Berkshire Theatre Notes: April Showers
All My Sons, Fools Festival, Sea of Birds, Lynch Bride, and Playwright Mentoring Project
By: Larry Murray - Apr 06, 2009
Berkshire Theatre Notes
The pace of Berkshire arts activities went into a higher gear the moment April 1 arrived. In Pittsfield, the Fool's Festival had its inaugural launch, celebrating the end of the infamous Clown Wars and the Silencing of the Mimes.
Some people got confused. They moved the Pittsfield Common for the event, there were protests, while those who had no sense of humor utilized the comment section of the local daily to express their disappointment that everyone was so darned happy.
Despite the weather which insisted on raining on the new event there were sheltered venues everywhere, from the Zeitgeist and Ferrin Galleries to the Berkshire Museum and Storefront Artist Project. Even Dottie's Coffee Lounge and Mission Tapas were host to fun events.
The Barrington Stage Playwright Mentoring Project
We struggled through the huge crowd at Barrington Stage to find even a single remaining seat for the Playwright Mentoring Project which featured works written and performed by that company's award winning youth program. More than 50 teens took part, with companies from North Adams, Pittsfield and Lee. The short playlets dealt with topics that inform teen lives, and except for a few too many "dudes" and "whatevers" they were clearly heartfelt stories built upon their own experiences.
Most of the pieces were about as long as a TV commercial, yet very touching, showing there are promising writers in the Berkshires. Many were effectively acted as well, though someone should tell the costume planners that tee shirts with advertising slogans and logos on them don't belong on stage unless they advance the story.
Quibbles aside, this program shows great promise and hopefully will grow in order to further develop basic theatrical elements such as plot, characterizations, and the art of projecting voices so all can hear. The program is an important step in developing the talent of the future. The PMP receives support from the Pittsfield and Lee Cultural Councils, City of North Adams, and a number of generous businesses (the list is very long) all of whom deserve our thanks.
After all, without such support, how do our young people develop their skills? Teaching and mentoring of emerging artists is essential to the overall health of the arts, and to the creative economy in general.
Barrington Stage Company's effort is led by Cynthia Quiñones, Director of Education, and mentors Frank LaFrazia, Waterfall Perry, Wendy Walraven, Charles Coughlin, Jamin Robinson, Kimberly Rose, Tristan La Frazia, Julie Frost, Mike Wood and Talia Eustice.
Schools are under enormous pressure to simply teach the basics to students who sometimes see little value to the English, math, science or history they are taught. Often there is little time left to show young people the creative application of these skills and how a solid grasp of the basics can then be applied to creativity in business and life. So this was a great job all around.
Peter Bergman's "The Lynch Bride"
The First Congregational Church of Pittsfield hosted the presentation of a Victorian style comedy, The Lynch Bride, for four performances over the weekend as part of the Fool's Festival. The play accurately depicted the style of theatre in vogue 132 years ago and was set in the same time period. Bergman wrote a fact and fiction blend of faux-historical Victorian happenings which was played out by a quintet of talented actors.
In this spoof of late 1800's morals and manners, we enjoyed the confusion, flirtation, twists and turns of a delightfully contrived plot which sorts itself out in a typical Gilbert and Sullivan ending where secrets are revealed and the tables are turned. The play was directed by the author and Tom Towne.
The cast included Jeff Hunt, Charles Wright, Sally Filkins, Rodelinde Albrecht, each of whom did a fine job. Dyann Arduini was particularly amusing with her brisk and proper delivery, and perfectly executed "hiccup" step. All four have appeared in Bergman's earlier works. Jonathan Slocum who played the traveling salesman, Kipp Carmody, also heads up the Town Players. It is to him that the most memorable image of the play belongs, the outrageous plaid golf slacks he wore. The costume designer is mercifully uncredited.
Main Street Stage Raises the Bar with Brilliant "All My Sons"
It played on the Main Street Stage for two short weekends, March 26 to April 5, but the best news of the Spring is the giant leap forward taken by Main Street Stage in North Adams. All My Sons was the perfect production for them to collaborate on, and with its performance, this feisty community theatre may have found its sweet spot for audiences, artistic excellence and support.
Directed by Alexia Trainor and Edward Cating, the pacing was swift, cast near perfect, the set a brilliant balance of thrift and function, and the play itself rang with truth, humor, and pathos, just as Arthur Miller intended. It was a touching evening of theater approaching the same high level we have come to expect from the four Berkshire professional companies.
There were minor problems, too, of course, but not large enough to undermine what they accomplished. Clearly, their 30 or so lighting instruments and lighting board are in need of upgrading. A balky gazebo light kept flashing off and on at the worst possible times. Some of the cues were mushy, and all the exits had to be made to stage right due to limited space.
The heat and intensity that Linda White brought to the part of Kate was incredible. Her characterization was as deep and complex as any I can recall in recent memory. Edward Cating as her husband Joe matched her note for note, while Frank LaFrazia's George was absolutely scary, as he is supposed to be, when he arrives on the scene. The other standout was Conor Moroney whose role of Chris was pitch perfect: laid back in the first act, and in overdrive during the third. Drector's Note: Two of the actors were sometimes hard to hear.
Main Street Stage clearly has found it voice by doing the classic works of the stage. Their Romeo and Juliet last year, with age appropriate casting, worked to help rebuild the struggling company's reputation in the public's mind. This is a wonderful development.
At the same time, it is important to remember that many of the events at Main Street Stage are less ambitious in their goals and do not share the same level of professionalism and attention to detail.
The Red Room series, amusing as it may be at times, is much more an informal, amateur, open mike, casual experience. Unfortunately, those ticket buyers who attend and think this is the best that Main Street Stage does get the wrong message. It mis-brands Main Street Stage as an amateur, not-to-be-taken-too seriously operation. With All My Sons, the distinction is now clear to me, even if the image remains schizophrenic to the general public. The problem of approaching theatre as an exercise in "branding" is that if you have an off-message night, you may never get a second chance to redeem yourself. Consistent quality builds audiences, not real estate "branding".
"Sea of Birds" at MASS MoCA
The final stop on this weekend marathon was the White Box Theatre's presentation of Sebastiene Mundheim's Sea of Birds. This work transformed the Hunter Theatre at MASS MoCA into a more intimate space, with a smaller audience brought as close as possible to a living, breathing, metamorphic art installation. This event was part art, part performance, and very theatrical in its execution, using storytelling as its foundation to explore all manner of fleeting, ephemeral images.
The huge white scrim that greeted the audience was flanked on either side by musical instruments and a narrator. It was used first as a screen for projected slides and hand operated shadow puppets of birds, and then peeled back, over the audience to envelop them. Power Point projectors were used to fill other screens with constantly evolving figures as the story proceeded, and these too were eventually lifted on wires to further embrace the audience from above.
Dancers and abstract sculptures enhanced the story with spastic motion and Bunraku style manipulation of life sized figures. A large bed was rolled on and off stage as the story of one family's encounter with World War II unfolded. The overall effect was lyrical, more evocative of a dream than a documentary.
And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the dream was over. It was absolutely captivating from beginning to end, leaving only its indelible and unforgettable images behind, to be enjoyed again and again in the imagination.
Berkshire Theatre Notes appears from time to time in Berkshire Fine Arts. The columnist can be reached at larry at berkshirefinearts dot com Larry Murray's Arts America Blog