ALL NEW 2011 SEASON!!

Posted on 11/30/-0001

Book by Fred Ebb & Bob Fosse

Music by John Kander

Lyrics by Fred Ebb

 

JANUARY 7^th thru FEBRUARY 12^th, 2011

 

Premiering in 1975 and the hit of the 1997 Broadway season in a production that originated at City Center's Encore! series, Chicago won six Tony Awards including Best Revival and later the Academy Award as Best Picture of the Year.

In roaring twenties Chicago, chorine Roxie Hart murders a faithless lover and convinces her hapless husband Amos to take the rap...until he finds out he's been duped and turns on Roxie. Convicted and sent to death row, Roxie and another "Merry Murderess" Velma Kelly, vie for the spotlight and the headlines, ultimately joining forces in search of the "American Dream": fame, fortune and acquittal. This sharp edged satire features a dazzling score that sparked immortal staging by Bob Fosse.

"'A pulse racing revival that flies us right into musical heaven."-The New York Times "Wildly entertaining...[with a] dazzling score."-New York Daily News "As dazzling a demonstration of the craft of musical theatre as you're ever going to see on a Broadway stage."-New York Post

 

MOON OVER BUFFALO

A Comedy by Ken Ludwig

 

FEBRUARY 18^th thru MARCH 26^th, 2011

 

Charlotte and George Hay, an acting couple not exactly the Lunts are on tour in Buffalo in 1953 with a repertory consisting of Cyrano de Bergerac "revised, one nostril version" and Noel Coward's Private Lives. This backstage farce by the author of Lend Me a Tenor brought Carol Burnett back to Broadway co-starring with Philip Bosco as her megalomanic, drunken husband and leading man. Fate has given these thespians one more shot at starring roles in The Scarlet Pimpernel epic and director Frank Capra himself is en route to Buffalo to catch their matinee performance. Will Charlotte appear or run off with their agent? Will George be sober enough to emote? Will Capra see Cyrano, Private Lives or a disturbing mixture of the two? Hilarious misunderstandings pile on madcap misadventures, in this valentine to Theatre Hams everywhere.

john & jen

Lyrics by Tom Greenwald

Music by Andrew Lippa

Book by Andrew Lippa & Tom Greenwald

 

APRIL 1^st thru MAY 7^th, 2011

 

A truly original musical that takes a look at the complexities of relationships between brothers and sisters and parents and children, set against the background of a changing America between 1950 and 1990, john & jen is a gem of a show brimming with intelligence, wit and beautiful melodies. This is the story of Jen and her relationships with the two Johns of her life: her younger brother, and his namesake, her son who is trying to find his way in a confusing world. With a cast of only two people, john & jen is a tour-de-force for two actors who take Jen & John (both of them) from childhood through adolescence & beyond. A chamber musical beautifully scored for piano, cello  & percussion, john & jen is a musical about connections, commitments & the healing of the human hearrt. 

LAST OF THE

RED HOT LOVERS

A Comedy by Neil Simon

 

MAY 13^th thru JUNE 18^th, 2011

 

Middle-aged and married, overworked and overweight, Barney Cashman wants to join the sexual revolution before it's too late and arranges three seductions: the first, Elaine Navazio proves to be a foul-mouthed bundle of neuroses; Bobbi Michele is next, a 20-ish actress who's too kooky by half; finally comes September and Jeanette Fisher, a gloomy, depressed housewife who happens to be married to Barney's best friend.

"Mr. Simon has created a great character here...it is extraordinarily funny and yet also charming...

as witty as ever, perhaps wittier."-The New York Times

"Delightfully hilarious and witty, as well as filled with wisdom about human nature...an uproariously funny author. But he is far more than that. He has a mellow and compassionate understanding of how weak and essentially well meaning mankind behaves...a genuinely brilliant play."-New York Post

 

 SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE

Words & Music by Leiber & Stoller

 

JUNE 24^th thru JULY 30^th, 2011

 

Leiber and Stoller, as much as anyone, virtually invented rock 'n' roll, and now their songs provide the basis for an electrifying entertainment that illuminates a golden age of American culture. In an idealized '50's setting, the classic themes of love won, lost and imagined blend with hilarious set-pieces and slice-of-life emotions. Featuring nearly 40 of the greatest songs ever recorded, SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE isn't just great pop music - it's compelling musical theatre.

AIN'T MISBEHAVIN' REVIEW!!

Posted on 11/30/-0001

 AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’
A STRUT DOWN MEMORY LANE

by BONNIE GOLDBERG

Close your eyes and imagine you’re in Harlem in the 1920’s and 1930’s, sitting at a table at the famed Cotton Club or Savoy Ballroom, and you’ll be at the precise place Kris Mc Murray, artistic director of the Connecticut Cabaret Theatre in Berlin, wants you to be.  Weekends through Saturday, November 6, Kris is presenting “Ain’t Misbehavin’ The Fats Waller Musical Show” for your delighted entertainment.

 

Fats Waller, jazz pianist, composer of four hundred tunes, singer and comedic entertainer, specializes in Dixieland jazz, swing, stride and ragtime.  He started playing piano at age six and didn’t stop until his untimely death at the age of thirty-nine, an event that caused Louis Armstrong to cry for hours.

 

“Ain’t Misbehavin,’ “ based on an idea by Murray Horwitz and Richard Maltby, Jr., takes us back to that colorful musical history and brings that era to rambunctious and rollicking life.  Five talented soul sisters and brothers, Patricia Lewis, Jennifer Ireland, Raven Turner, Jonathan Escobar and Marques Ruff have a wonderful time jiving and strutting down memory lane.

 

With style and verve and some fancy footsteps, they bring to the spotlight such tunes and novelty numbers as “Honeysuckle Rose,” “Feets Too Big,” “Fat and Greasy,” “Black and Blue” and “This Joint Is Jumpin’.”

 

They know how to tell a story, stir in spoonfuls of sugar and enrich it with cream.  So start your fingers snapping and sashay over to the Connecticut Cabaret Theatre, 31-33 Webster Square Road, Berlin (just off the Berlin Turnpike).  Call for tickets ($30) to 860-829-1248 or go online to www.ctcabaret.com  Performances are Friday and Saturday night at 8 p.m., but come early to enjoy a picnic or snacks at your table.  Delicious eats are available to purchase on site.

 

For some classy and sassy songs and some high hatting in Harlem fun, look no further than this swinging musical revue.  Strut on over!