The Ridgefield Independent Film Festival (RIFF) is back on May 18th to 21st 2023. This will be an exciting year for the festival as it will host 46 films and 4 parties over 4 days. The festival will be 100% live with no virtual events. Festival films will be screened at Keeler Tavern, Ridgefield Theater Barn, Prospector Theater, Ridgefield Library and the Ridgefield Playhouse. This is an amazing event right in our backyard with films that you just will not see anywhere else.
Thursday May 18th will be a day full of screenings. Student films, Made in Connecticut documentary, and Iranian Cinema Shorts are just some of the events. Thursday evening will feature the Opening Night Reception, and screening of “A Little White Lie”. The movie is based on the book “Shriver” and the author, Chris Belden will be in attendance for a Q & A session following the screening
Scene from ” A Little White Lie”
Friday May 19th the festival will be in full swing with Essential Documentaries, an International feature, Iranian Cinema Feature, and Black Flag Shorts. On Friday night the festival will present the Featured Rom-Com “Hard Shell, Soft Shell”. The screening will include a signature cocktail, dessert reception and a Q&A with the filmmakers. We always enjoy the Q& A sessions as it is a fantastic way to gain insight into the making and the meaning of the film.
Saturday May 20th will be a full day with events at both the Ridgefield Theater Barn and Keeler Tavern. The day will kick off with Breakfast and a Rom Com featuring “His Girl Friday”. It will be followed by a made in Connecticut documentary, a short film program and more. The Barn will host the Saturday Night Flick, “Daddy” with Hot Dogs from Chez Leonard and craft beer from Ridgefield’s own Nod Hill Brewery. The night at the barn will wrap with Psych Night, a collection of short films.
Also on Saturday over at Keeler, there will be documentaries, short films and a featured documentary, “JessZilla”. That film will be followed by a Q& A.
Sunday will wrap up with brunch and the awards presentation to the filmmakers.
The Ridgefield Independent Film Festival is a great way to experience independent film, and meet and talk with filmmakers. The festival is a real treasure and the perfect way to spend the weekend. So come out and support the art of filmmaking. You might just be watching the next Steven Spielberg.
Now on stage at the Music Theatre of Connecticut MainStage, Fairfield County’s professional award is t the very funny comedy, I Hate Hamlet by Paul Rudnick. The production had the audience laughing during the entire performance.
The play involves Andrew Rally, a young and successful television star who has ended a run on his network show and is looking for work. His agent, Lillian convinces him to move to New York City and take on the role of Hamlet in Shakespeare in the Park. Andrew decides to make the move though he is overwhelmed with doubt that he can make the jump from tv drama actor to Shakespeare. His realtor Felicia, shows him an old apartment where the famous actor John Barrymore once lived. Felicia thinks the apartment is perfect as Barrymore himself once played Hamlet.
Andrew has a problem. He does not like the apartment , he misses Los Angeles and he hates Hamlet! What is an out of work television actor to do? With the help of the realtor (who claims to be a psychic), his girlfriend Deidre (who loves Shakespeare) and the agent (who had a brief affair with Barrymore), a séance is performed in the apartment to contact the spirit of John Barrymore. The madcap comedy really starts to roll as the ghost of Barrymore, dressed as Hamlet appears.
Though he doubts he can actually perform as Hamlet, the ghost of Barrymore who partakes of champagne and other spirits, challenges Andrew to a sword fight in the apartment. The fight scenes arranged by Dan O’Driscoll who also plays Barrymore are quite impressive and realistic and still the scene is quite funny. More humor roles in as Gary, a producer from L.A. enters in an attempt to lure Andrew away from his new role with promises of a new television series and a lucrative contract. His over the top performance had the audience in stitches. Torn in two directions, what will Andrew do?
The Actors Equity cast is hilarious and the comedic timing is spot on. Directed by Kevin Conners who delivers yet another wonderful production to the MTC stage.
I Hate Hamlet will run three weekends from February 3rd – 19th, 2023 with performances on Fridays & Saturday at 8pm and Saturdays & Sundays at 2pm. I Hate Hamlet stars Constantine Pappas (Nat’l Tour- Phantom of the Opera, Off B’wayPenelope) as Andrew, Dan O’Driscoll (Off B’way- The Pirates of Penzance, Babes in Toyland) as John Barrymore, Elena Ramos Pascullo (Florida Studio Theatre- Something Rotten, MTC- The Buddy Holly Story) as Deirdre, Liliane Klein (Nat’l Tour- Scrooge, Titanic) as Felicia, Robert Anthony Jones (B’way- Finding Neverland, Nat’l Tour- Phantom of the Opera) as Gary, and Jo Anne Parady (Players Club- The Life of Shakespeare, Stratford Shakespeare Festival- Othello) as Lillian.
Support local theater!!
Ticket prices range from $40-$65 plus fees and can be purchased online
A hilarious zany comedy is now on stage at the Music Theater of Connecticut. Lend me a Tenor was first produced on the West End (London) in 1986 and on Broadway in 1989. The play was nominated for nine Tony awards, and won two. It also was nominated for six Drama Desk awards and won four. Now this comedy is on stage until November 20th. It is truly in the style of modern British comedy with exaggerated acting, physical comedy, over the top characters and a clever set that is a vital part of the story.
Hold on to your armrests as you may just fall out of your seat from laughing too hard! The play is set in a hotel suite in Cleveland Ohio in 1934. An internationally famous opera tenor, Tito Merelli is coming to Cleveland to perform the famous role of Pagliacci the clown. His anticipated arrival is a huge event for the local theater which is betting their season on this performance. Merelli is quite the ladies man and when he arrives we discover that all the women in the play are all trying to seduce him with the exception of his wife who storms out of the hotel after she suspects him of an affair. Act One soon gets turned on his head as Merelli mixes too many sleeping pills and wine. The theater manager fearing that his star is dead asks his assistant Max to don the make up and costume of Pagliacci and assume his role that very evening on stage. If the play is cancelled it could spell disaster for the theater.
The stage design is an integral and very important part of the comedy. The stage is one large hotel suite with a partial wall that divides the bedroom from the sitting area. The audience can see all the action in both rooms but the characters cannot. There are also 5 doors that exit the room, two to closets, one to the bathroom and two to the corridor. These doors are part of this very over the top physical comedy as the actors race in and out of the doors. Act Two turns the whole story on its head. Is Merelli the word famous tenor really dead? Or just in a deep sleep? Is there room for two operatic clowns in this comedy? Will Max overcome his fears and appear on stage as Pagliacci and save the day? You will have to see to find out.
Direction of this witty, fast moving comedy is essential for its success. Timing in comedy is everything and director Pamela Hill brings out the comedic best in this ensemble of fine actors. From rapid fire delivery to exaggerated facial expressions, the delivery is right on target.
Lend Me A Tenorstars Frank Mastrone (B’way- Phantom, Jekyll & Hyde, BIG) as Tito Merelli, Jeff Gurner(B’way- The Lion King, MTC- Sunset Boulevard) as The Bellboy, Michael Damian Fasano (Tour of Jersey Boys, Summer Theatre of New Canaan- West Side Story) as Max, Cynthia Hannah (TV- The Guiding Light, All My Children) as Maria, Jim Schilling(Hamlet with Tony Roberts, South Pacific with Jamie Farr) as Henry Saunders, Jo Anne Parady (Players Club- The Life of Shakespeare, Stratford Shakespeare Festival– Othello) as Julia, Emily Solo (Charlottesville Opera- Sound of Music, New Camerata Opera- Infinite Energy) as Diana, andAlexandra Fortin (Red Monkey Group- HeddaGabler, Gallery Players- Steel Magnolias) as Maggie Saunders.
Lend Me A Tenor is stage managed by Abbey Murray. The creative team includes fight and intimacy choreography by Dan O’Driscoll, scenic and prop design by Sean Sanford, lighting design by RJ Romeo, costume design by Diane Vanderkroef, and sound design by Will Atkin.
Ticket prices range from $40-$65 plus fees and can be purchased online. Support local theater!
Sunset Blvd. the Tony Award winning musical is now live on stage at the Music Theatre of Connecticut (MTC) in Norwalk . The music is by Andrew Lloyd Webber and book and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton. The musical based on the 1949 movie by director Billy Wilder and opened in London’s West End in 1993 with Patti Lapone as the lead actress. In 1994 it opened on Broadway and with Glenn Close as lead actress and the play won Tony’s for Best Original Score, Best Book and Lyrics, Best Actress as well as other accolades.
MTC is a small theater that consistently produces top quality performances featuring actors with Broadway, off-Broadway, and National Tour experience. This is all produced in an intimate black-box theater setting where the audience sits on three sides of the stage and is so close, you feel you are in the performance itself. It is quite the experience. Sunset Blvd which runs through October 2nd is a Broadway quality musical right in our backyard.
The setting is Hollywood in 1949-1950. Our main character is silent movie star Norma Desmond (Elizabeth Ward Land) who like so many silent movie era stars was cast aside by the Hollywood studios when sound replaced silent movies. Her desire is to return to the big screen and has even written her own screenplay, but she is shunned by the studios. By fortune, she crosses paths with Joe Gillis (Trevor Martin), who is down on his luck screen writer who spends more time dodging bill collectors then writing for the studios. Norma sees an opportunity and hires Joe to edit and improve her screenplay. But he must move into her house and work exclusively for her. Seduced by her stardom and wealthy lifestyle, Joe is persuaded to take on the work. He soon finds himself longing for the world outside Norma’s estate. He had promised a young studio assistant, Betty to collaborate on a script together. But this they must do in secrecy without Norma or her ever present and loyal butler, Max(James Patterson) finding out.
There is sadness in the story as Norma has grand delusions of returning to the silver screen and the studios that cast her aside at the end of the silent movie era. As the new year approaches with the optimism of her return and is echoed by the songs, “The Perfect Year” and “This Time Next Year”.
However despite these dreams, the story spirals downward to its dramatic conclusion.
Sunset Blvd is a first rate production. Since this is a large 12 member cast and a small stage, set design is limited but clever. Costumes, especially those worn by Norma evoke the era of Hollywood in its glamour era. You will walk away from the show impressed by the vocal performances. Elizabeth Ward Land as Norma amazed the audience with an award winning performance. Her vocals were powerful, emotional and mesmerizing. She has performed on Broadway no less than 6 times and she thrilled the theater the evening we attended. We were also very impressed with the vocals of Max the Butler played by James Patterson. At first limited to a talking role, Mr. Patterson impressed the audience with his deep and moving rendition of “The Greatest Star of All”. As always Kevin Connors delivers yet another directing triumph.
MTC’s revival of Sunset Blvd. delivers everything you expect from a Broadway show. The evening is filled with emotion, power, tragedy, the glamour of bygone Hollywood all wrapped in a beautiful musical performance. With Broadway talent and first rate production, why travel all the way to Manhattan when you can see great theatre so close?
Sunset Boulevard stars Elizabeth Ward Land (B’way- Amazing Grace, Memphis) as Norma Desmond and Trevor Martin (Wolfbane Prod.- Sweeney Todd, Sharon PH- Beauty & the Beast) and Joe Gillis. The cast also includes James Patterson (B’way- Beauty & The Beast, Gigi) as Max von Mayerling, Sandra Marante (Radio City Christmas Spectacular, Westport Country PH- In The Heights) as Betty Shaefer, Jacob Sundlie (MTC- Ragtime, Shawnee PH- Addams Family) as Artie Green, and in multiple roles is Philip Callen (Legacy Theatre Deathtrap, Urban Stages- Honky), Jeff Gurner (B’way- The Lion King, MTC- Falsettoland), Paul Aguirre (Nat’l Tour- Billy Elliot, Seussial), Matt Grasso (MTC- It’s A Wonderful Life, ACT of CT- Joseph…Dreamcoat), Helen Clare (SToNC- YAGM Charlie Brown, Honky Tonk Angels), Emily Solo (Charlottesville Opera- Sound of Music, New Camerata Opera- Infinite Energy), and Leigh Klinger (Sharon PH- Beauty & the Beast, Mac-Haydn Theatre- Sunset Blvd.)
Sunset Boulevard is directed by Kevin Connors with musical direction by David John Madore and choreography by Corinne C. Broadbent. Abbey Murray stage manages alongside the creative team which includes scenic design by Lindsay Fuori, lighting design by RJ Romeo, costume design by Diane Vanderkroef, prop design by Sean Sanford, and sound design by Will Atkin.
Ticket prices range from $40-$65 plus fees and can be purchased online.
MTC Music Theatre of Connecticut
phone (203-454-3883). MTC MainStage is located at 509 Westport Ave. in Norwalk, Ct
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