Pen and Ink the Ivoryton Playhouse by Grassroots Marketing and Artistic Services

Published: Thursday, December 16, 2010

R. Bruce Connelly as P.T. Barnum and Beverley Galpin as Chairy. Photo by Anne Hudson.

Barnum celebrated his 200th Birthday this year. He was born on July 5, 1810.

He was the most influential showman of the 19th Century.

He was the first “show business” millionaire.

He is quoted as saying

Every crowd has a silver lining.
P. T. Barnum

How were the receipts today at Madison Square Garden?
~~ P. T. Barnum, entrepreneur, d. 1891

Come follow the band to the circus and be humbugged. The play is directed by Jacqueline Hubbard and is showing from December 9 to December 19. Take a break from being humbugged with holiday shopping and sit and relax and enjoy the show because we would love to see you there.

The playhouse also supports the local Boy Scouts and are selling ornaments on their behalf. It would make a nice stocking stuffer or something nice to hang on your own tree.

Dec. 09–When you enter the Ivoryton Playhouse over the next 10 days, you’ll feel as though you’re heading into the big top.

Even before the actual show starts, the building will boast a definite carnival atmosphere. Magicians will create illusions in the lobby. Jugglers and people making balloon animals will be moving around the theater.

It all serves to set the tone for the main event: “Barnum.”

Ivoryton Playhouse is putting on this musical about Bridgeport’s own P.T. Barnum, the showman of showmen. The storyline follows his circus-centric creativity, naturally, but also his romance with wife Charity.

For the Ivoryton Playhouse folks, choosing to stage “Barnum” in December was a conscious decision. Director Jacqui Hubbard says, “We wanted to do something different for Christmas. … P.T. Barnum is from Connecticut, and the whole idea of a circus at Christmas was kind of fun.”

“Barnum,” which ran on Broadway from 1980 to 1982, features music by Cy Coleman (whose many credits include “Sweet Charity”), lyrics by Michael Stewart and book by Mark Bramble .

“It’s really a show about color,” Hubbard says. “P.T. Barnum was an incredibly colorful man.”

The reference to color is literal. Wife Charity (played here by Beverley Galpin) is the sensible one and wears browns and grays. She wants her husband to get a job at Bridgeport Clockworks, while Barnum (played by Bruce Connelly) wants to light up the world.

Connelly, who plays Barkley the dog on “Sesame Street,” made his Ivoryton debut earlier this year in “Finian’s Rainbow.” Hubbard says the actor can ably convey Barnum’s larger-than-life personality and develop a great repartee with theatergoers (the character of Barnum often talks directly to the audience).

“Barnum” is staged in a circus ring, peopled at Ivoryton with all the appropriate high-flying figures — a trapeze artist, aerialists on silks, tumblers.

The playhouse’s December production is always its community show, with lots of local folks involved. The tumblers include local girls who are gymnasts. The trapeze artist is someone who just moved from the West Coast and had given up the trapeze to become a fireman.

“Barnum,” Ivoryton Playhouse, 103 Main St., Ivoryton; opens tonight and runs through Dec. 19; 7:30 p.m. Thurs.-Sat. and 2 p.m. Wed. and Sun.; $30 ($28 seniors, $15 kids); (860) 767-7318, ivorytonplayhouse.org.

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The Ivoryton Playhouse presents

Barnum

The Greatest Show on Earth!

Pictured: R. Bruce Connelly* as Barnum and Beverley Galpin as his wife, Chairy. Photo by Anne Hudson.

Ivoryton: Put a little circus in your Christmas with the Ivoryton Playhouse production of Barnum, the musical story of the Connecticut’s own P.T. Barnum and The Greatest Show on Earth! Join this colorful cast of aerialists, jugglers, clowns and even a performing pooch as they tell the story of the life of P.T. Barnum, his discovery of General Tom Thumb - the world’s Smallest Man;  the Swedish Nightingale, Jenny Lind and the Amazing Barnum and Bailey circus.

If you have kids, or you are still a kid at heart, you won’t want to miss Barnum – a heartwarming musical and perfect for the whole family!

Barnum opens on December 9th and runs thru December 19th for 2 weeks only. Performance times are Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2pm. Evening performances are Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30pm. Tickets are $30 for adults, $28 for seniors, $20 for students and $15 for children and are available by calling the Playhouse box office at 860-767-7318or by visiting our website at www.ivorytonplayhouse.org (Group rates are available by calling the box office for information.) The Playhouse is located at 103 Main Street in Ivoryton.

*Denotes member of Actors Equity
Members of the press are welcome at any performance.
Please call ahead for tickets.

Here are some images from the event.

Ivoryton Library illuminated in lights

Beverley Galpin d is leaving the theatre, after the Barnum rehearsal, to join the carol singers

At 5:45 pm there was carol singing outside of the Playhouse. Clowns and circus folk from the upcoming play “Barnum” were dressed in costume for the event in celebration.

At Aggies’s Village Restaurant people who attended received hot dogs, chili and hot cider. There was also cookie decorating.

There was letter writing to Santa at the Ivoryton Library.

Oh, and here comes Santa

Ready to visit with the children at the Gazebo.

Photo by Jayson Kerr

Beverley Galpin is Director of Audiences and the Ivoryton Playhouse keeps her very busy. Jacqueline Hubbard relies on her and many other people to get the play from script to stage all set and the show ready to go. This post is dedicated to Beverley who does so much, to show what her day at times can entail.

7:30am: Beverley is up and at Shoreline Fitness in Old Saybrook exercising and showering. If there are actors coming in from the train from New York City, Beverley is there picking them up and dropping them off at the actor house.

9:30am: Beverley stops at the local Dunkin’ Donuts and picks up coffee and a bagel then heads to the office. Work calls and there are messages to listen to and phone calls to return. Beverley will also take care of any issues that occurred at the show from the previous night.

12:00pm: It is time to pick up the actors at the actor house and take them to the theater. The box office needs to be opened along with letting in the Box Office Staff. Have to get ready for the 2pm show. At 2:00pm the curtain speech has to be done then go back to the office and start on subscription renewals.

4:00pm: Pickup the actors at the theater and return them to the actor house.

5:00pm: Check in at home and prepare dinner and do the laundry.

6:00pm: While at home Beverley receives a phone call from the theater that the tape is not working and has to go in early to fix the printer. Stay to do curtain speech at 7:30pm. Hang around to take any actors back to the train in Old Saybrook to return to NYC.

Finally time to go home for a restful night’s sleep.

The end of November and the start of December is just a slightly bit different because we are graced by the presence of Beverley in the production of Barnum as Chairy.

The show runs from December 9 to December 19. This fun circus musical is for two weeks only so don’t let this parade pass you by!

Announcing
The Ivoryton Playhouse
CENTENNIAL Season!

By Popular Demand
The Irish and How They Got That Way
by Frank McCourt
March 16-April 3, 2011

How the Other Half Loves
by Alan Ayckbourn
April 13 – May 1, 2011

Barefoot in the Park
by Neil Simon
June 8 – June 26, 2011

The Producers
by Mel Brooks & Tom Meehan
July 6 – July 31, 2011

Ring of Fire: The Johnny Cash Musical
created and directed by Richard Maltby Jr. conceived by William Meade
August 10 – September 4, 2011

The Marvelous Wonderettes
by Roger Bean
September 28 – October 16, 2011

The Woman in Black
adapted for the stage by Stephen Mallatratt
November 2 –November 20, 2011

At this time we are only selling Subscriptions

Single tickets will go on sale  at Valentines Day

That’ll be the Day, when you say…..sign me up!!

As the Ivoryton Playhouse curtain closes on yet another hugely successful season of dancing in the aisles and thoroughly engaging drama, we want to thank you for helping to keep award winning, professional theatre alive and well on the Connecticut Shoreline.

The 2011 season – our Centennial Celebration – will build on this success and we will, once again, provide audiences with musicals and plays that reflect our unique history.  Renew your subscription to the Ivoryton Playhouse and visit us in 2011 to enjoy the history and music of Ireland with (back by popular demand) The Irish and How They Got That Way, the English wit of Alan Ayckbourn’s How the Other Half Loves (featuring your favorite resident Brits Jacqui Hubbard and Beverley Galpin), comedy and romance with Barefoot in the Park, musical hilarity with The Producers as well as productions of Ring of Fire: The Johnny Cash Musical and The Woman in Black.

We are truly grateful to have you as part of our Ivoryton Playhouse family and we wanted to make sure you had plenty of notice to reserve your seats for next year before we announce the season to the general public.  Thank you for taking this opportunity to subscribe now for the 2011 season and support the Playhouse in its 100th year.  Renew by January 14th to enjoy 2010 prices.

Whether it be the Man in Black or the Woman in Black……love in the USA or UK……anthems of America or Ireland, the Ivoryton Playhouse 2011 season has some great entertainment waiting for you.  So join us and renew your subscription today.  At the Ivoryton Playhouse we’re neighbors.  We’re friends.  And we put on one heck of a show!

Jacqueline Hubbard                                                                Beverley Galpin

Executive Director                                                                  Director of Audiences Services

PS:  Be sure to take advantage of our offer for early renewals – book by January 14 to keep the same low price as last year!

Buy Seven, Five or Three Show Subscription

When you subscribe to The Ivoryton Playhouse, you’ll receive guaranteed seats to every play in our subscription series.

When you subscribe, you’ll receive the best available seats for the series you’ve selected, and those seats will be yours for each of the plays in your subscription series.. If you discover that you can’t attend one of your assigned subscription performances, you can exchange your tickets for a more convenient performance of the same show. (Upgrade charges may apply, if there is a price differential.)

Subscribers may purchase additional single tickets to each show at a discount off the single ticket price.

Call Box Office 860-767-7318 for more information