Stephanie Zimbalist and Lou Diamond Phillips will be in two new shows during the 25th season at Waterbury’s Seven Angels Theatre that begins this month.
Zimbalist, who was in Long Wharf Theatre’s “The Baby Dance” in 1991 with Linda Purl, will star in the Connecticut premiere of the Joe DiPietro comedy “Living on Love,” which had a short run on Broadway last season starring Renee Fleming.
The comedy, centering on an opera diva, had its world premiere last year at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in the Berkshires. The play is based on the comedy “Peccadillo” by Garson Kanin. The Seven Angels production will run Nov. 12 to Dec. 6.
Phillips stars in “Burning Desire,” which he also wrote and will have its world premiere at the Waterbury theater Feb. 18 to March 13. The play centers on the devil, played by Phillips, and a modern day Adam and Eve. Phillips received a Tony nomination for an earlier Broadway revival of “The King & I” and he toured in “Camelot” (which played New Haven’s Shubert Theatre in 2008). Other credits include the films “La Bamba,” “Stand and Deliver” and “The 33”).
The Seven Angels season opens this week with the musical “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” The show plays through Nov. 1.
Also in the season is “The Taffetas,” a musical centering on ’50s girl groups. The show was a hit in the theater’s first season in 1990. It runs March 31 to April 24. The musical “Legally Blonde: The Musical” follows May 12 to June 12.
New ‘Newsies’ Gang
Joey Barreiro now heads the cast as Jack Kelly in the national tour of the Broadway musical “Newsies.” He joins the other new principals — Morgan Keene, Aisha de Haas, Stephen Michael Langton, John Michael Pitera and Ethan Steiner — in the road company that will play The Bushnell in Hartford Oct. 13 to 18.
Barreiro performed in Connecticut Rep’s “A Chorus Line,” as well as in regional productions of “Witches of Eastwick” at Ogunquit Playhouse and “Ragtime” at Westchester Broadway. These new principal cast members will join Steve Blanchard as “Joseph Pulitzer” and Zachary Sayle as “Crutchie.”
Rounding out the cast are Josh Assor, Evan Autio, Bill Bateman, Josh Burrage, Kevin Carolan, Benjamin Cook, DeMarius Copes, Nico DeJesus, JP Ferreri, Sky Flaherty, Kaitlyn Frank, Michael Gorman, David Guzman, Jeff Heimbrock, Stephen Hernandez, Meredith Inglesby, James Judy, Eric Scott Kincaid, Eric Jon Mahlum, Nicholas Masson, Alex Prakken, Michael Ryan, Jordan Samuels and Melissa Steadman Hart.
‘Gentleman Guide’ Reviews
So what was the reception for the launch of the national tour in Chicago last week of the very Hartford-connected musical “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder?” (The production continues to bring in a nice royalty to the coffers at Hartford Stage, where it premiered in 2012.)
Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune thought the Broadway show was a “pleasing diversion … but hardly some profound manifestation of the musical art. I haven’t changed that view [for the tour]. But then, as now, I appreciate the craft of the show, especially [Darko] Tresnjak’s superb direction and the exceptionally clever design. … Unlike some of the tertiary tours that come through town, this all-new one is union-approved, fresh, tight and generally every bit as good as the show on Broadway, which is soon to close.”
Hedy Weiss of the Chicago Sun-Times was more enthusiastic. “‘A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder’ is pure delicious fun — a superbly crafted musical that, in its sparkling inaugural national touring incarnation is being delivered with the greatest panache. Every element of this lavish show is precision-tuned satire: The wildly comic, endlessly ingenious direction of Darko Tresnjak; the splendid invention of his design team; the amazing transformation of one actor (John Rapson), who plays nine different roles so brilliantly you hardly can believe it’s the same person; the utterly dashing and mischievous Kevin Massey (who plays a single role to perfection); the clarion voices and competitive charms of its two female stars (Kristen Beth Williams as Sibella and Adrienne Eller as Phoebe); and every other member of the altogether exceptional ensemble whose powerful voices blend beautifully under the music direction of Lawrence Goldberg.”
Though the tour will not be in Connecticut or anywhere near us during the 2015-16 season, it will have another year of touring for the 2016-17 season and perhaps it will return to Hartford then.
Look for the show to also play London, Australia and perhaps Japan.
Playwrights Festival
Torrington’s Warner Theatre presents its 4th Annual International Playwrights Festival Thursday to Saturday, Oct. 15-17, featuring staged readings of new short works by playwrights from across the country and around the globe. Twelve winners were selected for the event from the 200 submitted. A panel of readers culled the submissions to 23 that were judged by the festival director, the production director and the chairperson of the local community theater group.
On Thursday, Oct 15, starting at 8 p.m.: “Quota” by James Hutchison (Alberta, Canada); “Café Unique” by Michele Raper Rittenhouse (New York); “Kitty and Toy” by Julie Weinberg (New York); and “What Is Gained: A Muse on Consequence” by Evan Guilford-Blake (Georgia).
On Friday, Oct.16: “Golden Years” by Cynthia Chapman (Massachusetts); “Family Markers” by Faye Sholiton (Ohio); “Facing Backwards” by George W. Kelly (New Hampshire); and “The Soothsayer” by Steven Young (Texas).
On Saturday, Oct. 17: “Joanie and Freddie on Valentine’s Day” by Charlene Donaghy (Connecticut); “One Three Two” by Michael Weems (Texas); “Dad’s Vision” by Benjamin V. Marshall (New Jersey); “Not Enough” by Chip Bolcik (California); and “Two” by Eugenie Carabatsos (New York).
Tickets are $15 per night. Information: 860-489-7180 and warnertheatre.org
Arts Events Grants
The Greater Hartford Arts Council has awarded $77,500 in events grants to over 20 arts and cultural organizations in the region, including Cheer for Community, Hooker Day Parade, Open Studio Hartford and HartBeat Ensemble’s “Jimmy & Lorraine.” The grants support dozens of free exhibits, performances, festivals, and parades “that celebrate Hartford’s cultural diversity, generate economic growth, and promote community engagement.”
“This not only benefits local business, but also makes Hartford a vibrant place to live, work, and visit.” says Cathy Malloy, CEO of the council. For the list of recipients: LetsGoArts.org/HartfordEventsGrants.
Paula Vogel’s Faves
At the end of a recent interview with Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel, I couldn’t resist going off topic when I interviewed her about her new play “Indecent,” which is having its world premiere at Yale Repertory theatre in New Haven.
I asked her what five plays she would insist that students read, see or perform. She instead shared five ‘transformative’ plays that touched her in profound ways, hoping they would affect others the same way.
Assuming that people are more than a little familiar with Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie” and Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman,” Vogel suggested five others “because people are different after they read these plays” and “I like plays that torment you in the mind.”
1. Elizabeth Egloff’s “The Swan.”
2. Jane Bowles’ “In the Summer House.”
3. Frank Wedekind’s “Spring Awakening.”
4. Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town” (or “The Skin Of Our Teeth”).
5. Brendan Jacob-Jenkins’ “An Octoroon.”
I also couldn’t resist asking what was Vogel’s favorite among plays that had been banned? (“Indecent” is about a play that was so shocking in 1923 that it was shut down with its cast and producer arrested, jailed and tried in court.)
“Christopher Durang’s ‘Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You,'” she said, “because of the Roman Catholic response to that play — as well as [Tony Kushner’s] ‘Angels in America.’ I can’t go back to Catholic University [where she graduated] because of that. It’s not the faculty’s fault. It’s quite progressive. But because of [the response to those plays in the past], I can’t step foot on that campus.”
Short Takes
>>Hartford Stage has received a $82,500 grant from the LEGO Community Fund US to support and expand “Connections,” the theater’s innovative, in-school residency program that uses theater techniques and activities to strengthen reading comprehension. Since Hartford Stage started offering the program in 1999, the program has reached more than 60,000 students in approximately 148 schools and 46 towns throughout Connecticut.
>>Michael Wilson, former artistic director of Hartford Stage, is directing an off-Broadway revival of Arthur Miller’s “Incident at Vichy” for the Signature Theatre Company. Previews begin Oct. 27 and runs through Dec. 6. His other off-Broadway production, “Desire,” which is a stage adaptation of Tennessee Williams stories, ends its run at 59 @ 59 Theatre on Oct. 10 featuring frequent Connecticut stage actress Liv Rooth (“Venus in Fur” at TheaterWorks, “Suddenly, last Summer” at Westport Country Playhouse, “Noises Off” at Hartford Stage”) and Mickey Theis (Yale School of Drama grad).
>>Remember “I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti,” which premiered at TheaterWorks several seasons back? Jacques Lamarre’s adaptation of Giulia Melucci’s memoir is continuing to play at theaters across the country. Next up is a run at Florida Rep in Fort Meyers, Fla. Starting this week and continuing through Nov. 1, the show is directed by Michael Marotta and stars Michelle Damato. Later in the month it will play the Half Moon Theatre at (fittingly for a show that involves cooking on stage) the Culinary Institute of America in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. That show is directed by Michael Schiralli and stars Denise Summerford.
>>The Hartt School’s annual gala will take place Oct. 24, at 6 p.m., at the Hartford Marriott Downtown and will include performances by dance and theater division students and the presentation of its first annual Community Partner Award to Hartford Stage. Information: hartford.edu/harttgala or contact Marina Luri at 860-469-0291.
>>Capital Classics Theatre Company, in partnership with The Mark Twain House & Museum, presents an original radio-style adaptation of Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” Oct. 29 and 30. Previous Halloween presentation partnerships included “Macabre Macbeth,” Edgar Allen Poe’s stories and Bram Stoker’s “Dracula.” Information: 860-280-3130 or MarkTwainHouse.org or CapitalClassics.org.
>>The Washington, Conn.-based dance-theater company Momix, now in its 35th year, will present “Opus Cactus” at Torrington’s Warner Theatre Jan. 9 and 10 2016. Information: 860-489-7180 or visit warnertheatre.org.
>>The Little Theatre of Manchester will host “Fairy Tale Costume Ball” Oct. 17, benefiting the theater’s programs. Information: cheneyhall.org/gala.
>>I wouldn’t be surprised if “The Legend of Georgia McBride” by Matthew Lopez, a fave at Hartford Stage (“Reverberation,” “The Whipping Man,” “Somewhere”), moves to a bigger stage at some point when it ends its run this weekend off-Broadway. I caught the show last week and it’s a very funny, entertaining, audience-pleasing show with a terrific performance by Matt McGrath as a down-on-her-heels drag performer.
>>Antay Bilgutay is the new director of development of Hartford Stage. Bilgutay previously held the position of director of development at the Dallas Theater Center and oversaw an annual fundraising campaign of $4.9 Million. Bilgutay received a BA in Theatre Studies and English from Yale University.
>>Pantochino Productions Inc., a nonprofit professional theater company for family audiences, will launch its new season with a new musical pop rock comedy, “Dractastic!,” Oct. 23, at 7:30 p.m, at the Center for the Arts in Milford. The show, created by Bert Bernardi and Justin Rugg, will continue through Nov. 1. Information: pantochino.com.
>>The state Department of Economic and Community Development is providing nearly $2 million in grants to 20 nonprofit organizations that sponsor cultural and historic sites in the state, including Stratford Stage Group ($125,000) and Hartford’s HartBeat at Ensemble ($83,850). The grants, which range from $50,000 to $125,000, can be used for a variety of activities, including construction, exhibit designing and installation, planning and marketing. This pilot program has a 25 percent cash match requirement.
