Monthly Archives: June 2015

Current Theatre Box Office hours (July and August):
103 Main Street, Ivoryton, CT  06442

Box office hours during the run of a show:

Monday:  CLOSED
Tuesday:  11:00am – 5:00pm
Wednesday:  11:00am – 8:00pm
Thursday:  11:00am – 8:00pm
Friday:  11:00am – 8:00pm
Saturday:  11:00am – 8:00pm
Sunday:  11:00am – 5:00pm

Box office hours between productions:

Monday:  CLOSED
Tuesday – Sunday:  11:00am – 5:00pm

To book tickets on-line 24/7, please follow this link:  http://www.centerstageticketing.com/sites/ivoryton

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It’s Some Enchanted Summer!

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s
SOUTH PACIFIC
at the Ivoryton Playhouse

The issue of racism is front and center in America today and the Ivoryton Playhouse production of SOUTH PACIFIC could not be more timely. The story for Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 1949 musical is drawn from a Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel by James A. Michener, entitled Tales of the South Pacific, and is considered by most critics to be among the greatest musicals of the twentieth century. For their adaptation, Rodgers and Hammerstein, along with co-writer Joshua Logan, won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1950.

The original Broadway production won ten Tony Awards, including all four acting awards, and many of its songs went on to have a life of their own outside of the musical, including “Some Enchanted Evening,” “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair,” “Happy Talk,” “Bali Ha’i,” “Younger than Springtime,” and “I’m in Love with a Wonderful Guy.” It inspired a 1958 film adaptation and has enjoyed numerous successful revivals, including Broadway revivals in 1955 and 2008, and West End revivals in 1988 and 2001. The original production featured Mary Martin as Ensign Nellie Forbush and opera star Ezio Pinza, as Emile de Becque.

Ivoryton Playhouse is thrilled to announce that world renowned American bass-baritone David Pittsinger* will be reprising his Kennedy Center role as Emile de Becque in this production.  He will be joined by his wife, internationally celebrated soprano Patricia Schuman, who will also be making her Ivoryton Playhouse debut, as Bloody Mary.

The Playhouse production of SOUTH PACIFIC is directed by David Edwards, who starred last year as Albin in our hugely popular production of LA CAGE AUX FOLLES. David has played both Cable and DeBecque and last directed this show at Surflight Theatre. Michael A. Dattilo is the Executive Producer.

Along with Pittsinger and Schuman, the show also features Peter Carrier* as Cable, Adrianne Hick* as Nellie, William Selby* as Billis, R. Bruce Connelly* as Captain Brackett and Annelise Cepero as Liat.

Musical directed by Michael McAssey, the set is designed by Daniel Nischan, lighting by Marcus Abbott and costumes by Lenore Grunko.

On Wednesday, July 1st at 7:30pm, the Playhouse is celebrating our local veterans and currently serving military by hosting a very special night. Honoring our Veterans and Soldiers Night offers half price tickets for veterans and active military and will raise awareness for the Wounded Warrior Project and Essex Veterans Memorial Hall. Call the box office at 860 767 7318 for more information.

SOUTH PACIFIC opens at the Ivoryton Playhouse on July 1st and runs through July 26th, 2015. Performance times are Wednesday and Sunday matinees at 2pm. Evening performances are Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30pm, Friday and Saturday at 8pm.  There will be no performance on July 4th; there will be two additional Saturday matinees on July 18th and 25th at 2pm and one additional matinee on Thursday, July 16th.

Tickets are $42 for adults, $37 for seniors, $20 for students and $15 for children and are available by calling the Playhouse box office at 860-767-7318 or by visiting our website at www.ivorytonplayhouse.org  (Group rates are available by calling the box office for information.) The Playhouse is located at 103 Main Street in Ivoryton.

*denotes member of Actors Equity

Members of the press are welcome at any performance.  Please call ahead for tickets.

Generously sponsored by Middlesex Hospital, Middle Oak and Guilford Savings Bank.

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Check out these production sketches from Dan Nischan, Scenic Designer for South Pacific:

 

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Purchase at the theatre:  $20.00

Order by mail:  $23.00

Limited printing!  Get them while they’re hot!

The summer season opens at the Ivoryton Playhouse with the US professional premier of one of the UK’s most popular shows, Calendar Girls.  Adapted by Tim Firth from his smash hit Miramax film of the same name, it is based on an inspiring true story about a group of extraordinary women who persuade one another to pose au natural for a charity calendar to raise money to help support a cancer unit.

Ivoryton Playhouse is following the lead of these amazing women and will be producing a calendar of the theatre’s Calendar Girls with a portion of the proceeds going to support local cancer charities:  Terri Brodeur Breast Cancer Foundation, Little Wonder, Valley Shore YMCA – Hope is Power Program and Middlesex Hospital‘s Center for Survivorship and Integrative Medicine.

The girls (and guys!) showing off their assets in the calendar are:  Jacqui Hubbard, (Playhouse Artistic/Executive Director and director of the production); Beverley Taylor (Ivoryton’s Company Manager), Vickie Blake, Danielle Bonanno, Erik Bloomquist, Victoria Bundonis*, R. Bruce Connelly*, Lily Dorment*, David Edwards*, Katrina Ferguson*, Maggie McGlone Jennings, and Maria Silverman*.

The July 2015 – June 2016 calendars will be available for purchase from the Ivoryton Playhouse for $20.00.  Photography was donated by Chris Devlin Photography (http://devlinphotography.com) and the calendar printing is sponsored by Essex Printing.

Calendar Girls is a dazzlingly funny, shamelessly sentimental and utterly captivating play – one of the best- selling comedies in British theatre history.

Calendar Girls opens at the Ivoryton Playhouse on June 3rd and runs through June 21st, 2015. Performance times are Wednesday and Sunday matinees at 2pm. Evening performances are Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30pm, Friday and Saturday at 8pm.

Tickets are $42 for adults, $37 for seniors, $20 for students and $15 for children and are available by calling the Playhouse box office at 860-767-7318 or by visiting our website at www.ivorytonplayhouse.org  (Group rates are available by calling the box office for information.) The Playhouse is located at 103 Main Street in Ivoryton.

*denotes member of Actors Equity

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Calendar Girls is a smash hit:

THE FRONT ROW: Calendar Girls premiers in U.S. at Ivoryton Playhouse
By Brooks Appelbaum
Special to the Times

To read the whole review in the Shoreline Times, please follow this link:  http://shorelinetimes.com/articles/2015/06/08/life/doc5575e2765ff32008268896.txt

“Any production of Calendar Girls depends on the talents of the “calendar girls” themselves, and on their rapport with each other as an ensemble. Here, Hubbard succeeds without a doubt. She is a waiflike and vulnerable Annie. As Cora, the rebellious vicar’s daughter and church organist, Maria Silverman expertly conveys a woman who hides a keen sorrow under her outrageous antics. Beverley J. Taylor (also Ivoryton’s Company Manager) shines as Chris, an Amazonian beauty who has the brassy bravery to match. As Jessie, the groups’ oldest and wisest and, arguably, wittiest member, Maggie McGlone-Jennings is not only spot on, but inspirational — to her onstage friends, and to every woman in the audience as well. Celia is forced to play golf all day if she wants to lay eyes on her golf crazy husband: as played by the majestic and mischievous Katrina Ferguson, Celia’s explosion of contempt for the snooty etiquette of the golfing set is one of the high moments in the show. And finally, Lily Dorment is a winning, touching Ruth: when she finally stands up for herself, you want to cheer……..”

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Talkin’ Broadway
Regional Reviews by Zander Opper

Tim Firth’s Calendar Girls, based on the 2003 film and currently making its U.S. debut at Ivoryton Playhouse, is a delightful, frequently hilarious lark of a play that is a real treat to watch. The plot concerns a group of middle-aged British women who decide to raise money by appearing in a highly risqué calendar, which leads to all sorts of unexpected results. Calendar Girls has been exceedingly well cast, with each of the six leading ladies getting a chance to shine. There is also an undercurrent of sorrow beneath the laughs that adds an extra dimension and gives the show real heart.

That element of sadness concerns one of the women’s husbands (nicely played by R. Bruce Connelly) developing cancer. Indeed, this proves to be the catalyst for this group of ladies deciding to pose for the calendar to raise money. I am loath to reveal any more of the plot other than to say that it takes off in all sorts of humorous directions.

One of the real joys of Calendar Girls is watching the marvelous performances of the six actresses at the center of the show. As Annie, the wife of the character who develops cancer, Jacqueline Hubbard gives a multi-shaded portrayal, mixing melancholy with bursts of joy. It should be mentioned that Jacqueline Hubbard is not only the Artistic Director of Ivoryton Playhouse, but also the director of Calendar Girls. She acquits herself quite well both as an actress and as the director of this production.

As the spiciest character in the play, Celia, Katrina Ferguson is a real live wire and generates some of the biggest laughs. I saw Katrina Ferguson play the buttoned up Lady Bracknell in a recent production of The Importance of Being Earnest and it is a delicious pleasure to watch her in such a sassy, sexy role. Also shining brightly are Beverley J. Taylor as the fun-loving Chris, who comes up with the idea of doing the calendar, and Lily Dorment, who displays terrific range as Ruth, a woman who goes from inhibited to adventurous.

Rounding out the group of women, Maria Silverman is a great deal of fun as Cora, who wins laughs with an unexpected tattoo. As the oldest character in the show, Jessie, the terrific Maggie McGlone Jennings is a real scream, displaying deadpan looks that threaten to stop (and steal) the show. The other performers do equally fine work (notably Victoria Bundonis as Marie and David Edwards as one of the husbands) but, ultimately, this play really belongs to the six leading ladies.

Calendar Girls is an often deliriously funny show. This is a play that truly gets funnier as it goes along. Still, even amongst all the laughter, one really comes to care for these six women, and it is their camaraderie as a group, as well as their noble effort to raise money for a good cause, that illuminates the play. Calendar Girls at Ivoryton Playhouse proves to be an extremely enjoyable show and, as such, is most highly recommended—but don’t be surprised if you find yourself wiping away a tear even as you laugh.

Calendar Girls continues performances at Ivoryton Playhouse in Ivoryton, CT through June 21, 2015. For tickets, please visit www.ivorytonplayhouse.org or call the box office at (860) 767-7318.

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Don Church and Anthony Schillaci
Critics on the Aisle
examiner.com

“…….. Jacqui Hubbard, Artistic/Executive Director of the Ivoryton Playhouse, heads the production with skillful blocking and brings out the best in each actor. She is also wonderfully poignant and mischievous in the role of Annie, who loses her husband John (sympathetically played by R. Bruce Connelly) to cancer. Ivoryton’s Company Manager Beverley Taylor gives a hilarious performance in the role of Chris – somewhat the instigating ‘leader of the pack’ who will shed her clothes at the drop of a towel. Ms. Taylor lights up the stage with her luminous personality and perfect comic timing in every scene.”

To read the whole review follow this link:

http://www.examiner.com/review/riotous-fun-at-ct-s-ivoryton-playhouse-with-us-premiere-of-calendar-girls

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More than Months in a Calendar
By Geary Danihy

http://ctcritics.org/reviews/danihy/calendar.html

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Our thanks to Outthink for producing this great vid!

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US Premier of the Number 1 UK comedy
Calendar Girls
by Tim Firth
at the Ivoryton Playhouse

Ivoryton – The summer season opens in Ivoryton with the US professional premier of one of the UK’s most popular shows, Calendar Girls.

Adapted by Tim Firth from his smash hit Miramax film of the same name, it is based on an inspiring true story that is both poignant and hilarious.  A group of extraordinary women, members of a very ordinary Yorkshire Women’s Institute, spark a global phenomenon by persuading one another to pose au natural for a charity calendar with a difference!  As interest snowballs, the Calendar Girls find themselves revealing more than they’d ever planned!

Dazzlingly funny, shamelessly sentimental and utterly captivating, this is one of the best- selling shows in British theatre history. It will make you laugh, cry and walk out singing Jerusalem!

The fundraising phenomenon of the Calendar Girls was inspired by the death of Angela Baker’s husband, John Richard Baker, an Assistant National Park Officer for the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, who died from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at the age of 54 in 1998. During his illness Angela’s friends began to raise money, initially with the aim of purchasing a sofa for the visitors’ lounge in the hospital where John was treated. Nothing could have prepared them for the way their original calendar took off (selling 202,000 copies in its first year). To date they have raised over £3 million for Leukemia & Lymphoma Research, the UK’s leading blood cancer charity.

The Ivoryton Playhouse will also be using this opportunity to raise awareness for several cancer charities. Wednesday, June 3rd at 7:30 is Cancer Survivor Night – half price adult ticket price for those individuals who have survived the challenge of cancer. Participating organizations include Terri Brodeur Breast Cancer Foundation, Little Wonder, Valley Shore YMCA – Hope is Power Program and Middlesex Hospital‘s Center for Survivorship and Integrative Medicine.

Jacqui Hubbard, Artistic/Executive Director, is directing the production and is also stepping on stage in the role of Annie. Beverley Taylor, Ivoryton Company Manager, will be joining her in the role of Chris.

“We are both Northern English lasses” says Hubbard, “I spent four years trying to get the rights to produce this wonderful play and though directing and performing at the same time will be a challenge, I knew I had to do it. These women are in our bones and it will be a rare treat to get to step in front of the curtain for a change”.

Joining them on stage are Vickie Blake, Danielle Bonanno, Erik Bloomquist, Victoria Bundonis*, R. Bruce Connelly*, Lily Dorment*, David Edwards*, Katrina Ferguson*, Maggie McGlone Jennings, and Maria Silverman*.

Set design is by Tony Andrea, lighting design by Marcus Abbott and costume design by Cully Long.

Calendar Girls opens at the Ivoryton Playhouse on June 3rd and runs through June 21st, 2015. Performance times are Wednesday and Sunday matinees at 2pm. Evening performances are Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30pm, Friday and Saturday at 8pm.

Tickets are $42 for adults, $37 for seniors, $20 for students and $15 for children and are available by calling the Playhouse box office at 860-767-7318 or by visiting our website at www.ivorytonplayhouse.org  (Group rates are available by calling the box office for information.) The Playhouse is located at 103 Main Street in Ivoryton.
*denotes member of Actors Equity.  Members of the press are welcome at any performance.  Please call ahead for tickets.

Generously sponsored by PCI Medical

CALENDAR GIRLS opens on June 3rd and runs through June 21st.

For tickets visit  www.ivorytonplayhouse.org or call the Box Office at 860 767 7318

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