Connecticut Critics Circle

Connecticut Critics Circle In Support of Theater in Connecticut

12/30/2025

Preview by Bonnie Goldberg

If skiing, ice skating, sledding and ice fishing are not at the top of your idea of winter fun, then maybe you can be tempted to head indoors to Goodspeed’s innovative Festival of New Musicals. For the twentieth year, Goodspeed Musicals in East Haddam is presenting musical theater in a grand style, Martin Luther King weekend, January 16-18, 2026 and there is no need to bundle up in scarves, mittens, ear muffs and winter boots to partake in the entertaining fun.

The temperature will be toasty and the offerings HOT! You are invited to experience a trio of brand new musicals, cabarets, seminars on educational theatrical topics and a special 20th Anniversary Festival Concert. The weekend will support the development of musical theater artists, coordinated by the Goodspeed’s Max Showalter Center for Education in Musical Theatre. If you are a lover of new creations, with a spotlight on discovering new writers and performers, this is the “testing ground" with your name in lights.

If you want to be an insider, an influencer, a front runner on the newest and the best, the excitement begins Friday, January 16 at 7:30 p.m.with “Miss Hysteria,” a true tale of a young 19th century actress, Louise Gleizes, who agrees to perform acts of hysteria, only to discover her bid for freedom comes with restraints she never anticipated. This powerful and passionate story has book and lyrics by Laura Schein and Ben Zeadman and music by Zeadman. A cabaret of Rona Siddiqui's music will follow at 10 p.m.

Be sure to take your multi-vitamins on Saturday for a full day starting at 1 p.m. and night of treasures, including theatrical themed seminars, a Festival Concert, the second staged reading “F Word” by Alyssa Payne for music and lyrics with book by Sara Matin, followed by a Concert at 9:30 p.m.. Come meet Tessa, a teenager who encounters a future and a family as she ages out of the foster care system.

Sunday afternoon introduces a belly full of laughter with "Foolproof” at 1 p.m., a musical about a trio of sisters, Mo, Mary and Curly (think the Three Stooges Meet Sherlock Holmes) who need to solve a mystery and earn a reward to save the family business. With a book by Megan Loughran and Sonya Hayden and lyrics by Loughren and music by Hayden, you will become toe-tapping fools all the way to the festival's final event, a Q and A with all three sets of composers.

Single tickets for each reading are $30 and $15 for students. Single tickets are $20 for the Friday evening cabaret and $35 for the 20th Anniversary Festival Concert. Goodspeed’s ever-popular Festival Gold Package will offer patrons a weekend full of special events. The $156 package includes admission to all three staged readings, several festival seminars, the 20th Anniversary Festival Concert, and the Meet the Writers Q&A. The Festival Silver Package includes all three staged readings for just $81. Package holders (*NOT SINGLE TICKET BUYERS – JUST PACKAGE HOLDERS) are invited to add-on tickets to the Friday evening cabaret ($18 each) and 20th Anniversary Festival Concert ($30 each).

Musical theater students from the Hartt School and Western Connecticut State University will perform the readings and help develop the musicals. Indulge your passion for musical theater by grabbing the coat tails of this outstanding opportunity and learning first hand the latest and best insider knowledge available. Enjoy!

Tim Leininger's review of TARTUFFE in New York
12/23/2025

Tim Leininger's review of TARTUFFE in New York

(Amber Gray, David Cross and Matthew Broderick in New York Theatre Workshop’s TARTUFFE, photo by Marc J. Franklin) by Tim Leininger NEW YORK — Molière’s Tartuffe is a classic and sometimes it…

Karen Isaacs has posted her review of A CHRISTMAS CAROL at Hartford Stage
12/19/2025

Karen Isaacs has posted her review of A CHRISTMAS CAROL at Hartford Stage

All photos by T. Charles Erickson By Karen Isaacs There’s a new Scrooge in town. Guiesseppe Jones has taken over the role of the mean-spirited in Hartford Stage’s spectral adaptation of A Christmas…

Karen Isaacs' review of WHITE CHRISTMAS at Goodspeed Musicals
12/19/2025

Karen Isaacs' review of WHITE CHRISTMAS at Goodspeed Musicals

All photos by Diane Sobolewski By Karen Isaacs How can you go wrong with spectacular dancing, glorious Irving Berlin tunes, and two romantic couples? With Goodspeed’s production of White Christmas,…

12/18/2025

Preview of CLUE by Bonnie Goldberg

Have you dreamed of being Sherlock Holmes , a mastermind who can interpret clues, examine evidence and discover who committed the crime? Maybe you just enjoy playing parlor games at parties and being declared the winner? Perhaps you enjoy reading mystery stories and identifying the “whodunit” first and the how and the why?

If any of these clues intrigue you, then grab your magnifying glass and fingerprint powder and run over to Waterbury’s Palace Theater tonight, tomorrow and Thursday, December 16, 17 and 18 for a rousing production of “CLUE” at 7:30 p.m. each night.

Once a favorite Hasbro game, based on a 1985 Paramount motion picture, “CLUE” will excite and delight you as you try to discover whether it's Mrs. White, Miss Scarlet, Mrs.Peacock, Yvette or the Cook with a candlestick, or a rope, or revolver or maybe it's Colonel Mustard, Mr. Boddy, Mr. Green, Professor Plum or even the Cop with a knife, lead pipe, or wrench. Surely the game is afoot.

Six murders, ten suspects, one spooky mansion, an invitation to a dinner party, bodies galore, accusers and victims, oh, my! Any idea who will be next? Does confusion or clarity reign supreme? Where will the crimes take place? In the library or the study? With a revolver or a rope? You may just die laughing.

For tickets ($63-105), call the Palace Theater, 100 East Main Street, Waterbury at 203-346-2000 or online at palacetheaterct.org.

Come play the game, mingle over dinner, beware of the blackmailer. solve the crimes and just keep your head on your shoulders. Experience ”CLUE!"

Karen Isaacs review of HEDDA GABLER at Yale Rep
12/18/2025

Karen Isaacs review of HEDDA GABLER at Yale Rep

All photos by Joan Marcus By Karen Isaacs Henrik Ibsen in his play Hedda Gabler created a title character who can be difficult to like or to feel sympathy for unless the director and cast help us d…

12/12/2025

Preview by BBonnie Goldbergof A CHRISTMAS CAROL-A GHOST STORY OF CHRISTMAS at HHartford Stage
For the 25th year, the Hartford Stage is presenting “A Christmas Carol-A Ghost Story of Christmas” until Sunday, December 28. The cantankerous and mean spirited Scrooge makes a mighty redemption after he is visited by his old business partner Jacob Marley (Noble Shropshire) and three ghosts. Guiesseppe Jones is the grand Bah Humbug disbeliever in Christmas. Just in time for the holiday feast, he learns to mend his ways and open his heart to goodness.

For Scrooge, the transition is not easy. He has spent his whole life worshipping money and increasing his bank accounts. He has had no time for friends or family. He has neglected his nephew Fred’s (Erik Bloomquist) invitations for dinners, he has abused the good efforts of his employee Bob Cratchit (Patrick O’Konis) to work efficiently, taken no heed of Bob’s poor family and his ill son Tiny Tim (Theodore “Teddy” Curren or James Salvo), and allowed Belle (Leslie Blake Walker) to abandon his love.

In addition, Scrooge has no empathy for the trio of people who are indebted to him: Bettye Pidgeon, (Rebecka Jones), the doll vendor, who appears to Scrooge at 1 a.m. as the Spirit of Christmas Past, Bert, the fruit and cider vendor, (Stuart Rider), who appears to the curmudgeon at 2 a.m. as the Spirit of Christmas Present and Mr. Marvel, a watchworks vendor, (Daniel Madigan), who is the Spirit of Christmas Future at 3 a.m.

As Scrooge watches the memories of his past unfold before him, like Jacob Marley (Noble Shropshire) his business partner in life, dead lo these seven years, Mr. Fezziwig (Kenneth De Abrew), his old boss, and his favorite housekeeper (Noble Shropshire) who prepares his morning porridge, Ebenezer begins to realize all that he has missed in his greedy life. Meanwhile ghosts fly hither and yon bringing him a message that he has wasted his time and needs to repent.

With Jacob Marley’s warning ringing in his ears, Scrooge takes a turn to embrace humanity and celebrate all the goodness in life he has ignored. Fortunately for him, it is not too late to mend his ways and embrace all that he has missed. Kudos to Michael Wilson for adapting and directing his beautiful and meaningful tale once again.

For tickets, call the Hartford Stage, 50 Church Street, Hartford at 860-527-5151 or online at hartfordstage.org. Performances are Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., Thursday at 7:30 p.m.,Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. as well as Monday, December 22 at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, December 23 at 7:30 p.m.,Wednesday , December 24 at 2 p.m., Friday, December 26 at 7:30 p.m.,Saturday the 27 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, December 28 at 2 p.m. Rachel

What would the holidays be without a revisit to Ebenezer Scrooge and watch him reclaim his place with his fellow citizens and be a good member of the human race. Savor the flavor of his now generous state of mind and heart.

Karen Isaacs has posted this review:
12/12/2025

Karen Isaacs has posted this review:

All photos by Dreamscape Studio Photography By Karen Isaacs The idea sounds interesting. A Christmas Carol is all about Ebeneezer Scrooge and his reclamation. But Scrooge’s redemption is instituted…

Kiersten Bjork has posted here review of WHITE CHRISTMAS at
12/11/2025

Kiersten Bjork has posted here review of WHITE CHRISTMAS at

By Kiersten Bjork (December 3, 2025) Irving Berlin’s White Christmas is currently playing to sold out houses at Goodspeed Musicals in East Haddam, Connecticut. Based upon the classic...

Tim Leininger has posted his review of the holiday fun in Ivoryton
12/11/2025

Tim Leininger has posted his review of the holiday fun in Ivoryton

(The cast of Playhouse Holiday Jamboree, photo courtesy of Ivoryton Playhouse) by Tim Leininger IVORYTON — The holiday season has officially arrived and with it comes the bevy of annual Christmas s…

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The CCC, founded in 1990, is a statewide organization of reviewers, feature writers, columnists, and broadcasters. Members of the Connecticut Critics Circle not only represent newspapers, but newspaper chains, magazines, radio programs, websites, and other media outlets, reaching millions throughout Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New York.

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