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Unionized employees of MASS MoCA voted by a 96% vote to engage in a one-day work stoppage on August 19, 2022. Employees will be picketing the Museum all day and asking visitors to express support for a fair contract for staff.

We happened to be in Dublin for Halloween. In the library of Trinity College there was a special exhibition in honor of Bram Stoker the author of Dracula. The story of the vampire is so familiar that there are no surprises in the hilarious and outrageous production by Berkshire Theatre Group at its Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield. It was a great evening of summer fun.

Phantom by F. W Murnau was presented at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Germany. This version of the film was accompanied by an original score by Wolfgang Mitterer. 

Mary Ann Unger died at the age of 53 in 1998 after 14 years of battling cancer. As a member of the Guerrilla Girls, formed in 1985, she fought for equity for women in the art world. While she received grants and commissions, the exhibition organized by Horace Ballard for the Williams College Museum of Art, makes a compelling case for reconsideration of her work.

For her last production, founding artistic director, Julianne Boyd again directed her favorite musical A Little Night Music by Stephen Sondheim for Barrington Stage Company. Yet again the theatrical magic evoked smiles on a summer's night.

Through September 18 the Clark Art Institute is presenting the blockbuster exhibition Rodin in the United States: Confronting the Modern. More documentary than retrospective it tells the tale of Rodin in America and his great collectors. All but one of the 50 sculptures and 25 drawings are loans from American museums and private collections. This is the must see exhibition of summer in the Berkshires.

Guys & Dolls is one of the classics (and I’d say masterpieces) of the Broadway musical. Words and lyrics by Frank Loesser and roster of songs that have become standards. But it isn’t an easy show to put on. I’ve seen at least one poor production on Broadway. That this rather small theater in a relatively remote area has produced such a fine show it is a reason for applause

On Sunday, September 4 at 4 pm, the renowned Knights Orchestra returns to the Clark to celebrate the current Rodin in the United States: Confronting the Modern exhibition. This free outdoor concert takes place on the Fernández Terrace near the Clark’s Reflecting Pool.

Mid-Twelfth Century England was a period of turmoil.  The triggering event leading to the instability was the infamous White Ship Disaster of 1120, in which a large number of nobles perished when the boat, carrying 300 passengers, sank after hitting a reef in the English Channel.  Included in that number was Adelin, the only legitimate son of King Henry I of England.  Thus, when the king died in 1135, the battle for his throne, the so-called Anarchy, began.

The late work of Louise Bourgeois is on view at the Gropius Bau in Berlin. The overwhelming space, high ceilings, light curators will let it in, never makes Bourgeois seem small. Perhaps a point. 

By the end of the show, when we hear “No One Is Alone” and then the reprise of “Children Will Listen,” I challenge anyone to not be moved. The day I saw it, the audience was primed to adore it, with wild applause throughout the show. In many ways, this production deserved it.

Empire Stage in Ft. Lauderdale is giving the new comedy-drama "Educating Asher" a solid world premiere production. The play is about, among other things, coming to terms with loss.

The character Rafiki, a mandrill, sings the goosebump-producing “Circle of Life / Nants Ingonyama” that introduces African voice, thought, music, motion, and rhythm.  Meanwhile, the parade of absolutely stunning human-puppets-as-animals walks the aisles and fills the stage, becoming the most remarkable anthropomorphic array imaginable.  At the opening number’s end, the applause at this performance was deafening.

We Are Continuous by Harrison David Rivers is a "semi-autobiograhical" play having its world premiere at Williamstown Theatre Festival. It conveys the strong relationship between mother and son as he deals with coming out, choosing a life in theatre, marriage, and dealing with HIV. It has been given a stunning production.

Lincoln Center offers venues for the performing arts and concert programs. Is there an audience for what is offered? John Goberman, who founded Live from Lincoln Center, remarked when he left the staff a decade ago, that from his point of view–where the rubber hits the road, there was no audience any longer for classical music. He went on to produce live orchestral accompaniments to films. 

Sohn Fine Art presents Wonderland, a small group show featuring ethereal, mystical photography of the natural landscape by five diverse artists. The exhibition is on view July 22 – September 5. The images that make up Wonderland are both based in reality and surrealistic. Focused on experience and presented in an Impressionistic form, these works highlight the wonders of the natural world and the human connection to it.

“It is my great honor to be the next Artistic Director of Barrington Stage Company. I am deeply inspired by the incredible staff and artists who have made BSC such a vibrant hub for both classics and new work,” said Alan Paul. “I am excited to build on BSC’s legacy as an incubator for new plays and musicals from a broad variety of voices. Musicals are my first love, and I plan to make the advancement of musical theater a cornerstone of my vision. The Berkshires are a magical place for theater, and I look forward to becoming an active member of the community.

Rubenology: The Making of An American Legend focuses on 84-year-old actor Ruben Rabasa. The one-act play recently experienced its world premiere as a co-production between South Florida-based GableStage and Abre Camino Collective. Playwright Vanessa Garcia and Rabasa co-wrote the piece.

Based on the award-winning 2002 novella by Neil Gaiman, composer Mark-Anthony Turnage and librettist Rory Mullarky have crafted an opera that mirrors the creepiness of the novella and the animated film of the same name.  West Edge Opera offers superb voices and orchestra, fine staging, and clever, fanciful costumes in a scintillating production of this enticing work.

Pierre-Laurent Aimard chose as difficult a program as you could imagine. In the Grand Hall of the Mozartareum in Salzburg, the first half of his program focused on Bela Bartok’s small pieces done in grand style: Bagatelles, Etudes, and some Mikrokosmos. Ligeti followed the interval.

The bio-musical "Hank Williams: Lost Cowboy" is receiving a commendable production by Actors' Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre. The production runs through July 31. The show tells the story of Williams's life in flashback.

The opera tells a true story of tragedy, love, and redemption in wartime Germany and Chicago, where Erich Rosenthal, Ted’s father, survived the war.

Frenchman Paul Dukas’ 1907 opera “Ariane & Bluebeard” possesses compelling music and a libretto rich with symbolism and open to varied interpretation.  Although advocates for the opera included many prominent composers of the day, its success was limited from the outset, and it has failed to find a place in the repertory.  Plausible explanations exist. West Edge Oper, however, presents a scintillating interpretation of the highly worthy opera.

The Munich State Opera presents both opera and concerts during their annual July Festival. One star, Marlis Petersen, entranced at the Prinzregent Theater.

This article extends a photo/word installation at the Berkshire Art Museum, North Adams, MA. The installation can be seen at BAM until October 2022 as part of the exhibition 'Artists of the Thursday Chinese Dinner Group,' where 27 are participating. The museum's primary reason is to show Eric Rudd's oeuvre of sculptures created during 50 years. Both, the permanent and temporary shows are well worth a visit!