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12/06/2017 11:01 PMGoodspeed Extends Run: The new musical, A Connecticut Christmas Carol, which is now playing at Goodspeed’s Terris Theatre in Chester, has been extended through Saturday, Dec. 30. Two shows were added on Tuesday, Dec. 26 and Sunday, Dec. 30 with single shows on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of that week. Many earlier dates are already sold out. The Terris Theatre is small. For tickets visit goodspeed.org or call 860-873-8668.
Nostalgia: Hartford Stage is now displaying in its window a 1939 original storefront window display from Marshall Field & Company, the well-known Chicago department store. The display depicts an outdoor scene from A Christmas Carol. The Props and Electrical departments at Hartford Stage refurbished and repaired the item. It will be in the front windows of the theater through Sunday, Dec. 31. It was gift by Bill & Joy Kelleher who own a doll shop and toy museum in Coventry; they have owned the piece for a number of years.
Gift Suggestions: If you are still doing holiday shopping, you might consider giving the gift of theater. Connecticut is blessed with many fine professional theaters and all can provide you with gift certificates for tickets. Many offer a two- or three-show package that includes flexible dates. If you need a list of theaters, check out ctcritics.org. But beyond tickets, friends might enjoy CDs of Broadway shows or solo albums by Broadway performers. I have enjoyed the cast albums of Come from Away, Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 (with Josh Groban), War Paint, and others. And for books and memorabilia you can check out playbillstore.com or broadwaycare.org. All profits from the latter go to a variety of health and social service agencies. Each years the casts of Broadway musicals collaborate to produce a CD of holiday carols and songs; each musical adds its own take to the songs.
Visiting NYC? If you are making a trip into the city to experience the store windows, the open air markets, or the tree at Rockefeller Center, you might also consider seeing a show. Remember that the TKTs booths offer same-day discounted tickets. When you arrive, will determine which shows are offering tickets and the discount. The best-known booth is at Time Square, but there other locations at South Street Seaport, in Brooklyn, and at Lincoln Center. Some offer tickets a day early for matinees. Check out TDF.org for information on the locations and hours of each booth. You can also see what shows are available that day. It varies. You are unlikely to find Hamilton, Wicked, or The Lion King, but on a recent day I found both plays and musicals—including Anastasia, A Bronx Tale, Phantom of the Opera, Waitress, Beautiful, and others, many offering a 50 percent discount. (A hint: on the TDF site, click on TKTS ticket booths and then TKT Live).
Off-Broadway: I recently saw a spectacular production of a moving and fascinating play, Shadowlands. It is romantic, and somewhat of a tear-jerker, but also has intelligent dialogue and terrific acting. You may recall a movie in the 1990s by the same name. This production is at the Acorn Theater on West 42nd Street and is produced by the Fellowship for the Performing Arts. I highly recommend it. It’s about C.S. Lewis, who wrote the Narnia stories, and his romance with a brash American. You can check out my full review at 2ontheaisle.wordpress.com. Tickets are available through Telecharge.com.
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.