CONNECTICUT THEATER REVIEWS

On Friday, April 1, I had the pleasure of seeing the ACT of CT’s unique adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR.  This 1971 musical that is primarily told through music with lyrics by Tim Rice has been redesigned and reinterpreted by the director, Daniel C. Levine who has inc...

What does 12 Angry Men and The Extremists have in common? Did you guess politics? Because if so, you would be right. On the set of a politics talk show, “Issues in Focus,” Dick Hedgerow brings on a guest, Norman Krieger, to discuss his upcoming book on battling extremism in the world. What was s...

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Every year, one of my favorite annual theater traditions is seeing the evening of one acts at the Ridgefield Theater Barn, in Ridgefield, CT.  I had the pleasure of continuing that wonderful tradition on Friday, March 18, with AN EVENING OF ONE ACTS 2022 which continues with the consistent first-ra...

The village came together to raise a child, putting all of their skills to the stage to blow the audience away with a light-hearted, uplifting, and hilarious story that brought us all to the sunny shores of Greece; or, at least how we imagine that would feel....

This Bitter Earth, playing at TheaterWorks in Hartford through March 20, is a moving and poetic work that explores the love between two men, Jesse and Neil, and their central conflict....

On Saturday, February 12, I had the pleasure of seeing THE DIVAS at the Ridgefield Theater Barn, in Ridgefield, CT.  This story, written by Jack Neary, is a comedic series of seven different one act plays that depict the lives of fictional divas Bethel and Clarice, two middle-aged stage actresses w...

On Saturday, February 12, at noon, I had the pleasure of seeing yet another Phill Hill masterpiece, at the Downtown Cabaret Theatre, in Bridgeport, CT, a musical adaptation of the classic story of RAPUNZEL.  This is the story of a princess who is trapped by an enchantress, high up in a castle, wait...

The best part of reviewing shows is that I have the opportunity to see shows that I have never heard of before. I entered Brookfield Theater to see Night of the Assassins, and I settled in for what promised to be an intense afternoon; an intensity that surpassed all expectations....

Although “Angry, Raucous & Shamelessly Gorgeous” is the title of Atlanta playwright Pearl Cleage’s new play, it quite amply describes the two women at the center of this literary comedy....

On Thursday, January 20, I had the pleasure of seeing a phenomenal show that I have been waiting to see for about two years!   It was well worth the wait!  The ACT of Connecticut has struck gold with NICKEL MINES, an emotionally intense musical based on the true story of an Amish school shooting,...

On Wednesday, December 15, I had the pleasure of seeing one of my absolute favorite annual shows, A CHRISTMAS CAROL EXPERIENCE, as put on by Fairfield Center Stage.  This annual production is easily the show that I talk up the most frequently during the year, every year.  While in the past, it has...

Not every Christmas is a happy one- that’s just the reality of growing up- but that doesn’t mean that the holiday season can’t still be special. You must make the most of every moment you can because you never know when those moments will run out. This lesson rang loud and true on stage at t...

Two weeks before Christmas my wife and I’d go To Meriden to see a phenomenal show The Castle Craig Players have done it again At the Memorial Playhouse of Almira F. Stephan A first rate performance we highly enjoyed With Dr. Seuss characters this show has toyed...

On Saturday, December 4th, at 12:00 P.M., I had the pleasure of seeing yet another Phill Hill written masterpiece, THE SANTA STORY, at Downtown Cabaret Theatre, in Bridgeport, CT.   Phill Hill has incredible writing talent in putting new spins on traditional children’s tales, while his creative ...

A holiday classic with a fun twist, 'What the Dickens?' takes the audience on a unique journey that is destined to delight and entertain!...

On Saturday, October 16, I had the pleasure of returning to the Almira F. Stephan Memorial Playhouse in Meriden, CT, to see the Castle Craig Players’ performance of STEEL MAGNOLIAS by Robert Harling.  Under the superb direction of Pam Amodio, this stellar cast provides what is both a humorous and...

On Friday, October 15, I had the pleasure of seeing yet another phenomenal production by Fairfield Center Stage, an innovative theatre company that continues to go that extra mile to bring the audience fresh new experiences with familiar shows that Fairfield Center Stage brings to life in positive w...

On Friday, October 1, 2021, I had the pleasure of returning to the ACT of CT in Ridgefield, CT, to see yet another amazing performance, SMOKEY JOE’S CAFÉ, a phenomenal show featuring the legendary music of songwriting team Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, who were the writers of many of the greates...

On Friday, September 10, I had the pleasure of seeing THE SOUNDS OF THE SEVENTIES, reprised at the Downtown Cabaret Theatre. This approximate two hour performance includes nearly fifty different songs, performed by the extremely talented four original cast members. Mikayla Petrilla, Saige Bryan, R...

On Saturday, August 28, 2021, I saw THE SUBURBS, a three segment show, each segment written by a different writer, including Catherine Yu, Tony Meneses, and Phanésia Pharel, respectively. All three stories are directed by Kholoud Sawaf.  With THE SUBURBS, Thrown Stone has presented a world prem...

On Saturday, July 24th, I had the pleasure of returning to Musicals at Richter, in Danbury, to see the absolute greatest performance of GODSPELL that I have ever seen! This musical allows creativity and originality to every theater group that performs it.  Musicals at Richter maximizes this freedo...

On Friday, July 23rd, I had the pleasure of seeing live theatre from the Castle Craig Players, again, their first live show since March of 2020!  Performing outdoors at the Hubbard Park Bandshell, in Meriden, CT, the Castle Craig Players return to live performances, right where they left off, with ...

On Thursday, June 24, I thoroughly enjoyed Rogers and Hammerstein’s THE SOUND OF MUSIC, performed by Fairfield Center Stage, under the open summer skies on a beautiful Fairfield evening, at Fairfield Museum Commons.  I always look forward to Fairfield Center Stage productions, because they take i...

JUST DESSERTS brings top talent to the Legacy Theatre, giving people yet another reason to visit the lovely town of Stony Creek, CT. This original musical keeps the audience entertained from start to finish with intrigue and suspense as to who will win a baking contest and whether it will be won w...