Rick Bennett

On Saturday, December 3, 2022, I had the pleasure of seeing EVERY CHRISTMAS STORY EVER TOLD, which is easily the funniest stage comedy I have seen in the last three years!  It is yet another first-rate Christmas comedy production performed by the Castle Craig Players at the Almira F. Stephan Memorial Playhouse in Meriden, CT.  EVERY CHRISTMAS STORY EVER TOLD is a hilarious satirical farce written by Michael Carleton, James Fitzgerald, and John K. Alvarez.  It is brilliantly directed by Bobby and Carleigh Schultz.  It stars the highly talented trio of Chris Brooks, Rick Bennett, and Bobby Schultz. 

Laurel Little Theatre opens its “60th Sensational Season” with the Southern comedy, “DOUBLEWIDE, TEXAS.”

Hey y'all!  On November 30, I had the pleasure of seeing my favorite Connecticut Cabaret Theatre show of 2019, which is my outright favorite live comedy I have seen in 2019, A GOOD OLD FASHIONED REDNECK COUNTRY CHRISTMAS!  This comedy by Kristine Bauske had this packed theatre laughing all throughout the show.  Director Kris McMurray has found a stellar cast featuring many Connecticut Cabaret Theatre favorites, and continues to bring out the best in them all.   Every actor and actress in this production does so well that it feels like they truly have become their character on stage, something particularly impressive among cast members who we have previously seen also excel in other roles, some that are very different from these roles.

What if the three wise men weren't really all that wise? What if they were just three ordinary guys, avoiding conflicts at home, who happened upon the greatest story ever told? Set the entire story in modern day America, sprinkle in a little redneck humor, and you have the smash A Good Old Fashioned Redneck Country Christmas! Bill, Dave, and Jimmy (played by Connecticut Cabaret favorites Russell Fish, Chris Brooks and Rick Bennett) have had it with their women! Even though it's Christmas Eve, and tradition dictates they should be home, drinking hot cocoa and singing carols, the boys decide to high-tail it into the mountains for a little hunting and a lot of beer.

On Friday, April 5, I had the pleasure of seeing a phenomenally performed comedy about comedy!  As expected, the Connecticut Cabaret Theatre in Berlin, CT has delivered another high quality show, THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF COMEDY (ABRIDGED) by Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor.  Not only is it highly entertaining to watch, but I feel my takeaway from it has helped make me a better person, which to me is the ultimate sign of success for any show!

Connecticut Cabaret Theatre declares "Make Comedy Great Again!" Comedy should not be left in the hands of amateurs. The Complete History of Comedy (abridged) stars Chris Brooks, Rick Bennett and James J Moran. Watch as these three talents performers covers comedy through the ages, from Aristophanes and Shakespeare and Moliere (Is Moliere funny? Why not?) to Vaudeville and Charlie Chaplin to Stephen Colbert and Tina Fey.

THE RAT PACK LOUNGE is a highly entertaining fictional musical comedy about Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis, Jr. The Connecticut Cabaret Theatre has yet again produced a first-rate show with the perfect cast for the roles they perform.

A hilarious farce, adapted by Steve Martin, comes to life on the stage of the Connecticut Cabaret Theatre! This first-rate production will have you laughing from start to finish. An excellent cast brings the characters to life and draws the audience in to this amazing show!

Theo Maske has an unusual problem, his wife's underpants won't stay on. One Sunday morning they fall to her ankles right in the middle of town--a public scandal! Mortified, Theo swears to keep her at home until she can find some less unruly undies. Amid this chaos, two infatuated men, a dapper poet and a whiny hypochondriac want to rent the spare room in the Markes' home. Oblivious of their amorous objectives, Theo splits the room between them. In which the prospective lodgers now have some underlying surprises of their own.   Don't get caught with your pants down. Especially not your underpants.

The jukebox musical GOIN' TO THE CHAPEL has great music and comedy, entertaining the audience at the Connecticut Cabaret Theatre in Berlin, CT with music from the 1950s and 1960s, woven into a storyline involving three male characters and three female characters, all who are in pursuit of romance

A hilarious musical told through Billboards hottest hits of the 50's and 60's. From the co-author and the Tony Award nominated arranger of MOTOWN.

A hilarious musical told through Billboards hottest hits of the 50's and 60's. From the co-author and the Tony Award nominated arranger of MOTOWN.

Published author and playwright Donna Carbone will once again host A Novel Approach to Literacy, a talkback with local authors.

An extremely talented cast of five puts on an amazing show with acting, singing, and dancing that brings 1950s and 1960s music, primarily doo-wop, to life in a way that keeps the audience involved and entertained throughout the entire show.

Laurel Little Theatre's annual Southern comedy is coming up - only this year, it's a funny Southern "political" comedy - performed right in the very middle of this year's election season.  Need a little diversion from Hillary and the Donald?  Well…here it is! 

The Connecticut Cabaret Theatre will present THE CARDIGANS, a musical conceived by Rick Lewis, produced and directed by Kris McMurray, and musically directed by Sean Lewis. The production runs April 1st through May 7th, 2016.

The Connecticut Cabaret Theatre will present THE CARDIGANS, a musical conceived by Rick Lewis, produced and directed by Kris McMurray, and musically directed by Sean Lewis. The production runs April 1st through May 7th, 2016.

Laurel Little Theatre continues its 'Fifty-Fifth & Fabulous' Season with the drop-dead-funny redneck comedy 'DEARLY DEPARTED' directed by Frankie Bennett.

Happy Holidays! It's the last week to vote for the 2015 BroadwayWorld Connecticut Regional Awards! Check out the latest live stats as of December 18. Nominations were reader-submitted and after the nomination period ended, BroadwayWorld's local editors proofed the list for eligibility and errors. Voting runs through December 31!

The Connecticut Cabaret Theatre presents Every Christmas Story Ever Told And Then Some A Holiday Comedy By John K. Alvarez, Michael Carleton and James FitzGerald Original Music by Will Knapp Directed by Kris McMurray.