Brooks Appelbaum

Here You Come Again: How Dolly Saved My Life in Twelve Easy Songs is a charming ode to Dolly Parton, playing through August 27th at Goodspeed Musicals’ Norma Terris Theatre in Chester, CT. Directed and choreographed by Gabriel Barre, the production is more than a jukebox piece, as it has a nicely delineated arc, though there is little suspense as to how the plot will turn out.

Lynn Nottage’s dark comedy, Clyde’s, is something of a departure for the author of Ruined and Sweat, among many other plays. Nottage is the only woman in history to win two Pulitzer Prizes for Drama, and though Clyde’s is not nearly in that league, the plot deals with people struggling to reclaim lives that at one time or another went terribly off course. TheaterWorks serves the play well, beginning with Mikael Burke’s strong direction and an ensemble of typically terrific actors and imaginative design artists.

What did our critic think of WEBSTER'S BITCH at Playhouse On Park?

What did our critic think of TROUBLE IN MIND at Hartford Stage?

What did our critic think of THE SECRET GARDEN at ACT Of Connecticut?

What did our critic think of THE WINTER'S TALE at Hartford Stage? The Winter's Tale, currently at Hartford Stage through May 7 and directed by Artistic Director Melia Bensussen, confronts an audience with a story difficult to believe from the start, whether or not one is a Shakespeare fan. Add to this Bensussen's vision, which includes problematic design elements and some unfortunate casting, and you have a version of the play that leaves us relatively unmoved. This is a shame, as The Winter's Tale is not often performed, and I was very eager to see it at this historically revered home for Shakespeare productions.

What did our critic think of THE ART OF BURNING at Hartford Stage? Kate Snodgrass' world premiere play, The Art of Burning, presented by Hartford Stage in association with Huntington Theater Company, is a disappointingly thin work, though the producing theaters are to be congratulated for supporting new scripts. The production itself, led by the sure hand of Hartford Stage Artistic Director Melia Bensussen, is well cast and fascinating to look at: Luciana Stecconi's scenic design creates an atmosphere of alienation, leaving the characters looking uneasy, often lost, and like chess pieces trying to defend their positions on a brutally cold board. However, the set is more original than the plot, which attempts to put a feminist spin on old themes: marriage is difficult; raising a child is even more difficult; affairs lead to thorny divorce settlements; and children get caught in the middle.

The national tour of the much-lauded Hadestown is playing at the Bushnell in Hartford through March 12, and this production is nothing short of stunning.

Paula Vogel's Indecent, now running at Hartford's Playhouse on Park through February 26, dramatizes the production history of a much older play, The God of Vengeance, written in 1907 by Sholem Asch.

Hartford Stage is presenting a remarkable and courageous New England premiere: Christine Quintana's bilingual play, Espejos/Clean. The play gives us two very different women: Adriana, from Chetumal, Mexico, who speaks Spanish and a bit of English, and Sarah, from Vancouver, who speaks only English.

What did our critic think of WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? at Yale Repertory Theatre? James Bundy, Artistic Director of Yale Repertory Theatre and Dean of Yale School of Drama, often helms the first production of a season, and that production is often a classic play: Tennessee Williams' A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE; Tom Stoppard's ARCADIA; Samuel Beckett's HAPPY DAYS; and Edward Albee's A DELICATE BALANCE, to name a few. This season, he directs what many consider to be Albee's masterpiece, WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF, and anyone who sees this production is fortunate indeed.

What did our critic think of FUN HOME at TheaterWorks Hartford? The musical FUN HOME, based on Alison Bechdel's graphic memoir ('a family tragicomic') won five Tony Awards in 2015, including Best Musical. And Jeanine Tesori (music) and Lisa Kron (book and lyrics) made history by being the first female duo to win a Tony. Oh, and by the way, the musical was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

Director Kevin Connors (also the Artistic Director of MTC) has worked wonders adapting big Broadway shows to fit, literally and artistically, into his intimate theatre space, which has the audience on three sides of a postage stamp stage. His GYPSY was superb, as he understood that this is essentially a mother-daughter drama; and he created what would seem the impossible in such a space with a beautiful production of RAGTIME. He has done the same with others.

QUEEN, by Madhuri Shekar and playing at Long Wharf Theatre through June 5th, is a timely investigation of ideas that centers on women in STEM (who are underrepresented onstage as in life). Unfortunately, cryptic writing and a misguided set design lessen the impact that the production might have achieved. Still, QUEEN's premise and plot are intriguing.

Tarell Alvin McCraney's CHOIR BOY, playing at Yale Repertory Theatre through April 23, is directed by the prodigiously talented Christopher D. Betts; Betts has created a terrific production, for the most part, with outstanding acting, singing, and scenic, lighting, and costume design. The play itself has some predictable elements, but for the most part Betts' interpretation makes for a thought-provoking and moving experience.

This Bitter Earth, playing at TheaterWorks in Hartford through March 20, is a moving and poetic work that explores the love between two men, Jesse and Neil, and their central conflict.

Some may doubt that a stage adaptation of the terrifically inventive, romantic, and witty 1998 film, 'Shakespeare in Love,' could possibly succeed. However, Connecticut Repertory Theatre's current production, expertly directed by Vincent Tycer and acted by a vibrant, masterful cast, proves that setting this story--which is about theater, after all--in an actual theater, creates a magic all its own. This production is, without a doubt, 'a hit! a palpable hit!'