Goodspeed’s “Emmet Otter” becoming a holiday tradition

EAST HADDAM — Back by popular demand, Jim Henson’s “Emmet Otter’s Jug Band Christmas” makes it’s second appearance in as many years at the Goodspeed Opera House, running through Jan. 3.
Adapted from the 1980s HBO television special featuring the Jim Henson puppets, this production uses a combination of animal puppets and actors dressed as the animal menagerie, set to music.
The plot is a sweet but light tale of a magical world where animals talk and deal with their day to day travails. A father and daughter who have just lost wife and mother are sharing their first Christmas together without her.
The well-meaning dad, played by Stephen Bienskie, (who also plays a mean rocking ACDC-like weasel), tries to be both dad and mom, while pre-teen Jane, played by the adorable Meg Guzulescu, dressed in Hanna Anderson togs, wants to hang with her friends.
They find the children’s book that the mom gave to Jane when she was just baby, and dad starts reading about the fantasy world of Frog Town Hollow.
In this magical place a mom otter, played by Kathy Fitzgerald, and her son, Emmet Otter, the fine, dimpled Justin Bohon, are struggling to put food on the table, but want to give each other a special Christmas gift, as in O’Henry’s “Gift of the Magi.”
Emmet wants to buy his mom a used piano and joins a jug band, while mom otter wants to buy her son a beautiful guitar.
The show kicks off with the two in a rowboat, Emmet rowing and the two singing the funny duet “The One Bathing Suit.”
In this show the colorful costumes are as much a character as the actors are, with oversized buttons and a riot of rainbow colors, textures, and designs, by the talented Gregg Barnes, which are cheerful and bright. The set, by Anna Louizos, features ingenious folding walls that quickly convert from outside to in, and oversized pine trees.
While the full-sized characters are busy working on putting on a talent show, the little critters, including the goofy flying squirrels, an owl, ducks, rabbits, a frog, and other sundry puppet animals, adding lots of silliness and comic touches. Without giving too much away, watch for the deer in the headlights and some awfully corny jokes.
Guzulescu is sweet, but really comes into her own when she sings with the kooky four flying squirrels, and clearly has a fun time with the little fury creatures.
The talent show is a delight, with Squirrel-batics, Der Field Mouse, the song Bar-b-que, Rabbit-tastic, the fabulous Mrs. Mink, played by Jill Abramovitz, doing a minkish strip-tease in the song “Born in a Trunk,” and more.
My favorite song is the rousing ballad, “When the River meets the Sea,” which is reprised a couple times, with songs written by Paul Williams.
Here’s hoping that this show continues to be a Goodspeed holiday tradition for years to come.

EMMET OTTER'S JUG BAND CHRISTMAS

3 Stars
Location: Goodspeed Opera House, Route 82, East Haddam
Production: Music and lyrics by Paul Williams. Book by Timothy A. McDonald and Christopher Gattelli, based on the book written by Russell and Lillian Hoban. Directed and choreographed by Christopher Gattelli. From the original television special produced and directed by Jim Henson and written by Jerry Juhl. Musical direction by Larry Pressgrove. Scene design by Anna Louizos. Costume design by Gregg Barnes. Lighting design by Brian MacDevitt.
Running time: 2 hours including one 15-minute intermission
Show Times: Wednesday Dec. 23 and 30 at 2 and 7 p.m.; Thursday Dec. 17, Friday Dec. 18 and Saturday Dec. 19 at 7 p.m.; Sunday Des at 12 p.m. and 4 p.m.; Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve at 12 p.m.; New Year’s Day at 2 p.m. through Jan. 3. There are no performances Dec. 25.
Tickets: $39 — $59. Call the box office at 860-873-8668 or visit their Web site at www.goodspeed.org
ACTOR…CHARACTER
Meg Guzulescu … Jane
Justin Bohon … Emmet Otter
Kathy Fitzgerald … Mrs. Alice Otter
Lisa Howard … Mrs. Gretchen Fox
Thomas Cannizarro … Mayor Harrison Fox
Jill Abramovitz … Mrs. Mink
Stephen Bienskie … Russ/ Stan Weasel
Jennifer Barnhardt … Madam Squirrel

Athol Fugard’s World Premiere of “Have You Seen Us?” at Long Wharf is a fine, nuanced production

NEW HAVEN — I once knew a man who had a son who could feel no pain and almost died when his appendix burst and he didn’t know it.
Pain, either physical or emotional, is often considered anathema in our society as something to avoid like the plague and ignored or denied sometimes with the assistance of drugs or alcohol. But without some discomfort and pain we would miss out on growth and the possibility of change and transformation into wiser and more fulfilled individuals.
In Athol Fugard’s world premiere of “Have You Seen Us?” at the Long Wharf, Sam Waterston plays a bitter South African emigrant, Henry Parsons, who is living a lonely isolated life in Southern California. His only relationship is a love/hate one with an illegal alien from Mexico, Adela, who is a waitress at a coffee shop, played by Liza Colon-Zayas.
Colon-Zayas is quite good as the no nonsense earthy woman, but for some reason Colon-Zayas stares into the audience at times, which is somewhat unnerving.
She also doesn’t have enough independent activities to keep her occupied. How many times can you sweep the floor and clean off the table? She would be better served if she had some soup to prepare or another cooking activity while Waterston’s Parsons is chatting away with his fine Africaan accent.
It is not an easy one, that accent, and Waterston seems uneasy with it as he opens the play, but as it continues, he comes into his own. This play with its small cast is made or destroyed by the sensitivity of the actors, and make no mistake about it, Waterston is the heart and soul of this show, and he is riveting. He is aided in part by his shock of gray hair, which is almost a character on it’s own.
It’s easy to like a likable person, but Waterston makes the angry, mean, and often nasty Parsons compelling and intriguing. When he sings his alma mater’s Africaan school song, his face erupts with constantly changing and mesmerizing expressions that I could not stop watching, showing such life and pain and heartbreaking nostalgia that speaks far beyond words to deep understanding. It is beautiful and will make you fall in love with this lovely play.
Waterston’s Parsons is a college professor, estranged from his ex-wife and daughter, and intensely anti-Semitic. This suppressed belief rises to the surface when he wishes a couple Merry Christmas and the man, Solly, responds, “Thank you, but we are Jewish.”
Solly is played by Sol Frieder, who slowly enters the stage with his wife Rachel, played by Elaine Kusack. They were so believable that when they entered the stage from the hallway, I first thought the elderly couple were late-arriving audience members interrupting the show.
The two have a quiet, sweet dignity and tenderness that is touching, and flies in the face of Parson’s barely contained contempt.
Not only does the play examine blind prejudice, but it also explores the nature of alcoholism as well as the cultural vapidity created by the expedient strip malls.
I know that friends of Bill would take issue with me, but I don’t like Alcohol Anonymous’ tenant “once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic.” I realize AA has helped millions, but I hate labels of any sort, especially the negative ones, and it saddens me that people carry that negative stereotype about themselves throughout their lives as a way to stay away from drinking their problems away.
It was only last year that I saw another of the prolific Fugard’s world premiere “Coming Home” and I was not impressed. But now with “Have You Seen Us?” I understand what all the fuss over Fugard is about.
This is a beautiful and beautifully produced show that takes an indirect and unsentimental look at the transformational grace of redemption and forgiveness.

HAVE YOU SEEN US?

3 1/2 Stars
Location: 222 Sargent Drive, New Haven
Production: Written by Athol Fugard. Directed by Gordon Edelstein. Set design by Eugene Lee. Costumes by Jennifer Von Mayrhauser. Lighting by Stephen Strawbridge. Sound design by Corrine Livingston. Dialect coach Stephen Gabis. Stage manager Jason Kaiser.
Running time: 1 hour 20 minutes with no intermission.
Show Times: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Sunday at 7 p.m., Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8 p.m., with Wednesday and Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. and Saturday matinee at 3 p.m. through Sunday, Dec. 20.
Tickets: $42 to $72. For more information call their box office at 203-787-4282, or visit their website at www.longwharf.org
ACTOR…CHARACTER
Sam Waterston … Henry Parsons
Liza Colon-Zayas … Adela
Sol Frieder … Solly
Elaine Kussack … Rachel

HSC’s “A Christmas Carol” a familiar, comforting holiday treat

3½ Stars
Location: Hartford Stage Company, 50 Church Street, Hartford.
Production: Story by Charles Dickens. Adapted and directed by Michael Wilson. Choreographed by Hope Clarke. Scenic design by Tony Straiges. Lighting design by Robert Wierzel. Original music and sound design by John Gromada. Music director Ken Clarke. Youth direction by Carleigh Cappetta.
Running time: Two hours with one intermission
Show Times: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and selected Sundays at 7:30 p.m. There is no evening performance Friday, Dec. 25; Matinee performances are Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. with additional 2 p.m. matinees on Dec. 24, 28, 29, and 30, and additional 7:30 p.m. performances on Dec. 3, 20, and 27.
Tickets: $25 — $66. Children 12 and under save $10. Call 860-527-5151 or visit their website at www.hartfordstage.org.
ACTOR…CHARACTER
Bill Raymond … Ebenezer Scrooge
Bill Kux … Ghost of Jacob Marley, Mrs. Dilber
Robert Hannon Davis … Bob Cratchit
Michael Bakkensen … Fred, Scrooge at 30
Allen Rust … Spirit of Christmas Present, Bert, Mr. Fuzziwig
Johanna Morrison … Spirit of Christmas Past, Bettye Pidgeon
Robert Patrick Sheire … Mr. Marvel
Himself … Spirit of Christmas Future
Rebecka Jones … Mrs. Cratchit
Natalie Brown … Mrs. Fezziwig, Fred’s sister-in-law
Nafe Katter … first solicitor and undertaker
Gustave Johnson … Second solicitor
Michelle Hendrick … Belle, Fred’s wife
Patrick Morrisey … Scrooge at 15
Rebecka Jones … Martha Cratchit
(sig)
HARTFORD — Even if you are the most generous, giving soul around, its comforting and helpful to remember the true meaning of the holiday season, the gift of loving and the knowledge that the more you give, the more you get back.
That timeless message is always a welcome reminder, and one the keeps audiences coming back year after year to the Hartford Stage Company’s production.
The ageless Charles Dickens’ tale is about a miserly, bitter, old wealthy man, Ebenezer Scrooge, played by the exuberant Bill Raymond, who loves money more than anything or anyone in the world.
As most know, Scrooge treats his one employee, Bob Cratchit, played with sympathy by Robert Hannon Davis, terribly — refusing to allow him any heat while he works, and begrudges giving Cratchit his one paid Holiday a year — Christmas Day.
Cratchit has a large family to support, and one sickly young boy, Tiny Tim, who is sickly and needs medical assistance the family cannot afford.
It turns out Scrooge wasn’t always such a bad guy in his formative years.
On Christmas Eve Scrooge falls asleep and in his dream has a visit from his former business partner, Jacob Marley, played with dramatic misery by the wonderful Bill Kux.
Marley tells Scrooge he must change his ways or when he dies he will be doomed to the same eternal suffering in the hear-after that he is experiencing.
Next comes three different ghosts, the ghost of Christmas past, the ghost of Christmas present, and the Ghost of Christmas future. The three guide him from his sad neglected childhood to the present, where he hears what others really think of him, good and bad, and then to the future, after he is dead.
Raymond’s Scrooge is meaner and nastier than he was two years ago when he last graced the stage and that is a very good thing. In the 2007 production, he just wasn’t awful enough, making his transformation less meaningful then, but that isn’t the case this year.
The flying and thumping white ghosts that open the show have blank white masks for faces, grotesque movements, and rattling chains continue to be deeply scary, and far too real for children under 8-years-old.
Even for those desensitized kids who can watch the grossest events on the television have a difficult time with this show, because theater is more immediate and visceral.
The original music by John Gromada continues to work beautifully to fully realize the horrific future that awaits Scrooge if he continues on his miserly path.
One of the elements that make Dicken’s tale such a timeless one is the possibility of change and redemption, no matter what our past has been, and that we all have the power to make our lives more beautiful and meaningful.
There’s nothing new here, but, with fine solid direction from Michael Wilson, there’s no need to mess with a very good thing.

“Shakespeare’s R&J” the gay Romeo and Juliet at TheaterWorks

HARTFORD — Young passion, forbidden love, tragedy, and self-discovery are all intertwined in “Shakespeare’s R&J” — a provocative, energetic all male adaptation of Shakespeare’s famous tragedy of star-crossed lovers at TheaterWorks.
I hope I’m not spoiling the ending for anyone by saying that in this play as in the original, Romeo and Juliet don’t make it out alive. In this show adapted by Joe Calarco, a group of four students read Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” a la “Dead Poet’s Society.”
They start out using the script and then evolve into acting the parts, sans costumes, wearing their gray school uniforms throughout.
The story of Romeo and Juliet is about two teenagers who meet and fall instantly in love. Their families, the Montegues and the Capulets, are sworn enemies. Juliet’s parents have an arranged marriage in mind for her, and it isn’t Romeo. She and Romeo secretly marry.
In self defense, Romeo kills Tibalt, Juliet’s cousin, in a street fight, and he is banished from the land.
The Friar devises a plan where Juliet takes a potion that makes her appear dead. He tries to get a message to Romeo of the scheme, but it doesn’t get to Romeo in time (no texting available in those Medieval days) and he believes her dead. He sees her apparently dead, kills himself and when Juliet awakens to find Romeo dead, she stabs herself to death.
They say youth is often wasted on the young, but not in “Shakespeare R&J,” where the sheer energy and exuberance and acting ability of the four actors is a delight..
Any opportunity to hear Shakespeare’s remarkably glorious language is a welcome treat, here confidently directed by Rob Ruggiero, the actors visually exaggerate the dialog’s intent without overdoing it.
And what language. Here is some of the most beautiful, simple, and elegant words about romantic love ever written.
“Love is a smoke made with the flame of sighs…a madness most discontent.”
“Love is not love that alters when alteration finds.”
“What ’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”
In a world where profanity has become just another adjective, it’s illuminating to note that in all of Shakespeare’s plays he only used few truly profane oaths, although sexual and bawdy innuendo abounds.
It isn’t the language that is provocative here, nor the subject matter, but the fact that the lovers are both men. I suppose that will bother some, but I look at the acting, not the biology, and in that they are terrific.
It’s a great premise too, because, with a different setting and a different type of cast, the language, which is all so familiar, takes on a new life.
That being said, it is never easy to say lines that have been etched into our social subconscious till they are cliches, and make them sound fresh.
When Ashley Robinson, who plays Juliet, says, “Romeo, Romeo, where for art thou Romeo,” it feels like he is trying to manipulate the lines to not sound so familiar, making if feel forced.
There are some amusing lines that I didn’t recall from other productions, such as when Juliet is frustrated by the Nurse, played by TJ Linnard, when she won’t talk, and says, “How can you be out of breath if you have breath to say you are out of breath?”
Linnard’s Nurse is the least successful of the characters, with an exaggerated falsetto that is difficult to understand at times.
Adam Barrie’s Romeo is as tender and as passionate as one could wish for in the romantic hero.
Paul Terzenbach as Mercutio delivers his dying lines with unexpected depth and then humor when he says, “Ask for me tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man.”
Set in a Catholic boy’s boarding school, with four chairs and a gray stone backdrop with red votive candles, the single set is a sublime study in austere minimalism that works beautifully, by Brian Prather.
So, TheaterWorks, how about next time you do something really provocative and produce “Shakespeare’s R&J” with an all woman cast.

SHAKESPEARE'S R&J

3 Stars
Theater: TheaterWorks
Location: 233 Pearl St. Hartford.
Production: Adapted by Joe Calarco. Directed by Rob Ruggiero. Set design by Brian Prather. Lighting design by Matthew Richards. Sound design by Vincent Olivieri.
Running time: Two hours, one intermission
Show Times: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays — 8 p.m. Matinees on Saturdays and Sundays — 2:30 p.m. Extra Sunday evening shows — 7:30 p.m. (later weeks of most runs). The show will run through Dec. 20.
Tickets: Unassigned seating is $38; $48 on Friday and Saturday nights. Center reserved seats $12 extra. $12 student rush tickets at show time with valid ID (subject to availability). For tickets call 860-527-7838 or visit their Web site at www.theaterworks.org.
ACTOR…CHARACTER
Adam Barrie … Student 1
Ashley Robinson … Student 2
Paul Terzenbach … Student 3
TJ Linnard … Student 4

"The Full Monty" raunchy little studfest

EAST WINDSOR — “The Sound of Music” it ain’t, but still, “The Full Monty” a “raunchy little studfest” of a musical playing at the Opera House Players, like the Oscar and Hammerstein musical, is at it’s heart about family and what people will do for love.
Based on the film by the same name, it’s a timely show about laid off male blue-collar workers in Buffalo, New York, whose self-esteem has taken a serious knock because there is no work and slim prospects of anything much better than being Wal-Mart security guards.
Jerry Lukowski, played by Christopher deJongh, is one of the down-and-outs, who is about to lose visitation rights to see his son, Nathan (Seanan Ellis) because he is arrears in child support to his ex-wife Pam (Sara Steiner).
Jerry learns that the male Chippendale dancers make great money and hatches a scheme with his buddy, Dave Bukatinsky (Ty Pearsons) to stage a strip show with local guys, calling themselves “Hot Metal.”
And so it goes. deJongh has a rockin’ voice that shines when he sings “Man” with the equally fine Pearsons, who is surprisingly light on his feet for a big guy.
Melissa Dupont as Georgie Bukatinsky along with Kathi Such as Vicki Nichols can really belt out tunes and sound terrific together in the powerful duet “You Rule My World,” which Dave and Harold sing earlier.
When Davie and Harold sing the same song, it is supposed to be a dream sequence, but for some reason the two separate couples’ beds are place right next to each other. It would be much better to have them on separate sides of the stage.
When Jerry sings the sweet ballad “Breeze off the River” to his sleeping son, he doesn’t stay next to the boy, but gets up and walks towards the audience to sing, which diminishes the sweet intimacy between father and son.
Although only 10 years old, Ellis, plays the 12-year-old son, Nathan, with amazing realism and maturity — practically stealing the show in the process with his naturalness and confidence.
Unlike the film, in the musical Terrance McNally added an aged accompanist from the old vaudeville circuit, Jeanette Burmeister, to fine effect, here played with snazzy panache by Moonyean Field.
The choreography by Lesley Gallagher is top notch, with some well-coordinated moves, such as the basketball number, “Michael Jordan’s Ball” by the ensemble.
The band led by musical director Tom Slowick is jazzy and great, and really worth coming to hear just on it’s own.
The miked sound of the singers isn’t terrific. Here’s hoping they can get a new sound system. The cast did their best and have good projection on their own, but really they need better amplification, especially when they are competing with amplified instruments.
There is a lot of strong language and brief nudity, so this is not a show for the kids. Honestly I was uncomfortable with a 10-year-old being exposed to and using profanity.
You have got to give these guys credit — they are normal, everyday blokes who walk around half naked and then some for a good part of the show. From the beginning until the end, I found myself involuntarily blushing like I haven’t for years.
If you don’t mind some earthly language and some brief nudity, “The Full Monty” offers a grown up night full of fun.

THE FULL MONTY

3 Stars
Theater: Opera House Players
Location: 107 Main Street, Broad Brook
Production: Music and lyrics by David Yazbeck. Book by Terrance McNally. Direction by Philip D. Vetro. Musical direction by Tom Slowick. Choreography by Lesley Gallagher. Stage managers Aslynn Brown and Heather Maloney. Lighting designer Diane St. Amand. Set designer Clark Bowen.
Running time: 3 hours, with a 15-minute intermission
Show Times: Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. through Nov. 22.
Tickets: $20, $12 for seniors over 60. Not recommended for children. Call 860-292-6068 or visit their Web site at www.operahouseplayers.org
ACTOR…CHARACTER
Christopher deJongh … Jerry Lukowski
Ty Pearsons … Dave Bukatinsky
Michael Gowdy … Malcolm MacGregor
Paul DiProto … Harold Nichols
Stephen Jewell … Ethan Girard
Foster Evan Reese … Noah “Horse” T. Simmons
Seanan Ellis … Nathan Lukowski
Melissa Dupont … Georgie Bukatinsky
Kathi Such … Vicki Nichols
Moonyean Field … Jeanette Burneister
Sara Steiner … Pam Lukowski
Stacy Constantine … Estelle Genovese
Dallas Hosmer … Buddy “Keno” Walsh
Khara Hoyer … Susan Hershey
Erin Maloney … Joanie Lish
Tony Palmieri … Teddy Slaughter
Mark Wantroba … Reg Willoughby
Kim Wantroba … Molly MacGregor
Brent White … Marty, repo man
Brianna Mello … Dolores
Sara Papa … Dance instructor
Jonathan Escobar … Stripper, repo man
Ben Chayes … Minister, Tony Giordano
Andrew Holl … Gary Bonasorte, police sergeant

"The Sound of Music Soars" at LTM

EAST WINDSOR — “The Sound of Music” it ain’t, but still, “The Full Monty” a “raunchy little studfest” of a musical playing at the Opera House Players, like the Oscar and Hammerstein musical, is at it’s heart about family and what people will do for love.
Based on the film by the same name, it’s a timely show about laid off male blue-collar workers in Buffalo, New York, whose self-esteem has taken a serious knock because there is no work and slim prospects of anything much better than being Wal-Mart security guards.
Jerry Lukowski, played by Christopher deJongh, is one of the down-and-outs, who is about to lose visitation rights to see his son, Nathan (Seanan Ellis) because he is arrears in child support to his ex-wife Pam (Sara Steiner).
Jerry learns that the male Chippendale dancers make great money and hatches a scheme with his buddy, Dave Bukatinsky (Ty Pearsons) to stage a strip show with local guys, calling themselves “Hot Metal.”
And so it goes. deJongh has a rockin’ voice that shines when he sings “Man” with the equally fine Pearsons, who is surprisingly light on his feet for a big guy.
Melissa Dupont as Georgie Bukatinsky along with Kathi Such as Vicki Nichols can really belt out tunes and sound terrific together in the powerful duet “You Rule My World,” which Dave and Harold sing earlier.
When Davie and Harold sing the same song, it is supposed to be a dream sequence, but for some reason the two separate couples’ beds are place right next to each other. It would be much better to have them on separate sides of the stage.
When Jerry sings the sweet ballad “Breeze off the River” to his sleeping son, he doesn’t stay next to the boy, but gets up and walks towards the audience to sing, which diminishes the sweet intimacy between father and son.
Although only 10 years old, Ellis, plays the 12-year-old son, Nathan, with amazing realism and maturity — practically stealing the show in the process with his naturalness and confidence.
Unlike the film, in the musical Terrance McNally added an aged accompanist from the old vaudeville circuit, Jeanette Burmeister, to fine effect, here played with snazzy panache by Moonyean Field.
The choreography by Lesley Gallagher is top notch, with some well-coordinated moves, such as the basketball number, “Michael Jordan’s Ball” by the ensemble.
The band led by musical director Tom Slowick is jazzy and great, and really worth coming to hear just on it’s own.
The miked sound of the singers isn’t terrific. Here’s hoping they can get a new sound system. The cast did their best and have good projection on their own, but really they need better amplification, especially when they are competing with amplified instruments.
There is a lot of strong language and brief nudity, so this is not a show for the kids. Honestly I was uncomfortable with a 10-year-old being exposed to and using profanity.
You have got to give these guys credit — they are normal, everyday blokes who walk around half naked and then some for a good part of the show. From the beginning until the end, I found myself involuntarily blushing like I haven’t for years.
If you don’t mind some earthly language and some brief nudity, “The Full Monty” offers a grown up night full of fun.

THE SOUND OF MUSIC

3 Stars
Theater: Opera House Players
Location: 107 Main Street, Broad Brook
Production: Music and lyrics by David Yazbeck. Book by Terrance McNally. Direction by Philip D. Vetro. Musical direction by Tom Slowick. Choreography by Lesley Gallagher. Stage managers Aslynn Brown and Heather Maloney. Lighting designer Diane St. Amand. Set designer Clark Bowen.
Running time: 3 hours, with a 15-minute intermission
Show Times: Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. through Nov. 22.
Tickets: $20, $12 for seniors over 60. Not recommended for children. Call 860-292-6068 or visit their website at www.operahouseplayers.org
ACTOR…CHARACTER
Christopher deJongh … Jerry Lukowski
Ty Pearsons … Dave Bukatinsky
Michael Gowdy … Malcolm MacGregor
Paul DiProto … Harold Nichols
Stephen Jewell … Ethan Girard
Foster Evan Reese … Noah “Horse” T. Simmons
Seanan Ellis … Nathan Lukowski
Melissa Dupont … Georgie Bukatinsky
Kathi Such … Vicki Nichols
Moonyean Field … Jeanette Burneister
Sara Steiner … Pam Lukowski
Stacy Constantine … Estelle Genovese
Dallas Hosmer … Buddy “Keno” Walsh
Khara Hoyer … Susan Hershey
Erin Maloney … Joanie Lish
Tony Palmieri … Teddy Slaughter
Mark Wantroba … Reg Willoughby
Kim Wantroba … Molly MacGregor
Brent White … Marty, repo man
Brianna Mello … Dolores
Sara Papa … Dance instructor
Jonathan Escobar … Stripper, repo man
Ben Chayes … Minister, Tony Giordano
Andrew Holl … Gary Bonasorte, police sergeant

“The Sound of Music” soars at LTM

MANCHESTER — Chances are you going to have a tough time getting a ticket to see “The Sound of Music,” at the Manchester Little Theatre, running through Sunday, and that’s a shame, because if you enjoy musicals, this is one to see.
A perennial favorite among community theaters, this show has more hits per minute than any I can think of, including, of course, “The Sound of Music,” “How do you Solve a Problem Like Maria,” “Lonely Goatherd,” “I have Confidence,” “My Favorite Things,” “Going on Seventeen,” and the list goes on.
Maria, played by Jessica Cutino, has a lovely voice that is most comfortable in the mezzo-soprano range, while Mike Zizka plays Capt. von Trapp with a strict but kind demeanor. Comparisons to the 1966 film are difficult to avoid, and here Zizka’s Captain has more depth and less creepiness than Christopher Plummer’s von Trapp.
The von Trapp kids are all fantastic, managing complex choreography, such as the delightful adaptation of “Lonely Goatherd” with choreography by Todd Santa Maria.
It’s a shame not to mention each child, because they are all great from Leisl, played by the graceful and lithe Jenna Vezina, to the empathic Brigitta (Maria Meier), to the cutest little peanut to grace the stage, Jenna Mitchell playing Gretl.
Timothy Russell as the young lover Rolf Gruber has a fine clear voice and makes a smaller part pop.
John Michael Whitney as the theater producer Max Detwiller has the self-depreciating smarmy cynical charm that’s irresistible. He’s honest when he says, “I like rich people. I like the way they live and I like the way I live when I am with them.”
Diane L. AmEnde plays Elsa Schraeder with less cattiness than in the film version, making her harder to dislike, but more realistic.
Unfortunately the two songs that Elsa and Max sing, which they do an admirable job delivering, drag down the momentum of the show and could easily have been dropped without being missed. No reflection on the actors, but the songs just aren’t that tuneful or memorable.
The nuns who kick off the show in harmonious A Capella, and then later in the marriage ceremony, are excellent and set the tone for the rest of this musical.
As fine as the entire cast is, the show stopper belongs to Mary deManbey as the Mother Abbess, singing to perfection “Climb Ev’ry Mountain.” It is one of the most beautiful, moving, powerful songs ever written for the stage, and deManbey commandingly, confidently, and lovingly catapults this show to another level all together.
The set is solidly minimal, with a massive movable sweeping staircase, which, when turned around becomes an exterior wall. Cleverly conceived by Greg Cerosky and Leslie Mills, and designed and constructed by Fred T. Blish with help from the shop crew.
The costumes are a dream, designed by Vivana Lamb. The kids in particular, in their lovely party clothes, their wedding garb, their travel outfits, and their uniforms, really could not be better. I would have preferred Maria’s play outfit to be of a different material than the children’s, because she should stand out from them, not look like one of them.
How they manage to make all those costume changes so quickly and seamlessly is a tribute to those unsung heroes, the backstage crew.
Directed by Michael Forgetta with a strong and confident hand, this cast is well rehearsed. Every single word is understandable, even with the children, which is quiet an accomplishment.
Mother Abbess tells Maria, “You have to find the life you were born to live.” Isn’t that what we all seek? It’s the most important thing and “The Sound of Music” is a dear reminder of what truly matters more than anything else, and despite all the odds — love.

THE SOUND OF MUSIC

Three Stars
Location: Little Theatre of Manchester at Cheney Hall, 177 Hartford Road, Manchester
Production: Music by Richard Rodgers. Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. Book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. Directed by Michael Forgetta. Musical direction by Paul Coffill. Set concept by Greg Cerosky and Leslie Mills. Stage manager Tom Goodin. Set designed by Fred T. Blish. Sound and lighting designed by Glen Aliczi. Costumes by Viviana Lamb. Choreographed by Todd Santa Maria. Produced by Jennifer Lysomirski.
Running time: 3 hours, including one 15-minute intermission
Show Times: Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8 p.m. Sunday at 2 p.m. through Sunday, Nov. 22.
Tickets: $21 — $28. Seniors over 60 and students receive a discount. Call the box office at 860-647-9824, or visit their website at www.cheneyhall.org
ACTOR…CHARACTER
Jessica Cutino … Maria Rainer
Mike Zizka … Capt. Georg von Trapp
Jenna Vezina … Liesl
Tommy Curtis … Friedrich
Katie Emery … Louisa
Sawyer Gaunt … Kurt
Maria Meier … Brigitta
Kellen Mitchell … Marta
Jenna Mitchell … Gretl
Diane L. AmEnde … Elsa Schraeder
John-Michael Whitney … Max Detweiller
Timothy Russell … Rolf Gruber, party guest
Mary deManbey … The Mother Abbess
Melissa Paul … Sister Berthe, Mistress of Novices
Jenna Levitt … Sister Margaretta, Mistress of Postulants
Sarah Jane Hayes … Sister Sophia
Douglas Ross … Franz, the butler
Lynn Ross … Frau Schmidt, the housekeeper
Ann Azevedo … Ursula, the maid, nun, party guest
William “Leo” Reaves … Herr Zeller
Alex Pazda … Baron Elberfeld, party guest
Sarah Logan … Baroness Elberfeld, Fraulein Schweiger, nun, party guest
Don DiGenova … Admiral von Schreiber, party guest
Kristen Shaw … A new postulant, nun
Susan Bailey, Laura Benson, Jen Berlin, Teresa Bonavita, Pat Covino, Aggie Dorio, Denise Gagne, Yvonne Jacques, Jennifer Lane, Donna Merceir, Joan Notghi, Nancy Rosenzweig, Sherrie D. Schallack … The Nuns of Nonnberg Abby
Jennifer Lane, Aggie Dorio, Yvonne Jacques, Pat Covino, George Pappas, Frank Dorio … party guests

“A Curious Savage” a gentle, sweet comedy at the Valley Repertory Company

ENFIELD — The lovely thing about community theater is you get a chance to see shows that rarely see the light of day.
Take “The Curious Savage,” written about 50 years ago by John Patrick and running at the Valley Repertory Theater in the Thompsonville section of Enfield.
The play is set in the 40’s, presumably after World War II, but before the invention of the radio.
A wealthy widow, Mrs. Savage, played with magnanimity by Jane Maulucci, has been committed to a private asylum by her greedy step-children — the U.S. Senator, Titus; Lily Belle; and Samuel, played by Mark Vogel, Lisa Coleman Hasty, and Eddie Burke respectively.
Savage says of Titus that the only reason the voters elect him to the U.S. Senate is to keep him out of the state.
The three want the $10 million in bonds that Mrs. Savage has squirreled away somewhere, and they won’t take ‘no’ for an answer, while she does her best to use their greed to her advantage.
Why have they done such a heinous act of placing her in a mental institution? Because she wants all the money to go to her memorial fund which she calls her “happiness fund,” where she gives away grants for acts of random kindness, like giving an Italian man $200 to buy a gravestone for his beloved dead horse.
The characters in the asylum are revealed one by one, and each has a charm and sweetness to them, which, compared to the greedy threesome, brings up the obvious question, who are the crazy ones?
There’s the war survivor Jeffrey, sensitively played by Logan Lopez; the high strung violinist, Hannibal (Charles Schoenfeld); the forlorn mother, Florence (Lisa Eaton); the angry and silent Mrs. Paddy (Jan Albetski); the assistant with a secret Miss Willie (Lorrie Bacon); and the delightful Fairy May played with fragile delicacy and superb comic timing by Janine Flood.
When plain, sweet Fairy May learns a new resident is on the way she says with a sigh, “I hope she isn’t beautiful. Competition exhausts me.” She later says to Savage, “You’re very generous for your size and weight.” It’s really funny and all character driven.
Vogel and Burke are great as the nasty selfish sons, but Hasty as Lily Belle has spoiled rotten down to a science. And can that woman scream and swoon and be mean as only the ultra-rich can afford to be. She borders on the edge of camp, but keeps it believable.
At one point Lily Belle cries out in abject dejection and defeat, wailing, “I don’t know how to be poor,” when she learns that all the money is gone. Or is it? That’s part of the fun in this terrific play that should not be missed.
The set by Eric Albetski, is a solid and well-appointed living room in the asylum, and the actors all move about naturally and comfortably in the space, with confident direction by Patty Coope Piellucci.
Just when you start thinking that an asylum might be a nice world to retreat to, the resident physician, Dr. Emmett, played with authority by Sue Reese, says, “They have found refuge in an eggshell world. ” Then you know that hiding from the world is not the answer, as tempting as it might appear.
The play is a clever and interesting who-done-it that keeps you guessing throughout. But the real delight of this precious play is in the language and the gentle, subtle, and sweet acting, with loving direction by Piellucci.
Time and again Valley Repertory Theater comes up with unusual and touching shows, as they have once again with “A Curious Savage.”

A CURIOUS SAVAGE

3 Stars
Theater: Valley Repertory Company
Location: 100 High Street, Enfield
Production: Written by John Patrick. Directed by Patty Coope Peillucci. Produced by Jan Albetski. Stage manager Jason Fregeau. Set and lighting design and technical direction by Eric Albetski.
Running time: 2 ½ hours, with one intermission
Show Times: Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. through Nov. 21.
Tickets: $12, $10 for seniors over 60 and youth under 12. Call 860-749-4665 or visit their website at www.valleyrep.com
ACTOR…CHARACTER
Jane Maulucci … Mrs. Savage
Lisa Eaton … Florence
Charles Schoenfeld … Hannibal
Janine Flood … Fairy May
Logan Lopez … Jeffrey
Jan Albetski … Mrs. Paddy
Lorrie Bacon … Miss Willie
Mark Vogel … Titus
Lisa Coleman Hasty … Lily Belle
Eddie Burke … Samuel
Sue Reese … Dr. Emmett

Ivoryton’s “Jerry’s Girls” an evening of song and celebration

IVORYTON — Although the five women who sang their individual hearts out with Broadway songs ranging from “Bosom Buddies” to “Hello Dolly,” and many in between, the real star of this show is Jerry Herman, the best, most prolific songster you might never have heard of.
I certainly never did. Based on the litany of songs he wrote I think his name should come trippingly off the tongue just as other Broadway legends do — Rodgers and Hammerstein and Steven Sondheim come to mind.
There’s nary a plot to be found in this musical review, but just like a night club act, it’s an evening of song, sass, and the old soft-shoe.
All five of the gals are super in their own way, with Elizabeth Talbot the only non-equity actor in this show. Her voice is lovely and lyrical, but a little soft, and at times the small orchestra in the back of the stage on the second level overpowered her.
Jackie Sidle is dynamic and charismatic channeling the funny Fanny Brice in “Put it Back On.” In the beginning of the evening Sidle’s voice was straining and harsh, but as she warmed up, she bloomed.
Amy D. Forbes is funny and pretty, although her voice too is a little soft, when she sings “Just Go to the Movies.” There is a strobe light during this song that goes on too long and is difficult, bordering on painful to watch. They could loose that effect.
MaryAnne Piccolo has the most powerful voice in the cast, and is memorable in her stark and piercing duet with Julia Kiley called “Kiss Her Now.”
Kiley, who also directed and staged the show, looks much like a red headed Debbie Reynolds, and has a terrific stage presence and sings one of the most dramatic and best songs of the embarrassment of musical riches, “If He Walked into my Life.”
These songs, ranging from torch to camp, are romantic, dreamy, and thoroughly enjoyable.
The Art Deco set by Rachel Reynolds fits the mood to a “T.” It harkens back to a time when the world was a simpler place — and the women are feisty, gorgeous, and powerful.
The costumes are variations of little black dresses as the base, with multiple fast changes that must be a backstage show in itself, with costumes by Pam Puente.
Don’t come looking for a plot, because there isn’t any, but if you are interested in a delightful, fast-paced, evening of entertainment, with some of the best songs ever to grace the musical stage, sung by five dynamic divas, then “Jerry’s Girls” at the Ivoryton Playhouse is for you.

JERRY'S GIRLS

3 Stars
Location: Ivoryton Playhouse, 103 Main Street, Ivoryton
Production: Music and Lyrics by Jerry Herman. Directed and staged by Julia Kiley. Musical direction by Steven Oliveri. Set Design by Rachel Reynolds. Costume design by Pam Puente. Lighting design by Doug Harry.
Running time: 2 hours including one 15-minute intermission.
Show Times: Wednesday and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturdays at 8 p.m., with Wednesday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. through Nov. 15.
Tickets: $35 for adults, $30 for previews and seniors, $20 for students, and $15 for children 12 and under. Call the box office at 860-767-7318, or visit their website at www.ivorytonplayhouse.org
ACTOR…CHARACTER
Amy D. Forbes … Herself
Julia Kiley … Herself
MaryAnne Piccolo … Herself
Jackie Sidle … Herself
Elizabeth Talbot … Herself

CRT’s "Abraham Lincolns Big Gay Dance Party" entertaining education


STORRS — Was Abraham Lincoln a homosexual? That question, supported by historical fact, is one part of the premise of the inquisitive, entertaining, and educational musical play “Abraham Lincoln’s Big Gay Dance Party,” running through Sunday, Nov. 8 at the intimate studio theatre at the University of Connecticut.
What better time to show this political farcical play than during election season?
The play, which starts out as a Christmas pageant in an elementary school in the “fly-over country” of Illinois has a third grader playing Lincoln saying that Lincoln and a merchant, Joshua Speed, were lovers, and that’s okay.
From there the teacher, Harmony, played by Alison Barton, is fired from her job and a trial that is hyped as “The Trial of the Century” commences.
The play, thoughtfully directed by Kristen Wold, is more of an allegory, engaging the audience to vote on whose perspective to view the play from first, the defendant’s, the prosecutor’s, or the reporter’s.
The sets, designed by Jennifer Corcoran, are as clever as can be, with bright, cartoon colors, like folded origami, which are moved about on wheels by the actors to show the courtroom, a restaurant, and a cornfield.
The dialog is smart, sharp, and delivered with conviction, and, as the title implies, there’s plenty of dancing, by the energetic ensemble, with fine choreography by Christine Gambardella, and excellent dancing, particularly by Rachel Leigh Rosado as the Cuban exile Esmerelda.
There’s some pretty graphic sexual dialog and actions, making this show for adults only.
Songs from Brooks and Dunn to Crosby Stills Nash and Young, disco numbers, movie songs such as “Footloose,” and the television theme song to “The Andy Griffith Show,” are woven throughout the show, providing a lift to sometimes talk heavy dialog, with sound design by Jack Nardi.
Showing the same plot from three different perspectives, which this play does, becomes confusing at times. A gunshot is heard over the phone by the Republican defense attorney who wants to be the first black governor of Illinois, Regina, play by Tiffany Vinters.
But it is hard to connect the dots when it is told from the perspective of Tom, the older prosecutor, an arch-conservative Republican who is also running for governor, played by Tom Foran, who evidently shot the gun.
In fact, I’m not really sure how the trial turns out except that what really is on trial here, as one of the characters says at the end, is the United States versus themselves.
Noah Weintraub is convincing as the famous New York Times Pulitzer prize-winning reporter, a gay man bent on destroying Tom’s career.
Also fine is Harrison Greene as the smarmy political operator who is hell-bent on manipulating everyone in his path for political gain.
Barton is excellent too as the wide-eyed, devoted teacher, Harmony, and the older mom hobbling ably with a cane.
Quotes from Lincoln, including his statement that “Those who deny freedom to others do not deserve it themselves,” and debates about the meaning of the word liberty, are laced throughout this challenging show.
It presented with all the energy, commitment, and thoughtfulness that I have come to expect from UConn’s theater department.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S BIG GAY DANCE PARTY
3 Stars
Theater: Connecticut Repertory Theatre
Location: Studio Theater, 802 Bolton Rd., Storrs
Production: Written by Aaron Loeb. Directed by Kristin Wold. Scenic design by Jennifer Corcoran. Costume design by Cassandra Beaver. Lighting design by Matthew Daurio. Sound design by Jack Nardi. Choreography by Christine Gambardella. Music consultant Ken Clark. Technical direction by Alez Colodner. Production stage manager Carmen Torres.
Running time: 2 ½ hours with one intermission.
Show Times: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m., and Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., with matinees Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. through Nov. 8.
Tickets: General admission $11 to $29. Call 860-486-4266 or visit their website at www.crt.uconn.edu.
ACTOR…CHARACTER
Alison Barton … Mom, Harmony, Abe
Scott Cooke … Jerry, Bailiff, Abe
Tom Foran … Tom, Walter, Abe
Harrison Greene … Lloyd, Timmy, Abe
Seth Koproski … Sparky, Principal, Abe
Sarah Murdoch … Tina, Violet, Jefferson, Abe
Rachel Leigh Rosado … Esmerelda, Abe
Tiffany Vinters … Regina, Washington, Abe
Noah Weintraub … Anton, Judge, Abe

Goodspeed’s “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” a gaggle of giggles

EAST HADDAM — “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” at the Goodspeed, is a delightfully hysterical, witty and pun-filled night of entertainment that offers “something for everyone — it’s comedy tonight.”
Set in ancient Rome, a savvy slave, Pseudolus, (Adam Heller) promises his young master, Hero, (Sam Pinkleton) that he will hook Hero up with his courtesan love, Philia, (Emily Thompson) in exchange for his freedom.
Comedy is all about timing and good casting, and these actors have it all.
Complications ensue when it is learned that Philia has been sold to Capt. Miles Gloriosus (Nat Chandler) and the Philia mistakes Hero’s father, Senex (David Wohl) for the Captain.
The head slave of the household, Hysterium (John Scherer) does his best to go along with the hoax, eventually pretending to be the virgin Philia. Scherer has a face that is a study in comic expressions that changes on a dime. Scherer and Heller are a great team and work together seamlessly.
Each actor is perfectly cast for his or her role, and they all clearly are having a terrific time, expending an enormous amount of energy, with spot on comic timing. Heller’s quick thinking and talking Pseudolus leads the proceedings and is the mayor of all good times.
From the get-go Pseudolus speaks directly to the audience, and this works well to get everyone along for the bumpy, farcical musical.
Wohl, who looks like a younger W.C. Fields, is adorable with a sweet lisp as the pudgy father Senex, whose mind is willing to fool around with the lovely Philia, but whose flesh isn’t quite up to the task.
His frustrated and fanatical wife, Domina, played by Mary Gutzi, is a powerhouse of determination, with good reason to be suspicious of her husband.
The opening number, “Comedy Tonight” with all songs and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, is the catchiest tune in the show that features actors as living cartoons which is a good thing, on the way to the forum.
Directed and choreographed by Ted Pappas, this show picks up speed as it goes, particularly in the second act when the actors all start running and slamming doors, chasing each other down, and having a grand time.
Nat Chandler is sufficiently self-impressed as the Captain, while Ron Wisniski who plays the brothel-owner, Marcus Lycus has a rubber face of expressions and is amusingly high-strung.
The men-folk in the audience will love the gorgeous courtesans dressed in the tiniest of bikinis, with costume design by Martha Bromelmeier, while the men’s costumes, which were mostly wide-striped pajamas, covered imperfections nicely, but look sloppy and aren’t up to the usual Goodspeed standard.
Mark Baker as Erronious, who lives in one of the three houses on the stage, returns from a voyage around the world trying to find his children who were stolen by pirates. This plot point, that seems totally unrelated, helps tie up the story in a neat deus ex machina at the end.
Part slapstick, part farce, with some cornball humor thrown in, plus some Romeo and Juliet magic potions that go awry, “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” is a goofy ride that tickles all kinds of funny-bones.

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM

3 Stars
Location: Goodspeed Opera House, 6 Main Street, East Haddam
Production: Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart. Directed and choreographed by Ted Pappas. Musical direction by Michael O’Flaherty. Scenic design by James Noone. Costume design by Martha Bromelmeier. Lighting design by Kirk Bookman. Sound by Jay Hilton.
Running time: 2 hours, with one 15-minute intermission.
Show Times: Wednesday at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Thursday at 7:30 p.m. (select performances at 2 p.m.); Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. with Saturday matinee at 3 p.m.; and Sunday matinee at 2 p.m., with Sunday evening performance at 6:30 p.m. through Nov. 29. Call for Thanksgiving week schedule.
Tickets: $27.50 — $69.50. Call the box office at 860-873-8668 or visit their Web site at www.goodspeed.org
ACTOR…CHARACTER
Adam Heller … Pseudolus
Sam Pinkleton … Hero
Emily Thompson … Philia
David Wohl … Senex
Mary Gutzi … Domina
John Scherer … Hysterium
Ron Wisniski … Marcus Lycus
Stephanie Lynn Nelson … Tintinabula
Semhar Ghebremichael … Panecea
Abby O’Brien, Krista Saab … Geminae
Laura Keller … Gymnasia
Mark Baker …Erronius
Nat Chanderler … Miles Gloriosus

Suffield Players production of “The Foreigner” is dark humor at it’s best

SUFFIELD — Hidden in the hills of Suffield is a community theater that consistently produces off beat dark comedies time and time again.
“The Foreigner” written by Larry Shue, continues their tradition of thoughtful, dark farcical plays, here with a little slapstick thrown in for good measure.
The play is set in a rundown fishing resort in Georgia. A British sergeant, Froggy LeSueur, played by Mark Proulx, with a pronounced Australian accent, brings his English friend, Charlie Baker, with him to the lodge.
Baker, played by Dale T. Facey, has a morbid fear of meeting and speaking with new people, so LeSueur concocts a story that Charlie is from an exotic country and knows no English.
Charlie’s wife, who has cheated on him extensively, is in a hospital back in England and has six months to live. Still she insisted Charlie go with LeSueur to the U.S., mostly because she doesn’t like him very much. Charlie tells this all matter-of-factly, saying he understands because he has no personality and is boring.
In comes the resort owner, the bawdy, loud, jovial Betty Meeks, played with exuberance by Cynthia Lee Andersen, followed by former debutant and reluctant fiancée Catherine Simms (Brianna Stronk) and her beau, the smarmy Reverend David Marshall Lee. The reverend is played with creepy dark intent by Christopher Berrien, who takes literally the saying, “The Lord helps those who help themselves.”
Catherine has a dim-witted but good-hearted brother, Ellard Simms, played with child-like enthusiasm by Brian Rucci, whom the conniving reverend is trying to cheat out of his share of the $1 million family inheritance.
Good-old-boy Owen Musser, played by James L. Frank-Saraceni, is the straight-forward mean old biggot and Ku Klux Klan member who is working in cahoots with the reverend to condemn Meek’s resort in order to buy it on the cheap and make it their Klan headquarters.
Facey is great as Baker, who goes from a terrified, timid bore, to a creative, witty, and brave hero in the course of the play that has some really surprisingly scary parts and some unexpected twists and turns.
While all the actors do a terrific job with their roles, Frank-Saraceni’s Owen is the most authentic redneck of the bunch. He reacts more than acts, and his responses, particularly when he is forced to try to pronounce a foreign, albeit made up, language, is sharp and real.
The first act is a bit long in exposition and talking heads, and as tightly directed as it is by Robert Lunde, it drags on and isn’t that funny. But the second act is the payoff for hanging in there, with twists and turns and witty situations, all orchestrated by Charlie Baker.
The set by Lunde and Konrad Rogowski is meticulously detailed right down to the fishing tackle and the tacky singing fish on the wall that they turn on once during a set change, which is a nice touch.
Shue sadly died in a commuter plane crash in 1985 at 39 at the beginning of what would surely have been a stellar career, and it’s a shame to think of all the plays he could have created had he lived.
Still, the Suffield Players’ production of Shue’s “The Foreigner” is a intelligent, funny black comedy and a great night out.

THE FOREIGNER

3 Stars
Location: Mapleton Hall, 1305 Mapleton Ave. Suffield.
Production: Written by Larry Shue. Directed by Robert Lunde. Stage manager Karen Balaska. Assistant stage manager Bob Williams. Backstage crew Beth Moriarty. Technical director and lighting design by Jerry Zalewski. Production manager Konrad Rogowski. Special costume design and constructin by Bev Sikes. Set design by Lunde and Rogowski. Sound design by Joe Soucy.
Running time: 2 hours, plus a 15-minute intermissions.
Show Times: Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. through Oct. 24.
Tickets: $17, $15 for seniors and students. Call 1-800-289-6148 of visit their website at www.suffieldplayers.org.
ACTOR…CHARACTER
Mark Proulx … Staff Sgt. Froggy LeSueur
Dale T. Facey … Charlie Baker
Cynthia Lee Andersen … Betty Meeks
Christopher Berrien … Rev. David Marshall Lee
Brianna Stronk … Catherine Simms
James L. Frank-Saraceni … Owen Musser
Brian Rucci … Ellard Simms
Gwen Moriarty, Sadie Moriarty … Klansmen

Near perfect production of dated “The Fantasticks” at Long Wharf

NEW HAVEN — Here’s a conundrum for you. The Long Wharf Theatre’s nearly perfect production of “The Fantasticks” is still about an allegorical show that I don’t like.
I’m surprised that I had never seen a show that is a staple of the regional and community theater scene, to say nothing of its fame as the longest running Off-Broadway shows in history, having run for 42 years before closing in 2002.
Unfortunately the nature of allegory is that it is representative of archetypes rather than intimate characters and therefore any emotional connection to the audience is consciously sacrificed for the over-arching theme, here the nature of romantic love and maturing through pain.
A 16-year-old girl, Luisa, (Jessica Grove) is goofy in love with the 20-year-old next door neighbor, Matt (David Nathan Perlow) and he with her. Their fathers, Bellomy (the adorable Ray DeMattis) and Hucklebee (Dan Sharkey) use reverse psychology and pretend they hate the match, but only because they really want them to get together.
The narrator and bandit, El Gallo (Michael Sharon) is hired by the fathers to up the ante and pretends to abduct Luisa, with the aid of two hapless minstrels, Henry (William Perry) and Mortimer (Joseph Tisa).
Their children find out about the manipulation, are understandably furious, with Matt running away and Luisa seeking the attentions of her bad-boy abductor, El Gallo.
Near the end El Gallo observes, “A curious paradox no one can explain …why we all must die a bit before we grow again.”
True enough, but for the life of me I don’t see what the endless appeal of this musical is. It’s not very kind to women (hello — statutory rape anyone?), nor are the songs very catchy tunes. The show opens with the terrific song “Try to Remember,” but from then on the tunes, by Harvey Schmidt, are not memorable.
The set by Eugene Lee, of an old, run down amusement park, is the perfect backdrop to this show, and the actors are all as good as they could possibly be.
Sharon is dashing and dangerous as El Gallo, Grove is everything one could ask for in the role of the naïve and hyper romantic ingenue, while Perlow’s Matt is all youth and buoyancy, with a fine, strong voice.
The respective fathers too are fabulous, with the tall Sharkey and the diminutive DeMattis making a delightful duo, doing the old soft-shoe like the old pros they clearly are.
Perry’s Henry, the down-and-out thespian, sings his words with gorgeous over-theatricality, where Mortimer does his death scenes, his particular shtick, amusingly bad.
Jonathan Randell Silver plays El Gallo’s silent sidekick Mute with magical artistry and grace.
Evidently “The Fantasticks” is often performed with minimal staging, which makes this a popular show for the low-budget high school productions, but not here.
Part commedia dell’arte, part mime show, part magic act, the production elements of this musical, directed by Amanda Dehnert, are second to none. The magic, with the swords in the box and the disappearing acts, and the old-fashioned slight of hand bits are truly a wonder to behold, with help from magic consultants Jim Steinmeyer and Jeff Grow.
But all the bells and whistles in the world can’t disguise a dated allegory whose hay day has come and gone.

THE FANTASTICS


2 Stars
Location: 222 Sargent Drive, New Haven
Production: Books and lyrics by Tom Jones. Music by Harvey Schmidt. Directed by Amanda Dehnert. Choreographed by Sharon Jenkins. Musical direction by Bill Corcoran. Set design by Eugene Lee. Costume design by Jessica Ford. Lighting design by Nancy Schertler. Sound design by David Budries. Magic consultants Jim Steinmeyer and Jeff Grow. Fight director Craig Handel.
Running time: 2 hours with one intermission.
Show Times: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Sundays at 7 p.m., Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8 p.m., with Wednesday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. and Saturday matinees at 3 p.m. through Nov. 1.
Tickets: $30 to $70. For more information call their box office at 203-787-4282, or visit their Web site at www.longwharf.org
ACTOR…CHARACTER
Michael Sharon … El Gallo
Jonathan Randell Silver … The Mute
Jessica Grove … Luisa
David Nathan Perlow … Matt
Ray DeMattis … Bellomy
William Parry … Henry
Dan Sharkey … Hucklebee
Joseph Tisa … Mortimer

“The Orphans’ Home Cycle Part 3” fitting completion to an epic triology

HARTFORD — Horton Foote’s “The Orphans’ Home Cycle,” “Part 3: The Story of Family” concludes his epic posthumous trilogy at the Hartford Stage Company.
The play starts dimly lit with somber violin music and rain falling. The actors walk stately beneath umbrellas across the stage.
Their elegiac pace sets a somber, slow-paced rhythm that is a nice transition from the hectic outside world into the space and time of the slower paced, evolving world of Texas in the early 1900s, with inspired, assured direction by Michael Wilson.
The saga continues where it left off in Part 2, with Horace Robedaux (Bill Heck) and his bride Elizabeth (Maggie Lacey) setting up home and business in fictional Harrison, Texas in 1918 — a year of World War and the flu pandemic that killed more than 100 million people around the world (No better advertisement to get a flu shot soon.)
Even if you haven’t seen the other two plays in the trilogy you can still fully enjoy Part 3 on its own, but having seen the first two adds a depth to the experience.
World War I is over, but there are few jobs to be had, so they keep holding parades, so much that Mr. Vaughn says exasperatedly, “If the poor devils could find work they wouldn’t have time to parade.”
This segment feels more melodramatic than the previous two, with deaths followed immediately by another birth, then a operation, tough times in the depressed south, and then more death — this time the patriarch of the family, Mr. Vaughn, played by the robust and expansive James DeMarse.
Heck as Robedaux continues to be the good and hard-working provider, here finally buying that tombstone for his father’s grave that he had been determined to purchase since he was 12 years old.
Foote, who died earlier this year at the age of 92, really knew many of these times and these people, having grown up in Texas, and basing the main character, Horace Robedaux, on the life of his own father.
It was a simpler time, when the anesthesia used was ether, there were few telephones, and doctors made house calls, but underneath that nostalgic simplicity lies complex human relations and emotions, which makes this story so watchable and compelling.
Robedaux’s 12-year-old son, Horace Jr., is played by the thoroughly engaging and earnest Dylan Riley Snyder who more than holds his own with all the adults surrounding him. He has a bookish curiosity, plus a real sponge-like interest in how grown ups behave and what they say that makes their words almost resonate twice.
And some of the adults who never grow up, like Brother Vaughn, (Bryce Pinkham) do behave badly indeed, and are enabled again and again by family, particularly his mother, played by the playwright’s daughter, the fine and flinty Hallie Foote.
The actors dropped a few lines and their timing was off some on Thursday, but overall the performances were true, and the slow smooth story unfolded comfortably enough.
“The Orphans’ Home Cycle; Part 3” is a slice of southern life about normal, well-meaning, and good people that is beautifully written and a pleasure to experience.

THE OPHANS' HOME CYCLE: PART 3

three stars
Location: Hartford Stage Company, 50 Church Street, Hartford.
Production: Written by Horton Foote. Directed by Michael Wilson. Set designed by Jeff Cowie and David Barber. Costume design by David Woolard. Lighting design by Rui Rita. Original music and sound design by John Gromada. Choreography by Peter Pucci.
Running time: 3 hours with two intermissions.
Show Times: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., with matinee performances Sundays and selected Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2 p.m. through October 24, with the three-play marathon performances on Saturday, Oct. 17 and 24.
Tickets: $33 and up. Call 860-527-5151 or visit their website at hartfordstage.org.
ACTOR…CHARACTER
Bill Heck … Horace Robedaux
Maggie Lacey … Elizabeth Robedaux
Hallie Foote … Mrs. Vaughn, Lola Reeves
Bryce Pinkham … Brother Vaughn
James DeMarse … Mr. Vaughn
Virginia Kull … Minnie Curtis, Bessie Stillman
Jenny Dare Paulin … Lily Dale Kidder
Devon Abner … Pete Davenport
Dylan Riley Snyder … Horace Jr.
Annalee Jefferies … Corella Davenport
Steven Plunkett … Monty Reeves

“The Exonerated” exposes our justice system’s failures

STORRS — There’s no law against being poor in the United States, unless of course, you are in the wrong place at the wrong time, and then, nothing but money, and lots of it, is going to help.
That’s just one of the lessons in “The Exonerated,” at Connecticut Repertory Theater — the true story of six people wrongfully accused of murder and convicted on death row in Texas and Florida.
The story, mostly taken from court and legal transcripts, needed no additional theatrics. The stage, backdrop, and ceiling were all unfinished wood, by Michael Anania — a fine simple backdrop for each of the now freed but forever altered individuals to tell their horrid, almost unbelievable stories.
Let’s just say this show probably isn’t getting a whole lot of play in Texas and Florida theaters, since that is where these travesty of justice all occurred.
It follows the lives of innocent victimized people with diverse backgrounds, who were literally railroaded by the justice system. None had a lawyer with them from the beginning and all had appointed lawyers.
What weaves the stories elegantly together is the bluesy original songs by Cedric H. Turner, who plays Delbert and serves as the play’s narrator. Delbert was convicted of murder and rape in Florida solely because he was black, they couldn’t find anyone else, and he was a stranger in town.
All their stories are remarkably horrific, but Sunny (Christina Greer) the vegetarian hippie with two children and her husband has to be one of the most appalling. She and her partner were basically the fall guys in a plea bargain by the real murderer in 1976. He later recanted in 1979, but it wasn’t until 1992, over 16 years later, that she was released and then only under a plea deal that did not expunge her record.
Her children’s father wasn’t so lucky and was electrocuted in 1990 in a spectacularly botched barbarous death that took over 12 minutes at one point with flames shooting out of his ears.
Also unbelievable is the story of Kerry, sensitively played by Phil Korth, because it took him over 21 years to get out of prison for a murder he didn’t commit. During his trial he was publicly accused of being gay, making his life in prison a living tortuous daily Hell.
The only problem with the actors isn’t really their fault, but only Turner is close to the real age of the Delbert, while all the other actors are just too youthful and healthy to play people for whom the justice system has totally fallen apart.
The actors are all believable in their performances, with convincing southern accents, but it takes a suspension of disbelief by the audience to overcome the age discrepancy.

THE EXONERATED

Three Stars
Theater: Connecticut Repertory Theatre
Location: Nafe Katter Theater, 802 Bolton Rd., Storrs
Production: Written by Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen. Directed by Dale AJ Rose. Scenic design by Michael Anania. Costume design by Jeanette Drake. Lighting design by Mike Billings. Sound design by Jack Nardi. Technical direction by Ed Weingart. Production stage manager Mary P. Costello. Original music and arrangements by Cedric H. Turner.
Running time: 90 minutes with no intermission.
Show Times: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m., and Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., with matinees Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. through Oct. 18.
Tickets: General admission $11 to $29. Call 860-486-4266 or visit their website at www.crt.uconn.edu.
ACTOR…CHARACTER
Cedric H. Turner … Delbert
Christina Greer … Sunny
Brooks Brantley … Robert
Brittany Green … Georgia
Kevin Coubal … Gary
Phil Korth … Kerry
Philip AJ Smithey … David
Gretchen Goode … Sandra, Sue

“Young Frankenstein” is vaudvillian schmalt


HARTFORD — Schmaltz, schmaltz, and a touch of that old vaudevillian razzle-dazzle is what you can expect with Mel Brook’s “Young Frankenstein” at the Bushnell Memorial Theater through Sunday.
Very much like the popular 1974 movie by the same name, and pretty much like any Mel Brooks vehicle one can imagine, it is the tried and true comedy formula that has made Brooks the comic legend that he is today.
For those unfamiliar with the plot, young Frankenstein, played by Roger Bart, is a doctor in New York in 1934 who has inherited his deceased grandfather’s castle in Transylvania. He goes to see the castle and decides to continue in the family business, eventually realizing that the apple doesn’t fall too far from the spooky family tree.
He brings a monster (Shuler Hensley) with a somewhat compromised brain, to life, and then does his best to help the poor creature fit in.
It’s a pretty simple premise stretched into two acts and plenty of clever and witty songs written by Brooks.
Both Bart and Hensley played their same roles on Broadway, and are doing a decent job keeping their characters alive on the road. Hensley’s singing voice is so excellent, it’s a shame it isn’t really heard until almost the end of the show.
The supporting cast is fine, including Frau Blucher, (neighing horses not withstanding) played by Joanna Glushak, who practically channels Gloria Swanson from the film “Sunset Boulevard,” and sings the torch song “He Vas My Boyfriend” like nobody’s business.
The other two woman, the mad cap Elizabeth, (Beth Curry) and flirty assistant Inga, played by Anne Horak, also are fine, hamming it up with the best of them.
The song “The Brain” was a feisty perky tune, that is pretty representative of the rest of show with the lines, “Though your genitalia are apt to fail ya, you can always depend on the brain.”
The best song of all wasn’t written by Brooks, but Irving Berlin’s “Puttin on the Ritz,” which they milk for all it’s worth — Nothing like seeing a green monster in tucs and tails with a top hat in a chorus line.
Cory English is appropriately goofy as the hunchback with a moveable hunch, Igor, with the requisite limp and plenty of mugging.
Also solid is Brad Oscar as the silly Inspector Kemp and the Blind Hermit.
The supporting chorus does a dandy job of dancing and singing. The men in particular are such excellent dancers that they feel woefully under-utilized in the show, with choreography and direction by Susan Stroman.
They did a nice and inventive turn during the dream sequence of incorporating a gigantic moving monster puppet, a la Julie Taymor.
Rocket science this isn’t, but there is plenty of sexual innuendo and naughty, naughty jokes along with some profanity, making this show unsuitable for kids.
It feels kind of like a guy’s comedy, with lots of bright lights, Tesla-like electrical coils and thunder and lightning sounds, along with plenty of long, long legs and oodles of ample bosoms prominently displayed.
The costumes, of which there were many, were exquisitely made, particularly for the women, with detailed, well-constructed German frocks and beautiful sequin gowns, by William Ivey Long.
But oh, just one more night of technical rehearsal would have been a good idea. The show started 20 minutes late and two times during the performance it was delayed because the large set pieces, particularly on stage right, just would not budge. Another time the screen wouldn’t drop and the stage crew were clearly seen along with the actors.
The actors made a joke of it, but really that shouldn’t happen and hopefully won’t in future performances.
Other than the technical glitches, there are no surprises in the predictable performances, but there’s a certain comfort in getting what you expect from a Mel Brooks show.

YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN

3 Stars
Theater: The William H. Mortensen Hall at the Bushnell Memorial Center
Location: 166 Capitol Ave. Hartford
Production: Written by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan. Music and lyrics by Mel Brooks. Directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman. Scenic design by Robin Wagner. Costume design by William Ivey Long. Lighting design by Peter Kaczorowski. Sound design by Jonathan Deans.
Running time: 2 hours 15 minutes with one 15-minute intermission
Show Times: Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., with matinee performances Saturday at 3 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m., through Oct. 11.
Tickets: From $15 to $82. Call 860-987-5900 or visit their website at www.bushnell.org. Adult language and situations, for mature audiences only.
ACTOR…CHARACTER
Roger Bart … Dr. Frederick Frankenstein
Shuler Hensley … The Monster
Cory English … Igor
Brad Oscar … Inspector Kemp, Blind Hermit
Beth Curry … Elizabeth
Joanna Glushak … Frau Blucher
Anne Horak … Inga

Somers Village Players’ “Dearly Departed” ‘delightful’

SOMERS — Corndogs, Holy rollers, and Dairy Queen Dilly bars have rarely been so funny as they are in the uproarious, tear-inducing white-trash comedy about death in “Dearly Departed,” by The Village Players.
In this dinner-theater production at Joanna’s Café and Banquet facility, a family patriarch, Bud, kicks the bucket suddenly, and the extended and colorful family comes together to pay their last respects.
Not normally what one would think of as fodder for laughter, but this play, written by David Bottrell and Jessie Jones, sets the riotously funny tone right out of the gate.
Rayelle, played by the incomparable Betty Domer, reads a letter to her soon to be dead husband, Bud, from her sister-in-law, Marguerite, complaining of her friend, stating, “I am pleased to report that she’s not so uppity since her nephew went to the electric chair,” adding, “She says she gets choked up every time she pays the electric bill.”
Marguerite, played by Joan Perkins-Smith, is the Bible-quoting, God-fearing sister to her dead brother Bud who gets some of the best lines in the show.
She has a near-do-well son, Royce, played by Tyler Anderson, who just got laid off from working at the sewage plant, and has goals of getting married and having a baby so he can live on welfare.
As soon as Marguerite hears about her brother’s death, she says, “Bud’s not going to keep long in this heat.” And when he is in the casket she comments, “He looks like Miss Kitty on ‘Gunsmoke.’”
When Suzanne (Dorrie Mitchell) finds out that down-and-out Junior, (John McKone) is having an affair, Marguerite bluntly tells her to snap out of her self-pity, saying, “I got a son in the pen-A-tent-U-ary, and you don’t see me wallering on the floor."
This play could easily have deteriorated into mean and unkind stereotypes, but the actors all invest their roles with such pathos and compassion that they come across as real, believable characters doing the best they can with what little they have materially and intellectually.
Rarely is there a play where the backstage crew spend almost as much time on stage as the actors, but there are so many scene changes in “Dearly Departed” — in the first act and 8 in the second — that the crew and stage manager Gus Rousseau deserve special credit for doing so many quick changes so seamlessly.
Credit too goes to stage manager Franc Aguas and his crew, who made those two fine and comic cars that brings a smile to my face just thinking of them.
The southern rock music piped in during the numerous blackouts also helps the transitions fly by. After a while it feels like an episode of the old “Hee Haw” comedy hour, which is part of the show’s strength and the source of its weakness.
There are a couple of mini-scenes, like the wheelchair scene and the celebrity named children scene, which are funny enough on their own, but are out of context with the rest of the play and feel extraneous.
The dialog is priceless and the comic-time superb, but the one who says the least almost steals the show. Delightful, played by Sue Moak, never says more than a couple of words, but she is hysterically funny and perfectly sweet at the same time. The attentive way she eats her potato chips and then her M&Ms, with a little flourish of the hand after each M, makes it difficult at times to pay attention to anything else on the stage.
What makes these characters so consistently funny is that their humor is based on their characters and not on stereotypical one-liners, although there are a number of those.
Most of the actors in The Village Players have been in shows together for years, making them already a family of sorts, and they exude that familiar feeling of intimacy.
The fine basic meal at Joanna’s before the show of salad, roast beef, new potatoes, green beans, and pasta, along with dessert and coffee, is a great way to start the “Delightful” evening.

DEARLY DEPARTED
3 stars
Theater: The Village Players
Location: Joanna’s Café and Banquet House, 145 Main Street, Somers
Running time: 2 hours with one intermission.
Show Times: Friday and Saturday. Social hour starting at 6 p.m. Dinner at 7 p.m. Show at 8 p.m.
Tickets: $33, including dinner, with cash bar. Call 860-749-0245 for reservations.
Production: Written by David Bottrell and Jessie Jones. Directed by Mark Depathy. Technical direction by Justin Taylor. Stage Manager Gus Rousseau. Set design and décor by Franc Aguas. Props and set props by Diane Preble. Costumes by Joyce Benson and Franc Aguas. Stage crew Stacy Baral, Ben Bugden, Steven Stoyer, Trish Urso, David Crowell, and Wendy Peterson.
Actor …. Character
Betty Domer … Raynelle
Doug Stoyer … Ray Bud, Bud
Joan Perkins-Smith … Marguerite
Tyler Anderson … Royce
Darlene LaPointe … Lucille
John McKone … Junior
Dorrie Mitchell … Suzanne
Ron Blanchette … Rev. Hooker, Norval, Clyde
Sue Moak … Delightful, Nadine
Cheryl Samborski … Juanita, Veda

“Nanny 911” meets the 1800s in Ivorton Playhouse’s “The Miracle Worker”
IVORYTON — “The Miracle Worker” at the Ivoryton Playhouse, is a moving, surprisingly physical, and special show, lovingly produced, and well acted.
Most are familiar with Helen Keller’s story. While an infant she became deaf and blind after a severe illness that almost killed her. Helen’s well-to-do southern family were loving but unable to help her. They hired an untrained young teacher, half-blind herself, Anne Sullivan, who had a vision that language was the key to unlocking Helen’s mind.
Originally written for television in 1957 by William Gibson, it was latter adapted into a play and then a film starring Anne Bancroft as Sullivan and Patty Duke as Helen.
It is fitting that “The Miracle Worker” began it’s life on television, because in many ways it is the precursor to television shows such as “Nanny 911” and “Supernanny,” where tough love, consistency, and discipline from the adults are crucial in all children’s development.
Set in Alabama in the late 1800’s during a time when the Civil War was a recent experience, the Kellers hire Sullivan (Andrea Maulella) to try to help 12-year-old Helen (Jenilee Simons Marques) who is bright but terribly spoiled.
The whole family treats her like a pet, much to the dismay of Sullivan who realizes that there is no possible way to reach Helen with all the well-meant indulgence.
As usual Ivoryton Playhouse does a fine job of weaving professional and local amateur actors together, here directed by Ivoryton Playhouse Executive Director Jacqueline Hubbard.
Maulella is totally believable as Sullivan, even if she is a little old for the part, where so much emphasis is given to her age and inexperience. At times she rushes her lines and the comments, often amusing, get lost.
She is a scrappy gal though, and up to the challenge of physically wrestling with Helen — a lot. So much so that the play could just as easily have been called “The Miracle Workout,” and had a fight choreographer, Carrie Brewer, to coordinate all the action.
Marques is inspired as Helen. Born to two deaf parents and deaf since birth herself, she is completely engaging, natural, and compelling in the role.
The set, designed by Cully Long, gave the indication of a Victorian home, and cleverly transformed into a garden house in the second act.
The costumes by Pam Puente were lovely, particularly the exquisitely detailed and numerous gowns for Helen’s mother, Kate, played by Elizabeth Erwin.
Helen’s half-brother, James, is played with a heavy dose of sarcasm as called for, by Michael Raver, while Bif Carrington plays Helen’s father with the right amount of Southern male privilege.
“Have some pity on her for being who she is,” the father says. All he wants from his daughter is obedience, but her teacher has higher expectations for her charge, saying, “Giving up is my idea of original sin.”
This is an excellent show for both adults and children, showing that many seemingly insurmountable achievements can be accomplished with perseverance and stubborn determination.

THE MIRACLE WORKER
3½ Stars
Location: Ivoryton Playhouse, 103 Main St., Ivoryton, Conn.
Production: Written by William Gibson. Directed by Jacqueline Hubbard. Set design by Doug Harry. Sound design by Tate Burmeister. Costume design by Pam Puente.
Running time: 2 hours with one 15-minute intermission.
Show Times: Wednesday and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturdays at 8 p.m., with Wednesday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. through Oct. 11.
Tickets: $35 for adults, $30 for previews and seniors, $20 for students, and $15 for children 12 and under. Call the box office at 860-767-7318, or visit their website at www.ivorytonplayhouse.org
ACTOR…CHARACTER
Jenilee Simons Marques … Helen Keller
Andrea Maulella … Anne Sullivan
Elizabeth Erwin … Kate Keller
Bif Carrington … Capt. Keller
Michael Raver … James
Maggie McGlone-Jennings … Aunt Ev

Graceful saga continues in HSC’s “The Orphans’ Home Cycle: Part 2


HARTFORD — Part 2 of the three-part play “The Orphans’ Home Cycle: The Story of a Marriage,” by the inimitable Horton Foote at the Hartford Stage Company can be seen on it’s own, or as part of a whole.
Horton Foote’s award winning plays and screenplays aren’t overly dramatic or grandiose and they require a certain degree of patience from the audience.
They are complex human comedies that slowly and carefully develop and evolve. Either the characters remember their past vividly, or they choose to ignore it, but they are all very human, fragile, and touching.
Part 1 of the cycle traced the life of Foote’s father starting from his childhood in 1902 in a fictitious town called Wharton, Texas.
Part 2 picks up with 20-year-old Horace Robedaux (Bill Heck) trying to find his way in the world without much education or support from his family.
Heck is well cast as the sensitive, kind, and ambitious lead character.
Robedaux courts a young widow, Claire Ratcliff, played by Virginia Kull, who has numerous suitors and two precocious children Molly and Buddy, played by the earnest and adorable Georgi James and Dylan Riley Snyder.
Kull’s Claire has suitors buzzing around her like bees and wants to marry soon, but Robedaux isn’t financially able to take on a family and leaves for business school in Houston instead.
While in Houston he meets Elizabeth Vaughn, played by Maggie Lacey, who comes from a wealthy family, and whose strict parents, played by Hallie Foote and James DeMarse, don’t approve of the match.
It takes a while but the father begins to change his mind about his new son-in-law and at one point, in a moving scene, he gives a set of Robedaux’s dead father’s books to the young man.
Near the end, DeMarse’s Mr. Vaughn says to his daughter and son-in-law, “There’s peace in this room, and contentment,” adding, “they don’t have much but they do have contentment.” A gift he acknowledges money can’t buy.
The leads are all strong, but what gives this series its depth are the excellent, well wrought secondary characters.
There’s the menacing Val Stanton, played by Lucas Caleb Rooney, Kull again playing the childlike Bessie Stillman, Devon Abner as the alcoholic son of the boarding house owner, Bobby Pate, with amusing turns by Annalee Jefferies as the matriarch Lucy (Vaughn) Stewart and Pamela Payton-Wright as Sarah Vaughn.
The set’s frame is the same as it was in the first play, with a quilted muslin that has scenic lighting, such as trees and homes superimposed upon it to good effect.
The costumes, especially the women’s gowns, are meticulous and lovely, by David Woolard.
Horton Foote, who died this spring at 90, has been called old-fashioned and his quiet and graceful plays were out of style for a time, but thankfully he never stopped writing and sticking to his perspective.
His memories and stories are a testament to perseverance and are a loving legacy to the importance of family.

THE ORPHAN'S HOME CYCLE: PART 2

3½ stars
Location: Hartford Stage Company, 50 Church Street, Hartford.
Production: Written by Horton Foote. Directed by Michael Wilson. Set designed by Jeff Cowie and David Barber. Costume design by David Woolard. Lighting design by Rui Rita. Original music and sound design by John Gromada. Choreography by Peter Pucci.
Running time: 3 hours with two intermissions.
Show Times: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., with matinee performances Sundays and selected Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2 p.m. through October 4, with the three play marathon performances on Saturday, Oct. 17 and 24.
Tickets: $33 and up. Call 860-527-5151 or visit their website at hartfordstage.org.

ACTOR…CHARACTER
Bill Heck … Horace Robedaux
Maggie Lacey … Elizabeth Vaughn
Hallie Foote … Mrs. Vaughn
James DeMarse … Mr. Vaughn
Virginia Kull … Claire Ratcliff, Bessie Stillman
Jenny Dare Paulin … Laura Vaughn
Devon Abner … Bobby Pate, Roger Culpepper
Dylan Riley Snyder … Buddy
Georgi James … Molly

Mamet's "American Buffalo" delivers goods at TheaterWorks

HARTFORD- Unlike TheaterWorks usually minimalist sets, the stage in David Mamet’s “American Buffalo” is strewn with junk that makes the set of the television show “Sanford and Son” look like a church.
Ice skates, lamp shades, typewriters, sewing machines, and old books litter the junk shop set and compete with the three actors for space.
This is a world of dog-eat-dog questionable business, where three losers, each with their own special brand of glaring dysfunction, take a possible robbery and turn it into a mess. Let’s just say, “Ocean’s 11” this isn’t.
The first play that put Mamet on the map, produced in 1975, “American Buffalo” is set in Chicago, where three men hatch a desperate plan to steal a coin collection from customer.
John Ahlin plays the shops’ owner, Donny Dubrow, as a walrus-eyed, spastically gesturing elder, who in his own way is endeavoring to impart his business acumen on the simple younger Bobby, Zachary Spicer, a greasy-haired, slow but sweet kid.
Ahlin gracefully transitions from lecturing Bobby about eating breakfast “the most important meal of the day” to coldly dismissing him, when he is persuaded to drop him from his poorly planned fiasco.
In pops the hyperbolic, quixotic, sleazy, and slick Walter Cole, nicknamed Teach, played by Andrew Benator, in what has to be one of the most audacious entrances ever, he launches into a relentless and amusing diatribe about a slight just he received for eating someone else’s piece of toast.
Working himself into a frenzy of fury, the kinetic Teach finally blurting out, “The only way to teach these people is to kill them.” He then just as quickly tells Donny he wants bacon and doesn’t eat cantaloupe because it gives him the runs.
The play percolates along with only occasionally self-conscious staging but overall solid directing by Steve Campo.
As in most of their productions, Campo, TheaterWorks executive director gives a dry and witty introduction before the start of the play each night.
True to form Before this play he warned audiences if they wished not to hear profanity they should have the audience member behind them put their hands over their ears for the entire show.
This warning is no exaggeration — with every third word or so a swear of one kind or another, making this show clearly not for children.
In act two the play immediately escalates into a much more high-stakes game as tensions mount and the heist is on, sort-of. Set in a time of the rotary phone, one forgets what tensions those painfully slow dials could create.
The quick, sparing dialog of “Mamet-speak” is like a relentless shot of adrenaline. At one point after Teach throws a temper-tantrum and trashes his business, Ahlin’s Donny says to Teach in calm exasperation “You tire me out, Walt.” A feeling at this point in the play we can all relate to.
Mamet’s masterful play requires a high level of theatrical dexterity and continuity to deliver the goods, a requirement that the stellar cast of “American Buffalo” achieves.
If you see anything on the stage you might want, TheaterWorks is going to hold auction on Sunday, Oct. 25 after the matinee show at about 7:30 p.m. Everything on the set is going to go, including some nice items.
Local radio and columnist Colin McEnroe will be hosting the event. Admission is $24.

3 1/2 Stars
Theater: TheaterWorks
Location: 233 Pearl St. Hartford.
Production: Written by David Mamet. Directed by Steve Campo. Set design by Adrian W. Jones. Lighting Design by Matthew Richards.
Running time: 2 hour, 30 minutes, plus a 15-minute intermission
Show Times: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays — 8 p.m. Matinees on Saturdays and Sundays — 2:30 p.m. Extra Sunday evening shows — 7:30 p.m. The show will run through Oct. 25.
Tickets: Unassigned seating is $38; $48 on Friday and Saturday nights. Center reserved seats $12 extra. $12 student rush tickets at showtime with valid ID (subject to availability). For tickets call 860-527-7838 or visit their website at www.theaterworks.org.
ACTOR…CHARACTER
John Ahlin … Donny Dubrow
Zachary Spicer … Bobby
Andrew Benator … Walter Cole (Teacher)

HSC three-part “Orphans’ Home Cycle” by Horton Foote one complex production schedule
1) Photographs: on their Web site
By Kory Loucks
Journal Inquirer
HARTFORD — Horton Foote’s epic three-part production of his “Orphans’ Home Cycle” running at the Hartford Stage Company through Oct. 24 was a huge undertaking in scheduling too.
“It was a very complex puzzle,” Paul Marte, public relations director at the Hartford Stage Company, said.
The schedule was created to accommodate Hartford Stage Company subscribers.
“It’s very confusing,” Marte acknowledged, explaining that subscribers were given a choice of seeing two of the three plays in the cycle as part of their subscription package.
“They could either see part 1 and part 2 or part 2 and part 3,” Marte said.
The two marathon productions, which include all three of the “Orphan Home Cycle” plays, are scheduled for consecutive Saturdays, Oct. 17 and Oct. 24, from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m.
Subscribers who choose to see either of the 12-hour marathon productions, rather than individually, can do so at an additional cost, Marte said.
For non-subscribers the marathon production tickets range from $99 and $189. They are also offering a $55 meal package at the Hartford Hilton for the two meal breaks during the all day show.
Individual ticket sales for the two “Ophans’ Home Cycle” marathons are going very well, Marte said.
The “Orphans’ Home Cycle, Part 1; The Story of a Childhood” is running on it’s own through Sunday, with additional individual performances on Friday, Oct. 16 and Tuesday, Oct. 20.
The “Orphans’ Home Cycle, Part 2; The Story of a Marriage” is opening 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17 and running through Sunday, Oct. 4, with an additional performance on Wednesday, Oct. 21.
The “Orphans’ Home Cycle, Part 3; The Story of a Family” is opening 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8 until the end of the run, except for Oct. 16, 20, and 21.
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evening performances all start at 7 p.m., with individual evening performances on Fridays and Saturdays starting at 7:30 p.m.
Individual matinee performances are running on selected Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 2 p.m.
Tickets for the individual shows start at $33.
For more information, contact their box office at 860-527-5151, or visit their website at www.hartfordstage.org

Part One of Foote’s “The Orphans’ Home Cycle” epic journey at HSC

HARTFORD — Like a long cool glass of iced tea on a humid summer day, “Part One — The Story of Childhood” of “The Orphans’ Home Cycle” by Horton Foote, is made to be savored slowly, rather than gulped down fast at the Hartford Stage Company.
It’s a daring idea in an age of instant gratification, but for those with patience and perseverance, it is well worth it. With 22 actors eventually playing 70 parts in the whole of the three-part trilogy, it takes a while to figure out who everyone is.
Set in Texas in the early 1900s, Part One is a three-act story of the young Horace Robedaux from the time he is 12, played by Dylan Riley Snyder, to 14, played by Henry Hodges, and then at 20, played by Bill Heck.
Based on Foote’s father’s life, Robedaux has some pretty bad luck, with his dad dying and his mom abandoning him with relatives to go live with a man without vices, who for some unexplained reason hates the young lad.
Robedaux next goes to work on a horrid plantation where convicts are forced to work to death, and then visits his mother, where he falls ill as a young adult and has to stay too long where he isn’t welcome.
All three Horaces are excellent. The youngest, Snyder, beautifully portrays the polite honesty and heartbreaking sadness of innocence squashed, while Hodges transitions seamlessly as the misfortunate 14-year-old. Today we would call family services for all the abuse and neglect the child experiences.
There are some wild and funny characters mixed into the saga, including the paranoid alcoholic, Soll Gautier, played by James DeMarse, and the alcoholic wealthy Asa Vaughn, played by Hallie Foote, Horton Foote’s daughter.
Leon Addison Brown feels natural and unaffected as Jackson Hall, the convict turned protector of Soll. All of the actors feel real and believable as people rather than stereotypes.
The set design, by Jeff Cowie and David Barber, is simple and inspired. Especially fine is the quilted looking frame around the stage that has multiple layers, and changes with lighting by Rui Rita to alternatively look like roof-tops, swamp land, and a sunset.
The play began interestingly enough with the child standing in a field that looked like an Andrew Wyeth painting, and then transitioned to the 14-year-old and then the 20-year-old Robedaux.
I would have preferred that director Michael Wilson did not feel the need to broadcast on the backdrop the name the trilogy and each of the acts. They are already clearly marked in the program.
The first part of the trilogy feels somewhat reminiscent of Tom Stoppard’s “The Coast of Utopia” trilogy performed at Lincoln Center in 2006 in its pacing and tempo.
Horton Foote, who wrote the screenplay for “The Trip to Bountiful” (1985), “Of Mice and Men,” (1992), and won Academy Awards for his screenplay adaptation of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” (1961), is in full command of his talent in this world premiere.
Part One of the trilogy is a massive and impressive undertaking that could have easily have become tiresome, but instead feels important and magnificent.
Horton Foote died in March at 92 before he could get a chance to see this massive undertaking come to fruition, which is too bad. He would have enjoyed how well the actors and Wilson nurtured this epic to life.
Each of the three-part cycle will be performed individually, with marathon performances of “The Orphans’ Home Cycle” performed on Saturday, Oct. 17 and Saturday, Oct. 24.

THE ORPHAN'S HOME CYCLE, PART ONE

3 stars
Location: Hartford Stage Company, 50 Church Street, Hartford.
Production: Written by Horton Foote. Directed by Michael Wilson. Set designed by Jeff Cowie and David Barber. Costume design by David Woolard. Lighting design by Rui Rita. Original music and sound design by John Gromada. Choreography by Peter Pucci.
Running time: 3 hours with two intermissions.
Show Times: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., with matinee performances Sundays and selected Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2 p.m. through October 24.
Tickets: $33 and up. Call 860-527-5151 or visit their website at hartfordstage.org.
ACTOR…CHARACTER
Bill Heck … Horace Robedaux, Paul Horace Robedaux
Dylan Riley Snyder … Horace Robedaux, age 12
Henry Hodges … Horace Robedaux, age 14
Devon Abner … John Howard, Pete Davenport
Hallie Foote … Mrs. Robedaux, Asa Vaughn
James DeMarse … Soll Gautier
Leon Addison Brown … Jackson Hall
Annalee Jefferies … Corella Davenport
Jenny Dare Paulin … Lily Dale Robedaux, Minnie Curtis, age 17

Hip-hop “High School Musical” top notch at Broad Brook Opera House

EAST WINDSOR — Just in case the name doesn’t give it away “High School Musical,” playing at the Broad Brook Opera House, is geared towards teenagers and their ‘tween counter-parts.
Based on a Disney television movie by the same name, this show, with lots of songs, takes a good look at the high school clique scene, pitting jocks against artists against the brains, and asks that age-old question, “Why can’t we all just get along?”
“High School Musical” is an updated “Grease,” where the two leads, the high school basketball star Troy Bolton, played by the able Keith Leonhardt, meets Gabriella Montez, played on alternate performances by Mandie Hittleman and Chelsea Sic, during summer vacation.
Gabriella, a math wiz, moves to the same town as Troy and they meet again at the high school. Conflicts ensue when they hesitantly audition for the new high school musical, “Juliet and Romeo,” to the disapproval of the manipulative Drama Club President Sharpay Evans played alternately by Erin Fitzpatrick and Emilie Ferreira, and her brother Ryan Evans, played by Michael Dikegoros.
Drama teacher Ms. Darbus, played by Marianne Hebenstreit and Coach Bolton, played by Dallas Hosmer, accentuate the conflict of arts versus sports, when Bolton’s son Troy is not only the star of the basketball team, but also has talents on the theatrical stage and is pressured to choose between the two.
Both adults are passionate about their interests, with Darbus speaking of “the timeless allure of the greasepaint.” Hebenstreit brings sarcastic humor to the character when she says to the students, “This ain’t my first rodeo, kiddies.”
The singing is fine most of the time, with the leads possessing strong solo voices, but they don’t always blend together during the duets as well as they sing on their own.
The dancing across the board is top-notch, with funky and fabulous hip-hop moves, much of which comes straight from the movie, thanks to Daniel Otero and Leonhardt, who assisted choreographer Laura Salerno with their adaptation of the film’s choreography.
There are some good, wholesome messages in the show, such as, “you can’t let people keep you from being who you are,” “anything can happen when you take a chance,” and the need for parents to listen to their kids.
The youthful cast know their parts and their dance steps and have all the energy and enthusiasm one could ask for in this fun show with a positive message just in time for the start of another school year.

HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL

Three Stars
Theater: Opera House Players
Location: 107 Main Street, Broad Brook
Production: Written by David Simpatico from Disney Channel movie written by Peter Barsocchini. Songs by Matthew Gerrard and Robbie Nevil and others. Directed by Patrique Alton Hurd. Musical direction by Rebecca Francis. Choreographer Laura Salerno. Adapted film choreography by Daniel Otero and Keith Leonhardt. Stage manager Debra Caswell. Technical direction by George Fields. Lighting design and operation by Diane St. Amand.
Running time: 2 hours, plus a 15-minute intermission
Show Times: Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. through August 30.
Tickets: $20, seniors over 60 and youth under 12 pay $16. Call 860-292-6068 or visit their website at www.operahouseplayers.org
ACTOR…CHARACTER
Keith Leonhardt … Troy Bolton
Mandie Hittleman and Chelsea Sic … Gabriella Montez
Erin Fitzpatrick and Emilie Ferreira … Sharpay Evans
Michael Dikegoros … Ryan Evans
Daniel Otero … Chad Danforth
Lexy Curtin … Taylor McKessie
Conor Ellis … Zeke Baylor
Joshua Pare … Jason Cross
Kathryn Suzanne Strempfer … Martha Cox
Deidra Jefferson … Kratnoff
Aslynn Brown … Jackee Scott
Hailey Brinnel … Kelsi Neilson
Nicholas Leahey … Ripper
Nicole Pare … Mongo
Nichole Giantonio, Caitlin Murphy, Kasey Rousseau … Skater Chicks
Marianne Hebenstreit … Ms. Darbus
Dallas Hosmer and Mark Wantroba (8/29)… Coach Bolton
Sheila Lehmann … Susan
Kristen Mary Fitzpatrick, Erin Fields, Sarah Ingraham, Kelsey Sobestanovich … Cheerleaders
Jillian Bower … Brainiac
John Fitzpatrick … John Brown