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Goodspeed, School Break, Three In Waterbury, Unlikely People, and More

New Shows at Goodspeed: Three new musicals will be produced at Goodspeed’s Terris Theatre in Chester this year. A Complicated Woman, which runs May 10 to June 2, sounds fascinating. It is about a theatre impresario known for convincing Hollywood stars to do summer stock who disappears and seems to emerge as a different person. Darko Tresjnak is known for directing, scenic design, and helping new musicals (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder), now is writing a musical. Ask for the Moon is about a disparate group of people on a cruise ship. It’s billed as zany and madcap. It will run from July 19 to Aug. 11. The third show, which will play from Sept. 27 to Oct. 27, will be announced later. For information and subscriptions, contact Goodspeed.org.

In Time for School Break: Frozen, the national tour of the hit Disney Broadway musical, will be at the Bushnell Theatre in Hartford for two weeks. The show runs from Thursday, Feb. 7, to Sunday, Feb. 18, which coincides with many school breaks. The musical has a dozen songs that were not in the film. For tickets, visit Bushnell.org.

Three Productions in Waterbury: Seven Angels Theatre will produce three shows this spring, including a world premiere. First up is the musical adaptation of Grumpy Old Men, which runs from Friday, March 1 to Sunday, March 24. The show has had productions throughout the country. Next is the musical version of A Bronx Tale from Thursday, April 26, to Sunday, May 19. In June is a world premiere, JBKO–the initials stand for Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis. It runs from June 14 to June 30. For information and tickets, visit SevenAngelsTheatre.org

Unlikely People: Take a NYC sanitation worker and an Ivy-league-educated new employee, and you have the premise of The Garbologists now at TheaterWorks through Sunday, Feb. 25. The press material says, “When this unlikely pair is thrown together to pick up what the world has discarded, they unexpectedly find common ground in uncommon times. For information and tickets, visit TWHartford.org.

New Musicals in Development: Through the first half of February, 18 new musicals will be worked on at the Goodspeed campus. The writing teams were selected for the John Mercer Foundation Writers Grove. Participants in the four-week-long residency receive support from Goodspeed staff and a chance to work full-time on their projects while also gaining insight from other participants. Mercer was a legendary composer, lyricist, and performer.

Continuing On: Two shows that Connecticut theatergoers saw at Goodspeed are moving on. Anne of Green Gables: A New Musical was at Goodspeed in the summer of 2022. It is now getting three industry readings in February. The purpose is to gauge interest from Broadway professionals. Private Jones, which was recently seen at Goodspeed’s Terris Theatre in Chester, is being produced by the Signature Theatre in northern Virginia. Many of the same cast are continuing in their roles.

NYC News: The Broadway theater season is heating up, with many shows in rehearsal or previews. Shows like to open in late March or April, right before the deadline for Tony Award eligibility. This year, the schedule is chocked full of musicals, most of them new. As of now, only three revivals are scheduled: The Who’s Tommy, The Wiz, and the Eddie Redmayne-led revival of Cabaret. Several are making the jump from off-Broadway, including Days of Wine & Roses, Hell’s Kitchen with music by Alicia Keys, and Suffs about the Suffragettes. New musicals include adaptations of The Notebook, The Outsiders, The Great Gatsby, and Water for Elephants. Lempicka is about the art deco artist and The Heart of Rock ‘n Roll, featuring the music of Huey Newton and the News, are originals. I have to wonder how many will still be running in August.

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.