Happy New Year! On Vacation Until Jan. 9

Theater Review: A Doctor in Spite of Himself -- Yale Rep

Steven Epp and Justine Williams in A Doctor in Spite of Himself.
© 2011 Carol Rosegg

Bayes, Epp Return to Yale Rep; Prove Laughter is the Best Medicine
By Lauren Yarger
Steven Epp and Christopher Bayes are definitely the go-to guys if you want 21st-century audiences laughing at centuries-old plays. Epp stars and Bayes directs in the pair's adaptation of Moliere's A Doctor in Spite of Himself, co-produced at Yale Rep with Berkeley Repertory Theatre and they prove that laughter definitely is the best medicine.

Epp and Bayles collaborated last season on their critically acclaimed presentation of Truffaldino's The Servant of Two Masters at Yale Rep. Epp starred, Bayes directed. Both had worked with Tony-Award-winning Theatre de la Lune.

Epp plays woodcutter Sganarelle, forced to assume the identity of a doctor when his wife, Martine (Justine Williams), orchestrates a plan to get back at him for his bad hehavior (the two begin as punch-and-judy puppets in a small theater on stage and cleverly come to life and even step back into the small box with some clever staging by Matt Saunders). She convinces Valere (Jacob Ming Trent) and Lucas (Liam Craig, who also was in Two Masters) that her husband is a miracle-curing doctor who can provide a remedy for their master's daughter, Lucinde (Renata Friedman, who also serves as puppeteer).

Valere and Lucas, coerce Sganarelle to accompany them to the household of their master, Geronte (Allen Gilmore, also a Two Masters alumni), where Lucas' amply endowed wife, Jacqueline (Julie Brisman), serves as wet nurse and soon arouses the woodcutter's desire to "play doctor." He endeavors to cure Lucinde, who has been rendered mute after her father refuses his permission for her love, Leander (Chivas Michael), to court her.

Note: if you happen to have taken a swig of bottled water, you might ant to be sure to swallow it before Lucinde makes her appearance. She's one icky sick girl, frighteningly wild-haired and boot strapped. If you haven't swallowed, you'll spit the water out when you guffaw. Costume designer Kristin Fiebig provides the look as well as a number of bright, crazy-colored costumes that add to the production's humor.

The script, which starts with ushers dancing up and down the aisles, is full of zany modern references to movies, Broadway, TV commercials, pop music and politics. Moliere could only have dreamed that his comedy about the 17th -century medical practice would receive so man laughs in 2011. Briskman is a hoot and in one scene changes persona several times while recounting the progress of Lucinde's treatment. Even a siren passing by the theater got a laugh when Epp ad-libbed that the comedy police were coming to get them. Everyone in the audience smiles all the way through the brisk 90-minute presentation.

If the humor isn't enough to entertain, the cast sings up a storm as well. Aaron Halva composes and music directs a two-man band (Greg C. Powers; Robertson Witmer) who lend accompaniment and sound effects on a myriad of instruments just right of the action on stage. Trent adds some stylish and funny panache to some of the vocal arrangements.

It's tickle-your-funny-bone theater at it's best and it runs through Saturday at Yale Rep, 1120 Chapel St, at York Street, New Haven. Tickets range from $28 to $88 and are available at the box office, at 203-432-1234 or online at www.yalerep.org. An audio transcribed performance is available 2 pm Saturday.

Theater Review: I'm Connecticut -- CT Rep

Joyce DeWitt, Harris Doran, Maggie Sulka, Jerry Adler.  Photo by Gerry Goodstein.

A Show That Makes Us Feel Glad About Feeling Bad about Being From Connecticut
By Lauren Yarger
Believing that you are where you come from, Marc (Harris Doran) has a big problem. He's from Connecticut, the most boring state in the union. After all, we're nicknamed after a spice we don't grow here, most of the towns sound like the names of stodgy English butlers and the most exciting thing that's ever been said about Hartford is that it's the "insurance capital of the world." Gosh, we don't even have a state song.

So begins the very clever and highly entertaining I'm Connecticut from native son Mike Reiss in its world premiere CT Repertory production at UConn's Harriet S. Jorgensen Theater. Reiss, who has had success in Hollywood writing animated comedies such as "The Simpsons," "The Critic" and the "Ice Age" movies, returns to his roots for his first stage play.

Live action plays out against fantasy (ably directed by Paul Mullins) as Marc tries to succeed in the New York dating scene, while talking to the audience about his insecurities and sharing childhood memories of being one of the only Jews growing up in Simsbury, CT and about his loving, bickering grandparents (Jerry Adler, Joyce DeWitt). Michael Anania and Matt Iacozza's simple and easily-changed set with Allison McGrath and Greg Purnell's projection designs make the transitions seamless.

Meanwhile, more interesting states like Florida (Will Graziano), gay-friendly New Hampshire and Vermont (Ryan Marcone, Adam Scheemann) and Oklahoma (Coles Prince) strut their stuff (costumes design by Sara Ewing) and show why they all are more interesting than Connecticut.

Marc strikes out at "NY Minute" speed dating, where the manager (Darrell Hollens) encourages him to enhance his Connecticut-like personality. He seeks other advice from best friend Kyle (Michael John Improta) and Mark Twain (Harrison Greene), one of the few celebs from Connecticut, who when pressed, admits that despite living here in "a creepy monstrosity of a house that school children have been forced to visit for over a century" he didn't write much about the state and actually is buried in neighboring New York. (If you're not laughing at all that, you haven't lived in Connecticut).

In a twist, Marc falls for transplanted Georgia belle Diane (Maggie Sulka) who is the receptionist at the dating club. He embellishes a story about his grandfather's experiences as a Holocaust survivor to impress her as the two start dating. Things get serious when Diane brings Marc and his grandfather home to meet her mother (also played by an over animated DeWitt) and Marc has to deal with the consequences of trying to be something he's not.

While much of the humor is geared toward natives who will get the Connecticut and New England references, there also are enough solid laughs to keep the play from becoming an extended one-liner. Particularly funny is a Broadway-style ending (Ken Clark, music direction; Posy Knight, choreography) to give Connecticut it's moment in the spotlight.

Take a break from the holiday craziness and enjoy a few moments that will make you proud -- OK, at least uninterestingly contented --  to say I'm Connecticut. Performances are tonight at 8, tomorrow at 2 pm, Dec. 7 and 8 at 7:30 pm; and Dec. 9 and 10 at 8 pm, with an additional matinee at 2 pm on Saturday, Dec. 10. Ticket prices range from $6 to $29. Call 860-486-4226  or visit www.crt.uconn.edu.

Quick Hit Theater Review: Krapp's Last Tape -- Long Wharf

Brian Dennehy. Photo: T. Charles Erickson 

Krapp's Last Tape
By Samuel Beckett
Directed by Jennifer Tarver

Summary:
Krapp (Brian Dennehy) looks back over his life with the help of some tape recordings he made in the past, particularly one made on his 39th birthday, which launches some questions in the present like: has he missed his chance for happiness?; where has the time gone?: and is the banana-obsessed old man who delights in saying the word "spool" really the sum of what he was supposed to have become? Are any of us?

Highlights:
It's always a pleasure to see Dennehy on stage, and Krapp is no exception. Especially interesting was a computer glitch which messed up the recordings the evening I attended, causing Dennehy to adlib with the audience while the crew tried to figure out what to do. Probably as fascinating as a Dennehy performance is seeing him slowly sucked out of character into reality. Once the problem was fixed, he returned to the stage, rewound the scene again from before the compter glitch, and was fully back in character. He can make eating a banana really interesting theater.

Lowlights:
Beckett isn't everyone's cup of tea. There are long gaps with no dialogue, even times when the actor is off stage for a while. It's a cerebral workout where many are tempted to ask, "What the heck?" rather than light entertainment, but the one-act is only 54 minutes, so give it a shot.

Information:
Krapp's Last Tape runs through Dec. 18 on Stage II at Long Wharf, 222 Sargent Drive, New Haven. Tickets at $70 are available at 203-787-4282 and www.longwharf.org.

Charlie Daniels Concert Rescheduled at Palace



Charlie Daniels Photo courtesy of Palace Theater

The Palace Theater’s presentation of The Charlie Daniels Band, which was postponed in October due to the untimely death of the band's keyboardist, Joel ‘Taz’ DiGregorio, has been rescheduled for Saturday, April 21, at 8 pm. Tickets for the new date can be purchased by phone at 203-346-2000, online at www.palacetheaterct.org  or in person at the box office, 100 East Main St., Waterbury.

DiGregorio unexpectedly died in a car crash three days before the band’s original Waterbury tour stop on Oct. 15 prompting the band to cancel several performances. Ticket holders who did not a request refund when the original Palace concert was cancelled will be able to use their same tickets for the new date.

Known for his fiddle playing and rebel anthems, Charlie Daniels is a true music icon. For 50 years, his exhilarating mixture of rock, country, bluegrass, blues, and gospel has propelled such hits as “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” Long Haired Country Boy,” and “The South’s Gonna Do It,” among many others. His performance at the Palace Theater is sponsored by Naugatuck Savings Bank and WTNH/MyTV9.

In addition to the concert, the Palace’s Motorcycle Ride fundraiser and pre-show festival also cancelled out of respect last October, have been rescheduled for April 21. The Motorcycle Ride will take place from 1 to 4 pm, and the pre-show activities, which will feature live entertainment and various vendors, will begin at 4 pm.

Josh Borenstein is New Managing Director at Long Wharf

Josh Borenstein

Joshua Borenstein is the new managing director at Long Wharf Theatre.

“Josh was simply the best candidate. Because of our national search, his skills and qualification for the position became more and more clear to us on the Board of Trustees,” said Charles Kingsley, board chair. “He’s been serving as the interim managing director for the past six months and he’s done a wonderful job. Josh has the total confidence of the Board, the staff and Gordon (Edelstein, artistic director.

This will be Borenstein’s second stint at Long Wharf Theatre, serving in various capacities from 2003 to 2007, most recently as its Associate Managing Director.  In this capacity, he was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the organization, including finance, human resources, contract negotiations, labor relations, and facilities.  Josh had previously served as interim managing director in 2006. 

“I am honored and excited to be returning to Long Wharf,” said Borenstein.  “The work is outstanding, and it is an important cultural asset to both the region, as well as the national theatre community.  I am greatly looking forward to working with the Board, Gordon, and the staff on moving the organization forward in this rapidly changing time.”

Borenstein was recently a Project Manager with AMS in its Fairfield.  His AMS experience includes over 50 projects in strategic planning, cultural facility development, and market analysis.  Recently, Borenstein was the lead researcher for Culture Track 2011, a comprehensive national study on arts participation that was released earlier this month.  He also led an in-depth analysis of the Columbus, Ohio arts sector that offered recommendations to make it more sustainable.  His clients have included producing arts organizations, performing arts centers, local and state arts agencies, national service organizations, and children’s museums.

Prior to his tenure at Long Wharf Theatre, Borenstein was at the Huntington Theatre Company in Boston through Theatre Communication Group's "New Generations:  Mentoring the Leaders of Tomorrow" program.  In this role, he worked on a variety of strategic planning projects, including assisting with the development of the Huntington’s Calderwood Pavilion.  Borenstein also served in various roles at Yale Repertory Theatre in New Haven and at Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, Rhode Island.  While at Trinity Rep, Borenstein began a partnership between the theatre and a children's psychiatric hospital. 

Borenstein has been a guest lecturer at Yale University and at Boston University.  He also served as Board President and as Treasurer of the Summer Cabaret at Yale as well as a community grant reviewer for the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven. 

He earned a master of Fine arts degree in theatre management from the Yale School of Drama and a Bachelor of Arts with Honors in classical civilization from Wesleyan University. 

Pushcart Players Bring Season of MIracles to Westport Country Playhouse

“A Season of Miracles” Dec. 11, 1 and 4 pm. Photo courtesy of Westport Country Playhouse.

Westport Country Playhouse will present “A Season of Miracles,” a sparkling collection of holiday tales from different cultures set to music, on Sunday, Dec. 11, at 1 and 4 pm as part of its Family Festivities Series 

Produced by Pushcart Players, “A Season of Miracles” will include stories about Christmas (“The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry and “The Nutcracker” by E. T. A. Hoffmann), Kwanzaa (“The Kwanzaa Kite,” set in Nigeria), and Chanukah (“A Chanukah Miracle,” a Chelm story). The production is appropriate for children grades K-5. Tickets are $15.

Pushcart Players is celebrating its 38th season of producing theater for young audiences - not only throughout most of the U.S., but also in the former Soviet Union, in the Czech Republic and in two guest appearances at the White House. The dynamic company is the recipient of an Emmy Award nomination for two prime time specials on WCBS-TV, and numerous awards for excellence and innovation in the development of theater for young people.

Holiday cookie decorating with Michelle Jaffee from Sweet & Simple will be a pre-show activity, beginning at noon and 3 p.m. Participation is $5 per child, payable at the event. Reservations are necessary through the Playhouse box office, 203-227-4177.

In conjunction with “A Season of Miracles,” the Playhouse is hosting a Holiday Memories Writing Challenge for area students, grades K – 8. The deadline for submissions is Friday, December 2. After interviewing a family member on a favorite holiday memory or a treasured holiday tradition, students are invited to compose a short story, theatrical scene or poem depicting their family story in 200 words or less. 

Submissions will be read by a Playhouse panel and a selection of entries will be posted in the Playhouse lobby during the presentation of“A Season of Miracles.” Every entrant will receive a prize voucher for a complimentary frozen yogurt from Pinkberry in Fairfield. For information on how to enter the writing challenge, visit www.westportplayhouse.org.

Family Festivities Board of Trustees Sponsors are Meredith & David Bukzin; Family Festivities Corporate Sponsors are First Niagara and Peirson & Smith; also funded in part, by a grant from the Peterson Foundation. Holiday special events corporate partner is Pitney Bowes.

Other “Winter at the Playhouse” events include“The Nutcracker,” a holiday ballet presented by Ballet Etudes, on Saturday and Sunday, December 3 and 4, 1 and 5 p.m.; rock band GrooveLily in“Striking 12,” a concert-musical based on Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Match Girl,” on Saturday, December 10, 4 and 7 p.m.; “Holiday” by Philip Barry, a Script in Hand reading of the beloved romantic comedy upon which the film starring Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn was based, Monday, December 12, 7 p.m.; and The Broadway Boys, a holiday concert Broadway style, on Saturday, December 17, 8 p.m., and Sunday, December 18, 3 p.m.

As a community service during all of the “Winter at the Playhouse” holiday events, the Playhouse will collect gently used coats/jackets to benefit the Community Closet of Bridgeport. Collection boxes will be in the Playhouse lobby through December 18.

For more information, tickets or holiday gift certificates, call the box office at (203) 227-4177, or toll-free at 1-888-927-7529, or visit Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport. Tickets are available online 24/7 at www.westportplayhouse.org. Stay connected to the Playhouse on Facebook (Westport Country Playhouse), follow on Twitter (@WCPlayhouse), view Playhouse videos on YouTube (WestportPlayhouse) or get an insider’s peek on The Playhouse Blog (www.theplayhouseblog.org).

Momix Performs at Joyce Theater



Photo by Max Pucciariello

Moses Pendleton’s internationally acclaimed MOMIX, the Washington, CT company that defies categorization as easily as its dancers defy gravity, will burst onto the stage of New York's Joyce Theater just in time for the holidays from Dec. 13 – 31 with a trimmed-down version of the beautiful earth-friendly-focused Botanica.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.Joyce.org or by calling JoyceCharge at 212-242-0800.  The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street.
 
This updated version of Botanica – a fantasyland of breathtaking beauty one season at a time – features imaginative athletic dance, riveting music, inventive costumes and spellbinding choreography to create a world of surrealistic images and childlike wonder brought to life by a cast of dancer-illusionists.  It’s a brilliant exploration of nature as large scale puppets, projected imagery and larger-than-life props (designed by Michael Curry whose work is featured in The Lion King) evoke a vivid landscape.

Pendleton has edited the piece down to 90 intermission-less minutes, keeping the best of the best from the original.  Please note: all matinees during this engagement will be “family-friendly” performances (without nudity).
 
Pendleton co-founded the famed Pilobolus Dance Theatre, and his choreography for the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid led to his founding of MOMIX 31 years ago.  He has choreographed for the Paris Opera Ballet and the Joffrey Ballet, played the fool in Lyubimov’s production of Mussorgsky’s Kovanshina at La Scala, staged Artaud's "Tutuguri" at the Deutsche Opera in Berlin, and choreographed Stravinsky’s Pulcinella for the Ballet de Nancy, as well as Lina Wertmuller’s Carmen at the Munich State Opera and Rameau’s Platee for the US Spoleto Festival. 

His film collaborators have been Sam Peckinpah and Julian Lennon for F/X II, Prince for Batman's “Batdance", and MOMIX AssociateDirector Cynthia Quinn, with whom he choreographed “White Widow” for Robert Altman’s "The Company."
 
Tickets are $10 – $59 (Joyce members: $44) and are availableat 212-242-0800 or at www.Joyce.org.  Note: Ticket prices subject to change.  For more info, visit www.momix.com.  The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Ave at 19th St., NYC.

Come Home for the Holidays at Ivoryton Playhouse

Take an unexpected blizzard, add a sprinkling of the Nutcracker, a pinch of Dickens’ "A Christmas Carol," stir in a little romance and festive song, topit all off with holiday magic and you get a new family tradition called Home for the Holidays premiering at theIvoryton Playhouse Dec. 8.

Home for the Holidays is a new holiday show conceived and directed by Playhouse Artistic Director Jacqueline Hubbard.

“This has been such an important year for the Ivoryton Playhouse. Not only did we reach our 100th birthday but we weathered a hurricane that tore down our beautiful spruce and narrowly missed the building. I feel as though something was watching over us on that day and that was the inspiration for this story.”

This heart warming family story is filled with carols, new and old, and many faces familiar to Playhouse audiences. Cast includes Playhouse favorites Beverley Taylor, Norm Rutty, Michael McDermott, John DeNicola, Maggie McGlone Jennings, Caroline Read, Alanna Burke, Gayle LaBrec, Jason Naylor, Brandon Clark and Addison Marchese. New local talent will male their Playhouse debut: Erica LuBonta, Liz Pester,Will Schneider, Kaitlyn Vitelli, Kearney Capuano and Carson Waldron. The set for this production is designed by JoNazro and lights by Doug Harry.
Come and experience the true magic of the season with this original Connecticut Christmas story – for two weeks only.

Home for the Holidays opens on Thursday, Dec. 8 and runs through Dec. 18. Performance times are Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 pm; evening performances Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 pm.  Tickets are $30 for adults, $20 for students and $15 forchildren and are available by calling the Playhouse box office at 860-767-7318 or by visiting our website at www.ivorytonplayhouse.org (Group rates are available by calling the box office for information.) ThePlayhouse is located at 103 Main  Street in Ivoryton.

Free Performance of Messiah at St. Joseph's Cathedral



The Cathedral Schola Cantorum at the Cathedral of Saint Joseph at Christmastime. Photo courtesy of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra. 

Sacred Sounds CONCERT SERIES: MESSIAH

Friday, Dec. 9, 2011 • 7:30 p.m.
Featuring: New Haven Symphony Orchestra; William Boughton, conductor; Sarah Asmar, soprano; Judith Bowers, mezzo-soprano; Joshua Kohl, tenor; Dashon Burton, bass; Cathedral Schola Cantorum
Cathedral of Saint Joseph (Farmington Avenue, Hartford)

Saturday, Dec. 24 • 11 pm
Featuring Jeffrey Douma, conductor; Soli Deo Gloria Orchestra; Sarah Asmar, soprano; Judith Bowers, mezzo-soprano; Joshua Kohl, tenor; TBA, bass; Cathedral Choir
Cathedral of Saint Joseph

Free Admission, with a free-will offering accepted at the door. For more information, visit www.cathedralofsaintjoseph.com/music-sacredsounds.