Monthly Archives: August 2011

Our thanks to L. E. Agnelli from East Haddam/Haddam PATCH for this review of Ring of Fire.

http://easthaddam.patch.com/articles/ring-of-fire-a-cherry-of-a-show-with-no-pits-or-pit-band

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Well, you’ve done it again — another great show!! Saw Ring of Fire last Wednesday and just loved it. An energetic cast, multi-talented (singing, dancing, and playing an instrument simultaneously is the ultimate in multi-tasking!), great singing. I have not been a big fan of Johnny Cash but really enjoyed this performance.

Connie Kupchunos
Ivoryton

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During the run of Ring of Fire, the Playhouse is conducting a Centennial Raffle raising money to support the programs of the Ivoryton Playhouse.

Tickets just $5.00 each.  Great prizes.  Great cause.

1st Prize:   Romantic getaway for two to Essex, Connecticut. 
Overnight accommodation at the Copper Beech Inn (including breakfast) and dinner for two at Brasserie Pip.  Also includes a 60 minute couples Swedish massage at The Spa of Essex.

2nd Prize:   Kindle 3G + Wi-Fi, 3G works globally, graphite, 6” display with new E Ink Pearl technology.  Includes $25 gift card redeemable at Kindle store at Amazon.com

3rd Prize:   $100 Pasta Vita gift certificate

3 total prizes to be awarded.  Winner need not be present to win.
Drawing Sunday, September 4, 2011 at Ivoryton Playhouse at 3:30pm.
Tickets are available in the lobby before the show and at intermission.
Thank you for supporting the Playhouse and good luck!!

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Ring of Fire:  The Music of Johnny Cash opens this Wednesday, August 10 with three preview performances – Wednesday at 2:oopm, 7:30pm & Thursday at 7:30pm before the “official” opening night on Friday, August 12 at 8:00pm.   There will be a reception with the cast after Friday’s performance.

The musical takes for its marquee the title of one of the hit tunes of American singer-songwriter Cash. But the show, conceived by William Meade and created by Richard Maltby Jr., drawing on a cache of Cash songs, is not a biography of The Man in Black.

In 38 musical numbers, a mosaic of American experience is pieced together in Ring of Fire, the creators say. There’s a scene about keeping the love fires burning in middle age (“While I’ve Got It On My Mind”), there’s a scene with generations of a family sharing a meal (and sharing music) in “Daddy Sang Bass,” there’s the second-act opener about life travels (“I’ve Been Everywhere”), even a section with a chain gang (“Folsom Prison Blues”).
Maltby said, “It’s about home and family and getting together and loving somebody and having a backyard and generations living together, it’s about what holds you together in the face of a hard life, it’s about the really basic family values.”

The show’s song list includes Cash’s “Country Boy,” “A Thing Called Love,” “Five Feet High and Rising,” “Daddy Sang Bass,” “Ring of Fire,” “I Walk the Line,” “I’ve Been Everywhere,” “The Man in Black,” and his final hit, “Hurt.”

Don’t miss this special production – the second in our summer musical series.  Tickets on sale at the Playhouse box office (open 12:00noon – 8:00pm) or on-line.   Or call 860.767.7318 to book tickets over the phone.

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Released this week – a beautifully presented 33 minute DVD detailing the 100 year history of the Ivoryton Playhouse.  Entitled A Century on Stage, this DVD uses stories and images to tell the story of the Playhouse’s rich history.  A must have souvenir of our Centennial Season.  Priced at just $10, pick up a copy from our box office in Ivoryton or at our Foundation office in Centerbrook.  Or call us at 860.767.9520, pay by credit card and we will mail you a copy.  Be a part of our history by owning a copy of A Century on Stage.

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Resident Stage Manager T. Rick Jones writes:

“One of the unique things about Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash is how many instruments there are.  The cast consists of nine performers, each of whom plays a multitude of noisemakers.  At the latest count, there are 8 acoustic guitars, including a Dobro, each of which carries a descriptive moniker, such as “Taylor”, “Dollar Bill” and “Li’l Red” (so we know which one we’re talking about when), 1 electric guitar, 5 harmonicas, a washboard, an accordion, an upright bass, a set of drums, the Cub Scout Bass (which I wrote about last week), a fiddle, an autoharp, keyboards, a banjo, a ukulele, a jaw harp, a tambourine and a fan whistle shaped like a large pair of red lips! But that’s not all! You can make music with just about anything, and our cast does! They use spoons, plates, pots, ladles, buckets, chains and a folding metal chair! You’ve never seen anything like this on our stage! It isn’t just a musical; it’s an experience!”

Ring of Fire:  The Music of Johnny Cash opens next Wednesday, August 10th.  For tickets, please call our box office 860.767.7318 or visit this website to purchase on-line.

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What do you get when you cross a goat and an owl? 

A hootenanny!

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Grab your guitar and head on down!

There’s a Hootenanny every Sunday at The Ivoryton Playhouse

If you love some down-home country music, head on over to the Ivoryton Playhouse on Sunday afternoons through September 4th.

After every Sunday matinee performance of Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash, the cast will bring the music outside the Playhouse and welcomes local musicians to join them for a real old-time hootenanny!  Whether you are a guitar whizz or just like to bang the spoons, you won’t want to miss this chance to play with or just listen to these amazing musicians. The nine professional musicians in this cast are from all parts of this country and they are bringing their talents to Ivoryton for one month only in this celebration of the life and music of Johnny Cash.

Ring of Fire takes for its marquee the title of one of the hit tunes of American singer-songwriter Cash. But the show, conceived by William Meade and created by Richard Maltby Jr., drawing on a cache of Cash songs, is not a biography of The Man in Black.

In 38 musical numbers, a mosaic of American experience is pieced together in Ring of Fire, the creators say. There’s a scene about keeping the love fires burning in middle age (“While I’ve Got It On My Mind”), there’s a scene with generations of a family sharing a meal (and sharing music) in “Daddy Sang Bass,” there’s the second-act opener about life travels (“I’ve Been Everywhere”), even a section with a chain gang (“Folsom Prison Blues”).

Maltby said, “It’s about home and family and getting together and loving somebody and having a backyard and generations living together, it’s about what holds you together in the face of a hard life, it’s about the really basic family values.”

The show’s song list includes Cash’s “Country Boy,” “A Thing Called Love,” “Five Feet High and Rising,” “Daddy Sang Bass,” “Ring of Fire,” “I Walk the Line,” “I’ve Been Everywhere,” “The Man in Black,” and his final hit, “Hurt.”

Don’t miss Ring of Fire – opening Wednesday, August 10 until September 4 – and join us on Sunday afternoons for a rootin’ tootin’ Hootenanny!

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Neva Small brings big talent to Ivoryton.  On Monday, August 15 from 7:00pm, Neva Small will be performing “Songs Inspired by Connecticut”.  Neva writes: 

“Have you ever thought about all of the songs inspired by Connecticut? This cabaret evening will feature familiar songs whose writers have some connection to the state.  Lorenz Hart, Richard Rogers, Jerry Bock, Irving Berlin, and many many more. The music will be brought to you by musicians who all have New England roots. Neva Small, Steve Silverstein, Dan Stein, and guest artist Daryl Sherman.”

And what a terrific line-up of artists this is:

A sparkling mainstay of Manhattan nightlife, singer/pianist Daryl Sherman is internationally acclaimed for a stellar 14-year run at the Waldorf-Astoria where she played Cole Porter’s Steinway.  In June, she headlined the annual Cole Porter Festival in his hometown – Peru, Indiana.   Sherman has performed and recorded with notables including Jay Leonhart, Bucky & John Pizzarelli, Warren Vache, Harry Allen, Dick Hyman, Dave McKenna, Ruby Braff, Houston Person, Bob Dorough, Wycliffe Gordon, Dan Barrett, Howard Alden, Gene Bertoncini, Ken Peplowski, Kenny Davern, John Bunch, Mike Renzi, James Chirillo and Boots Maleson.   http://www.darylsherman.com

Steven Silverstein has worked as a music director, pianist, vocal coach, composer in the U.S. and Europe.  Steven works regularly with Broadway veterans including John Treacy Egan and Neva Small; and TV celebrities such as Martha Stewart, John Stamos, Dark Shadows’ Nancy Barrett and the cast of Will and Grace (Debra Messing, Sean Hayes, Eric McCormack, Megan Mullally and Harry Connick, Jr.).  http://www.steven-silverstein.com

Bassist/Guitarist Daniel Stein is a recent graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory, where he was a student of Peter Dominguez. A native New Yorker, he has studied with Paul Gill and Victor Lin in Manhattan, with Todd Coolman at the Skidmore Jazz Institute, and with Jeff Campbell at the Eastman School of Music Summer Jazz program. Noteworthy classical performances include Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 at Carnegie Hall with the National Festival Orchestra conducted by Benjamin Zander, and Schubert’s Trout Quintet with Arts Ahimsa in New York.

To read more about Neva Small and these guest artists, please follow this link.

Tickets for this world class cabaret are $20 available in advance or on the door.  Call 860.767.7318 to purchase tickets or click here to buy on line .

Don’t miss this very special, one-night-only show!

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