The bridge frequently opens, and I was lucky to get across before a delay. I crossed from the west side of the Connecticut River over the Swinging Bridge at East Haddam. The drive to the Opera House took me along tree-lined roadways and through small New England towns. My experience was memorable from beginning to end.
On the day I visited, I saw a new musical based on the beloved children’s book, Anne of Green Gables. In addition to Annie, the Goodspeed Opera House also premiered two of my favorite musicals, Man Of La Mancha and Shenandoah. Over the years, Goodspeed has been the tryout location for over 20 musicals that eventually opened on Broadway. After four years, the Opera House reopened and quickly became a premiere place for preserving the legacy of American Musical Theater and incubating the development of new musicals. In 1954, local people formed a non-profit organization called Goodspeed Musicals and set about restoring the iconic structure along the Connecticut River. The actual structure had a long history of use but sadly fell into disrepair through the early 20th Century. From its beginning, it was a place for dramatic and musical theater productions. He also conveniently owned many of the town’s other businesses that catered to visitors.Īn interesting fact about the Goodspeed Opera House was that it never actually hosted any operas. Even though the Opera House seemed to be located in a very remote location in the Connecticut countryside, William Goodspeed intended it as a tourist destination. William Goodspeed built his mansard roofed Opera House in the Second Empire style along the Connecticut River in the town of East Haddam, Connecticut, to attract tourists in 1867. It took me 45 years, but I finally made it there, and the experience was nothing less than amazing. At that time, I thought that a road trip to see a performance at the Opera House would be an incredible experience. My curiosity was piqued, so I researched the Opera House and found incredibly scenic photographs of an iconic four-story mid-1800s structure standing majestically along the Connecticut River. Part of the lure of the show was that it first premiered at a small theater called the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Connecticut, where it was panned by local critics. Her weekly column and theatre reviews appear in the Thursday Weekend section of the paper.Back in 1977, I had the opportunity to see the famous musical theater production, Annie, soon after it opened on Broadway. She recently became a contributor to the Waterbury Republican-American newspaper.
GOODSPEED OPERA HOUSE PATCH
Reviews of all levels of theatrical productions are posted on Naugatuck Patch and the Patch sites closest to the venue. She continues to contribute theatre news, previews, and audition notices to local Patch sites. In 2016, she became a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle. She posts reviews of well over 100 productions each year. Nancy Sasso Janis has been writing theatre reviews since 2012 as a way to support local theatre venues. This charming version of “42nd Street” continues at the Goodspeed Opera House through Nov 6. The lighting design by Cory Pattak is fine, as is the sound design by Jay Hilton. The seemingly endless costume changes show off the authentic designs of Kara Harmon, made even more beautiful by the hair, wig and makeup design by J. The scenic design by Michael Carnahan works well, with outstanding projection designs by Shawn Duan, featuring some beautiful art deco backgrounds. The show is a jukebox musical of sorts, because, in addition to songs from the 1933 film, it includes songs that Dubin and Warren wrote for many other films at around the same time. The classic compositions include “I Only Have Eyes for You,” “We’re In The Money,” “Shuffle Off To Buffalo,” and the uptempo title song. Music Director Adam Souza conducts the eights musicians in the pit, while playing keyboard one, and makes the brass-heavy score sound its best. The supporting role of Annie Reilly is brought to life by Eloise Kropp and all of the strong dancers in the ensemble make the stellar choreography look easy, working as one in “There’s a Sunny Side to Every Situation.”
0 kommentar(er)
