Author: Stuart Brown

Happy Holidays! This week’s column will highlight the most important Connecticut theater news AND the most memorable shows I saw in Connecticut and NYC. (My NYC theatergoing was very limited in the first five months of the year.) Two Up-Coming Departures: New Haven theater will have two new leaders by this time next year. James Bundy, longtime artistic director of Yale Rep and Dean of the Geffen School of Drama at Yale University, will retire in June. Long Wharf’s artistic director, Jacob Padrún, also announced his departure. Rebounding: One artistic director told me during Covid that it would take five… read more

If skiing, ice skating, sledding and ice fishing are not at the top of your idea of winter fun, then maybe you can be tempted to head indoors to Goodspeed’s innovative Festival of New Musicals. For the twentieth year, Goodspeed Musicals in East Haddam is presenting musical theater in a grand style, Martin Luther King weekend, January 16-18, 2026 and there is no need to bundle up in scarves, mittens, ear muffs and winter boots to partake in the entertaining fun. The temperature will be toasty and the offerings HOT! You are invited to experience a trio of brand new… read more

By Karen Isaacs You’ll need more than the twelve days of Christmas to take in all the holiday theater, music, and dance local arts groups are offering up this year. Besides the old favorites, you can also see some brand-new works, as well as what I call “variations on a theme.” The New Scrooge & Marley is a world premiere at the Legacy Theatre from Wednesday, Dec. 3, through Sunday, Dec. 14. Artistic Director Keely Baisden Knudsen used the book Jacob T. Marley as inspiration for this story about how the young Marley met Scrooge, they became business partners, and… read more

The theater calendars are filling up in both Connecticut and New York. The summer-oriented theaters are wrapping up their seasons, and our major producing houses are gearing up for theirs. Looking over the planned productions for the fall, a number of them jumped out as being particularly interesting. These are the shows I have starred on my calendar as being particularly interesting. Shows in Connecticut English — this Pulitzer Prize-winning play is a fascinating exploration of how language impacts culture and our identity. Set in Iran, an Iranian teacher is helping adult students prepare for an English proficiency exam that… read more

On the latest edition of Arts & Entertainment with Deborah Gilbert (a CT Critics Circle member), another CT Critics Circle member, Karen Isaacs, discusses a wide-range of topics, including the London theater season, upcoming Connecticut theater productions, and to how to become a theater critic. Click on the READ MORE link below to access their video chat. read more

The summer of 2025 has officially passed away. And that means it’s a good time to catch up on what is happening in our local theaters from now to the end of 2025. Some theaters are finishing their 2024-25 season, others are commencing their 2025-26 season. But we’ll take the shows in the order of their openings. First and foremost: Goodspeed Musicals at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam is running a very popular revival of A Chorus Line, recently extended through November 2. The show, with music by Marvin Hamlisch and lyrics by Edward Kleban with a Book… read more

Stuart Brown, President of the Connecticut Critics Circle, has a dual life on the other side of the footlights. The West Hartford resident is also an award-winning playwright whose works have been staged across the country. This month, Brown will be represented at four different playwrighting events. “It’s going to be a very exciting September,” he said. “Both my one-act works and 10-minute plays will be showcased throughout the state.” On Friday, September 5 , at 7pm, his play, Lady Jigsaw, will lead off the Chestnut Street Playhouse Theatre’s 5th Annual Playwrighting Festival. The event runs from Friday, September 5,… read more

Connecticut Critics Circle member Tim Leininger interviews Sharon Playhouse Artistic Director Carl Andress, Jen Cody, and Hunter Foster about upcoming productions of Sylvia, starring Cody, and The Mousetrap, directed by Foster, presented at the Sharon Playhouse. Watch and listen to the interview here: Sylvia and The Mousetrap at Sharon Playhouse – An Interview with Carl Andress, Jen Cody, and Hunter Foster For tickets and more information about both shows, visit: https://www.sharonplayhouse.org/ read more

Five plays in five days – my recent trip to London allowed me to see some outstanding productions, as well as observe the vibrant London theatre scene. Musicals — Many of these are American imports or shows that hope to go to Broadway. The Devil Wears Prada bombed in Chicago, but it is going strong in London. Other American musicals that made relatively quick exits from Broadway, including Back to the Future, are still running. Of course, there are the shows that seem to run forever – Phantom, Wicked, Comedies tend to be more slapstick. The Play that Goes Wrong… read more

Connecticut Critics Circle member Tim Leininger interviews Hartford Stage’s Artistic Director Melia Bensussen, discussing the theater’s 2025-26 Season. Watch and listen to the interview here: Hartford Stage’s 2025-26 Season – An Interview with Artistic Director Melia Bensussen For more information, visit their website at www.hartfordstage.org read more