Category: News

One of the leading summer theaters in the country is The Ogunquit Playhouse in the town of Ogunquit, Maine. According to the history of the theater, “it was the first, and remains the only, summer theatre from the summer stock era built exclusively as a seasonal theatre.” Opening in 1933, he theater is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2015, the listing was raised to National Level of Significance “in consideration of the significant contributions made by its founder Walter J. Hartwig and the Playhouse to Performing Arts Education throughout the nation.” This summer’s productions have already… read more

The Barrington Stage Company has consistently produced hight-quality, award-winning productions. A number of their shows have gone onto Broadway including the world premiere of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee by William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin; and in 2013 the theater produced Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden, and Adolph Green’s On the Town. Our CT Critics Circle member, Karen Isaac, traveled to Barrington to review their current production – the Stephen Sondheim musical A Little Night Music. The music starts and the five ensemble singers enter individually, one strikes a note on the piano and they all begin to harmonize… read more

One of the leading summer theaters in the country is The Ogunquit Playhouse in the town of Ogunquit, Maine. According to the history of the theater, “it was the first, and remains the only, summer theatre from the summer stock era built exclusively as a seasonal theatre.” Opening in 1933, he theater is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2015, the listing was raised to National Level of Significance “in consideration of the significant contributions made by its founder Walter J. Hartwig and the Playhouse to Performing Arts Education throughout the nation.” This summer’s productions have already… read more

Yep, it’s all true! “Hamilton”, the much-exalted, much-awarded landmark musical by Lin Manual Miranda, lives up to expectations. Often when you see a show that has entered the zeitgeist with rapturous reviews and multiple prizes, you are left disappointed when you see the actual product. Not the case with “Hamilton”, Miranda’s brilliant and often astonishing take on the historical figure and victim of Aaron Burr via rap, hip-hop and Ron Chernow’s extensive, 800-page Hamilton memoir. This simply should not work. By some miracle (and more) it does. Gloriously. Currently on a national tour and playing through July 10 at Hartford’s… read more

The Square One Theatre Company will hold a special tag sale at its storage site located at 1470 Main Street in Stratford, on Sunday, July 10 from 12-6 pm. After a two-year delay, Square One will reopen and conclude its 30th anniversary season in November. The tag sale will be a major fundraiser for the theatre helping to alleviate its many re-opening expenses. The theatre has a 30-year collection of props and furnishings that it needs to move now at rock-bottom prices. The sale will include a variety of such items as furniture, smaller furnishings, stage floral and greenery, paintings,… read more

Music Theatre of Connecticut’s production of “Falsettoland” and Long Wharf Theatre’s “The Chinese Lady” and Hartford Stage’s “Lost in Yonkers” lead the shows nominated for the 30th annual Connecticut Critics Circle Awards. The awards event, which celebrates the best in professional theater in the state, will be held Monday, June 27 at 7:30 p.m. at the Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven. Kenneth Gartman, a New York City based singer, music director, and producer, will preside over the show which is free and open to the public. “Falsettoland” earned six nominations, including outstanding actor in a musical, best director, and… read more

[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