Audience Reacts to Showstoppers

Recently I contacted people who attended the opening night of "Showstoppers" at Playhouse on Park and here is what they said:

The best stop/time show yet. Don't miss it. A must for all dancers and wanna be dancers.

Jane Emerson  - Farmington

Showstoppers was a GREAT show...I loved the contrast in performances that lead up to an amazing finale. I was there with five of my girlfriends and we were on our feet at the end!

Kelley O'Shea - Vernon

At times I felt as if I were viewing snippets of a Broadway show. Having been a theater minor, I really got a kick out of the brief references to many Broadway shows.The costumes were so wonderfully bold and truly highlighted by the gorgeous, trim bodies of the dancers. I was impressed with the amount of acts there were this year. Truly a wonderful show that showcased all of the hard work and dedication of these talented dancers. Keep up the good work!

Audrey Saharek - Wethersfield

Great show. We really enjoyed it.

Denese Sullivan - Meriden

Very enthusiastic, my wife and I enjoyed it very much. It was very stimulating and artistic. We recommended  it to our daughter.

Richard Brigham - Windsor

Showstoppers was the perfect balance of dance, song, costume and theater. We were so impressed with the choreography and the blending of vocal numbers with dance. The vocalists and dancers were fabulous. In fact, we enjoyed ourselves so much that we are going to attend another performance this week.

Lynn and Lee Sherman - West Hartford

Fabulous. Very appropriate for older citizens. I thought they did an excellent job, and I didn't even fall asleep.

Bob Cave - West Hartford

I absolutely loved Showstoppers. It was much more than I had been expecting. The level of professionalism was fantastic, the stamina of the cast, absolutely incredible. I would recommend this show to anyone who needs a lift or anyone who wants to feel good, and it's affordable! Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Pam Leibow - South Windsor

I can honestly say I was smiling so much during Showstoppers that my lips were quivering. What great choreography, song selections, acting and dancing. This troupe is a jewel and more people should know about them.

Mary deManbey - Manchester

I attended the show with my nine year old granddaughter Sarah and in her words, the show was amazing! I smiled from from the opening number to the finale. The show was upbeat, the costumes were wonderful, and the dancing was non stop. Actually we are calling for more tickets to attend the show again. Kudos to Darlene and her dancers. We did not want the show to end. Thanks for a wonderful evening.

Marge Patefield - Enfield

We loved it. The staging, costumes and dances. The dancers were very talented and dynamic.

Elodie Plan - West Hartford

The performers were in great form and the fifteen costume changes added more pizazz  to their dancing. My foot never stopped tapping and I sang along mentally to all the great selections. Definitely an exhilarating and fun night fun night at Playhouse on Park. Having just moved here from Florida, I ran to the box office and purchased tickets to the next three shows.

Robert Italia - St. Petersberg

Thanks for your comments, keep them coming. Don't miss our next three shows: Golda's Balcony, Metamorphoses and Swinging on a Star. Maybe you'll be sitting next to Robert, you know he's going to be there.

Don't Stop This Show

That's what you'll be saying mere minutes into "Showstoppers" the latest production from Playhouse on Park's resident dance company, the stop/time Dance Theater, under the direction of Darlene Zoller.

Ms. Zoller conceived, directed and choreographed this rollicking great time.  She has filled this extravaganza with  popular tunes from some of Broadway's most recognizable shows, such as 42nd Street, Guys & Dolls, How To Succeed in Business, Chicago and You're A Good Man Charlie Brown and more.

Playhouse on Park veterans Hillary Ekwall and Rick Fountain reprise their roles from You're A Good Man Charlie Brown and Chicago respectively. Both appeared in Playhouse on Park's production of those shows last summer.

The entire company sings and dances with the unbridled passion they all have for their craft and having the opportunity to share it with others excites them. That excitement will thunder through the theater and pulsate through your veins, causing you to snap your fingers and tap your toes, perhaps even dance in your seat.

The uncontrollable urge to seat dance will be accentuated with an amazing light show, stellar sound, sexy costumes and sizzling hot dance routines, all to tunes you know and love and if you don't, you will after watching Showstoppers.

Come watch the entire company shake their derrieres and everything else God gave them. You are sure to be shaking your body on the way out, I know I did, but luckily no one saw, or they probably would have called an ambulance.

Showstoppers is at Playhouse on Park April 21 -29th. Call or visit the box office to reserve your seats today! Michael Barker, Lisa B. Caffyn, Lynsey Chartier, Becky Correale, Carolyn Cumming, Hillary Ekwall, Ali Forman, Rick Fountain, Constance Gobeille, Erica Misenti, Laurie Misenti, Spencer Pond, Sheri Righi, Melissa B. Shannon, Courtney Woods and Darlene Zoller can't wait to see you!

Why The Playhouse Hates Me

Apparently a once mutually adoring relationship between me and the management of Playhouse on Park has been replaced with a deep-seeded, burns when you pee animosity. This is news to me, because until just recently, I thought we had a Kumbaya, funny groin feeling you got climbing the rope in gym class relationship.

***Song break***
Kumbaya my Lord, kumbaya.
Kumbaya my Lord, kumbaya.
Kumbaya my Lord, kumbaya.
Oh Lord, kumbaya.

Someone's singing Lord, kumbaya.
Someone's singing Lord, kumbaya.
Someone's singing Lord, kumbaya.
Oh Lord, kumbaya.

Yadda, yadda, yadda, some one's laughing, crying, praying and sleeping, Oh Lord, kumbaya.
***End song break***

The news surrounding the demise of our storied relationship was first delivered by a cruel and unforgiving internet, specifically the calendar section of the Playhouse on Park website. (http://www.playhouseonpark.org/)

There you can access the complete calendar of upcoming events, as I did last Monday afternoon, while sitting alone in the box office. I stared at the calendar in shock. "How is this possible?" I wondered, as I simmered in disbelief. "How am I going to get all this information to the masses?" I said to myself as my simmering turned to a slow boil. It's obviously a mistake, there's no way all that information can fit on our marquee.

Striding confidently from the box office out to the marquee, secure in the knowledge that the plethora of events was an innocent mistake. Standing outside the theatre, looking up, I shook my head and laughed off the apparent over-booking.

Seconds later the animosity presented itself as Artistic Director Darlene Zoller delivered the decisive blow, as she walked up behind me, obviously aware of my conundrum, and said "Next time I'm going to schedule six events." she snarled, knowing full well that the marquee can only promote four events.

I was dumbfounded as Darlene gleefully swooped into the Playhouse, laughing at me all the way. Then suddenly I envisioned Artistic Director Sean Harris and Executive Director Tracy Flater, also laughing at me in a "You'll shoot your eye out, you'll shoot your eye out" manner, just like they did to poor Ralphie in A Christmas Story.

Fine, game on playhouse. I accept your challenge. You want to schedule multiple events, appealing to a wide range of customers, in an effort to promote the playhouse and increase sales, I'm in. Not only will I display the perfect marquee, but I'll incorporate all that information in to a concise blog post.

Entrain: World Rhythm Band. Saturday, February 3rd at 8:00pm

Fire & Ice: Mad Science Stage Spectacular Saturday, Feb. 4th 2:00pm

Comedy Night: Saturday, February 4th at 8:00pm

The Amanda Carr Quintet: Saturday, February 11th at 8:00pm.

Entrain brings their eclectic mix of infectious, upbeat world rhythms and melodic catchy songs back to Playhouse on Park, after a succesful performance in Blue Back Square last June.

Fire & Ice, a children's show that deals with fire and the properties of combustion and ice, using dry ice to demonstrate the different states of matter.

Comedy night features the return of Peaches Rodriguez, our headliner. She is a veteran stand-up comic for over 12 years working in New York City. Some of her touring credits include; The Rivera Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas and the Jack Daniels Latino Comedy Festival.

Amanda Carr performs songs from the Great American songbook. She is a multi-styled vocalist/pianist that began professionally in her teens in the rock and pop genre, but in recent years has focused on fresh interpretations of the Great American Songbook.

Take that Playhouse on Park, you got served.

Gift Cards for Playhouse on Park

Gift cards nowadays seem to be all the rage. No more endlessly perusing store aisles for presents that will merit a forced smile and a curt response from the gift recipient. No more doing battle with aggressive shoppers who see you as an obstacle between them and the latest must have item. The gift card phenomenon puts all that unpleasantness behind you.

Come see all the pleasant people at Playhouse on Park and purchase a gift card for the theater-lover in your life. When you do, the recipient of your thoughtful gift will have to have plastic surgery to get the smile off their face.

You may as well have plastic surgery too, because the amount of time you saved and the aggravation you avoided will have you grinning like a Cheshire Cat.

Our gift cards are available in any amount and can be used for any event here at Playhouse on Park. Visit our website, www.playhouseonpark.org or stop by the box office for a season brochure. Feel free to call the box office at 860-523-5900 x 10 with any questions you have.

Open Mic Nights

Release your inner rock star. Be the Broadway star you always dreamed of and join us at Playhouse on Park for our wildly entertaining open mic nights on Saturday December 10th and 17th following the performances of "Company".

The open mic nights will be lead by Music Director Colin Britt. Bring him your own music, or choose from ours. Sing alone or with a group or just enjoy some live entertainment in a relaxed, night club-like environment. Light refreshments will be served. The event is BYOB.

The open mic nights are free and you do not need to have attended the performance. The festivites will begin about 10 or 15 minutes after the 8:00pm performances. At that time, audience members and newcomers will be allowed re-entry in to the theater.

So leave the hurried preparations of the holiday season behind for awhile and have a blast! Don't worry, we didn't invite Simon Cowell.

From The Playhouse News Desk

Cue the dramatic music. Enter the opening graphics. Lights up, close up on the news anchor and his finely coiffed hair. A flashy smile and a knowing wink precedes a vast amount of information.

"Our top story this day, Playhouse on Park subscriptions are all the rage. 2012 five show subscriptions are available at the box office, prices range from $60.00 to $130.00. Subscribers are entitled to unlimited exchanges, free gifts and $10.00 tickets to see Stephen Sondheim's "Company" which is on stage through December 18th.

Following the Saturday, December 10th and 17th performances of "Company" will be an open mic and sing along. Join members of the cast for this free event. You do not need to have attended the show. Bring your own music, choose from our music, sing alone, with a group or just sit and be entertained. The sing along will start about fifteen minutes after the show.

The Cast of "Company" will be appearing at West Hartford's Holiday Stroll on Thursday, December 1st at 6:00pm on the center stage at Blue Back Square. "Company" is now playing at Playhouse on Park through December 18th.

For this week only "Falcetti Friday" will be on Thursday, December 1st at Falcetti Music's Blue Back Square location from 5:00 - 8:00pm. Playhouse on Park performers entertain you amidst some gorgeous pianos. Light snacks and beverages provided.

Attention adult actors, Playhouse on Park is holding open auditions for "All I Really Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten" on Monday, December 5th from 7:30 to 9:30. Visit www.playhouseonpark.org for more details.

Vote for Playhouse on Park in the 2011 Broadway World.com Awards. A long list of playhouse favorites and fresh faces have been nominated and need your support. Voting has already begun. Visit http://ct.broadwayworld.com/vote2011region.cfm?region=connecticut.

That's all for now, check back for more exciting news from Playhouse on Park, West Hartford's professional theater."

Tickle Your Funny Bone

Are you stressed about having to clean your house and cook a huge Thanksgiving meal? Does the thought of your in-laws invading your home cause you to consider therapy? If so, you'll need some comic relief before and after the holiday. Lucky for you Playhouse on Park has the answers.

Wednesday, November 23rd at 8:00pm is comedy night. Comedians Johnny Rizzo and Mike Jacobs will take the stage. Mr. Rizzo is an Emmy Award nominee for "Hot Summer Nights New England Comedy Festival". He's appeared at all the top comedy clubs including Dangerfield's and Comic Strip. He has opened for acts like Jay Leno and Joan Rivers. His film credits include "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom Crystal Skull". Mr. Jacobs' edgy and intensely personal brand of autobiographical humor traces its roots back to the North end of Hartford where he was voted "funniest kid" in the 6th grade. His stories of "life" are hilarious and relevant to all. Tickets are $15.00.

Friday, November 25th at 8:00pm is the CT Cage Match Series, a no holds barred competition where two improv teams compete in a head-to-head competition. The audience decides the winner and moves on to the next round. Tickets are $10.00.

Or maybe you'd like to listen to your aunt complain about her sciatic nerve. Perhaps you'd like to hear your lovable, yet belligerent grandfather regale you with "Back in my day." stories. I'll bet your mother would be happy to offer you advice on how she thinks you should live your life.

If you haven't already made up your mind, perhaps you should consider therapy.