NYC and CT!

Got to NYC this weekend to see a couple of fun shows, and a fun Broadways show has come to Hartford.

Saw "Book of Mormon" last night at the Bushnell - WOW!  It's not only inappropriate, it's downright blasphemous, but so great!  Conceived by the the creators of "South Park"....well, you get the idea.  The music is great, the choreography and dancing spectacular, the storyline hysterical.  I can see why it won so many awards and is just about a sell-out at the Bushnell.  It occurred to me as I watched this terrific cast (not many of whom have hit Broadway, but they've got the goods!) how lucky we are to have a place like the Bushnell that can attract huge shows like this!  Call or go online and see if you can get a ticket...teens will love it, but fair warning, it goes places that may make you uncomfortable!

 "Bridges of Madison County" just opened on Broadway, having been developed in Williamstown this past summer.  I saw the summer production, and loved it.  Supposedly they rewrote a lot of it for Broadway, but I didn't notice too much of a difference.  The leads were tremendous - Steven Pasquale has an amazing voice, and is pretty easy on the eyes; Kelli O'Hara is a Broadway darling, and was great, although the actress I saw in Williamstown was just as good, and actually was a little more believable as an italian woman displaced as an american farmwife.  This should be running for a while, so take advantage.  In my mind, it is so much better than the book or movie, both of which I pretty much disliked; it didn't quite move me to tears, but those around me were sobbing!

Also saw the new Sarah Ruhl, "Stage Kiss"...very funny, a little too long, and I'm not so sure how non-theater people will like it.  There's a lot of joking that pertains to the experience of being onstage, which I totally appreciated, but would love to hear from someone who hasn't had the experience.  

And, I can start to talk about my current show, "Almost, Maine", with the Theater Guild of Simsbury, opening Saturday, April 5, at ENO Hall right there on Rt. 10 in Simsbury.  It's a lovely show, all about love and relationships...8 short scenes that take you lots of places in relationships, all set in a small town in Northern Maine, all on one night, against the backdrop of the Northern Lights.  Perfect for figity theatergoers, because all the scenes are different, and yet tied together so beautifully.  I can truly say that one of my roles is stretching me as an actress, but I'll leave it at that!  Log on to www.theatreguildsimsbury.org for tickets and info.

Seeing "The Other Place" at Theaterworks Hartford this week-end...saw it on Broadway last year and was blown away, so I have high expectations!  I'll let you know.  And, back to NYC for a couple more shows in the upcoming weeks; "Bullets over Broadway" and "Inventing Mary Martin".