SITE GUIDE
SEARCH
REVIEWS
FEATURES
NEWS
Etcetera and
Short Term Listings
LISTINGS
Broadway
Off-Broadway
NYC Restaurants
BOOKS and CDs
OTHER PLACES
Berkshires
London
California
DC
Connecticut
New Jersey
Philadelphia
Elsewhere
QUOTES
TKTS
PLAYWRIGHTS' ALBUMS
LETTERS TO EDITOR
FILM
LINKS
MISCELLANEOUS
Free Updates
Masthead
Writing for Us
CurtainUp 
Berkshires News
Berkshires News etcetera
by Elyse
Sommer
Click the company name for details about their season: Barrington Stage 2010 Shows | Berkshire Theatre Festival| | Williamstown Theatre Festival | Shakespeare & Compay| Chester Theater
1/2 Price TIX Details
| 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. |
Curtainup at Facebook . . . Curtainup at Twitter and Curtainup's Blog Annex
send your
feedback and news to
esommer@curtainup.com1/2 Price TIX Details
The 1/2 price TIX program is back--and with an additional outlet in Lenox.Participating cultural venues in the 2010 ½ TIX Program are: Barrington Stage Company, Berkshire Choral Festival, The Berkshire Fringe, Berkshire Theatre Festival, The Capitol Steps at the Cranwell Resort, The Colonial Theatre, Jacob’s Pillow Dance, Mac-Haydn Theatre, Shakespeare & Company, Tanglewood, Theater Barn and Williamstown Theatre Festival.
Several new changes have been implemented this year. The Pittsfield Visitor’s Center and the Pittsfield ½ TIX Booth have a new home for 2010 in the Ben & Jerry’s located at 179 South Street in Downtown Pittsfield. A fifth ½ TIX Booth will also open in the new Lenox Visitor’s Center located in the Lenox Town Hall ( 6 Walker Street , Lenox). The other three ½ TIX Booth locations are the Adams Visitors Center (3 Hoosac St., Adams), the Southern Berkshire Visitors Booth (362 Main St., Great Barrington) and the Chatham Bookstore (27 Main St., Chatham, NY) Th per ticket handling charge is $3.00 instead of the previous charge of $2.50 per ticket. The five ½ TIX booths will operate from June 17 through September 5, 2010 from noon until 4:30pm Tuesday through Sunday (closed Monday). Patrons seeking information about daily performance availability and general ½ TIX information should call the ½ TIX Hotline at 413-743-1339. Tickets are sold on a first-come, first-served basis and all transactions are cash only. All tickets are subject to availability and all participants are subject to change. For questions about ½ TIX, please contact Laura Roudabush, Director of Marketing at Barrington Stage, 413-499-5446 x109 or lroudabush@barringtonstageco.org, or Linda Beach, Operations Manager at the Berkshire Visitors Bureau, 413-743-4500 or lbeach@berkshires.org.
Barrington Stage 2010 Shows | Berkshire Theatre Festival| | Williamstown Theatre Festival | Shakespeare & Compay| Chester Theater
Each venue will receive its own page where reviews of shows seen will be posted and archived. Links will also appear on our Berkshire Main Page, in our Master Index of All CurtainUp Reviews and in our Berkshire Review Archive
Williamstown News: Jenny Gersten Williamstow Theater Festival's current Artistic Director Nicholas Martin, after the upcoming 2010 summer season. An alumnus of Williamstown Theater Festival, where she served as Associate Producer from 1996 to 2004, is currently Associate Producer of The Public Theater. She was in the running for the post when Michael Ritchie followed the old adage to "go west young man " to head the Los Angeles Center Group. But the job went to Roger Rees, which proved to be a less than ideal decision, to be followed by the able but ailing Martin.
Bravo and Best of luck to Gerston who now completes a triumvirate of Berkshire theaters headed by women (Kate Maguire, Berkshire Theatre Festival; Julianne Boyd, Barrington Satge) -- and if you count, founders and artistic directors emeritus-- there's Tina Packer of Shakespeare & Company.
Barrington Stage
Sondheimania as part of the Stephen Sondheim shows and celebrations is not limited to New York Casting is set for Barrington Stage's first big show, Sweeney Todd as well as most of its summer 2010 season. Below the previously announced lineup with the cast additions added:
Barrington Main Stage
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
June 17 ~ July 17
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by Hugh Wheeler
From an adaptation by Christopher Bond
Musical Direction by Darren Cohen
Directed by Julianne Boyd
Darren R. Cohen (BSC’s Carousel, West Side Story) is musical director.
Cast: Jeff McCarthy (Urinetown, BSC’s Follies and Mack and Mabel) as Sweeney Todd and Tony winner Harriet Harris (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Roundabout’s Present Laughter) as Mrs. Lovett; also h Ed Dixon as Judge Turpin, Timothy Shew as Beadle Bamford, Christianne Tisdale as the Beggar Woman, Shonn Wiley as Anthony, Sarah Stevens as Johanna, and Zachary Clauseas Tobias. Stephen Sondheim's Tony Award-winning musical thriller takes the stage just in time to celebrate Sondheim's 80th birthday.
Art
July 22 ~ August 7
By Yasmina Reza
Translation by Christopher Hampton
Director- Henry Wishcamper
Cast: Brian Avers (Tom Stoppard’s Rock ‘n’ Roll, BSC’s The Violet Hour and Black Comedy), Michael Countryman (Equivocation; BSC’s Ciao!;The Inconstant Lovers) and David Garrison (Wicked, I Do! I Do!, TV’s Married with Children). With the current play Red, about a group of color layered red canvases a big Broadway hit for Albert Molina, it will be interesting to return to Molina's first Broadway play in which hree men's friendships are tested in extraordinary and hilarious ways when one of them buys an expensive white (on white) painting.
Absurd Person Singular
August 12 ~ 29
By Alan Ayckbourn
Directed by Jesse Berger
Cast: Emily Bergl (Becky Shaw, ABC’s Men in Trees and CBS’ The Good Wife), Christopher Innvar (110 in the Shade, BSC’s A Streetcar Named Desire and Private Lives), Robert Petkoff (Ragtime), and Charlotte Parry (Equivocation) Two additional cast members TBA
Three couples on three successive Christmas Eves in three different kitchens as they spin out of control to a darkly hilarious ending.
Barrington's Stage 2
The Whipping Man
May 27 ~ June 13
By Matthew Lopez
Directed by Christopher Innvar
New England Premiere!
Cast: Clarke Peters (The Iceman Cometh, Chicago, HBO’s Treme and The Wire; Tony Nominee for Five Guys Named Moe Best Book of a Musical), LeRoy McClain (TFANA’s Measure for Measure; LCT’s Cymbeline) and Nick Westrate (The Boys in the Band, A Moon for the Misbegotten). At the end of the Civil War, a Jewish Confederate soldier returns home to Richmond to be greeted by his two black servants, reared Jewish and now free men.
June 22 – July 3 marks the return of Barrington Stage's longest running ever hit two-hander, Freud's Last Session with Martin Rayner as Dr. Sigmund Freud and Mark H. Dold as C. S. Lewis. The show was seen by more than 5000 patrons during the 2009 season. This reprise precedes an Off-Broadway run at The Marjorie S. Deane Little Theatre at 5 West 63rd Street.
BSC’s Musical Theatre Lab on Stage 2 casting TBA.
Pool Boy
July 13 ~ August 8
Music and Lyrics by Nikos Tsakalakos
Book and Lyrics by Janet Allard
Directed by Kevin Del Aguila
World Premiere! A pool boy's summer turns upside down when he's seduced by L.A. glitz and glam and a sexy older woman. Love and chaos ensue in a rocking new musical about a pool boy's hopes and dreams at the Hotel Bel-Air.
Musical Theatre Lab (MTL) Productions
August 26, 27 and 28th
The Memory Show by Zachary Redler and Sara Cooper.
This 2-hander received a staged reading during the 2009 season and a full production this season, directed by Joe Calarco (BSC’s The Burnt Part Boys & The Mysteries of Harris Burdick). This is a two-person comic tragedy about the troubled relationship of a woman who has just been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and her estranged daughter who moves back home to Brooklyn’s Brighton Beach to take care of her. As the mother starts forgetting the present, her daughter begins remembering the past.
August 26 and Fri., August 27 at 9:30 p.m. and Sat., August 28 at 10 p.m.
3-day reprise for Bill Nelson’s popular All-Male Revue that made its debut in 2009 summer season
Barrington's Youth Theatre
Into The Woods
July 14 ~ August 15
Book by James Lapine
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Directed and Choreographed by Christine O'Grady
Fractured retelling of several well-known fairy tales (Cinderella, Rapunzel, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood and The Baker and his Wife). The beloved fairy tale characters enter the woods, each looking for something.
Update of Williamstown's Main Stage and Nikos Stage Offerings for Summer 2010. More news about casting TBA
Williamstown Main Stage:
June 30-July 11: Burt Shevelove/Larry Gelbart/Stephen Sondheim musical, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (June 30 – July 11). Directed by Jessica Stone and featuring Tony Award-nominee Christopher Fitzgerald as Pseudolus.
July 14-25. John Guare’s Six Degrees of Separation
Cast: Clea Alsip, Lauren Blumenfeld, Candy Buckley, Michael Bradley Cohen, Margaret Colin, Tim Daly, Ned Eisenberg, Ato Essandoh, Julian Gamble, Daniel Hartley, Lucas Kavner, Ben Mehl, Tom Nelis, James Joseph O'Neil, Dominic Spillane, and Ariel Woodiwiss. The creative team: Antje Ellermann (scenic design), Miranda Hoffman (costume design), David Weiner (lighting design) and Fitz Patton (sound design).
July 28 – August 8 Thornton Wilder’s quintessentially American play Our Town, directed by Nicholas Martin . The citizens of this Grovers Corners will include Becky Ann Bakeras Mrs. Gibbs, Dylan Baker as Mr. Webb, Kevin Cahoon as Joe Stoddard, Nancy E. Carroll as Mrs. Soames, Jessica Hecht as Mrs. Webb, Brie Larson as Emily Webb, Bryce Pinkham as Sam Craig, Will Rogers as George Gibb, Graham Rowat as Constable Warren, John Rubinstein as Doc Gibbs, Campbell Scott as the Stage Manager, and Jon Patrick Walker as Simon Stimson. Scenic design by David Korins, costume design by Gabriel Berry, lighting design by Kenneth Posner, and sound design by Drew Levy. Michael Friedman composed the music for this production. The production stage manager is Gregory T. Livoti.
August 11-22 Fifth of July by Lanford Wilson. Directed by Terry Kinney. Cast: David Wilson Barnes (Becky Shaw), Danny Deferrari, Kally Duling, Tony Award-winner Elizabeth Franz, Shane McRae, Anson Mount, Jennifer Mudge and Kellie Overbey. Scenic design by David Gallo, costume design by Sarah J. Holden, lighting design by David Weiner, and sound design by Obadiah Eaves. The production stage manager is Brian Meister. On the Nikos Stage
June 23 – July 4, funny-woman Judy Gold in her new one-woman play, It’s Jewdy’s Show! , directed by Festival Artistic Associate Amanda Charlton.
July 7 – July 18, Samuel J. and K. by Mat Smart (The 13th of Paris; The Hopper Collection) arrives on the Nikos Stage after a hugely successful reading as part of WTF’s Fridays @ 3 last summer.Artistic Associate Justin Waldman directs. Justin Long and Owiso Odera will star. Scenic design by Adam Stockhausen, costume design by Nicole Jescinth Smith, lighting design by Marcus Doshi and sound design by Bart Fasbender.
July 21 – August 1, Amy Herzog’s new play After the Revolution, directed by Carolyn Cantor, makes its journey from the Festival’s fellowship project last summer to the Nikos Stage this summer. It's 1999, and three generations of a radical leftist family meet in New York to celebrate the law school graduation of Emma, the family's youngest torch-carrier. A public revelation about her late grandfather, a victim of the blacklist, sends Emma reeling as the family begins to fracture. Shaken and betrayed, she must weigh her fierce politics and family loyalty to decide if the ends really justify the means.
August 5-20. world premiere of The Last Goodbye, amusical adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet by Michael Kimmel, with music and lyrics by Jeff Buckleyan. 14-actor ensemble features Kelli Barrett (The Royal Family), Nick Blaemire (Cry-Baby), Celina Carvajal (The Toxic Avenger), Merle Dandridge (Spamalot), Damon Daunno (The Last Goodbye), Tom Hennes (Freedom Train), Max Jenkins (Hair), Jo Lampert (The Daughters), Jesse Lenat (Once Around the Sun), Deb Lyons (Smokey Joe's Cafe), Grace McLean (Twelfth Night), Michael Park (“As the World Turns”), Ashley Robinson (Giant), and Chloe Webb (Sid and Nancy, Forbidden Broadway). Scenic design by Michael Brown, costume design by Anne Kennedy, lighting design by Ben Stanton and sound design by Ken Travis. The production stage manager is David H. Lurie.
The Chester Theater's Summer Season: A Brian Friel favorite and a Trilogy
The Chester Season launches its summer 2010 season with Brian Friel's MOLLY SWEENEY - June 30-July 11 Like other Friel plays, this is a triple monologue of interwoven stories: Molly, blind since early infancy, who undergoes an operation to restore her sight. . .Frank, her husband, a dreamer and crusader who encourages her to take the risk.. . . Dr. Rice, trying to recapture the brilliance that once made him an internationally famous eye surgeon. As their stories interweave a poignant, engaging and deeply human tapestry is created that is both compelling and touching.
Arlene Hutton's Nibroc plays can be enjoyed as standalones but this year, Chester offers all three. LAST TRAIN TO NIBROC . . .SEE ROCK CITY. . .GULF VIEW DRIVE The three plays begin with May and Raleigh's meeting, move on to their marriage and finally their move to Florida. On Saturday, August 14 and Saturday, August 28, CTC will present the complete Trilogy in one day, with performances beginning at 1pm and concluding at 10pm and a Kentucky style Ice Cream Social, a Box Dinner and discussions with CTC's Artistic Director Byam Stevens.in between
The Berkshire Theatre Festival has announced its summer 2010 season, which leaves one other major theater in the area to announce it's plans. The BTF season, its 82nd, is quite diverse and brings back some BTF favorites to make older plays new again. The opening nights will once again also be press night and take place on Saturdays. Due to popular demand, a 2pm matinee has been added on Thursdays for all Unicorn Theatre shows. Wednesday night shows are still at 7pm, not 8, at both theatres. Also, this season full-time Berkshire residents get 20% off to all shows except Main Stage Saturday night performances. Cast, unless included in listings below TBA
BTF Main Stage
The Last Five Years, a 2-person musical by Jason Robert Brown will be directed by Anders Cato. Previews: June 22 to July `10th, opening June 26. For a preview of what to expect, here's a link to my review of the show's premiere in New York: Last Five Years.
July 13-July 31 on the Main Stage in Stockbridge, MA. The Guardsman by Ferenc Molnár, directed by John Rando; with Jayne Atkinson, Richard Easton, Michel Gill, Tara Franklin, Stephen deRosa and Mary Louise Wilson From July 13 to July 31; opening July 17. A favorite that inspired 3 films.
Macbeth by William Shakespeare, directed by Eric Hill. From August 3 to August 14; opening August 7 With Brandy Caldwell, Jeremy Davidson, Keira Naughton, and C.J. Wilson. One of Shakespeare's most produced tragedies.
A Delicate Balance by Edward Albee, directed by David Auburn. From August 17 to Se ptember 4 ; opening August 21. Albee's first Pulitzer Prize winner which deserves to be revived more often than it is. The piece is directed by David Auburn and the design team includes R. Michael Miller (scenic), Wade Laboissonniere (costumes), Daniel J. Kotlowitz (lighting), and Scott Killian (original music and sound). Cast: aureen Anderman (Agnes), Mia Barron (Julia), Mia Dillon (Edna), Keir Dullea (Harry), Lisa Emery (Claire), Jonathan Hogan (Tobias).
BTF's Unicorn Theatre
K2 by Patrick Meyers, directed by Wes Grantom. From June 17 to July 3; openingJune 19. Your chance to experience a daring mountain climbing adventure second hand. It played on Broadway before Curtainup.com was launched but I still remember sitting at the edge of my seat.
Endgame by Samuel Beckett, directed by Eric Hill, with David Chandler and Randy Harrison. From July 6 to July 24; opening July 10. Follow up to the summer 2008 Waiting for Godot, with enougher group of memorably miserable characters.
Babes in Arms. Music by Richard Rodgers, Lyrics by Lorenz Hart, Book by George Oppenheimer. Directed by E. Gray Simons III. From July 27 to August 28; opening July 31. With a hit parade of songs this is a musical dessert for a challenging season. (The Lady Is A Tramp,My Funny Valentine, Johnny One Note.)
No Wake world premiere by William Donnelly, directed by Kyle Fabel. From September 1 to October 24, opening. September 4 . It's about an estranged couple struggling to cope with the death of their daughter.
Shakespeare & Company Main Stage
Richard III by William Shakespeare, directed by Tony Simotes featuring John Douglas Thompson in the title role and Tod Randolph as Queen Elizabeth.
Begins July 2.
The Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare directed by Kevin G. Coleman
featuring Elizabeth Aspenlieder
Begins July 15
The Taster by Joan Ackerman, directed by Tina Packer
featuring Rocco Sisto
A dark comedy by Berkshire playwright Joan Ackerman, makes its world premiere.
Begins July 28.
At the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre The Comedy of Errors
by William Shakespeare directed by Dennis Krausnick featuring actors from the Performance Intern Program Begins July 3.
Other shows TBA
Retold by Tina Packer of Shakespeare & Co.
Click image to buy.
Our Review
Berkshire Hikes &
The Berkshire Book