Many theaters don’t let you bring food to your seats, but this month a couple of them are happy to have you bring canned goods to their lobbies.
The fourth annual “Tiny Tim’s Holiday Food Drive” at Hartford Stage supports Hands On Hartford’s MANNA Community Pantry and runs Nov. 23 through Dec. 29. Donations of nonperishable food items can be dropped off at the guest services area of the theater lobby. Details at hartfordstage.org.
The Goodspeed Opera House is collecting donations for the East Haddam Food Bank, offering a buy-one-get-one-free ticket deal for those who “bring a generous donation of nonperishable foods” to the matinee or evening performances on Nov. 19.” Besides that ticket deal, donations will be accepted through Nov. 25 in the Goodspeed Opera House lobby. Details at goodspeed.org.
TheaterWorks to rock out at Atheneum
TheaterWorks has decided it will stage the musical “Girlfriend” at the theater space in the Wadsworth Atheneum. Rob Ruggiero, who’ll direct the Todd Almond musical (scored with Matthew Sweet pop songs) March 21 through April 21, says he’d been considering a different venue due to the nature of the show, before realizing that he could happily “rock out” at the Wadsworth.
“Girlfriend” will be the first of three shows in the current TheaterWorks season to be staged in the Wadsworth Atheneum theater while TheaterWorks own Pearl Street space is undergoing major renovations in the spring and summer. Ruggiero says things are on track for TheaterWorks to return to its newly renovated space for its 2019-2020 season next fall. Details at theaterworkshartford.org.
‘Hamiltunes’
A couple of weeks before “Hamilton” hits town, The Bushnell is holding “Hamiltunes, A Hamilton Sing-Along” Nov. 26 at its Belding Theater. The open mic event will be hosted by Seth Rudetsky, the Broadway performer, Playbill columnist and Sirius/XM radio host who starred in his own musical “Disaster!” at Connecticut Repertory Theatre this past summer and who regularly hosts The Bushnell’s live season-announcement events.
“Hamiltunes” isn’t the only “Hamilton”-related event happening at The Bushnell, which hosts the landmark Lin-Manuel Miranda musical itself Dec. 11 to 30. On Dec. 8, Leslie Odom Jr. — who originated the role of Aaron Burr on Broadway — performs his concert act, accompanied by the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. Details at bushnell.org.
‘Phantom of the Opera’
“The Phantom of the Opera” is there, inside your mind. And also at the Oakdale in Wallingford May 8 to 19. It’s the first multi-week theatrical booking at the Oakdale since “Wicked” a couple of years ago. This is the same “Phantom” tour that played the Palace in Waterbury a year ago, though there have been some cast changes. Currently, Quentin Oliver Lee plays the title role. The other leads — Eva Tavares as Christine and Jordan Craig as Raoul — are the same as in Waterbury. Of course, there may be more changes before the show hits Wallingford six months from now.
The staging, by Laurence O’Connor, is different from the version that’s been on Broadway for the past several decades, and also differs from previous tours. It’s still spectacular, in its own new way. Don’t worry, it retains the requisite plummeting chandelier. Details at oakdale.com.
‘Christmas Carol’ kids
Here are the names of the children — nearly all of them from Connecticut, including five from Hartford — in this year’s presentation of “A Christmas Carol — A Ghost Story of Christmas” at Hartford Stage Nov. 23 through Dec. 29:
Andrew Michaels, 6, from Wethersfield, and RJ Vercellone, 8, from Milford are alternating in the role of Tiny Tim. You’ll recognize RJ Vercellone as the dog-like boy Carl from Hartford Stage’s season-opening Bess Wohl drama “Make Believe.” He also played Tiny Tim last year.
Eleven other children besides RJ are returning this year: Lily Girard, 13, from Longmeadow, Mass., and Tessa Rosenfield, 13, from Hartford, alternating as Fan; Isabella Corica, 11, from Ansonia, as Belinda; Ethan DiNello, 7, from Old Saybrook, as Fruit Child and Ignorance; Nicholas Glowacki,12, from West Hartford, as Turkey Boy; Brendan Reilly Harris, 11, from Avon, as Boy Scrooge and Boy at Fred’s Party; Emma Kindl, 13, from Marlborough, as Claire; Addison Pancoast, 9, from Rocky Hill, as Spoiled Child and Girl at Fred’s Party; Meghan Pratt, 10, from Glastonbury, as School Boy; Fred Thornley IV, 13, from Colchester, as Peter Cratchit; and Ava Vercellone, 11, from Milford, as Claire.
New young faces include Damien Galvez, 12, from Manchester, as Turkey Boy; Elijah Gibson, 11, from Hartford, as School Boy; Norah Girard, 8, from Longmeadow, Massachusetts, as School Boy; MaddieKay Harris, 9, from Avon, as School Boy; Tyra Harris, 12, from Bristol, as Townsperson; Max Kerz, 8, from Rocky Hill, as Fruit Child and Want; Michkael Jude McKenzie, 11, from Hartford, as Boy Scrooge and Boy at Fred’s Party; Shannen Penn, 9, from Farmington, as Belinda; Messiah Price, 9, from Hartford, as School Boy; Divena Rai, 7, from Old Saybrook, as Fruit Child and Ignorance; Jake Totten, 11, from Granby, as School Boy; Leela Washington-Crowther, 10, from Windsor, as Spoiled Child and Girl at Fred’s Party; Julia Weston, 12, from Hartford, as Townsperson; Anderson Wilder, 6, from Simsbury, as Fruit Child and Want; and Tilden Wilder, 12, from Simsbury, as Peter Cratchit.
As noted in Stage Notes last week, all the adult Equity professional actors in the “A Christmas Carol” are returning from last year. There is an entirely fresh crop of Hartt School student actors in the ensemble. Details at hartfordstage.org.
