Category: News

by Frank Rizzo First published in the Hartford Courant’s Hartford Magazine November 16, 2017   Broadway has a new hit with “The Band’s Visit,” but just like the little lost traveling band at the heart of the musical, the show’s journey was a circuitous one — starting in Hartford. It all began when Orin Wolf, who graduated from the theater division of University of Hartford’s Hartt School in 2001, saw the film “The Band’s Visit” shortly after its 2007 release. Wolf thought the modest and minimalist story — an Egyptian policemen’s band scheduled to perform at an Arab arts center… read more

Triney Sandoval will be performing the role of Capulet in the new production of Romeo & Juliet at Westport Country Playhouse in Westport, CT. (WCP) The play is directed by Mark Lamos, who has served as the artistic director of WCP since 2009. Lamos’ has become one of the most admired and respected theatrical directors in his interpretation and presentation of works by Shakespeare.  I still remember many of the scenes of the productions of plays by Shakespeare, he directed during the 17 years in which he was the Artistic Director at Hartford Stage. The news that Lamos will direct… read more

Broadway music celebrating Halloween will takeover the airwaves on the show music radio program, “On Broadway,” on Sunday, October 29th from 5:30-6:30 p.m. on WRTC-FM, 89.3. The show can also be heard live over the Internet at http://www.wrtc.com. Host Stuart Brown will play music from a variety of Broadway musicals that have a haunted, supernatural theme including “Jekyll and Hyde,” “Little Shop of Horrors,” “Wicked,” and “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”  “There are quite a few Broadway and Off-Broadway musicals that are perfect for the Halloween season,” stated Brown, who has hosted “On Broadway” for over 22 years. “We’ll have… read more

Portraying passion on stage — whether it’s a steamy romance or just hot-and-heavy sex — has been a theatrical staple from the Greeks to the Bard to contemporary work where making love can be oh-so-realistic. So how do actors — especially those who don’t know each other— make the love connection believable? In other words, how do they have sex with strangerThat’s the question I posed to Chris Ghaffari and Jessica Love, who star in the fittingly named “Sex with Strangers,” Laura Eason’s two-actor play at the Westport Country Playhouse Sept. 26 to Oct. 14. Greenwich native Ghaffari is no… read more

Broadway Lighting Designer and League of Professional Theatre Women member Dawn Chiang will lead an interactive discussion on how visual vocabulary and theatrical crafts contribute to the emotional life of the storytelling art Monday, Oct. 23 in Norwalk. Joining Chiang for the “Find Your Light!” panel are Elizabeth Williamson, artistic director at Hartford Stage, Costume Designer Tilly Grimes and Scenic Designer Jessica Parks. The event, produced by Co-Founder Marie Reynolds, will kick of the 2017-2018 season for the CT Chapter of the League of Professional Theatre Women, now in its second year. A networking time with light refreshments will be held from  5:30… read more

Connecticut Critics Circle member Dave Rosenberg reviews the original cast recordings from last year’s Broadway season: A Bronx Tale Anastasia Bandstand Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Come From Away Dear Evan Hansen Groundhog Day Hello, Dolly! War Paint Read more… read more

by Frank Rizzo Shhhhh. Listen to the quiet in Beth Wohl’s play Small Mouth Sounds, which is launching its national tour at New Haven’s Long Wharf Theatre’s Aug. 31 and continuing through Sunday, Sept. 24. But more important, watch the characters closely, look for the slightest signs of revelation and see how they react—and illuminate—their selves without (almost) saying a word. The mostly dialogue-less play is set on a silent retreat where a mixed group of folks have come to find spiritual healing or new starts for their lives. Read more… read more

By Lauren Yarger Rodgers and Hammerstein’s OKLAHOMA! is one of America’s treasures of musical theater, so it’s intriguing that it is just now getting its first treatment at Goodspeed, where it runs through Sept. 27. It is also the first time Director Jenn Thompson has worked with the musical. Read more… read more

by Karen Isaacs Every year as theaters announce their up-coming seasons, certain productions pique my interest. I circle their dates on my calendar in anticipation. So what have I circled for this up-coming year? Connecticut theaters offer a good mixture of the new, the classics, the familiar, and the rare. I have circled some of each. Read More… read more

by Geary Danihy By my count there are 15 Equity theaters in Connecticut, that is, theaters operating under some form of an Equity contract, plus over 60 other theater companies of various sizes. One would think that, theatrically speaking, Connecticut is pretty well covered, but Daniel Levine doesn’t think so. The Ridgefield resident had a dream, but unlike most dreams, this one is actually coming true. Soon there will be an Equity theater in Ridgefield, operating under the name of A Contemporary Theatre of Connecticut, or ACT of CT (not to be confused with the 4-hour test Connecticut high school… read more