THE HAPPIEST MAN ON EARTH To Be Presented By Playhouse on Park
Performances will run September 23 - October 18th.
THE HAPPIEST MAN ON EARTH by Mark St. Germain and adapted from the memoir of the same name by Eddie Jaku will open Playhouse on Park’s 18th season. The play will be directed by Playhouse on Park’s new Co-Artistic Director Sasha Brätt.
Eddie Jaku, a German-Jewish survivor of Auschwitz concentration camp, considers himself “The Happiest Man on Earth”, despite losing his family, friends, and country to the Holocaust. In this one-man show, Jaku takes us through the day he was taken by the Nazis and his seven years of imprisonment, up to today, where he is dedicated to sharing the stories of those lost and teaching others how to find the light in the darkness.
Sasha Brätt (Director) is excited to start Season 18 as the new Co-Artistic Director of Playhouse on Park. Previous directing credits at the Playhouse: ALL IS CALM (Winner - Outstanding Play- Connecticut Critics Circle 2025), GUTENBERG! THE MUSICAL!, MISS BENNET: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLY, THE REVISIONIST, TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE, THE DINING ROOM, and OTHELLO (Winner - Best Play - Broadwayworld.com CT). Sasha has directed regionally at Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater, Seven Angels Theatre, Ivoryton Playhouse, Capital Classics, Shakespeare and Company, The Nora Theater, Fringe NYC, Capital Fringe and more. Currently, he is the Professor of Theater and Theater Program Coordinator at CT State Naugatuck Valley in Waterbury, CT. He has been awarded a National Endowment of the Humanities Fellowship for the Teaching Shakespeare Institute at the Folger Shakespeare Library and was a member of the Visiting Professionals Residency at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center. Sasha holds degrees in Directing (MFA) and Theatre Education (MA) from Catholic University. He recently earned his Doctorate of Education with a focus in Leadership Studies from Marshall University and published his dissertation: Survival of Regional Theater in a Post-COVID America. Sasha is an associate member of SDC. xoJAMSxo. www.sashabratt.com
Actor Robert Resnikoff will perform the role of Eddie Jaku. Playhouse on Park: Jack BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS; Theatre: Resurrection Church, Brooklyn: Claudius, Ghost of Hamlet’s Father HAMLET; Powerhouse Theatre: Dr. Armstrong AND THEN THERE WERE NONE; The Center at West Park: Rav THE OWL GIRL; White Heron Theatre: Stravinsky SMALL WORLD; Connecticut Tour: Adrian PRIVATE EYES; Cherry Lane Theater: Hersh MASQUERADE; Film: Samual ANOTHER NIGHT; Harry DECEMBER DAY ZERO; Mr. Eddie A MATTER OF OPINION. robertresnikoff.weebly.com
Tickets are now on sale for THE HAPPIEST MAN…, and range from $46.00-$58.50. Group rates available! Student and Senior discounts are also available. Visit www.playhouseonpark.org to learn about Lunch Time Special and Student Rush discounted ticket options. Previews are on September 23rd and 24th, with all tickets at $35. 2 pm matinees are on Tuesday, Saturday, and Sunday. Evening performances are at 7:30 pm on Wednesday through Saturday. There will be a talk-back with the cast after each Sunday matinee.
For more information or tickets, call the Box Office at 860-523-5900 x10 or visit www.playhouseonpark.org. Playhouse on Park offers discounts for group sales; inquire today! Playhouse on Park is located at 244 Park Road, West Hartford, CT 06119.
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