Previews
A Strong Second: An Interview with Cecily Strong of the Second City Touring Company, at Long Wharf
The press materials for the Long Wharf’s six-performance visit from the seasoned Second City improv troupe ballyhoos that “Belushi, Colbert, Carell, Murray, Radner, Myers, Fey, Meadows, Farley, Aykroyd all came through Second City.” But the institution, which has formalized a distinctive brand of scripted sketch comedy with improv incursions, is grander than any one of … Continue reading
NHTJ on WNPR
HOW I’LL SPEND MY SUMMER VACATION: ALICE COOPER, THE VERY PERSONIFICATION OF SCHOOL BEING OUT, IS COMING TO FOXWOODS CASINO. Hey, I just spent an hour yammering live on the Colin McEnroe show on WNPR. I guess they post podcasts of past episodes here. The topic was “Summer Arts Preview,” and the other guests were … Continue reading
West Side DeRosa: Glad Handing the National Tour of Arthur Laurents’ West Side Story Revival
STEVEN DEROSA CENTER STAGE IN THE NATIONAL TOUR OF WEST SIDE STORY—FOR ABOUT ONE MINUTE, UNTIL ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE. THE NATIONAL TOUR OF THE ARTHUR LAURENTS-DIRECTED REVIVAL IS AT THE BUSHNELL IN HARTFORD THROUGH SUNDAY MAY 29. I’ve been a Stephen DeRosa fan for over 15 years, and rejoice whenever I see his name … Continue reading
The Long Wharf Works in Mysterious Ways
Another Long Wharf summer season announcement—and before you sniff in disdain at the unabashed rabblepleasing commerciality of the fare, remember that the standard so far for Summer ’11 is Menopause: The Musical. We have nowhere to go but up. Anyhow, you won’t catch me saying anything bad about the Late Nite Catechism series. Seriously, these … Continue reading
Reconciliation Caruso: Neopolitan Tunes May 16 at the Long Wharf
Aaron Caruso says his gifts for singing, and the equally demanding talent of making a crowd comfortable with between-song banter, come to him naturally. So does his surname; imagine being an Italian singer born with the name Caruso. Of course, that name, Aaron Caruso told me in a phone interview last night, means “there’s lots … Continue reading
Hartford Stage Goes Darko
PHOTO FROM DARKO TRESNJAK’S 2007 PRODUCTION OF JOHN VAN DRUTEN’S PLAY BELL, BOOK AND CANDLE AT THE OLD GLOBE SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL THEATRE IN SAN DIEGO. PHOTO BY CRAIG SCHWARZ. When announcing Long Wharf’s impending co-production of John Van Druten’s Bell, Book and Candle, that theater’s artistic director Gordon Edelstein mentioned that the deal was struck … Continue reading
Foundering is fun at the Long Wharf
LONG WHARF FOUNDERS AWARD RECIPIENTS CHARLES KINGSLEY (PARTNER IN WIGGIN & DANA LAW FIRM), ANNE SCHENCK (LONGTERM LONG WHARF SUPPORTER AND WIDOW OF LONG WHARF FOUNDING BOARD MEMBER NEWT SCHENCK, WHO WAS HIMSELF A WIGGIN & DANA PARTNER), VAL CAPOBIANCO (OF BRAZI’S), GORDON EDELSTEIN (WHO’S BEEN ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF THE LONG WHARF THEATRE FOR A … Continue reading
A Pained Pause
YOUR HUMBLE REPORTER IN EDVARD MUNCH MODE, REACTING TO THE PROSPECT OF THE RETURN OF MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL TO THE LONG WHARF MAINSTAGE THIS SUMMER. For a body (like the Long Wharf Theatre) to grow and mature and challenge itself, there need to be adjustment periods which unfortunately may sometimes bring extraordinary discomfort, awkwardness, confusion … Continue reading
The Long Wharf 2011-2012 Season Announcement, annotated with awe
GABRIEL KAHANE PERFORMING AT THE LONG WHARF THEATRE’S 2011-12 SEASON ANNOUNCEMENT. PHOTO COURTESY OF LONG WHARF THEATRE. The Long Wharf Theater’s 2011-12 season looks pretty good on paper—two musicals, a Shakespeare, a Christmas show, a supernatural comedy set in the 1950s and a dark human drama set in the ’40, plus one show still to … Continue reading