Author: Stuart Brown

While the weather outside is frightful, there is a place that is warm and truly delightful: the 15th Annual Goodspeed Festival of New Musicals in East Haddam. Produced by Goodspeed Musicals Max Showalter Center for Education in Musical Theatre, this three day event will take place on Friday, January 17 to Sunday, January 19 and it’s the highlight of the winter season for all musical theatre aficionados. The weekend begins on Friday at 7:30 p.m. with the exotic tale of “The Tattooed Lady,” with book by Erin Courtney and Max Vernon and music and lyrics by Max Vernon. What choice… read more

It’s that time of year for ten best lists, and look backs at the previous year. Here’s my top productions for 2019 in Connecticcut. They aren’t in any specific order. Quixote Nuevo: The new administration at Hartford Stage got off to a fantastic start with this modern adaptation of the Don Quixote story set in a Texas border town by Octavio Solis. The Iliad: This was an amazing retelling of the classic Greek epic by Homer featuring one fine performance by Rachel Christopher. It was enthralling. Bravo to Long Wharf for bringing it to Connecticut. Mlima’s Tale: Lynn Nottage’s play,… read more

Brief Cameo Productions is proud to announce the upcoming opening of its inaugural production: Ragtime the Musical in Concert. Written by the award-winning composer/lyricist team of Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens (Once on This Island, Seussical and Lucky Stiff), musical direction by Jill Brunelle, directed by Connecticut native Jim Clark and based on E.L. Doctorow’s distinguished novel, Ragtime is a truly unique and powerful portrait of America that is sure to inspire actors and audiences alike. Ragtime will run for one night only on January 11, 2020 at the Ivoryton Playhouse. The performance is at 7:00 p.m. and doors open… read more

“Tis the season to celebrate the holidays and area theatres are busy with jolly, entertaining and heartwarming productions. Start off visiting that energetic and enthusiastic elf Buddy who is in residence at Waterbury’s Seven Angels Theatre until Sunday, December 22. Jimmy Donohue plays the boy who crawls into Santa’s bag and ends up at the North Pole believing he is one of Santa’s helpers. Growing big and afraid he is a failure as a toy maker leads him to discover he is human. Buddy sets off for New York City to find his father. This musical adventure “Elf” is a… read more

Glenn Close’s iconic gown from Sunset Boulevard, one of Annie’s dresses from Annie, Dolly’s famous red gown from Hello, Dolly!, Alex Baldwin’s suit from A Streetcar Named Desire and much, much more. In fact, nearly 250,000 costumes and accessories are stored at Goodspeed’s costume collection warehouse in East Haddam. It began in the 1980s when the theater began purchasing costumes from Broadway shows and tours that were closing. It has grown since then to include not just costumes from Broadway but also from Opera productions. It includes everything from hates, gloves, purses, shoes, gowns, suits, shirts and even pantaloons are… read more

Halloween themed music from the Off-Broadway and Broadway stage take over the airwaves of Sounds of Broadway (SoundsofBroadway.com) – the 24/7 online Broadway music radio station – from Monday, October 28th thru Thursday, October 31st. Beginning at 10:00am EST, over ten hours a day will be devoted to scary and spine-tingling songs from the musical theater. “There will be the well-known shows such as The Addams Family, Damn Yankees, The Phantom of the Opera, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Young Frankenstein,” said Stuart Brown, who launched the radio station last April. “But there will also be a number of… read more

Within the next few weeks, two noted playwrights will be taking fresh looks at a pair of classic tales. Octavio Solis has taken as his inspiration Miguel de Cervantes’s Don Quixote and created Quixote Nuevo, a contemporary take on the tale which runs through Sunday, Oct. 13 at Hartford Stage. The show, which will also play Boston’s Huntington Theatre Company and Houston’s Alley Theatre, is directed by KJ Sanchez. Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’s inspiration for the world premiere of Girls comes from a Greek classic, Euripides’ The Bacchae; Girls is receiving its world premiere at Yale Repertory Theatre in New Haven, from… read more

Save the date of Monday, June 29, 2020 for the annual Connecticut Critics Circle awards ceremony to be held at Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven. Long Wharf is no stranger to hosting the Connecticut Critics Circle awards, having been the locale in 2013. Previous hosts include TheaterWorks/Hartford Stage, Yale Repertory, Westport Country Playhouse, and Goodspeed Opera House. Celebrating the 30th year of the awards ceremony, the Connecticut Critics Circle has made it its goal to honor the actors, directors, designers and others who help produce outstanding professional theater in the stage. The Critic Circle’s current roster of 26 critics… read more

One, two, three, six and 22. A math puzzle? No – just a list of what happening in Connecticut theaters through the start of the holiday season. Here’s what the numbers all mean. One – A renovated theater reopens. TheaterWorks in Hartford which has produced three shows at the Hartford Atheneum will show off its renovated home on Pearl Street in October. The lobby has been enlarged, better and more convenient restrooms, an elevator, new seating and lots of improvements backstage will greet theatergoers and performers. Two – Two new artistic directors are taking the helm at two of our… read more

Bill Berloni has kind eyes, a steady presence and a calm voice. It isn’t difficult to imagine a shy or traumatized dog, large or small, trusting him at first sight. Berloni is a nationally-known humane trainer of animals used on stage, television and in film. His business, William Berloni Theatrical Animals, has been successful for 30 years, and he is the only trainer to earn a special Tony award. Berloni’s latest project is “Because of Winn Dixie,” directed by John Rando and running at Goodspeed Musicals through Sept. 5. The production stars Bowdie as the titular gentle giant (“a poodle… read more