CT Critics Give “All is Calm” and “A Chorus Line” Top Honors at 34th Awards Ceremony

The compelling drama, “All is Calm,” a moving, captivating play about the Christmas Truce of 1914, which was staged at Playhouse on Park, and the 50th Anniversary of the Pulitzer Prize winning musical, “A Chorus Line” at Goodspeed Musicals, took top honors at the 34th annual Connecticut Critics Circle Awards (ctcritics.org) held on Monday, June 22, 2026.

The event, which celebrates the work from the state’s professional theaters during the 2025 – 2026 season, was held at Hartford Stage in downtown Hartford. The ceremony was emceed by Stuart Brown, President of the CT Critics Circle.

“A Chorus Line” was also honored for Best Director of a Musical (Rob Ruggiero), Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Diego Guevara), and Best Choreography (Parker Esse and Baayork Lee). Ryan Mac from the Goodspeed Musical “All Shook Up” received Best Actor in a Musical.

Hartford Stage received three awards. The chilling, highly theatrical production of “Rope” was recognized for Costume Design (Risa Ando), and Best Direction of a Play (Melia Bensussen). Their gripping staging of “Death of a Salesman” won for Outstanding Lighting Design.

Theaterwork Hartford’s world premiere of “Circus Fire,” staged in the round at the historic First Company Governor’s Foot Guard, won for Best Ensemble.

Two productions from A.C.T. of CT garnered three awards. The musical “Waitress” received Best Featured Actress (Shaylen Harger) and Best Actress in a Musical (Abigail Sparrow). Camilla Tassi was honored for Outstanding Projections for “Dear Evan Hansen.”

The Yale Repertory Theatre’s production of the 1959 absurdist classic, “Rhinoceros” by Eugène Ionesco, won for Best Actor in a Play (Reg Rogers) and Best Sound Design for Xi (Zoey) Lin.

Other winners were Christina Acosta Robinson for Best Actress in a Play for the Ivoryton Playhouse’s production of “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill;” Missy Drowse in the Ken Ludwig comedy, “Fox on the Fairway” at Music Theatre of Connecticut, for Best Featured Actress in a Play; Terrence Riggins received the Best Featured Actor in a Play for his powerful performance in August Wilson’s “Gem of the Ocean” at Long Wharf Theatre; and Christopher & Justin Swader received Outstanding Set Design for the Sharon Playhouse production of “The Mousetrap.”

James Bundy, who is retiring as the Elizabeth Parker Ware Dean of the David Geffen School of Drama and Artistic Director of Yale Repertory Theatre received a special award. Rebecka Jones and Noble Shropshire were also recognized for their 25 years of continuous performance in the Hartford Stage production of “A Christmas Carol.” Donna Lynn Hilton of Goodspeed Musicals was honored with the Tom Killen Award for lifetime service to the theater.

The Annual Awards Ceremony was live streamed. The recording will be posted to the CT Critics Circle website (ctcritics.org) the week of June 29.

Helping to present the awards were Connecticut Critic Circle members Karen Isaacs, Nancy Sasso Janis, and Tim Leininger.

The Connecticut Critics Circle was founded in 1990. The statewide organization is comprised of reviewers, writers, and broadcasters that cover the professional theaters throughout the entire state. The annual awards honor the actors, directors, designers and others who help make our professional theater so highly regarded in and outside the state.

HARTFORD STAGE SETS "SWEENEY TODD" ON A VICIOUS PATH OF REVENGE

Are you squeamish at the sight of blood? Do you believe in the old adage “an eye for an eye”? Do you subscribe to turning the other cheek and forgiving when victimized or do you prefer exacting retribution?

Are you a fan of turkey or 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 Hartford Stage in collaboration with TheaterWorks Hartford has a savory saga, a cautionary note for your perusal that you might want to heed. Until Sunday, July 5, 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 from an adaptation by Christo[her Bond with orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick and it is sharp, memorable, and on target wonderful.

You might ask where do the meat 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 as the barber becomes a barbarian in this passionate tale of revenge. Matt Faucher is driven and superb as Sweeney Todd, the alias he assumes who blames Judge Turpin (Edward Watts) and his liege The Beadle (Brian Ray Norris) for the treachery which led his wife to kill herself and the Judge to claim their infant daughter Johanna (Lauren Maria Medina) 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 Jackie Burns, and a naval man Anthony (Willem Butler) who saved Sweeney’s life,Todd soon sets his diabolical scheme in place. Complications in the form of an old beggar woman (Carey Brown), a blackmailer Pirelli (Tristan Caldwell) and a wide eyed lad Tobias (Cole Thompson) threaten his plans. Rob Ruggiero directs this involving dark tale plagued with the “chill of ghostly shadows.” The orchestra is conducted by Wiley DeWeese, Ralph Perkins choreographer, Luke Cantarella an elaborate set design, magical lighting by John Lasiter, sound by Beth Lake and period costumes designed by Fabian Fidel Aguilar.

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 Saturday at 7:30 p.m.and Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. with talk backs June 23 and June 24. Music in the lobby by Mad Agnes will be held June 25 and 26 at 7:30 p.m. This is the first partnership by Hartford Stage and TheaterWorks Hartford and it is a tribute to thrilling theatrical entertainment. Don’t miss it!

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.

WESTPORT COUNTRY PLAYHOUSE INVITES YOU TO "GET HAPPY" WITH JUDY GARLAND

Francis Ethel Gumm, better known as Judy Garland, is ready to take you on a musical journey over the rainbow, Well, not exactly Francis or Judy but a lovely talented singer and performer Jenna Pastuszek as who has her own fascination with this incredible American actress, singer and vauf=devillian who began her career at the age of two, performing with her two older sisters as The Gumm Sisters.

Called “Baby” by her family, her first stage performance was at Christmas time singing “Jingle Bells” at her father’s movie theater. George Jessel is said to heve selected the name Judy Garland for her, stating “I think she’s a combination of Helen Hayes and Al Jolson and maybe Jenny Lind and Sarah Bernhardt.”

The Westport Country Playhouse is flying flocks of blue birds over beautiful rainbows for a charming visit with Jenna Pastuszekas who shares her love of Judy Garland in the amazingly persona] “Get Happy!,” on Wednesday, June 17 at 7 p.m.. With a focus on her musical talents exhibited in such movie hits as “The Wizard of Os,” “Easter Parade,” “Judy Live at Carnegie Hall,” “Judy at the Palace,” and “The Judy Garland Show,” Jenna will share “witty, endearingly personal stories and a musical gems stuffed playlist.”

At only 4 feet 11 inches, Garland suffered from poor self esteem. Her school mates on the MGM studio lot were Elizabeth Taylor, Ava Gardner and Lana Turner. She was called “ugly duckling” and MGM’s head Louis B. Mayer called her "his little hunchback.” Her whole career she doubted she was either attractive or talented. At sixteen she was cast as Dorothy Gale in “The Wizard of Oz” and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” became her favorite signature song.

Judy Garland became Jenna Pastuszek’s first musical tribute quite by accident. In June 2019 a theater company in Cape May, New Jesdey called her out of the blue about a gala they were planning and told her she was “just the gal to do it.”Despite the pandemic intruding on its debut, she found the challenge of writing a tribute show to Judy “really wonderful and fun” with the audience getting to know Jenna through Judy. As a history major at the University of Virginia, Jenna knew how to do research in library source material. Now she tells her story in-between fun facts, revealing how their two lives intertwine. In a big band way she takes Judy’s version of “Singin’ in the Rain” and gives it a unique new spin.

To date she has taken her show to 50 venues in 13 states, from Nantucket to Florida, Wisconsin to San Diego. This universal piece has clearly changed her life and she is so grateful as it provides joy. When she was at the Papermill Playhouse in New Jersey she as asked if she had another show and the name Barbra Streisand jumped out of her mouth, even though it was only a thought and definitely not a reality. Now it is. Jenna does a wonderful show about Barbara’s birthday, one she showcased last year at Westport Country Playhouse. Who might be next? Think Bette, Cher, Liza or even a joint show of Judy and Barbra, as the two divas share a ton of songs, like believe it or not, “Purple People Eater.”

Jenna will perform with a full jazz trio, led by Joshua Zecher-Ross. For tickets ($40-50), call Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court, Westport at 203-227-4177 or online at boxoffice@westportplayhouse.org.

Come learn about Judy and Jenna, how their lives meet and cross, stories and songs that will make you laugh and be quite amazed, and how they both entertain with such joy and enthusiasm. Come over the rainbow with their wings of charm.