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07/18/2019 12:01 AMA Tuneful Evening: If you missed Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin at Hartford Stage last month, you have time to see his show at Westport Country Playhouse through Saturday, Aug. 3. I thoroughly enjoyed this survey of Berlin’s life and music. Felder is not only a talented pianist (much better than Berlin was) but a good actor and a fine researcher. While he includes some familiar stories, he adds stories and facts that I didn’t know. Plus he plays and sings a number of Berlin’s songs from the familiar to the unfamiliar, such as the first song Berlin published. For tickets, visit westportplayhouse.org or call 888-927-7529.
A Must See: I’m urging you to see The Scottsboro Boys at Playhouse on Park in West Hartford which runs through Sunday, Aug. 4. This little known Kander and Ebb musical uses the minstrel show format to tell the real story of the nine young black men falsely accused of rape in Alabama in 1931. Plaudits to director Sean Harris for undertaking it and assembling a terrific cast. After each performance, there is a talk-back with prominent Connecticut residents. On Tuesday, July 30 at 5 p.m. at the Connecticut Historical Society, a panel will discuss how theater can help us discuss racism in the U.S. Among the panelists is the Honorable Richard Robinson, Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court. Reservations for this are required. Call 860-236-5621 for that or to purchase tickets to the show. Tickets are also available at playhouseonpark.org.
Getting a Table: If you have ever tried to make a reservation at a very trendy, hot restaurant in a major city, you found it wasn’t easy. The next play at TheatreWorks in Hartford is Fully Committed. It’s a day in the life of an out-of-work actor who takes the phone calls at a 5-star restaurant. It is tension-filled but humorous as some try almost anything to get a coveted reservation while the chef makes Gordon Ramsey look calm. This is the updated version of the play that was on Broadway last year. Jameson Stern returns to TheatreWorks as Sam. It runs from Thursday, Aug. 1 to Sunday, Sept. 1. For tickets, visit theatreworkshartford.org or call 860-527-7838. This production is presented at the Wadsworth Atheneum while the theater’s home is undergoing renovations.
Hamilton Parody: It’s said that Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of the mega-hit Hamilton, loved the parody of the show Spamilton. You can judge for yourself when a tour settles into Playhouse on Park from Tuesday, Aug. 14 through Monday, Sept. 9. This is a co-production with the Bushnell, which hosted the national tour of Hamilton last December; it is to return in 2021. For tickets, call the Playhouse box office at 860-523-5900 or visit www.playhouseonpark.org.
NYC Closings: Three more shows are folding their tents on Broadway. The first is the limited run revival of Terrence McNally’s Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, which stars Audra McDonald and Michael Shannon. It was scheduled to run through August but is closing Sunday, July 28. Two of last season’s new musicals are also closing. Pretty Woman: The Musical will close on Sunday, Aug. 18. The show opened last summer to tepid reviews. I’m surprised is has run this long. A national tour is planned. King Kong whose only critical acclaim was for the puppeteer-operated gorilla (20-foot tall, 2,000 pounds), will close on Sunday, Aug. 18. A tour is in development. Neither show received any major award nominations with the exception of those who created Kong.
What Is an Equity Tour: I get asked many questions about theater, but one of the most common is about the difference between Equity and non-Equity tours. Equity is the actor’s union that has contracts with Broadway, off-Broadway, touring, and local companies—Yale, Long Wharf, Ivoryton, and Goodspeed, among others in Connecticut. The contracts specify salaries, benefits, working conditions, and more. But some touring productions do not have contracts with Actor’s Equity. (Some tours start out as Equity but then switch to non-Equity sometime during the tour.) These actors are not covered by the pay, benefits, and working condition specifications. Members of Equity cannot perform in non-Equity productions except with special permission. It doesn’t mean that the performers aren’t as good as the Equity, but it does mean that they don’t have the protections of the Equity contract.
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 the Connecticut Critics Circle, New York’s Outer Critics Circle and the American Theatre Critics Association.