Christmas on the Rocks at TheaterWorks Hartford
13 Years on the Naughty List!
Connecticut’s Favorite Twisted Holiday Tradition Returns
CHRISTMAS ON THE ROCKS
At TheaterWorks Hartford
November 25 through December 21, 2025
(not part of the subscription season)
Press is welcome Wednesday, Dec 3, 2025
Starring Jen Cody, and Richard Kline, and Matthew McGloin.
Connecticut’s favorite twisted holiday returns to TheaterWorks Hartford for its 13th season on the naughty list. Conceived and directed by Artistic Director Rob Ruggiero, CHRISTMAS ON THE ROCKS features work from six playwrights, each adding their own spin to the canon of holiday traditions past. This year’s 13th anniversary production stars Jen Cody, Richard Kline (Three’s Company) returning as “The Bartender,” and features Matthew McGloin making his TWH debut as “The Man.”
CHRISTMAS ON THE ROCKS features new and exciting surprises for 2025! It's Christmas Eve in a rundown local bar. Expecting a silent night, the bartender finds himself mixing drinks for a parade of surprising guests - children from your favorite Christmas specials and movies - now all grown up. Join them as they pour out their Christmas woes in this delightful parody.
When talking about this year’s 13th anniversary production, Artistic Director Rob Ruggiero said “I grew up watching Three’s Company, so it’s especially great to have Richard Kline back 'behind the bar’ this year! His work on that series, and in many sitcoms that defined my childhood, shows that he has the craft and the sense of humor to bring something exciting to the role. I’m also thrilled to have Jen Cody back for yet another year! She makes the process so much fun and has definitely become a ‘fan favorite’ of TheaterWorks’ audiences. We also have a new actor set to play the male-identifying characters, Matthew McGloin, making his TWH debut, plus a few new surprises in store for our lucky 13th year!”
CHRISTMAS ON THE ROCKS is an offbeat collection of twisted holiday tales by John Cariani, Jenn Harris, Jeffrey Hatcher, Jacques Lamarre, Edwin Sánchez, and Matt Wilkas. It is not part of the 25/26 subscription season.
CHRISTMAS ON THE ROCKS runs November 25 - December 21, 2025. Showtimes are Tuesdays - Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 4pm and 8pm, and Sundays at 2:30pm and 6:30pm. Tickets range from $25-$55 (fees not included).
PRESS IS WELCOME WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 3.
CAST
MATTHEW MCGLOIN (The Man)
JEN CODY (The Woman)
RICHARD KLINE (The Bartender)
ARTISTIC & DESIGN
Director ROB RUGGIERO
Set Design MICHAEL SCHWEIKARDT
Costume Design ALEJO VIETTI
Lighting Design JOHN LASITER
Sound Design MICHAEL MICELI
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
JEN CODY (The Woman) is back for year four in Christmas on the Rocks. Jen made her Broadway debut as Rumpleteaser in Cats and has starred in many Broadway shows including: A Christmas Story (Mrs. Schwartz), Shrek (original company), The Pajama Game (Poopsie, original revival company), Taboo (original company), Urinetown the Musical (original company), Seussical the Musical (original company), Beauty and the Beast (Silly Girl), and Grease (Cha Cha). She can be heard on the original cast recordings of Seussical the Musical, Taboo with Boy George, The Pajama Game with Harry Connick Jr., Shrek the Musical, The Wild Party and Vincent Youman’s Through the Years. She has been awarded the Legacy Robe twice for her work on Broadway. Off-Broadway: Charles Bush’s Cleopatra (Iris), Andrew Lippa’s The Wild Party (Mae), Charles Bush’s Judith of Bethulia, and Henry and Mudge (Drama League Nomination). Her voice can be heard on many cartoons including her award-winning role as Charlotte La Bouff in Disney’s The Princess and The Frog in which she received the Annie Award (Voice over Oscar) for Outstanding Voice Work in a Major Motion Picture. Other cartoons include: American Dad (Cartoon Network), Mickey and the Roadster Racers (Disney), Phineas and Ferb (Disney), P. King Duckling, Winx Club (Nickelodeon), Robot and Monster (Nickelodeon) and Khumba (Triggerfish). Her Film and TV work includes: New Amsterdam (NBC), Paper Spiders (Cranium Entertainment), Lucky Stiff (New Oz Productions), The Good Fight (CBS), Younger (TV Land), Instinct (CBS), Bull (CBS), Blue Bloods (CBS), Shrek Live (Dreamworks) Unforgettable (CBS), and Law and Order. Jen-Cody.com
RICHARD KLINE (“The Bartender”) grew up in New York City where he attended Queens College. He holds a Masters in Theatre from Northwestern University. He is known to millions of TV watchers as ‘Larry’ on the classic sitcom Three’s Company. Broadway credits include City of Angels, November, and most recently, Waitress, following a national tour. He was The Wizard in the National Company of Wicked. At the Papermill Playhouse he played opposite Harry Connick Jr. in The Sting. He counts the role of King Arthur in Spamalot at UCONN as one of his favorites. Other Connecticut appearances include Westport Country Playhouse and Goodspeed Musicals. After serving as a lieutenant in Vietnam, Richard made his professional debut at the prestigious Lincoln Center Repertory Company in 1971. Regional theater credits include Other Desert Cities, Death of A Salesman, Chemin de Fer, Native Son, Henry V (title role) and Love’s Labor’s Lost. An accomplished singer, Richard has appeared in the musicals They’re Playing Our Song, Do I Hear A Waltz?, The Rothschilds, Hello Again, and Titanic. In the American premiere of Andrew Lloyd Weber’s By Jeeves, he played Jeeves both at the Goodspeed Musicals and The Kennedy Center. His many television credits include The Resident, Bluebloods, The Americans, Gilmore Girls, Judging Amy, That 70’s Show, NYPD Blue, Dream On, LA Law, Mary Tyler Moore, Maude, and The Love Boat. Richard is a working actor and has been teaching acting since 1998 both in Los Angeles and NYC.
MATTHEW MCGLOIN (The Man) believes in the power of live theatre to connect and heal, and he’s honored to tread the boards at TheaterWorks for the first time. NY/OFF BROADWAY: The Hello Girls (Prospect Theatre Company/59E59), Bastard Jones (The Cell), Casablanca Box (HERE Arts), Ars Nova, Tectonic Theater Project, Abingdon Theatre Company, Dixon Place, The Brick, BMI, The Lark. REGIONAL: The Wizard of Oz (Alabama Shakespeare Festival), The Book Club Play (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park), Murder on the Orient Express, Prayer for the French Republic (Pioneer Theatre Company), Hedwig and the Angry Inch (American Stage), Cabaret (Peterborough Players), The Play That Goes Wrong (Repertory Theatre St. Louis), Murder for Two (Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater), Beautiful Star (Triad Stage), The Lieutenant of Inishmore (Signature Theatre), Misalliance, Cinderella (Olney Theatre Center), As You Like It (Folger Theatre), many productions at The Kennedy Center and Virginia Shakespeare Festival, and over 250 performances of 2 Pianos, 4 Hands (CPIP, Peterborough, Mayfield Theatre, Laguna Playhouse, North Coast Rep, Northlight Theatre, Pioneer). TV: “Law & Order,” “Investigation Discovery,” “History Channel.” www.matthewmcgloin.com // @jackie_of_all_traits
TWH’S HISTORIC 40TH SEASON CONTINUES
TWH’s 25/26 season continues with the Connecticut premiere of THE COUNTER by Meghan Kennedy, which runs February 12 - March 15, 2026. Every morning at a local diner in upstate New York, one daily cup of coffee connects a lonely waitress and her sleep-deprived regular as their unlikely friendship develops. When he asks her for a shocking favor, it brings to light both of their deepest secrets - and sets off a provocative, intimate theatrical triumph. The Counter is a funny, surprising, and moving story about how everyday connections can change our lives.
TWH will then produce the World Premiere of CIRCUS FIRE. It’s July 1944. With the nation at war and a heat wave settling over the city, the residents of Hartford, Connecticut eagerly await the arrival of “The Greatest Show on Earth.” Moments into the show, the unthinkable occurs —a fire that turns the big top into an inferno. In the minutes, hours and days following the blaze, two communities - Hartford and the Circus - find themselves irretrievably intertwined by tragedy, blame, heroism, and healing. This multimedia, immersive production is co-conceived by Hartford based playwright Jacques Lamarre, Jared Mezzocchi (the visionary director of Sandra), and TheaterWorks Artistic Director Rob Ruggiero to honor the power of community in our 40th Season. Circus Fire will run April 16 - May 17, 2026.
In a historic partnership with Hartford Stage, SWEENEY TODD: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street runs June 5 - July 5, 2026. Winner of 8 Tony Awards (including Best Musical), the musical thriller Sweeney Todd is Sondheim at his best! Hartford Stage and TheaterWorks Hartford are joining forces to produce a powerfully intimate chamber production of this theatrical masterpiece. Set in the dark corners of 19th Century London, Sweeney Todd soars with an unforgettable score, razor-sharp wit, and heart-pounding theatricality. This story of “the demon barber of Fleet Street” promises to thrill and delight Hartford audiences. Sweeney Todd will run at Hartford Stage, with TWH’s Artistic Director, Rob Ruggiero, set to direct.
The season will close with the World Premiere of THE CANNIBALS OF MCGOWER COUNTY by Drew Larimore which runs July 30 - August 30 of 2026. This world premiere play kicks off Drew’s Southern matriarch trilogy. McGower County is where we meet Lindalyn and Viola - two old friends and veteran salvagers - ransacking an abandoned barbecue restaurant in the heart of West Texas. Their routine is quickly interrupted by a fatal encounter when an estranged family member appears, and working class rage, deeply-held secrets, and a deep reckoning of the past collide. TheaterWorks Hartford audiences will be the very first to experience this darkly funny Southern Gothic story.
ABOUT THEATERWORKS HARTFORD
TheaterWorks Hartford, led by Artistic Director Rob Ruggiero and Managing Director Jeff Griffin, has produced relevant, engaging contemporary theater for almost 40 years at their historic Pearl Street address. Founded in 1985, TWH is committed to the power of storytelling in creating community and has produced over 200 plays and musicals including world premieres of High (with Kathleen Turner), Relativity (with Richard Dreyfuss) and Make Me A Song: The Music of William Finn among others. Visit us at twhartford.org.
CHRISTMAS ON THE ROCKS Producing Partners
Dina Plapler and Earl McMahon
Supporting Partner
Floyd W. Green III