 hit “Hello, Dolly!” was at one time the longest-running musical in Broadway history. He is the only composer to have a trio of musicals that ran for more than 1500 consecutive performances. In 1983 he wrote the first musial about a gay couple, “La Cage aux Folles.” In 2009, he received the Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre.

To marvel in Jerry Herman’s parade of hits, skip on over to the Center Stage in Shelton for a musical visit with a trio of delightful singers as “Jerry Girls” until Sunday, April 19. Come hear Sandra Fernandes, Mackensie Massey and Emerson Raymond belt out thirty-six tunes that mark Herman’s genius and tribute as a composer and testify how and why Herman won so many Tonys, Grammies, Olivier, Dram Desk, Johnny Mercer, Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein, Frederick Loewe, Songwriters of Fame, Theater Hall of Fame and Kennedy Center Honors.

For example, “Hello, Dolly!” was based on Thornton Wilder’s “The Matchmaker.” The title song by Jerry Herman became a hit for Louis Armstrong when he recorded it to publicize the play and it became his biggest hit when it climbed the charts as a “natural” in 1963. His fans made it the number one hit, so successful it pushed the Beatles off the top of the charts.Satchmo and his trumpet made it the biggest seller of his lifetime when it went gold.

Come hear some immortal tunes like "‘Put on Your Sunday Clothes,” “Before the Parade Passes By,” “It Only Takes a Moment” from “Hello, Dolly!” and “We Need A Little Christmas,” “If He Walked Into My Life,” “It’s Today” and “Bosom Buddies” from “Mame.” From “La Cage aux Folles.” delight in “I Am What I Am,” and “The Best of Times,” and from “Mack and Mabel “ such favorites as “Time Heals Everything,” and “Movies Were Movies.” Pianist and Music Director Jane Best performed on a revolving stage while Sandra Fernandes and Liz Muller created a colorful fashion show, Brandy Bailey and Michael “Beetle” Bailey kept the ladies on their dancing toes and Liz Muller served as a merry musical director and stage director. My personal regret was the lack of stories about the composer himself.

For tickets ($20-50), call Center Stage, 54 Grove Street, Shelton at 203-225-6079 or online at https://go-event.com/3570448-0. Performances are Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.

Come enjoy the music of Gerald Sheldon Herman, better known as Jerry, famous for “upbeat and optimistic outlook and his simple, hummable show tunes.” And what hummable tunes they are.

"DISNEY'S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST" WALTZS INTO THE BUSHNELL

Come witness the first North American touring production of the beloved musical "Disney's Beauty and the Beast" in over a quarter of a century. If you are 6 or 86, you’re invited to enter the magical world of Belle, the book loving adventurous maiden, a luminous and lovely lass 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, a tower of vanity, who imagines himself to be a desirable gift to womankind. Please open the fairy tale book that features a 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.

Meanwhile in a castle in the forest, an enchantress, 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 are in danger of being cursed for all eternity. The Beast is cloaked in the persona of a challenged and unhappy soul.

Enter the fascinating musical and magical world of "Disney’s Beauty and the Beast” waltzing into the Hartford’s Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts for eight performances, April 7-12, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Follow the brave heroine Belle hoping to rescue her father Maurice 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, an inventor, in a dungeon.

Belle discovers the castle and a troop of unlikely helpers in Lumiere the candelabra, Mrs. Potts the teapot, her son Chip the teacup and Cogsworth the clock. 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 ($50.50 and up), call the Bushnell, 166 Capitol Avenue, Hartford at 860-987-5900 or online at www.bushnell.org. Come early and attend the “Roses of Love” tribute by writing the name of a loved one on a rose. The rose will be displayed at the theater and for each rose Max Cares Foundation will donate a $1 to My Sister’s Place, a Homeless Shelter, Thrift Store and Donation Center, up to $2500.

With spectacular new sets and glamorous costumes, this timeless tale will enchant and amaze. With classic tunes like “Be Our Guest” and “Beauty and the Beast,” this new production will feature members of the original Tony Award-winning artistic team including composer Alan Menken, lyricist Tim Rice, book creator Linda Woolverton, with choreography and direction by Oliver Award nominee Matt West, scenic designer Stanley A. Meyer, costume designer Ann Hould-Ward and lighting designer Natasha Katz.

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.