Hartford’s TheaterWorks is a crown jewel in New England’s cultural scene, known for over 30 years as a theatre company that showcases non-traditional plays and new works that are far from mainstream. At TheaterWorks this past season, Richard Dreyfuss starred in Relativity, a new Mark St. Germain play about Albert Einstein; food chef Rossi was profiled in Jacques Lamarre’s deliciously funny Raging Skillet; and audiences were treated to a sensitive production of the award-winning musical Next to Normal, a poignant story of a family’s dealing with bipolar disorders. Even the holidays get a different twist with the annual Christmas On The Rocks, a series of playlets that turn traditional Christmas tales into hysterically funny non-traditional laughs.

Rob Ruggiero, the visionary producing director of TheaterWorks since 2012, and a member of the theater’s artistic leadership for 24 years, has put the intimate downtown Hartford theater on the national map. He’s directed over 50 productions for TheaterWorks, and stewards the theater’s other plays and musicals.

The road to TheaterWorks began in Milford, Massachusetts, where Ruggiero grew up. He attended Stonehill College. After school, he started as an actor, but held a variety of jobs, from running a frame shop to working at a nursing home, to starting a non-professional theatre. But, he wanted to direct, so he went to Rutgers. He was teaching at Rutgers and directing in regional theatres, building a solid free-lance career, when he met TheaterWorks’ founder, Steve Campo. He was invited to Hartford. He kept coming back, until he moved to Hartford in 2010.

Rob Ruggiero on the set of Next to Normal, photo by Lanny Nagler.

Ruggiero’s artistry extends beyond Hartford. His Broadway credits include Looped (starring Valerie Harper in a Tony-nominated performance) and High (starring Kathleen Turner). Off-Broadway, he conceived and directed the original musical revue Make Me a Song: The Music of William Finn. Ruggiero conceived and directed the world premiere musical portrait of Ella Fitzgerald entitled Ella, which has been seen on more than 24 regional theater stages nationally. His production of Stephen Sondheim’s landmark musical Follies won awards in St. Louis this year.

Ruggiero is also a familiar face at Goodspeed Musicals, down river from Hartford in East Haddam, Connecticut, where he’s staged La Cage Aux Folles, Fiddler on The Roof, The Most Happy Fella, Carousel, and Showboat. He received Connecticut Critics Circle Awards and Broadway World Awards for those musicals. The Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization now licenses his version of Showboat for regional theater productions.

The cast of Goodspeed’s The Most Happy Fella, directed by Rob Ruggiero. Photo by Diane Sobolewski.,

Currently, Ruggiero is working on his 10th production at Goodspeed, a revival of Rags, the famous musical flop of 1986. Featuring a book by Joseph Stein, who wrote Fiddler On The Roof, music by Charles Strouse of Bye Bye, Birdie fame, and lyrics by Wicked’s Stephen Schwartz, Rags told the story of European Jews trying to make a new life in America, after arriving on Ellis Island. The musical starred Teresa Stratas, an acclaimed Metropolitan Opera star making her Broadway debut, alongside veteran Broadway actor Larry Kert, and up-and-coming star Terrence Mann, who’s now Artistic Director of Connecticut Repertory Theatre’s Nutmeg Summer Series. Rags closed after a handful of performances, but a cast recording was made. The musical developed a cult following because of its exquisite score, and Goodspeed, masters of reviving musicals that deserve a second chance, are reworking Rags, with Ruggiero at the helm.

“We are completely revisiting Rags, with Stephen Schwartz and Charles Strouse actively involved in the process. David Thompson is revising the script penned by the late Joseph Stein. We’ve refocused the role of the leading lady, dropped some characters, rewritten or added others,” says Ruggiero, who added that Goodspeed, known for giving neglected musicals a second chance, has been working on it for months. Rags runs October 6 through December 10.

Rob Ruggiero–Artistic Director, TheaterWorks
Hartford, Connecticut
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Goodspeed Musicals
Haddam, Connecticut
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Top image: Christiane Noll and David Harris from Ruggiero’s production of Next to Normal, photo by Lanny Nagler

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Many impressive visitors have walked The Yellow Brick Road to Oz and Broadway from The Wiz to Wicked. The Wizard of Oz’s fabled movie’s star Judy Garland has been a character in The Boy From Oz to End of The Rainbow. Goodspeed Musicals’ new musical, “Chasing Rainbows: The Road To Oz” tells the story of Judy Garland before she became the international legend in movies like A Star is Born, and Meet Me in St. Louis, and in concert.

Conceived by Tina Marie Casamento Libby, with book by Marc Acito, and period music adapted by David Libby, “Chasing Rainbows” tells about Garland’s early days appearing in vaudeville as a family act, before being discovered by MGM as a teen, and paired in two dozen films, including nine with Mickey Rooney, before playing Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz at age 19. In Acito’s script, a conception of Tina Marie Casamento Libby, Garland is portrayed as the girl-next-door with the big voice, captivating and ready for stardom. There are also hints of the Garland-to-be, with the low self-esteem and the victim of studio manipulation, where she’s given diet pills to slenderize her and energy pills to keep her on her toes.

Acito’s book is solid, and the period music adapted by David Libby, beautifully orchestrated by Dan DeLange, uses some period music to great effect, from the expected “Over The Rainbow” to an unexpected version of “If I Only Had A Brain”. Michael O’Flaherty’s music direction is terrific, and some of the old chestnuts sound vibrantly fresh. Tyne Rafeali’s staging is fast-paced, and Chris Bailey’s choreography.just swings with style, particularly in the first act’s “All Ma’s Children” and the second act’s rousing “Swing Mister Mendelssohn”.

Ruby Rakos as Judy Garland, Michael Wartella as Mickey Rooney, and Berklea Going as Lana Turner in “Chasing Rainbows: The Road to Oz.” | Photo by Diane Sobolewski

Ruby Rakos is an astounding Judy Garland, with a huge voice. Ella Briggs was delightful as a very young Garland. The cast is a mix of veterans, like Karen Mason as L.B. Mayer’s secretary, and Michael McCormack as Mayer and some up-and-coming talents like Kevin Earley as Garland’s father, a troubled man, who turns the song “Chasing Rainbows” into one of the show’s several tour de force moments. I liked all of the performances and the smooth moves of the ensemble.

Michael Wartella, as Mickey Rooney, gave one of the best musical theater performances I’ve seen this year. He’s a nimble dancer, smooth singer, and total charm. He’s also a Western Massachusetts guy who learned his craft in area theaters, which made his first class performance even more special to watch.

Kristen Robinson’s sets are simple, and they slide about the tiny Goodspeed stage effortlessly. Elizabeth Caitlin Ward’s costumes shine, and Ken Billington’s lighting was great.

Goodspeed Musicals and the creators of “Chasing Rainbows” have high hopes that this production will move on to other theaters, with Broadway in sight. It has a future, especially if Ruby Rakos, Michael Wartella, and Kevin Earley stay with the production. Those three could keep the lights of Broadway shining brightly for a long time.

Ruby Rakos as Judy Garland and Michael Wartella as Mickey Rooney in “Chasing Rainbows: The Road to Oz.” | Photo by Diane Sobolewski.

Goodspeed Musicals presents “Chasing Rainbows: The Road to Oz.” Book by Marc Acito. Through November 27. Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, CT. For tickets: 860-873-8668 or goodspeed.org.

This review originally ran in the Westfield News Group

Top photo (left to right) Claire Griffin, Ella Briggs, Kevin Earley, and Piper Birney as The Gumm Family in “Chasing Rainbows: The Road to Oz.” | Photo by Diane Sobolewski

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