Review: ALMOST FAMOUS at A.C.T. Of CT

A.C.T. of CT opened its 2025-2026 season with Almost Famous: The Musical in a masterful production. Long-time patrons of A.C.T. know they will get total professionalism from the cast and creative crew, but this production of Almost Famous has something extra. A.C.T.’s artistic director and director of this production, Daniel C. Levine, worked with Cameron Crowe and Tom Kitts on the revised book and score, which will be the new licensed version of Almost Famous going forward. Crowe and Kitt reworked the show while doing a residency at Connecticut’s Eugene O’Neill Theater Center. As a result, A.C.T.’s production is a thrilling reimagination of the musical, not just of the material, which has a lot of heart and depth, but a first-rate cast and crew.

Almost Famous is Crowe’s semi-autobiographical story about a smart but awkward 15-year-old William Miller (Michael Fabisch) who loves rock ‘n’ roll and admires the legendary music critic Lester Bangs (Chris Marth), a writer for Creem and Rolling Stone magazines. The show takes place in 1973, a time when journalism was a respected, powerful, and influential profession. People got their news from trusted newspapers and television news programs, not from social media. The proof of this was that a year later, two ordinary crime reporters at the Washington Post would pave the way to take down a corrupt president. That is truly epic.

The influential Bangs emphatically believes that rock ‘n’ roll is dead. Yet when he finds some impressive freelance articles Miller wrote for underground papers, he gives him a paying assignment to review a Black Sabbath concert. His article caught the attention of Rolling Stone’s editors who offer him $1,000 to write a 3,000-word article on the band Stillwater.

They send Miller on the road with Stillwater. This is exactly what his widowed, over-protective mother Elaine (Anika Larsen) does not want because she thinks rock ‘n’ roll is all about drugs and sex. She made him believe that he was older than his actual age and planned for him to go to law school. William’s older sister, Anita (Ella Perez) leaves the family to become a flight attendant, and encourages William to find his own path in life. Despite his mother’s objection, he goes with Stillwater anyway and promises her he will be back in time for graduation. Because he is a journalist, the band members jokingly call him “the enemy” and are reluctant to talk to him about anything of significance. Stillwater is comprised of Russell Hammond (Jack Rasmussen) and Jeff Bebe (Chris Cherin), Larry Fellows (Caleb Hartsfield), and Silent Ed (Trevor Bunce). He ingratiates himself not just with them, but with their groupies, Sapphire Sensimilla (SJ Nelson), Estrella Star (Julia Cassandra), and Polexia Aphrodesia (Kendall Becerra), who make up the show’s Greek chorus, and the crème de la crème of groupies, Penny Lane (Tess Marshall). Rounding out the cast are Shaylen Harger as Alice Wisdom and Leslie, Liam Fennecken as Dick Roswell, Kevin Trinio Perdido, Andrew “Andi” Maroney, and Eric May Lui in multiple parts, and Raúl Calderón and Jillian Millette as the swings.

One of the strengths of the writing in Almost Famous is that it takes the audience through the whole journeys of the main characters. It’s not just William’s coming of age story. The tensions and rivalries among the band members are credible, as are Elaine’s anguish about her children and her tough stand with Russell Hammond, and Penny Lane’s dreams, insecurities, and delusions. “We are not groupies,” she explains. “Groupies sleep with rock stars because they want to be near someone famous. We are here because of the music. We inspire the music. We are Band-Aids.”

The real Lester Bangs was a complicated person, and the writing in Almost Famous captures his strengths, weaknesses, and peculiarities, which is impressive because the role of Bangs is not a leading part. Bangs pops in and out of Miller’s struggles to write a compelling article about Stillwater. He tries to guide him on how to handle musicians. “See, friendship is the booze they feed you. They want you to get drunk on feeling like you belong…. Because they make you feel cool. And hey. I met you. You are not cool…. My advice to you: I know you think those guys are your friends. You wanna be a true friend to them? Be honest, and unmerciful.”

There are also some amusing lines, such as when Stillwater’s new manager Dennis Hope (Dale Obermark) assesses their chances of success. “I didn’t invent the rainy day, man,” he says. I just own the best umbrella….If you think Mick Jagger will still be out there trying to be a rock star at age 50, then you are sadly, sadly mistaken.”

Daniel C. Levine flawlessly directed the show and its talented cast with unforgettable performances by Michael Fabisch, Chris Marth, Jack Rasmussen, Chris Cherin, Anika Larsen, and Tess Marshall.

David Goldstein’s set design takes advantage of every space possible to make this a big, beautiful musical. Charlie Morrison’s lighting and Camilla Tassi’s video design are exceptional. Shannon Slaton’s sound and AnnMarie Milazzo’s vocal design could be adjusted slightly so that no lines get lost. Leslie Bernstein’s costumes were terrific, especially Penny’s signature coat. Earon Chew Nealy’s wig and hair design looked so natural. Nick Alteri did a stupendous job as the production stage manager of this show. It could not have been easy. The music was terrific, and many people engaged in making it exceptional – Nicholas Connors, music director, conductor, and keyboard, Bryan Perri, music supervisor, Denis J. Arcano, music coordinator, and the members of the real band. Nathan Perry on keyboard 2, Al Orlo, Nicklas Dickerson, and John Tuohy on drums, Sherisse Rogers on bass, Darcy Macrae on percussion, and Randy Cohen and Nick Schenkel for keyboard and drum programming. Emily Grishman Music Preparation, Adriana Grace, Timothy Hanson, and Alden Terry should be recognized for their skills as music copyists, a necessity in any musical production, especially one with so many numbers and performers such as Almost Famous.

Almost Famous runs through November 23. A.C.T. is located at 36 Old Quarry Road in Ridgefield. For tickets visit www.actofct.org or call (475) 215-5433.

With the holidays coming up, why not give theater tickets to family and friends? A.C.T.’s next productions are Frozen from February 5 to March 8, Dear Evan Hansen from May 14 to June 21, and its signature one night only Broadway Unplugged (TBA). Ticket prices alone are not enough to sustain any theatrical organization. Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to A.C.T. so you can continue to see top notch productions with many Actors Equity players and respected professionals behind the scenes. Fairfield County residents are so lucky to have this kind of theater in beautiful Ridgefield. Let’s keep it going!