Broadway Baby: Not quite, but Lisa Helmi Johanson, who is currently at Ivoryton Playhouse in The Porch at Windy Hill, is a very new mom. She gave birth to her first daughter just four weeks before the show opened. She has help from her husband and, as she said, cast members and directors have been very supportive. By the way, she tap danced while eight months pregnant!

Tony Awards: The much delayed 2019-’20 Tony Awards were presented Sunday, Sept. 26, but to see most of the awards and winners actually presented you had to subscribe to the Paramount+ streaming service. The list of eligible of shows was short because shows had to have opened before the Broadway shut down (in March 2020) but also had an opportunity to allow voters to see the shows. Moulin Rouge the Musical pretty much swept the awards for musicals with the exception of Adrienne Warren, who won best actress in a musical for Tina, The Tina Turner Musical and Lauren Patten, best supporting actress for Jagged Little Pill.

Plays had more candidates but still two shows dominated: The Inheritance for best play and A Christmas Carol for production elements. (This show will return to Broadway this holiday season.) Acting awards were spread around: Lois Smith won supporting actress in The Inheritance, Mary-Louise Parker took actress in The Sound Inside, David Alan Grier won supporting actor for The Soldier’s Play, and Andrew Burnap won actor for The Inheritance. One surprise was that Slave Play, with a record-setting number of nominations, was shut out of awards.

A touching moment in the show was Danny Burstein finally receiving a Tony after seven nominations. He won for his supporting role in Moulin Rouge.

Are You a Parrothead? Even if you are not, but just love Jimmy Buffett’s music, you should plan on seeing Escape to Margaritaville, the Jimmy Buffet musical at the Bushnell from Tuesday, Oct. 12 to Sunday, Oct. 17. Tickets are available at bushnell.org.

Musical Review: The songs of Leiber and Stoller (they wrote “Jailhouse Rock,” “Hound Dog,” “On Broadway,” and hundreds of other songs) are the basis for the musical revue Smokey Joe’s Café through Sunday, Oct. 24 at ACT-CT in Ridgefield. For tickets to this high-energy show, visit ActOfCt.org.

The Sound of Singing: Singing and dancing are back on the Goodspeed stage for the first time since 2019. It’s A Grand Night for Singing, a revue of Rodgers and Hammerstein music, is now open. It runs through Sunday, Nov. 28. For tickets, visit Goodspeed.org.

O’Neill Comedy: Eugene O’Neill’s only comedy, Ah Wilderness starts the Hartford Stage season running from Thursday, Oct. 14 to Sunday, Nov. 7. The show was originally planned for the end of the 2019-’20 season and is the first show directed by the new artistic director Melia Bensussen. The comedy about a teenage boy’s coming of age at the beginning of the 20th century is set in Connecticut. Tickets are available at HartfordStage.org.

NY Notes: TKTS, the discount ticket both located at Broadway and 47th Street has reopened. TKTS sells same-day discount tickets to both Broadway and off-Broadway shows. It’s a great way for budget theater goers to get tickets. Stephen Sondheim told Stephen Colbert during an interview that he is working on a new musical, Square One, in collaboration with playwright David Ives. A reading of the show was held recently and Sondheim said they hope it will be ready for next year. Chicken & Biscuits, a new family comedy by Douglas Lyons, is currently in previews on Broadway starring Norm Lewis. The show follows the Jenkins family as they celebrate the life of their father. You can be sure family secrets will be revealed. The show officially opens Sunday, Oct. 10. Tickets are available through Telecharge.com.

Karen Isaacs is an East Haven resident. To check out her reviews for New York and Connecticut shows, visit 2ontheaisle.wordpress.com. She’s a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle, New York’s Outer Critics Circle, the League of Professional Theater Women and the American Theatre Critics Association.