Review: TheatreWorks, “The Cannibals of McGower County”

TheatreWorks, Hartford, CT

Photo:  Curtis Brown Photography

https://twhartford.org/

through August 30, 2026

By Jarice Hanson

 

TheaterWorks Hartford has mounted a play that is disturbing, violent, and very current. Four outstanding actors tell the story that unfolds before the audience’s eyes with honesty and full commitment. 

 

Playwright Drew Larimore’s note in the playbill explains that this show is part one of a trilogy he is writing that he classifies as “Southern Gothic.” The characters each have backstories of abuse, lies, poverty and disappointment, and Larimore workshopped the play with the four actors over a two-year process, undoubtedly learning each actor’s strengths and mining their ability to behave like disparate members of the community that has seen better days in McGower County in West Texas.

 

Director Jen Wineman finds humor at the right moments but never allows the story to get silly or lose its momentum. Instead, the story emerges like an onion, shedding its skin and drawing one deeper into the human condition. There are twists and turns aplenty, and many of them unexpected. If this show had men at the center of the action it would be just another treatment of men behaving badly, but because two of the leads in this ensemble piece are women of a certain age, the behaviors are unexpected and shockingly powerful.

 

Anchoring the play are two gifted actresses, Annalee Jefferies as “Lindalyn,” a curmudgeonly woman who seems bitter and unfulfilled. She walks with a cane and a limp—signs of an injury that never healed correctly. Constance Shulman as “Viola” seems simple-minded but loyal to Lindalyn, who she’s known most of her life.  The two women are wonderful together, especially as they enter the broken-down diner wearing what looks like miners' hats with headlamps, planning to steal whatever they can sell. 

Costumes by Alejo Vietti tell the story of their personalities, and Tim Mackabee’s set design gives them plenty of props on the realistic set that looks like a deserted bar in a place where no one wants to live.

 

The young lovers are Gus Birney as “Sarah Nell,” a sweet, beautiful girl who hasn’t had much life experience, and Edward Hoke as Blaze" who comes from privilege and has purchased the old bar.

What do these two have in common besides a load of chemistry and passion? That’s where the story that brings these four people together starts to get juicy.

 

There are more sudden shifts in tone than could be described in this summary, but that would spoil the moment-by-moment pleasure of the audiences’ discovery of these characters and the lives of the three women who try to guard a lifetime of secrets. 

 

“Cannibals of McGower County” is not a perfect play (yet), but this is an excellent production and shows the promise of the character-driven study that emerges as the story spirals deeper and deeper. This creative cast and production team work seamlessly together to reach into the audience’s collective soul and remind us that there are places in this country that have suffered from ignorance and poverty. 

McGower County is a place where even people who mean well, are sometimes damaged and dangerous. 

 

Constance Shulman and Annalee Jefferies in "Cannibals of McGower County"

 

Review:Playhouse on Park "The Wild Party"

Playhouse on Park, West Hartford, CT
https://playhouseonpark.org

July 8 - August 16, 2026

By Suzanne Wells

Inspired by Joseph Moncure March’s poem, Andrew Lippa’s “The Wild Party” turns Jazz Age excess into a dark, volatile theatrical event.

Set in New York City in 1927, “The Wild Party” plunges into a single feverish night when restraint gives way, desire curdles into danger, and the glitter of excess darkens into brutality, leaving emotional wreckage by morning.

Scenic designer Kim Zhou creates a stage that shifts from an intimate apartment bedroom to a living room ready to burst with heat, noise, and recklessness. Costume designer Micah Ohno heightens the production’s decadence, dressing the women in silks, sequins, and furs, while the men move through the room in smoking jackets, tails, and suspenders.

Queenie, played by Mollie Downes, is a leggy blonde sex kitten caught in a volatile love-hate relationship with the manic-depressive Burrs, portrayed by Trevor Bunce. Restless and hungry for distraction, they throw a party and fill the room with a vivid assortment of guests, each arriving with appetites, secrets, and trouble in tow.

Downes is an athletic, graceful dancer, commanding the stage with restless movement even when the choreography leaves her circling or reclining. Her voice, however, raises the roof with “Out of the Blue” and “Maybe I Like It This Way,” and her ability to let distress seep through the melody of “How Did We Come to This?” is genuinely moving.

Bunce, also an athletic dancer with a strong voice, gives Burrs a jagged, combustible presence. His portrayal of the boorish, abusive lout who uses anyone and everyone to appease his physical hunger emphasizes the character’s cruelty feel immediate and makes it easy to question why anyone would love him.

Maddi Bowman brings bright, mischievous energy to Kate, the favorite party girl and sly instigator whose charm helps keep the night’s excesses evolving.

Directed by Sean Harris, with music direction by Colin Britt and choreography by Darlene Zoller, “The Wild Party” opens a window on a room where pleasure keeps edging toward punishment and glamour frays into consequence.

This production is not recommended for children.

Review: “Crazy For You” Goodspeed Opera House

Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, CT
www.goodspeed.org
extended through August 16, 2026
by Shera Cohen

“Crazy For You” is one of those musical reincarnations from days of old; in this case from “Girl Crazy” in the 1930’s and revived in the early 1990’s. “If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen ‘em  all,” assuredly someone must have said. In this case, repetition breeds smiles, laughs, and joy to Goodspeed’s audiences.

This work of the brothers Gershwin, strewn with at least a dozen familiar songs, deservedly became one of the 20 longest-running musicals in Broadway history by the end of its run.

The plot, such as it is, pays tribute to black & white movies. Actually, the musicals preceded the movies. Their monikers are huge, costumed dance numbers by what appear to be a cast of thousands. Most of Act I and all of Act II are populated by a cadre of townsfolk characters, initially skeptical as to why on earth would anyone come to “East Podunk,” NV for culture? In short time, they enthusiastically shout the proverbial -- let’s put a show on in the barn. Welcome to Off-off-off-Broadway with a twang.

Familiar is the boy meets girl love-at-first-sight plot. It’s so easy to lock lips when the two have a common interest; tapdancing. Will Burton (Bobby…aren’t all young men called Bobby?) is a terrific dancer who can also sing well. Brittany Zeinstra (his love interest, Polly) is an exemplary mezzo-soprano who can also tap. Burton plays a naïve and somewhat goofball lead to Zeinstra’s cowgirl with a head on her shoulders. Zeinstra’s “Someone to Watch Over Me” and “But Not for Me” show off her melodic and wispy vocal style. Burton and Zeinstra’s chemistry go beyond that of most musicals of this ilk. The audience anticipates before their first important duet, “Shall We Dance?” that these two will hit it off. 

The charm of “Crazy For You” doesn’t rest on the love-interest. There are other individuals to applaud. Edward Juvier (Bela Zangler, the erstwhile in-debt empresario), coupled with Burton, gets the most laughs in a lengthy slapstick bit. This element has the talents of Ken Ludwig written all over it. Ludwig, a prolific contemporary playwright whose forte is comedy, happens to have penned the musical’s book. Hailey Thomas and David Andrew Morton (showgirl and cowboy) squeeze every ounce of sex appeal in their stand-along number “Naughty Baby”. The piece is an unnecessary filler; it seems that the Gershwins liked it enough to make room for it anywhere. The audience is glad. 

The make-it-or-break-it bottom line for Goodspeed’s successful musicals is the compiled talents of Director, Choreographer, and Music Director. In this case, Michael Fling, Kelli Barclay, and Adam Souza, respectively, form the ideal mix of humor, pace, and creativity on a small stage for as many as 20+ dancers at any given time.

In addition to this triumvirate of skills, life on the Goodspeed stage would be lacking without costumes by Joseph Shrope. So many instant changes, colors ‘n glitter, and tap shoe steps that are easily the most important staccato instrument.

Perhaps the biggest problem for audience members at “Crazy For You” is deciding which song becomes the one stuck in their heads on the ride home.

REVIEW: Hartford Stage, “Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”

Hartford Stage, Hartford, CT
www.hartfordstage.org
through July 5, 2026
by Shera Cohen

For those who enjoy the works of Steven Sondheim, seeing “Sweeney Todd…” at Hartford Stage is a dream come true. In a sense, the word “nightmare,” might be more accurate. For those who aren’t enamored with this renowned playwright, composer, “Sweeney” should still be in the Top 10 List of musicals to see.

“Sweeney” is dark, both literally and figuratively. The program book sums up the plot about “love, murder, and revenge”. Set in mid-19 th century London is the barber Sweeney Todd, his wife, and baby daughter. Crisis befalls the small family. At the musical’s start, Sweeney’s jail sentence of 15 years has ended as he roams the dregs of the city searching for his wife and child, and for his own life that was snatched from him.

Photo by: T. Charles Erickson

Matt Faucher portrays Sweeney as a man consumed equally with retaliation and despair.
Faucher’s acting chops and exquisite baritone voice are impactful. Indeed, he only has one solo as well as an important duet (“My Friends”). Yet, the character of Sweeney Todd seems to be ever-present – either when actually onstage or referred to – through Faucher’s creation of this tortured man.

Jackie Burns oftentimes screams the personification of Mrs. Lovett, the local pie-maker whose shop deserves a zero-star rating. Yes, the actress’ vocals are a bit too loud; although befitting her character’s personality and life. It’s Burns who has a lot of songs in the repertoire. Burns ingratiates Mrs. Lovett with wit, timing, and cunning. Lovett provides humor as a means to keep herself alive.

The other seven actors portray those who are friend or foe to Sweeney, and as an ensemble, the chorus of a Greek tragedy. They begin and end the sad tale. All are pros.

Willem Butler’s role as Anthony, a young sailor/love interest sings and reprises the loveliest and most melodic piece in the musical, “Johanna”. In turn, Lauren Maria Medina as the ingenue Johanna replies in an upper range soprano voice. Of course, it’s love at first sight amid the horror of their lives.

Tristan Caldwell’s role as Adolfo Pirelli, a con man competing to be the best barber in town, is outright funny. He milks every syllable of his fake Italian accent for as many laughs as possible.

 Without a doubt, Rob Ruggiero (whose home is Theatre Works) is one of New England’s consummate theatre directors. He swiftly moves a multitude of flowing scenes, each with its own signature melody. Many may disagree, but Ruggiero’s choice to add more comic relief than necessary is somewhat incongruous to this exceedingly dark tale. Having seen other “Sweeney Todd” productions, and without giving spoilers, these amusing segments occur in the barber shop. 

Not enough praise can be written about the tech triumvirate of Luke Cantarella (scenic design), John Lasiter (lighting), and Beth Lake (sound), plus each category has two additional creatives.

“Sweeney’s” set is huge, situated across the entire length of the stage, with numerous openings and tiers, many of which surprise the audience enough to say, “Wow!”
 

Lighting is exceptional on what is otherwise a dark set yet oftentimes streams of muted green haze tend to purposely show bits of warmth in the cold shadows.
 

Sound doesn’t just come from the stage; the Chorus resonates as if it is double in size, especially when actors sing from the theatre’s aisles and intersperse within audience sections.

Speaking of sound…where was the band? This is no pit band, but a mini-orchestra with strings, horns, brass, and percussion hidden inside the set unbeknownst to the audience. Wiley DeWeese conducts.
 

Bravo to the teams at Hartford Stage and Theatre Works for mounting “Sweeney,” working hand-in-hand to create, design, and promote perhaps what each theatre might produce extremely successfully, yet together make for superb theatre. Even more than that accolade is the coupling itself. The arts in our country seek help in numerous ways; primarily financially. HS and TW override the “me for myself” competition to acknowledge that, at least in the case of “Sweeney,” playing together is better for all, including audiences.

Note: Not recommended for younger audiences.

REVIEW: Hartford Symphony Orchestra, Dvorak & Firebird

Bushnell, Belding Theater, Hartford, CT 
www.hartfordsymphony.org
June 5-7, 2026 
by Michael J. Moran 

For the closing weekend of their 2025-2026 Masterworks series and of her 15th season as HSO Music Director, Carolyn Kuan led the orchestra in a phenomenally varied program by five composers, including an HSO premiere, and featuring an imaginative composer-violinist. 

The concert opened with a deeply moving account of 24-year-old Richard Strauss’ surprisingly mature 1888 tone poem “Death and Transfiguration.” Its vivid depiction of an artist’s illness, death, and, as the program notes, his “vision of ultimate beauty as he is transfigured into part of the eternal cosmos” was captured with unerring power and passion by an inspired orchestra and conductor.  

Photo credit: Jim Henkel's 

The mood then lifted with exuberant readings of three "Slavonic Dances," dating from 1878, by Antonin Dvorak. Each was followed by what composer Curtis Stewart called, in spoken remarks, “a riff on Dvorak,” honoring an abolitionist of Dvorak’s era by fusing his music with American slave dances. The most original of these exhilarating pieces was the third, honoring Elizabeth Freeman (“Mum Bett”), which mixes Dvorak with hip-hop and Brazilian samba rhythms and audience participation.     

Stewart, a widely travelled performer and music educator and the HSO’s 2025-2026 Joyce C. Willis Artist in Residence, next demonstrated his considerable chops as a violinist with an entertainingly personal take on Pablo de Sarasate’s popular 1878 “Zigeunerweisen” (“Gypsy Airs”) for violin and orchestra. Bending notes, extending tempos, and inserting humorous facial expressions and other gestures, but always in the spontaneous spirit of the music, Stewart kept the full house laughing with his technical wizardry and earned an enthusiastic standing ovation.   

A blazing rendition of Dvorak’s festive 1892 “Carnival Overture,” with a tender central interlude, was followed by the concert closer, an electrifying performance of the colorful 1919 suite which Igor Stravinsky drew from his breakout piece, the 1910 ballet “The Firebird,” based on a Russian folktale. Conductor and orchestra sharply characterized all six scenes in the suite, especially a lush “Round Dance of the Princesses,” a terrifying “Infernal Dance of King Kashchei,” and a memorably triumphant “Finale.”   

Next up for the HSO is their 2026 Talcott Mountain Music Festival on the five Fridays of July at 7:30pm at the Simsbury Meadows Performing Arts Center starting July 3 with a program called “Celebrate America!”

Review: The Bushnell “& Juliet”

The Bushnell, Hartford, CT

www.bushnell.org

through May 10, 2026 

By Geoff and Linda O’Connell

Early in the bold musical “& Juliet,” the character William Shakespeare declares he can navigate his wife Anne’s demand that she rewrite his classic love story. “Where there’s a Will, there’s a way,” he says, emphasizing the pun. That assertion emerges as the theme as all the characters find the will to redefine themselves and chart their destinies. 

Perhaps the greatest will of all was exerted by the book’s writer David West Read, who disrupted the plot – and even subplots – of “Romeo & Juliet,” using a bucketful of the Bard’s tricks: surprise, slapstick, word play, genderbending. Read did all this while improbably, but dazzlingly, interweaving the dialogue to connect 30 of the biggest selling pop songs of the 1990's composed by Max Martin, who has produced more #1 hits for the American market than all comers except Paul McCartney.

Some critics have dismissed this kind of mash-up of dialogue with pre-existing songs as a “jukebox” musical. Director Luke Sheppard and his team acknowledge the criticism from the get-go, placing a glitzy jukebox near center stage. Then, the real fun begins.

Cast members appear one by one, smiling, dancing, waving at audience members and “breaking the fourth wall” by sitting on the edge of the stage and interacting with patrons, not as characters but as friendly actors. 

The fourth wall stays permeable with the arrival of real-life boy-band superstar Joey Fantone of ‘NSync. Fantone is there to play a character in the musical, who is welcomed loudly by adoring fans of his previous incarnation. Fantone portrays his character Lance with Falstaffian verve and sly nods to his status as a former teenage sex symbol. Fantone still has his signature moves but can parody them deftly as well.

CJ Eldred slides in and out of this “fourth wall” while playing Shakespeare; and Crystal Kellogg, as his wife, courses over multiple planes of reality.

More lines cross with Costume Designer Paloma Young’s mixing Elizabethan wear with 1990's concertgoer aesthetic. Scenic Designer Soutra Gilmour smushes eras – a DJ booth at a Renaissance ball! Lighting Designer Howard Hudson and Video Designer Andrzej Goulding join the team with clever scrims and other devices to conjure up Verona and Paris, boudoir and ballroom. Confetti bombs and pyrotechnics make it a party.

And what a party it is when Fantone’s character gets the family band back together. The Elizabethans break into “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” as the fourth wall comes tumbling down. Jennifer Webber’s high voltage, pulse-pounding choreography surges around the stage captivating audience members to dance, sing, and ecstatically scream along.

The musical is a remarkable ensemble cast with strong belting voices all around. High, sustained notes have particularly become a key benchmark in ranking pop divas. 

The scenic design features a three-dimensional logo that morphs from “Romeo & Juliet” to “& Juliet.” It raises and answers the question that Anne put to her playwright husband: “Are you a strong enough man to write a stronger woman?” Read channels the Bard of Avon to tell a complex, often funny, sometimes bittersweet tale of humans struggling to see who they are. All the world’s a stage.

Review: TheatreWorks, “Circus Fire”

TheatreWorks, Hartford, CT
https://twhartford.org/
through May 31, 2026

By Shera Cohen

On a hotter-than-usual July 4th weekend approximately 80-years ago the circus came to town, specifically Hartford, CT. Families, especially children, cheer and laugh at the hire-wire acts, horses, clowns, et al.

Theater Works takes on the daunting task of mounting "Circus Fire" for the first large-scale professional production about one of the most horrific dates in CT history and likely circus history. Not coincidentally, the drama is set at a location near where the actual fire took place on July 6, 1944. 

 The count of those who perished is still a bit uncertain at 167 with more than half children.

It takes an amazing, intelligent, and sensitive triumvirate, along with dozens of actors and crew under their helm, to establish the facts with an oh-so-human touch to the 12 actors, in at least the roles of four characters each.

 

The threesome includes Rob Ruggiero, Artistic Director of the theatre for some 30 years, who often takes on risks and new works. He is the man at the core. Oftentimes, TW does not receive attention and accolades that it deserves alongside some of the other, larger theatre venues in and around Hartford. A suggestion is to pay attention to TW, especially “Circus Fire”.

 

The second of the three talents is Jacques LaMarre, playwright. Well-known in CT, primarily as a writer of comedic plays, his “Circus Fire” exposes his chops at drama at its most raw and extreme, all the time true to this account in history. He develops a somewhat linear flow – individual families eager to attend the circus, then tragedy and its aftermath, next inquiry. There is not a solitary word of dialogue that is unnecessary. The last section, the investigation, intersperses though the latter half of the play. The audience participates in the entire event including the prosecution. LaMarre presents this story of shock, helplessness, and comradery with depth and compassion. 

 

Director Jared Mezzocchi moves his players into a circus-like tent setting in the middle of the theatre with audience seats on raised levels along the perimeter. Directing in-the-round is not an easy task with a large cast. Adding a very limited number of props, centerstage also turns into settings for homes, offices, and back to the circus.

 

What makes Mezzocchi’s skills extraordinary are his multimedia show primarily appearing in black and white on the tent’s ceiling and as a circle on the inside of the entire tent/theatre. From the play’s start (names of those who died are scattered above audience's seats) to its conclusion (moving images of the actual fire), these pictures (both still and moving) indicate circus atmosphere. With projection, the play's circular center stage becomes that of the circus. Mezzocchi's work is beyond clever; it is extraordinary. "Circus Fire" is extraordinary. 

 

NOTE: This play takes place at the First Company Governor’s Foot Guard, 159 High Street, downtown Hartford. The venue proves ideal and historically fitting. Check with the box office if seats remain; it's that wonderful a play.

Review: “Jesus Christ Superstar”

Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, CT
www.goodspeed.org
April 17 – June 7, 2026
By Geoffrey and Linda O’Connell

In the late 1960’s, young composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Tim Rice tried their hand at songwriting with the pop-music cantata “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” The piece was a minor success and led them to something grander, their rock opera “Jesus Christ Superstar,” which has been produced worldwide for more than half a century. Goodspeed Opera House brings a new production that is as fresh as today’s headlines while paying homage to the original work.

The musical conveys a modern interpretation of the last days of Jesus. The music and lyrics were and still are bold, brash, questioning and genre-bending; a cultural cauldron boiling over with the tensions of the times.

Playing Jesus of Nazareth, Justin Matthew Sargent, commands the lead vocals, bringing back the heavy-metal style belting grit of the original album’s Jesus. Judas Iscariot, Austin Lesch, matches Sargent’s range and grit, lifting the Jesus-Judas, love-hate relationship to dizzying, emotionally fraught heights. The ensemble is strong throughout. Gender-blind casting as Nicolette Antonia Shin plays King Herod is a showstopper.

Director Tatiana Pandiani deftly manages the relationship between Jesus and his betrayer Judas, who wanted Jesus to lead the zealots’ revolt against the Roman occupiers and who questioned his divinity.

Both Pandiani and Scenic Designer Riccardo Hernandez use their spare tools wisely. The sand-filled stage serves as a prop for cast members to sift through the sand of time. Spare-looking small tables add depth to the otherwise empty stage, morphing into raised walkways, thrones, and temple terraces on which Herod and Pilate, Caiaphas and his high priests lord over the Jewish rabble below.

Pandiani never lets the secular, political themes that Rice explored in his lyrics be overshadowed by the theological gauntlet or the deeply personal psychology of Jesus and Judas. With echoes of the protests of 50 years ago morphing into today’s headlines, Pandiani makes the politics explicit with the zealots carrying signs saying: “Rome Lies, People Die” and “No Justice, No Peace, No Ceasar.”

Goodspeed’s stage extends with the pit musicians now set three floors below to vastly increase the space for dancers to spread their wings. Choreographer Amy Campbell has the talented full cast fill the space with energetic pop dancing movements.

Cha See’s heavenly-turned-hellish lighting, Adam Souza’s spare, rock band instrumentation, and Pandiani’s gifted direction conjure up the violence of the story – Judas’ suicide, Christ’s torture and crucifixion – in a way that live theatre rarely can these days.

The company successfully embraces the complexity of the creators’ narrative, balancing the intimate setting with arena-rock energy and music festival zeal.

REVIEW: Hartford Stage, "Native Gardens"

Hartford Stage, Hartford, CT 

www.HartfordStage.org 

April 17 – May 10, 2026 

by Nechama Katan

In a cultural moment when conversations about race, class, and identity too often flatten into competing slogans, Karen Zacarías' "Native Gardens" arrives at Hartford Stage like a breath of fresh air from an overgrown garden.

 

T. Charles Erikson (photo credit)

Directed by Nicole A. Watson, this sharp contemporary comedy follows two neighboring couples in Washington, DC whose shared dream of replacing an old chain-link fence spirals into something far more revealing than a property dispute. What looks like a comedy of manners turns out to be one of the most layered, humane, and deeply funny explorations of how those with diverse backgrounds relate, especially in recent years.  

 

At the heart of the conflict are young couple Tania and Pablo, newly arrived in the neighborhood, and their established neighbors Virginia and Frank, guardians of an aspiring to be prize-winning English garden. When a fence replacement on a tight deadline goes wrong, the audience watches in anticipation to see what happens between the two couples. 

 

Playwright Karen Zacarías is too skilled to let this remain a simple, unfriendly neighborhood issue. Race, class, age, gender, and entitlement all take root in the soil of this story, and what grows is a portrait of four complicated, fully realized people. Nobody here is entirely right, and nobody is entirely wrong, and that recognition alone makes the play remarkable.

Alina Collins Maldonado is deeply authentic as Tania, a very educated woman of firm conviction still tethered to her roots. Bradley Tejeda's Pablo radiates the polished confidence of a man building his future in a new country by any means necessary. Judith Lightfoot Clarke's Virginia is a revelation, every chip on her shoulder earned and visible, yet softened by unexpected depth. Greg Wood's Frank, old school and garden-devoted, anchors the production with quiet wit and a love for his garden, sprinkled with a lot of old-fashioned competition. Lawrence E. Moten III's split-yard scenic design is a delight, and there is not a bad seat in the house.

What sets "Native Gardens" apart is its refusal to take sides. Every scene carries layers beneath layers, and when you are not laughing you may find yourself crying, sometimes both at the same time. In a world that has largely forgotten how to let neighbors be complicated, this play insists on exactly that. The insistence feels necessary and deeply hopeful.

Hartford Stage follows with "Sweeney Todd," a historic partnership with Theater Works Hartford.

REVIEW: Hartford Symphony Orchestra, "Brahms’ Third"

Bushnell, Belding Theater, Hartford, CT

www.hartfordsymphony.org

April 10-12, 2026

by Michael J. Moran

For the seventh weekend in its 2025-26 Masterworks series, HSO Music Director Carolyn Kuan led the orchestra in four pieces by three composers, including two HSO premieres, one featuring the composer as soloist.

The concert opened with the first HSO premiere, the rarely heard 1831 concert overture inspired by French composer Hector Berlioz’s take on Shakespeare’s tragedy, “King Lear.” In an engaging spoken introduction, Kuan asked sections of the HSO to play segments of the piece, with themes depicting Lear, his three daughters, and his descent into madness. The full orchestra gave a fiery version of this rousing mini-drama.

Photo by Jim Henkel

The second HSO premiere was Brazilian-born composer Clarice Assad’s colorful 2024 “Flow, Suite for Piano and Orchestra.” Commissioned by the Albany Symphony for the bicentennial of the Erie Canal between Albany and Syracuse, New York, its three short movements depict “the flow of ideas” across time and space, Assad comments in a program note. She proved a virtuosic pianist, also playing a small drum in the mercurial “River Tide,” relaxed and sensitive in the jazzy “Last Song,” and dazzling in the energetic “Rhapsodic Dances” finale. Kuan and the orchestra were supportive accompanists. The well-filled house gave Assad a standing ovation.

Next came a vibrant performance of Johannes Brahms’ 1883 third and shortest symphony. An alternately energetic and reflective “Allegro con brio,” including the often-omitted repeat, was followed by a flowing “Andante” that surged forward to a magical hushed ending, an exquisitely melancholy “Poco allegretto,” and a robust closing “Allegro,” fading to a quiet close. Standing out among the many players who took bows for their work in solo passages was HSO principal oboe Erik Andrusyak, who also excelled in the Berlioz.

As a sort of “orchestral encore,” Kuan spoke again to introduce “the fun-loving, beer-drinking side” of Brahms with a rip-roaring rendition of his popular 1869 “Hungarian Dance No. 5 in G minor,” based on a folk-like melody for piano four hands, arranged for orchestra by conductor Albert Parlow, which ended the program on a festive note. 

The HSO’s next Masterworks program (May 8-10) will feature Kuan leading music by Clyne and Mendelssohn, with HSO principal clarinet Sangwon Lee as soloist in Mozart’s clarinet concerto.

REVIEW: South Windsor Cultural Arts, "Shelest Piano Duo"

South Windsor, CT
www.facebook.com/SouthWindsorCulturalArts
March 22, 2026
by Michael J. Moran

An enthusiastic full house in South Windsor was treated to a captivating debut appearance by acclaimed Ukrainian-born pianists Anna and Dmitri Shelest. First meeting as students at the Kharkiv Special Music School, they later married and began performing together as a piano duo after moving to the US. The imaginative program shed new light on familiar music and introduced unfamiliar repertoire that should be better known.

It opened with an exuberant reading of the Overture to Leonard Bernstein’s “Candide,” arranged by Charlie Harmon, showcasing both the emotional sensitivity and technical precision of this four-hands team playing the same keyboard, Dmitri, the low notes, Anna, the high. This was followed by the deeply felt of Variations on a Shaker Melody from Aaron Copland’s ballet “Appalachian Spring,” flowing without pause into “Carpathian Song,” an original piece written in folk style by contemporary Ukrainian cellist-composer Zoltan Almashi.  

Next came beautifully characterized performances of five Romantic Pieces (1890) for piano duet by once-popular French composer Cecile Chaminade, whose lovely music is now being rediscovered. Introducing their virtuosic rendition of Camille Saint-Saens’ “Danse Macabre,” Dmitri noted a “special bond” the Shelests feel with Ukrainian-born pianist Vladimir Horowitz, whose sister Regina taught for many years at the Kharkiv School.

Composer Theodore Akimenko was born in Kharkiv in 1876 but lived for many years in Paris, where his music was influenced by French impressionism. His ravishing folk inflected Six Ukrainian Dances for piano duet (1925) received affectionate readings from the duo.

The concert closed with George Gershwin’s "Rhapsody in Blue". Dmitri’s opening notes replaced the famous clarinet glissando in the orchestral version with pianistic elegance. Anna’s delicate handiwork in the upper keyboard filled in expressively for the missing strings and woodwinds. The power of their combined sound in climaxes had an almost orchestral sonority.

The charismatic stage presence of both performers was apparent not only in their carefully balanced playing but in the personal engagement with which they alternately introduced each musical selection, highlighting how profoundly both their home (the US) and homeland (Ukraine) have shaped the duo's artistry.  

 SWCA will next present pianist Wynona Wang on April 12 at 4:00 pm.

 

REVIEW: The Bushnell, Hartford, CT “Kinky Boots”

The Bushnell, Hartford, CT
www.bushnell.org
March 17 – March 22
by Simon Brighenti

Pop culture mavens of a certain age may remember Cindy Lauper as a bubbly, bejeweled bopper whose 1980’s persona might be summed up at least superficially as “MTV, the WWE and Me”. However, as evidenced brilliantly by the current production of "Kinky Boots" at the Bushnell, her talent as a songwriter and wordsmith is much deeper than that.

Combining Lauper’s memorable tunes with a book by the inimitable and legendary Harvey Fierstein, "Kinky Boots" is a fun, sassy, and brassy theatrical experience; in a phrase everything a Broadway-worthy musical should be.

The message permeating the production is how we can be changed, our lives enhanced and dreams achieved by recognizing the true colors within each other and ourselves. The musical is inspired by a true story which brought together two seemingly wildly disparate individuals who find common ground and realize that what is underneath is what truly counts.

The immensely talented Omari Collins (aka Scarlett D. Von’Du) is first introduced as Lola, a flamboyant and boisterous drag performer, who, as the production and relationships develop and evolve on stage, reveals a real tender and thoughtful soul and a determination to remain true to both identities.

As Charlie Price, portrayed by Noah Silverman, is torn between respecting and trying to maintain the shoe making business his father and grandfather built – mostly for the sake of the supportive lifelong friends his family has employed and kept on over the years -- and his desire to find his true self which may mean putting the business and his treasured relationships behind him. 

The discomfort that some “traditionally minded” folks might feel when presented initially with who Lola is and what Lola represents is personified by Jason Daniel Chacon in the role of Don. In the hands of a lesser actor this portrayal could easily turn cartoonish, but Chacon inhabits it with a heartfelt humanity and (eventual) understanding.

No review of "Kinky Boots," and especially this production, would be complete without an appreciation of the costuming, hair and makeup, and scenic design. It all comes together in a pageant of flair and fun. The ability to work within an athletic and gender-fluid presenting cast of main players and “angels” such as presented at the Bushnell is surely a dream assignment. 

The energy of the choreography and flamboyancy of the ensemble as they go through many intricate and fabulous costume changes and the ability to navigate the set while wearing footwear ranging from “sensible shoes” to “are you kidding me?” is nothing short of stunning.

So, an enthusiastic suggestion would be to don that favorite footwear and head over to the Bushnell for an entertainment experience that will delight down to the very sole.

 

REVIEW: Hartford Stage, “Death of a Salesman”

Hartford Stage, Hartford, CT
www.hartfordstage.org
through March 29, 2026

by Jarice Hanson 
  
There’s something wonderful about a classic play that feels as fresh as the day it was first performed. In Hartford Stage’s production of “Death of a Salesman” audiences are treated to Arthur Miller’s masterpiece, brilliantly interpreted by director Melia Bensussen and a first rate cast that breathe new life into lines audiences may have heard before—but now, hear with greater meaning. At this time in history, when so many families are being torn apart, this story of a father, mother, and two sons and the desire for the “American Dream” is heartbreakingly poignant. 
  

Photo: T. Charles Erickson

Anchoring the cast is Peter Jacobson as Willy, who will be familiar to many audience members for his performances in several successful television series, and films.  Adrianne Krstansky as Linda is a formidable wife/stage partner. A successful Linda has to embrace the culture of a woman who gives herself entirely to the hearth and home of a family, and Krstansky has the depth to shift gears from supporting Willy to showing how she can be a no-nonsense mother who expects her sons to have empathy for Willy’s shortcomings. She is simply amazing in this role, and both actors join a pantheon of great performers who embody these characters with emotional depth. 
  
The sons, Samuel H. Levine as Biff and Max Katz as Happy, have the challenge of playing their characters at different ages, and both do so in such a way that the “older” Biff and Happy are inextricably tied to their younger selves. They do so not only with grace but with a physicality that makes each believable. 
 
The production has six additional characters who appear briefly, yet there is not one actor who doesn’t stand out. Bravo to the casting and the talent of the director and actors to work so seamlessly together, but with such complete command of their characters.  
  
A feature of this particular interpretation of the play deals with Miller’s original intention to title the play “The Inside of His Head,” a reference to the inner workings of Willy’s mind as he thinks of his past and future self. In director Bensussen’s playbill notes she writes: “We witness how he feels his life unraveling, his own self discarded, and his great fear that he is leaving nothing of meaning or substance behind.” 
 
Sara Brown’s ingenious set design is a framed house, in which furniture moves in and out of the “house” while characters appear in the distance, on a high catwalk, while establishing the mood of each scene in a 3-dimensional playing space that is metaphorically extended into the audience. 
 
Matthew Richards’ lighting design and Darron L. West’s sound design complement this suggested sensory experience, and just like a dream, or an inner monolog, Willy is drawn to the inevitable conclusion of the story while all of the other characters seem anchored to a special time and place in his mind. 
 
The stagecraft is outstanding and allows the audience to feel empathy with the characters to such a degree, many audience members wept quietly in the concluding sections of the production. 
 
What a tribute to a great writer like Arthur Miller, to find the relevance of this Pulitzer Prize winning play 70-years after its first Broadway run. This is a story and a performance that should not be missed.  
 

REVIEW: Hartford Symphony Orchestra, "Romeo & Juliet"

Bushnell, Belding Theater, Hartford, CT

https://hartfordsymphony.org

February 13-15, 2026

by Michael J. Moran

Leave it to the shrewd programming skills of HSO Music Director Carolyn Kuan to present this “theatrical concert,” combining excerpts from William Shakespeare’s 1597 play and music from Sergei Prokofiev’s 1935 ballet, for the fifth “Masterworks” weekend of the HSO’s 2025-2026 season, just in time for Valentine’s Day.

This production, devised and directed by Bill Barclay and performed by actors in his Boston-based Concert Theatre Works, had its world premiere last summer at Tanglewood, with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. In Hartford, stage designer Diane Healy made imaginative use of the Belding’s front stage, aisles, and balcony, with minimal props by Justin Seward.

Fifteen musical selections from the ballet alternated, and occasionally overlapped, seamlessly with key scenes from the play,
which told its full story in a 90-minute intermission-less show. The star-crossed lovers were played with youthful abandon by Juliana Sass and Jason Bowen, who raced exultantly down several aisles, high-fiving audience members, after Juliet declared her love for him in an enthralling balcony scene.     

Caleb Mayo’s Mercutio and Carmen Lacivita’s Tybalt were well-matched in impetuous bravado. Nigel Gore brought dignity and parental angst to Capulet, Juliet’s father. But the standout supporting cast member was the protean Robert Walsh, who not only played the roles of Juliet’s nurse and Friar Laurence (both were tender and resilient), even changing costumes once mid-scene, but also directed several very realistic (and frightening) sword-fighting scenes. Lightly amplified diction by all the actors was virtually flawless. 

Prokofiev’s cinematic score was projected from the stage with powerful impact by a passionately committed ensemble and conductor. From a heartwarming “Introduction,” two relentless fight scenes, a rousing “Dance of the Knights,” and a rapturous balcony scene, to the infinitely consoling “Death of Juliet,” all sections of the orchestra captured the music’s full emotional depth.

The well-deserved standing ovation from an enraptured multi-generational audience suggested that this hybrid format, in which actors and musicians magnify each other’s skills, can achieve deeper communicative power than either format alone, especially in a venue as intimate as the Belding Theater.

The HSO’s next Masterworks program (March 13-15) will feature guest conductor Kalena Bovell leading music by Smetana, Frank, and Respighi, with Solomiya Ivakhiv as soloist in Mozart’s third violin concerto.

Review: The Bushnell, “SUFFS”

The Bushnell, Hartford, CT

https://bushnell.org

through February 1, 2026

by Jarice Hanson 

SUFFS at the Bushnell has an outstanding cast of 17 women playing a variety of roles that tell the 100 year old history of women’s suffrage, from Carrie Chapman Catt, the successor to Susan B. Anthony, to the younger Alice Paul’s efforts to create the National Woman’s Party and the attempt to pass the Equal Rights Amendment, (yet to be codified).    
 
The show is a musical history lesson so comparison to the more successful Hamilton is inevitable. The names of these pioneering suffragists should be better known.  For that reason, it’s easy to overlook some of the weaknesses in the script—particularly with regard to historical accuracy.  However, SUFFS is highly entertaining and the cast and musicianship of the orchestra more than make up for the weaknesses in the narrative.   
 
There is not a weak singer in the cast, but some of the actresses who take this touring cast to Broadway level include Marya Grandy as Carrie Chapman Catt; Maya Keleher as Alice Paul, the primary protagonist of the story; Jenny Ashman as President Woodrow Wilson; Danyel Fulton, as Ida B. Wells; Trisha Jeffrey as Mary Church Terrell; and a surprising crowd pleaser, Livvy Marcus as the young, bookish Doris Stevens.  Marcus’ duet with Brandi Porter playing President Wilson’s aide, Dudley Malone, called “If We Were Married” at first sounded contrived, but the two singers commit to such longing and desire, the number is practically a show-stopper, and clearly a favorite for audience members.  

Photo by Joan Marcus 2025

 
The music for this show combines the efforts of a group of 4 lead musicians, supplemented with 8 local musicians who all not only produce one of the best pit bands in Bushnell history, but who, along with the efforts of Music Coordinators Kristy Norter and Julie Ferrara work seamlessly with Randy Cohen’s Electronic Music Design and with Jason Crystal’s Sound Design.  Mortensen Hall at the Bushnell is a tricky place for good sound/music quality, and this group of talented individuals came up with a masterpiece of sound.  Every word could be heard, and every instrument blended together for an exceptional background for the incredible voices on stage.
 
The production team for this touring show is of the highest caliber.  The book, music, and lyrics by Shaina Taub (who played Alice Paul on Broadway) is complemented by the very talented director Leigh Silverman. Costumes by Paul Tazewell, and lighting design by Lap Chi Chu, and the touring set, adapted by Christine Peters, used silhouettes as veritable snap shots of pictures of time in history.   
 
The lengthy Act I (an hour and a half) lays out the background for the real drama in Act II and suffers from too many similar sounding anthems, but Act II explodes with power and is very satisfying.  While not perfect, SUFFS illuminates a very important part of women’s history, and undeniably gives us hope at this time in history.