All stories by Christopher Arnott on BroadwayStars

Monday, February 6, 2023

Another ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ queen from CT bites the glittery dust by Christopher Arnott

Hartford drag icon Robin Fierce was eliminated from the "RuPaul's Drag Race" competition Friday. She is the second Connecticut-based contestant to have "sashayed away" from the show in the p…

SOURCE: Hartford Courant at 12:46PM

Acclaimed Irish writer Colm Tóibín talks about his childhood, mortality and new book of essays before appearance at Mark Twain House by Christopher Arnott

The Courant talked to "Brooklyn" author Colm Tóibín, who will be at the Mark Twain House and Museum on Feb. 7 at 7 p.m., about his wide-ranging output, what he’s working on now and his l…

SOURCE: Hartford Courant at 06:00AM
Sunday, February 5, 2023

Romance is in the air and on the stage as CT dance companies capture the love leading into Valentine’s Day by Christopher Arnott

Connecticut Ballet and Ballet Theatre Company are both offering romantic dance concerts near Valentine's Day.

SOURCE: Hartford Courant at 06:00AM
Friday, February 3, 2023

Theater review: ‘Wife/Worker/Whore’ a trilogy of traumas at Hole in the Wall Theater by Christopher Arnott

"Wife/Worker/Whore," a new play getting its East Coast premiere at the community-based Hole in the Wall Theater in New Britain, is a multi-part melodramatic meditation on women's struggles a…

SOURCE: Hartford Courant at 10:01AM
Wednesday, February 1, 2023

Theater review: Playhouse on Park’s ‘Indecent’ successfully tackles freedom of expression, religious identity and cultural change by Christopher Arnott

Paula Vogel's "Indecent," at Playhouse on Park through Feb. 26, remains an important play about art, politics and religion, enlivened by klezmer music, a melodramatic play-within-a-play and …

SOURCE: Hartford Courant at 11:18AM
Tuesday, January 31, 2023

The road to stardom for Oscar-nominated Angela Bassett and Brian Tyree Henry leads back to New Haven by Christopher Arnott

Two graduates of Yale's graduate drama program, Angela Bassett and Brian Tyree Henry, have been nominated for Oscar awards by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for their roles …

SOURCE: Hartford Courant at 12:07PM
Monday, January 30, 2023

Amethyst is first Connecticut queen to sashay away from ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ by Christopher Arnott

West Hartford drag queen Amethyst was the first of the three Connecticut-based contestants on this season of "RuPaul's Drag Race" to be eliminated from the competition.

SOURCE: Hartford Courant at 04:55PM
Sunday, January 29, 2023

‘Queen of Basel’ at TheaterWorks puts a modern LatinX twist on a dark romantic classic by Christopher Arnott

Hillary Bettis' play, "Queen of Basel," at TheaterWorks Hartford on Feb. 3-26 is a modern take on August Strindberg's "Miss Julie," set at the Miami festival Art Basel.

SOURCE: Hartford Courant at 06:00AM
Thursday, January 26, 2023

Theater review: A loud, funny ‘25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’ works makes it mark at Seven Angels Theatre by Christopher Arnott

"The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" spreads its melodic wordy mirth at Seven Angels Theatre in Waterbury through Feb. 5.

SOURCE: Hartford Courant at 06:00AM
Wednesday, January 25, 2023

Third Connecticut ‘Jeopardy!’ contestant in two weeks to compete Thursday. Just look for his bright yellow glasses. by Christopher Arnott

John Guszkowski of Pomfret is scheduled to compete on "Jeopardy!" Thursday night. He's the third Connecticut resident to compete on the show in the past two weeks.

SOURCE: Hartford Courant at 02:01PM

Theater review: It’s easy to lose yourself in the intense drama of ‘Espejos: Clean’ at Hartford Stage. It’s also easy to just get lost. by Christopher Arnott

Christine Quintana's drama about two women concealing some personal dilemmas, "Espejos: Clean," is a bilingual, multi-media visual feast with emotional underpinnings at Hartford Stage throug…

SOURCE: Hartford Courant at 06:00AM
Tuesday, January 24, 2023

Upcoming documentary highlights the history of New London’s LGBTQ community from the 1960s peace movement to town’s lively arts scene by Christopher Arnott

A new documentary. "Holding Space for Each Other: New London's LGBTQ+ Community," highlights the small riverfront city where the LGBTQ community has had a visible presence for over 60 years.…

SOURCE: Hartford Courant at 06:00AM
Saturday, January 21, 2023

Connecticut queens serve on their paths to reality stardom, the supportive drag community and the fierce competition on ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ by Christopher Arnott

The three drag queens from Connecticut competing on "RuPaul's Drag Race" this season spoke to the Courant about the local drag scene, how they ended up on the show and what the future may b…

SOURCE: Hartford Courant at 10:00AM
Friday, January 20, 2023

Former Broadway shows with world premieres in Connecticut are back thanks to local small theaters by Christopher Arnott

Connecticut is known for sending shows to Broadway and beyond. Many of them eventually return to the state. Four shows at various theaters around the state in the next few weeks had their wo…

SOURCE: Hartford Courant at 06:00AM
Thursday, January 19, 2023

Theater review: ‘Six’ is a slick pop concert with a history lesson and empowering moral by Christopher Arnott

The Broadway hit "Six" fits beautifully into the concert hall atmosphere of The Bushnell. The show, a modern look at the six wives of Henry VIII, is in Hartford through Sunday.

SOURCE: Hartford Courant at 06:00AM
Wednesday, January 18, 2023

The experimental underground Yale Cabaret comes roaring back with thrills, chills and a full menu of food by Christopher Arnott

The literally underground anything-goes theater space run by graduate students at the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale is opening its spring season with “Hot and Cold Showers: An Eveni…

SOURCE: Hartford Courant at 06:00AM
Sunday, January 15, 2023

Empowering ‘Six’ brings pop royalty and a little feminist revisionist history to The Bushnell by Christopher Arnott

The national tour of the Broadway hit "Six," a brash modern take on the six wives of Henry VIII, is at The Bushnell Jan. 17-22.

SOURCE: Hartford Courant at 06:00AM
Monday, January 9, 2023

Hartford Public Library’s Baby Grand jazz series off to a rocky start by Christopher Arnott

Hartford Public Library's Baby Grand Jazz series has been relocated to Center Church. Its first concert was abruptly postponed, but the series continues following the extensive flooding of t…

SOURCE: Hartford Courant at 04:12PM

Connecticut queens make a splash during premiere of Season 15 of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ by Christopher Arnott

The three Connecticut contestants on the 15th season of "RuPaul's Drag Race" distinguished themselves in the first two episodes: One for safely and elegantly passing on "safely" to the next …

SOURCE: Hartford Courant at 04:03PM
Sunday, January 8, 2023

Hartford Stage takes a leap with its latest show, ‘Espejos: Clean,’ a bilingual play dedicated to women by Christopher Arnott

"Espejo: Clean," at Hartford Stage Jan. 12 through Feb. 5, is presented in both English and Spanish. The play concerns two women who meet at a resort hotel in Cancun where one of them works.

SOURCE: Hartford Courant at 06:00AM
Thursday, January 5, 2023

Long Wharf Theatre picks the Space Ballroom in Hamden for its first show as an ‘itinerant’ company by Christopher Arnott

For its first show since leaving its longtime home on Sargent Drive in New Haven, the Long Wharf Theatre is presenting a multi-week run of "Live From the Edge" by the company UNIVERSES at th…

SOURCE: Hartford Courant at 04:26PM

Three iconic Connecticut queens are taking the stage on the new season of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ by Christopher Arnott

Connecticut-based drag performers Amethyst, Loosey LaDuca and Robin Fierce are all contestants on the new season of "RuPaul's Drag Race," premiering Friday at 8 p.m. on MTV.

SOURCE: Hartford Courant at 11:40AM
Sunday, January 1, 2023

Musical ensembles, ‘SNL’ stand-ups and murder mysteries set the stage for the hot arts trends of 2023 by Christopher Arnott

Intriguing arts trends of 2023 include Japanese anime soundtracks performed live by orchestras and rock bands, a spate of classic murder mysteries and major acts like Bruce Springsteen retur…

SOURCE: Hartford Courant at 06:00AM
Saturday, December 31, 2022

From Disney on Ice to the Blue Man Group, the new year comes in with a bang this week in CT arts by Christopher Arnott

The Courant's arts picks for the first week of 2023 includes Blue Man Group, Disney on Ice, a live tribute to emo/punk sounds of the '90s at the Webster Theatre and such dynamic local musici…

SOURCE: Hartford Courant at 06:00AM
Wednesday, December 28, 2022

Take a train ride this week in CT and you will have a chance to travel in style. Here’s how. by Christopher Arnott

Local train museums are having their last excursions of the year, and some won't start up again until spring. Events include a 20th Century Limited-themed excursion and screening of "North b…

SOURCE: Hartford Courant at 06:00AM
Monday, December 26, 2022

Retired ‘Queen of Mean’ Lisa Lampanelli brings her cabaret theater show ‘Big Fat Failure’ to Playhouse on Park for benefit by Christopher Arnott

Lisa Lampanelli brings her full-cast cabaret theater show "Big Fat Failure," full of songs and stories about ignoble experiences, to West Hartford Dec. 30 as a benefit for Playhouse on Park.

SOURCE: Hartford Courant at 06:00AM
Sunday, December 25, 2022

Top stories of 2022: It was a theater year to remember when theaters reminded us what we’ve been missing by Christopher Arnott

The year in theater brought everything from rampaging "Straight White Men" to a stand-up soliloquoy with a live tabla soundtrack to a clown walking upside down. These are the most memorable …

SOURCE: Hartford Courant at 06:00AM
Thursday, December 22, 2022

Rap legend and MC Kurtis Blow shares his love for Tchaikovsky and his musical ministry as ‘The Hip Hop Nutcracker’ hits the Shubert Theater and Th by Christopher Arnott

Rap pioneer Kurtis Blow discusses his decade of hosting "The Hip Hop Nutcracker," which has two shows in Connecticut before year's end: Dec. 30 at the Shubert Theater in New Haven and Dec. 3…

SOURCE: Hartford Courant at 06:00AM
Sunday, December 18, 2022

Broadway hit ‘Come From Away’ makes a return landing at The Bushnell by Christopher Arnott

The hit musical "Come From Away," about connections made in a small Newfoundand town when airplanes are diverted there on 9/11, returns to The Bushnell Tuesday through Saturday with much of …

SOURCE: Hartford Courant at 06:00PM
Saturday, December 17, 2022

From Pentatonix to a CBGB tribute, it’s a merry mix for the holidays this week in CT arts by Christopher Arnott

The Courant's arts picks for Dec. 18-24 include a Fairfield tribute to the historic New York rock club CBGB, a benefit at Seven Angels Theater for the Colorado LGBTQ club shooting and severa…

SOURCE: Hartford Courant at 06:00AM
Friday, December 16, 2022

Review: Cirque du Soleil's ‘Corteo’ brings a baroque splendor that is just spectacular to the XL Center by Christopher Arnott

Cirque du Soleil's "Corteo" transforms the XL Center into an extravagant, acrobatic, invigorating art installation through Sunday.

SOURCE: Hartford Courant at 11:47AM

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2022-2023 BROADWAY SEASON
Nov 27, 2022: KPOP - Circle In The Square