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04/19/2018 12:01 AMTony Winning Musical: Music Theatre of Connecticut (MTC) is presenting the Tony-winning musical Fun House, Friday, April 20 to Sunday, May 6. According to press materials, the show is based on a graphic novel Alison Bechdel. When her father dies unexpectedly, graphic novelist Alison dives deep into her past to tell the story of the volatile, brilliant, one-of-a-kind man whose temperament and secrets defined her family and her life. For tickets, visit musictheatreofct.com or call 203-454-3883.
Religious Thriller: Agnes of God is the first show in Madison Lyric Stage’s 2018 season. It runs Friday, April 20 through Sunday, April 29 at the Shoreline Unitarian Universalist Society in Madison. The show is about a psychiatrist who must assess the sanity of a young novice accused of murdering her newborn and the mother superior who tries to shield the girl. Was the child a virgin conception? It was a Tony-winning play and Oscar winning film. For tickets, call 203-215-6329.
Tresnjak’s Last Season: Hartford Stage has announced its 2018-’19 season, the last one with Darko Tresnjak as artistic director. The season includes a new musical, a Shakespeare play, and works by contemporary playwrights. The season opens with Make Believe (Sept. 6 to 30) by award-winning playwright Bess Wohl and directed by Jackson Gay. Elizabeth Williamson will direct Shakespeare’s Henry V (Oct. 11 to Nov. 4). After a break for the annual production of A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas (Nov. 23 to Dec. 29), the season will continue with the world premiere of Engagement Party (Jan. 10 to Feb. 3) directed by Tresnjak, then Detroit ‘67 by Dominque Morisseau (Feb. 14 to March 10). The season closes with the world premiere of the musical The Flamingo Kid (May 9 to June 2) directed by Tresnjak. One show, which will be scheduled late March to April is still to be announced. For season subscriptions, visit hartfordstage.org or call 860-527-5151. Tickets for individual shows will go on sale in July.
Yale Next Year: Yale Rep has announced four of the five plays it will present in the 2018-’19 season. Two are world premieres and one is a U.S. premiere. The season opens with El Huracán by Charise Castro Smith (Sept. 28 to Oct. 20), followed by The Prisoner created by the legendary Peter Brook, from Nov. 2 to 17. Carl Cofield will stage what is billed as an “Afro-futurist” production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night (March 15 to April 6). The season closes with the world premiere of Cadillac Crew (April 26 to May 18). The fifth production runs Feb. 1 to 23. For subscriptions, visit yalerep.org.
Closing a Generation Gap: Next up at Playhouse on Park in West Hartford is Jesse Eisenberg’s The Revisionist, which runs Friday, April 13 to Sunday, April 29. The play is about a young science fiction writer who visits his elderly second cousin in Poland. She’s a Holocaust survivor, but his visit not only creates a special bond, it also reveals a secret that threatens it. Billed as a comedy/drama, the show is not recommended for children or younger teens. For tickets, visit playhouseonpark.org. Off-Broadway, Vanessa Redgrave starred as the elderly cousin.
New York Notes: Lots is going on as multiple shows are opening prior to the Tony nominating deadline. Several musicals including Escape to Margaritaville featuring the music of Jimmy Buffett and Frozen will do big business despite less-than-stellar reviews. They have a built in audience. The two-part Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is sold out for many dates. It starts 19 years after the last film, and Harry is a father of three who must grapple with his past while his youngest son starts at Hogwarts. Angels in America (another two-part production that runs over seven hours) is also selling out in part due to the limited run (to June), the cast (headlined by Nathan Lane and Andrew Garfield), and the iconic nature of the plays, which both won Pulitzers. Serious theater goers are also planning on seeing Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women with Dame Diana Rigg, Laurie Metcalf, and Alison Pill; The Iceman Cometh (another theatrical marathon) with Denzel Washington; Shaw’s St. Joan with emerging star Condola Rashad and others; and revivals of Children of a Lesser God and Tom Stoppard’s Travesties. In the musical categories, those generating the most pre-opening interest are Tina Fey’s Mean Girls and the revivals of Carousel and My Fair Lady.
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.