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05/09/2019 12:01 AMSummer Surprise: Long Wharf hasn’t officially announced it, but according to Playbill.com, Tony winning actor Len Cariou will bring his one-man show Broadway & the Bard to the theater in mid-July. The show was done off-Broadway to rave reviews. It combines Shakespearean monologues with classic Broadway songs. Carious starred in Applause, A Little Night Music, and Sweeney Todd as well various dramas and Shakespeare plays. I would put the July 14 to 16 dates on my calendar now.
Carlotta Festival: Yale School of Drama’s Carlotta Festival of new plays runs Wednesday, May 8 to Wednesday, May 15. Three new plays by playwrights graduating from Yale Drama School are given full productions. The plays are YELL: a documentary of my time here, Pivot, and Locusts. For more information about the plays and the schedule or for tickets, visit drama.yale.edu/Carlotta.
Hamilton Spoof: Even if you missed Hamilton at the Bushnell, you will enjoy the musical comedy spoof, Spamilton: An American Parody, which is being presented by the Bushnell and Playhouse on Park from Aug. 14 to Sept. 9. Tickets are already on sale for this show, which will be performed at the West Harford theater. For tickets, visit playhouseonpark.org or call 860-523-5900. It’s bound to sell out.
Musical Drama in Madison: Madison Lyric Stage will present the musical drama adaptation of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men from Friday, May 31 to Sunday, June 9. The performances are at the Deacon John Grave House and are limited to 40 people per performance. The chamber opera was written in 1970 by Carlisle Floyd. For tickets, visit madisonlyricstage.org.
Nora’s Return: Long Wharf is presenting its production of A Doll’s House–Part 2 through Sunday, May 26. The Tony-award-winning play assumes that Nora Helmar returns home after she left her husband 15 years before. This production (earlier this year, TheaterWorks had a different production) is directed by Will Davis. It’s clear from Davis’s comments that he feels there is humor in the piece. For tickets, visit longwharf.org or call 203-787-4282.
Screenwriter: The original screenwriter (Neal Marshall) and producer (Michael Phillips) of The Flamingo Kid will be at Hartford Stage on Sunday, June following the matinée to discuss the hit film that has inspired the musical on stage there. They’ll share anecdotes about the film and its journey to the screen. It’s free and open to the public. For tickets, visit hartfordstage.org or call 860-527-5151.
Nominations: The Broadway theater season officially ended Thursday, April 25 with the opening of Beetlejuice. Now the nominations for awards from the Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk, Drama League, and the Tonys have all been announced. Several of these organization honor both Broadway and off-Broadway; the Tony Awards are for Broadway only.
While there were some differences, the major categories featured similar nominees. Honored by multiple organizations: best musical—The Prom, Hadestown, Tootsie, and Ain’t Too Proud; best musical revival—Kiss Me, Kate and Oklahoma!; best play revival—All My Sons, Boys in the Band, and Waverly Gallery; and best new play—The Ferryman and What the Constitution Means to Me. The acting nominations for plays included Glenda Jackson (King Lear), Bryan Cranston (Network), Jeff Daniels (To Kill a Mockingbird), Annette Bening (All My Sons), Laurie Metcalf (Hilary and Clinton), Elaine May (Waverly Gallery), and others. For musicals, they included Santino Fontana (Tootsie), Kelli O’Hara (Kiss Me, Kate), Stephanie J. Block (The Cher Show), and many more. For a complete list, check my blog 2ontheaisle.wordpress.com
Award Snubs: Among the shows that got few if any nominations were the musicals Pretty Woman, King Kong, The Cher Show, and Be More Chill. Plays that were overlooked included Lifespan of a Fact, Bernhard/Hamlet, and Hilary and Clinton. Some organizations did not recognize either Jeff Daniels for his acting or omitted To Kill a Mockingbird for best play. I thought Lucas Hedges deserved a nomination for The Waverly Gallery. These omissions surprised me.
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.