Don’t miss ‘Songs for a New World,’ a musical adventure in New Haven

NEW HAVEN — The Bregamos Community Theater is a hidden gem at 491 Blatchley Ave. in the Fair Haven section of the city, just off I-91. Even GPS has trouble directing you to its welcoming, eclectic doors.

In the heart of Erector Square, the theater was originally the brain child of Rafael Ramos, who, in 2019, received the C. Newton Schenck III Award for lifetime achievement in the arts from the Arts Council of Greater New Haven.

For more than a quarter-century, Ramos worked for the Livable City Initiative, New Haven’s anti-blight agency.

He is proud that Bregamos Theater has become a community center accessible to the youth and adults of the state.

According to Ramos, the theater’s name, Bregamos, “translates” to “we tweak it until it works,” and, since 2000, has secured its nonprofit status. In 2007, it moved to Blatchley Avenue, and now exists as an all-volunteer effort, working with dozens of diverse organizations.

Lara Morton, as creative producer, co-founded FUSE on there in 2019, with the goal of “telling a story.” Its current offering is “Songs for a New World” with music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown, a show that is described as neither a musical or a song cycle, but an abstract piece of diverse songs all connected by “the moment of decision.”

Brown defines it as “the moment ... it’s hitting the wall and having to make a choice, or take a stand, or turn around and go back.”

Come meet Amber Emerson, Tiessa Hills, Susan Kulp, Brian Meltzer, Kelaey Mulligan and Ty Scurry Jan. 14 at 7:30 p.m., and 15th at 3 p.m. with Matt Durland on piano.

The musical numbers range from a woman who threatens to jump form her penthouse apartment to gain her husband’s attention in “Just One Step,” two lost souls who bemoan their poor luck in “The River Won’t Flow. Also featured is a woman in “Stars and the Moon” who chooses wealth over love and regrets it, an unhappy Mrs. Claus who is bidding a sad farewell to her unresponsive mate, and many more.

The program, directed by Noah Golden, ends with “Hear My Story,” and the hope that everyone can overcome hardship by standing together.

Audiences are invited to go on a musical adventure to discover the crossroads and decisions that need to be selected in order to succeed.

For tickets ($15 to $22), navigate to FuseTheatreCT.org. Masks are required while in the theater.