All stories by Frank Rizzo on BroadwayStars

Wednesday, September 21, 2022

The Real Story Behind Long Wharf Theatre's Exit by Frank Rizzo

It was sometime in the late 1970s when I attended my first show at Long Wharf Theatre. I was new to New Haven and only knew of the theatre—then just a dozen years old—by its reputation f…

SOURCE: ShowRiz at 01:26PM
Wednesday, September 14, 2022

Numbers Returning to Pre-Pan Levels At Yale Art Gallery by Frank Rizzo

It’s taken more than two years but the Yale University Art Gallery has finally returned to pre-pandemic attendance numbers, a significant accomplishment in the arts industry, which was hit…

SOURCE: ShowRiz at 06:15PM
Tuesday, August 30, 2022

My Variety Review: 'All's Well That Ends Well' by Frank Rizzo

ALL PHOTOS BY JOAN MARCUS Get thee to Arden — or at least to the Arden depicted in the glorious, delightful and big-hearted music…

SOURCE: ShowRiz at 09:33PM
Sunday, August 28, 2022

Middlebury, Vt. Filmfest: More Films -- And Pictures by Frank Rizzo

Here’s a bunch of pictures from photographer Steve James off the 8th Annual Middlebury Filmmakers Festival which concludes today in this charming Vermont college town., Amtrak’s Ethan …

SOURCE: ShowRiz at 03:10PM
Saturday, August 27, 2022

Middlebury, Vt. Filmfest: The Week for New Filmmakers by Frank Rizzo

The second day of the festival was also filled with film, films and more films, both short and feature length from the U.S. as well as from around the world. What I liked about these films w…

SOURCE: ShowRiz at 06:38PM
Friday, August 26, 2022

Vermont New Filmmakers Fest: Middlebury Hosts Latest by Frank Rizzo

When our friends invited us up from New Haven to Middlebury, Vermont, it did’t take long to dash and buy our Amtrak tickets to the town’s new train stop on the Ethan Allen line (leavin…

SOURCE: ShowRiz at 02:53PM
Sunday, August 14, 2022

$14 Million Gift To Transform New Haven Symphony by Frank Rizzo

Transformative changes are ahead for the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, fueled by a historic multimillion-dollar gift that will create new outreach initiatives and a new home for its performa…

SOURCE: ShowRiz at 09:27AM
Sunday, August 7, 2022

My Review of 'Secondo' at TheaterWorks. by Frank Rizzo

The show: ”Secondo” at TheaterWorks Hartford What is it?: Jacques Lamarre’s sequel to his play-with-food show, “I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti,” based on the stories of author G…

SOURCE: ShowRiz at 10:26AM
Saturday, August 6, 2022

My Review: 'Anne of Green Gables' at Goodspeed by Frank Rizzo

The show: “Anne of Green Gables” at Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam. …

SOURCE: ShowRiz at 05:59PM
Wednesday, August 3, 2022

Connecticut VOICE Magazine To Honor LGBTQ+ Leaders At New Event At Foxwoods by Frank Rizzo

Connecticut VOICE, the state’s premier magazine dedicated exclusively to the LGBTQ+ community, will present the Inaugural Connecticut VOICE Honors Gala on Saturday, Sept. 17 at 6 p.m., at…

SOURCE: ShowRiz at 03:10PM
Monday, August 1, 2022

McEntee Named First Recipient Of New LGBTQ+ Theatre Writer Fellowship by Frank Rizzo

NEW YORK—The American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA) and Foundation ATCA have announced the first recipient of the ATCA Helbing fellowship for LGBTQ+ theater writers. Members of the He…

SOURCE: ShowRiz at 08:01AM
Tuesday, July 26, 2022

My Review: Broadway's "The Kite Runner" by Frank Rizzo

The show: “The Kite Runner” by Matthew Spangler at Helen Haynes Theatre, NYC What is it?: Play based on Khaled Hosseini’s fictional memoir and popular debut novel in 2003 about two Af…

SOURCE: ShowRiz at 08:33AM
Friday, July 22, 2022

Mu Uncle Pete at 105, an Italian Perennial by Frank Rizzo

My uncle Peter is seated peacefully in a lounge chair in a suburban Boston backyard. Feeling the sun warming his face, a gentle spring breeze against his skin and the call of a nearby goldfi…

SOURCE: ShowRiz at 08:27PM
Sunday, July 17, 2022

'Kim's Convenience' at Westport Playhouse by Frank Rizzo

The show: “Kim’s Convenience” by Ins Choi at Westport Country Playhouse …

SOURCE: ShowRiz at 01:46PM
Wednesday, July 13, 2022

Broadway's 'Into The Woods' Revival: My Best Time In The Theatre In Ages by Frank Rizzo

All photos by Matt Murphy and Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade. The show: “Into the Woods” at the St. James Theatre in NYC. What …

SOURCE: ShowRiz at 07:20PM
Wednesday, July 6, 2022

'Kiss My Aztec!' at Hartford Stage: Great Fun, Music and Performances. by Frank Rizzo

Review of John Leguizamo's musical "Kiss My Aztec!" It's been presented at Berkeley Rep and La Jolla and this is 3rd perch with hopes to go to NYC. next. The Hartford Courant didnt care for…

SOURCE: ShowRiz at 08:46AM
Tuesday, July 5, 2022

New Riverfront Park Eyes Performance Space After TheaterWorks Show by Frank Rizzo

\What to do with the 60 acres of open waterfront space on the Hartford-Windsor border that Riverfront Recapture acquired last year? The private, nonprofit organization is planning a riverwal…

SOURCE: ShowRiz at 07:08PM
Tuesday, June 28, 2022

MTC's 'Falsettoland,' TheaterWorks Hartford's "Walden' Top Ct Critics Honors by Frank Rizzo

Susan Haefner receiving her honor for “Tenderly.” All photos by Mara Lavitt NEW HAVEN — The U.S. premiere of “Walden” at…

SOURCE: ShowRiz at 11:35AM
Wednesday, June 22, 2022

'Hair''s James Rado, 90 by Frank Rizzo

Sad news about the death of James Rado, co-creator of “Hair.” I interviewed the 90-year-old Rado for a story for Encore Monthly magazine last fall. Joan Marcus took this terrific portrai…

SOURCE: ShowRiz at 01:34PM
Tuesday, June 7, 2022

Eric Marcus Digs Deep For LGBTQ History for 'Making Gay History' Podcast by Frank Rizzo

In 1988, Eric Marcus was working as an associate producer at CBS when he left his position to embark on an oral history project that would change his life—and affect the lives of so many o…

SOURCE: ShowRiz at 01:55PM

Confessions of a Legendary Drag Queen by Frank Rizzo

I never thought I’d do drag for a living,” says the six-foot-two muscleman wearing a Meat Rack cap, industrial strength necklace, a black tank-top and an anchor tattoo on his bulging bic…

SOURCE: ShowRiz at 01:45PM

My Variety Review: New Musical 'Trading Places' in Atlanta by Frank Rizzo

After the Great Recession of ’08 — not to mention anxiety about the current economy — will a Reagan-era comedy about insider trading and the glory of greed get the same laughs? Can it …

SOURCE: ShowRiz at 08:27AM
Friday, May 27, 2022

My Review: "Queen" at Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven by Frank Rizzo

All photos by Jeremy Daniel The show: “Queen” by Madhuri Shekar at Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven. What makes it special?: It�…

SOURCE: ShowRiz at 11:32AM
Thursday, May 26, 2022

Ct Critics Free Awards Show June 27 at Long Wharf Theatre by Frank Rizzo

Michael Yeargan receiving a CCC Award from 2019’s ceremony, Photo by Mara Lavett, After a three-year hiatus, the Connecticut Cr…

SOURCE: ShowRiz at 03:47PM

My Review: 'Cabaret' at Goodspeed by Frank Rizzo

The show: The musical “Cabaret” at Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam. What makes it special?: It’s rare that Goodspeed presents something so seeming sexy and edgy (but really, it’…

SOURCE: ShowRiz at 03:09PM

My Review: "Zoe's Perfect Wedding" at TheaterWorks Hartford by Frank Rizzo

All Photos by Mike Marques. HUNTER RYAN HERDLICKA, BLAIR LEWIN and DANIEL JOSÉ MOLINA The show: “Zoey’s Perfect Wedding” at …

SOURCE: ShowRiz at 02:36PM
Monday, May 23, 2022

Broadway Bound? Some Quick Takes, Part 2 by Frank Rizzo

Now where were we? Ah, yes, sharing some pithy thoughts on shows that have opened this season for those Connecticut folks who want to take in a Broadway show after a long period of being wit…

SOURCE: ShowRiz at 01:41PM
Sunday, May 22, 2022

Broadway Bound? Part 1 With a Return Visit To Company by Frank Rizzo

Ah, May. Blossoms may be blooming around Connecticut but that’s nothing like the shows that are bursting forth in New York City and that are now vying for Tony Awards and other end-of-sea…

SOURCE: ShowRiz at 09:24PM
Wednesday, April 27, 2022

My Variety Review: Billy Crystal's "Mr. Saturday Night" on Broadway by Frank Rizzo

Sometimes being nice has its rewards. Take Buddy Young Jr., the bitter, self-centered, self-destructive comedian from the 1992 flop film “Mr. Saturday Night,” which Billy Crystal starred…

SOURCE: ShowRiz at 10:56PM
Monday, April 25, 2022

My Variety Review: 'Funny Girl' Returns To Broadway by Frank Rizzo

“You ever feel like there’s someone watching from the shadows?” asks Beanie Feldstein’s Fanny Brice, as haunting apparitions from the Ziegfeld star’s past waft in and out in a kin…

SOURCE: ShowRiz at 07:34AM
Monday, April 18, 2022

Review: Neil Simons' 'Lost in Yonkers' at Hartford Stage with Marsha Mason by Frank Rizzo

All photos are by T. Charles Erickson The show: “Lost in Yonkers” at Hartford Stage What makes it special?: Pulitzer Prize and …

SOURCE: ShowRiz at 12:40AM

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