Williamstown Theatre Festival

It takes a remarkable playwright like Theresa Rebeck to use snippets of Kafka embedded in a comedy. The brilliant and hilarious "The Understudy" is having its world premiere at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. This hit is sure to be Broadway bound.

They make it look easy on stage, but doing farce is not only hard work, but dangerous as well. Those slamming doors, the madcap chases, the spinning bed are all hilarious, and require split second timing to succeed. Welcome to the frenetic world of French farce. We discuss all the ins and outs with Tony award winning director John Rando and the actor Mark Harelik.

The Williamstown Theatre Festival deserves much praise and credit for presenting an ambitious production of Anton Chekhov's "Three Sisters" during its fast paced summer season. While there were wonderful elements as directed by Michael Greif the whole was less than the sum of its parts.

At Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, a 7.5 million fund goal was met and the Elayne Bernstein Theatre opened, Willliamstown began its Greylock Project and series of play readings, Barrington Stage is workshopping a new musical in Pittsfield, and the Berkshire Theatre Festival in Stockbridge received grants for their renewal plan, and to allow extended rehearsals for their much anticipated Waiting for Godot.

"Broke-Ology" a new play by Nathan Louis Jackson is given a wonderful production with a superb cast, starring veteran actor, Wendell Pierce, at the Williamstown Theatre Festival.

She Loves Me was the last production for Nicholas Martin ending several years the Huntington Theatre Company in Boston and is now his first show for the Williamstown Theatre Festival as its artistic director. Its a win win for all concerned.

The Underground Man in Dostoyevsky's proto existential 1864 novel "Notes From the Underground" has been updated by the smarmy, hipster, tabloid reporter, Augustine Early, superbly performed by Campbell Scott in the brillant but disturbing play "The Atheist" by Ronan Noone. It is one of the remarkable Huntington productions which Nicholas Martin has transported to Williamstown,

The awesome array of Berkshire arts events in July is astounding. Our theater, music and dance companies create their schedules one by one, but taken together it's going to be one sensational Summer Festival right here in our own backyard. Enjoy.

Actress Kate Burton dropped by to help the new artistic director of the Williamstown Theatre Festival, Nicholas Martin, launch a sandwich in his honor at the famous Papa Charlie's Deli in Williamstown.

Part Two of our report on saving money while enjoying the Berkshire's many performing arts attractions. Theater, music and dance are available at a discount, sometimes even Free!

Once again the Williamstown Theatre Festival launches a new season with mega star power. The cast of "Beyond Therapy" combines among others Emmy winner, Kate Burton, of "Grey's Anatomy," Darrel Hammond, of "Saturday Night Live" and Tony winner Katie Finneran. To top things off the new artistic director has been awarded his own sandwich "The Nicholas Martin." What an honor from the Papa Charlie Deli in Williamstown.

Another opening, another show as the theater season shifts into high gear. Last minute casting news and scheduling changes to keep you up to date.

This revival of the 1963 highly touted musical at Huntington Theatre Company is warm and summery. The music is melodious; the dancing is amazing: and the performances are just right. It is fun with absolutely no heavy lifting. A sweet farewell to Artistic Director Nichols Martin who will take this play to the Williamstown Theatre Festival in June.

Berkshire residents and visitors are about to enjoy the earliest and most promising arts season in years. We pick the best of the early music, theater, dance and gallery offerings, from Memorial Day to the end of June 2008.

Theater, music and dance performances are sprouting up everywhere. Here's a head's up on the most promising. After a hard winter, it's nice to see the Berkshires bloom with life again.

Last year, its most successful to date, the Barrington Stage Company drew an attendance of 45,000. Its artistic director, Julianne Boyd, is committed to bring a diverse program and affordable theatre to the Berkshires.

In July it will be 20 years since Tom Krens left the Williams College Museum of Art to become director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. His resignation was announced today. He has changed forever the mandate for major museums and how they are managed.

In June the final production by Nicholas Martin the musical "She Loves Me" will close at the Huntington Theatre Company, where he has been based since 2000, and open on June 28 at the Williamstown Theatre Festival where he is taking over as artistic director.

While not a "best" and "worst" list in the usual sense we offer an overview of events and what proved to be moving and insightful while covering the arts in 2007.

After a search for nearly a year, the Huntington Theatre Company taps young, energetic artistic director to lead its theatrical growth. Based upon his past performance,much is expected of Peter DuBois .

Originally scheduled to open last December Federal Judge Michael A. Posner ruled yesterday that Mass MoCA may indeed open the unfinished exhibition of Christoph Buchel in its largest gallery. Did the museum simply prevail in a no win situation? The jury is still out.

The rarely produced Autumn Garden which Lillian Hellman described as her favorite is the final production of the Williamstown Theatre Festival season.

Julianne Boyd takes a chance with the challenging Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov for her Pittsfield based Barrington Stage Company.

The 1979 first play by Beth Henley won a Pulitzer Prize for Best Drama but in this production and the directorial debut of actress Kathleen Turner it does not appear to have aged well.

The three inmates in an asylum think they are Newton, Einstein and Mobius. By the way they off their nurses but it turns out they may not be mad after all.