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05/17/2018 12:01 AMFinal Show at Hartford Stage: Athol Fugard’s A Lesson from Aloes, which premiered at Yale Rep in 1980, will close the season at Hartford Stage. The three-person play is set in South Africa in 1963 and explores the choices people must make in a divided and repressive society. Darko Tresnjak, who is directing, said, “Athol Fugard captures how changing political landscapes strain marriages, friendships, and communities. A Lesson from Aloes is one of the great plays of the last century.” It runs Thursday, May 17 through Sunday, June 10. For tickets, visit hartfordstage.org or call 860-527-5151.
Memories: If you grew up in the ‘60s, you probably listened to Dion and the Belmonts, a popular group that combined rock ‘n’ roll with R&B and other genres. Dion DiMucci went on to solo stardom and is still performing today. Seven Angels Theatre in Waterbury is presenting Rock ‘n’ Roll Redemption: The Story and Music of Dion DiMucci from Thursday, May 17 through Sunday, June 17. The show is written by DiMucci with collaborator Charles Messina. It’s about his life and his music. For tickets, call 203-757-4676 or visit sevenangelstheatre.org.
Tony & Other Nominations: Nominations for most of the New York theater awards programs are now public. The Tony Awards are the best well known. This season, the most competitive categories will be best revival of play, revival of a musical, and the male acting awards in both plays and musicals. The new musical category is surprisingly weak. The only show that got almost universal raves is The Band’s Visit, though both Mean Girls and SpongeBob SquarePants received multiple nominations, many for production elements. In the new play category, it would be major upset if Harry Potter and the Cursed Child didn’t win and also take home several awards for production values. The race for best revival of a play has tougher competition, though Angels in America may beat out Travesties, Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women, and The Iceman Cometh. Denzel Washington (Iceman) and Andrew Garfield (Angels in America) are the only American actors in the leading actor category, though Garfield was brought up in England; that may give them an edge in a category dominated by British actors. Mean Girls got 12 Tony nominations as did SpongeBob SquarePants, both The Band’s Visit and Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel received 11, and My Fair Lady received 10. In the play categories, Angels in America received 11 nominations, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, 10; Eugene O’Neill’s The Iceman Cometh, 8; and the three-person Three Tall Women, 6. The awards are presented on Sunday, June 10.
New York Notes: Many theater people are scratching their heads over the announcement that the revival of Hello, Dolly! will close in late August. The show has been doing good business with Bernadette Peters who took over from Bette Midler. Peters plays through late July and most expected her to be followed by other name performers from stage, screen, and television. Instead Midler will return for the last six weeks and then the show will close. The national tour starts in October with Betty Buckley as Dolly.
The movement for ethnically correct casting has caused Sierra Boggesss–who just completed a run at Hartford Stage in Age of Innocence—to withdraw from a London concert version of West Side Story. She was to sing/play Maria.
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.