Category: News

[Reprinted from The Journal Inquirer, May 27, 2022] Tony- and Emmy-winning actor/playwright John Leguizamo will return to Hartford Stage with a new musical comedy making its East Coast debut, “Kiss My Aztec!” Previews start Wednesday. The play opens June 10 and runs through June 26. “It’s about the birth of Latin man, because the conquest was the birth of Latin man, the mixed races of what we Latin people are,” Leguizamo said in a recent interview. Based on a screenplay by Leguizamo and Stephen Chbosky, “Kiss My Aztec!” follows a handful of rebels who continue to fight against Spain during… read more

We’re back! After a three-year hiatus, the Connecticut Critics Circle Annual Awards Ceremony will be held in-person on Monday, June 27 at the Long Wharf Theatre from 7:30 – 9:00 pm. We hope you will join us in helping the Connecticut Critics Circle, a not-for-profit organization, celebrate theater in Connecticut, honor the artists who make it happen and help us create opportunities for a new generation of theater enthusiasts. You are invited to the Awards Ceremony, which is FREE to attend. Click here to RSVP to the CEREMONY. The annual awards show is the only event in the state which… read more

Playhouse on Park, the award-winning theater in West Hartford, has announced the shows for Season 14. Opening the season is LADY DAY AT EMERSON’S BAR AND GRILL by Lanie Robertson. The time is 1959. The place is a seedy bar in Philadelphia. The audience is about to witness one of Billie Holiday’s last performances, given four months before her death. In Robertson’s Tony award-winning play, Holiday engages the audience with salty, often humorous reminiscences of her troubled life as a traveling performer in a segregated south. With the help of her piano man, Jimmy Powers, she lets music tell her… read more

The Bushnell will be offering seven productions that will comprise its 2022-2023 Broadway Series season. Starting this fall, The Bushnell will bring seven exciting titles to Hartford as part of the series: Disney’s ALADDIN, SIX, TOOTSIE, TINA – Tina Turner Musical, JAGGED LITTLE PILL, AIN’T TOO PROUD, and Harper Lee’s TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. The 2022-2023 Bushnell Broadway Series is once again co-sponsored by Travelers and Aetna. The Bushnell’s CEO David Fay states, “Our audience’s reception of our current season illustrates how excited we all are to gather again and enjoy the best of Broadway. The 2022-2023 season truly has… read more

Reginald Kenneth Dwight was born in 1947 in England to a supportive mother and a disinterested father. It wasn’t until his mother divorced and remarried that he was encouraged to pursue a musical career. At seven years of age, after performing for family and at parties for several previous years, he was given formal piano lessons. Early on, he admitted to being inspired and influenced by Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis. After hearing them, he stated “I didn’t ever want to be anything else.” This singer, composer and pianist who has enjoyed a spectacular six decade career, sold over… read more

We continue our series on spotlighting some of the non-Equity theaters in Connecticut. I put questions to Kailee Ostroski, President of the Backyard Theater Ensemble – https://www.backyardtheater.org/. Their upcoming production is Caryl Churchill’s “A Number,” which will play the first two weekends in April. Tell me about the Backyard Theater Ensemble. Backyard Theater Ensemble is a collaboration of artists devoting their time, experience, and resources to produce theater that inspires, challenges, and entertains both performers and audiences. Our volunteers each fulfill multiple roles on stage, behind the scenes, and in the community. These roles capitalize on members’ talents while also… read more

I recently interviewed Angeloria “Lori” Holm, the Artistic Director of The Arts at Angeloria’s, LLC, a unique venue situated on nearly three acres in Southington, CT. This hidden gem has resumed producing live theatrical productions, after surviving despite COVID protocols. I asked Lori, a talented community theater performer as well, about how her beautiful theatrical space came into being, how she managed to weather COVID restrictions, and what is coming up at her venue. As I recommend in nearly every review I have written about the many shows I have experiences at A@A, do not leave the grounds without touring… read more

Serving customers at a restaurant can be a fun or frustrating situation, depending on who is taking your order. Whether you desire a fancy five-course dinner or just a slice of blueberry pie with a generous scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, your pleasure in your meal depends often as much on the server who brings it as it does on the food itself. If you are lucky, you might have Jenna wait on you and if you truly fortunate you might be feasting on a generous slice of one of her perfectly baked pies. Jenna has the reputation to… read more

What options might you have if you are an acclaimed avant-garde performer who has left America, the land of your success, for a quarter of a century and now want to make a triumphant return? For Anna Campbell who flamboyantly secured her career performing “Naked Wilson,” a recitation of the male voices of playwright August Wilson while unclothed, the time is ripe. Now she has an invitation to perform at an Atlanta arts festival and she views it as a welcome gift. To enter the fascinating world of Ms. Campbell, as brought to compelling life by the talents of Terry… read more

Are you anticipating the holiday rush with pleasure? Or are you already feeling stressed? No matter your answer, A Christmas Survival Guide at Ivoryton Playhouse is just the ticket. Artistic Director Jacqui Hubbard was looking for something different as a holiday offering and found this intimate revue that has had a had a successful off-Broadway run and been performed around the country. “I was looking for something funny but meaningful,” Hubbard said. “Traditional but modern.” She thinks this revue featuring a cast of five is a treat for the whole family and will make the holiday fun. The premise of… read more