Coming Up at The Bushnell: A Christmas Story, Jerry Seinfeld, Mannheim Steamroller

Dan Lauria in A Christmas Story. Photo: Carol Rosegg

This holiday season, one of America’s most beloved Christmas movies comes to life as a hilarious holiday musical, making its Connecticut premiere at Mortensen Hall at The Bushnell tomorrow, Nov. 12.

A Christmas Story, the musical, features a bright holiday score by composer/lyricist team Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and a book by Joseph Robinette based on the writings of radio humorist Jean Shepherd and the 1983 holiday film favorite. Tony Award-winning director John Rando helms the production, joined by acclaimed choreographer Warren Carlyle and dance arranger Glen Kelly.

A Christmas Story runs at The Bushnell through Nov. 17. Performances are Tuesday through Thursday at 7:30 pm; Friday at 8 pm; Saturday at 2 and 8 pm; Sunday at 1 and 6 pm. Tickets start at $29: www.bushnell.org; 860-987-5900; box office, 166 Capitol Ave., Hartford. 

The show chronicles young and bespectacled Ralphie Parker as he schemes his way towards the holiday gift of his dreams: a Red Ryder Action Air Rifle BB Gun (“You’ll shoot your eye out, kid!”). A kooky leg lamp, outrageous pink bunny pajamas, a maniacal department store Santa, and a double-dog-dare to lick a freezing flagpole are just a few of the distractions that stand between young Ralphie and his Christmas wish. Produced by the film’s original Ralphie, Peter Billingsley, it’s a perennial holiday classic that will entertain the whole family.

The 30-member cast  is lead by theatre and television star Dan Lauria as Jean Shepherd and Broadway veterans John Bolton as The Old Man and Erin Dilly as Mother. Jake Lucas plays Ralphie and Noah Baird is little brother Randy; Eli Tokash plays Ralphie at certain performances. In addition, New York and West End favorite Caroline O’Connor plays school teacher Miss Shields. 

 The ensemble includes Charlie Babo, Gabriella Baldacchino, Hannah Isabel Bautista, Charissa Bertels, Tanya Birl, Beada Briglia, Judae’a Brown, Michael Crispi, Andrew Cristi, Mathew deGuzman, Thay Floyd, Nick Gaswirth, Lizzie Klemperer, Jose Luaces, Mara Newbery, Alexa Niziak, Lindsay O’Neil, David Scott Purdy, Keven Quillon, Lucas Schultz, Mitchell Sink, Luke Spring, Jenny Lee Stern, and Nicky Torchia. 

The creatives: scenic design by Walt Spangler, costume design by Elizabeth Hope Clancy, lighting design by Tony Award-winner Howell Binkley, sound design by Ken Travis, orchestrations by 2011 Tony nominee Larry Blank, and musical supervision by Ian Eisendrath.

Jerry Seinfeld. Photo courtesy of The Bushnell

America’s premier comedian, Jerry Seinfeld, will be performing his signature stand-up routine at Mortensen Hall at The Bushnell Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014 at 7 pm. Seinfeld has been hailed for his uncanny ability to joke about the little things in life that relate to audiences everywhere. He now sets his sights on performing both nationally and internationally in 2014.

Tickets: www.bushnell.org; 860-987-5900; box office, 166 Capitol Ave., Hartford.

Mannheim Steamroller  will perform live in Mortensen Hall at The Bushnell on Sunday, Dec. 1 at 6:30 pm.

Grammy Award winner Chip Davis has created a show that features the beloved Christmas music of Mannheim Steamroller along with dazzling multimedia effects performed in an intimate setting. The spirit of the season comes alive with the signature sound of Mannheim Steamroller. Davis will direct and co-produce the performances with MagicSpace Entertainment.

Mannheim Steamroller is the #1-selling Christmas artist of all time. With more than 40 million total records sold, 28 million have been Mannheim Steamroller Christmas albums. The group’s annual Christmas tour has consistently ranked among top national tours. More info: www.mannheimsteamroller.com.

Tickets: www.bushnell.org; 860-987-5900; box office, 166 Capitol Ave., Hartford.

Tony Orlando's Christmas Show Plays the Palace

Tony Orlando’s Great American Christmas show plays the Palace in Waterbury Thursday, Dec. 5 at 7:30 pm. 

Orlando lends his smooth vocals to a wide range of holiday classics including “White Christmas,” “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear,” “Silent Night,” and more.

Orlando has sold millions of records, including five number-one hits such as “Tie a Yellow Ribbon ‘Round the Ole Oak Tree,” “Knock Three Times,” and “He Don’t Love You (Like I Do).” He also starred in the renowned Tony Orlando and Dawn variety show that aired on CBS from 1974-1976.

Before the concert, Riverhouse Catering will prepare a 5:30 p.m. three-course dinner in the Palace’s Poli Club, located on the mezzanine level of the theater. The dinner is $40 per member/ $50 per non-member, which includes tax, service fees, coffee, and tea. A cash bar is also available. Seating is limited, and reservations can be made when purchasing tickets through the Box Office.

Tickets for the concert are $75 and $45: 203-346-2000; www.palacetheaterct.org; Box Office, 100 East Main St., Waterbury.

In the spirit of holiday giving, the Palace is donating a portion of ticket sales from the show to WATR’s Sunshine Fund to help those in need during the holiday season. Patrons also are encouraged to bring an unwrapped toy to the theater on the night of the performance to benefit New Opportunities Inc.’s annual holiday toy drive.

Meet Malcolm Gladwell at CT Forum Event

Meet the bestselling author of Blink, The Tipping Point, and Outliers at a special post-Forum VIP reception on Thursday, Nov. 21, immediately following the Big Thinkers Forum at The Bushnell.

Meet Malcolm Gladwell, get a photo taken, and receive an autographed copy of his most recent book, David and Goliath.

Reception tickets are $175 per person and can be purchased online or by calling 860.509.0909. Limited availability so act quickly! First come first served. 

Big Thinkers also features historian Douglas Brinkley, professor of history at Rice University and the author of a number of award-winning and best-selling books, including The Great Deluge, Tour of Duty, The Boys of Pointe du Hoc, Parish Priest, and most recently, Cronkite.

Tickets: www.ctforum.org; 860-509-0909.

TheaterWorks Will Present Christmas on the Rocks

TheaterWorks' Holiday World Premiere  Christmas on the Rocks An offbeat collection of twisted holiday tales   by multiple nationally known playwrights.  These darkly humorous stories run December 3 through 22, 2013.

What: CHRISTMAS ON THE ROCKS by John Cariani, Jeffrey Hatcher, Jacques Lamarre, Matthew Lombardo, Theresa Rebeck, Edwin Sanchez and Jonathan Tolins.                            Just in time for the holidays, something fresh, funny, smart and surprisingly touching. Remember watching holiday specials as a kid? Fast-forward to this Christmas Eve. In a rundown local bar, unexpectedly, chance brings us face to face with a parade of beloved characters from favorite Christmas tales - only now they have all grown up! Tiny Tim, Charlie Brown, Cindy Lou Who and a host of other favorites pour out their Christmas woes. Inspired by our collective holiday memories, CHRISTMAS ON THE ROCKSis sure to become a new holiday tradition.                                           Conceived and directed by TheaterWorks' Producing Artistic Director, Rob Ruggiero, this exciting new production features 7 nationally known playwrights each adding their own spin to the canon of holiday traditions past.     Rob is also thrilled to welcome a tremendously talented cast to TheaterWorks. Audiences will remember Harry Bouvy (the man) from Snakebit, Chesapeake and Fully Committed. Christine Pedi (the woman) most recently seen in Broadway's hilariousNEWSical The Musical, makes her TheaterWorks' debut as does Broadway veteran, Ronn Carroll (Goodspeed's Carousel) as the bartender. Rob said "I couldn't be more excited about collaborating with this amazing group of  playwrights and actors. What began as a fun idea for a new and very 'TheaterWorks' holiday event is quickly taking form. I look forward to sharing it with our audiences. I think they are in for a real treat."                                     CHRISTMAS ON THE ROCKS runs December 3 through December 22, 2013.              The production design team includes Michael Schweikardt(Sets), Alejo Vieti (Costumes), Mary Jo Dondlinger (Lights) and Michael Miceli (Sound).Production Manager is Michael Lenaghan.

When: December 3 through 22, 2013 Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday: Friday         Saturday  Sunday     7:30 pm 8:00 pm 2:30 pm and 6:30 pm  4:00 pm and 8:00 pm

The lobby and the gallery sponsored by The Hartford Financial Services Group, opens 90 minutes prior to curtain; seating starts 60 minutes prior.

Where: TheaterWorks City Arts on Pearl - 233 Pearl Street in Downtown Hartford

Admission: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday  Friday, Saturday Subscribers        Center Reserved  Student Rush w/ID (subject to availability)   Group Rates     $35 $40 $10 off $15 addt'l $15    Call

For seats call 860.527.7838. Christmas on the Rocks is NOT a part of the subscription season, but you can still subscribe. 4 Plays for as low as $99. Call for details. 2013 - 2014 SEASON

FREUD'S LAST SESSION by Mark St. Germain  January 17 through February 23, 2014 Press: January 24, 2014                                                       THE OTHER PLACE by Sharr White March 14 through April 19, 2014 Press: March 21, 2014        LOVE / SICK by John Cariani  May 16 through June 22, 2014 Press: May 23, 2014  WOODY SEZ The Life & Music of Woody Guthrie  August 8 through September 14, 2014 Press: August 15, 2014

For more information, please visit www.theaterworkshartford.org

Connecticut Arts Connections

The O’Neill Theater Center marks the historic expansion of its Waterford, CT theater campus with a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday, November 13 at 11am, rain or shine. Members of the community are invited to join and celebrate the occasion, which marks a substantial artistic and capital expansion for the two time Tony Award-winning organization.

The expansion, the largest in the Center’s history, includes seven new dormitory cottages accommodating living space for 65 artists and faculty, a laundry facility, a new rehearsal hall, and the renovation of existing buildings into additional production and rehearsal space.

The National Theater Institute, founded in 1970, is proud to offer the National Music Theater Institute Semester (NMTI), a sister program to the successful National Theater Institute Semester (NTI) program. NMTI will offer credit-earning intensive training in all areas of musical theater—acting, singing, directing, writing, dance, composition, choreography—to undergraduates from the U.S. and abroad. Construction is scheduled to be completed in conjunction with enrollment of the NMTI Fall 2014 class.

A short presentation will be held following the groundbreaking ceremony at the Rose Theater Barn. Details and timeline of the expansion will be shared, as well as the new program’s profound impact on the O’Neill’s mission—to discover, develop, and nurture new work and new artists.

Space is limited. For more information on this event, please contact Special Events Manager Ainslie Seeber at (860) 443-5378 ext. 285 or at events@theoneill.org. The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center is located at 305 Great Neck Road, Waterford, CT 06385.
A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, with book by Robert L. Freedman, lyrics by Robert L. Freedman and Steven Lutvak, music by Steven Lutvak, and directed by Hartford Stage Artistic Director Darko Tresnjak, will open on Broadway November 17 at the Walter Kerr Theatre. A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder first premiered at Hartford Stage in October 2012. A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder is the story of Monty Navarro, a long-lost relative of the D’Ysquith family. He finds out he isninth in line to become the next Earl of Highhurst, he decides to eliminate the other eight heirs standing in his way, all while juggling his mistress and his fiancée. The cast is led by Tony award-winner Jefferson Mays, who plays all eight ill-fated D’Ysquith family members, and Bryce Pinkham as Monty Navarro.

Author of Orange Coming in December
Piper Kerman
December 12 

7 pm Hartford Stage

Get your tickets now for an author talk and book signing with Piper Kerman, who as a young woman with a promising New York career, was forced to reckon with her past, a brief, careless dalliance in the world of drug trafficking. Kerman's memoir of her year in a federal corrections facility for women has been adapted into a popular Netflix series.

Special performance by Women on Our Own, an artistic outreach program from Judy Dworin Performance Project.

Tickets: piperkerman.brownpapertickets.com.

The Yale Institute for Music Theatre is a program of Yale’s Binger Center for New Theatre that bridges the gap between training and the professional world for emerging composers, book writers, and lyricists. The Institute seeks distinctive and original music theatre works by emerging composers and writers to be developed in an intensive lab setting. During a two-week summer residency at Yale School of Drama, the Institute matches the authors of the selected works with collaborators, including professional directors and music directors, as well as a company of actors and singers that includes professionals and current Yale students. The residency culminates with open rehearsal readings of each project, presented as part of New Haven’s International Festival of Arts andIdeas.

ELIGIBILITY
The Yale Institute for Music Theatre accepts applications for projects at various stages of development but focuses on work that is ready to be explored musically and dramatically with performers and directors. Submissions cannot have had a professional production.Mark Brokaw, Artistic Director) will select two original music theater works to be developed in an intensive lab setting in New Haven June 2-15, 2014. Online applications will be accepted from October 28, 2013, through January 7, 2014.

Book musicals and other imaginative music theatre projects are welcome. Only composers, book writers, or lyricists who are current graduate students; or who have graduated from an accredited degree-granting institution (undergraduate or graduate) within the past five years; or who are current Yale students (undergraduate or graduate) are eligible to apply.

Applicants may only submit one work for consideration. Composers and writers may apply as individuals or as part of a team. Participants must be available for the full duration of the residency. Each member of the writing team will receive an honorarium of $1,000, as well as round-trip transportation and accommodation.

GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSION
Online applications will be accepted beginning October 28, 2013, through 11:59 PM (EST) on January 7, 2014. All submissions must include each of the following, and all documents (with the exception of music recordings) must be uploaded as PDFs:

1- APPLICANT BIO: a BIOGRAPHY or resume of no more than one page, for each creative artist;
2- SYNOPSIS/SCRIPT/SHEET MUSIC
a. a SYNOPSIS of no more than one page, with a list of characters and instrumentation;    
b. a SCRIPT with lyrics or a full libretto;                                                  
c. SHEET MUSIC for a minimum of five songs;
3- MUSIC RECORDINGS: a sample of at least 20 minutes of music. The sample must include the five songs for which sheet music is submitted. Piano and vocals are sufficient, and a composer’s demo is acceptable though not preferred. Studio demos are not necessary. Music recording files must be clearly labeled and uploaded in sequence. All submitted recordings must be clearly noted in script.
4- DEVELOPMENT HISTORY AND GOALS: a brief description of the work’s history and what the creative team hopes to achieve from the development process at the Institute;
5- RIGHTS STATEMENT: proof of fully secured rights if the proposed project is an adaptation of an existing work that is not in the public domain;
6- SIGNATURE: an electronic signature from the Lead Applicant on behalf of all Co-Applicants (composer, book writer, lyricist).
Note: all 2014 applications must be submitted electronically. The Institute does not accept video recordings or photographs. 

For more information about the Yale Institute for Music Theatre or the application process email yimt@yale.edu or call (203) 432-5348. All applicants will be notified of selection by March 28, 2014.

Theaters Plan Food Drives

Michael Connor Barth (Michael) and Matt Kopec (Buddy) in “Elf The Musical.” Photo: Joan Marcus

AT THE PALACE

In the spirit of spreading holiday cheer, the Palace Theater is partnering with the United Way of Greater Waterbury to launch a holiday food drive during the theater’s Webster Broadway Series presentation of ELF THE MUSICAL, Nov. 19-21.

The Palace is asking both patrons and local residents to discover their inner “elf” by donating non-perishable food items – including stuffing, cranberry sauce and gravy - to families fighting hunger in the Greater Waterbury area. Food donations can be dropped off at the Box Office, 100 East Main Street in Waterbury, during regular business hours the week of November 18 -22, or can be brought in by patrons attending one of the week’s three performances of ELF THE MUSICAL. All donations will be collected by the United Way of Greater Waterbury and distributed locally to nearby food pantries.

In Connecticut alone, more than 400,000 residents struggle with hunger and food insecurity, and nearly one in five children do not know where their next meal is coming from. From Waterbury to Cheshire to Bethlehem, real families are facing real challenges and the United Way of Greater Waterbury is dedicated to providing these residents with food assistance and peace of mind.

Tickets for the Palace Theater’s presentations of ELF THE MUSICAL are on sale now and can be purchased by phone at 203-346-2000, online at www.palacetheaterct.org, or in person at the Box Office.

AT GOODSPEED

On Monday, Nov, 25 Goodspeed Musicals will hold its Annual Food Drive to benefit the East Haddam Food Bank. Goodspeed will be collecting donations in the hopes for another record-breaking year for participation. The need is even greater this year as the number of households served by the East Haddam Food Bank has grown once again to record levels.

Goodspeed Musicals is offering a special buy one ticket, get one free to patrons who bring a generous donation of non-perishable foods to the Nov. 25performance of The Most Happy Fella 7:30 pm at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Conn. The East Haddam Food Bank is in need of many non-perishable food items, especially “the basics” such as soups, pastas, canned fruits and vegetables, and cereals, as well as paper goods and personal toiletries.

During Thanksgiving week, performances will take place on Monday, November 25, at 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm; Friday, November 29, at 2:00 pm and 8:00 pm; Saturday, November 30, at 3:00 pm and 8:00 pm; and Sunday, December 1, at 2:00 pm and 6:30 pm. Donations will be accepted at the Goodspeed Opera House November 25th through December 1st. Tickets for The Most Happy Fella are available through the Goodspeed Box Office at 860-873-8668 or at www.goodspeed.org. Advance reservations are recommended. This offer is subject to availability, with no adjustments for prior sale.

Theater Review: The Seven Year Itch -- Ivoryton Playhouse

David Conaway and Holly Holcomb. Photo: Anne Hudson

This Farce Gets Stuck Somewhere in the 1950s
By Lauren Yarger
Ivoryton Playhouse concludes its 2012-2013 season with The Seven Year Itch by George Axelrod.

The play isn’t produced that often and after seeing this production, we know why. The theme of a husband going through a mid-life crisis and considering a fling is still just as contemporary as when it was written in 1952 and when Marilyn Monroe’s white dress poofs up over a subway grate in the Billy Wilder movie version, but the play’s structure anchors it firmly in the 1950s.

Publisher Richard Sherman (David Conaway) is left on his own at their Gramercy Park apartment when his wife, Helen (Emma O’Donnell) and son, Ricky (Carson Waldron) leave for to the summer at the beach. His fantasizes about some of the women who might have been attracted to him in the past: Miss Morris (Carolyn Cumming), Elaine (Elizabeth Talbot) and Marie Whatever-Her-Name-Was (Caitlin McInerney).

He doesn’t have fantasize any more, however, when he encounters his new upstairs neighbor, a very buxom and attractive younger model, known only as The Girl (Holly Holcomb). When her tomato plant tumbles onto his terrace (the nicely appointed apartment is designed by Daniel Nischan), Richard has the perfect excuse to invite her over for a drink.

He feels guilty and confesses his temptation to an expert on the subject, psychiatrist Dr. Brubaker (John Little), who comes over to discuss his manuscript for “Of Sex and Violence.” The Shermans have been married for seven years – a common point when husbands stray, Brubaker says – and especially understandable when Richard produces a book featuring a nude photo of the girl.

Richard starts fantasizing that his wife really has left him for the summer to have a torrid affair with Tom MacKenzie (Jason Naylor), a friend who has made no secret his attraction for Helen – especially when she wears a cocktail frock with no back and not-too-much in the front (Kari Crowther designs the costumes). The fantasy segments are lighted in red tones (Marcus Abbott, design) where Richard talks with a devilish version of the voice on his shoulder urging him on. For Richard, it comes down to a choice of doing something and regretting it or not doing something and regretting it.

Feeling justified because of his wife’s imagined infidelity, Richard goes out with the girl and they end up in bed. He then fantasizes that the girl will a) fall in love with him b) blackmail him and c) embarrass him and tell his wife. He also fantasizes about what Helen will do if she ever finds out. The smile on Helen’s face as she takes pleasure in dealing with her husband’s betrayal was the highlight of this not-really-a-farce for me. Just brilliant, Emma O’Donnell.

The play is just too creaky to make traction in 2013. The publishing field has changed so much, for example, that Richard’s comments about publishing a new version of “The Scarlett Letter” with a cigarette-smoking Hester Prynne wearing a dress cut so low that there’s no room for the “A” and the book’s costing a couple of quarters, send us right back to another era.

The structure is annoying – all this fantasizing and talking to voices. At one point The Girl also talks to a disembodied voice. Her conscience? Who knows? And the kiss of death here, is that Director Lawrence Thelan allows a creeping pace where the two-hour run time with an intermission makes us itch and feel like it’s been more like seven years. There are a few laughs, but that doesn’t equal farce.

The Seven Year Itch continues at Ivoryton Playhouse, 103 Main St., Ivoryton, through Nov, 17. Performances are Wednesday and Sunday matinees at 2 pm. Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30, Friday and Saturday at 8 pm. Tickets: $40 for adults, $35 for seniors, $20 for students and $15 for children: (860)-767-7318; www.ivorytonplayhouse.org.

Theater Review Owners -- Yale Rep

Brenda Meaney, Joby Earle, and Anthony Cochrane in Owners. 
Photo © Joan Marcus, 2013.

Dark Play That Houses Unlikable Characters, Plot Makes Us Want to Move 
By Lauren Yarger
What a bunch of unhappy, unlikable people headed toward a predictable, dark conclusion.

That was the thought running through my head through most of the almost two and a half hours of Owners, the first stage work by groundbreaking English playwright Caryl Churchill (Cloud Nine and Top Girls), getting a run at Yale Rep.

Trying to see what I had missed – like why Director Evan Yionoulis, whose work I respect, chose such a horrible play to produce, and what it was supposed to be about -- I eagerly read production Dramaturg Hugh Farrell’s notes in the program before sitting down to write this review. His take boils down to this: the conflict of two perspectives on ownership: the “western imperative to own everything: meets the “Eastern acceptance of owning nothing.”

OK, let’s say I kind of got that, minus the “eastern” and “western” tags, but more like socialism versus capitalism. I still didn’t care. The characters in this unrealistic 1972 play are so odd and unlikable that it is hard to engage. To top it off, the pay is listed as a comedy and I don’t recall laughing once.

Clegg (Anthony Cochrane) is a repulsive guy, a second generation butcher, who is angry that he doesn’t have a son to whom he can pass on his northern London business “Clegg and Son.” Lack of fertility is, no doubt, the fault of his wife, Marion (Brenda Meaney), whom Clegg loathes mostly because she is one of the most disgusting things in the word to him – a woman. Wives are property in his mind, something to be owned and ordered about. At best they are like dogs to be trained. He spends a lot of time plotting how to kill her. But she’s the one who has spent some time in a mental institution?

Marion has been keeping herself amused by buying up houses and flipping them for profit. She is particularly happy to become the owner of a home in which her former lover, Alec (Tommy Schrider) and his fiancée, Lisa (Sarah Manton) live. The couple, with a third child on the way and Alec’s demented, elderly mother (Alex Trow) in residence, has fallen on hard times, especially after Alec seems to stop caring about everything. He is socialism personified. When the flat is robbed, he wonders why they should call the police – after all, if the burglar really wanted the stuff, who are they to insist they owned it?

When he isn’t trying new ways to kill himself, Worsely (Joby Earle) acts as Marion’s agent and intimidates Lisa with threats of higher rent or removing the roof of their home to get the family to move out. Lisa turns to Marion, the only person she knows with some knowledge about housing issues, for help. Marion strings her along for a while before revealing that she is, in fact, the owner causing her problems.

A couple of things might alleviate the couples’ struggles, however: Alec can agree to reignite his affair with Marion and Lisa can agree to give up her new baby so Clegg can finally have the “and son” part for his business. This fits right in with the idea that those with money are “owners” able to buy and sell whatever they choose at the expense of those without money…. Meanwhile, Worsely extends his suicidal thoughts to plotting to doing away with Marion and the whole bunch of them. We can see where this is all headed and it isn’t going to be good. Though an end to these folks might not be such a bad idea….

Driving me to more dark thoughts were the costumes (Seth Bodie, design) and wallpaper patterns (Carmen Martinez, design) with their 1970s patterns and mismatched colors. When the building’s new owner, Mrs. Arlington (also Trow), showed up in an orange/red wig, purple dress and magenta shoes, I secretly hoped Worsely would take her out before finding a way to commit suicide.

I also must admit that I simply didn’t get the mannequins. There are a few placed throughout the set. Clegg waits on one at the beginning of the play. Yionoulis has the actors freeze frame like mannequins at the end of scenes. Why? Got me.

So, if all of this sounds like a fun time at the theater, Owners is the play for you. Me, I think I might have preferred to stay home, where yes, I own.

Owners continues through Nov. 16 at Yale Rep, 1120 Chapel Street. New Haven. Performance times vary. Tickets: $20-98: yalerep.org; 203-432-1234, Box Office, 1120 Chapel St., at York Street.

Behind the Scenes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxWj-Al-uzQ; Production Footage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-N1GYaaOLnI

Mark Russell Slated for Laughter in Politics at Mark Twain House and More...

The Mark Twain House and Museum presents an evening with political humorist Mark Russell on the Laughter of Politics Thursday, Nov. 21 at 7:30 p.m.

Long before Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert, there was Mark Russell, daring to joke and sing of the often absurd political process. He started in a little piano bar on Capitol Hill - right across from the lawmakers themselves. He began knowing little about politics, but was an immediate hit because he could find humor in anything.

Russell continues to play off the day's headlines, performing stand-up comedy while accompanying himself on the piano. Reading three or four newspapers a day allows him to constantly update his material. The result is that no two shows are ever identical. "I thrive on newspapers." he frequently states. "And it looks like I'll be thriving longer than them."

A native of Buffalo, NY, Russell's first heroes were entertainers. Radio comedians like Fred Allen and Jack Benny had audiences screaming for satire. It seems that everyone was making fun of self-important people. Groucho Marx was Dr. Quackenbush. Bugs Bunny was Toscanini. Charlie Chaplin was Hitler.

Russell spent 30 years on public television as host of the "Mark Russell Comedy Specials," where it was consistently among the top-rated shows on that network.

Tickets are $45 ($40 for Mark Twain House & Museum Members). Please call (860) 280-3130 for reservations.

Also coming u at the Mark Twain House:

The Mark Twain House and Museum presents a new art exhibition Botanical Tyranny: Drawings By Jane Rainwater. The exhibition will run from Nov. 4 to Jan. 17 in the Mark Twain House Museum Center.

There will be an free opening reception for the exhibition on Sunday, Nov. 10 from 2 to 4 pm.

Botanical Tyranny features pen and ink drawings of beautiful flowers, birds, and insects that, when looked at closely, are made of weapons, bomb, swords, guns, etc. Jane Rainwater's work engages the viewer with its seemingly innocent decorative delight; yet upon closer examination the work challenges and questions our attraction by revealing darker truths. Her drawings explore the paradox of "horrible beauty," illuminating her concerns regarding wealth, greed, violence and cultural traditions.

Rainwater grew up in Westport and lives in Andover. She teaches art and design at several colleges and universities in Connecticut. She is also the owner of Rainwater Design. She holds a MFA from The Art Institute of Boston, and a BFA from The Hartford Art School. She received a Radius Emerging Artist Fellowship from The Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art in Ridgefield. Jane has exhibited in galleries and museums throughout the country.

Botanical Tryanny also ties in with the major fall exhibition at the Mark Twain House Museum Center: An Inglorious Peace or a Dishonorable War: Mark Twain's Views on Conflict which opened last month. Both exhibitions are open during regular museum hours for a special $5 museum-only admission -- or free with a ticket to tour the Mark Twain House.

This Thursday, Nov. 7

Dan Lauria in Conversation with Scot Haney

You loved him as the father on TV’s “The Wonder Years.” Now meet him in a new role: The Godfather.

Actor Dan Lauria, in conversation with Channel 3’s Scot Haney, will discuss his career and the collection of children’s stories he created for his godson, Julian, at a special event Thursday, Nov. 7 at the Mark Twain House and Museum, 351 Farmington Ave., Hartford.

The star of A Christmas Story, the musical, playing at The Bushnell Nov. 12-17, will sign copies of his book, “The Blue Hair Club and Other Stories,” the first in the Godfather Tales Series, following the program with Haney, which begins at 6 pm. Proceeds from the books’ sales benefit Evolution, a charity assisting single moms. Books (geared toward kids aged 5-10) may be pre-ordered at http://shop.marktwainhouse.org/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=67&products_id=484 or 860-280-3136.

A Christmas Story’s famous “leg lamp” will be on hand, along with “Ralphie’s” pink bunny suit from the show for photo ops with the kids. Drawings will be held for tickets to the show at The Bushnell and for CDs of the musical’s soundtrack. Refreshments, including some “Oh, fudge!,” courtesy of the show, will be served and kids from the cast of A Christmas Story will be on hand to read excerpts from the book.

The event is being presented free of charge. Questions or more information: bookauthorpub@yahoo.com.

Full disclosure: I am totally connected as the planner of this event -- but you should know about it! -- Lauren

The Flying Dutchman Sails onto Palace Theater Stage

Stormy seas, ghost ships and gleaming treasures conquer the Palace Theater stage as Richard Wagner’s famous opera Der Fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman) sails into Waterbury on Friday, Nov. 15 at 7 pm.

Tickets for the Connecticut Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra and Connecticut Lyric Opera co-presentation are $65, $45 and $20 and can be purchased by phone at 203-346-2000, online at www.palacetheaterct.org, or in person at the Box Office, 100 East Main Street in Waterbury.

The legend of The Flying Dutchman, a ghostly ship condemned to wander the oceans forever, has fascinated opera lovers for hundreds of years. Wagner’s enthralling score is illuminated by striking stage imagery that powers a thrilling journey into an unsettling, mythic world where a tormented spirit seeks true love as his only redemption. Originating in seventeenth century nautical folklore, The Flying Dutchman is the tale of a phantom ship, an omen of doom to all who encounter it, captained by a Dutchman cursed to an eternity at sea. From Thomas Moore’s poem On Passing Dead Man’s Island to the Hollywood hit Pirates of the Caribbean, the ghost ship and its captain have haunted books, films, plays and animations for decades.

Wagner based his adaptation on Heinrich Heine's retelling of the myth in a satirical 1834 novel The Memoirs of Mr. von Schnabelewopski (Aus den Memoiren des Herrn von Schnabelewopski) in which the Dutchman is permitted on land every seven years to find redemption through a faithful woman’s love. The opera tells the tale threefold: through famous text in the heroine’s ballad, striking stage action and effects, and dramatically shifting soundscapes.

Presented in German with English supertitles, this fully staged co-production by the Connecticut Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra and the Connecticut Lyric Opera features an international cast of singers accompanied by a full orchestra conducted by Maestro Adrian Sylveen. This production is perhaps CT Lyric Opera’s grandest to date as the company has grown extensively since its inception 11 years ago, now enlivening stages throughout the state. Audiences are advised to hold on tight for a work whose wind, in conductor Franz Lachner’s words in 1864, “blows out at you wherever you open the score.”