Palace Theatre announces 2013-2014 Webster Bank Broadway Season

Palace Theatre Lobby

The Palace Theatre in Waterbury was built in the early 1920’s was active cultural scene prior to WWII. Famous New England theater impresario Sylvester Z. Poli opened the venue in 1922, after investing $1 million in its opulent décor.  Designed by period architect Thomas Lamb in a Second Renaissance Revival style, the Palace Theater features an eclectic mix of Greek, Roman, Arabic and Federal motifs, grand lobby spaces and ornate dome ceilings, all in a palatial setting fit for a king.

Originally a movie/vaudeville house, the Palace evolved with the times over its 70 years of operation, presenting everything from silent films to Big Band music to contemporary rock concerts. Once considered the premiere performance venue in the Northeast, the Palace lights went dim in 1987. 

After 18 years of darkness and a $30 million three year renovation, restoration and expansion, the theater was transformed into a 90,000 square foot arena, housing a state-of-the-art theatrical facility in a historically preserved City landmark. Positioned as Greater Waterbury's Center for the Performing Arts, this exquisite complex now showcases a performance schedule boasting professional Broadway performances, educational programs, top-quality family entertainment and more.

Jersey Boys

The Palace Theatre is not resting on its’ laurel’s  and it getting ready to rock as it announces the 2013 - 2013-2014 Webster Bank Broadway Series that is paying tribute to some of the most iconic songs and biggest names in Rock and Roll history.

The season-long music fest kicks-off in October (9-13) with eight performances of Jersey Boys, the Tony Award-winning blockbuster musical about the rise of Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons.

Elf

In November (19-21), patrons will be rockin’ around the Christmas tree to the new holiday classic Elf The Musical, followed by the world-wide party musical Rock of Ages in March (21-22), featuring 28 classic 80’s songs by artists like Bon Jovi, Twisted Sister, Journey and more.

Hair

The musical series continues in May (2-4) with HAIR, a chart-topping and poignant musical journey through the tumultuous 1960s, and wraps up in June (6-8) with Million Dollar Quartet, the musical that united four of the world’s greatest rock and roll icons Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash.

As with any V.I.P. experience, becoming a Palace Theater Broadway subscriber has its benefits. Not only do customers reserve the same great seats for all five national touring Broadway productions, but they also receive a ten percent package savings on their tickets, as well as complimentary E-PASS privileges, which include advance email notice of new events with the opportunity to buy presale tickets before the general public.

Broadway Series subscription renewals for current subscribers are available and the Box Office is currently accepting orders for new subscribers. For more information or to receive a subscription brochure, call the Box Office at 203-346-2000 or visit www.palacetheaterct.org. For area information www.litchfieldhills.com.

Westport Country Playhouse Opens Season With “Into the Woods"

Into the Woods Laren Kennedy, Erik Liberman and Danielle Ferland

A 25^th anniversary production of the imaginative, fractured-fairy tale musical “Into the Woods” by James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim will be staged at the theater where Sondheim was an apprentice in 1950, Westport Country Playhouse, in Westport, CT, May 1 through May 26.  Directed by Mark Lamos, the Playhouse’s artistic director, the musical will open the historic theater’s 82^nd season. It is co-produced with Baltimore’s CENTERSTAGE.

A multiple Tony Award winner, “Into the Woods” takes the audience to a beguiling and dark place inspired by the Grimm fairy tales. Among the classic characters that wander the woods searching for fulfillment of their wishes are Cinderella and her wicked stepsisters, Little Red Ridinghood and the Wolf, Rapunzel and her Prince, and Jack of beanstalk fame.  As their fanciful tales intertwine, they are forced to confront the harsh reality of what actually happens after “happily ever after.”

Director Mark Lamos, who also serves as Westport Country Playhouse artistic director, has helmed Playhouse productions of “Twelfth Night, or What You Will”; “Lips Together, Teeth Apart”; “Happy Days”; “She Loves Me”; “The Breath of Life”; “That Championship Season”; and “Of Mice and Men.” His extensive New York credits include “Our Country’s Good,” for which he received a Tony Award nomination. A former artistic director at Hartford Stage, he received the 1989 Tony Award for the theater’s body of work.

The performance schedule is Tuesday at 8 p.m., Wednesday at 2 and 8 p.m., Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 3 and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m.  Special series feature A Taste of Tuesday, Previews, LGBT Night Out, Opening Night, Thursday TalkBack, Sunday Symposium and Backstage Pass. In addition, the Playhouse will offer an open captioned performance on Sunday, May 13, 3 p.m., for the hearing impaired.
For more information or tickets, call the box office at (203) 227-4177, or toll-free at 1-888-927-7529, or visit Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport. Tickets are available online 24/7 at www.westportplayhouse.org.

About the Playhouse


Westport Country Playhouse is a nationally recognized, not-for-profit, professional theater under the artistic direction of Mark Lamos and management leadership of Michael Ross.  The Playhouse creates five live theater experiences, produced at the highest level, from April through November. Its vital mix of works—dramatic, comedic, occasionally exploratory and unusual—expands the audience’s sense of what theater can be.  The depth and scope of its productions display the foremost theatrical literature from the past—recent as well as distant—in addition to musicals and premieres of new plays.  During the summer, the Playhouse is home to the Woodward Internship Program, renowned for the training of aspiring theater professionals.  Winter at the Playhouse, from November through March, offers events outside of the main season—Family Festivities presentations, Script in Hand play readings and a Holiday Festival.  In addition, businesses and organizations are encouraged to rent the handsome facility for their meetings, receptions and fundraisers.

Get Funky at Stage One Jan. 27!

The Fairfield Theater Company has featured more funk bands recently and is proud to present a new, young band on the rise. The buzz-worthy Brooklyn-based nine-piece powerhouse Sister Sparrow delivers a refreshingly cool blend of gut-busting soul, horns, earthy rock, and new school funk.

The band is led by singer Arleigh Kincheloe who is backed up by her brother Jackson on harmonica, Bram Kincheloe on drums, Aidan Carroll on bass, Sasha Brown on guitar, Ryan Snow on trombone, JJ Byars on alto saxophone, Johnny Butler on baritone saxophone, and Phil Rodriguez on trumpet. While Kincheloe is the main lyricist, the entire ensemble works together to produce the the musical arrangements.

As the New York Daily News puts it "Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds has been tearing up local clubs since 2008 with its rollicking blend of soul, funk and backwoods Americana rock 'n' roll, which draws even indifferent hipsters onto the dance floor. The pint-sized singer packs a voice that shakes the rafters, while her brother shreds the harmonica — which they've dubbed "the Mississippi saxophone."

If you're down with a solid group of talented young artists reviving one of the most timeless musical genres, inspired by Parliament Funkadelic, James Brown, The Meters, Deep Banana Blackout and Phish, Sister Sparrow is the show to see. One Facebook fan describes them as "a cross between Amy Winehouse and Tina Turner with Mick Jagger and a dose of the Squirrel Nut Zippers?"

Glide Magazine gushes, "The lead off track "Untie my Shoelaces" carries a swank strut and smooth guitar swing from Sasha Brown. Kincheloe's voice immediately jumps out front with a sexy, smoky vibe that belies her young age and will bring the boys up front all night long. Horn accents provide faultless fits and starts of melody both propelling the music forward and offering precise counterpoint to the bass and vocals. When backup vocals swerve in at the end, the bootays will shake and the lips will smile. This is just fun."

Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds

Date: Friday, Jan. 27
Doors: 7:00 PM
Show: 7:30 PM
Venue: StageOne 70 Sanford St., Fairfield, CT 06824
Tickets: $12 Buy tickets: Box Office: 203.259.1036 or buy online: www.fairfieldtheatre.org

FTC on the Horizon: Upcoming Shows to Watch Out For

Thu., Jan. 26 @ StageOne: The Malone Brothers – A collaboration of artists from The Radiators and The Subdudes
Sat., Jan. 28 @ StageOne: The English Beat – Punk reggae/ska masters
Sat., Feb. 4 @ StageOne: Christopher Robin Band – Fairfield's southern rocker with tales of pain, love and truth