Joseph Harrison - Page 12

???????Very few people can claim to have seen all 37 of William Shakespeare's plays in their entirety. It would probably take a lifetime to do this, not to mention the fact that some of the more obscure plays are rarely performed. However, if someone wanted to get a flavor for the Bard's entire body of work, presented in a tongue-in-cheek fashion, they need not go any further than Playhouse on Park in West Hartford to catch the final production of their current season - THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (ABRIDGED.)

Sardines. Slamming doors. Relationships budding (and burning) before your eyes. A farce within a farce. And laughter, so much laughter. Take all of this and mix it together and you get Michael Frayn's masterpiece of a comedy NOISES OFF, which is currently playing as the Connecticut Repertory Theatre's (CRT) second production of their Summer Nutmeg Series.

Looking back at one's childhood with grown-up eyes can be revealing in many ways. Sometimes we understand better the sacrifices our parents made to give us the things they never had. And sometimes, exploring the past helps us find closure, clarity, and a sense of peace. In the Tony Award winning musical, FUN HOME, the character of Alison does just this - peers back at her life and reveals the joy and pain hidden in the past. Based on the acclaimed, autobiographical graphic novel by Alison Bechdel, FUN HOME arrives in Hartford at The Bushnell June 20 - 25. I had the pleasure of catching up with Kally Duling who plays the character of Joan, and who shared her insights on the show and its important message.

It is a staple image of American History - one that every American child learns about in school and one that comes to mind for many as the barbecues fire up and fireworks are prepared for Independence Day on the Fourth of July. I am speaking of the iconic image of the brave founding fathers signing the Declaration of Independence. But how often does one think about these men and what they actually might have been like (their quirks, their personalities, their dreams) trying to sort out how to move forward in what had to be a stressful and tumultuous time. This story of the men you know (Franklin, Adams, Jefferson) and some you may not (Rodney, Hall, Dickinson) and the journey they take together to work through conflict and declare their freedom from England comes to brilliant life on stage in the Connecticut Repertory Theatre's (CRT) inaugural production of their Summer Nutmeg Series, 1776.

From the very moment audiences enter the theater at Hartford Stage for its final production of the 2016-17 season, George Bernard Shaw's HEARTBREAK HOUSE, it is immediately apparent the evening is going to be quite unique. In what has been called Shaw's "most ambitious and prophetic achievement", HEARTBREAK HOUSE manages to bring to life the signature wit and social dialogue of Shaw's other works but with a sense of danger, intrigue and fascination - and under the direction of Artistic Director Darko Tresnjak, the Hartford Stage production accomplishes this and more.

Who hasn't thought about what it would be like to live forever? Not having to worry about getting sick, losing loved ones, or the ailments that come with old age would be great, but what if that choice came with the realization that those who you've already lost will be lost to you, forever. Would you still choose to do it? Those are the questions that one family is faced during a fateful road trip in the new musical DEATHLESS which opens at Goodspeed's Terris Theatre in Chester on June 2. I had the chance to sit down with the writer, lyricist, and composer of DEATHLESS, Zack Zadek and talk about his inspiration for the show, the process of bringing a new musical to life, and the emotional themes on display in this new production.

It is a classic East meets West tale and one that many count as their favorite musical, but when THE KING AND I, the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical plays at the Bushnell in Hartford, audiences will have the chance to experience this story in a whole new way. This production, based on the critically acclaimed version produced at New York's Lincoln Center, will take the Bushnell stage in Hartford May 30 - June 4. Playing Prince Chulalongkorn, the eldest son and heir to the throne, will be Anthony Chan. I had the pleasure of speaking with Anthony and learning about his experience with this beautiful classic.

Whenever one thinks about the RMS Titanic, often the first images that come to mind is the massive vessel - the largest ship of its time that was "unsinkable", which met an unthinkable fate on its maiden voyage across the sea. But what is truly remarkable about the fateful voyage are the stories of those on board, from the third class immigrants in the depths of the ship, yearning for a better life in America all the way up to first class, which represented a true "who's who" of American millionaires and businessmen. These stories, the stories of the human beings who boarded the Titanic never to return (or return the same), are on full display at the Broad Brook Opera House in the Opera House Players' current production of Maury Yeston and Peter Stone's TITANIC THE MUSICAL.

Everything today, is indeed thoroughly modern. From the cars we drive, to the mobile phones we are glued to, to the latest fashion, American society is all about following latest trends and embracing the fads of the day. This is something that has been the case for generation to generation, even the "roaring twenties", the setting for Goodspeed Muscials' season opener THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE. Something else that hasn't changed that much in the last hundred years - the self-starting, determined spirit of young people pursuing their dreams. That too, is on display in living color on the Goodspeed stage through Millie and the quirky characters that inhabit her 1922 New York world. And, in this production, Goodspeed Musicals infuses this tale with energy, fresh vision, and most importantly, fun.

Sometimes love is unpredictable. It may come at the strangest moments, when you least expect it - even when you are at your lowest point or have suffered a recent loss. But one thing is certain, when it does come, it is hard to shake and something worth seeing through. Such is the kind of love on display between the two characters in Arlene Hutton's LAST TRAIN TO NIBROC, currently playing at Playhouse on Park in West Hartford.

Anyone who knows me knows I am passionate about the theatre and about the rare and radiant feeling that can only come from a few hours in a darkened space connecting on an emotional level both with a set of actors and those around you sharing that common experience. Sometimes a play gets it right, sometimes it doesn't, but sometimes a production comes along that is something else altogether. It goes beyond entertainment, reaching in and touching you to your very core in a brilliant symphony of emotional energy. This is exactly what is happening at TheaterWorks in Hartford in its latest production - Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey's NEXT TO NORMAL, and it is something truly magnificent.

Sometimes the impact a person has on the world is not completely clear until they are gone. And when that person has the innate ability to open eyes, shift perspectives, and change the course of someone's life, it makes their absence (and their influence) that much more profound. This is the impact of 14-year-old Leonard Pelkey as told in Hartford Stage's latest production, THE ABSOLUTE BRIGHTNESS OF LEONARD PELKEY.

The American Dream. Disillusionment. Political, and personal alienation. The right to be happy. All of these concepts come to vivid life on stage in Yale Rep's latest production of Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman's dark, but brilliant musical ASSASSINS.

Sexual politics, liberation and the cost it weighs on those seeking it (and from whom they are seeking it from), and the fluidity of expression (both in gender and in sexuality) are all on display at Hartford Stage in its latest production of Caryl Churchill's CLOUD 9.

'There is no present or future-only the past happening over and over again - now." These words from Eugene O'Neill's A MOON FOR THE MISBEGOTTEN illustrate so poignantly the emotions on display on stage at Playhouse on Park in their current production of the O'Neill classic. Whether the past being referenced are the three sons who one after the other have escaped the oppressive farm life with their father Phil Hogan, or the haunting past actor Jim Tyrone has tried to bury with alcohol and women, audiences get a powerful taste of the lives of these vivid and broken characters in this latest production on the Playhouse stage.

It's always a pleasure catching up with an old friend, hearing stories you haven't heard in years, laughing together about inside jokes and just feeling comfortable together. These feelings can often be the same when experiencing a theatrical piece again after a long absence. What makes it even more special is when you rarely get to see that friend (or that show). Such is the case, for me, with Alfred Uhry and Robert Waldman's THE ROBBER BRIDEGROOM, Broad Brook's Opera House Players' current production.

When the first electric chords of the Warner Stage Company's THE WHO'S TOMMY reverberate through the Warner Theatre in Torrington, CT, the audience knows they are in for something different. And TOMMY delivers - it rocks, and deftly tackles the difficult task of bringing an iconic piece to life on the stage.

You may think you know the story of CINDERELLA, but when the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical plays at the Palace Theater in Waterbury, you might find yourself pleasantly surprised. This updated version which recently closed an award-winning debut on Broadway will take the stage in Waterbury for four performances February 24 - 26. Playing the evil stepmother, Madame, will be Connecticut native, Sarah Primmer. I had the pleasure of speaking with Sarah and learning about her experience with this magical musical.

How do you build a world and a home at the same time? What gets lost in the struggle? How can a generation be so brilliant and so self-destructive at the same time? These are the questions that playwright Dominique Morisseau notes are what spark and guide her play SUNSET BABY, currently in its Connecticut premiere at TheaterWorks in Hartford.

A lot can change in 500 years. Our world (and worldview) is so different than our ancestors who lived that long ago. But one thing that is as true in 2017 as it was back in the 16th century, is that audiences love a good comedy. And that is why William Shakespeare's THE COMEDY OF ERRORS, now playing at Hartford Stage, still works, still gets laughs, and still ultimately entertains almost 500 years since its debut.