Back in 2014, the Ivoryton Playhouse hosted the world premiere of a new play by Mike Reiss entitled Comedy is Hard. It top-billed TV veterans Joyce DeWitt and Micky Dolenz, playing a pair of senior citizen celebrities in a retirement home. My review was not kind back then, but I’m ready to apologize to Ivoryton after witnessing Mr. Reiss’ latest season-opener at the theatre. It’s called I’m Connecticut, and it shares the lowbrow humor and mothball jokes of its predecessor, while lacking any ambition to be original.
The anticipation for Comedy is Hard and now I’m Connecticut, stems from the track record of Mr. Reiss, whose 25-year association as writer for The Simpsons led one to high expectations. But any single 30-minute episode of The Simpsons has more wit, originality and satiric bite than the entire running time of I’m Connecticut. Set in New York City, the play consists mostly of what seems like a variety of short skits all strung together in a romantic comedy format. It concerns luckless hero Marc (Quinn Corcoran, working extremely hard here), who has a middling social life and is soon guided by his friend, Kyle (Michael Barra), who says women find him boring stemming from his association with the state of Connecticut (It appears that our one virtue is that Hartford is the insurance capitol of the world).
I’m Connecticut follows Marc’s pursuit of transplanted southern Diane (Deanna Ott), a receptionist at the speed dating place he visits, and finds that the more he lies the more she likes his company. The humor here seems very recycled as when Marc’s grandparents are introduced in a scene I clearly recall from an old Woody Allen film. Marc now lives with Grandpa (Ivoryton favorite R. Bruce Connelly), and grandma has long passed. When Diane meets Grandpa, she assumes something that Marc doesn’t deny and the deception begins. Some audience members may be offended by this particular plot point (which will not be revealed here), and it’s tasteless, along with an Anne Frank reference later on, but not interesting enough when you factor in all the other sophomoric material on display. The play includes more penis jokes than any comedy should ever be allowed to employ.
Corcoran seems like a pleasant enough fellow, who under better circumstance is probably a charming performer. Unfortunately with the mediocre material and Jacqueline Hubbard’s you-can’t-push-it-too-far direction, he comes off annoying and needlessly over-the-top. You see him sweat (a crime in comedy) trying to make the show funny. Again, the material is at the center of the problem here but, with the exception of Connelly, who manages to bring some humanity to his senior citizen stereotype, none of the acting really inspires.
The functional scenic design by Starlet Jacobs is highlighted by John Horzen’s creative and non-stop projections. And you might enjoy the curtain call that has each of the actors singing famous songs about their state. In what was probably Reiss’ best contribution, he rewrites the lyrics of Oklahoma for our beloved Connecticut and it’s actually a lot of fun. At this point I should also mention that the matinee I attended found a receptive and gleeful audience who were, for the most part, thoroughly enjoying themselves. Go figure. There is no doubt that producing a good, smart, contemporary comedy is hard. The bitter proof of this fact is currently on stage in Ivoryton.
I’m Connecticut continues at the Ivoryton Playhouse, 103 Main Street in Ivoryton, Connecticut through April 19, 2026. For further information or ticket reservations call the theatre box office at 860.76773181 or visit: www.ivorytonplayhouse.org.
Tom Holehan is one of the founders of the Connecticut Critics Circle, a frequent contributor to WPKN Radio’s “State of the Arts” program and the Stratford Crier and former Artistic Director of Stratford’s Square One Theatre Company. He welcomes comments at: tholehan@yahoo.com. His reviews and other theatre information can be found on the Connecticut Critics Circle website: www.ctcritics.org.
