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05/25/2017 12:01 AMWorth the Trip: The show at Seven Angels Theatre in Waterbury, Trav’lin’-the ‘30 Harlem Musical is well worth the trip. The show—more revue than musical—features the music of J. C. Johnson, a Harlem composer of the period whose works were very popular, but who is not well-known today. The entire cast really lets you experience his music, which is delightful. The show runs through Sunday, June 11. For tickets, call 203-757-4676.
Elvis, Jerry Lee, and More: Million Dollar Quartet, the hit show about the magical night in 1956 when Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash were all in the Sun Records Studios, is next at Ivoryton Playhouse. That night has gone down in rock ‘n roll history as one of the great jam sessions. Million Dollar Quartet imagines what it was like with Sun Records owner Sam Phillips. The one-act musical, which features great rock, gospel, R&B and country, runs Wednesday, May 31 to Sunday, June 25. For tickets, visit ivorytonplayhouse.org or call 860-767-7318.
Hollywood Satire: Next up at TheaterWorks in Hartford is Fade, which is billed as a Hollywood satire by Tanya Saracho, co-producer of both How to Get Away with Murder and HBO’s Girls. The story revolves around Lucia, who is hired to write a Latina TV character at a male-dominated studio, and her friendship with the custodian, Abel. It runs Thursday, June 1 to Sunday, June 30. For tickets, call 860-527-7838.
Tony-Nominated Comedy: Westport Country Playhouse opens its season with the Tony-nominated comedy Lettice & Lovage by Peter Shaffer, who wrote Amadeus, among other plays. It’s going to star three Westport audience favorites: Mia Dillon, Patricia Conolly, and Paxton Whithead. The play tells the story of “Miss Lettice Douffet, a tour guide at of one of England’s historic homes. Faced with the fact that nothing of importance actually occurred in the home, Lettice uses her flamboyant style to embellish the stately mansion’s dull history with pure fantasy—much to the disapproval of her strict employer Lotte Schoen.” The show runs Tuesday, May 30 to Sunday, June 17. For tickets, visit westportplayhouse.org or call 888-927-7529.
History in Song: No one expected a musical about the writing of the Declaration of Independence to become not only a Broadway hit but a classic. 1776 proved the doubters wrong. It is opening the Summer Stage series at the Connecticut Repertory Theatre on the UConn campus. It runs Thursday, June 1 through Saturday, June 10. Among the Broadway performers appearing in the show are Jamie LaVerdiere as John Adams, Gaelan Gilliland as Abigail Adams, Richard Henry as Benjamin Franklin, and Adam Harrington as John Dickinson. Artistic Director Terrence Mann directs. For tickets, visit crt.uconn.edu or call 860-486-2113.
The Connecticut Connection: This year’s Broadway and off-Broadway awards programs have many Connecticut connections. Yale Rep is delighted that Indecent, its playwright Paula Vogel, and its director Rebecca Taichman have received numerous nominations as well as two cast members (Richard Topol and Katrina Lenk), lighting design, and choreography. While Anastasia, which originated at Hartford Stage, did not earn stellar reviews it still received multiple nominations including production elements, music, book, and performances.
Connecticut’s Own Awards: The Connecticut Critics Circle is gearing up for its annual awards for outstanding professional theater in Connecticut. While nominations won’t be announced for several weeks, the winner of the Tom Killen Award for outstanding contributions to Connecticut theater will be presented to Paulettte Haupt. Her name may not familiar to some, but she is the founding artistic director of the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Music Theater Conference. The annual summer program allows selected creative teams to work on their musicals and see semi-staged performances with outstanding cast members and directors. Among the musicals that she assisted are such Tony Winners as Nine, Avenue Q, and In the Heights. The CCC Awards will be presented on Monday, June 26 at the Edgerton Arts Center at Sacred Heart University. It is free and open to the public.
Getting to Know You: The fabulous Lincoln Center revival of Rogers & Hammerstein’s The King and I makes a stop at the Bushnell in Hartford from Tuesday, May 30 to Sunday, June 4. Jose Llana who took over the role of the King on Broadway will reprise the role on tour. This is a terrific production. For more about Llana, see Frank Rizzo’s column on zip06.com. For tickets, visit bushnell.org.
Karen Isaacs is an East Haven resident. To check out her reviews for New York and Connecticut shows, visit 2ontheaisle.wordpress.com. She’s a member of both the Connecticut Critics Circle and New York’s Outer Critics Circle.