Mark Twain House Closed on Feb. 10

Mark Twain House will be closed tomorrow. Wednesday, Feb. 10 due to the weather.

HSO Presents Century of Broadway with Christiane Noll, Doug LaBrecque

Broadway stars Christiane Noll (pictured left) and Doug LaBrecque (below, right) will sing through a hundred years of the “Great White Way’s” history with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and guest conductor and arranger Jeff Tyzik 8 pm Saturday, Feb. 20 at the Bushnell, Hartford

Noll and LaBrecque will perform showstoppers including songs from Phantom of the Opera, Sweeney Todd, Jesus Christ Superstar, Chicago, Godspell, West Side Story, Showboat, and My Fair Lady.

Noll, who recently starred as Mother in the revival of Ragtime, made her Broadway debut starring as Emma in Jekyll & Hyde. Doug LaBrecque, best known for his leading roles in Phantom of the Opera, also starred in the Hal Prince revival of Showboat.

Tyzik is principal pops conductor of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, where he has served for 15 consecutive seasons, and the Oregon and Vancouver symphony orchestras.

Tickets are $32.50 - $62.50; $12.50 with a student ID and may be purchased weekdays between 10 am and 5 pm at Hartford Symphony Orchestra Ticket Services, 99 Pratt St., Suite 500, Hartford, by calling (860) 244-2999, or online at http://www.hartfordsymphony.org/.

Lion King Performances Won't Be Affected by Weather

All performances of Disney's The Lion King at The Bushnell will go on as scheduled despite snow in the forecast.

The show has a strict 10-minute late seating hold once the performance begins. In order to avoid missing any portion of the show, allow additional time for traffic and arrive at The Bushnell no later than 15 minutes prior to the performance start time printed on your tickets.

The Lion King runs through Sunday, Feb. 14. For information about tickets, visit www.bushnell.org.

See a feature on the production here.

Mandy Patinkin, Compulsion at Yale

Mandy Patinkin and Stephen Barker Turner in the world premiere of COMPULSION by Rinne Groff, directed by Oskar Eustis through Feb. 28 at Yale Repetory Theater. Photo by Joan Marcus. Read the review here.

Auditions Set for Geppetto & Son at Hartford Children's Theatre

Hartford Children's Theatre will conduct auditions for Disney's Geppetto & Son, the final production of its 2009-2010 20th anniversary season.

The production will be directed by HCT’s Artistic Director Ryan Ratelle
and Associate Director Summar Elguindy with musical direction by Louise
Fauteux and choreography by Caitlin Sailer. Performances will take place at Hoffman Auditorium, Saint Joseph College,West Hartford April 30 through May 9.

Geppetto & Son is the classic tale of an aging toymaker named Geppetto and his son Pinocchio’s journey from an awkward wooden puppet to a real, live boy. The Blue Fairy, Stromboli and a lively cast of characters take Geppetto beyond the toy shop to help him discover what makes a “perfect child.”

This family-friendly musical features the original songs “When You Wish Upon a Star” and “I’ve Got No Strings” as well as new material by Stephen Schwartz.

Roles are available for adults and children age 8 and over. Audition sides are available online at http://www.hartfordchildrenstheatre.org/ . Performers should come prepared to sing 16 measures of an appropriate song of their choosing and provide sheet music for the accompanist. A short dance combination will also be required.

Auditions will be held at HCT’s Carriage House Theatre,360 Farmington Ave., Hartford:
Thursday, Feb. 11 and Saturday, Feb. 13
6 to 7:30 pm children ages 8 – 17
7:30 to 9 pm adults ages 18 and up

Callbacks will be held by invitation on Monday, Feb. 15 at 6 pm. All performers interested in auditioning should contact HTC at 860-249-7970 to schedule an appointment. For additional information, visit www.hartfordchildrenstheatre.org for more information.

Good Advice: Enjoy 'Lady with all the Answers'

Charlotte Booker, at left, as Ann Landers. Photo by Lanny Nagler.

Ann Landers Doles Out Advice at TheaterWorks
Charlotte Booker gives a delightful performance as the square-but-hip advice columnist Ann Landers in TheaterWorks’ presentation of The Lady with all the Answers playing through March 7.

David Rambo’s play, directed by Artistic Director Steve Campo, has Ann (a.k.a. Esther Pauline Lederer) dispensing advice to her readers and the audience on everything from etiquette to sex to which way the bathroom tissue paper should roll while struggling to write the most difficult column of her career. The script is full of humor as well as a lot of interesting biographical information about Ann and her friendly competition with twin sister Dear Abby.

Adrian W. Jones designs the living room set and Kenneth Mooney designs the costumes. Lighting is by Mary Jo Dondlinger and sound is by Mike Lastella.

Performances are Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 7:30 pm; Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm; Weekend matinees at 2:30. Seats are $39 for weeknights and matinees; $49 for Friday and Saturday evenings. Seating is general admission. Center reserved seats are $12 extra. College-age student rush $12 at show time with valid ID (subject to availability). Special discounts are available for groups of 12 or more. The theater is located City Arts on Pearl, 233 Pearl St., Hartford. The play is recommended for age 14 and up.

For more information, call 527-7838, visit the box office at City Arts on Pearl, 233 Pearl St. Hartford, or http://www.theaterworkshartford.org/

--Lauren Yarger

For more information on what's happening this month at Connecticut's professional theaters, visit the Connecticut page at Curtain up at http://curtainup.com/ctnewandnoteworthy.html

Mark Twain Celebrates 100th Anniversary of Author's Death

“I came in with Halley's Comet in 1835,” Mark Twain wrote in 1909. “It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it. The Almighty has said, no doubt: ‘Now here are these two unaccountable freaks; they came in together, they must go out together.’”

And with this uncanny prediction, Samuel L. Clemens, a.k.a. Mark Twain, indeed died in the year of that rare occurrence on April 21, 1910. One hundred years later, The Mark Twain House & Museum and The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc., will recognize Twain’s role as one of our nation’s foremost literary icons, his incredible legacy as a witty and insightful social commentator, and his ongoing influence on American culture with a 2010 Centennial Celebration of unique events throughout the year. Twain wrote such American classics as "Adventures of Huck Finn," "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," 'The Prince and the Pauper,' and 'A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court,' among others, while living in Hartford.

The nearly 30 other events include an Adventures of Huckleberry Finn anniversary musical celebration (Feb. 18); the world premiere of a a new adaptation of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" at Hartford Stage (April 1); participation in The Big Read, a collaboration with the Hartford Public Library (April though June); a Clemens Lecture by author Wally Lamb (April 7), a Victorian séance with a special cake created by Charm City Bakery (as seen on Food Networks’s Ace of Cakes) (April 21); a Tom Sawyer Day at the museum (June 12) and much more.

Visit the Mark Twain House & Museum website, http://www.marktwainhouse.org/, for updates. Unless otherwise specified, call 860-280-3130 for tickets.

Here's what is happening this month:

The House That Mark Built: The Architecture of The Mark Twain House
The Mark Twain House & Museum
Through March 22

Learn more about the Gothic home where Twain wrote some of his most famous works, including Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. The exhibition offers a look at Mark Twain’s home’s bricks, mortars and gadgetry – and even provides a place for kids to try their hand at some building of their own. Visitors will get a chance to see some of the original building materials used by the builders, including the elaborate exterior wood carvings, slate from the roof, and samples of the brick.

The exhibition is sponsored by United Technologies Corp. The Edward C. and Ann T. Roberts Foundation is the sponsor of the museum’s 2010 exhibitions. The Hartford is the Museum’s Centennial Sponsor. Open during regular museum hours. Exhibit included with admission.

Inaugural Meeting of The Nook Farm Book Club
Thursday, Feb. 4
5 to 6:30 pm
The Mark Twain House & Museum

The Harriet Beecher Stowe Center and The Mark Twain House & Museum are partnering on a book club to consider all things Twain and Stowe and the topics that had the Nook Farm neighborhood buzzing during their era: politics, social issues, humor, adventure, romance and literature. Meetings will be held the first Thursday of each month. The inaugural book selection is Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Supported in part by a grant from the Connecticut Humanities Council.

Legacy
Saturday, Feb. 13
Exhibition Opening at The Mark Twain House & Museum
through January 2011

Legacy will examine the enduring and evolving legacy of Mark Twain and his work. It will explore how Twain’s persona, and the public’s perception of him and his works, has both changed and remained constant over the years. Visitors will be encouraged to record their own thoughts about Mark Twain and his current relevance in guest books that will become part of the museum’s archives. Sponsored by The Edward C. and Ann T. Roberts Foundation and the George A. & Grace L. Long Foundation, Bank of America and Mr. Alan Parker, Co-Trustees.
Open during regular museum hours. Exhibit included with admission

Long Distance Romance: The Love Lettersof Sam and Olivia Clemens
Saturday, Feb. 13
7:30 pm.
The Mark Twain House & Museum

Twain and his bride, Livy, had a lifelong love affair, raised several children, and even worked together editing his famous novels. Hear their passionate story through their love letters as interpreted by longtime Mark Twain portrayer John Pogson and actress Lisa Steier. The event will include a champagne and chocolate reception. Tickets are $35 ($30 for members) and can be purchased by phone at 860-280-3130.

125th Anniversary Celebration of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Featuring The Ebony Hillbillies
Thursday, February 18
7:30 pm.
The Mark Twain House & Museum

Millions of children have read it for the adventures, millions of adults have read it for the laugh-out-loud humor and critical social commentary about an important time in race relations. Celebrate the 125th anniversary of "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" with an evening of music featuring The Ebony Hillbillies, one of America’s premier all-black string bands. The HartBeat Ensemble, a local theater troupe, will perform passages from the book.
Tickets are $32 ($27 for members) and can be purchased by calling 860-280-3130.

Free Hartford Day
Saturday, Feb. 20
9:30 am to 5:30 pm.
The Mark Twain House & Museum

In honor of the author’s deep affection for Hartford, and as part of The Mark Twain House & Museum’s 2010 Centennial Celebration, residents of the city have a rare chance to visit at no charge the house where the great author lived. Free Hartford Day is made possible through the generosity of the museum’s Centennial Sponsor, The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. The Hartford, which is celebrating is Bicentennial this year, is making the gesture as a gift to the people of Hartford.

HSO Receives Funding for Talcott Mountain Series; Names New Education Programs Conductor

The Hartford Symphony Orchestra has received new support from the Richard P. Garmany Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving to help produce the Talcott Mountain Music Festival, the HSO’s annual summer music festival at the Performing Arts Center at Simsbury Meadows.

In other news, Matthew Aubin has been appoined the orchestra'snew education programs conductor. He is the Conductor of the Hartt Symphony Band, Associate Conductor of the Hartt Contemporary Players Ensemble, and an Adjunct Professor of Conducting and Music Education at the Hartt School of the University of Hartford. Prior to his appointment at the Hartt School, Aubin was the director of instrumental music at the Norwich Free Academy.

The HSO “Symphony in the Schools” Chamber Orchestra program presents a thrilling concert structured around this year’s theme, “Music Tells a Story.” Through fascinating excerpts and captivating dialogue, this program not only encourages students to study an instrument, but aids in fostering a lifetime appreciation for great music. More than 1,500 children grades 2-12 from 14 schools around the state will experience these programs at their local school auditoriums and gymnasiums.

For more information on the “Symphony in the Schools” program or other HSO educational programs, please contact Emery Tapley, Director of Education, at etapley@hartfordsymphony.org or (860) 246-8742 x. 308.

Itzhak Perlman to Perform at Palace Theater in April

Itzhak Perlman will perform in a special concert event at Waterbury's Palace Theater this April in a program presented by the Congregation of Kol Ami of Cheshire and sponsored by the Jewish Foundation of Greater New Haven and Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven.

The performance Sunday, April 18 at 4 pm will serve as a fundraising event for the synagogue's Hebrew school and to nurture and incorporate Jewish values and traditions into the everyday lives of its community’s families through educational opportunities, innovative worships and enlivening communal experiences.

An Israeli-American violin virtuoso, conductor and master-instructor, Perlman enjoys a superstar status rarely afforded to a classical musician. Beloved for his charm and humanity as well as his talent, he is treasured by audiences throughout the world who respond not only to his remarkable artistry, but also to the irrepressible joy of making music that he communicates. A four-time Emmy Award and 15-time Grammy Award winner, Perlman recently performed at the Inauguration of President Barack Obama, premiering a piece written for the occasion by composer John Williams, with whom he collaborated on the original score to Steven Spielberg’s Academy Award-winning film "Schindler’s List."

During his Palace Theater performance, Perlman will be accompanied on piano by critically acclaimed Rohan De Silva, who performed with Perlman on the "Live from Lincoln Center" broadcast in January 2000. De Silva is a faculty member at the Perlman Music Program on Long Island, The Juilliard School and the Ishikawa Music Academy in Japan.

Tickets for Itzhak Perlman are $125, $75, $65, and $55, and can be purchased by phone at 203-346-2000, online at http://www.palacetheaterct.org/, or in person at the Palace Theater Box Office, 100 East Main St., Waterbury.

The Singular Sensation Visits the Palace

The all-new national touring production of Broadway’s singularly sensational Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning musical A Chorus Line comes to the Palace Theater in Waterbury for a limited four-show engagement, Feb. 26-28, as part of the Webster Broadway Series.

The musical for everyone who’s ever had a dream and put it all on the line, A Chorus Line sets the scene on a bare stage as casting for a new Broadway musical is almost complete. For 17 dancers, this audition is the chance of a lifetime. It's the one opportunity to do what they've always dreamed -- to have the chance to dance. Winner of nine Tony Awards®, including Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for drama, this singular sensation is the longest-running American Broadway musical ever, featuring such classic standards as, “What I Did For Love” and the ever popular, “One.”

Tickets for are $59, $54, and $49, and can be purchased by phone at 203-346-2000, online at http://www.palacetheaterct.org/, or in person at the Palace Theater Box Office, 100 East Main St., Waterbury. Groups of 20 or more qualify for special discounts and should call the Group Sales Hotline at 203-346-2002.