By James V. Ruocco
In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Hartford Stage has decided to reschedule the run of Eugene O'Neill's celebrated 1933 comedy "Ah, Wilderness!" to October 22-November 15, 2020. The play, presented in four acts, tells the lighthearted, often sentimental story of the Miller family, a driven, colorful and outspoken group of individuals living in small town Connecticut. It takes place on the Fourth of July, 1906.
Written in a sweet, tender and nostalgic mood, the play itself was inspired, in part, by the playwright's mischievous desire to show theatergoers and the working press that he could write comedy as well as the tragic side of life.
"The Complete History of Comedy (Abridged)," a quirky, offbeat laugh fest that traces comedy through the ages, from Aristophanes and William Shakespeare to Moliere and Charlie Chaplin and just about everything else, has been rescheduled for October 1-11, 2020. It features a cast of three who play and assume a variety of different roles, all at the drop of a hat.
"In the wake of the global health crisis, and such a lengthy period of uncertainty, we are pleased to put plans in place for these wonderful and highly anticipated productions for the fall," explains Cynthia Rider, Managing Director of Hartford Stage.
In November, the theater will present the return engagement of "A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story of Christmas," which will run November 27-December 27, 2020.
The start of the 2020-2021 season will begin in January, 2021.
The six-play season with include William Shakespeare's "As You Like It;" the world premiere of Martin Zimmerman's "Simona's Search;" Pearl Cleage's "Angry, Raucous and Shamelessly Gorgeous;" and David Catlin's adaptation of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein." Exact dates and the announcement of two additional productions will be forthcoming.
"It's a joy to look forward to our return to Hartford Stage, to our theatre, and to be experiencing these wonderful productions together," says Melia Bensussen, Artistic Director of Hartford Stage. "We continue to be present in the lives of our neighbors, patrons and colleagues through other means during the quarantine, but know there is no substitute for live theatre.
"I have no doubt we'll soon find ourselves together at the Stage charged with renewed purpose. We cannot wait to welcome everyone back."
For more tickets or more information, contact Hartford Stage (50 Church St., Hartford) at (860) 527- 5151.
Throne Stone of Ridgefield has opted to postpone its traditional two-play summer 2020 season into next year due to the current coronavirus pandemic.
Per Jason Peck and Jonathan Winn, Co-Artistic Directors of Thrown Stone: "The health and well being of our audience and the community comes first. Our hearts are with the sick, the healthcare workers, and those who have lost loved ones.
"We hope the prospect of a 2021 season will be a light at the end of the tunnel. In the meantime, we urge our audience to observe the latest guidance from the CDC and the state of Connecticut."
Two plays about time and destiny - Reina Hardy's" "Annie Jump and the Library of Heaven" and Ella Road's "The Phlebotomist" will kick off Thrown Stone's fourth season when the theater reopens its doors during the summer of 2021.
"Annie Jump and the Library of Heaven" is a five-character play that charts the adventurous story of a 13-year-old science genius whose alien-obsessed father is the laughingstock of Strawberry, Kansas. However, once a meteor falls on a hot summer August night, things begin to change. Young Annie discovers Althea, an intergalactic computer that manifests itself in the form of a mean girl who offers to help the teenager push humanity up from the streets of Kansas and into the stars.
"The Phlebotomist" is a chilling dystopian thriller about a female phlebotomist who falls madly in love with a man, who, in a world, in the not too distant future, is governed by scientific advances where blood test ratings can predict whether or not a relationship can last or fail, whether or not you'll get a mortgage, whether or not you'll become the right fit for an important job or sadly, find yourself diagnosed with debilitating diseases.
In 2019, the play was staged at London's Hampstead Theatre following an acclaimed, sold-out engagement at the theatre's Downstairs venue the year before. It also received an Olivier nomination for Best Play.
Both productions will be staged in repertory at Thrown Stone (Ridgefield Conservatory of Dance, 440 Main St., Ridgefield, CT).
Tickets will go on sale April 29, 2021.
Preview performances are $19.
Opening night performances, which include food and wine are $79.
Regular performances are $59.
A limited number of specially subsidized tickets for $29 (made possible by the Daniel E. Offutt III Audience Accessibility Program) are available to anyone on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The full repertory season for 2021 is available at thronestone.org/events.
The 2020-2021 "Broadway Series" at the Bushnell (166 Capitol Ave., Hartford, CT), is scheduled to kick off December 15, 2020 with the return engagement of 2015 Tony-award winner "Hamilton," the musical story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton. Featuring music, lyrics and book by Lin-Manuel Miranda, "Hamilton" received 11 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Choreography, Best Direction, Best Costume Design and Best Actor in a Musical. It is scheduled to run through January 3, 2021.
"During these challenging and uncertain weeks, it's comforting to look to the future with the confidence that times will be better as we gather again in our magnificent Mortensen Hall for the unifying experiences that the performing arts create," says David Fay, Bushnell President and CEO.
"Hartford is blessed with an abundance of outstanding arts organizations, and we are looking forward to reconnecting with our patrons to share our creativity and our spirit. At the Bushnell, we feel so supported by our community, and we can't wait to welcome you back.
"In the meantime, stay safe and stay healthy."
Other plays and musicals scheduled for the 2020-2021 season are:
"The Band's Visit" (January 20-24, 2021)
"Pretty Woman: The Musical" (February 2-7, 2021)
"Escape to Margaritaville" (February 9-14, 2021)
"What the Constitution Means to Me" (March 9-14, 2021)
"My Fair Lady" (April 27-May 2, 2021)
"Mean Girls" (June 1-6, 2021)
New dates for "Hadestown," originally scheduled to play the Bushnell from October 20-25, 2020, are pending. "The Cher Show," slated to run November 3-8, 2020, has been pushed forward into the 2021-2022 season. Dates for "Dear Evan Hansen" are also still being determined.
For tickets or more information, call (860) 987-5900
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