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larryland · 3 years

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REVIEW: "Hair" at the Berkshire Theatre Group

REVIEW: “Hair” at the Berkshire Theatre Group

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larryland · 3 years

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REVIEW: "Outside Mullingar" at Berkshire Theatre Group

REVIEW: “Outside Mullingar” at Berkshire Theatre Group

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larryland · 6 years

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by Roseann Cane

I was just shy of 15 when Hair opened off-Broadway and began to cause a stir in 1967, a pivotal time in American culture. When a significantly revised version of the show opened on Broadway in 1968, it rapidly permeated the culture it reflected. It’s impossible to overstate the national turbulence caused by the war in Vietnam, the terror that the draft imposed on students and families, the frequent public protests in cities, suburbia, on college campuses, and even in high schools. The war felt that much more personal because it was televised right in our living rooms, a new experience then.

Concurrently, the free-spirited hippie counterculture blossomed, with its commitment to peace, political awareness, love, sexual freedom, spontaneity, and drug experimentation.

Hair was a widely celebrated, groundbreaking musical. Because so many of its songs were covered by popular artists, and heard on radios across the nation, its fame reached far beyond the New York stage to make the show an international sensation.

With its multiracial cast, brazen sexuality, and mostly whimsical nature, with its actors (or the Tribe) frequently mingling with the audience, no theatergoer had ever seen anything like it. It also became famous because of its notorious nude scene, which was probably far less shocking than prospective audience members imagined: the Tribe rapidly undressed and stood proudly naked in a line downstage for a moment at the end of the first act.

The exuberant young Tribe now celebrating Hair at the Berkshire Theatre Group’s Unicorn Theatre is percolating with joie de vivre. I was enormously gratified to hear the songs that helped shape my adolescence presented by lush and powerful singing voices, including those of the stunning Latoya Edwards (Dionne), sexy Brandon Contreras (Berger), and lusty Eric R. Williams (Hud). As Sheila, Kayla Foster’s poignant rendition of “Easy To Be Hard” was arresting and memorable; an adorable trio of castmates, Livvy Marcus (Jeanie), Sarah Sun Park (Tribe ensemble), and Katie Birenboim (Crissy), joined in a charming presentation of “Air.” Will Porter (Woof) offers a hilarious delivery of “Sodomy.” As Claude, Andrew Cekala’s portrayal of a young man faced with a heart-wrenching decision is tremendously touching.

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Really, while Hair has is packed with many more songs than most musicals, every song in the show is a gem, not only because of lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado, and the music by Galt MacDermot, but thanks to this charming cast and to the excellent musical direction of Eric Svejcar and his orchestra, along with Lisa Shriver’s consistently delightful, fresh, and sometimes surprising choreography. Shane E. Ballard’s costumes were authentic and colorful, and Jason Simms’s scene design created an ideal minimalist, yet gritty, showcase for the action. Lighting and sound by Patricia M. Nichols and Nathan Leigh, respectively, buoyantly enhanced the show.

While I commend director Daisy Walker for her casting, pacing, and the easy interaction among the members of the Tribe, I was disappointed with a few of the choices she made. There is a song in the first act, “My Conviction” (a wry explanation of the flamboyance exhibited by males of all species) that is traditionally sung by a mature, conservatively dressed woman identified as Margaret Meade, who emerges from the audience with a silent male companion. At the end of the song, Meade flashes the audience to reveal she is a man in drag. I’ve always found that to be a witty bit of gender-bending. Walker has a female Tribe member sing it center-stage, and even though the singer has the appropriately conventional suit on, and she has a fine voice, a neatly show-stopping bit of humor was lost. Then there was the nude scene. At the end of Act I, some of the Tribe members clustered upstage in the dark, removed their clothes, and exited. From the audience, we could just about see dark outlines of bodies. While I think choreographing and clustering the actors could very well make a more authentic statement about the free-spirited, freely sexual nature of the Tribe than lining them up downstage, I don’t see the point of including the nude scene at all if the audience can’t see it.

I had a lot of fun vicariously reliving my wayward adolescence at Hair, as I think most Baby Boomers will. In fact, I know most theatergoers of all ages (except young children, perhaps) will enjoy themselves. Hair is emblematic of a particular time and place in history, and this production is faithful to that time and place.

Hair, directed by Daisy Walker, book and lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado, music by Galt MacDermot, music direction by Eric Svejcar, choreography by Lisa Shriver, scenic design by Jason Simms, costume design by Shane E. Ballard, lighting design by Patricia M. Nichols, sound design by Nathan Leigh, CAST: Latoya Edwards (Dionne), Brandon Contreras (Berger), Eric R. Williams (Hud), Kayla Foster (Sheila), Livvy Marcus (Jeanie), Katie Birenboim (Crissy), jWill Porter (Woof), Andrew Cekala (Claude). Tribe Ensemble: Ariel Blackwood, Shayna Blass, Chance Brayman, Kristopher Saint Louis, Nick Pankuch, Sarah Sun Park, Aidan Wharton.

Hair runs July 5-August 11, 2018,at The Unicorn Theatre, The Larry Vaber Stage, on the Berkshire Theatre Group’s Stockbridge Campus, 6 East Street, Stockbridge, MA. Tickets: A: $90 B: $67 C: $45. https://www.berkshiretheatregroup.org

REVIEW: “Hair” at the Berkshire Theatre Group by Roseann Cane I was just shy of 15 when Hair opened off-Broadway and began to cause a stir in 1967, a pivotal time in American culture.

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larryland · 6 years

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Berkshire Theatre Group Presents Mary Mott in One-Woman Show

There Are Things I Didn’t Tell You by Mary Mott directed by Bob Moss

May 19 & 26 at 7 pm May 20 & 27 at 2 pm

at The Unicorn Theatre The Larry Vaber Stage BTG’s Stockbridge Campus, 6 East Street

Tickets: $40

Directed by Playwrights Horizons founder, Bob Moss (Fiorello!), Mary Mott shares her funny, personal and poignant thoughts about the things we tend not to talk about. Like in her other shows,…

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#Berkshire Theatre Group #Bob Mos #BTG #Larry Vaber Stage #Mary Mott #Stockbridge MA #The Larry Vaber Stage #The Unicorn Theatre #There Are Things I Didn&039;t Tell You #Unicorn Theatre

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larryland · 7 years

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Pittsfield, MA– Berkshire Theatre Group (BTG) presents Pulitzer Prize-winning American playwright, Edward Albee’s (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?), At Home at the Zoo (Zoo story), directed by Eric Hill (BTG: The Homecoming, Thoreau or, Return to Walden; Poe), and featuring David Adkins (BTG: Thoreau or, Return to Walden; Poe), Joey Collins (The Glass Menagerie; BTG: The Homecoming) and Tara Franklin (BTG: The Homecoming, Lion in Winter, Equus). At Home at the Zoo (Zoo story) runs from July 19 through August 26 at The Unicorn Theatre in Stockbridge, MA. Opening night is set for Saturday, July 22.

David Adkins as Peter

Joey Collins as Jerry

Tara Franklin as Ann

Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning American playwright, Edward Albee (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?), At Home at the Zoo (Zoo story) delves deep into the complex nature of human loneliness and social disparity. Set in New York City, Act 1, Homelife opens with a look inside the isolated marriage of wealthy textbook company executive, Peter, played by David Adkins, and his articulate, Upper East Side wife, Ann, played by Tara Franklin. Unable to communicate their feelings to each other, the foundation of their marriage is built on unspoken agreements. Somehow, they find comfort in their boring relationship, yet, they are never truly on the same page. Act 2, The Zoo Story, follows Peter to Central Park. While sitting on a park bench, Peter encounters forlorn and forsaken stranger, Jerry, played by Joey Collins. This stranger, who appears desperate for human contact and connection, forces Peter to listen to his stories, as he digs deep into Peter’s life, and his own.

Director Eric Hill says, “I was inspired by the opportunity to work on The Zoo Story again after many years, and to explore the new Albee one-act that is the first half of this evening (Homelife), to create Edward Albee’s At Home at the Zoo (Zoo story). This new piece not only provides a brilliant backstory to The Zoo Story, but it also stands alone as a vintage piece of Albee, with all the gender tension of his great plays.” In a 2011 interview with The Boston Globe, playwright Edward Albee states, “The Zoo Story is a good play…But it’s a play with one and a half characters. Jerry is a fully developed, three-dimensional character. But Peter is a backboard. He’s not fully developed. Peter had to be more fleshed out,’’ he continues, “it took me several years to get back to doing the proper first act, but it only took me a few weeks to write.’’

Tickets may be purchased in person at the Colonial Ticket Office at 111 South Street, Pittsfield; at the Fitzpatrick Main Stage Ticket Office at 83 East Main Street, Stockbridge; by calling (413) 997-4444 or online at www.BerkshireTheatreGroup.org. Ticket Offices are open Monday–Saturday10am-5pm, Sunday 10am-2pm or on any performance day from 10am until curtain. All plays, schedules, casting and prices are subject to change.

Edward Albee’s At Home at the Zoo (Zoo story) by Edward Albee directed by Eric Hill with David Adkins, Joey Collins and Tara Franklin

at The Unicorn Theatre The Larry Vaber Stage BTG’s Stockbridge Campus, 6 East Street

Previews: Wednesday, July 19 through Friday, July 21 Press Opening/Opening Night: Saturday, July 22 at 8pm Talkback: Monday, July 24 after 7pm performance Closing: Saturday, August 26 at 8pm Tickets: Preview: $47 Tickets: $52 Sponsored by: Lead Sponsor, Bobbie Hallig; The Shubert Foundation; Furlano and Arace, PC; and Massachusetts Cultural Council

BIOS:

Eric Hill (Director) in his forty-year career, Eric has worked as an actor, director, writer and producer. He has served as the Artistic Director of StageWest in Springfield, MA; the Founding Artistic Director of the Blue Hill Performance Ensemble in Stockbridge, MA; and, for the past twenty years, an Artistic Associate with Berkshire Theatre Group in Stockbridge and Pittsfield, MA. Productions at BTG include: The Homecoming by Harold Pinter, Thoreau or, Return to Walden by David Adkins; Poe by Eric Hill; Benefactors by Michael Frayn; Macbeth by William Shakespeare; Endgame by Samuel Beckett; Faith Healer by Brian Friel; The Einstein Project by Jon Klein and Paul D’Andrea; Amadeus by Paul Schaeffer; The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams; and The Caretaker by Harold Pinter. Eric has acted in several roles at BTG, including eleven performances as Ebeneezer Scrooge in his own adaptations of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Eric served as the Director of Performance at the University of Connecticut, as well the Sachar Chair of Theater at Brandeis University. He worked for over a decade with Japanese experimental director Tadashi Suzuki and the Suzuki Company of Toga, Japan. He is married to Artistic Director, Kate Maguire.

David Adkins (Peter) has performed in over 20 productions at the Berkshire Theatre Group where he is an Artistic Associate, has worked on and off Broadway, and in resident theaters across the country. He’s also guest starred extensively on television most recently on Blacklist, Homeland, The Good Wife, The Americans, Happy-ish and more. Joey Collins (Jerry) BTG: The Homecoming. Broadway: The Glass Menagerie, Rock n’ Roll and The Lonesome West. Off-Broadway: Straight Faced Lies, St. Joan of the Stockyards, Vieux Carré, Bug, Beasley’s Christmas Party, Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde, Apartment 3A, The Antigone Project. World Premieres: Mark St. Germain’s Scott & Hem at Contemporary American Theater Festival & Barrington Stage; Custody of the Eyes, by Anthony Giardina at Cleveland Playhouse; Beat Generation, the lost play by Jack Kerouac and Oceanside, by Nick Gandiello, Merrimack Rep. Regional theaters: Rep. Theatre of St. Louis, Triad Stage, Berkeley Rep.,Yale Rep., Pioneer Theatre, The Old Globe, Cape Playhouse, A.C.T. in San Francisco, Cincinnati Playhouse and others. Film: Dottie’s Thanksgiving Pickle with Olympia Dukakis, Bittersweet, The Number 36, Double Take. Television: Law and Order, Kidnapped, All My Children, Guiding Light, As the World Turns. www.joeycollins.net @MrJoeyCollins Tara Franklin (Ann) BTG credits include: The Homecoming, Mary & Edith, The Lion In Winter, The Puppetmaster of Lodz, Birthday Boy, The Guardsman, Ghosts, A Man For All Seasons, Educating Rita, Amadeus, Equus, The Misanthrope, Peter Pan, Dimetos and A Dream Play. Off Broadway: Sleep No More (Punchdrunk). Regional: Sister Play (Chester Theatre), Burning Desire (Seven Angels), Henry V, Love’s Labors Lost, King Lear, Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Nebraska Shakespeare Festival), Translations, The Trojan Women, Red Noses and Misalliance (Connecticut Repertory Theatre), The Manuscript Found in Saragossa (Lookingglass Theatre Company) and Gravid Water (Improv Olympic). Film: Labor Day. Tara holds a BFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and an MFA from the University of Connecticut.

About Berkshire Theatre Group

The Colonial Theatre, founded in 1903, and Berkshire Theatre Festival, founded in 1928, are two of the oldest cultural organizations in the Berkshires. In 2010, under the leadership of Artistic Director and CEO Kate Maguire, the two organizations merged to form Berkshire Theatre Group (BTG). Berkshire Theatre Group’s mission is to support wide ranging artistic exploration and acclaimed performances in theatre, dance, music and entertainment. Every year, BTG produces and presents performances to over 68,000 attendees and, through our Educational Program, serves over 13,000 Berkshire County schoolchildren annually. BTG’s celebrated stages reflect the history of the American theatre; they represent a priceless cultural resource for the community.

Edward Albee’s “At Home at the Zoo (Zoo Story)” Opens in Stockbridge Pittsfield, MA– Berkshire Theatre Group (BTG) presents Pulitzer Prize-winning American playwright, Edward Albee's (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

#At Home at the Zoo #At Home at the Zoo (Zoo story)#Berkshire Theatre Group #BTG #David Adkins #Edward Albee #Eric Hill #Joey Collins #Kate Maguire #Larry Vaber Stage #Stockbridge MA #Tara Franklin #Unicorn Theatre #Zoo Story

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larryland · 5 years

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Berkshire Theatre Group Presents "What The Jews Believe"

Berkshire Theatre Group Presents “What The Jews Believe”

Pittsfield, MA– Berkshire Theatre Group, in association with The American National Theatre, present a new production of What The Jews Believe written and directed by Mark Harelik (Author: The Immigrant, Hank Williams: Lost Highway; Actor, Broadway: The Normal Heart, The Light in the Piazza, Mrs. Warren’s Profession; Film: Trumbo, 42, Jurassic Park III; TV: Preacher, Getting On, The Big Bang Theory

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#Benim Foster #Berkshire Theatre Group #BTG #Cynthia Mace #Emily Donahoe #Logan Weibrecht #Mark Harelik #Pittsfield MA #Robert Zukerman #Stockbridge MA #The Larry Vaber Stage #The Unicorn Theatre #What the Jews Believe

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larryland · 5 years

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BTG Offers Free Reading of "B.R.O.K.E.N code bird S.W.I.T.C.H.I.N.G" By Tara L. Wilson Noth

BTG Offers Free Reading of “B.R.O.K.E.N code bird S.W.I.T.C.H.I.N.G” By Tara L. Wilson Noth

Pittsfield, MA– Berkshire Theatre Group (BTG) and Kate Maguire (Artistic Director, CEO) are proud to announce the world premiere, free reading of B.R.O.K.E.N code bird S.W.I.T.C.H.I.N.G by Tara L. Wilson Noth on August 23 at 2pm at The Unicorn Theatre (6 East Street, Stockbridge, MA). It is strongly recommended to reserve your ticket in advance, due to limited seating, by calling the BTG box…

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#B.R.O.K.E.N code bird S.W.I.T.C.H.I.N.G.#Berkshire Theatre Group #Chris Vecchia #Dereck Carter #FBTG #Jane’s Café #Kate Maguire #No Boundaries in Art #On A Roll Café #Quiana L. Thomas #Rayna Campbell #Stockbridge MA #Tara L. Wilson Noth #The Larry Vaber Stage #The Unicorn Theatre

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larryland · 5 years

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by Barbara Waldinger

We have often heard that good casting is responsible for 95% of a play’s success. That is especially true for Berkshire Theatre Group’s Outside Mullingar by John Patrick Shanley. The play was directed by Karen Allen, who has had a successful acting career for forty years in theatre and film. Allen worked with three of the four cast members in past productions and knew how perfect they would be for this play. The fourth, Shannon Marie Sullivan, walked into an audition and rounded out the cast. The result: a performance for the ages in a play that is both funny and moving, grabbing the audience from the beginning and never letting go.

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Shanley won a Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award for his play Doubt and an Academy Award for Best Screenplay for his film Moonstruck. His work has wowed audiences for years. Outside Mullingar takes place in rural Ireland from 2008-2013 on two adjoining cattle and sheep farms. Tony Reilly (Jeffrey DeMunn) and his son Anthony (James McMenamin) live on one of the farms, in a filthy, broken down house that would have embarrassed the deceased Mrs. Reilly. The play begins on the day of their neighbor Christopher Muldoon’s funeral. His widow, Aiofe Muldoon (Deborah Hedwall) and her daughter Rosemary (Shannon Marie Sullivan) have been invited for tea by Anthony (contrary to his tightfisted father’s wishes). As soon as the necessary sympathy has been expressed, a series of longstanding arguments begin about a narrow strip of road sold years earlier by Tony to Christopher that blocks the Reillys access from the road to their house, about who will inherit these farms when the elders pass on, and about why neither of their middle-aged children has ever married. This exposition sets up the remainder of the play, written in six extended scenes that are a workout for the performers and a window into their souls for the audience. The playwright has a strong ear for his Irish characters, evident in the musicality of the dialects (helped by dialect coach Jennifer Scapetis-Tycer), the dialogue that captures each character’s unique voice, and the humor that infuses the script.

In a talk back after a recent performance, Ms. Allen explained that with actors of this caliber, the director’s job is to step back and let them find their own way into their roles. The play blocked itself for the most part, which led to a collaborative, fully organic performance. The two older characters–played by veterans DeMunn and Hedwall—are consummate actors at the top of their game. We could have listened to their banter, their insults, their comic timing, Hedwall’s tears mixed with laughter and DeMunn’s prevarications all night. DeMunn’s Tony is feisty and often cruel to his son, but when he allows his soft side to appear, he can be heartbreaking. Hedwall’s Aiofe has a strong sense of fairness and her quiet, quick verbal jabs at Tony are more devastating than all his bluster. Shannon Marie Sullivan’s Rosemary, who has turned down many past suitors in order to remain on her farm next to the Reillys, has the difficult task of carrying on a nearly one-way conversation with the reticent Anthony. McMenamin is as self- contained and rigid as Sullivan is explosive, a force of nature. Watching her many attempts to reach him as they constantly dance around each other, Sullivan’s passionate nature bumping up against McMenamin’s almost but not quite impenetrable brick wall, keeps us on the edge of our seats, hoping for a breakthough for these two lonely people.

Allen has gathered a first-rate design team, though set designer John McDermott’s representation of the various scenes sometimes threatens to overwhelm the production. How he makes use of each nook and cranny of the small Unicorn stage is to be commended but when a set change calls attention to itself in a naturalistic play, there’s a problem, even if it’s done in dim light so the audience can watch the pieces of the puzzle be assembled and disassembled. Shawn Boyle’s lighting helps to delineate each area seamlessly and gracefully, dimming the older couple at the table, for example, while outside the younger couple are lit stage right as they shiver in the freezing winter night. Carisa Kelly’s costumes establish place, time, and weather, even adorning the stagehands in the style of the piece. Scott Killian is responsible for the wonderful music throughout as well as the sound of the ceaseless Irish rain (reminding us of the Berkshires this season).

A production of this exceptional quality does not come along every day. Be sure to see it while you can.

OUTSIDE MULLINGAR runs from June 19—July 13. Tickets may be purchased online at BerkshireTheatreGroup.org or call 413-997-4444.

Berkshire Theatre Group presents OUTSIDE MULLINGAR by John Patrick Shanley. Directed by Karen Allen. Cast: Jeffrey DeMunn (Tony Reilly), Deborah Hedwall (Aiofe Muldoon), James McMenamin (Anthony Reilly), Shannon Marie Sullivan (Rosemary Muldoon). Scenic Designer: John McDermott; Costume Designer: Carisa Kelly; Lighting Designer: Shawn Boyle; Resident Composer/Sound Designer: Scott Killian; Dialect Coach: Jennifer Scapetis-Tycer; Stage Manager: Jason Weixelman.

Running Time: 1 hour 45 minutes, no intermission. Unicorn Theatre, The Larry Vaber Stage, 6 East Street, Stockbridge; from June 19; closing July 13.

REVIEW: “Outside Mullingar” at Berkshire Theatre Group by Barbara Waldinger We have often heard that good casting is responsible for 95% of a play’s success.

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larryland · 5 years

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Berkshire Theatre Group Announces No Boundaries in Art Free Summer Readings

Pittsfield, MA – Berkshire Theatre Group (BTG) and Kate Maguire (Artistic Director, CEO) are proud to announce free readings at The Unicorn Theatre (6 East Street, Stockbridge, MA) of So This Is My Family: Mr. Green Part 2, Jeff Baron’s continuation to his award-winning play, Visiting Mr. Green on July 12. Back by popular demand, Evidence of Things Unseen by Katie Forgette will be presented on…

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larryland · 5 years

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Berkshire Theatre Group Opens with Albee's "The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?"

Berkshire Theatre Group Opens with Albee’s “The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?”

Pittsfield, MA– Berkshire Theatre Group (BTG) presents Pulitzer Prize-winning American playwright, Edward Albee’s (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Three Tall Women, Zoo Story), The Goat or, Who is Sylvia? directed by Eric Hill (BTG: Naked,At Home At The Zoo (Zoo Story), The Homecoming), and featuring David Adkins(Homeland, BTG: At Home At The Zoo (Zoo Story), The Petrified Forest) as Martin,Jenn…

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#Berkshire Theatre Group #BTG #David Adkins #Edward Albee #Eric Hill #Evan Silverstein #Jennifer Van Dyck #Josh Aaron McCabe #Pittsfield MA #Stockbridge MA #The Goat or Who is Sylvia #The Larry Vaber Stage #The Unicorn Theatre

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larryland · 6 years

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"Funny Moments" at the Unicorn Theater

“Funny Moments” at the Unicorn Theater

“Funny Moments” at the Unicorn Theater On Wednesday, October 24 at 4pm, Funny Moments, staged readings of seven short comedic plays, directed by Milton Lestz, will be presented at the Unicorn Theater, 6 East Street in Stockbridge. The cast, known as “Milton’s Gang”, includes Alyce Bernstein, Paul Bernstein, Peter Podol, Karel Fisher, Laura Gardner and Tom Gardner. Narrator is Adam Irick. The…

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#Adam Irick #Alyce Bernstein #Funny Moments #Karel Fisher #Laura Gardner #Milton Lestz #Paul Bernstein #Peter Podol #Stockbridge MA #The Larry Vaber Stage #The Unicorn Theatre #Tom Gardner #Unicorn Theatre

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larryland · 6 years

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BTG Announces Additional Unicorn Theatre Production

Pittsfield, MA – Berkshire Theatre Group (BTG) and Kate Maguire (Artistic Director/CEO) are thrilled to announce an additional Unicorn Theatre production, the comedic double feature: Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You and The Actor’s Nightmare, featuring Tony Award-winner, Harriet Harris (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Phantom Thread, Frasier; BTG: Arsenic and Old Lace) as Sister Mary…

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#90th Anniversary Season #Berkshire Theatre Group #BTG #Christopher Durang #Harriet Harris #Jenn Harris #Kate Maguire #Matthew Penn #Matthew Sullivan #Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You #Stockbridge MA #The Actors Nightmare #The Larry Vaber Stage #The Unicorn Theatre #Tom Story

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larryland · 7 years

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Berkshire Theatre Group Presents David Auburn's "Lost Lake" in October

Berkshire Theatre Group Presents David Auburn’s “Lost Lake” in October

The Berkshire Theatre Group presents Lost Lake by David Auburn directed by Daisy Walker at The Unicorn Stage The Larry Vaber Stage BTG’s Stockbridge Campus, 6 East Street Opening Performance: Sunday, October 1 at 2pm Closing: Sunday, October 22 at 2pm Tickets: Preview: $45 Tickets: $50 Sponsored by: Lead Sponsor, Bobbie Hallig; The Shubert Foundation; Furlano and Arace, PC; The Westfield News…

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#Berkshire Theater Group #BTG #Daisy Walker #David Auburn #Kate Maguire #Lost Lake #Lynnette R. Freeman #Quentin Maré #Stockbridge MA #The Larry Vaber Stage #The Unicorn Stage

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larryland · 7 years

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Million Dollar Quartet Opens Berkshire Theatre Group’s 2017 Summer Season

Pittsfield, MA– Berkshire Theatre Group presents Tony Award-winning jukebox musical and epic night of rock ‘n roll, Million Dollar Quartet, directed and music direction by James Barry (Broadway: Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson; BTG: A Thousand Clowns, Tommy, The Caretaker). Million Dollar Quartet runs from June 14 through July 15 at The Unicorn Theatre in Stockbridge, MA. Opening night is set for…

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larryland · 6 years

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by Roseann Cane

A screen descends, and on it a political television commercial appears. We hear the voice of Senator Charles Whitmore (Graham Rowat), a Republican North Carolinian candidate for the Senate, and see a familiar visual collage of family, flag, and good Christian folk. As the screen disappears, we find ourselves in an offstage waiting room at a university, where Whitmore, accompanied by his wife, campaign manager, and a starstruck student, prepares to stoke support for his candidacy by speaking to an enthusiastic crowd.

It’s just three days before Whitmore’s inevitable reelection. But it seems that something has shaken Whitmore’s devotion to “faith, family, and football.” Just a week before, there was a shooting at the elementary school Whitmore’s two sons attend, and friends of his sons were among the 29 children gunned down. Whitmore is experiencing a crisis of faith and is agonizing over his established stance in support of gun rights.

His campaign manager, Alex Klein (an outstanding Keira Naughton), who also happens to be a Jewish Democrat from New York, is beside herself when she learns that Whitmore intends to forego his prepared speech and describes his doubts instead. Klein understands that such a speech puts Whitmore’s candidacy is at stake, and she argues mightily for him to stick to the script. Whitmore’s wife, Sara (Judy Jerome), is devoted to her interpretation of Christian values and her relationship with the Lord. She may appear to be a subservient Southern belle where her marriage is concerned, but she has a will of steel and a temper to match. While her husband quotes John Lennon, “God is a concept by which we measure our pain,” she is outraged and unshakable, using every weapon in her arsenal–seduction, shouting, verbal manipulation–to bring back the man she thought she knew.

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Williams is passionate about gun control, and he understands the need to create a national conversation before any change can be made. Much to his credit, he and director Cohn (who is also his wife) have required a talk-back after every show. (An impressive roster of speakers is scheduled for each show at the Unicorn.) On opening night the audience had the great good fortune to have a talkback with the playwright and the director, and I was gratified to learn about Williams’s motivation to inspire an inclusive, respectful discussion of gun control nationwide, which he wisely sees as a crucial step in bridging the divide in opinions. He and Cohn hope to take Church & State to every state in the union. As Williams writes in the program notes, “While most writers hope that their work will live forever, my dream for this play is that it will become obsolete….I hope it moves people in some way. Perhaps enough to take action with their voice and their vote and bump the needle ever so slightly in the conversation about gun violence.”

As I watched the play, I found it difficult to accept Whitmore’s change of heart. Rowat turns in a fine performance as the tortured politician, but, like so many, I’m confounded and heartbroken by the many conservative politicians who, even after the horrifying regularity with which mass shootings occur, still insist that “guns don’t kill people; people kill people,” and urge that arming teachers is the way to stop school shootings. The fault, as I see it, is in Williams’s writing, and because I admire his passion so much, it pains me to say that. The play has many fine moments, including scenes between Naughton and Jerome, who find that despite their very different beliefs, they have much in common. The entire cast, including Andy Talen who neatly takes on four different roles and plays each one very well, is excellent.

To her credit, Cohn is well aware of the necessity to move the action along at a steady pace. Unfortunately, there were quite a few times during the show where pairs of characters shouted their dialogue in unison, making it impossible to hear what either was saying. I wished the conversations has a more realistic overlap. David L Arsenault’s scene and lighting did the show proud. David Murin’s costumes seemed nearly perfect; I only wish that Jerome’s shoulder tattoo had been covered. It peeked out of her sleeveless dress, and I don’t think Sara Whitmore would ever get tattooed, so it was a distraction from an otherwise admirable performance. Kudos to Scott Killian for his skillful and original sound design, and to Alex Hill for his projections and video design.

Church & State is not a perfect play, but it is an important one. I do hope Williams and Cohn achieve their wish to produce the play nationwide, and that people from the entire political spectrum have the experience of seeing it and participating in the conversation after the show. I hope that you, too, will see this provocative play during its run at the Unicorn, and join in the conversation afterward. We need to talk.

The Berkshire Theatre Group presents Church & State by Jason Odell Williams, directed by Charlotte Cohn, from June 14-30, 2018, on the Larry Vaber Stage in the Unicorn Theatre, 6 East Street in Stockbridge, MA. Scenic and lighting design by David L Arsenault; costume design by David Murin; sound design by Scott Killian; projection and video design by Alex Hill. CAST: Judy Jerome as Sara Whitmore; Keira Naughton as Alex Klein; Graham Rowat as Senator Charles Whitmore; Andy Talen as Tom/Marshall/Reporter/Security Guy.

Tickets for Church & State are $56, and $47 for Previews. Tickets may be purchased in person at the Colonial Ticket Office at 111 South Street, Pittsfield or by calling (413) 997-4444 or online at www.BerkshireTheatreGroup.org. The Ticket Office is open Monday–Saturday 10am–5pm, Sundays 10am–2pm or on any performance day from 10am until curtain. All plays, schedules, casting and prices are subject to change.

A Talkback with will follow every performance. Names and dates of Guest Speakers are subject to change without notice. Special Talkback Guests are as follows:

6/16 8pm Charlotte Cohn (Church & State director) and Jason Odell Williams (Church & State playwright)

6/18 7pm Laurie Norton Moffatt (Director and CEO of Norman Rockwell Museum)

6/19 7pm Senator Adam G. Hinds (State Senator)

6/20 2pm Dr. Alan Chartock (WAMC President/CEO)

6/20 7pm Jennifer Goewey and Tess Lane (Elizabeth Freeman Center representatives)

6/21 7pm Jodi Faith Sherman (Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Alumna) and Charlotte Cohn (Church & State director)

6/22 8pm Philip R. McKnight (Constitutional Law Professor; B.A., Williams College, J.D., University of Chicago Law School)

6/23 2pm Anne Thalheimer (Everytown Survivor Fellow)

6/23 8pm Malcolm Nance (Author, Counterterrorism and Weapons expert, WAMC and MSNBC contributor) and Joe Donahue(WAMC Senior Director of News and Programming)

6/25 7pm Mark Barden (Sandy Hook Promise), his daughter, Natalie Barden and Greg Gibson (Author of Gone Boy; Representative of Everytown for Gun Safety and Antiquarian book seller)

6/26 7pm Greg Gibson (Author of Gone Boy; Representative of Everytown for Gun Safety and Antiquarian book seller)

6/27 2pm Chris Haley (Director of MA Department of Mental Health)

6/27 7pm Representative William Smitty Pignatelli (MA State House Representative)

6/28 7pm Josh Horwitz (Executive Director of Coalition to Stop Gun Violence)

6/29 8pm Jane Tillman (Evelyn Stefansson Nef Director of the Erikson Institute for Education and Research of the Austen Riggs Center)

6/30 2pm Charlotte Cohn (Church & State director), Jason Odell Williams (Church & State playwright) and Paul Friedman (Executive Director of Virginia Tech Victims Family Outreach Foundation)

6/30 8pm Dr. Andrew Gerber (Director of Austen Riggs Center)

REVIEW: “Church & State” at Berkshire Theatre Group by Roseann Cane A screen descends, and on it a political television commercial appears. We hear the voice of Senator Charles Whitmore (Graham Rowat), a Republican North Carolinian candidate for the Senate, and see a familiar visual collage of family, flag, and good Christian folk.

#Alex Hill #Andy Talen #Berkshire Theatre Group #BTG #Charlotte Cohn #Church & State #David L. Arsenault #David Murin #Graham Rowat #Jason Odell Williams #Judy Jerome #Keira Naughton #Roseann Cane #Scott Killian #Stockbridge MA #Unicorn Theatre

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larryland · 6 years

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Berkshire Theatre Group Announces Casting for 2018 Summer Season

Pittsfield, MA – Berkshire Theatre Group (BTG) and Kate Maguire (Artistic Director/CEO) are thrilled to announce casting for Berkshire Theatre’s 90th Anniversary Season. Church & State by Jason Odell Williams directed by Charlotte Cohn at The Unicorn Theatre The Larry Vaber Stage BTG’s Stockbridge Campus, 6 East Street Running: Thursday, June 14 at 7pm through Saturday, June 30 at 8pm Sponsored…

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