FALL ARTS PREVIEW

By FRANK RIZZO

 

Feeling unnerved during these anxious days? We hear you. But, every once in a while, you might need a little escape from the headlines—at least for a few hours—and just have a bit of fun. This autumn, there’s a wide range of performing arts attractions in Connecticut that beckon us off our living room—and perhaps our psychiatrist’s—couches and straight towards the joys of live entertainment. Here are just a few of the highlights that earn our vote. >>>

 

“M.J.”

The Bushnell, Hartford

Dec. 10 to 15

This Broadway bio-musical (still going strong in New York) smartly focuses on the years before things got too weird, icky and accusatory for the great mono-gloved one, Michael Jackson. This dance-filled show focuses on just the music and moves, and that’s just fine for his fans. And yes, Bubbles is mentioned (but thankfully does not appear).

 

Itzhak Perlman in Recital

Palace Theatre, Waterbury

Oct. 19

I’ll just say it. Perlman is the greatest violinist of his generation — and, at 79, still dazzles. The Israeli American violist, conductor and educator won 16 Grammy Awards, including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and four Emmy Awards. He’s played before queens, kings, presidents and kids. He is as rare and as great as the Stradivarius he plays. He’s also a mensch. To hear him perform live with such technique and heart is an experience I wish on everyone.

 

“Tina”

Shubert Theatre,

New Haven

Oct. 24 to 27

Move over Michael Jackson, here comes another musical powerhouse that was celebrated on Broadway, too, with a show of her own. Tina Turner’s story gets the full musical bio treatment—bells, whistles and powerhouse spike heels—and featuring three performers playing the legendary singer over the different stages of her incredible life and career.

 

“A Christmas Story”

Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam

Nov. 1 to Dec. 29

Based on the little holiday film that gradually became a Christmas classic, this musical about little Ralphie Parker’s quest in the ‘40s for an official Red Ryder toy BB gun for Christmas is a charmer. It also features an easy-on-the-ears score from the Tony Award and Oscar-winning songwriting team of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (Broadway’s “Dear Evan Hansen,” and the films “La La Land” and “The Greatest Showman”).

 

Todd Rundgren

Ridgefield Playhouse

Oct. 14

Hello, it’s him. Rundgren’s Me/We 2024 Tour stops off in Connecticut, which gives old and new fans a rare chance to appreciate the American songwriter, video pioneer, producer, recording artist, computer software developer, conceptualist and interactive artist. Anything else? Oh yes, the 76-year-old performer is also a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee.

 

Rickie Lee Jones

The Kate, Old Saybrook

Oct. 16

Chuck E. is not the only one in love with this iconoclastic singer/songwriter/musician. The two-time Grammy winner’s musical styles include rock, R&B, pop, soul and jazz, all with her own unique and eclectic interpretation. In 1980, she won a Grammy for Best New Artist and she’s proved over the decades that she is here to stay.

 

“Fever Dreams”

TheaterWorks Hartford

Oct. 3 to Nov. 3

A steamy, decades-long affair. A remote cabin. An unexpected visitor. What could go wrong? Especially when Jeffrey Lieber’s new thriller of a play is subtitled: “Of Animals on the Verge of Extinction.” Lieber certainly knows his way around suspense and mystery. He is also co-creator of the hit “Lost” television series.

 

“Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”

Hartford Stage

Oct. 10 to Nov. 3

We’re of two minds whether to see this clever adaptation by Jeffrey Hatcher of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novella, “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” A psychological thriller about double identities, Hatcher reimagines the thriller for the stage, just as she did last year with “Dial ‘M’ for Murder” at Westport Playhouse. And during the Halloween season, too.

 

“The 39 Steps”

Westport Country Playhouse

Oct. 22 to Nov. 9

I’m sure Alfred Hitchcock had no idea that his classic suspense film would be turned into a theatrical tour de force for a quartet of loopy actors playing all the roles. This show was a surprising delight when it was on Broadway; no doubt it will again be presented here with the same breakneck speed and imaginative staging.

 

“Nuncrackers: The Nonsense Christmas Musical”

Center Stage Theatre, Shelton

Dec. 6 to 15

Long before “Oh, Mary!” Dan Goggin created a wonderful world of stupid with his disorder of nuns. Those loopy sisters are at it again, this time about their latest holiday show, sure to break a habit or two along the way, bless ‘em.

 

The 4th Annual Halloween Costume Party

Webster, Hartford

Oct. 26

It wouldn’t be a proper fall arts preview without highlighting at least one Halloween event among the scores that no doubt will abound. This one’s a killer: an awesome costume party with music by DJ Doo Wop alongside DJ CLO 456. Now, what to wear?

 

Johnny Mathis

The Palace, Stamford

Sept. 28

Chances are it’s the voice you hear in your head when the name of this legendary recording artist is mentioned. It’s a silky, seductive and sensational tenor wafting over the American songbook. Mathis—one of the last greats of his era—returns to Connecticut, just two days shy of his 89th birthday.

 

“Macbeth in Stride”

Yale Repertory Theatre,

New Haven

Dec. 5 to 14

Yale Rep joins three other theaters in presenting this new piece written and performed by Obie Award-winner Whitney White, with choreography by the very in demand Raja Feather Kelly. White follows the arc of Lady Macbeth as reimagined as an ambitious 21st century Black woman. She also brings a setlist of original pop, rock, gospel and R&B bangers. Sounds like she’s our kind of queen.

 

“Ain’t No Mo’”

Yale School of Drama’s University Theatre

New Haven

Oct. 19 to 25

This was one of my favorite post-pandemic Broadway plays in which playwright Jordan E. Cooper posits: What if all Black Americans were issued a government-funded one-way ticket to the continent of Africa? This part-satire/part-sketch comedy, which has plenty of laughter and bite, is presented entirely by students from the noteworthy drama grad school. Kemar Jewel directs. I can’t wait it to get on board this flight.

 

Bob the Drag Queen and “This Is Wild” World Tour

College Street Music Hall,

New Haven

Oct. 13

He was born Christopher Delmar Caldwell; his stage name is Caldwell Tidicue, but we love him most as Bob the Drag Queen, one of the most memorable and talented stars to emerge from the world—make that universe—of RuPaul’s Drag Race now-global series. He also made an impressive mark in HBO’s “We’re Here” series. Bob is the drag mother of Miz Cracker, drag sister to Monét X Change and drag hero to me.

 

“She Loves Me”

New Haven’s Long Wharf Theatre at The Lab, Hamden

Nov. 30 to Dec. 15

I’m biased here because this is one of my all-time favorite musicals, a delicate valentine of a show set in 1934 Budapest, with charming and melodious songs by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick. The musical is, in a way, a love letter to love letters—in a world way before texting. (What will today’s romantics have to hold in their future?) I can’t wait to see what the itinerant Long Wharf Theatre does with the production, staged by its artistic director Jacob G. Padron, and transforming The Lab into a performance space.

 

Duran Duran

Mohegan Sun Arena

Oct. 25

In the ‘80s, I covered rock and pop shows in Connecticut, and few were more fun than this English band with the highly moussed hair and the infectious melodies and rhythms such as “Hungry Like a Wolf” and “Rio.” For those who want a trip back in those glorious MTV times, this certainly fills that new wave bill.

 

Steve Martin and Martin Short: The Dukes of Funnytown

Foxwoods

Nov. 15

There’s Martin and Lewis, Laurel and Hardy, and now Martin and Short, funny buddies who decide to take their real and surreal relationship on the road again. Just thinking about their last hysterically funny tour together, well, I’m laughing already.

 

“Jersey Boys”

A Contemporary Theatre, Ridgefield

Oct. 17 to Nov. 10

This musical re-invented the jukebox musical. The show is structured as four “seasons,” each narrated by a different member of the band who gives his own perspective on its history and music. Tunes include “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Sherry,” “My Eyes Adored You,” “Stay,” “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” “Walk Like A Man,” “Who Loves You,” “Working My Way Back to You,’ Rag Doll”—are you singing along yet? Fans are sure to say, “Oh, what a night.”

 

Baye & Asa in “4/2/3”

Quick Center at Fairfield University

Nov. 13

I love dance and I’m intrigued by this company that creates movement art projects, directed and choreographed by Amadi “Baye” Washington and Sam “Asa” Pratt, NYC pals since the first grade. With a background in hip-hop and African dance, the duo’s unique styles are entirely their own. “4/2/3” focuses on the impacts of climate change using the Riddle of the Sphinx as a symbolic structure. Dance Magazine named them among its “25 to Watch.” I’m definitely watching.

 

“Alabama Story”

Ivoryton Playhouse, Essex

Oct. 3 to 20

With all the book banning going on, especially in certain states, it seems like deja vu with this prescient play set in 1959 Alabama when a children’s book about a black rabbit marrying a white rabbit stirs passions. Inspired by true events, the play features the character of Garth Williams, famous for his illustrations of E.B. White’s “Stuart Little,” “Charlotte’s Web” and Laura Ingalls Wilder’s “Little House on the Prairie.” Will true bunny love prevail?

 

Sabrina Carpenter

XL Center in Hartford

Oct. 2

Sabrina first gained recognition for starring in the Disney Channel series “Girl Meets World.” Then barely a teenager, she released her debut single, followed by many more singles and albums. Now 25, Sabrina is singing a slightly different tune—that of a young woman and getting plenty of exposure, opening for Taylor Swift with the Eras Tour. Connecticut fans so doubt will be saying, “Please, Please, Please.”

 

“Amahl and the Night Visitors”

Madison Lyric Stage

Dec. 14 and 15

For this company’s first holiday presentation, it turns to Gian Carlo Menotti’s family classic (and one not seen much lately). It tells the tale of three kings’ compelling journey and their encounter with a shepherd boy. So come all ye faithful. Trivia: It was the first opera commissioned especially for television—in 1951!

 

Paula Poundstone

Garde Arts Center

New London

Oct. 4

I’ve loved Paula for decades but really admired her quick wit on NPR’s “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me.” I’m sure she’ll weigh in on topics of humor, old and new, and with a month before the election, perhaps something about that, too, d’ja think?

 

“The Shark Is Broken”

Playhouse on Park, West Hartford

Oct. 2 to 20

What was it like for Steven Spielberg to make “Jaws,” which launched the summer blockbuster tradition? Writers Ian Shaw and Joseph Nixon imagine that it wasn’t a walk on the beach. They would be right because Shaw—son of Robert Shaw, one of the film’s stars—was there. The result is a comedy that features characters based on Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, Shaw and, of course, “Bruce” the shark. The play premiered in London and last year played Broadway.

 

Samara Joy with “A Joyful Holiday”

Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts on the UConn campus, Storrs

Dec. 14

Jazz vocalist Samara Joy was only 23 when her second “Linger Awhile” album was awarded Best Jazz Vocal Album at the 2023 Grammy Awards. She also won the prize for Best New Artist—a rarity for a jazz artist in this category. She also went on to win a Grammy for the Best Jazz Performance. Get tickets early. She packed them in when she played the International Festival of Arts & Ideas in June.

 

“Irving Berlin’s White Christmas”

Music Theatre of Connecticut in Norwalk

Dec. 5 to 22

We loved the show when this reimagined stage show based on the classic 1954 film premiered at Goodspeed Musicals before moving on to Broadway. What better time to visit this old holiday friend—and then there’s the title songs, too.

 

“No Love Songs”

Goodspeed’s Norma Terris Theatre in Chester

Sept. 27 to Oct. 20

It’s always exciting to see a new musical get developed at Goodspeed’s second stage and this one comes from the Edinburgh Festival. Kyle Falconer (lead singer of The View) supplies the music of a story about a mother overwhelmed by postnatal depression, just as her musician partner gets a big break and hits the road. It’s inspired by co-writer Laura Wilde’s own experience. The 70-minute chamber musical features songs from Kyle’s solo album “No Love Songs For Laura.” Sounds fresh, young and cool.

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Frank Rizzo is a freelance journalist who writes for Variety, The New York Times, American Theatre, Connecticut Magazine, and other periodicals and outlets, including ShowRiz.com. He lives in New Haven and New York City. Follow Frank at ShowRiz@Twitter.