« Aquarium offers enchanting look at life in Sound | Main | Tale of two Shelton eateries: Not going to play favorites »

September 29, 2005

Center Street Stage in Shelton Takes Off

By Stephanie Janucik

It’s sad but true — the cooler weather is coming, and the end is near for weekend nights spent outside. It can be a bit disheartening. No more beach barbecues; no more pool floats; no more extra hours of daylight. The sun sets sooner, and unless you make plans now to keep the nightlife alive, you could end up indoors and on the couch for the next eight months.

After researching some venues to spend the fall (and winter) nights to come, I came across Center Stage, a new cabaret-type theater in Shelton that also specializes in coffee and books (100 Center St.; 924-2622). Books, Beans and Broadway is its motto.

Center Stage opened in February and events are selling out weekly, according to Gary Scarpa, guidance counselor at Shelton High School and co-owner of the establishment with his wife, Francesca.

For $15 per ticket (ticket prices range from $10-20 for most shows), I packed up a bottle of wine with some glasses and headed to the show on a drizzly Saturday night. You are also encouraged to bring your own refreshments, but you can purchase a cappuccino and cheesecake at the coffee bar. Many in the audience brought their own snacks, including cheese, crackers, fruit, and even beer. While indulging in my treats, the lights dimmed and the show began.

Essence, an acoustic delight brought back to Center Stage by popular demand and composed of Suzanne and Ed Vick performed. They covered tunes by Carole King, Dave Matthews, Louis Armstrong and Matchbox 20. It was quite intimate because the theater is small enough for performers to interact with the crowd. (There were 32 of us.) Suzanne Vick even spoke casually with her parents in the audience as she sat on stage.

During intermission — and even when the show was over — a cozy, but almost retro, bookstore was inviting. While others checked out the featured books, browsed through artwork, ordered cappuccinos, and talked with the performers in the studio-like building, I caught up with Scarpa, my old guidance counselor from high school. He seemed elated about the theater and gave me, along with other guests, plenty of useful information about the theater.

Center Stage also offers classes in creative dramatics and theater art for kids ranging in age from preschool to high school.

Children’s themed birthday parties and exercise and yoga classes for adults are also featured. Center Stage also presents lectures by artists, Self & Spirit workshops, and children’s theater. Aside from highlighted events, you can just stop in for (or with) a good book and a cup of Joe in a fun, café-like atmosphere.

With a full schedule of events on the way, including Neil Simon’s “Lost in Yonkers” and “12 Angry Men,” don’t settle for the couch.

For more information, please visit www.centerstageshelton.com

Posted by getout on September 29, 2005 8:36 AM