Connecticut Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 19

BWW Review: RUMORS at Ridgefield Theater Barn
by Sean Fallon - March 13, 2017

Over-the-top characters have deliberately comical interactions at a house party in which the host has shot himself earlier in the evening, before the guests arrived. An excellent cast and compelling storyline captivate the audience in this Neil Simon farce....

BWW Review: A MOON FOR THE MISBEGOTTEN at Playhouse On Park
by Joseph Harrison - February 27, 2017

'There is no present or future-only the past happening over and over again - now." These words from Eugene O'Neill's A MOON FOR THE MISBEGOTTEN illustrate so poignantly the emotions on display on stage at Playhouse on Park in their current production of the O'Neill classic. Whether the past being re...

BWW Review: Opera House Players' THE ROBBER BRIDEGROOM at Broad Brook Opera House
by Joseph Harrison - February 13, 2017

It's always a pleasure catching up with an old friend, hearing stories you haven't heard in years, laughing together about inside jokes and just feeling comfortable together. These feelings can often be the same when experiencing a theatrical piece again after a long absence. What makes it even more...

BWW Review: THE WHO'S TOMMY at the Warner Theatre
by Joseph Harrison - February 06, 2017

When the first electric chords of the Warner Stage Company's THE WHO'S TOMMY reverberate through the Warner Theatre in Torrington, CT, the audience knows they are in for something different. And TOMMY delivers - it rocks, and deftly tackles the difficult task of bringing an iconic piece to life on t...

BWW Review: SUNSET BABY at TheaterWorks
by Joseph Harrison - February 06, 2017

How do you build a world and a home at the same time? What gets lost in the struggle? How can a generation be so brilliant and so self-destructive at the same time? These are the questions that playwright Dominique Morisseau notes are what spark and guide her play SUNSET BABY, currently in its Conne...

BWW Review: THE COMEDY OF ERRORS at Hartford Stage
by Joseph Harrison - January 23, 2017

A lot can change in 500 years. Our world (and worldview) is so different than our ancestors who lived that long ago. But one thing that is as true in 2017 as it was back in the 16th century, is that audiences love a good comedy. And that is why William Shakespeare's THE COMEDY OF ERRORS, now playing...

BWW Review: [TITLE OF SHOW] at Playhouse On Park
by Joseph Harrison - January 16, 2017

Broadway has given us many things - both successes and flops, brilliant (and sometimes not-so-brilliant) music, and the opportunity to sit in an audience and be transported to a new reality. For some, myself included, the countless hours spent in an audience (or on a stage), at home listening (and r...

BWW Review: THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME at The Bushnell
by Carissa Chesanek - December 28, 2016

Intense is probably one word to describe The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, which opened last night at The Bushnell in Hartford, Connecticut. Mesmerizing is another. The Broadway play by Simon Stephens stemmed from the Mark Haddon novel awed its audience with its intelligence, enthus...

BWW Review: KENNY ROGERS' FINAL TOUR at Mohegan Sun
by Carissa Chesanek - December 19, 2016

Over the weekend, the legendary singer Kenny Rogers hit the stage at Mohegan Sun for his final tour, The Gambler's Last Deal....

BWW Review: A CHRISTMAS CAROL at Hartford Stage
by Joseph Harrison - December 05, 2016

It's a story most of us have heard or witnessed before. Crotchety and greedy old Ebenezer Scrooge, complaining about the poor, turning down the invitation of his nephew to Christmas dinner, and begrudgingly giving Bob Cratchit the day off for Christmas. We fondly remember past portrayals of Scrooge ...

A Chorus Line at Downtown Cabaret
by Carissa Chesanek - November 21, 2016

The award-winning musical comes to the The Downtown Cabaret Main Theatre stage with soulful characters that offer gripping and touching stories....

BWW Review: AN AMERICAN IN PARIS at The Bushnell
by Carissa Chesanek - November 18, 2016

A musical infused with ballet and a passionate love affair, An American in Paris delights at The Bushnell....

BWW Review: NOW OR LATER at Square One Theatre Company
by Cindy Cardozo - November 14, 2016

In the aftermath of a contentious election year, Square One Theatre opens its season with a political play, "Now or Later" by Christopher Shinn....

BWW Review: MY FAIR LADY at Broad Brook Opera House
by Joseph Harrison - November 14, 2016

A beautiful transformation takes place on stage at the Broad Brook Opera House in the Opera House Players' solid, beautifully presented production of the classic Lerner and Loewe musical, MY FAIR LADY. A classic such as this one requires love and care to ensure that audiences experience all the thin...

BWW Review: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST at the Warner Theatre
by Joseph Harrison - November 07, 2016

It may be a "tale as old as time", but the Warner Stage Company's season opener, Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, feels fresh, exciting and, as expected, magical. It is hard to find anyone who is not already familiar with the classic Disney tale of Belle, her unfortunate imprisonment in an enchanted ...

BWW Review: UNNECESSARY FARCE at Playhouse On Park
by Joseph Harrison - November 07, 2016

Lately, there have been a lot of slamming doors on Park Road in West Hartford. In its latest production, UNNECESSARY FARCE by Paul Slade Smith, Playhouse on Park gives audiences a fun romp filled with mistaken identities, the Scottish mafia, bumbling crooks (and equally bumbling police officers) and...

BWW Review: RELATIVITY at TheaterWorks
by Joseph Harrison - October 31, 2016

Can a great man also be a good man? Is a person defined by the impact they make on the world or by the impact they make on those they love? Does the importance of a piece of art or a scientific breakthrough outweigh the personal actions of the artist/scientist? These are some of the questions that a...

BWW Review: A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER Comes to The Bushnell
by Carissa Chesanek - October 26, 2016

The hilarious broadway musical comes to Connecticut, bringing with it laugh-out-loud entertainment you won't want to miss....

BWW Review: THE PIANO LESSON at Hartford Stage
by Joseph Harrison - October 24, 2016

When is a legacy worth preserving and when is it time to move forward with life? What cost can one pay to jump-start their future? These are some of the central questions tackled in August Wilson's THE PIANO LESSON, which is now playing at Hartford Stage. One of Wilson's "Pittsburgh Cycle" plays (10...

BWW Review: DIRTY DANCING Comes to Palace Theater
by Carissa Chesanek - October 11, 2016

The musical delights the crowd with a familiar story and incredible dancing...

BWW Review: CHASING RAINBOWS: THE ROAD TO OZ at Goodspeed Opera House
by Joseph Harrison - October 11, 2016

It's probably hard to find anyone around today who is not familiar with Judy Garland. Older generations may have grown up with her in "Easter Parade" or "Meet Me in St. Louis". Others might remember her fondly as a powerhouse entertainer and singer who hosted her own television variety show. But at ...

Hairspray Delights the Stage at Downtown Cabaret Theatre
by Carissa Chesanek - September 26, 2016

A fun loving show with incredible cast and heartening tale of love and acceptance....

BWW Review: GYPSY at Music Theatre Of Connecticut
by Melinda Zupaniotis - September 19, 2016

With a minimalist set depicting an abandoned stage - brick wall, ladder, random set pieces, and a piano - Music Theatre of Connecticut begins its 30th season with the iconic musical, Gypsy. Written in 1959, Gypsy harnesses the dream-team creative talents of music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Son...

BWW Review: LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS at Playhouse On Park
by Joseph Harrison - September 19, 2016

One of the biggest thrills I get as a theatre reviewer is to experience a show that I love in a new light, and to discover things about it that I never noticed before, no matter how many times I may have seen it. This was my experience viewing the first production in Playhouse on Park's eighth seaso...

BWW Review: THE GREAT AMERICAN TRAILER PARK MUSICAL at the Broad Brook Opera House
by Joseph Harrison - September 19, 2016

Musicals have an amazing way of transporting an audience to exciting, sometimes magical places. You might find yourself in the middle of a romantic kingdom, on the rooftops of turn-of-the-century London, or in the catacombs of a French opera house. But when the lights come up on the latest show at t...