‘Tryst’ is a white-knuckle psycho-drama

Written by Joanne Greco Rochman
Thursday, 23 August 2012 11:12

Perhaps not what it seems: Tryst at Hartford TheaterWorks features Andree Maulella and Mark Shanahan.Thunder rolls loud and deep on the TheaterWorks stage in Hartford. As the threatening sound dissipates, a dark and dreary London is revealed. It is the early 1900s, when suddenly, a man appears.

It is George Love, the protagonist in “Tryst” by Karoline Leach. Love is an Edwardian con-man of the first order. He not only preys upon naïve unmarried women who have money, but he feels justified in doing so because he gives them a wedding night to remember. 

When Love appears, he looks disheveled and desperate. He is out of funds and on the prowl. What he’s looking for is an unsuspecting spinster who has some money. Proudly, he speaks directly to the audience and explains exactly how he goes about rendering naïve women penniless. He has the looks, after all. And he has the charm. He also knows just how to spot his targets.

Summer theater 2012 is not over yet!

Written by Joanne Greco Rochman
Thursday, 16 August 2012 10:29

Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam.It’s that time of year when the sounds of crickets fill the night air as if to let us know that summer is winding down. Summer theater is also winding down. Most of the outdoor summer theaters have struck their sets, stored their costumes, and tallied their many sold tickets. 

However, never fear. There’s still plenty of theater to be had in August. Whether you want to cry, laugh or experience a thrill, you’ll find all of the above at Connecticut’s richly talented, and highly recognized regional theaters. 

Don’t head out to the nearest beach to beat the heat and humidity. There’s a veritable beach party happening at the Norma Terris Theatre in Chester.  This is where you can cool off in the comfort of air conditioning, and enjoy “The Bikinis.” A brand new musical by Ray Roderick and James Hindman, the past is present once again.  It’s the sound of the 1960s as a few Jersey Girls relive the excitement of being “Under the Boardwalk,” or telling the whole world, “It’s in His Kiss.” Even with the air conditioning, one can experience that familiar “Heat Wave,” and there “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” to keep the girls from “Where the Boys Are.”  This production featuring more than 30 hits has been extended through Sept. 9. Box office: 860-873-8668.

An enchanted evening in Bethlehem

Written by Joanne Greco Rochman
Thursday, 09 August 2012 15:05

Julia Sun appears as Liat in the production of South Pacific running through Aug. 11 at The Gary-The Olivia Performing Arts Center in Bethlehem. (Courtesy The Gary-The Olivia Performing Arts Center)Taking on a production like “South Pacific” by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II is always a major undertaking, especially for community theaters because just about everyone involved with the show has a full-time job. Theater-going audiences know the hard work and commitment that it takes not only for the cast, but the crew and creative team, as well.
So when a show like “South Pacific” at the Gary-The Olivia Theatre comes together beautifully, success is very sweet.  
Some of the most anticpated moments in a big musical like “South Pacific” are finding out what the lead voices are going to be like. Just about everyone old enough to buy a ticket has heard some of the songs from this great musical.
And then that moment happens. It’s when Katie Keough as Nellie Forbush sings her first big number and Thomas Camm as Emile de Becque sings his. They’ve got the big voices to handle these enormous roles. That’s when you sit back, smile, and know you’re in for a treat.

Molière is alive and well in Westport

Written by Joanne Greco Rochman
Thursday, 02 August 2012 12:45

Marc Kudisch (Tartuffe) and Jeanine Serralles (Dorine) in Molière’s “Tartuffe” at Westport Country Playhouse through Aug. 4; 203-227-4177 or www.westportplayhouse.org. —T. Charles EricksonMolière’s famous play “Tartuffe,” now playing at the Westport Country Playhouse exemplifies excessiveness, especially in the characters Orgon and the title character.

Orgon, who is blinded by his faith in Tartuffe, and Tartuffe, who is hypocrisy personified, are void of moderation and reason throughout most of the play. Molière saw through religious hypocrisy 350 years ago, and this topic, which keeps raising its ugly head, renders Molière’s play timeless. 

It is ironic that Mark Lamos, who is currently the artistic director of the Westport Country Playhouse, produced and directed “Tartuffe” years ago at the Hartford Stage Company. That production set the bar for this reviewer in regards to Molière’s popular play. It  featured David Patrick Kelly in the title role as a slithering snake of a man.

It is to Marc Kudisch’s credit that he has reinvented Tartuffe as a more slovenly character. Kudisch is just as self-serving and hypocritical, but where Kelly was more refined, Kudisch’s mannerisms are intentionally sleazier. It works. Tartuffe is still a most undesirable character. 

Joseph and his ‘Dreamcoat’ in New Canaan

Written by Joanne Greco Rochman
Thursday, 26 July 2012 11:20

Corinne C. Broadbent as the Narrator and Christopher DeRosa as Joseph in the Summer Theatre of New Canaan production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.Biblical stories have a lot of drama in them, and Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice found the perfect story to turn into a mega-hit musical in Genesis of the Old Testament. The dynamically talented composer and lyricist turned the story of Jacob and his twelve sons into a sung-through family-friendly show that has been seen and loved by millions. 

Known  world-wide as Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, this 1968 musical is still going strong as it focuses on Joseph, Jacob’s favorite son. A good man, Joseph rose to power as the right-hand man of the Pharaoh of Egypt in large part because of his gift for interpreting dreams. 

‘Footloose’ breaks the rules

Written by Joanne Greco Rochman
Thursday, 19 July 2012 12:52

Ready for fun: cast members in Footloose.There’s a whole lot of dancin’ going on at the Thomaston Opera House. “Footloose” is on the main stage; so there’s dancing, singing, and plenty of action.

Young people are drawn to this musical like a magnet. That’s not surprising since the story revolves around two high school students who challenge authority. Ren, a kid who is forced to leave Chicago’s hip city life to move to hick town USA with his mom, discovers that this town is so rigid in its rules and regulations that it not only forbids rock and roll music, but it also prohibits dancing.

Outdoor setting enhances ‘Brigadoon’ production

Written by Joanne Greco Rochman
Thursday, 12 July 2012 15:23

Wise village schoolmaster Mr. Lundie (Pat Spaulding of New Fairfield, center) counsels young lovers Fiona MacLaren and Tommy Albright (Caitlin and Nathan Mandracchia of Sherman) in the Lerner and Loewe’s enchanting musical fantasy “Brigadoon,” playing outdoors under the stars at Musicals at Richter in Danbury, July 5-21. Spread out on the sprawling lawns of Richter Park in Danbury, the ever-romantic Lerner and Loewe musical, “Brigadoon,” proved perfect for this outdoor site and for the second production of the Musicals at Richter season.

Plaid-clad lads and lassies would stroll up the hill to the glen or disappear into the natural tree-lined backdrop. If any show fits the natural arena of an outdoor venue, it is “Brigadoon.” 

Love and food come together, for better or worse

Written by Joanne Greco Rochman
Thursday, 05 July 2012 10:55

Antoinette LaVecchia in the TheaterWorks Hartford production of ‘I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti.’ —Lanny Nagler photoIn Jacques Lamarre’s adaptation of “I Loved, I lost, I Made Spaghetti,” at TheaterWorks, Hartford, based on the memoir of the same title by Giulia Melucci, it is the on-stage cooking that puts this production over the edge into “hitdom.” 

Not having read the book, it’s hard to say if Lamarre’s adaptation is spot on, but it certainly flows seamlessly. It flows as smoothly as a well coordinated and perfectly timed dinner. 

‘Magical Thinking’ at Westport Playhouse

Written by Joanne Greco Rochman
Thursday, 28 June 2012 11:33

Maureen Anderman of Weston stars in the Westport Country Playhouse production of The Year of Magical Thinking.Most readers have experienced the death of someone they cared for deeply. Joan Didion, an extraordinarily gifted writer has managed to do the near impossible. She talks intelligently and analytically about the death of her husband and her daughter, but she does so without relying on emotion. 

Rather, she distances herself from the reality of the tragic events that she has experienced. And so she tells her story of of life and death and manages to do so without ever losing hope. 

Abbey’s theater a great destination

Written by Joanne Greco Rochman
Thursday, 21 June 2012 10:30

The cast of The Solid Gold Cadillac, at The Gary, The Olivia Theatre in Bethlehem.While many people head out to Bethlehem in December to get their Christmas cards postmarked from the quaint Connecticut town, Bethlehem is also quite the place to be in the summer when The Gary, The Olivia Theatre presents its summer productions. 

Located on the beautiful grounds of the Abbey at Regina Laudis, where actress Dolores Hart became a nun and now serves as Mother Superior, the theater offers productions that are always tastefully done and perfect family fare. It’s a summer destination located just outside of Woodbury.