Ten shows you can’t miss this winterPRIME – January 2015By Mark G. Auerbach Special to PRIME You don’t have to stray too far on winter roads for some warm-up performances in area theatres. Plan ahead for good tickets, but make note that most theatres never cancel performances in inclement weather. The 10th “Big Broadcast” The Jazz Ensembles of Mount Holyoke College present the 10th annual “The Big Broadcast,” a live 1940s-style radio variety show, created and directed by Mark Gionfriddo, and starring WWLP-TV meteorologist Brian Lapis as emcee “Fred Kelley.” Expect some swing and big band music from the likes of Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, the Gershwins and more. There are two performances on March 8, at Chapin Auditorium on the Mount Holyoke campus. For tickets: Odyssey Bookshop or UMass Fine Arts Center. 800-999-UMASS, 413-545-2511 or www.fineartscenter.com/ . “Dancing Lessons” Mark St. Germain’s “Dancing Lessons” premiered at Pittsfield’s Barrington Stage, where it won some rave reviews, particularly for its star Paige (“Trading Spaces”) Davis. Now, like several other Barrington Stage shows, it moves to Hartford’s Theaterworks. (Jan. 23 to March 1). Julianne Boyd, director of Barrington Stage, directs the two-person comedy about a man with Asperger’s (Andrew Benator) who approaches an injured Broadway dancer (Davis) for dance instruction. “Dancing Lessons” is a touching story from St. Germain, who wrote “Becoming Dr. Ruth” and “Freud’s Last Session,” both of which originated in Pittsfield before coming to Hartford. For tickets: 860-527-7838 or www.theaterworkshartford.org/ . Grupo Corpo Grupo Corpo, the electrifying Brazilian contemporary dance company that combines sensuous Afro-Brazilian dance forms, the liquid swing of jazz, and the technical prowess of ballet, stops at the UMass Fine Arts Center (Feb. 24), to warm up our winter with an evening of stunning physicality, dynamic ability, and rich visual finesse. The program will include one of the company’s most celebrated works, “Sem Mim,” inspired by the sea and the songs of medieval Galician-Portuguese troubadours. For tickets: 800-999-UMASS, 413-545-2511 or www.fineartscenter.com/. Hartford Symphony Orchestra: Rachmaninoff and Firebird On a rich program, conducted by Music Director Carolyn Kuan, and featuring pianist Sean Chen, the Hartford Symphony performs Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor; three dance suites from Leonard Bernstein’s “On The Town” (currently on Broadway) and Stravinsky’s 1919 ballet score to “Firebird” (Feb. 12 to 15 at The Bushnell in Hartford). Wagner Overture to Tannhäuser completes the bill, which is a musical workout for this fine ensemble. For tickets: 860-244-2999 or www.hartfordsymphony.org . “Mark Twain Tonight” Hal Holbrook first transformed himself into Mark Twain for his one-man show, “Mark Twain Tonight” in 1954. The actor, winner of a Tony Award and an Emmy, and an Oscar nominee, becomes Mark Twain one more time, as a benefit for the Mark Twain House and Museum, and in celebration of his 90th birthday. Hal Holbrook performs in “Mark Twain Tonight” for one performance, Feb. 17, at The Bushnell in Hartford. This is one of those “must-see” live events. There are VIP tickets on sale, which include a post-performance reception with Holbrook. All proceeds benefit the Mark Twain House and Museum. For tickets: 860-987-5900 or www.bushnell.org . “Nice Work If You Can Get It” This 2012 Broadway trifle, with a book by Joe DiPietro and music and lyrics by George and Ira Gershwin, originally premiered at Goodspeed Opera House in 2001, under the title “They All Laughed.” After many revisions, it opened on Broadway, staged by Kathleen Marshall (David Eggers recreates Marhsall’s staging for the tour), as a vehicle for Matthew Broderick and Kelli O’Hara. The best thing about this musical is the cavalcade of Gershwin tunes, from the well-known “S’Wonderful” to the lesser-known “Treat Me Rough”. The national tour visits Hartford’s Bushnell on Feb. 3 to 8. For tickets: 860-987-5900 or www.bushnell.org . “Pippin” “Pippin,” the Broadway hit of the early 1970s best known for its musical score by Stephen Schwartz (who went on to compose “Wicked”) and its steamy choreography by Bob Fosse, was the fictionalized story of Pippin, son of King Charlemagne. It won a slew of Tony Awards, and became one of the first Broadway shows to use snippets of a performance as a TV commercial. Flash forward to 2013. A revival, which originated at the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, became a big hit, won more Tony Awards, and enjoyed a long run (it closes on Jan. 4). The Bushnell hosts the national tour Jan. 6 to 11. The cast includes Kyle Dean Massey in the title role, John Rubstein (Broadway’s original Pippin in 1972) as Pippin’s father, Lucie Arnaz as Berthe, and Sasha Allen from “The Voice” as the Leading Player. Massey, Arnaz, and Rubenstein appeared in the current Broadway production. The staging, which combines traditional Broadway dance with circus acrobatics, is true magic. For tickets: 860-987-5900 or www.bushnell.org . “Private Lives” Hartford Stage rings in 2015 with a much-anticipated production of Noel Coward’s 1930 comedy classic, “Private Lives,” as staged by its Tony Award-winning artistic director “Darko Tresnjak. (Jan. 8 to Feb. 8). In Coward’s tart-tongued and crisp work, a recently divorced couple honeymoon with their new spouses, only to discover that their exs are in adjacent rooms. Coward and Gertrude Lawrence played the argumentative former couple. Tresnjak turned a recent Hartford Stage production of “Hamlet” into a tour-de-force. I can’t wait to see what he’ll do with sharp-tongued comedy. For tickets: 860-527-5151. or www.hartfordstage.org . “Reverberation” Hartford Stage has provided a home for up-and-coming playwright Matthew Lopez, whose production of “Somewhere” was a major highlight of last season. In his new play, “Reverberation”, staged by Maxwell Williams, (Feb. 19 to March 15), Lopez introduces us to Jonathan, who has withdrawn from the world, with little social life beyond the men he meets online. When charming, flighty Claire moves into the apartment upstairs, she tries to coax him out of his shell. They forge a tenuous connection, but the past reverberates into the present, threatening what happiness they’ve found. For tickets: 860-527-5151 or www.hartfordstage.org . Springfield Symphony Orchestra: Beethoven and Bernstein The acclaimed pianist Sara Davis Buechner joins Kevin Rhodes and The Springfield Symphony Orchestra for some classical fireworks in a performance that includes Bernstein’s “Age of Anxiety” and Beethoven’s “Pastoral Symphony (March 14) On March 12, Buechner will also lead a “Lunchtime Lecture” discussion at the Springfield Museums, entitled “Anxiety & Peace: Contrasting Tributes in Symphonic Compositions.” Buechner is one of the finest classical pianists of our generation, and one of the first to come out as transgender. For tickets: 413-733-2291 or www.springfieldsymphony.org . Keep in mind … The Theatre Guild of Hampden will present Sondheim’s landmark “Follies” March 8 to 22 at Wilbraham Monson Academy. Some of the best local actors are cast, including Anna Giza, Connie Lind, Pat Haynes, Brad Shepard, and Sandra Hamel. For information: http://theatreguildofhampden.org http://theatreguildofhampden.org /follies. The Majestic Theater in West Springfield has a premiere, “Iris” by the theatre’s artistic director Danny Eaton (Jan. 8to Feb. 15), and comic Lewis Black’s “One Slight Hitch” (Feb. 26 to April 4). For information: 413-747-7797 or www. majestictheater.com . Tickets are much easier to come by on Broadway in January and early February, when the tourists aren’t around. You can purchase tickets to many shows at a discount from BroadwayBox.com . Mark G. Auerbach studied theatre at American University and the Yale School of Drama. He’s worked for arts organizations and reported on theatre for newspapers and radio.  |
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