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larryland · 7 years

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by Macey Levin

Two lonely people adrift in private worlds filled with conflict and confusion proceed to build an improbable friendship. Their story unfolds in David Auburn’s sweet and affecting play Lost Lake, beautifully directed by Daisy Walker at Berkshire Theatre Group’s Unicorn Theatre in Stockbridge, MA.

Veronica (Lynnette R. Freeman) a Manhattan nurse practitioner, rents a ramshackle cottage on an upstate New York lake for a week’s summer vacation for her two young children from Hogan (Quentin Mare) a self-proclaimed handyman who isn’t very handy. She is strong and direct while he prevaricates and offers promises that will not be fulfilled.

Visiting in the spring to look over the cottage, she discovers it needs cleaning, has to have the water burner fixed, the land-line telephone turned on, an extra bed, the dock in the lake must be repaired and a loose shutter has to be secured. Having been his home for the last year, Hogan promises his clothes and personal possessions will be gone when Veronica and the kids arrive. After some haggling about financial details, she gives him a deposit based on his guarantees. When she arrives in mid-August nothing has been done.

Veronica, a young black woman, has been widowed for two years and has found the strength and ingenuity to support her family. However, a misstep has created an intense crisis for her. Despite her problems she lives up to the promises she made to her children. Hogan is a boy in a man’s body still holding onto some of the sweetness and charm of youth. But his life is an extended series of mistakes and self-inflicted problems. Divorced, his daughter changes her email address without informing him; he battles with his sister-in-law and is at odds with his younger brother. Responsibility and he are strangers as he admits to having been fired from 20 or 30 jobs. We watch the two attempt to solve their private problems as they learn to trust each other.

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It is not unreasonable to expect this to turn into an inter-racial love story. But, fortunately, Auburn doesn’t take that turn. He focuses on Veronica and Hogan as individuals who slowly reach out to one another. The dialogue is realistic and director Walker has created a tone and pace so that the audience feels it is eavesdropping on the lives of two people in pain. Both the intimate conversations and the pitch of Veronica’s and Hogan’s disagreements and arguments ring with honesty. Walker’s direction is controlled; her actors avoid high-strung, artificial emotions and sentimentality.

Freeman and Mare give life to these two people. Their physical and facial reactions lend depth to their respective personalities and Auburn’s dialogue. Though the play has serious and disconcerting elements weaving through it, it also has its share of laugh lines which the actors simply touch rather than belt. They work beautifully together and are continually in sync using their acting intuition and the craft of their art.

Randall Parson’s set of the dilapidated rustic cottage with its extended wooden roof beams and sun porch has signs of its past comfort. Little touches indicate that the house was once loved. Patricia M. Nichols lighting allows for summer light to come in through the windows and Scott Killian utilizes summer sounds from crickets to the kids playing in the lake.

This play will touch your heart. It is a gem.

Lost Lake by David Auburn; Directed by Daisy Walker; Cast: Lynnette R. Freeman (Veronica) Quentin Mare (Hogan); Scene design: Randall Parsons; Costume design: Hunter Kaczorowski; Lighting design: Patricia M. Nichols; Sound design/Resident composer Scott Killian; Assistant sound designer: Christopher Peifer Stage Manager: Corey S. Cavanaugh; Running Time: ninety minutes; no intermission; Berkshire Theatre Group, Unicorn Theatre, Stockbridge, MA; From 9/28/17; closing 10/22/17 https://www.berkshiretheatregroup.org/

REVIEW: “Lost Lake” at the Berkshire Theatre Group by Macey Levin Two lonely people adrift in private worlds filled with conflict and confusion proceed to build an improbable friendship.

#Berkshire Theatre Group #Berkshire Theatre Group’s Unicorn Theatre #BTG #Christopher Peifer #Corey S. Cavanaugh #Daisy Walker #David Auburn #Hunter Kaczorowski #Lost Lake #Lynnette R. Freeman #Macey Levin #Patricia M. Nichols #Quentin Maré #Randall Parson #Scott Killian #Stockbridge MA #Unicorn Theatre

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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 · 5 years

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by Macey Levin

Through history humanity has escaped extinction numerous times but total destruction is still a distinct possibility. There was, of course, the flood that Noah and his ark overcame after forty-something days. The Black Plague. The atomic bombs that closed World War Two, and today who knows what will happen with a narcissistic finger on the red button that would send devastation throughout the world. This eternal possibility is key to Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth receiving a problematic production at Berkshire Theatre Group‘s Fitzpatrick Main Stage in Stockbridge, MA.

Wilder won three Pulitzer Prizes for the novel The Bridge of San Luis Rey and the plays Our Town and The Skin of Our Teeth. His works explore the connection between mankind’s everyday experiences and its place in the universe. His characters. whether from Peru, Grovers Corners, New Hampshire, or Excelsior, New Jersey, are ordinary people living simple lives.

In The Skin of Our Teeth we meet George (Danny Johnson,) who has just invented the wheel, and Maggie (Harriet Harris) Antrobus (from the Greek word for “human”,) their children Henry (whose name used to be Cain – Marcus Gladney, Jr.,) Gladys (Claire Saunders,) and Sabina (a la the rape of the Sabine women) the maid. There are myriad Biblical, historical and mythological references throughout the play. Though set in 1942, the year it was written, there are many anachronisms. The first act has Excelsior’s citizens waiting for an oncoming ice age as mountains of ice are covering the land. The Antrobus’s pet dinosaur and mammoth come into the house to stay warm; weary and frightened travelers, including Homer, Moses, three Muses and others are invited into the house. In the second act, a monster rainstorm is about to occur. There are contemporary references to Berkshire Medical Center and Outside Mullingar which is running at the Unicorn Theatre. A present-day thematic note is that the Antrobuses are racially mixed.

A conceit that occurs several times has actors breaking out of character mid-scene and addressing the audience. In the first act Sabina, (Ariana Venturi) playing the actress Miss Somerset, tells us she doesn’t understand the play, hates it and maybe we should leave. Act two is on the Atlantic City boardwalk where the populace awaits the impending storm. A fortune teller addresses the audience. In the third act Mr. Antrobus informs the audience that a few of the actors haven’t arrived and some of the designers, a janitor and the head usher will take over those parts, but first the stage manager will run a rehearsal. The company hopes the audience will forgive them and be patient.

The subject matter, the end of civilization, is very dark but the first two acts could be played lighter; the darkness of the production is the director’s (David Auburn) choice. In these acts there are whimsical moments that effectively contrast with the dire circumstances. Act three, other than the break for “rehearsal,” is heavier; it takes place after a seven-year war when Maggie and Gladys, who has a baby, have been living in a bunker under the house while Henry and George are fighting in the war. Sabina, who has been a camp-follower, re-joins them. Father and son argue as to whether the human race can ever stop annihilating itself and do they deserve to survive?

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Johnson and Harris have control of their respective roles as the Antrobuses. They skillfully mine the humor and sentimental moments while giving depth to the more powerful scenes as does Gladney Jr.’s Henry, especially in the last act when he challenges his father’s optimistic desire to rebuild civilization. Saunders’ transition from a somewhat ditzy teen-ager to a world-weary mother is touching. Sabina is the most animated character and Venturi throws out her laugh lines with aplomb. There are times, however, when her projection could be stronger.

Auburn’s direction keeps the play moving as he touches Wilder’s thematic intentions. As mentioned above, however, the tones of the three acts could be more effectively accomplished to enhance these issues. Act two’s Atlantic City boardwalk uses many actors in addition to the principals. Some of the staging, along with the set and props, appears haphazard when it should be controlled chaos. Otherwise, Bill Clarke’s sets for the first and third acts – the Antrobus home before and after the war – accommodate the staging and the surrounding environment. Daniel J. Kotlowitz’s lighting, like the sets, is too dark except when it functions dramatically for the third act. The costumes by Hunter Kaczorowski identify the characters’ stations as well as reflecting their personalities.

The Skin of Our Teeth is not an easy play to produce. BTG should be congratulated for daring to mount this seventy-seven-year-old play that speaks to our troubled times.

The Skin of Our Teeth by Thornton Wilder; Director: David Auburn; Cast: Lauren Baez (Muse, Conveneer, Chair Pusher, Usher Bailey) Lynnette R. Freeman (Homer, Fortune Teller, Ivy) Marcus Gladney Jr. (Henry) Harriet Harris (Mrs. Antrobus) Danny Johnson (Mr. Antrobus) Ralph Petillo (Moses, Bingo Caller, Mr. Tremayne) Claire Saunders (Gladys) Marjie Shrimpton (Muse, Telegraph Boy, Hester) Matt Sullivan (Stage Manager, Broadcast Official) Ariana Venturi (Sabina) Kennedy Haygood, Isabel Jordan, Hanna Koczela, Alex O’Shea, Tony Reimonenq, Julian Tushabe (Acting Interns); Scenic Designer: Bill Clarke; Costume Designer: Hunter Kazorowski; Lighting Designer: Daniel J. Kotlowitz; Resident Composer, Sound Designer: Scott Killian; Wig, Hair and Makeup Designer: J. Jared Janas; Movement Director: Isadora Wolfe; Stage Manager: Abigail Gandy; Running time: two hours, forty five minutes, two intermissions; 7/11/19 – 8/3/19; Berkshire Theatre Group, Fitzpatrick Main Stage, Stockbridge, MA , www.BerkshireTheatreGroup.org; 413-997-4444

REVIEW: “The Skin of Our Teeth” at the Berkshire Theatre Group by Macey Levin Through history humanity has escaped extinction numerous times but total destruction is still a distinct possibility.

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larryland · 7 years

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Pittsfield, MA– Berkshire Theatre Group and Artistic Director/CEO Kate Maguire are excited to announce additions to the fall and winter seasons, as well as casting for the Fall production of David Auburn’s Lost Lake at The Unicorn Theatre.

Kate Maguire says, “We are thrilled to present Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winner, David Auburn’s, Lost Lake, as our Fall production. David has an affection for creating complex characters in the midst of turmoil, characters that are flawed, fragile and real. Directed by the talented Daisy Walker, this cast will feature stage, film and TV actors, Lynnette R. Freeman and Quentin Maré.”

Quentin Maré as Hogan in “Lost Lake.”

Lynnette R. Freeman as Veronica in “Lost Lake.”

Previously announced music at The Colonial Theatre includes Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes (8/17) and New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players I’ve Got A Little Twist (8/18), will be joined by: Live from Laurel Canyon: Songs & Stories of American Folk Rock (9/30), featuring music from Carole King, James Taylor, Crosby Stills & Nash and more; Pittsfield CityJAZZ Festival: The Dizzy Gillespie Afro-Cuban Experience (10/14); The Airplane Family & Friends with Live Dead ‘69 (10/27); Ain’t Wastin’ Time: A Berkshire Tribute to Gregg Allman with Rev Tor’s Steal Your Peach Band & Friends (11/30); Yesterday and Today: The Interactive Beatles Experience (3/8/18) and Ladysmith Black Mambazo (3/9/18).

Ladysmith Black Mambazo

Live from Laurel Canyon

As previously announced, fresh off of her Broadway debut (Marvin’s Room), comedian Janeane Garofalo will headline the Colonial on Saturday, October 21.

BTG’s On The Stage Series, bringing both audience and artist on the Colonial stage, will continue on Saturday, September 23 with Berkshire Medium, Pam Ellis.

Comedy at The Garage features the popular $5 Comedy Garage. On Thursdaynights, for only $5, The Comedy Garage presents acclaimed comedians from near and far, including Jordan Carlos (9/21), Morgan Miller (10/19) and Rojo Perez (11/16). After the show, head down the street to Methuselah Bar & Lounge and show your Comedy Garage ticket for a $5 beverage. 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 atwww.BerkshireTheatreGroup.org. Ticket Offices are open Monday–Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 10am-2pm or on any performance day from 10am until curtain. All plays, schedules, casting and prices are subject to change.

2017/2018 SEASON ADDITIONS Lost Lake by David Auburn directed by Daisy Walker

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

Previews: Thursday, September 28 and Friday, September 29

Press Opening/Opening Night: Saturday, September 30 at 7pm

Talkback: Thursday, October 5 after 7pm performance

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 Group and Massachusetts Cultural Council Written by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winner, David Auburn (Proof), Lost Lakeis an engrossing, evocative play. Part drama, part melancholy comedy, Lost Lakefollows the story of Veronica, played by Lynnette R. Freeman (On The Outs) and Hogan, played by Quentin Maré (Tom Stoppard’s Rock N Roll). Veronica, hopelessly in need of an escape from life’s uphill battle, takes her children to a lakeside rental. Unfortunately for Veronica, not only is the property less than ideal, it also includes a bedraggled and secluded estate owner, Hogan. Both fighting their own battles, the two outcasts find complicated comfort in their shared isolation. Directed by Daisy Walker (Assistant Director on Broadway’s Jersey Boys, The Farnsworth Invention, Dracula: The Musical), this stirring, unexpected and visceral play is a recipient of an Edgerton Foundation New American Plays Award.

Live from Laurel Canyon: Songs & Stories of American Folk Rock at The Colonial Theatre Saturday, September 30 at 8pm Tickets: A: $40, B: $25

Live From Laurel Canyon: Songs & Stories of American Folk Rock is a journey through a special time in American music, paying homage to the musical legacy of Laurel Canyon. A gathering of friends, and the interpretation of classic songs with narrated stories from this special neighborhood, its intersection with Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, and most important era in music; an era that defined a generation and whose relevance transcended and influenced the generations to come. This concert will include music from The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, Carole King, James Taylor, The Mamas & the Papas, Joni Mitchell, Crosby Stills & Nash, The Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Brown, Jim Morrison, Neil Young and more! Pittsfield CityJAZZ Festival: The Dizzy Gillespie Afro-Cuban Experience at The Colonial Theatre Saturday, October 14, at 7:30pm

Tickets: A: $38, B: $23

The Afro-Cuban Experience, led by Dizzy Gillespie’s long-term bassist, John Lee, showcases the unique rhythms and well-loved melodies (such as “Manteca” and “Tin Tin Deo”) of Gillespie’s library of Cu-Bop, which he developed with Chano Pozo in the ’40s and ’50s. Their repertoire also explores the broader world of Latin-American music. The musicians are drawn from the high-calibre talent that frequent the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band and All Star groups, such as trumpeter Freddie Hendrix, saxophonist Sharel Cassity, Brazilian pianist/vocalist Abelita Mateus, drummer Tommy Campbell and percussionist Roger Squitero.

Ain’t Wastin’ Time: A Berkshire Tribute to Gregg Allman with Rev Tor’s Steal Your Peach Band & Friends

at The Colonial Theatre

Thursday, November 30 at 7:30pm

Tickets: $27.50

An all star lineup of regional and local artists gather to celebrate the life, spirit and music of the legendary Gregg Allman, hosted by Rev Tor’s Steal Your Peach Band.

Gregg Allman, who passed away in May of this year, was a founding member and lead singer of the legendary Allman Brothers Band. His career spanned five decades, with many hits such as “Sweet Melissa,” “Midnight Rider” and “One Way Out.” Gregg Allman was considered one of the pioneers of southern rock, blues and soul music

This event is hosted by Rev Tor’s Steal Your Peach Band. This all star group features Tor Krautter, Andy Crawford and Drew Costa of Rev Tor/Last Waltz Live, along with Dan Teichert of Arlo Guthrie/Xavier, Brian O’Connell of Uncle Sammy/Gordon Stone Band and Jeremy Walz of Soul Sky. These artists will serve as the back up band for the regional and local guest artist celebrating the music of Gregg Allman.

Patrons are encouraged to bring a nonperishable food donation of any size to be delivered directly to a local food pantry after the show. Guest artists are asked to perform in support of the food drive. Yesterday and Today: The Interactive Beatles Experience

at The Colonial Theatre Thursday, March 8 at 7:30pm

Tickets: A: $35, B: $20

Yesterday and Today: The Interactive Beatles Experience is the nation’s most innovative and unique show utilizing the works of The Beatles. This amazing group, anchored by brothers Billy, Ryan and Matthew McGuigan, perform as themselves and leave the song choices completely in the hands of the audience. This is done through request cards that audience members fill out prior to the show. On those cards, the audience member only needs to fill out three things: their name, their favorite Beatles song and the reason why they chose that song. The cards are collected and two minutes before the show begins, a set list is created based upon the songs chosen and the reasons that the audience members chose those songs make up the narrative of the evening.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo

at The Colonial Theatre

Friday, March 9 at 8pm

Tickets: A: $45 B: $30

“It isn’t merely the grace and power of their dancing or the beauty of their singing that rivets the attention, but the sheer joy and love that emanates from their being.” -Paul Simon

The Grammy Award-winning acappella ensemble, Ladysmith Black Mambazo captures South Africa’s historic struggle in an inspiring repertoire that melds the tradition of Zulu harmony, singing songs born in the mines during the apartheid era, with hints of gospel. Whether performing at Nelson Mandela’s inauguration, in Disney’s The Lion King, or alongside Paul Simon on his album Graceland, Ladysmith Black Mambazo creates beautiful harmonies that have brought its unique sound to international prominence. The rich uplifting sounds and effortlessly synchronized dancing convey universal themes of faith, hope and peace, yielding a performance of pure, uninhibited joy.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo was founded in the early 1960s by Joseph Shabalala, then a teenage farm boy living on the lands just outside the small town of Ladysmith, South Africa. Joseph incorporated the town into the name he would give his group to honor his family history. As well, the word Black is a reference to the black oxen, the strongest of all farm animals; and Mambazo, the Zulu word for chopping axe, a symbol of the group’s ability to “chop down” any singing rival who might challenge them. So began the fifty-plus year career of Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s most recent CD, Walking In The Footsteps Of Our Fathers, was nominated for Best World Music Album of 2016, marking the group’s 17th Grammy Award-nomination, in addition to its four wins. CALENDAR OF 2017/2018 PRESENTED SHOWS

Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes: at The Colonial Theatre. Thursday, August 17 at 8pm. Tickets: A: $50 • B: $30. New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players I’ve Got A Little Twist: at The Colonial Theatre. Friday, August 18 at 8pm. Tickets: Premium: $45 • A: $35 • B: $25. $5 Comedy Garage: Jordan Carlos: at The Garage (Colonial Theatre Lobby).Thursday, September 21 at 7:30pm. Tickets: $5, Sponsored by: The Pittsfield Cooperative Bank.

On the Stage Series: A Night with Pam Ellis, The Berkshire Medium: at The Colonial. Saturday, September 23 at 8pm. Tickets: $35.

Live from Laurel Canyon: at The Colonial Theatre. Saturday, September 30 at 8pm. Tickets: A: $40 • B: $25. Pittsfield CityJAZZ Festival: The Dizzy Gillespie Afro-Cuban Experience: at The Colonial Theatre. Saturday, October 14, at 7:30pm. Tickets: A: $38 • B: $23. $5 Comedy Garage: Morgan Miller: at The Garage (Colonial Theatre Lobby). Thursday, October 19 at 7:30pm. Tickets: $5, Sponsored by: The Pittsfield Cooperative Bank. Janeane Garofalo: at The Colonial Theatre. Saturday, October 21 at 8pm. Tickets: $39.50.

The Airplane Family & Friends with Live Dead ‘69: at The Colonial Theatre. Friday, October 27 at 8pm. Tickets: A: $50 • B: $25.

$5 Comedy Garage: Rojo Perez: at The Garage (Colonial Theatre Lobby). Thursday, November 16 at 7:30pm. Tickets: $5, Sponsored by: The Pittsfield Cooperative Bank.

Ain’t Wastin’ Time: A Berkshire Tribute to Gregg Allman with Rev Tor’s Steal Your Peach Band & Friends: at The Colonial Theatre.

Thursday, November 30 at 7:30pm. Tickets: $27.50.

Yesterday and Today: The Interactive Beatles Experience:

at The Colonial Theatre. Thursday, March 8 at 7:30pm. Tickets: A: $35 • B: $20. Ladysmith Black Mambazo: at The Colonial Theatre. Friday, March 9 at 8pm.Tickets: A: $45 • B: $30.

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.

Berkshire Theatre Group Announces Additions to the Fall and Winter Seasons Pittsfield, MA– Berkshire Theatre Group and Artistic Director/CEO Kate Maguire are excited to announce additions to the fall and winter seasons, as well as casting for the Fall production of David Auburn’s Lost Lake at The Unicorn Theatre.

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