Lauren Yarger - Page 10

As directed by Mark Rucker and fueled by a strong performance by Sarah Sokolovic as Stella and a fascinating characterization by Rene Augusen that takes Blanche utra deep, this production ends up being more of a study of the relationship between the sisters. Stanley, despite the display of his very finely chiseled abs and physique several times, seems to have fallen off this streetcar.

Director Darko Tresnjak focuses on the darkness of evil and the psychological depths of the pit it offers to anyone choosing to follow it. It's dark -- literally.

Just who was unfaithful first: Man or Woman? If that's a burning philosophical question you can't wait to have answered, then Marivaux' 18th century play LA DISPUTE, opening Hartford Stage's 50th anniversary season, is just the ticket for you.

This new tour makes the second of four stops in Hartford, at the Bushnell, one of the production's producers.

Director Rob Ruggiero brilliantly focuses on the domestic tension between Sarah and her long-time, live-in boyfriend and fellow foreign correspondent, James (Tim Altmeyer), giving the play depth beyond its obvious question about the ethics of journalists being voyeurs on the sidelines of tragedies.

Music Director Kim Aliczi puts together a selection of more than 30 musical numbers from members of the great American Songbook like Duke Ellington, Cole Porter, George Gershwin and Irving Berlin with medleys featuring tunes from one composer or themes, like songs about trains.

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.

t's one of those old musicals with a few memorable tunes and a ridiculous plot that would find it difficult to stand on a modern stage otherwise, but solid performances anchored by Blackhurst make Goodspeed's production an enjoyable romp through turn-of-the-century New York. Goodspeed announced a week's extension to the run before it even had begun.

In a break from playing Eric Beale on the CBS television series "NCIS: Los Angeles," Barrett Foa is spending part of his summer charming audiences and a certain librarian as The Music Man, which wraps up CT Repertory Theatre's Nutmeg Series on the UConn campus.

A predictable plot and disjointed musical elements might have brought FOOTLOOSE down, but deeper messages, good character development and -- at least in the production running over at Ivoryton Playhouse -- a strong vocal ensemble, turn the show around into an enjoyable romp through rebellious youth and overprotective parents.

They tell the story (based on a true one) of Guang (Julius Ahn), an illegal immigrant who gets stuck in a Bronx elevator for 81 hours while making deliveries for the Happy Dragon Chinese Restaurant.

With its sexist plot, A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM is one of those shows that probably was a riot in 1962, but seems like something is lacking when presented a half century later - until the CT Repertory version running as part of the Nutmeg Summer Series. This one, thanks to some solid performances, is funny again.

You know that dream where you find yourself naked on a stage with everyone laughing at you? It's an unfortunate reality for Miltos Yerolemou, the actor who plays Bottom in Bristol Old Vic's production ofA MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM as part of New Haven's International Festival of Ideas.

Directed by Stephen Daltry, Dickenson (displaying a ribald belt), Perkins (a hoot), Garner and Hebert all give strong performances. Parets dances well with steps performed with precision and technical skill if not all the heart we expect. The same could be said of the special effects: fog and fly rigging are used precisely, but they fail to make our spirits soar the way they did on the Broadway stage. It's also hard to understand several of the kids who are trying very hard to do northern English accents. Entire lines of dialogue are lost.

Bristol native son Mike Reiss, who has enjoyed success as a comedy writer for 'The Simpsons' among other shows, turns his attention to the root of his humor, his home state in the riotously funny I'M CONNECTICUT getting a slick production at Ivoryton Playhouse.

Rupp's power-house performance captures Ruth so effectively and in such detail, that we're convinced the much shorter, German accented woman must really be on stage.

Pat Sajak puts his spinning talents to work here in Connecticut this month, but this time turning records instead of a 'Wheel of Fortune' as he takes on the role of Man in Chair for CT Repertory's Nutmeg Summer Series production of The Drowsy Chaperone.

The true story of a teenager who plays a game of Catch Me if You Can with the FBI is already larger than life, but this musical, making a tour stop at the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford, takes it way over the top by adding full-scale musical numbers, kick-line choreography and glitzy costumes.

The theater season hardly takes a break in Connecticut during the summer and we have some great shows coming up.

Hartford Stage's presentation of TWELFTH NIGHT, directed by Darko Tresnjak, is so sumptuous, so pleasing to look at and so cleverly staged that it's possible our appetite for any other setting for William Shakespeare's classic might be slaked.