What is a connotation for play?

Frolic

To be active

A performance in front of an audience

The connotation for play would be playing or messing with someones feelings, connotation means - is an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal or actual meaning and definition

so in that case, the literal word for play you just described. and the connotation would be messing around emotionally or joking.