Dennis J. Scott

As the opening number 'Comedy Tonight' states, A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM, the classic musical from Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, aims to have 'something familiar, something peculiar, and something for everyone.' And while, in 2019, this remains mostly true, the bawdy farce, written almost 57 years ago, does raise some eyebrows in today's #metoo world. That said, the production of FORUM currently being produced by the Opera House Players at the Enfield Annex (their temporary home in Enfield, CT) is fun, energetic and high-spirited.

We spend a large percentage of our lives working in some way or another. Whether someone works in a trade (Ironworker, Stonemason), an office (Project Manager, Receptionist), in the home, or anywhere in-between, working is something that is an integral part of who we are. For some, a person's profession drives their identity, and for others, a job is just something to pay the bills. In all cases, what we do all day and how we feel about what we do serves as a fascinating study, and one that author, Studs Terkel took on over 40 years ago in his 1974 book Working. In the book, Mr. Terkel interviewed over one hundred American workers of all professions (from Fireman to Hooker) and asked them to talk about their jobs. Soon after, Stephen Schwartz (WICKED, GODSPELL) and Nina Faso adapted the book and collected a stellar group of musicians, including James Taylor, Craig Carnelia and Mary Rodgers to help set some of those stories to music. Thus was born WORKING: A MUSICAL, which the Opera House Players in Broad Brook are performing as the opening show to their 2017-2018 season.

Whenever one thinks about the RMS Titanic, often the first images that come to mind is the massive vessel - the largest ship of its time that was "unsinkable", which met an unthinkable fate on its maiden voyage across the sea. But what is truly remarkable about the fateful voyage are the stories of those on board, from the third class immigrants in the depths of the ship, yearning for a better life in America all the way up to first class, which represented a true "who's who" of American millionaires and businessmen. These stories, the stories of the human beings who boarded the Titanic never to return (or return the same), are on full display at the Broad Brook Opera House in the Opera House Players' current production of Maury Yeston and Peter Stone's TITANIC THE MUSICAL.

A beautiful transformation takes place on stage at the Broad Brook Opera House in the Opera House Players' solid, beautifully presented production of the classic Lerner and Loewe musical, MY FAIR LADY. A classic such as this one requires love and care to ensure that audiences experience all the things they might expect (classic songs, familiar characters and settings) but in a way that feels fresh, new, and exciting. And in this production, the Opera House Players have done just that.