Connecticut Stage Company

‘Next to Normal’ In Concert

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Connecticut Stage Company continues its third season with the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning musical, Next to Normal. With an electrifying pop/rock score by Tom Kitt and an honest, gut-wrenching book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey, Next to Normal explores how one suburban household copes with crisis and mental illness. Dad’s an architect; Mom rushes to pack lunches and pour cereal; their daughter and son are bright, wise-cracking teens, appearing to be a typical American family. And yet their lives are anything but normal because the mother has been battling bipolar disorder for 16 years. Next to Normal takes audiences into the minds and hearts of each character, presenting their family’s story with love, sympathy and heart.

Carriage Barn Arts Center

Broadway Concert at The Carriage Barn

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Join Connecticut Stage Company for their the first concert in their new Broadway Concert Series. Broadway star Kara Lindsay will perform and an exclusive, one-night only concert at The Carriage Barn on Saturday, March 7th at 7pm. On Broadway Kara Lindsay starred in Wicked (Glinda), Newsies (Katherine Plumber), Beautiful the Carole King Musical (Cynthia Weil) and Once Upon as Mattress (Princess Winnifred). She’ll be singing hits from Funny Girl, Wicked, Guys & Dolls, Carole King and more! Darien native Dan Micciche (music director and conductor of Wicked) will accompany Kara on piano.

Around Town

CT Stage Co’s ‘Broadway Concert Series’ Launches March 7 [Q&A]

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New Canaan-founded nonprofit Connecticut Stage Company is launching its Broadway Concert Series with a one-night-only inaugural concert. On March 7, Broadway star Kara Lindsay (“Wicked,” “Beautiful,” “Newsies,” “Once Upon a Mattress”) will perform some of her hits and crowd favorites at the Carriage Barn Arts Center, with music directed by Dan Micciche (a recent member of the record academy of the Grammy’s and current music director and conductor of “Wicked” on Broadway, who has been with the show for more than 12 years). Seating is limited for the concert, which includes a pre-cocktail hour and Q&A with both luminaries (tickets here). We interviewed Lindsay and Micciche ahead of the show. Here’s our exchange.

Around Town

CT Stage Co. Presents ‘In the Heights’ This Weekend at New Canaan Library

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Michael Sylvester was in Sacramento performing at Broadway Musical Circus during auditions for the Connecticut Stage Company’s widely anticipated new production, running this weekend at New Canaan Library. The director of “In the Heights,” Sylvester said the team was able to film auditions “so that I could see what people brought into the room.”

“We were looking for artists who not only had the vocal, acting, and dance chops, but who could also bring heart, authenticity, and cultural truth to these roles,” he told NewCanaanite.com. “The turnout was incredible, and we’ve assembled a cast that truly reflects the soul of this story.”

Created by Lin-Manuel Miranda, “In The Heights” tells the story of a “of a Latino community in New York’s Washington Heights as they navigate societal expectations, immigration, cultural and generational disparities, and complicated relationships,” according to CT Stage Co. co-founder Lorah Haskins, through “rap, hip hop, salsa and traditional musical theatre.”

Performances will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday (sold out) and 2 p.m. Sunday (limited tickets available here). “We are excited to bring a whole cast of Latino actors to our stage, several of whom are Broadway performers, to tell this incredibly timely story,” Haskins said.

Around Town

New Canaan’s CT Stage Company Opens Season with ‘Hair’

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Connecticut Stage Company, a nonprofit theater production company based in New Canaan, is nearing the start of its second season. Founded by Kate Simone and Lorah Haskins, it didn’t take long for the experienced duo to see success. Their inaugural season, which began in October of 2023, featured productions of “Into the Woods,” and “Little Women,” with both selling out weeks before each show. Simone and Haskins said they hope to keep that momentum going with their next production, “Hair,” showing Nov. 23 and 24.