Behold a fairly comprehensive shorthand list of shows upcoming in Connecticut. The season opened in early October, but I didn’t assemble or post this list until early November. Deal with it.
There are some quirks. I list a lot of undergrad college theater events, but far from all of them—there are dozens I could list at Yale alone, but I know that even though they’re considered public events, many are held in small halls in college dorms behind locked gates, so I concentrate on the Yale Dramat and let the smaller shows alone. Also, I list some of the more elaborate music-tribute acts but far from all of them. Same with comedy. Basically, I list events that I’d consider “theater” for some of the listings/preview articles I do. It’s my homework.
Nov. 3: Broadcast of Vaudeville Theatre production of The Importance of Being Earnest (with David Suchet as Lady Bracknell) broadcast at Ridgefield Playhouse.
Nov. 3-8: The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby at Hartt School.
Nov. 4: David Riedel at Mark Twain House.
Nov. 4: Comedy Open Mic with Dan Rice at Cafe Nine.
Nov. 5: Capitol Steps at Ridgefield Playhouse.
Nov. 5: Words & Music at Cafe Nine.
Nov. 5: Amy Schumer at Mohegan Sun.
Nov. 5: Tellabration Storytelling event at Institute Library.
Nov. 5: T. Oliver Reid, Drop Me Off in Harlem cabaret at Stamford Palace.
Nov. 5-14: Smudge at New Haven Theater Company.
Nov. 5-7: The Commencement of William Tan at Yale Cabaret.
Nov. 5 & 6: Eiko Otake’s A Body in the Observatory.
Nov. 6: Dads of Comedy at Bridge Street Live, Collinsville.
Nov. 6: Laughtrax: Uptown Showdown at Stamford Palace.
Nov. 6 & 7: Tiny Shorts: Brief Dances in Small Places at Lyric Hall.
Nov. 6-8: Irving Berlin’s White Christmas at the Waterbury Palace.
Nov. 6 & 7: Refuse the Hour at Yale No Boundaries series.
Nov. 6-22: Shrek the Musical at Little Theater of Manchester.
Nov. 7: David Dorfman Dance at Quick Center.
Nov. 7: Bill Engvall at Stamford Palace.
Nov. 7: Artie Lange at Ridgefield Playhouse.
Nov. 7: Jim Breuer at Foxwoods.
Nov. 7: The Comedy Get-Down with Cedric “The Entertainer,” Eddie Griffin, D.L. Hughley, George Lopez and Charlie Murphy at Mohegan Sun.
Nov. 7: National Acrobats of the People’s Republic of China at UConn’s Jorgensen Auditorium.
Nov. 7-15: Nice Work If You Can Get It at Warner Theatre Torrington.
Nov. 8: Comedy Workshop Graduation Showcase at Ridgefield Playhouse.
Nov. 8: Steve Martin and Martin Short at the Oakdale.
Nov. 8: Jethro Tull The Rock Opera at Foxwoods.
Nov. 8: Robert Klein at Infinity Hall Hartford.
Nov. 10: Ron Shalom’s Overture to Death Row Dick at Wesleyan.
Nov. 11: Ct. Lyric Opera Le Nozze di Figaro at Lyric Hall Hartford.
Nov. 11-15: The Supernaturalists at Foxwoods.
Nov. 12: In Conversation with Reid Farrington at Wesleyan.
Nov., 12: One Man Star Wars Trilogy at Stamford Palace.
Nov. 12-14: Roberto Zucco at Yale Cabaret.
Nov. 12-15: Spring Awakening at Quinnipiac.
Nov. 12-21: Alice in Wonderland at Oddfellows Playhouse.
Nov. 12-Dec. 6: Living on Love at Seven Angels.
Nov. 13: The Piano Guys at UConn’s Jorgensen Auditorium.
Nov. 13: Bianca Del Rio’s Rolodex of Hate at the Shubert.
Nov. 13 & 14: Faye Driscoll’s dance event Thank You for Coming: Attendance at Wesleyan.
Nov. 13-Dec. 5: Lysistrata at Hole in the Wall Theater.
Nov. 14: Chess in concert at Downtown Cabaret.
Nov. 14: Epic’s Art of Poetry at Lyric Hall.
Nov. 14: Tom Segura, comedian, at Lyman Center SCSU.
Nov. 15: So You Think You Can Dance Tour at Mohegan Sun.
Nov. 15: Emily Coates & Sarah Demers’ Incarnations: Sketches for a Longer Work at the Quick Center.
Nov. 15: Preston Lacy’s Fat Chance comedy tour (with Tom Garland) at The Outer Space.
Nov. 15: CT Lyric Opera The Marriage of Figaro at the Garde Arts Center.
Nov. 15: Shaping Sound (dance) at the Shubert.
Nov. 16: Reading of Dracula at Westport Country Playhouse.
Nov. 17: Listen Here! series at Institute Library.
Nov. 18-21: Merrily We Roll Along at Yale Dramat.
Nov. 19: Jessica Lang Dance at UConn’s Jorgensen Auditorium.
Nov. 19-21: Jose Rivera’s Marisol at Wesleyan.
Nov. 19-21: Trouble in Tahiti at Yale Cabaret.
Nov. 20: Disney Live at XL Center.
Nov. 20: The MOuTH at Mark Twain House.
Nov. 20: Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood at Lyman Center, SCSU.
Nov. 20: Creed Bratton at The Outer Space.
Nov. 20 & 21: Trinity Fall Dance Concert at Austin Arts Center.
Nov. 20-22: Cloud 9 at Connecticut College.
Nov. 21: Mo’nique at Foxwoods.
Nov. 21: ‘50s Dance Party (Holly/Big Bopper/Ritchie Valens tribute) at Downtown Cabaret.
Nov. 21: Ct. Gay Men’s Chorus Pull My Wishbone Bingomania at the Annex Club, New Haven.
Nov. 24-Jan. 2: Legends in Concert at Foxwoods.
Nov. 25: Cash is King (Johnny Cash tribute)_ Bridge Street Live, Collinsville.
Nov. 25-Dec. 20: Measure for Measure at Long Wharf.
Nov. 27: New York Vs. Boston Comedy Series Bridge Street Live, Collinsville.
Nov. 27: Trans-Siberian Orchestra at Mohegan Sun.
Nov. 27-Dec. 19: Peerless at Yale Rep.
Nov. 27-29: A Christmas Carol at the Shubert.
Nov. 27-Dec. 23: Christmas on the Rocks at TheaterWorks.
Nov. 28: Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer: The Musical at Stamford Palace.
Nov. 29 & 30: Cirque Dreams Holidaze at the Waterbury Palace.
Nov. 29: Trans-Siberian Orchestra at XL Center.
Nov. 30: Reading of Colonel Sellers: Reanimator at Mark Twain House.
Dec. 2: Comedy Open Mic with Dan Rice at Cafe Nine.
Dec. 2-20: Passing Strange at Playhouse on Park.
Dec. 3-5: Boris Yeltsin at Yale Cabaret.
Dec. 4: Steve Sweeney and David Casey, comedy Bridge Street Live, Collinsville.
Dec. 4: Frank Sinatra Centennial Celebration with John Pizzarelli at Stamford Palace.
Dec. 4-6: Flashdance the Musical at the Shubert.
Dec. 4-20: Fiddler on the Roof at Downtown Cabaret.
Dec. 5: Jerry Seinfeld at Foxwoods.
Dec. 5: It’s a Wonderful Life Radio Play at Mark Twain House.
Dec. 5: Breaking Ground Dance Center’s Cinderella at Stamford Palace.
Dec. 5: Disney’s Choo-Choo Soul with Genevieve at the Garde Arts Center.
Dec. 5: Bo Burnham at Warner Theatre Torrington.
Dec. 5: Lewis Black “The Rant is Due Part Deux” tour at the Oakdale.
Dec. 6: Celtic Woman at Mohegan Sun.
Dec. 6: Worlds of Dance concert at Wesleyan.
Dec. 6: Savion Glover at the Quick Center.
Dec. 8: Mayhem Poets at Ridgefield Playhouse.
Dec. 10: A Christmas Carol at Stamford Palace.
Dec. 10: ’Twas a Girl’s Night Before Christmas: The Musical at the Waterbury Palace.
Dec. 10: John Cage’s Musicircus at Wesleyan.
Dec. 10-13: Sister’s Christmas Catechism at Warner Theatre Torrington.
Dec. 10-20: I’ll Be Home for Christmas at Ivoryton Playhouse.
Dec. 11: Sea Tea Improv Longform Showcase at Billings Forge.
Dec. 11-20: The Nutcracker at Hartt School.
Dec. 11 & 12: Winter Dance Concert at Wesleyan.
Dec. 11-13: The Robber Bridegroom at Hartt School.
Dec. 11-14: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer at Bushnell.
Dec. 11-20: Christmas Eve at Earlene’s Diner at Seven Angels.
Dec. 12: Sinatra’s 100th Birthday with Robert Davi at Foxwoods.
Dec. 12: Echoes of Sinatra—100th Birthday Celebration at Ridgefield Playhouse.
Dec. 12 & 13: The Nutcracker at the Bushnell.
Dec. 12 & 13: The Nutcracker at the Garde Arts Center.
Dec. 12 & 13: Ct. Gay Men’s Chorus Babes in Boyland at Co-op High School Theatre, New Haven.
Dec. 12-18: The Oresteia at Yale School of Drama.
Dec. 13: Young Choreographers Festival at Stamford Palace.
Dec. 14: Reading of Last Night of Ballyhoo at Westport Country Playhouse.
Dec. 15: Listen Here! series at Institute Library.
Dec. 16: A Sonic Simon Comedy Christmas Miracle at Cafe Nine.
Dec. 18: Lisa Lampanelli at Foxwoods.
Dec. 18: Impractical Jokers “Where’s Larry” Tour Starring The Tenderloins at the Oakdale.
Dec. 18-20: The Nutcracker at the Shubert.
Dec. 19: The Pontani Sisters’ Holiday Cirque Spectacular Bridge Street Live, Collinsville.
Dec. 19: Burlesque-a-pades Holiday Spectacular.
Dec. 19: Peppa Pig Live! at the Oakdale.
Dec. 19: Mike Epps at Foxwoods.
Dec. 19: The Nutcracker at the Waterbury Palace.
Dec. 19 & 20: It’s a Wonderful Life at Little Theater of Manchester.
Dec. 19 & 20: Nutcracker 2015 at Warner Theatre Torrington.
Dec. 19 & 20: The Nutcracker at Ridgefield Playhouse.
Dec. 26: Celebrating Queen (tribute) at Infinity Hall Hartford.
Dec. 26: Artie Lange at Foxwoods.
Dec. 26: John Valby XXX-mas Show at Toad’s Place.
Dec. 31: First Night of Funny at the Shubert.
Dec. 31: Bennie and the Jets (Elton John tribute) at Downtown Cabaret.
Jan. 2: Franklin’s Peaches and Friends improv comedy at Playhouse on Park.
Jan. 6-Feb. 7: Benjamin Scheuer’s The Lion at Long Wharf.
Jan. 7-31: Dan O’Brien’s The Body of an American at Hartford Stage.
Jan. 8: Cage Match improv comedy at Playhouse on Park.
Jan. 8: Dancing With the Stars Live at Mohegan Sun.
Jan. 8-Feb. 14: Jonathan Tolin’s Buyer and Cellar at TheaterWorks.
Jan. 9 & 10: Momix at Warner Theatre Torrington.
Jan. 12-17: Cinderella at the Bushnell.
Jan. 13-17: Disney on Ice: Let’s Celebrate! at XL Center.
Jan. 14-16: Salt Pepper Ketchup at Yale Cabaret.
Jan. 15: Jane Monheit at Infinity Hall Hartford.
Jan. 19: Listen Here! series at Institute Library.
Jan. 22: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Garde Arts Center.
Jan. 22: Mummenschanz at UConn’s Jorgensen Auditorium.
Jan. 22: The Who’s Tommy—A Concert at Ridgefield Playhouse.
Jan. 22 & 23: Ragtime at the Waterbury Palace.
Jan. 22-Feb. 13: Lint! The Musical at Hole in the Wall.
Jan. 24: Speak Up Storytelling at Infinity Hartford.
Jan. 23-29: Women Beware Women at Yale School of Drama.
Jan. 27-Feb. 14: The Chosen at Playhouse on Park.
Jan. 28: PostSecret: The Show at the Bushnell.
Jan. 28-31: Once at the Shubert.
Jan. 29-Feb. 20: Jen Silverman’s The Moors at Yale Rep.
Jan. 31: Judith Jamison: Choreographing the Dance of My Career at the Quick Center.
Feb. 4: The Second City touring troupe at the Shubert.
Feb. 5: The McCartney Years (Wings tribute) at Ridgefield Playhouse.
Feb. 5: The MOuTH at Mark Twain House.
Feb. 5-7: Hartbeat Ensmeble’s Asylum Hill
Feb. 5-21: Boeing Boeing at Little Theater of Manchester.
Feb. 6: 2016 New Play Festival at Quinnipiac.
Feb. 6: Hammer of the Gods: The Led Zeppelin Experience at the Waterbury Palace.
Feb. 6-14: Rock of Ages at Warner Theatre Torrington.
Feb. 9-14: Love Letters at the Bushnell (with Ali McGraw and Ryan O’Neal)
Feb. 11-March 20: Romeo & Juliet at Hartford Stage.
Feb. 11-13: Fringe Festival at Choate Rosemary Hall.
Feb. 12: The Great Gatsby at Downtown Cabaret.
Feb. 12: Kota Yamazaki/Fluid Hug-Hug’s OQ at Wesleyan.
Feb. 12: God Save the Queen (Queen tribute) at UConn’s Jorgensen Auditorium.
Feb. 15: Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood Live at UConn’s Jorgensen Auditorium.
Feb. 16: Listen Here! series at Institute Library.
Feb. 17-March 13: Having Our Say at Long Wharf.
Feb. 18: The Fab Four (tribute) at Ridgefield Playhouse.
Feb. 18: Harlem Globetrotters at Mohegan Sun.
Feb. 18-20: Don Nigro’s Robin Hood at Choate Rosemary Hall.
Feb. 18-21: Metamorphosis at Hartt School.
Feb. 18-March 13: Burning Desire (starring Lou Diamond Phillips) at Seven Angels.
Feb. 19: An Evening With Joel Grey at Ridgefield Playhouse.
Feb. 19: Harlem Globetrotters at Webster Bank Arena.
Feb. 19 & 20: Saturday Night Fever at the Waterbury Palace.
Feb. 20: Ralphie May (comedian) at Ridgefield Playhouse.
Feb. 20: “HSO & Goodspeed Celebrate the Best of Broadway” at the Bushnell.
Feb. 21: Winter Solstice Ice Spectacular at Ridgefield Playhouse.
Feb. 24-March 13: I Hate Hamlet at Playhouse on Park.
Feb. 26: Mario Cantone (comedian) at Ridgefield Playhouse.
Feb. 27: The Berenstain Bears Live at the Shubert.
March 3-6: Titanic at Hartt School.
March 3-12: Bus Stop at New Haven Theater Company.
March 4: Spirit of Michael Jackson (tribute) at Ridgefield Playhouse.
March 4 & 5: Carousel at Connecticut College.
March 5: Bargain (Who tribute) at Downtown Cabaret.
March 5: Satisfaction: The International Rolling Stones Concert at the Waterbury Palace.
March 5-13: Lost in Yonkers at Warner Theatre Torrington.
March 6 & 7: Shanghai Acrobats: The New Shanghai Circus at Ridgefield Playhouse.
March 8-13: Georges Feydeau’s An Absolute Turkey at Lyman Hall, SCSU.
March 10-19: A Comedy of Errors at Oddfellows Playhouse.
March 11: Donny Osmond: The Soundtrack of My Life Tour at Ridgefield Playhouse.
March 11-19: Kids Artistic Revue at Warner Theatre Torrington.
March 11-13: Stomp at the Shubert.
March 11-26: Evita at Downtown Cabaret.
March 11-April 17: Laura Eason’s Sex With Strangers at TheaterWorks.
March 12: Piff the Magic Dragon at Foxwoods.
March 13: Imago Theatre’s ZooZoo at UConn’s Jorgensen Auditorium.
March 15: Listen Here! series at Institute Library.
March 19: An Evening With Groucho (Frank Ferrante) at Ridgefield Playhouse.
March 19: Nutmeg Ballet’s Impact 2016.
March 19: Tracy Morgan at Foxwoods.
March 22-27: Motown the Musical at the Bushnell.
March 23: RUBBERBANDance Group at UConn’s Jorgensen Auditorium.
March 25-April 16: Steven Dietz’s Still Life With Iris at Hole in the Wall.
March 29-April 3: Annie at the Shubert.
March 31-April 24: The Taffetas at Seven Angels.
May 12-June 12: Legally Blonde at Seven Angels.
May 12-June 12: Anastasia at Hartford Stage.=
March 25-April 16: Cymbeline at Yale Rep.
March 30-April 10: Stop/Time Dance Theater’s Superstition at Playhouse on Park.
March 31: Sinbad at Ridgefield Playhouse.
March 31-April 24: Having Our Say at Hartford Stage.
April 1: Million Dollar Quartet at the Garde Arts Center.
April 1: The MOuTH at Mark Twain House.
April 1: Moscow Festival Ballet’s Swan Lake at UConn’s Jorgensen Auditorium.
April 2: An Evening with Stephen Schwartz at Ridgefield Playhouse.
April 2: Dancing in the Streets (Motown revue) at the Waterbury Palace.
April 6- May 1: Sam Hunter’s Lewiston at Long Wharf.
April 7: HSO’s Orpheus & Eurydice: Transformed at the Bushnell.
April 7-10: Arcadia at Hartt School.
April 7-May 1: Hartbeat Ensemble’s Gross Domestic Product.
April 8-24: Company at Little Theater of Manchester.
April 8-June 16: Anything Goes at the Goodspeed.
April 9: Brass City Ballet’s Cinderella at the Waterbury Palace.
April 9: Seussical the Musical at Ridgefield Playhouse.
April 9-15: David Mamet’s Race at Warner Theatre Torrington.
April 13-16: Realish Housewives of West Hartford at the Bushnell.
April 14-17: Sean O’Casey’s Shadow of a Gunman at Quinnipiac.
April 15: Tracy Morgan Picking Up the Pieces Tour at Ridgefield Playhouse.
April 15 & 16: Let It Be: A Celebration of the Music of The Beatles at the Waterbury Palace.
April 17: The Illusionists at the Oakdale.
April 19: Listen Here! series at Institute Library.
April 19-24: Reefer Madness at Hartt School.
April 20-May 8: Wit at Playhouse on Park.
April 22 & 23: Hartt Dances at Hartt School.
April 22-24: Rainbow Dance Competition at Warner Theatre Torrington.
April 23: Katt Williams at Foxwoods.
April 23: The Soft Parade (Doors tribute) at Downtown Cabaret.
April 23: Peter Rabbit Tales at the Shubert.
April 24: Connecticut Lyric Opera Rigoletto at the Garde Arts Center.
April 24: Alton Brown Live at the Bushnell.
April 26-30: Student-Directed One-Acts at Lyman Center, SCSU.
April 26-May 1: Matilda the Musical at the Bushnell.
April 29: Say Goodnight Gracie at Ridgefield Playhouse.
April 29-May 1: Much Ado About Nothing at Hartt School.
April 29-May 21: Beckett’s Happy Days at Yale Rep.
April 29-May 15: American Idiot at Downtown Cabaret.
April 30-May 1: In the Mood at the Shubert.
May: Carlotta Festival at Yale School of Drama.
May 3-8: Jersey Boys at the Shubert.
May 3-29: Art and Red in repertory at Westport Country Playhouse.
May 4-29: Conor McPherson’s Shining City at Long Wharf.
May 5: Saturday Night Fever at the Garde Arts Center.
May 5-14: Proof at New Haven Theater Company.
May 6: Brian Regan at Foxwoods.
May 6-8: Riverdance 20th Anniversary Tour at the Bushnell.
May 7: Betty Buckley Live in Concert at Ridgefield Playhouse.
May 12: ABBA The Concert at Ridgefield Playhouse.
May 12-14: City of Angels at Choate Rosemary Hall
May 13-June 19: Tanya Barfield’s The Call at TheaterWorks.
May 14: Hal Holbrook as Mark Twain Tonight at the Garde Arts Center.
May 14: A Night to Remember: Presley, Perkins, Lewis and Cash at Ridgefield Playhouse.
May 17: Listen Here! series at Institute Library.
May 19: The Roar of the Greasepaint The Smell of the Crowd at the Norma Terris.
May 19-27: The Wiz at Oddfellows Playhouse.
May 20: Cage Match improv comedy at Playhouse on Park.
May 20-June 11: Pirates of Penzance at Hole in the Wall.
May 21: Pinkalicious the Musical at the Garde Arts Center.
May 22: Disney in Concert: Magical Music from the Movies at the Waterbury Palace.
May 24-29: Dirty Dancing at the Bushnell.
May 27 & 28: Improvaganza at Playhouse on Park.
June 4: Cash is King (Johnny Cash tribute) at Ridgefield Playhouse.
June 8-12: Kinky Boots at the Shubert.
June 10: The MOuTH at Mark Twain House.
June 10-26: Clybourne Park at Little Theater of Manchester.
June 11-25: International Festival of Arts & Ideas.
June 14-July 2: Jonathan Tolins’ Buyer and Cellar at Westport Country Playhouse.
June 15-24: A Chorus Line at Playhouse on Park.
June 17-19: Hartbeat Ensemble’s latest Neighborhood Investigative Project.
June 24-Sept. 4: Bye Bye Birdie at the Goodspeed.
June 25: Disney’s Choo-Choo Soul “With Genevieve” at the Bushnell.
July: National Playwrights Conference at Eugene O’Neill Theater Center.
July 14-16: Sex Tips for Straight Women from a Gay Man at the Bushnell.
July 15-Aug. 6: A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Hole in the Wall
July 19-Aug. 6: Ayad Akhtar’s The Invisible Hand at Westport Country Playhouse.
July 28-Sept. 4: A Sign of the Times at the Norma Terris.
August 12-28: Twelfth Night at Little Theater of Manchester.
Aug. 23-Sept. 10: What the Butler Saw at Westport Country Playhouse.
Sept. 16-Nov. 27: Chasing Rainbows: The Road to Oz at the Goodspeed.
Sept. 21-Oct. 16: Meteor Shower at Long Wharf.
Oct. 4-22: Camelot at Westport Country Playhouse.
Nov. 4-20: Oklahoma! at Little Theater of Manchester.
and watch out for
Flock Theatre
A Broken Umbrella
Hartford Improv Festival
Sonia Plumb Dance Co.
Judy Dworin Dance
Yale Cabaret spring semester
Yale Summer Cabaret
Elm Shakespeare Company