Author Archives: Christopher Arnott
Who’s in the Header Photo?
My daughter Mabel snapped this shot of me alongside a lifesize cut-out of W.C. Fields at the Ripley’s Believe It Or Not museum in Times Square. I’d planned to bring the girls to their first Broadway show that day (we were considering Mamma Mia!) but we ended up spending the afternoon at Ripley’s instead. Why … Continue reading
The Summer Youth Theatre Hamlet Review
Hamlet By William Shakespeare. Directed by Annie DiMartino. Musical Director: Carol Taubl. Performed by Sam Taubl (Hamlet), Erik Van Eck (Claudius), Jane Logan (Gertrude), Ryan Ronan (Polonius), Jessica Coppola (Ophelia), James Taubl (Laertes), Jack Taubl (The Ghost), Jeremiah Taubl (Horatio), Maris Sullivan (Rosenkrantz), Kira Topalian (Guildenstern), Anthony Rockford (Grave Digger), Nina Dicker (First Player), Danielle … Continue reading
Leiber & Stoller & Brecht & Weill
Jerry Leiber (who died yesterday) and Mike Stoller deserve more respect from the theater world than just as the songwriters behind one of the better jukebox musicals. Man, even the Leiber obit in Playbill Online sells the guy short, concentrating mainly on Smokey Joe’s Cafe while mentioning in passing that Stoller co-wrote the score for … Continue reading
Mark Jacoby’s Wicked Wizard Hits Hartford
Mark Jacoby had never seen Wicked until he learned that he’d be auditioning for the role of The Wizard in the musical’s first national tour. “The Wizard is not a big part, but it’s an interesting part. It’s more sinister than the Wizard in The Wizard of Oz. It’s political. Part of the success of … Continue reading
Colin Quintessence
Colin Quinn ends his two-week stand of his one-man show Long Story Short at Long Wharf with two performances today (Sunday the 21st, 3 & 7 p.m.), than heads to Chicago’ Broadway Playhouse Aug. 24-Sept. 10, where I imagine his fiercely friendly discourse on a slew of failed (or just plain funny) social systems will … Continue reading
The Wine Peep Through Their Scars
Two theater references in this short London Times editorial regarding AC/DC’s full-band endorsement of a line of Warburton Estate wines. Vintages include Highway to Hell Cabernet Sauvignon. AC/DC are merely following a path trodden by other one-time hellraisers. A journey from consuming substances so toxic they make lab rats go blind to marketing your own … Continue reading
City of Angels: Population 21 (playing 48)
Goodspeed’s announced the cast for their season-ending production of City of Angels (Sept. 23-Nov. 27). It’s a show that warmed the heart of Connecticut, since the original Broadway production won a Tony for Fairfield County resident (and diehard Westport Country Playhouse supporter) James Naughton. The first national tour which played the Shubert Theater in New … Continue reading
The Long Story Short review
Long Story Short Through August 21 at the Long Wharf Theatre. Written and performed by Colin Quinn. Directed by Jerry Seinfeld. The quintessential Colin Quinn is the gruff- sounding yet genial and reflective persona he perfected as the Weekend Update anchor on Saturday Night Live. That gig began auspiciously, with Quinn hurriedly summoned to replace … Continue reading
The Show Boat Review
Show Boat Through Sept. 17 at the Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam.Music by Jerome Kern. Book and Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. Based on the novel by Edna Ferber. Directed by Rob Ruggiero. Music Direction by Michael O’Flaherty. Scenic Design by Michael Schweikhardt. Costume design by Amy Clark. Lighting Design by John Lasiter. Choreographed by … Continue reading
Rock & Roll Acting School
I liked a stage show and to me The Ramones were very theatrical because they didn’t move. You had all these guys doing theatrical stuff that was so excessive, yet The Ramones were getting more out of Joey moving his leg. They would just stand still. Joey would move his leg. Johnny would jump once … Continue reading