Connecticut Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 9

BWW Review: THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS at Playhouse On Park
by Joseph Harrison - July 14, 2019

Live theatre creates a connection with the audience in a way unlike any other medium. Sometimes this connection builds excitement, sometimes it sparks compassion, and on other occasions, it forces you to confront something uncomfortable or difficult to create greater awareness and understanding. The...

BWW Review: MATILDA Steals Hearts at Landmark Community Theatre
by Jared Reynolds - July 15, 2019

Matilda moved more than just a cup and some chalk at the Thomastown Opera House. She also moved a lot of hearts and souls. With the talented cast and acrobatic children and teens, you could tell that everyone was having fun....

BWW Review: VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE Bring Chekov and Ibsen Together at TheatreWorks New Milford
by Jared Reynolds - July 14, 2019

'Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike' is one of those shows that has the potential to make you laugh, cry, cheer, jeer, sympathize, and feel hopeful and uncomfortable all within the span of a single conversation. It takes a tight cast and crew to capitalize on that potential, and TheatreWorks New Mi...

BWW Review: PIPPIN Brings Magic to New Canaan
by Sherry Shameer Cohen - July 13, 2019

Choreographer Doug Shankman makes the dance his own in this energetic production of a long-time favorite....

BWW Review: CRY IT OUT at Thrown Stone Theatre Company
by Sean Fallon - July 12, 2019

On Thursday, July 11, I had the pleasure of seeing the Connecticut debut of Molly Smith Metzler's emotionally intense dark comedy CRY IT OUT, as put on by Thrown Stone at the Ridgefield Conservatory of Dance in Ridgefield, CT.  Thrown Stone is yet again masterfully performing a production that immed...

BWW Review: THE BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS has a big night at Brookfield Theatre Of The Arts
by Jared Reynolds - July 08, 2019

Nothing says live like things not going according to plan. After all, live is what gives theater its magic. Luckily, sometimes performances don't go according to plan but it's the professionality dedication of the cast and crew that brings it all back together....

BWW Review: CABARET at Connecticut Repertory Theatre
by Joseph Harrison - July 06, 2019

When the world outside is challenging, political tensions are escalating, uncertainty is in the air and pressures are building to the breaking point, what can you do? If you lived in Berlin in the early 1930's you might have found yourself escaping from the rise of Nazism by visiting an avant-garde ...

BWW Review: CALENDAR GIRLS at Connecticut Cabaret Theatre
by Sean Fallon - July 01, 2019

On Saturday, June 29, I had the pleasure of seeing another first-rate production at the Connecticut Cabaret Theatre in Berlin, CT, CALENDAR GIRLS. Based on a true story, this comedy is written by Tim Firth. As director, Kris McMurray continues to bring out the best in this stellar cast that includ...

BWW Review: SPAMALOT at Musicals At Richter
by Sean Fallon - July 01, 2019

On Friday, June 28, I had the pleasure of seeing the farcical Monty Python musical SPAMALOT performed outdoors by Musicals at Richter, on the grounds of the Richter House, next to the Richter Park Golf Course in Danbury, CT. I thoroughly enjoyed my first experience with Musicals at Richter. I am v...

BWW Review: BARNUM at Fairfield Center Stage
by Sean Fallon - June 28, 2019

On Thursday, June 27, I had the pleasure of seeing another Fairfield Center Stage masterpiece, BARNUM in a spectacular manner that I have never seen it before, outdoors, outside the Fairfield Museum and History Center. The performers are so talented that the show comes across as a brilliant combin...

BWW Review: HERSHEY FELDER AS IRVING BERLIN at Hartford Stage
by Andrew Beck - June 26, 2019

From George Gershwin through such musical luminaries as Franz Lizst, Frederick Chopin, and Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, the actor, playwright and composer Hershey Felder has brought the life and music of any number of musical luminaries to audiences across the United States, Canada and the world, winni...

BWW Review: CRAZY FOR YOU at Sharon Playhouse
by Sean Fallon - June 24, 2019

On Saturday, June 22, I had the pleasure of seeing a phenomenal performance of CRAZY FOR YOU, the musical, at the Sharon Playhouse in Sharon, CT. With book by Ken Ludwig, music by George Gershwin, and lyrics by Ira Gershwin this musical romantic comedy kept the audience entertained from start to fi...

BWW Review: PIPPIN at The Rocky Hill Community Center
by Xavier Maldonado - June 19, 2019

PIPPIN at the Rocky Hill Community Center invited all, old and newcomers, to take part in an endearing tale about the search to find one's exceptional place in life....

BWW Interview: Javier Colon to Play Title Role in BARNUM
by Cindy Cardozo - June 11, 2019

Fairfield County native, and winner of season one of "The Voice," Javier Colon, will be starring as one of Bridgeport's favorite sons this summer when he portrays the Greatest Showman on Earth in the musical Barnum at the Fairfield Museum Commons the weekend of June 27 - 29....

BWW Review: SKELETON CREW at Westport Country Playhouse
by Sherry Shameer Cohen - June 10, 2019

Dominique Morisseau's Skeleton Crew, the third of her Detroit trilogy of plays, opened at the Westport Country Playhouse. The theater company lives up to its tag line, 'Theater worth talking about,' in this powerfully written and well-acted ensemble play....

BWW Review: MAMMA MIA! at Connecticut Repertory Theatre
by Joseph Harrison - June 09, 2019

What happens if you take the upbeat and danceable pop music of a Swedish supergroup, place it in a beautiful sun-drenched setting, add in a dash of comedy, some athletic dancing, and a pinch of bright colors, and wrap it all in a simple, but entertaining, story? You get MAMMA MIA!, the hit musical f...

BWW Review: ACTUALLY at Hartford Theaterworks
by Andrew Beck - June 09, 2019

What starts off as a "he said, she said" recounting of what appears to be a simple hookup between two Princeton freshmen turns into something more penetrating and harrowing in playwright Anna Ziegler's powerful and jarring "Actually," which is now running at Hartford's Theaterworks through June 22....

BWW Review: ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST at Ridgefield Theater Barn
by Sean Fallon - June 10, 2019

On Friday, June 7, I had the pleasure of seeing ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST at the Ridgefield Theater Barn in Ridgefield, CT.  This brilliantly written and phenomenally performed dark drama is based on the novel by Ken Kesey and adapted for the stage by Dale Wasserman.  Director Kevin Sosbe brin...

BWW Review: ACTUALLY at Hartford Theaterworks Penetrating and Harrowing
by Andrew Beck - June 10, 2019

What starts off as a 'he said, she said' recounting of what appears to be a simple hookup between two Princeton freshmen turns into something more penetrating and harrowing in playwright Anna Ziegler's powerful and jarring 'Actually,' which is now running at Hartford's Theaterworks through June 22....

BWW Review: THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE at ACT Of Connecticut
by Sean Fallon - June 07, 2019

With an excellent cast, THE 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE is highly entertaining, at ACT of Connecticut, in Ridgefield, CT. This show has the audience laughing throughout, while finding ways to inject strong messages of truth among the musical comedy. If you want to spell a wonderful time...

BWW Review: INTO THE WOODS at The Repertory Theatre
by Xavier Maldonado - June 06, 2019

Connecticut Theatre Company's take on the James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim's musical presents a charming, intimate and funny production of an already beloved musical....

BWW Review: CITY OF ANGELS at THE ARTS AT ANGELORIA'S
by Joseph Harrison - June 02, 2019

It never ceases to amaze me how prolific and creative the theatrical community is here in Connecticut. With 80 + theatrical companies (at my last count) in the state, you don't have to go far to take in some amazing theatre. From professional, equity houses to community theatres, the variety, and un...

BWW Review: I LOVE YOU, YOU'RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE at Connecticut Cabaret Theatre
by Sean Fallon - June 03, 2019

I LOVE YOU, YOU'RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE is an excellent show that takes a comedic look at male/female dynamics among singles and among married people. The stellar cast of Jon Escobar, Nick D'Angelo, Kristin Iovene, and Cristin Marshall all play multiple roles, all in which all four of them excel. I...

BWW Review: THE FLAMINGO KID at Hartford Stage
by Joseph Harrison - May 26, 2019

World premiere musicals don't come around every day, so when given the opportunity to be the first patrons to experience the thrill of a new show, I will always recommend you jump at that chance. Even better when the show is one like Hartford Stage's final production of the season, THE FLAMINGO KID,...

BWW Review: THE FULL MONTY at Downtown Cabaret Theatre Lets It All Go!
by Amanda Grillo - May 21, 2019

I had the pleasure of catching Downtown Cabaret Theatre's production of THE FULL MONTY before they closed on May 19th. This high energy, heartfelt production let all inhibitions go and let the audiences to their insecurities. It was easy to feel empathy and care for each character on that stage. It ...