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by Elyse
Sommer
| I hope you'll have a good time --- James Levine at an open rehearsal, advice followed not only by Tanglewood audiences, but Berkshirites attending the many and varied entertainment events that make up summer '05 in the Berkshires. |
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esommer@curtainup.comApril 28, 2008. And on the heels of announcements are the inevitable changes in planned programs-- to wit, The Berskhire Theatre Festival has cancelled its production of Edward Albee' Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? slated to run August 12- September 6 with Richard Chamberlain and Jan Maxwell. Replacement program and cast TBA April 15, 2008. Casting announcements are starting to come in-- per Berkshire Theatre Festival's distinguished cast for its presentation of Shaw's Candida, below. March 24, 2008. Barrington Stage announced its Main Stage 2008 Season last January and its initial Musical Theater Lab Production. The main stage and Youth Theater announcements remain as previously announced. News about the second stage events is that they will this season be held at the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Pittsfield (fund raising efforts underfoot include plans for Barrington to have its own second theater). The Stage II Musical Theatre Lab will still begin with The Mysteries of Harris Burdick, plus the events added below:
Musical Theatre Lab on Stage II
June 18 and runs through July 5. Chris Miller, Nathan Tysen and Joe Calarco's The Mysteries of Harris Burdick. When I saw this during it's Lab workshop it was not yet open for review, though you will find some comments on its background on Curtainup's Barrington Stage Summer '07 page. The summer 08 production is a fine-tuned, more dfeveloped production of what was already quite interesting last year. In 2008, most Stage 2 and Music Theatre Lab performances will take place at the VFW Post on Linden Street. July 9 to 26 will bring My Scary Girl and August 7 to 23, See Rock City and Other Destinations.
Several special events planned for the VFW venue:
• Mary Testa and Michael Starobin will present Sleepless Variations (July 31-August 3)
• Free staged readings of Lee Kalcheim's Believer (July 27)
• Free staged readings of Mark St. Germain's Freud's Last Session (August 30-31)
• Staged readings of David Javerbaum & Brendan Milburn's musical Watt!?! (May 24-25)
Mainstage Summer Season
June 11 through July 12. William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin's The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. This is, of course the musical that was a major hit for Barrington Stage in 2004 and the only disappointment was that the company's small second stage couldn't accommodate anywhere near the people clamoring to see it. It moved from the Berkshires to the Second Stage in New York and from there quickly transferred to the Circle in the Square on Broadway. The success of the Broadway show helped to finance Barrington Stage's handsome theater in Pittsfield and now, with the long Broadway run ended, it's only fitting that the show should begin what will undoubtedly be a long and happy life in other locations, by returning to Barrington Stage. BSC's director and choreographer TBA.
July 17 through August 2. Richard Greenberg's The Violet Hour directed by Bob Ruggiero. I reviewed this play wen it debuted on Broadway 5 years ago (the review). It suffered from some unfortunate casting which doomed its success in the Big Apple but I felt, with a different cast and some reworking it could meet with more success in future. Here's hoping this wish will come true in Pittsfield..
August 7 through 24. Noel Coward's Private Lives, starring Barring Stage favorite Christopher Innvar and directed by artistic BSC Youth Theatre: July 16 through August 17. Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty's Seussical. Try as it might, this musical never made it on Broadway. However, several re-jiggered, regional productions have met with more success, as this BS Youth Theatre is likely to do too. The same musical team from last year's High School Musical will be on board for the Seussical.
Mainstage Fall Season: Christopher Sergel's stage adaptation of Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize winning To Kill a Mockingbird . n March.
March 20, 2008. Williamstown Theatre Festival has announced some additional items and changes. The Summer 2008 season now lines up as follows:
On the Main Stage
June 28-July 13. She Love Me by the creative team of Joe Masteroff-Sheldon Harnick-Jerry Bock. Directed by Martin.
July 16-27, Paul Schmidt's translation of a WTF favorite, Anton Chekhov. The play, Three Sisters, Directed by Michael Greif.
July 30-August 10 John Rando, known for his fast past direction will fllow with David Ives's new adaptation of Georges Feydeau's famous farce, Flea in Her Ear.
August 13-24. David Storey's Home, a 1970 drama. This is the only play so far announcing some of its cast members—Richard Easton and Dana Ivey.
At the now larger Nikos stage
June 11-22 Christopher Durang's Beyond Therapy directed by Alex Timbers, artistic director of the acclaimed Les Freres Corbusier theatre company. The cast will include Kate Burton and the production will also be seen at the Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor, NY from July 8-27
June 25-July 6. Campbell Scott in a solo play, The Atheist by Ronan Noone. It's about an ethically-challenged journalist.
July 9-20. Broke-ology by Nathan Jackson and directed by Thomas Kail (director of the Broadway musical In the Heights. It's a drama about two brothers caring for their ailing father who face the dilemma of following their dreams or honoring the unspoken promise of familial loyalty.
July 23-August 3. A new Theresa Rebeck play, The Understudy, about the backstage doings of a long-lost Kafka play that becomes a new hit. It will be helmed by Scott Ellis and star Julie White.
July 23-August 3 Not Waving by Ellen Melaver Directed by Carolyn Cantor
February 26, 2008. The Chester Theater has announced a very promising summer 2008 season. Blackbird by David Harrower from July 2-13. This won an Olivier in London (London production review) and was well received Off-Broadway production ( review). It will be intresting to see what this small, more budget constrained company will do with it.
Almost, Maine by John Cariani - July 16-27. When I saw this charming play's world premiere Off-Broadway I predicted that it would have a good regional life, especially in New England. (review) This prediction is coming true. The Theater Barn in New Lebanon did it last year, and now it's coming to a theater I think is a natural for it.
The Dishwashers by Morris Panych - July 30- August 10. This is a Canadian import, a comic theatrical fable in which Chief Dishwasher Dressler presides over the basement scullery of an upscale eatery, marshaling his forces with a stream of Marxist rhetoric, Ayn Rand-inspired ravings and old fashioned working class pride. Unfortunately, his fellow wage slaves, the ancient Moss and the downwardly mobile Emmett, fail to fall into step.
Tilted House by Susan Eve Haar - August 13-24. A family drama revolving Annie and Robert and their son Henry have taken a beach house on Fire Island. Robert, an ambitious editor has invited Clay, a famous novelist, to visit in hopes of landing the writer?s next opus. When Clay accepts and takes up residence, the family is plunged into a world of dangerous games that beget passion and betrayal, and call into question choices made long ago.
February 1, 2008. The Berkshire Theatre Festival has announced it's Summer 2008 season. The listings for this as well as the other theaters will migrate to the various theater's own pages as the season draws closer.
Main Stage (Monday through Saturday evenings at 8pm with 2pm matinees on Thursdays and Saturdays and ticketsfrom $23 to $68).
Candida by George Bernard Shaw. Directed by Anders Cato. Previews: June 17, 18, 19 Opens: June 20.Closes: July 5 Revival of George Bernard Shaw's 1894 comedy, Candida, which was first performed in Stockbridge 80 years ago 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. Jayne Atkinson will play the title role in George Bernard Shaw’s Candida. Anders Cato will direct the production, which will open the Main Stage 80th anniversary season and run June 17 - July 5. Updated Cast Announcement: 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, will play the title character. Her husband, Michel Gill, will play her on stage husband , the Reverend James Morell. David Schramm will play Candida’s father, Mr. Burgess and will perform later in the season as . Pozzo in Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot at BTF’s Unicorn Theatre, July 29 - August 23. Berkshire native Finn Wittrock will play Eugene Marchbanks, the dashing young poet who comes between Candida and her husband. Broadway veteran Samantha Soule will play Proserpine Garnett.
The Book Club, by Karen Zacarías. Directed by TBA, with Tom Story.Previews: July 8, 9, 10 Opens: July 11 Closes: July 19. a new comedy about people who read books, people who say they read books, and people who prefer books to other people. The play examines the popular phenomena of book clubs: the intricate rules, the intricate friendships, and the intricate need for food. Hilarious and heartbreaking, it reveals the impact of literature on our lives and friendships.
A Man for All Seasons by Robert Bolt. Directed by Richard Corley .With Tara Franklin, Eric Hill, and Walter Hudson. Previews: July 22, 23, 24 Opens: July 25 Closes: August 9. Revival of Tony Award winning drama that explores the uneasy interplay of church and state during the reign of King Henry VIII. The play is based on the true story of Sir Thomas More, a revered scholar, lawyer, and churchman, whose eloquence and endurance in the face of escalating threats to his beliefs and family make him one of modern drama's greatest tragic heroes.
Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Directed by Martin A. Rabbett. With Richard Chamberlain and Jan Maxwell. Previews: August 12, 13, 14 Opens: August 15 Closes: September 6. An 80th birthday celebration for the playwright and the Festival. UPDATE: The show has been cancelled. Replacement program TBA
Unicorn Theatre( Monday through Saturday evenings at 8pm, with 2pm matinees on Saturdays for most shows. The opening and closing productions have slightly different schedules. Prices range from $19.50 to $44).
The Caretaker by Harold Pinter. Directed by Eric Hill. With James Barry and Jonathan Epstein.Previews: May 22, 23. Opens: May 24. Closes: June 28 Nobel Prize-winning playwright Harold Pinter's enigmatic and sinister comedy about the struggle for power. The fragile relationship of two brothers, Aston and Mick, is turned upside down when Davies, a homeless man, enters their lives. Pageant Play a world premiere by Matthew Wilkas and Mark Setlock. Directed by TBA. With Daiva Deupree, Jenn Harris, Mark Setlock, and Matthew Wilkas. Previews: July 1, 2, 3, 4 Opens: July 5 Closes: July 26. Satiric comedy by actor-playwrights Matthew Wilkas and Mark Setlock about the twisted world of child pageants. Two ruthless stage mothers with rival pageant coaches go on a desperate quest to turn their daughters into beauty queens.
Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett. Directed by Anders Cato. With David Adkins and Randy Harrison. Previews: July 29, 30, 31, August 1. Opens: August 2 . Closes: August 23. This tragicomedy, changed the course of modern theatre when it opened in Paris in 1953. It's at once a vaudevillian farce and a heartrending expression of our very existence. Eleanor: Her Secret Journey by Rhoda Lerman. Director and cast TBA. Previews: August 26 Opens: August 27 Closes: November 9. One-woman play about Eleanor Roosevelt.
Theatre for Young Audiences
Hercules by Written and directed by E. Gray Simons III June 25 – July 26 at the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield. $7 children, $10 adult (discount for museum members) Playing Wednesday through Saturday 11am, with no show on July 4th.
Around the World in 80 Days adapted by E. Gray Simons III from the Jules Verne novel. Directed by Amy Brentano. August 6 – August 23 at the Unicorn Theatre, Monday through Saturday 11am. $7 child/student, $15 adult
Oliver! Book, Music and Lyrics by Lionel Bart. Based on Charles Dickens's Oliver Twist Directed by E. Gray Simons III with a cast of children and adults drawn from the local Berkshire community. September 11– 13 at 7:30pm, with 2pm matinees on September 13 – 14 at the Main Stage $10 students, $25 adults
January 22, 2008. Another popular Berkshire organization, Berkshire Opera, has announced its 2008 season. new artistic team of Ryan Taylor, general director and Kathleen Kelly, artistic director. As it did last year, the opera company will launch its season with a concert presentation at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington. The July 11the event titled "Women on the Verge" will be headlined by local diva, soprano Maureen O'Flynn; also French mezzo-soprano Marie Lenormand, young American tenor Scott Scully, and bass-baritone Patrick Carfizzi. The opera company will return to the beautiful Colonial Theater in Pittsfield, on August 3rd with a concert called "Secrets of the Sea" and late in the season with a fully-staged performance of Le nozze di Figaro. For ticket information: Berkshire Opera Box Office, 413.442.0099 or info@berkshireopera.org
December 27, 2007. The Tanglewood Music Festival was an important part of the late, great Leonard Bernstein's life and career. On August 17, 2008, the Festival will be marking the 90th anniversary of Bernstein's birth with a tribute featuring Broadway star Brian Stokes Mitchell (Kiss Me, Kate, King Hedley II; Ragtime; Kiss of the Spider Woman; Jelly's Last Jam; Oh, Kay!; Mail; and the City Center Encores! mountings of Do Re Mi & Kismet) and the Boston Pops orchestry led by Keith Lockhart .
December 6, 2007. Winter's just gotten into full warm coat, hats and scarf mode, but Shakespeare & Company has announced its expanded 2008/2009 Performance Season. Here's what's in store on the various stages:
The Ladies Man. Written by Charles Morey; freely adapted from Georges Feydeau's Tailleur pour Dames and directed by Kevin G. Coleman; Cast TBA . At Founders' Theatre: 5/28-8/31/08
All's well that ends well, by William Shakespeare, directed by Tina Packer. At Founders' Theatre: 6/20-8/31/08.
Othello by William Shakespeare, directed by Tony Simotes, John Thompson (currently in Cyrano on Broadway) as Othello, and Michael Hammond as Iago. At Founders' Theatre: 7/18-8/31/08
The Goatwoman of MemphisA new play by Christine Whitley; Director and cast TBA At the new Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre: 7/31-8/31/08. It's about a fading beauty living on a defunct farm in Tennessee bears the weight of her complicated past and must face it as her new husband adapts to the presence of her troublesome teenaged son. As the play unfolds, so does the history of secrets that keeps the title character trapped within her own soul. A chance for escape emerges, and she eventually discovers the price of her past mistakes.
The Canterville Ghost, by Irina Brook and Michael Hammond; adapted from the fun ghost story for the whole family by Oscar Wilde and directed by Irina Brook. At Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre: 9/12-11/9/08
Bad Dates, by Theresa Rebeck, featuring Elizabeth Aspenlieder. Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre: 1/9/09-3/8/09. We saw and liked this when it played off-Broadway (review)
October 18, 2007. And the first play seen in this area during summer 2007 is. . . can you guess? Yes, it played at Williamstown. And yes, it played at the smaller stage. But while CurtainUp posted a ver positive review, not all the other local critics agreed. At any rate, the play is Crimes of the Heart, which marked Kathleen Turner's directing debut and featured a terrific cast, a number of whom will be in the Roundabout's revival at it's Off-Broadway Laura Pels theate from January 18 through April 13, 2008. The NY cast (*indicates actors who'll be reprising their WTF roles): *Patch Darragh (Doc Porter), *Jennifer Dundas (Lenny Magrath), Sarah Paulson (Meg Magrath), *Lily Rabe (Babe Botrelle), Jessica Stone (Chick Boyle) and Chandler Williams (Barnette Lloyd). For a look at our review of the Williamstown production go here.
Retold by Tina Packer of Shakespeare & Co.
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