Lawrence Thelen

A brand-new musical written by Connecticut writers took the stage in Ivoryton last night to laughter, cheers and standing ovations. STAR OF FREEDOM, with music and lyrics by Jeff Blaney and book by Lawrence Thelen, opened the Playhouse’s 2022 Season beginning April 7.

Rehearsals began this week for an exciting new show at the Ivoryton Playhouse. A brand-new musical written by Connecticut writers is about to take the stage. STAR OF FREEDOM, with music and lyrics by Jeff Blaney and book by Lawrence Thelen, opens the Playhouse's 2022 Season beginning April 7.

Something phenomenal is happening at the Ivoryton Playhouse. A brand-new musical written by Connecticut writers is about to take the stage. STAR OF FREEDOM, with music and lyrics by Jeff Blaney and book by Lawrence Thelen, opens the Playhouse's 2022 Season beginning April 7.

On April 7th, 2022 The Ivoryton Playhouse will open its doors for a new season – a very different season with fewer productions but more performances and a year full of exciting, affordable professional theatre. Plays for romantics and plays for cynics; shows for families and shows for sweethearts; classic hit music from the 50s and 60s as well as country music favorites.

On April 1, 2016, the Long Beach Playhouse kicks off its 26th New Works Festival (NWF) in its Studio Theatre.

Abingdon Theatre Company announces that San Francisco-based playwright Jordan Ramirez Puckett will receive its 2015 Christopher Brian Wolk Award for her play RESTORE. A presentation of the award and staged reading of the play is set for Monday, December 14, at 7:00pm in the June Havoc Theatre, 312 West 36th Street, in Manhattan.

It's the dog days of summer but in Ivoryton, August is kicking its way on to the scene in feathers, glitter and six inch heels! LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, the smash hit Broadway musical opened in Ivoryton on August 6th and runs through August 31st. Written by Harvey Fierstein, Jean Poiret and Jerry Herman, the original 1983 Broadway production received nine nominations for Tony Awards and won six, including Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book. LA CAGE was later turned into a popular movie, The Birdcage, starring Nathan Lane and Robin Williams.

It's the dog days of summer but in Ivoryton, August is kicking its way through the heat in feathers, glitter and six inch heels! LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, the smash hit Broadway musical opens in Ivoryton on August 6th and runs through August 31st. Written by Harvey Fierstein, Jean Poiret and Jerry Herman, the original 1983 Broadway production received nine nominations for Tony Awards and won six, including Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book. LA CAGE was later turned into a popular movie, The Birdcage, starring Nathan Lane and Robin Williams.

Yoouuuuu can taaaake the A-Train, yooooou can take it all the way to Haaarlem.

Higgins in Harlem, a modern reimagining of George Bernard Shaw's social commentary masterpiece, Pygmalion, which was the basis for the musical My Fair Lady, makes its world-premiere at Playhouse on Park. This comedic and endearing classic is reset in Harlem in 1938, during the Harlem Renaissance, a time when the affluent Black society of Sugar Hill found itself at odds with the uneducated Blacks of Harlem struggling through the Great Depression. With the energy of the Jazz Age and an entirely African American cast, Higgins in Harlem promises to be a fresh and entertaining twist on a classic.

Higgins in Harlem, a modern reimagining of George Bernard Shaw's social commentary masterpiece, Pygmalion, which was the basis for the musical My Fair Lady, makes its world-premiere at Playhouse on Park. This comedic and endearing classic is reset in Harlem in 1938, during the Harlem Renaissance, a time when the affluent Black society of Sugar Hill found itself at odds with the uneducated Blacks of Harlem struggling through the Great Depression. With the energy of the Jazz Age and an entirely African American cast, Higgins in Harlem promises to be a fresh and entertaining twist on a classic.

As always, Connecticut's professional theaters offerered a bountiful selection of excellent theater in 2013. It's hard to pick just a few, but here are some of the year's standouts from the theaters I cover for BroadwayWorld.com:

Director Lawrence Thelen proves himself up to the challenge, however, with the casting of terrific nonEquity actress Sheniqua Denise Trotman from Huntsville, AL. Her 'I'm Not Going' puts focus on the emotional pain felt by the character and is a powerhouse exploration of the lyrics. In between all that belting. Kudos.

Full of onstage joy and backstage drama, the sensational new production of DREAMGIRLS, which opens in Ivoryton tonight, August 7th, tells the story of an up-and-coming 1960s girl singing group, and the triumphs and tribulations that come with fame and fortune.

Full of onstage joy and backstage drama, the sensational new production of DREAMGIRLS, which opens in Ivoryton on August 7th, tells the story of an up-and-coming 1960s girl singing group, and the triumphs and tribulations that come with fame and fortune. With music by Academy Award nominee Henry Krieger and book and lyrics by Tony and Grammy Award winner Tom Eyen, DREAMGIRLS features the unforgettable hits: 'And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going,' 'One Night Only' and 'Listen.' This Tony and Academy Award winning musical sparkles like never before!

Playhouse on Park, Hartford county's most affordable and intimate professional theatre, is ready to announce its 5th Anniversary Season. In 2013-2014 the Playhouse will feature 6 productions that will entertain, challenge, and engage audiences.

Full of onstage joy and backstage drama, the sensational new production of DREAMGIRLS, which opens in Ivoryton on August 7th, tells the story of an up-and-coming 1960s girl singing group, and the triumphs and tribulations that come with fame and fortune.

Mrs. Robinson is donning those famous heels and heading over to Ivoryton for the Ivoryton Playhouse's production of The Graduate, opening on April 18 - May 6th.