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Another Loss, Shakespeare, Financial Challenges, and More

Another Loss: Christopher Plummer is the latest death of a major theatrical stars keep piling up. Plummer, a longtime Connecticut resident, died at 91. His career spanned film, theater, and television, but he was best known to the general public as Capt. Von Trapp in the movie The Sound of Music. Connecticut residents saw him in the 1950s at the American Shakespeare Festival in Stratford. In the 1980s, he returned there to play Iago to James Earl Jones’s Othello. It went on to Broadway and Plummer was nominated for one of his multiple Tony award nominations. He won two: for his performance in the title role in Barrymore and for the musical, Cyrano. He was an active participant in the Westport area arts scene and supported multiple organizations.

Shakespeare on Zoom: The Connecticut Repertory Theatre (CRT), which is on the UConn campus in Storrs, is presenting a re-imagined production of Shakespeare’s Pericles, Prince of Tyre through Sunday, March 7. Director Raphael Massie, an artistic associate of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, calls the work “an epic, fantasy, adventure...a bedtime story for adults.” He is re-imagining it as a graphic novel and in addition to two Equity performers, the production will incorporate puppetry and story art. UConn has a distinguished master’s degree program in puppetry. For information or tickets, visit crt.uconn.edu.

Money, Money, Money: All of Connecticut theaters are facing difficult financial challenges. Hartford Stage has announced a $1 million matching challenge for its ongoing Raise the Curtain campaign. Donations through June 30 will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to the $1 million. Funds are for sustaining the theater through this difficult time and rehiring staff and artists. The theater plans on returning to live productions in the fall. You can contribute at hartfordstage.org.

Yale Cabaret: After a successful fall season, the Yale Cabaret is back with seven streaming productions for the spring. With the Yale Cabaret, you should expect the unexpected. The first production already aired, but new productions are scheduled for the following weekends: Friday, Feb. 26, Friday, March 12, Friday, March 19, Friday, April 16, Thursday, April 29 and Friday, May 7. For the full schedule and information on the shows, visit yalecabaret.org. Single tickets and subscriptions are available; visit yalecabaret.org or email ysd.carbaret@yale.edu.

Planning: Much of theater is shut down but that doesn’t mean everyone is taking break. Plans for new shows are being announced. A new musical version (heavily revised) of the hit movie Some Like It Hot is on track for a 2022 opening. Sugar was the earlier musical adaptation of the film; it opened in 1972. The musical version of The Devil Wears Prada is also scheduled for fall 2022 if the production in Chicago that summer goes well. Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC) is planning a production of Dominique Morisseau’s Skeleton Crew for next January-February. The long talked about musical Houdini has been holding virtual readings. No information on next steps for the show has been announced.

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, the League of Professional Theater Women and the American Theatre Critics Association.