Berkshire Theater Notes
The curtain rises on another season
By: Compiled Larry Murray - Jun 09, 2008
It's barely summer and the pace of theater openings has certainly picked up. This report focuses on the most anticipated shows, the latest casting, and other news of interest to Berkshire audiences .
Spelling Bee comes home to Barrington Stage
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee returns! Created by Barrington Stage Company (BSC) in the winter of 2004 and presented that summer to sold-out audiences, this hilarious and heartwarming musical moved to Broadway where it took home two 2005 Tony Awards. The cast includes Emy Baysic, Miguel Cervantes, Hannah Del Monte, Molly Ephraim, Demond Green, Clifton Guterman, Michael Mastro, Eric Petersen and Sally Wilfert.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is now in previews and will officially open on Sunday June 15. (Look for the Berkshire Fine Arts review the next day.) The show will run through July 12th. For more information call (413) 236-8888.
Quick Link to Barrington Stage Company
Under 35? Bring a date to "Spelling Bee" and save
Barrington's artistic director Julianne Boyd is an innovator in audience outreach, helping young working people enjoy theatre by enticing them with prices that are within their means. This Friday, June 13, BSC is offering a "Pay What You Can Nights for 35 and Unders" that offers close-to-free tickets (minimum payment $5 per person) for Spelling Bee. Seven other shows, also on Fridays will follow.
The other dates are July 25 for The Violet Hour and August 15 for Private Lives, along with the Stage 2 performances June 20 of Harris Burdick, July 11 of My Scary Girl and August 15 for See Rock City.
A party follows! Following each of these performances there will be a "happening" open to the young theatergoers. The passageway adjacent to the theatre will be converted into a special space for the young set. The team of Pittsfield Garden Tour and Geri Jones of Churchill Gardens will convert the open air space into an enchanted evening garden for the MainStage after-theatre parties. John Kelly of Kelly's Package Store will provide the party drinks (red and white wine and beer) and Paul Rich & Sons will contribute garden furniture, while Larry Kratka will spin the tunes.
Pay What You Can performances are part of BSC's Affordable Theatre for All program. There is a program for just about every age group. Other specials BSC offers are preview tickets to MainStage performances that are priced at $15 and $20 and it's $15 for every seat at Stage 2 previews. Kids under 13 go free when accompanied by an adult (one child with each adult ticket). Students 14-21 get half price tickets at MainStage. MainStage matinees are offered to Seniors for $35. There is also a community night special - $35 for Wednesday nights - for residents of Albany, Berkshire, Litchfield and Columbia Counties. And don't forget that Barrington pioneered the Half-Tix program in the Berkshires. Look for more details about that in the next Berkshire Arts Preview at the end of June.
The Mysteries of Harris Burdick begins June 18 at BSC
The world premiere of The Mysteries of Harris Burdick, a new musical by Chris Miller and Nathan Tysen, inspired by Chris Van Allsburg's (Jumanji and The Polar Express) illustrative book, opens the third season of Barrington Stage Company's acclaimed Musical Theatre Lab, under the mentorship of William Finn.
From the creators of BSC's 2006 hit musical The Burnt Part Boys, The Mysteries of Harris Burdick features book and direction by Joe Calarco (Shakespeare's R & J), with music by Chris Miller and lyrics by Nathan Tysen.
The Mysteries of Harris Burdick was presented as a workshop last summer as part of BSC's Musical Theatre Lab. After working on the show over the winter and spring, as part of the Lab's developmental process, a full production is being presented this summer.
Miller, Tysen and Calarco bring a unique perspective to Van Allsburg's book, known for its whimsical, haunting and wildly intriguing illustrations. In the stage version, a writer named Harris Burdick appears at the publishing offices of Peter Wenders with a series of astonishing drawings for a book he has written. Burdick promises to return the next day with the accompanying stories – he never returned – and never does. The illustrations are given a musical life by offering one explanation for the man's mysterious disappearance, taking the audience on a wild ride through wonder, fear, and the imagination.
The Mysteries of Harris Burdick features Romain Fruge (The Threepenny Opera,The Full Monty, Some Men at Second Stage, BSC's Elegies), Mitchell Jarvis (Fiddler on the Roof), Catherine Porter (London 's Sunset Boulevard), Ben Roseberry (Fugitive Songs), Lucia Spina (Les Miserables and Â…Spelling Bee) and Nicole Van Giesen (The Wild Party and Cabaret).
Barrington Stage Company's Musical Theatre Lab: Wednesday through Friday at 7:30pm, Saturday at 4pm and 8pm, Sunday at 7:30pm. Tickets are $15 for the first two previews, while other performances are $25-$30. Student tickets for the Sat. at 4pm matinees are $15; Pay What You Can Night for 35's and Under, Friday, June 20 at 7:30pm. BSC's Stage 2 is located at the VFW Hall, 36 Linden Street in Pittsfield. For more information call (413) 236-8888.
Quick Link to Barrington Stage Company
Williamstown Opens Season June 11 with Beyond Therapy
The Williamstown Theatre Festival (WTF) begins its season this week with the opening of Beyond Therapy by Christopher Durang at the Nikos Stage and runs through June 22. The story: a chance meeting through a personal ad provides two New Yorkers with a multitude of topics for their therapy sessions. The lines between doctor and patient, however, are hilariously blurred. This wacky Christopher Durang classic delivers a water-splashing, show tune-humming look at the idiosyncrasies of the heart.
This is very much an American comedy, one to rival any French Farce. Comedy is popular in the Berkshires as The Ladies Man that recently opened at Shakespeare & Company proves. Comparing the two is like saying crepes are like knishes, when both are uniquely their own creations, and deliciously funny. Beyond Therapy is being presented in association with Bay Street Theatre. Directed by former WTF Boris Sagal Directing Fellow Alex Timbers (Artistic Director of the acclaimed Les Freres Corbusier theatre company).
WTF has announced the full casting and joining previously announced Kate Burton ("Grey's Anatomy," Tony nominations – Hedda Gabler and The Elephant Man) and Katie Finneran (Tony Award – Noises Off, Mauritius) are Darren Goldstein (Abigail's Party and Gutenberg! The Musical!), Darrell Hammond ("Saturday Night Live"), Matt McGrath (Cabaret, "Boys Don't Cry") and Bryce Pinkham (A Woman of No Importance –Yale Rep, Yale MFA).
Beyond Therapy will run on the Nikos Stage from June 11-22, 2008. Ticketing information for Beyond Therapy at Williamstown can be obtained by calling 413-597-3400.
Quick Link to Williamstown Theatre Festival
The Athiest starts June 25 at the Nikos
Running through July 6, The Atheist by Ronan Noone and directed by Justin Waldman will be the second offering at Williamstown this month. The story: Augustine Early is a reporter who will do anything to get his next front-page story. When shady political dealings whet his appetite for success, the consequences could be much more than he anticipated, deterring his quest to catch a pitch-perfect headline. The Athiest will run on the Nikos Stage from June 11-22, 2008. Ticketing information: 413-597-3400.
Quick Link to Williamstown Theatre Festival
She Loves Me opens June 27 on the Main Stage
She Loves Me Book will be the first Williamstown production to be directed by Nicholas Martin, the company's new leader. It opened earlier this month at Boston's Huntington Theatre and will arrive in Williamstown, one hopes, pretty much intact. You can read our review of the Boston production here:
She Loves Me at the Huntington
An irresistible tale of two unlikely sweethearts and the quirky coworkers who surround them, Georg and Amalia work together during the day and are unaware they are writing to each other anonymously at night. Hailed by many as one of the most charming musicals ever written, She Loves Me is a quixotic mix of wit and romanticism that timelessly invokes the old-world glamour of days gone by.
She Loves Me will run on the Nikos Stage from June 11-22, 2008. Ticketing information: 413-597-3400.
Quick Link to Williamstown Theatre Festival
Shakespeare: All's Well That Ends Well begins June 20
For the first time, Shakespeare & Company presents William Shakespeare's All's Well that Ends Well this summer. Directing for the first time since her critically lauded King John in 2005, Tina Packer presents a fresh, insightful take on this seldom-produced tale of journeys, transformation, and female empowerment: a young woman's quest to win her reluctant husband's love, attention, and a very special ring. All's Well that Ends Well plays at Founders' Theatre June 20 to August 31. You can call Shakespeare & Company at (413) 637-1199
Quick Link to Shakespeare & Company
Shakespeare & Co Bankside Festival
The world debut of a new comedy The Mad Pirate and the Mermaid is the centerpiece of this year's free outdoor Bankside Festival, which for the sixth consecutive year is made possible by the sponsorship of Teddi and Francis Laurin. Their generous $35,000 grant will help fill the Shakespeare & Company grounds, gardens, and outdoor Rose Footprint Theatre with antics of sword-fighting knights, shameless wenches, mischievous servants, singers, musicians and sonneteers.
The Mad Pirate and the Mermaid plays in two parts, performed on alternate days. Set in 1723, the twilight of the "golden age" of piracy, Mad Pirate is deeply rooted in history, avoiding cultural clichés while evocating very colorful characters and situations. In the Elizabethan tradition, nine actors portray 21 characters, bringing to vivid life the story of two ships—one merchant, one pirate—on a comedic collision course with destiny.
Burnet says the setting of the outdoor, tented Rose Footprint is the ideal for this story. "I think the style of playing down there is really pure theatre, it's really as close to what the Elizabethans had that you can get. There's such a level of raucousness and audience participation at the Rose. The audience can't hide and the actors can't hide. You never know if an actor is going to come out and sit in your lap, or take your purse and walk away. It's in that spirit—you just never know exactly what's going to happen. It's definitely a pirate spirit, a seafaring spirit." Despite the onstage piracy, Burnet promises that no purses will be removed permanently.
The Mad Pirate, Prettyboy Bart, is the protégé of the famous pirate Blackbeard, and his crew of hapless pirates capture three ships belonging to the merchant captain Erasmus and his two sons, Cyrus and Palomides. Little do they know, their lives are inextricably linked by a tragic event that occurred thirteen years prior. With the addition of a hidden treasure, a mysterious island, some boy-crazy Sirens, shark attacks, battles at sea, swashbuckling, swordfights, and musical numbers, the result is a farcical tale of magic and redemption.
Tip: All Bankside Festival events are free, but tickets are often required as seating is limited at the Rose Footprint Theatre. Call Shakespeare & Company at (413) 637-1199
Quick Link to Shakespeare & Company
Shakespeare Gala Fundraiser June 28
Shakespeare & Company celebrates its 31st Season with a very special Cornets & Summer Stars Gala, on Saturday, June 28th to benefit the Company's Education Program. The event will include scenes and snippets of song, dance and revelry from Shakespeare's All's Well That Ends Well. Guests shouldn't be surprised if a swaggering courtier or saucy lady-in-waiting greets them over the course of this festive and entertaining night.
For the second consecutive year a gala will showcase S&Co's deep wealth of creative talents. Associate Artistic Director Michael Hammond is orchestrating the evenings entertainments prepared especially for the event. Tina Packer will be on-hand to celebrate with excerpts from All's Well That Ends Well. Some of the Company's youngest actors (7-10yr olds) from the Riotous Youth program, teenagers from Shakespeare & Young Company I, and more 'seasoned' veteran actors, will be featured, all performing scenes and songs from the show.
The Gala Committee is led by Jane Iredale and includes Katherine Abraham, Lisa Butler, Sheila Chefetz, Roberta Friedman, Phoebe Giddon, Susan and Richard Grausman, Jeff Konowitch and Wendy Laurin, Jane Mescon, Enid Michealman, Carole Murko, Suzanne Nash, Helga S. Orthofer, Susan Price, Charles Schwager, Dottie Weber, and Rose Zoltek-Jick. For more information, call Shakespeare & Company at (413) 637-1199
Our local institutions could not survive without generous support for individual supporters like those above. But corporate sponsorship is also key and Shakespeare & Company recently announced a $40,000 Berkshire Life Insurance Company of America grant in support of its $10 million Capital Campaign.
Quick Link to Shakespeare & Company
Shaw's Candida June 17 -July 5 at Berkshire Theatre Festival
Candida, by George Bernard Shaw and directed by Anders Cato will feature Jayne Atkinson, Michel Gill, David Schramm, Samantha Soule, Jeremiah Wiggins, and Finn Wittrock. Jayne Atkinson has been nominated twice for the Tony Award for Best Actress (Enchanted April and The Rainmaker) and is well known for playing Karen Hayes on the television show, 24. Her husband, Michel Gill, will play her husband on stage, the Reverend James Morell. His past BTF appearances include The Hasty Heart and Transit of Venus. Previews are scheduled for June 17, 18, 19 followed by the regular run through early July.
The Main Stage of the Berkshire Theatre Festival opens its 80th season with a revival of George Bernard Shaw's fast-paced, thought-provoking 1894 comedy, Candida, which was first performed in Stockbridge in 1928 during the Berkshire Playhouse's inaugural season. Set in London's East End during the Victorian era, Candida is about the domestic turmoil that ensues when a dashing and sensitive young poet comes between a socially progressive minister and his charismatic wife.
Though the play revolves around a classic romantic triangle, the questions it raises about love, fidelity, and the imagination of the artist are as relevant today as ever.
Berkshire Theatre Festival Box Office (413) 298-5576
Quick Link to Berkshire Theatre Festival
Albee out, Coward in at BTF
Noël Coward in Two Keys by Sir Noël Coward, directed by Vivian Matalon, will replace the previously announced Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? as the fourth Main Stage production, running August 12 – August 30.
BTF Presents Hercules at the Berkshire Museum
The Berkshire Museum and the Berkshire Theatre Festival will present Hercules at the museum beginning June 25. Performances will be offered at 11 a.m. every Wednesday through Saturday from June 25 through Saturday, July 26. There will be no show July 4. Family performances at the Berkshire Museum are underwritten by the Sol and Rita Toscher Memorial Fund and sponsored by Pittsfield Cooperative Bank.
Twelve impossible tasks taunt Hercules throughout this production
written by E. Gray Simons III. The hero battles beastly boars and
bulls, travels through the Underworld, and more.
The Berkshire Museum is located at 39 South Street on Route 7 in
Downtown Pittsfield. For more information, contact the Berkshire Museum at (413) 443-7171, ext. 10.
Quick Link to Berkshire Museum
Weston, VT Playhouse offers Doubt on June 24
One of my personal favorites, the Weston Playhouse opens its season on June 24 with Doubt by John Patrick Shanley. It runs to July 5. Winner of the 2005 Tony Award for Best Play and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Doubt has become the most produced play in America. In a Bronx Catholic school in 1964, a strong-minded nun must decide whether to voice her concerns about a male colleague, even if she's not completely certain of the truth. Doubt is a story filled with suspicions and dilemmas so real, you'll be talking about it long after you leave the theatre.
Call (802) 824-5288 for ticket information.
Quick Link to Weston, VT Playhouse
Chorus Line at MacHayden Theater June 19-29
Just across the border in New York state you can find more affordable theatre and a classic show. The record-setting Broadway hit is the ultimate theatre show, filled with emotion, candor, exceptional dancing, and stunning personal songs: "At the Ballet, Music and the Mirror, Dance 10 Looks 3, What I Did for Love." Call (518) 392-9292 for ticket information.
Quick Link to MacHayden Theatre (NY)