This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
04/20/2023 08:03 AMInside Notes and Comments About Connecticut and New York Professional Theater
Remembering the Past: The Yale Rep is closing its season with the ripple, the wave that carried me home from Friday, April 28, to Saturday, May 20. The play is about a woman who is asked to return to her childhood town in Kansas to speak at a ceremony honoring her father, who fought for the integration of public swimming pools in the 1960s. For tickets, visit YaleRep.org.
Three Very New Plays: Yale’s Carlotta Festival will feature three new plays in rotation at the Iseman Theater (1156 Chapel Street) from Thursday, May 4, through Friday, May 12. The three plays include littleboy/littleman by Rudi Goblen, about two Nicaraguan brothers in the US. It is described as a fable about the bond between brothers. Furlough’s Paradise, by a. k. payne is about a woman prisoner furloughed to attend her aunt’s funeral. The final play is Color Boy by Esperanza Rosales Balcárcel, about a charter school teacher and his long-ago color guard days. For information, schedule, and tickets, visit drama,yale.edu/productions.
The Secret Garden: The musical of the enchanting book by Frances Hodgson Burnett will play at ACT-CT in Ridgefield from Thursday, May 18, through Sunday, June 11. The show had a long Broadway run and features a book by playwright Marsha Norman and music by Lucy Simon. This is a classic book that has seen both movie and television adaptations. It is an ideal show to introduce children to theater. For tickets and information visit, ActOfCT.org.
Rodgers & Hammerstein: Center Stage in Shelton will present the musical revue A Grand Night for Singing from Friday, April 21, through Sunday, April 30. This show, conceived by Tony Award winner Walter Bobbie, offers a fresh and sometimes humorous take on classic Rodgers & Hammerstein songs. Tickets are available at CenterStageShelton.org
Bacharach and Legrand: Madison Lyric Stage is presenting I Was Born in Love with You, described as a cabaret-style concert featuring the songs of Burt Bacharach and Michel Legrand on Friday, May 5, and Saturday, May 6, at the Shoreline Unitarian Universalist Society in Madison. The show features a cast of six singers led by Marc Deaton and a jazz combo. For tickets, visit MadisonLyricStage.org.
A Favorite Returns: When Hartford Stage announced its 2023-’24 season, the headline was the return of A Christmas Carol–A Ghost Story of Christmas, which has been missing since December 2019. This year it will run from Nov. 24 to Dec. 24 and will be directed by former artistic director and adaptor of the play, Michael Wilson. The season begins with an adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice (Oct. 12 to Nov. 5). The new year brings Simona’s Search (Jan. 18 to Feb. 11), The Hot Wing King (Feb. 29 to March 24), Arthur Miller’s All My Sons (April 11 to May 5) and concludes with 2.5 Minute Ride (May 30 to June 23). Season tickets are on sale now; single tickets will go on sale in July. For information, visit HartfordStage.org.
NYC Notes: Wicked became the fourth longest-running production in Broadway history on April 11 with its 7,486th performance. The show will celebrate its 20th anniversary in October. If you love Gilbert & Sullivan, you should check out the production of Iolanthe, the finale concert of MasterVoices. It’s at Carnegie Hall on Wednesday, May 3. Among the singers are Jason Danieley, Christine Ebersole, Santino Fontana, and David Garrison. The reunion concert of Ragtime was one of those events all theater people wanted to see, but the tickets were impossible to get. It reunited most of the original cast, including Brian Stokes Mitchell and Audra MacDonald. A few rumors say that a documentary on putting this together is in the works. Actor’s Equity has authorized a strike of all Broadway national tours because of an impasse in negotiations for a new contract for tours. The sticking points are salaries and the per diem rates actors and stage managers receive to cover expenses while on tour.
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.