Theater productions you don’t want to miss

Written by Joanne Greco Rochman
Thursday, 10 January 2013 11:59

Forget about the let-down after the holidays. Don’t worry about winter blues and blahs — and there’s absolutely no need for cabin fever. We have so much theater coming our way this winter, there’s enough entertainment to cheer you up and get you ready for spring. Here is a sampling of what I am looking forward to and what I hope will be memorable productions. 

The Bushnell, Hartford: For starters, you’ll want to head out right away to The Bushnell in Hartford where things are really heating up with the “Million Dollar Quartet.” Here’s a production that will lift your spirits and have you dancing in the aisles. Nominated for three Tony Awards, the show focuses on a once-in-a-life-time event that happened in the Sunrise  Records studio. It was here that fate brought together, in an unplanned jam session, four icons of rock’n’roll — Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins. 

The production of at the Bushnell brings this unbelievable jam session to life once again with four outstanding cast members. They are all musicians in their own right as they take on the personas of the legends they portray. The chances of these men coming together for one moment in time are definitely worth a recreation. “Million Dollar Quartet” plays at The Bushnell Jan. 8 - 13 at the William H. Mortensen Hall. So even if “You Ain’t Nothin’ But a Hound Dog,” and even if you “Walk the Line,” you’ll still find a “Whole Lot a Shakin’ Goin’ On” in this fast-paced musical. Box office:  860-987-5900.

Long Wharf Theatre,  Stage II, New Haven: Whether you made a New Year’s resolution to lose weight or not should not keep  you from seeing Long Wharf’s production of “January Joiner.”  Billed as a “weight loss horror comedy,” Laura Jacqmin’s work takes a good look at the mantras presented in an upscale Florida spa. These include: “Eat less. Exercise more. Make healthy choices.” However, she also asks why people try so desperately to look like the excruciatingly thin models in magazines. After questioning the wisdom of fad diets, “miracle cleanses” and other such drastic measures, this comedy moves from hilarious and moving to chilling. Directed by Eric Ting on Stage II, the production runs from Jan. 9 to Feb 10.  Box office: 203-787-4282. 

Long Wharf Theatre, Main Stage, New Haven: In February, you’ll want to brace yourself for visiting one of the most outrageously dysfunctional families of all time in “Curse of the Starving Class.” A classic created by master playwright Sam Shepard, directed by the theater’s artistic director Gordon Edelstein, and starring Judith Ivey, this Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning play takes a good hard look at the American Dream. It plays from Feb. 13 to March 10. Box office: 203-787-4282.

Yale Repertory Theatre, New Haven: Here’s an opportunity to see Marie Jones’ play “Stones in His Pockets.” Directed by Evan Yionoulis, this play is about an Irish/Hollywood experience as well as what is real and what is not. Two men discover that being cast as extras in a movie about rural Ireland is a far cry from what life is actually like. The play won London’s prestigious “Olivier Award for Best Comedy.” This production plays at the Yale Rep Jan. 25 - Feb. 16. Box office: 203-432-1234.

Joanne Greco Rochman is an active member in The American Theatre Critics Association, and covers art and culture in a blog for CBS and CBS-CT.  She welcomes comments. Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .