Connecticut Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 26

BWW Reviews: Bipolar Disorder Drives the Beat in a NEXT TO NORMAL Household
by Lauren Yarger - May 18, 2013

Kitt's score and Brian Yorgey's book and lyrics combine for one of the deepest and moving shows to hit a Broadway stage. It's not the typical subject matter for a musical (the theater suggests that it is appropriate for children 16 and up), but you should take advantage of an opportunity to see this...

BWW Reviews: Racism Takes Up Residence in CLYBOURNE PARK
by Lauren Yarger - May 18, 2013

Have you heard the one about a little white man thrown in a jail cell with a big black guy? If not, you can catch this, and a few other offensive jokes over at Long Wharf Theatre, where they pepper the dialogue in Bruce Norris' CLYBOURNE PARK, the Pulitzer-Prize winning play that explores themes of ...

BWW Reviews: POTTED POTTER at The Bushnell is Mischief Mangled
by Jacques Lamarre - May 18, 2013

POTTED POTTER has critic taking Dolores Umbridge....

BWW Reviews: Hole in the Wall Theatre's HOUSE OF A YES is a Definite Maybe
by Jacques Lamarre - May 18, 2013

Dark and twisted, Hole in the Wall's HOUSE OF YES is Jackie O No!...

BWW Reviews: It's a Recording Session from Hell When the Star Gets LOOPED
by Lauren Yarger - May 10, 2013

A single line of dialogue is the catalyst for Matthew Lombardo's multi-layered and laugh-filled play LOOPED making a tour stop this week at The Bushnell in Hartford....

BWW Reviews: IN A YEAR WITH 13 MOONS Puzzles Audience -- and Critic
by Lauren Yarger - May 10, 2013

As a critic, my first obligation is to be honest, so my readers will trust me when reporting on my experiences in the theater. After seeing the world premiere of In a Year With 13 Moons at Yale Rep, I have to tell you the truth. I didn't get it....

BWW Reviews: Broad Brook Opera House's NEXT TO NORMAL Challenges and Rewards
by Jacques Lamarre - May 05, 2013

A harrowing journey into complex issues of mental illness is worthy theatre....

BWW Reviews: Goodspeed Scores Good Fun with GOOD NEWS to Field 50th
by Lauren Yarger - May 05, 2013

It's a simple tale, mostly predictable, but somehow perfect for the Goodspeed stage. It's light, fun and lends itself to big dance numbers and colorful costumes (Tracy Christensen, design), though nothing just smacks of the '20s, interestingly....

BWW Reviews: Suffield Players' AS YOU LIKE IT is As We Like It
by Jacques Lamarre - May 03, 2013

After some big budget busts, the Bard bounces back....

BWW Reviews: This HAIRSPRAY Sticks and is Quite a Do!
by Lauren Yarger - April 29, 2013

Director Paul Mullins has teased together a terrific cast (the ensemble at 45+ is huge) starring comedian Kevin Meaney as Edna Turnblad, Tina Fabrique (Ella) as Motormouth Mabel and Lena Mary Amato as Tracy, reprising this role for the fifth time....

BWW Reviews: Newington Mainstage PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE Entertains for a Spell
by Jacques Lamarre - April 28, 2013

Do I have to spell it out for you? This show is fun!...

BWW Reviews: HartBeat Ensemble's RIDING THE TURNPIKE Drags the Strip
by Jacques Lamarre - April 28, 2013

The Berlin Turnpike is home to hot meals, Home Depot and hookers....

BWW Reviews: Music Theater of CT's COLE Provides Quick Sing Through of Some Tunes
by Lauren Yarger - April 26, 2013

COLE...

BWW Reviews: Shark Eats Shark, the Small Business in OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY at Ivoryton
by Lauren Yarger - April 26, 2013

'Shark-eats-little fish' and 'shark-eats-shark' set the stage for the underhanded word of corporate takeovers in Jerry Sterner's play, OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY over at Ivoryton Playhouse....

BWW Reviews: Sisterhood Overcomes Evil in SISTER ACT Tour at the Bushnell
by Lauren Yarger - April 17, 2013

Ta'Rea Campbell stars as nightclub singer Deloris Van Cartier, the role made famous in the film by Whoopi Goldberg (who is a producer on the show). When Deloris sees her lover, gangster Curtis Jackson (Kingsley Leggs, who originated the role on Broadway), murder a snitch she's marked for execution a...

BWW Reviews: THE WIZARD OF ODDS in Bridgeport - A Tale Worth Retelling
by Sherry Shameer Cohen - April 15, 2013

Speak up!...

BWW Reviews: Little Theatre of Manchester Brings OUR TOWN to Our Town
by Jacques Lamarre - April 14, 2013

Timeless slice of life from Thornton Wilder still hits us where we live....

BWW Reviews: Connecticut Cabaret's LEND ME A TENOR Hits Some High Notes
by Jacques Lamarre - April 13, 2013

Despite some sluggish pacing, CT Cabaret's TENOR sings a silly song....

BWW Reviews: A Tale as Tall as the Sky is Wide Sweeps Across Hartford Stage with ABUNDANCE
by Lauren Yarger - April 12, 2013

ABUNDANCE, Beth Henley's tale of two mail order brides out west in the last part of the 19th century, packs in everything you'd expect from a tall tale of life on the American frontier - and much more. Maybe too much....

BWW Reviews: THE IMMIGRANT at Seven Angels Offers Storytelling at Its Best
by Lauren Yarger - April 09, 2013

Subtitled 'An American Musical,' it is in the truest sense the story of striving for the American Dream. Haskell (Max Bisantz) arrives in the small town of Hamilton, in Central Texas shortly after the turn of the century, pushing a banana cart and unable to speak English. Wary at first of the strang...

BWW Reviews: THE MOUNTAINTOP at TheaterWorks Hartford Recreates the Room and the Man
by Lauren Yarger - April 08, 2013

It's April 3, 1968 and the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., arrives at a Memphis motel after delivering his 'I've Been to the Mountaintop' speech. There, a mysterious maid bringing him a cup of room service coffee causes him to reflect on his life and destiny in Katori Hall's Olivier-winning play THE M...

BWW Reviews: Paul Giamatti's HAMLET at Yale Rep is 'Not To Be' Missed if You Want 'To Be' Entertained
by Lauren Yarger - March 24, 2013

Giamatti, a little older and less handsome-of-face than most Hamlets these days, brings out the tortured Dane prince's humorous side and in doing so, engages a younger generation that might not normally think several hours in a theater listening to Shakespeare could be a fun way to spend an evening....

BWW Reviews: Rock & Roll Fame Spins on the Flipside of Love in LIFE COULD BE A DREAM
by Lauren Yarger - March 18, 2013

In a basement rec room in the 1950s, four guys dream of being the next big thing in rock 'n' roll and of winning the girl who has stolen their hearts in Life Could Be A Dream, a jukebox musical that has them clapping and singing along at the Ivoryton Playhouse....

BWW Review: The Beatles Experience with RAIN Rocks at Waterbury's Palace
by Lauren Yarger - March 16, 2013

If you're a Beatles fan, you'll enjoy the music-jammed two and a half hours (with an intermission). The music and vocals are good. It's the next best thing to seeing Paul, George, John and Ringo in person. Four generations were represented in the audience who sang and clapped along with the music....

BWW Reviews: Spirit of Broadway's CONVENIENCE Stores All the Drama You Can Handle
by Jacques Lamarre - March 12, 2013

BroadwayWorld Connecticut correspondent gives CONVENIENCE some tough love and a few inconvenient truths.Spirit of Broadway's CONVENIENCE stores all the drama you can handle...