Dave Brinnel
The Cher Show
By Mark G. Auerbach
The Bushnell Announces its 2020-21 Broadway Lineup
The blockbuster musicals Wicked and Hamilton are the centerpieces of The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts 2020-21 season, which was recently announced. Eight plays and musicals will be Hartford-bound beginning this fall.
Wicked and Hamilton, currently sell-outs on Broadway, are making their return multi-week Hartford runs, alongside the current Broadway hits, Hadestown, a Tony Award-winner for “Best Musical” (plus 7 other Tonys), and Mean Girls, a musicalization of the film, co-written by Tina Fey. The Cher Show, a biographical musical about the rise of Cher, using the music she made famous, and Pretty Woman, a musical version of the beloved film, played Broadway last season. The Lincoln Center revival of My Fair Lady comes to Hartford, alongside last season’s acclaimed play, What The Constitution Means to Me, A Tony nominee for “Best Play” and a Pulitzer Prize finalist.
Current season ticket holders will receive renewal packets soon, and new series tickets will go on sale in early summer, with single tickets available later this year.
The remainder of the current Bushnell Broadway season is on hold. The Band’s Visit status is pending, and no announcements have been made regarding Dear Evan Hansen or Margaritaville.
For details: www.bushnell.org.
Of Note
Jacob’s Pillow, the internationally renowned dance festival in Becket, has cancelled its 2020 summer season, due to concerns for audience, artists, and staff safety during the COVID19 outbreak. For details: www.jacobspillow.org.
Barrington Stage has cancelled the first production of the season, The Great Leap and will now open with Anna in the Tropics on June 18. For details: www.barringtonstageco.org.
Playhouse on Park has cancelled its upcoming production of Ugly Lies The Bone. For schedule revisions and online offerings: https://playhouseonpark.org/web2/planyourvisit.html
Berkshire Theatre Group has adjusted its 2020 summer season, which now begins on August 1 with the musical, Godspell, on the Fitzpatrick Main Stage. They’re Playing Our Song opens at the Unicorn on August 8. Next up at the Unicorn is And a Nightingale Sang, in its original fall slot, opening on September 24. Over Labor Day weekend, Letters to the President originally scheduled for July, will run for two very special performances at The Colonial Theatre. Also at The Colonial Theatre, Disney’s The Little Mermaid Jr. will swim into late October, and Peter Pan will fly from summer to the holiday season, in December. Other spring and summer shows previously announced will be postponed, with new dates to be determined. BTG will also offer weekly online talks and classes and “couch concerts”. For details: www.berkshiretheatregroup.org.
Keep in Mind: Online
Dave Brinnel, the WMass night club entertainer for the past four decades, will stream an online concert from his home on April 16, at 8PM.t Live From The Living Room promises to entertain shut-in fans throughout the region and the country. Brinnel is an entertainer in the classic style. A versatile singer and joke teller with a vast piano repertoire, Dave leaves audiences singing, laughing, and tapping their feet. Stream on Facebook: https://bit.ly/344evtt
James Barry, the local actor, director and musician, has created a novel fundraiser. You choose a song to dedicate to someone else. He records the song, posts it to YouTube, and splits the fee with a non-profit. For details: https://www.jamesbarrystuff.com/. To see an example, here he is, accompanied by his wife, actor Tara Franklin. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grIgDhdtgzQ&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR3LdBhnExGpobb0Tr7gC5IJaabTSogYiTb3W63sSJzWLahOW_fW1a7xVzU
The Boston Symphony Orchestra has launched BSO at Home: Listening, six weeks of daily curated archival offerings available each weekday at 10AM. The program includes: masterworks of the Classical period (Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven), April 6-12; BSO performances of musical landmarks of the 20th century (Copland, Shostakovich, Bartók), April 13-19; performances highlighting the French tradition and the BSO (Debussy, Ravel, Berlioz, Bizet), April 20-26; a focus on the BSO and the Romantic Age (Tchaikovsky, Brahms, and Strauss), April 27-May 3. For details: www.bso.org/athome
Many Broadway shows and concerts are being streamed. The best resources to find listings are: BroadwayWorld.com and Playbill.com
TheaterWorks/Hartford presents Living Room concerts on Wednesdays, which stream on Instagram and Facebook. For details: https://twhartford.org/events/rebecca_hart_live/
Springfield Symphony Homegrown offers online chats and music weekly. The series premiered last week with Maestro Kevin Rhodes. For details: www.springfieldsymphony.org.
Hartford Stage streams Scene and Heard online chats and parties on Wednesdays. This Wednesday, at 4PM, Martin Zimmerman, whose play On The Exhale with Tara Franklin was a major hit for Chester Theatre. He’s working on a world premiere with Hartford Stage.For details and to RSVP: www.hartfordstage.org.
Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber is providing his musicals for streaming. https://www.youtube.com/theshowsmustgoon
Mark G. Auerbach studied theatre at American University and the Yale School of Drama. He’s worked for arts organizations and reported on theatre for newspapers and radio. Mark produces and hosts ArtsBeat Radio for 89.5fm/WSKB, and is a contributor to Pioneer Valley Radio.
