http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/ Berkshire Fine Arts RSS Feed en-us Copyright (C) 2005 berkshirefinearts.com BLO production got most of it right, although director Crystal Manich, fooled with the ending. But singing didn't soar, leaving the audience with dry eyes at the end of evening. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4601_389225.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/05-05-2014_i-puritani-at-boston-lyric-opera.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/05-05-2014_i-puritani-at-boston-lyric-opera.htm Mon, 05 May 2014 00:00:00 UTC The audience and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra worked hard at a dress rehearsal for a program that included the Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3. Christoph von Dohnányi is a sought after conductor the world over and it is easy to understand why. Instrumentalists respect and enjoy working with him, even though a flautist in the CSO turned a bright red in the face trying to execute a passage to the Maestro’s taste. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4600_lewis448654.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/05-05-2014_dohn-nyi-and-paul-lewis-at-chicago-symphony.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/05-05-2014_dohn-nyi-and-paul-lewis-at-chicago-symphony.htm Mon, 05 May 2014 00:00:00 UTC The Frist Center for the Visual Arts has conflated visceral and gut wrenching exhibitions: Goya: The Disasters of War and Steve Mumford’s War Journals, 2003–2013. The tandem of shows updates from the iconic series of prints by Goya to the combat images of Mumford that track from the war zone, to veterans undergoing rehab, and the restricted access to terrorists incarcerated without due process of law in the Army operated prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4599_694053.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/05-04-2014_goya-and-steve-mumford-depict-war-horrors.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/05-04-2014_goya-and-steve-mumford-depict-war-horrors.htm Sun, 04 May 2014 00:00:00 UTC Berkshire Theatre Group announces Peter Schickele, Irish Rovers, and Classic Albums Live Performs Abbey Road for the summer season line up at the Colonial Theatre. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4598_940654.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/05-04-2014_berkshire-theatre-group-adds-acts.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/05-04-2014_berkshire-theatre-group-adds-acts.htm Sun, 04 May 2014 00:00:00 UTC At Rutgers University Paul Robeson was a star football player. He perused a career as a singer "Old Man River" in Show Boat and actor O'Neill's The Emperor Jones. His leftist activism led him to visit and embrace the Soviet Union. In The Tallest Tree in the Forest the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles is paying tribute to him with a riveting one man show starring Daniel Beaty through May 25. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4597_645274.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/05-03-2014_daniel-beaty-in-the-tallest-tree-in-the-forest.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/05-03-2014_daniel-beaty-in-the-tallest-tree-in-the-forest.htm Sat, 03 May 2014 00:00:00 UTC Deborah Voigt has spoken frankly about cutting back on her opera performances. A set of Strauss songs showed how great she could be in that repertoire. A set of American art songs suggest her new direction. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4596_636224.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/05-02-2014_deborah-voigt-sings-at-symphony-hall-2.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/05-02-2014_deborah-voigt-sings-at-symphony-hall-2.htm Fri, 02 May 2014 00:00:00 UTC The Sound of Music has been a staple of musical theatre since 1959. While the music seems tame compared to South Pacific and Carousel, its songs stick with you. As a matter of fact with the title song and "Do-Re-Mi" "My Favorite Things" "Climb Every Mountain" "So long, Farewell" and "Edelweiss" The Sound of Music has more hit songs than any other musical. In Vienna, the audience sings along with "Edelweiss," but we are more restrained in the US. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4595_som16175.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/05-01-2014_the-sound-of-music-at-the-lyric-opera.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/05-01-2014_the-sound-of-music-at-the-lyric-opera.htm Thu, 01 May 2014 00:00:00 UTC In 2013 Nicholas Martin was nominated for a Tony as best director. While known on Broadway he is remembered for serving as artistic director of Huntington Theatre Company in Boston followed by three years in that capacity with Williamstown Theatre Festival. His term was shortened by a stroke as he continued to work following a full schedule on both coasts. For the extended theatre family that loved him Nicky was a warm and supportive father figure. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4594_331783.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/05-01-2014_nicholas-martin-at-75.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/05-01-2014_nicholas-martin-at-75.htm Thu, 01 May 2014 00:00:00 UTC Part farce and part whodunit, The Game’s Afoot is a playful mystery that pokes fun at actors and theatre critics alike. Matthew Brumlow plays the real life actor William Gillette who made Sherlock Holmes famous on the stage. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4593_421787.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/05-01-2014_a-game-s-afoot-at-indiana-repertory-theatre.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/05-01-2014_a-game-s-afoot-at-indiana-repertory-theatre.htm Thu, 01 May 2014 00:00:00 UTC PBS announces a summer schedule of programming spanning generations and genres. From examinations of our nation’s history to our connections to the animal kingdom, and escapes to Britain’s courtrooms and countryside, PBS offers diverse series and specials for all viewers. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4592_657567.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/05-01-2014_pbs-summer-schedule.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/05-01-2014_pbs-summer-schedule.htm Thu, 01 May 2014 00:00:00 UTC Natchez, Mississippi, per capita, was one of America's wealthiest communities prior to the Civil War. Plantation owners competed in erecting magnificent mansions in the neo classical, Greek Revival style. In commissioning Philadelphia architect Samuel Sloan's grand octagonal design Dr. Haller Nutt's Longwood strove to be unique. When war broke out in 1861 construction was abruptly halted. For generations the family occupied the first floor of the unfinished home. It is the astonishing highlight of a tour of mansions and encounter with their grim legacy of slavery. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4591_942250.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-30-2014_natchez-mississippi-s-mansions.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-30-2014_natchez-mississippi-s-mansions.htm Wed, 30 Apr 2014 00:00:00 UTC Jonathan Groff and Lucy Liu announced the nominations for the 68th annual Tony Awards at the Paramount Hotel’s Diamond Horseshoe April 29, with Tony host Hugh Jackman also popping up to remind theater fans to watch the telecast live on CBS on June 8. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4589_548193.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-29-2014_2014-tony-award-nominees.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-29-2014_2014-tony-award-nominees.htm Tue, 29 Apr 2014 00:00:00 UTC The Tony Awards Administration Committee has announced that it will present the 2014 Regional Theatre Award to New York’s Signature Theatre. Each year, the Tony Awards Administration Committee presents a Tony Award to a regional theatre on the recommendation of the American Theatre Critics Association. This is the first time that a New York company has won the regional award which normally recognizes nation theatre. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4588_973872.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-29-2014_ny-s-signature-theatre-wins-tony.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-29-2014_ny-s-signature-theatre-wins-tony.htm Tue, 29 Apr 2014 00:00:00 UTC As back-story for “Water by the Spoonful”, which won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for drama for Quiara Alegria Hudes, the character of Ortiz is a bright, but haunted, young Puerto Rican returning Iraq war veteran who has been attempting to put his fractured Philadelphia home life back together. It runs on the Old Globe's White Stage in San Diego, California through May 11. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4587_355872.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-29-2014_water-by-the-spoonful-at-old-globe.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-29-2014_water-by-the-spoonful-at-old-globe.htm Tue, 29 Apr 2014 00:00:00 UTC Left only in a production book, Monteverdi masterpiece must be recreated for performance. Boston Baroque's Martin Pearlman and his superb production team and cast of singers and instrumentalists made it a vibrant experience. Pearlman gets more credit for “Ulisse” than he might for his many other triumphs as company founder, director and conductor because he helped, in a way, to compose it. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4586_716562.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-28-2014_boston-baroque-does-monteverdi-rarity.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-28-2014_boston-baroque-does-monteverdi-rarity.htm Mon, 28 Apr 2014 00:00:00 UTC In the Garden is a provocative, engaging production that will leave you asking why when you think about the Higgs Boson at the cyclotron in Cern and also embracing more tightly those you love. While some find the current discussion about religion’s role in society antediluvian, this play offers a civil solution: respect, empathy and gentle debate, something we have long forgotten in this country. It suggests a small space where both sides can comfortably exist. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4585_darwin457300.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-27-2014_a-darwinian-love-story-at-the-lookingglass-theater.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-27-2014_a-darwinian-love-story-at-the-lookingglass-theater.htm Sun, 27 Apr 2014 00:00:00 UTC The 59th Annual Drama Desk Awards, hosted by Laura Benanti, will take place on Sunday, June 1, 2014, at 8:00 PM at The Town Hall in Manhattan. TheaterMania.com will present the awards ceremony. Gretchen Shugart is Managing Executive Producer of the Drama Desk Awards. Joey Parnes Productions will produce and manage the show. The President of Drama Desk is Isa Goldberg and Randie Levine Miller is Director of Special Events. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4584_30037.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-27-2014_the-59th-annual-drama-desk-awards.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-27-2014_the-59th-annual-drama-desk-awards.htm Sun, 27 Apr 2014 00:00:00 UTC Richard Hamilton is a truly influential figure in the history of British art and is considered to be the founder of the Pop Art movement. This retrospective is a collaboration between Tate Modern and the ICA, and covers the eclectic career of a very important British artist who wanted to get “all of living” into his art. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4583_821127.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-27-2014_british-pop-artist-richard-hamilton.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-27-2014_british-pop-artist-richard-hamilton.htm Sun, 27 Apr 2014 00:00:00 UTC Molly and Jesse, are siblings brought together for the first time in eight years by their father’s death in the musical Spun, onstage now at the Phoenix Theatre. The original show, created by Bloomington native Emily Goodson and Jeremy Schonfeld, pairs a relatable story with rock music in a distinctive, raw style. Unlike some musicals, the show has a sense of humor about itself. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4582_Spun116935.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-27-2014_spun-at-indy-s-phoenix-theatre.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-27-2014_spun-at-indy-s-phoenix-theatre.htm Sun, 27 Apr 2014 00:00:00 UTC Richard Estes’ Realism is the most comprehensive exhibition of Estes’ paintings ever organized. A master of contemporary realism, Estes is primarily known as a painter of the urban landscape. This exhibition features 50 paintings ranging from Estes’ first New York City façades in the late 1960s to panoramic views of Mount Desert Island in the 2000s. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4581_615633.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-27-2014_super-realist-painter-richard-estes.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-27-2014_super-realist-painter-richard-estes.htm Sun, 27 Apr 2014 00:00:00 UTC This summer, The Mount is pleased to announce a full schedule of lectures, readings, performances, music and more. The Mount will be open daily starting May 3rd through October 31st. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4580_894196.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-27-2014_the-mount-announces-season.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-27-2014_the-mount-announces-season.htm Sun, 27 Apr 2014 00:00:00 UTC The Berkshire International Film Festival will showcase 75 of the latest in independent feature, documentary, short and family films from some 18 countries. The festival, which takes place from May 29 – June 1, 2014 in Great Barrington and May 31 – June 1st in Pittsfield, MA, will bring films, filmmakers, industry professionals and film fans together for a four-day festival celebrating independent film featuring 29 documentaries, 28 narrative features and 16 short films. Some of the countries represented this year are Jordan, Afghanistan, Philippines, India, Chile, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Iceland, Morocco, Iceland, Israel and France, and a record 41 filmmakers will be in attendance with their films. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4579_6250.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-27-2014_9th-annual-berkshire-international-film-festival.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-27-2014_9th-annual-berkshire-international-film-festival.htm Sun, 27 Apr 2014 00:00:00 UTC The Geffen Theatre of Los Angles is currently staging “Ruth Draper’s Monologues" with Annette Bening as Star and director. It’s a brilliant and mesmerizing tour de force performance. Bening’s keen actor/director eye selected four of Draper’s most famous pieces: “A Class in Greek Poise”; “A Debutante at a Dance”; “Doctors and Diets”; and the famous, ”The Italian Lesson”. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4578_449104.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-27-2014_ruth-draper-s-monologues-at-la-s-geffen-playhouse.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-27-2014_ruth-draper-s-monologues-at-la-s-geffen-playhouse.htm Sun, 27 Apr 2014 00:00:00 UTC Few warhorses in Boston. Local companies favor the very old and the fairly new. Our Boston opera correspondent David Bonetti provides an overview of coming attractions. He is predicting a lively season. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4577_114446.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-26-2014_opera-is-alive-in-boston.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-26-2014_opera-is-alive-in-boston.htm Sat, 26 Apr 2014 00:00:00 UTC The American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA) attended the recent Humana Theatre Festival in Louisville, Kentucky. We have posted coverage by Charles Giuliano. Now our California correspondent and ATCA member, Jack Lyons, contributes his take on the renowned festival. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4576_498866.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-24-2014_humana-festival-another-opinion.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-24-2014_humana-festival-another-opinion.htm Thu, 24 Apr 2014 00:00:00 UTC Diane Paulus, the American Repertory Theatre Artistic Director, received another major accolade as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. Since joining the ART, she has added vibrancy and excitement to theatre both in Boston, nationally and worldwide. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4575_252295.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-24-2014_diane-paulus-named-to-the-time-100.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-24-2014_diane-paulus-named-to-the-time-100.htm Thu, 24 Apr 2014 00:00:00 UTC While in Nashville we attended a broadcast of the legendary Grande Old Opry. Much has changed since the first radio show on November 28, 1925. While as big and glitzy as a Vegas casino the venerable Opry adheres to tradition and carefully guards its legacy and hallowed ground. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4574_588676.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-22-2014_grande-old-opry-in-nashville.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-22-2014_grande-old-opry-in-nashville.htm Tue, 22 Apr 2014 00:00:00 UTC Celebrating its 64th season of bestowing awards of excellence in the field of theater, the Outer Critics Circle is an association with members affiliated with more than ninety newspapers, magazines, websites, radio and television stations, and theatre publications in America and abroad. The winners of the following categories will be announced on Monday, May 12th and the annual awards ceremony will be held on Thursday, May 22nd (4PM) at the legendary Sardi’s Restaurant. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4573_142470.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-22-2014_2013-14-outer-critics-circle-awards.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-22-2014_2013-14-outer-critics-circle-awards.htm Tue, 22 Apr 2014 00:00:00 UTC The title of the exhibit, "The Production Line of Happiness" is taken from a Jean Luc Godard documentary in which an amateur filmmaker compares his day job as a factory worker with his hobby of editing his films of the Swiss countryside. Williams says that today's consumer culture pictures and produces endless images to be consumed. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4572_CW168662.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-21-2014_christopher-williams-at-the-art-institute-of-chicago.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-21-2014_christopher-williams-at-the-art-institute-of-chicago.htm Mon, 21 Apr 2014 00:00:00 UTC Williamstown Theatre Festival has announced casting for their Main Stage productions, along with a several special events for their 2014 Summer Season. On the Main Stage: Festival veterans including Nate Corddry, Holley Fain, Christopher Fitzgerald and Nancy Opel join the cast of June Moon, directed by Jessica Stone (July 2- 13); Justin Long returns to Williamstown, joining Renee Fleming in the World Premiere of Living on Love (July 16 - 26), and theater veterans Judy Kuhn, Howard McGillin, festival favorite Roger Rees, and more join Chita Rivera in the John Doyle-directed production of The Visit, with choreography by Graciela Daniele (July 31 - August 17). http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4571_223000.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-19-2014_williamstown-theatre-festival-news.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-19-2014_williamstown-theatre-festival-news.htm Sat, 19 Apr 2014 00:00:00 UTC Brilliantly conceived and performed by an ensemble of ten, this production is a fusion of movement and words in the world premiere of this theatrical hybrid. It explores the emotional and continual impact of childhood experiences on our adult lives. Here Quincy, a precocious 11-year old, seeks to understand what she’s inherited from her absent father and neglectful mother. It is a poignant dance of affecting drama. Superbly, it is like nothing else you have seen. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4570_150507.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-19-2014_the-shape-she-makes-work-of-art-at-oberon.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-19-2014_the-shape-she-makes-work-of-art-at-oberon.htm Sat, 19 Apr 2014 00:00:00 UTC A city with a unique blend of African, Spanish and indigenous cultures, Cartagena enchants. It has meticulously renovated colonial buildings, cobbled plazas and a shimmering waterfront. A lively street life with horse-drawn carriages, side-walk cafes and Caribbean rhythms after dark enhance the city's charm. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4569_802857.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-17-2014_colombia-part-three.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-17-2014_colombia-part-three.htm Thu, 17 Apr 2014 00:00:00 UTC The Transport Group Theatre’s New York production of I Remember Mama, the season’s truly “must see” and “run don’t walk” – it will be treading the boards at the Gym at Judson through April 20, and hopefully extended – granted all of my above wishes, judging from welling tears, breaths held, and the audible hosannas heard as they exited the theatre. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4568_824426.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-17-2014_reinventing-i-remember-mama-off-broadway.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-17-2014_reinventing-i-remember-mama-off-broadway.htm Thu, 17 Apr 2014 00:00:00 UTC Along the Emerald Coast of the Florida Panhandle in the clear Gulf water the seafood is just awesome. In the galley kitchen of our condo we cooked up a storm with fresh jumbo shrimp in white wine sauce and the local delicacy cobia which was in season. Here are quick and easy delicious recipes. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4567_280035.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-17-2014_fresh-gulf-shrimp-and-cobia.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-17-2014_fresh-gulf-shrimp-and-cobia.htm Thu, 17 Apr 2014 00:00:00 UTC The hovering clouds of color by Mark Rothko are among the most absorbing and spiritual paintings of the Abstract Expressionist artists of the New York School. The Tony Award winning play Red, having a San Diego production, focuses on the emotional intensity of the artist in crisis. There is a compelling interaction with his assistant in a riveting drama of their give and take. John Vickery and Jason Maddy are powerful in their roles. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4566_419096.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-17-2014_red-at-san-diego-repertory-theatre.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-17-2014_red-at-san-diego-repertory-theatre.htm Thu, 17 Apr 2014 00:00:00 UTC Anything Goes has been entertaining crowds for 80 years and is on stage now at Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre. The show contains a selection of charming well-known songs, like “It’s De-Lovely” and “I Get a Kick Out of You,” by Indiana’s ownNoel Coward. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4565_129054.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-17-2014_anything-goes-at-beef-and-boards.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-17-2014_anything-goes-at-beef-and-boards.htm Thu, 17 Apr 2014 00:00:00 UTC Broadway Across America announces the 2014/15 Indianapolis program. Season tickets are now on sale. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4564_567056.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-16-2014_broadway-across-america-in-indianapolis.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-16-2014_broadway-across-america-in-indianapolis.htm Wed, 16 Apr 2014 00:00:00 UTC George Brant’s new one-woman play Grounded, is, on one level, the story of a fighter pilot whose job has changed drastically. The Pilot (Kelly McAndrew), tells us she was born to be “in the blue” at the controls of an F16 fighter jet, dropping bombs on unseen targets and accelerating away before the shells explode. It runs at City Theatre in Pittsburgh through May 4.. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4563_397278.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-16-2014_george-grant-s-grounded.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-16-2014_george-grant-s-grounded.htm Wed, 16 Apr 2014 00:00:00 UTC On May 18, friends will join Dennis Metrano for “Dennis Appreciation Day” at the Newburyport Elks, 25 Low Street in Newburyport, MA beginning at 12 Noon. Back in the day at Daisy Buchanan's Metrano was the mixilogy master of the Boston rock world. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4562_442299.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-15-2014_dennis-metrano-appreciation-day-may-18.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-15-2014_dennis-metrano-appreciation-day-may-18.htm Tue, 15 Apr 2014 00:00:00 UTC From Wednesday through Sunday while attending the 38th Humana Festival of New American Plays we were flat out. It's a part of the Festival Syndrome absorbing and sorting out a sensory overload of information. Some plays are etched into the subconscious indelibly while others evaporate like the burned off morning fog. With an intense regimen of plays to see there were fleeting impressions of historic Louisville, Kentucky. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4561_180059.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-14-2014_humana-festival-wrapup.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-14-2014_humana-festival-wrapup.htm Mon, 14 Apr 2014 00:00:00 UTC Pantagleize – Jay Ball’s smart adaptation of Michel de Ghelderode’s 1929 play of the same name – is a deeply cynical, outrageously comic, and highly provocative play about challenges and contradictions of democratic revolutions. The world premiere of the adaption runs in Pittsburgh at Quantum Theatre through April 27. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4560_827557.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-14-2014_pantagleize-by-michel-de-ghelerode-in-pittsburgh.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-14-2014_pantagleize-by-michel-de-ghelerode-in-pittsburgh.htm Mon, 14 Apr 2014 00:00:00 UTC The Nazis seized ‘degenerate art’ from museums and private collections. A three-year traveling exhibition of this art criss-crossed Germany and Austria. Most of the paintings were sold, lost, or presumed destroyed. The recent discovery in Munich of the Gurlitt trove of such artwork has attracted attention. The film "The Monuments Men", directed by George Clooney, is about the seized art. The Neue Galerie mounts a moving exhibit of the work and compares it with some of Hitler's favorite art. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4559_neue108817.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-13-2014_degenerate-art-in-nazi-germany.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-13-2014_degenerate-art-in-nazi-germany.htm Sun, 13 Apr 2014 00:00:00 UTC At two hours with no intermission Steel Hammer the avant-garde deconstruction of the traditional ballad John Henry was physically and emotionally demanding on the performers as well as the audience. The company was co founded in 1992 by the Japanese master Tadashi Suzuki and Columbia University professor and director Anne Bogart. After the first five years Suzuki ceased participation but the company continues to follow the Suzuki method which entails cult like discipline and dedication. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4558_345040.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-12-2014_steel-hammer-galvanic-at-humana-festival.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-12-2014_steel-hammer-galvanic-at-humana-festival.htm Sat, 12 Apr 2014 00:00:00 UTC Overcoming both administrative roadblocks and censorship, Cuban artist Lázaro Saavedra performs Funerary Egocentrism at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), on Wednesday, April 30. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4557_919948.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-12-2014_l-zaro-saavedra-s-funerary-egocentrism.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-12-2014_l-zaro-saavedra-s-funerary-egocentrism.htm Sat, 12 Apr 2014 00:00:00 UTC Amid his residency developing The Russian Doctor, director and choreographer Andrew Dawson presents an otherworldly family affair on Saturday, May 3, at 11:30am, in MASS MoCA's Club B-10. Space Panorama is a hypnotic solo recreation of the Apollo 11 moon landing - using only Dawson's hands! http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4556_956565.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-12-2014_andrew-dawson-at-mass-moca.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-12-2014_andrew-dawson-at-mass-moca.htm Sat, 12 Apr 2014 00:00:00 UTC It is Sunday morning in a mega evangelical Christian church. After years of hard work, due to the generosity of the congregation, it is now debt free. This should be a moment of joyous celebration. But the four part sermon of Pastor Paul reveals a radical new interpretation of scriptures. This results in a tense and absorbing conflict. The Christians by Lucas Hnath was the most successful and provocative new play of the Humana Festival in Louisville, Kentucky. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4555_175404.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-12-2014_the-christians-by-lucas-hnath.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-12-2014_the-christians-by-lucas-hnath.htm Sat, 12 Apr 2014 00:00:00 UTC Thirty-one letters brought more than 26 million dollars at an art auction last fall. Visually the letters are compressed, blob-like, stacked. Musically, each of the three phrases has a sound which is considered one of the most beautiful in the English language: sell or cell. Two hard "c" sounds (actually a ‘k”) break up the beauty. The entire phrase startles because selling the kids is verboten. Do you have to know the title, "Apocalypse Now", to react? http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4554_wool536524.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-11-2014_christopher-wool-at-the-art-institute.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-11-2014_christopher-wool-at-the-art-institute.htm Fri, 11 Apr 2014 00:00:00 UTC Set in 1897 Cuba on the eve of the Spanish-American War, vivacious widow Adela runs a pharmacy, seemingly indifferent to the mounting conflict around her. But when the rebellion literally comes to her home to Havana, she has to choose between her country and her family. With some wonderful performances, this is powerful drama by Playwright-in-Residence Melinda Lopez and directed eloquently by Huntington Associate Producer M. Bevin O’Gara. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4553_246130.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-11-2014_becoming-cuba-shines-at-huntington-s-calderwood.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-11-2014_becoming-cuba-shines-at-huntington-s-calderwood.htm Fri, 11 Apr 2014 00:00:00 UTC After decades of challenges by the drug cartels, Medellin has reinvented itself as a modern, innovative and lively hub with style. The superbly scenic Coffee Triangle is a region of lush green valleys dotted by picturesque colonial towns and age-old haciendas. Not to be missed is the Cocora Valley with endemic soaring wax palms. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4552_159729.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-08-2014_colombia-part-two.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-08-2014_colombia-part-two.htm Tue, 08 Apr 2014 00:00:00 UTC Trained as a physician, actually a surgeon, Norman Liebman painted throughout his college education and medical career. Liebman has spent his retirement painting in his studio five or more days a week working in a style related to the COBRA group that worked from 1948-1951 in Europe. He uses bright color and distorted representational form to create semiabstract moody images that have a Modigliani mysteriousness and an expressionist's visual articulateness to them. In his ninth decade of life, he expresses himself in an exuberant, skillful way that underscores a vitality and a youthful experimentation. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4550_4366.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-08-2014_norman-liebman-s-evocative-paintings.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-08-2014_norman-liebman-s-evocative-paintings.htm Tue, 08 Apr 2014 00:00:00 UTC Last night at the 38th Humana Festival of New American Plays in Louisville, Kentucky San Francisco based playwright Lauren Gunderson was honored for her play “I and You." Coinciding with the prestigious Humana Festival it was the annual conference meeting of the American Theatre Critics which juries the Harold and Mimi Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4549_646430.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-06-2014_lauren-gunderson-wins-for-i-and-you.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-06-2014_lauren-gunderson-wins-for-i-and-you.htm Sun, 06 Apr 2014 00:00:00 UTC After decades of conflict Colombia is emerging toward a bright future. It is a beautiful country with spectacular landscapes, ranging from Andean peaks to rolling hills and sandy beaches. Bogota, its capital, is a sophisticated, multi-ethnic city with distinct colonial architecture, world-class museums and one of a kind attractions. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4548_906413.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-01-2014_colombia-part-one.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/04-01-2014_colombia-part-one.htm Tue, 01 Apr 2014 00:00:00 UTC Add a rich girl, her richer mother, and a starving handsome artist boyfriend together, and what could possibly go wrong? When sheltered Claudine meets actor/director Henry, she falls head over heels for him. But her mother, a tough-talking, cynical celebrity financial guru, tries to crush her daughter's desires and ego. Is Henry everything her daughter deserves or is he only after her money? Rich Girl is a contemporary take on the classic play and film The Heiress. It is a clever comedy about a young woman and her relationships with a man, her mother, money and becoming who she really is. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4547_145150.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-31-2014_rich-girl-loaded-at-lyric-stage-company.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-31-2014_rich-girl-loaded-at-lyric-stage-company.htm Mon, 31 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC Think street art, and chances are you think Banksy. For some, he’s the wittiest man ever to have touched a spray can, while others consider him nothing more than an overhyped phenomenon with a technique and style that’s just a reproduction of other artists’ work from 20 years ago. Love him or hate him, his work never fails to stir up a buzz. But think Banksy’s the most exciting artist to emerge from the UK? Think again. Britain’s streets are home to some of the world’s most diverse and talented artists. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4546_456883.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-31-2014_5-uk-artists-better-than-bansky.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-31-2014_5-uk-artists-better-than-bansky.htm Mon, 31 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC The PBS series Pioneers of Television returns for its fourth season on April 15. In the premiere episode through interviews and vintage clips we have insights to the complex transition from the demands of standup to those of working with an ensemble of actors. The episode balances hilarious and poignant moments. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4543_234028.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-30-2014_pioneers-of-television-on-pbs.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-30-2014_pioneers-of-television-on-pbs.htm Sun, 30 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC Painting still privileges the individual and their own notion of time. It is, as well, in an inevitable dialogue with all that painting has ever been, so that intentionally or otherwise the artist is forced to accept the history of painting. Its uniqueness lies in its ability to create time out of its own language, which forces the viewer to linger in front of it. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4542_273488.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-30-2014_jumping-out-of-enframement.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-30-2014_jumping-out-of-enframement.htm Sun, 30 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC Directo Arin Arbus and Set Designer Riccardo Hernandez collaborated recently on a brilliant production of La Traviata at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. They do it again in Brooklyn at the new home of the Theater for A New Audience. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4541_Lear457393.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-30-2014_king-lear-at-theater-for-a-new-audience.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-30-2014_king-lear-at-theater-for-a-new-audience.htm Sun, 30 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC CV REP of Rancho Mirage, California, one of the best Equity Theatre companies in the Coachella Valley, brings down the curtain on the final play of their highly successful 2013-2014 season of a four-play retrospective of Tony-winning playwright Terrence McNally’s early years. The preceding three shows: “Master Class”, “The Story of My Life”, “A Perfect Ganesh” were all first-rate, top tier productions. It ends with “Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune.” http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4540_3137.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-29-2014_playwright-terrence-mcnally-s-early-years.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-29-2014_playwright-terrence-mcnally-s-early-years.htm Sat, 29 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC In a haters-gonna-hate world shared by the likes of Fred Phelps and a host of jihadist suicide bombers, we are obliged to grant credence to the central motif of a thriller pitting radical fundamentalist beliefs—one Jewish, the other Christian—against one another. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4539_36-Righteous459193.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-29-2014_36-righteous.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-29-2014_36-righteous.htm Sat, 29 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC Taking the pulse of people and places while out and about in London. Catching the vibrant rhythms and social flavors of a great city. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4538_81384.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-29-2014_londoners.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-29-2014_londoners.htm Sat, 29 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC The rambling song “Alice’s Restaurant” by Arlo Guthrie is an icon of the 1960s. It spawned the film by Arthur Penn as well as “The Alice’s Restaurant Cookbook” which has gone through four printings. For the past 36 years Alice Brock has lived in Provincetown. She returns to Dream Away Lodge May 17 and 18 with evenings of her recipes prepared by Chef Amy Loveless. It is the second in a series created by Loveless to honor renowned women chefs of the Berkshires. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4537_59276.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-27-2014_alice-s-restaurant-returns-to-the-berkshires.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-27-2014_alice-s-restaurant-returns-to-the-berkshires.htm Thu, 27 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC The Indiana Repertory Theatre has announced its season for 2014/2015. The mix of shows include a Shakespearean comedy to celebrate the Bard's 450th birthday, an award-winning Broadway play, and a few hidden gems from the regional theatre circuit. To buy tickets or find out more information visit their site here. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4536_575528.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-27-2014_the-indiana-repertory-theatre.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-27-2014_the-indiana-repertory-theatre.htm Thu, 27 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC Barrington Stage Company (BSC), announces Emmy Award-winner and Golden Globe nominee Marg Helgenberger will star in the Berkshire premiere of Sharr White’s The Other Place, kicking off BSC’s 20th Anniversary Season, from May 21 through June 14 on the St. Germain Stage, directed by BSC Associate Artist Christopher Innvar. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4535_526536.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-27-2014_marg-helgenberger-to-star-at-barrington-stage.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-27-2014_marg-helgenberger-to-star-at-barrington-stage.htm Thu, 27 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC When in Savannah Georgia you simply must have lunch at Mrs. Wilkes' Dining Room. During a campaign swing through town President Obama sampled the famous fried chicken and Southern hospitality. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4534_679697.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-26-2014_mrs-wilkes-dining-room.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-26-2014_mrs-wilkes-dining-room.htm Wed, 26 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC Past problems behind, Bolivia is a new country under the leadership of its first indigenous leader, Evo Morales. Fast developing in tourism, it attracts with vistas of snow-capped mountains, lush rolling hills, bustling cities, and colorful native populations. La Paz is the country's largest city; Copacabana its most picturesque at the crest of the world's highest navigable Lake Titicaca. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4533_645153.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-25-2014_bolivia.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-25-2014_bolivia.htm Tue, 25 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC The Nesto Gallery at Milton Academy presents "We the People" by Chawky Frenn. The opening words of the Constitution of the United States, We the People, have inspired visual reflections on the history, principles, visions, costs, and challenges confronting our democratic ideals and values since the founding of our republic. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4532_576685.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-25-2014_chawky-frenn-we-the-people.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-25-2014_chawky-frenn-we-the-people.htm Tue, 25 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC Fulfilling a lifelong dream to hoist a pint of Guinness in a Dublin pub on my birthday. We were in and out of the city connecting with the Irish heritage of my mother and her ancestors. Encountering the whimsical poetic people in the city and touring the lush countryside and craggy coast there was much that rocked my bones and rattled my DNA. Here is a portfolio of images capturing the essence of that experience. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4531_798563.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-24-2014_dubliners.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-24-2014_dubliners.htm Mon, 24 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC An exhibition by the still life painter Elizabeth Johansson is always a notable occasion. The Clark Gallery, in Lincoln, Mass is presenting a selection of exquisite, meticulously observed and rendered drawings and paintings. The works will be on view through March 29. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4530_763472.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-23-2014_elisabeth-johansson-at-clark-gallery.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-23-2014_elisabeth-johansson-at-clark-gallery.htm Sun, 23 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC The mighty Riccardo Muti conducted. The powerful and yet delicate Mitsuko Uchida was piano soloist. An extraordinary oboist, Eugene Izotov, led us through Schubert's Great 9th Symphony. Such pleasure in sharing musical greatness in the Symphony Center in Chicago. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4529_CSO773327.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-23-2014_the-chicago-symphony-orchestra-conversations.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-23-2014_the-chicago-symphony-orchestra-conversations.htm Sun, 23 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC Musicals Tonight! is presenting For Goodness Sake at New York’s The Lion Theatre. A light, frothy musical it was one of the first collaborations between George and Ira Gershwin. It has not been seen in New York since its debut in 1922, although it had a successful run in England the following year. The now dated musical launched international stardom for its stars, Fred and Adele Astaire. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4528_114578.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-22-2014_for-goodness-sake-by-musicals-tonight.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-22-2014_for-goodness-sake-by-musicals-tonight.htm Sat, 22 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC After three years with eleven museums on three continents the treasures of the Clark Art Institute are back home safe and sound. They will be seen this summer when the museum reopens after extensive renovation and expansion on July 4. This grand tour of major museums will reap benefits as the Clark requests loans for major exhibitions. Other major museums, however, including the Museum of Fine Arts and the Guggenheim, have loaned works to their satellites and commercial exhibition promoters for cold cash. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4527_732027.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-21-2014_the-clark-s-masterpieces-home-at-last.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-21-2014_the-clark-s-masterpieces-home-at-last.htm Fri, 21 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC For the final slot of the program organized by Jenny Gersten for the 2014 Williamstown Theatre Festival she has played an ace. Lauren Ambrose (“Six Feet Under”) will make a WTF debut paired with the returning Chris Pine (Kirk in the recent “Star Trek” movies). A revival of the 1983 Sam Shepard play will be directed by Daniel Aukin. It will run on the Nikos Stage July 24 to August 3. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4526_925782.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-21-2014_nikos-stage-announces-sam-shepard-play.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-21-2014_nikos-stage-announces-sam-shepard-play.htm Fri, 21 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC A contemporary staging of 'The LittleFoxes - Die kleinen Füchse ' by Lillian Hellman will continue a successful run in April and through the end of the Berlin theatre season, at the Schaubühne. Director, Thomas Ostermeier, and cast have presented sold out performances. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4525_166.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-21-2014_the-little-foxes-by-lillian-hellman-at-schaub-hne-berlin.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-21-2014_the-little-foxes-by-lillian-hellman-at-schaub-hne-berlin.htm Fri, 21 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC This week representatives of the Clark Art Institute, Williams College Museum of Art, Williamstown Theatre Festival and Mass MoCA met with the media to promote plans for a spectacular Northern Berkshires season. The Clark reopens following extensive expansion and renovation. Mass MoCA offers the first full season of its Anselm Kiefer building. Jenny Gersten has planned a blockbuster program for WTF. WCMA plans special events like a Think and Drink series. In high season it may be hard to book a hotel or dine at the best restaurants. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4524_97856.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-20-2014_the-clark-art-institute-embraces-modernism.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-20-2014_the-clark-art-institute-embraces-modernism.htm Thu, 20 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC Cate Blanchett won an Oscar this year for her channeling of Blanche DuBois in the Woody Allen reshaping of the enduring Tennessee Williams classic Streetcar Named Desire. This brings renewed renewed interest in the riveting drama. It is being produced by Indy Fringe is what Melissa Hall feels is a not to be missed production. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4523_665379.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-20-2014_streetcar-named-desire-in-indianapolis.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-20-2014_streetcar-named-desire-in-indianapolis.htm Thu, 20 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC At 84, Arnold Trachtman is exhibiting a dozen pieces from the last 50 years of his artistic career. Relentlessly he is compelled to express and document history through a vey personal lens. His art never fit the current fad. Arnie never got the memo on the next big wave. Or if he did, he disregarded it. He often combined the past imperfect of the political and social agenda of Europe and the USA in his mostly strident painted images. But the works shown at Galatea Fine Art are more mellow memories yet painted in his most original voice. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4522_Arnold-Trachtman-Por574672.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-19-2014_arnold-trachtman-portraits-galatea-fine-art.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-19-2014_arnold-trachtman-portraits-galatea-fine-art.htm Wed, 19 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC One of the Boston Lyric Opera's most successful recent productions, "Rigoletto" is an unabashed melodrama but its dramatic truths are relevant to a day when the powerful and corrupt can get their way no matter what. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4521_835484.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-19-2014_nadine-sierra-triumphs-with-boston-lyric.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-19-2014_nadine-sierra-triumphs-with-boston-lyric.htm Wed, 19 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC La Clemenza di Tito is full of glorious Mozart arias and recitatives, and an occasional duet. It is an odd opera, which does not have a developing story arc, but rather presents one emotionally-telling vignette after another: thwarted love, political trickery, treachery and betrayal, noble friendships and a hero’s stance. The singing is classic Mozart in this Lyric Opera production. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4520_clemenza332881.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-18-2014_la-clemenza-di-tito-at-the-lyric-opera.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-18-2014_la-clemenza-di-tito-at-the-lyric-opera.htm Tue, 18 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC Huntington Theatre Company announces six productions of its 2014-2015 Season plus one additional title. Continuing its 32-year tradition, the Huntington will present world-class productions of new works and classics made current created by the finest local and national talent. The varied lineup includes a Tony Award-winning Broadway comedy, a thrilling new play set in Boston, a new play by a celebrated local writer that riffs on a beloved classic, a revival of a provocative comedy, a classic American drama, and a topical new play directed by Huntington Artistic Director Peter DuBois, plus the return of visionary director David Cromer (Our Town). http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4519_810685.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-18-2014_huntington-theatre-company-2014-2015.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-18-2014_huntington-theatre-company-2014-2015.htm Tue, 18 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC Fresh Grass returns to Mass MoCA from September 19 to 21. This year's lineup is the deepest yet, including The Carolina Chocolate Drops, Railroad Earth, Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn,Sam Bush, The Infamous Stringdusters, David Grisman Sextet, The Gibson Brothers, Alison Brown, Valerie June, Aoife O'Donovan, Rodney Crowell, Sam Amidon, Liam Ó Manolaí, Michael Cleveland,Claire Lynch,Darol Anger, Martha Redbone Roots Project, and more to be announced later in the spring. Last year's FreshGrass Award recipient, Cricket Tell the Weather, will take the stage for a full set. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4518_Grass596547.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-18-2014_fresh-grass-set-for-september-19-21.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-18-2014_fresh-grass-set-for-september-19-21.htm Tue, 18 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC Tony Award-winner Tommy Tune in Taps, Tunes, and Tall Tales performs on Monday, July 28 at 8pm at Barrington Stage in Pittsfield. Tune is a nine-time Tony Award winner for his work on Seesaw, A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine, Nine, My One and Only, Grand Hotel, and The Will Rogers Follies. In addition, he has been awarded eight Drama Desk Awards, three Astaire Awards and the Society of Directors and Choreographers' George Abbott Award for Lifetime Achievement. He was honored with The Helen Hayes Tribute in 2011. We have an interesting and hilarious interview. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4517_387204.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-18-2014_tommy-tune-taps-at-barrington-stage-july-28.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-18-2014_tommy-tune-taps-at-barrington-stage-july-28.htm Tue, 18 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC Botero's art permeates Bogota's and Medellin's major museums and plazas with overwhelming grandeur and sensuality. Contrasting giant and dwarf figures, sometimes with underlying satire, the artist creates voluptuous exuberance that charms and captivates. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4516_422039.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-17-2014_fernando-botero-seen-in-bogota.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-17-2014_fernando-botero-seen-in-bogota.htm Mon, 17 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC A photograph is worth how many words? You decide! Our trip to Ireland and England included a couple of days experiencing the land, people and natural wonders of Ireland by bus. We returned with rock-solid photographs (pardon the pun!) and long lasting memories. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4515_838636.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-16-2014_the-burren-cliffs-of-moher-and-newgrange.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-16-2014_the-burren-cliffs-of-moher-and-newgrange.htm Sun, 16 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC In the lively 1970s a lot of bands broke out of Boston: J Geils, The Cars, Modern Lovers. Real Paper rock critic Jon Landau discovered and then managed Bruce Springsteen. Promo Man Roger's Lifeset's Warner Brothers partner, Charlie McKenzie, and colleague, Paul Ahern, signed Boston to Epic Records. Filthy rich McKenzie, as we discuss with Lifeset, lived the life of the Great Gatsby and died just as tragically. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4514_934055.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-15-2014_gonzo-chronicles-roger-lifeset-three.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-15-2014_gonzo-chronicles-roger-lifeset-three.htm Sat, 15 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC Don van Vliet, known by the stage name of Captain Beefheart, was an eccentric genius of rock and roll. His double album Trout Mask Replica is considered a masterpiece. Most of his albums didn't sell well and he bounced around labels. Roger Lifeset connected me with Beefheart when he was promoting Spotlight Kid for Warner Brothers. Once Don got his hooks in me he wouldn't let go. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4513_609375.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-15-2014_gonzo-chronicles-roger-lifeset-two.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-15-2014_gonzo-chronicles-roger-lifeset-two.htm Sat, 15 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC On a balmy January night some 300 to 400 rockers crashed, trashed and smashed my basement Harvard Square apartment during an "Intimate VIP" party following an Alice Cooper concert. It was instigated by Warner Brothers promo man and ubermensch, Roger Lifeset. As part one in the ongoing Gonzo Chronicles we discuss the utter madness of the Boston rock scene. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4512_734845.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-14-2014_gonzo-chronicles-promo-man-roger-lifeset.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-14-2014_gonzo-chronicles-promo-man-roger-lifeset.htm Fri, 14 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC Celebrated Russian actress Irina Arkadina's visit to her aspiring playwright son with her successful novelist lover in tow kindles unrequited passions and petty jealousies in Anton Chekhov's late 19th Century masterpiece about love, rejection, creative frustration, missed connections, and what it means to be an artist. In this actor's play, a wonderful Kate Burton leads a glittering cast at the Huntington for Chekhov's emotionally rich classic that is directed by the gifted Maria Aitken. Set in brilliant scenery, this amazing theatrical chemistry results in a superb evening of dramatic entertainment. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4511_967198.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-13-2014_the-seagull-soars-at-the-huntington.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-13-2014_the-seagull-soars-at-the-huntington.htm Thu, 13 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC Natalie Dessay has been one of the most electrifying singer/actresses on the opera stage for nearly 30 years. Now, she is focusing her career on pop songs and the classic song literature. Dessay assembled a primarily French program with enough German songs to give the evening some weight. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4510_311022.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-13-2014_natalie-dessay-sings-french-at-jordan-hall.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-13-2014_natalie-dessay-sings-french-at-jordan-hall.htm Thu, 13 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC A hole in the wall and favorite among locals is The Lantern Bar & Grill at 455 North Street along the main drag of downtown Pittsfield, Mass. The owner chef Mike Papas is a jazz fan signified by the photos on the long narrow space with a single row of tables. The Lantern touts the best burger in the Berkshires. The Pit Bulls dropped by for lunch. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4509_624153.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-12-2014_the-lantern-bar-grill.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-12-2014_the-lantern-bar-grill.htm Wed, 12 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC The Harvard Art Museums—comprising the Fogg Museum, the Busch-Reisinger Museum, and the Arthur M. Sackler Museum—will open their new Renzo Piano-designed facility to the public on November 16, 2014. The renovation and expansion of the museums’ landmark building at 32 Quincy Street in Cambridge will bring the three museums and their collections together under one roof for the first time http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4508_481307.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-11-2014_harvard-art-museums-open-november-16.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-11-2014_harvard-art-museums-open-november-16.htm Tue, 11 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC The Cape & Islands Theater Coalition announced today that it has created the new position of Executive Director and has appointed David B. Kaplan to fill that post. The members of the Coalition took this step in recognition of the growth of the Coalition and its activities on behalf of the Cape and Islands live performance theaters, and in anticipation of greater collaboration and outreach by the organization. The Coalition is composed of 24 member theaters and a Friends organization which helps raise awareness of our regions theaters and promote theater-going. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4507_298168.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-11-2014_cape-islands-theater-coalition.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-11-2014_cape-islands-theater-coalition.htm Tue, 11 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC Barrington Stage Company (BSC), has announced the creative team for the company’s 20th Anniversary Season opener – Kiss Me, Kate, to be presented June 11 through July 12 on the Boyd-Quinson Mainstage (30 Union Street). Joe Calarco and Lorin Latarro will direct and choreograph Kiss Me, Kate, which features music and lyrics by Cole Porter and book by Sam and Bella Spewack. BSC Associate Artists Darren R. Cohen will music direct and Renee Lutz returns for her 20th season opener as production stage manager. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4506_955396.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-11-2014_kiss-me-kate-at-barrington-stage.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-11-2014_kiss-me-kate-at-barrington-stage.htm Tue, 11 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC The clever, yet simple stage design allowed for the audience to believe this was the door to City Center, the inside of the theater, a subway station, several apartments and the streets. The costumes were inventive and in the case of the Grande Dame, wildly entertaining. That is how New York City would dress! The lighting gave atmosphere when needed and a sense of mystery for the ghost who was to lead us on our adventure. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4505_810885.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-11-2014_the-architecture-of-becoming.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-11-2014_the-architecture-of-becoming.htm Tue, 11 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC Actors’ Shakespeare Project (ASP), under the direction of Artistic Director Allyn Burrows and Executive Producer Sara Stackhouse, announces the slate of plays for the beginning of its second decade. The 2014 -15 subscriptions are currently on sale and single tickets will go on sale August 1, 2014. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4504_7512.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-11-2014_boston-s-actors-shakespeare-project.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-11-2014_boston-s-actors-shakespeare-project.htm Tue, 11 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC A top-tier cast tears the top off Symphony Hall in Richard Strauss's decadent take on the dysfunctional family with a religious prophet thrown in for good measure. The orchestra is enormous: 32 violins, a dozen violas, ten cellos, eight double basses and it seemed like every woodwind and brass player in the greater Boston area. And that doesn’t even account for the harps, tambourine, xylophone, harmonium, gong, kettledrum, timpani, castanet, triangle, glockenspiel and celesta. Andris Nelsons, the BSO director designate, kept them all in control. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4503_978951.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-11-2014_an-incandescent-salome-at-bso.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-11-2014_an-incandescent-salome-at-bso.htm Tue, 11 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC In 2000 when Rafael Mahdavi was commuting between Wellesley, Mass and a studio in Paris we collaborated on dual exhibitions at Suffolk University/ New England School of Art & Design and Boston's French library. Recently we connected to catch up and reflect on a multi national career as a painter and sculptor. Through hard work and entrepreneurship he has had the life and career that many artists aspire to. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4502_178453.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-10-2014_looking-back-with-global-artist-rafael-mahdavi.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-10-2014_looking-back-with-global-artist-rafael-mahdavi.htm Mon, 10 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC The Contemporary American Theater Festival at Shepherd University has announced its 24th season featuring five new American plays, including three world premieres. Theater Festival Producing Director Ed Herendeen has chosen scripts from Christina Anderson, Charles Fuller (winner of the 1982 Pulitzer Prize for Drama), Thomas Gibbons, Bruce Graham, and Chisa Hutchinson. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4501_646789.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-10-2014_the-contemporary-american-theater-festival.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-10-2014_the-contemporary-american-theater-festival.htm Mon, 10 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC Massachusetts funded Mass MoCA initially, and now again, as an economic development to drive the creative economy of cultural tourism in the depressed Northern Berkshire County. In addition to the Clark Art Institute expanded and coming back on line this summer, in a few years, Mass MoCA plans to double its exhibition space. A key result of that expansion will be a shift of visitors from day trips to weekends. In this next phase more involvement with the local community, particularly its artists, will be crucial. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4500_125287.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-10-2014_joe-thompson-expansion-part-two.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-10-2014_joe-thompson-expansion-part-two.htm Mon, 10 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC Tom Krens, then at Williams College, initiated the idea of Mass MoCA which was all but dead when he departed for the Guggenheim. Now 26 years ago his protegee, Joe Thompson, took the next twelve years to open the doors. The Krens idea was to warehouse low maintenance collections. Thompson changed direction to initiate a kunsthalle or non collecting exhibition space. Now, in developing 120,000 square feet of new gallery space, double the present, the museum is becoming a hybrid of those different strategies. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4499_772066.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-09-2014_joe-thompson-on-mass-moca-expansion.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-09-2014_joe-thompson-on-mass-moca-expansion.htm Sun, 09 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC THE BIFF is proud to partner with Monument Mountain Regional High School (MMRHS) to present a very special community screening of the award-winning documentary A PLACE AT THE TABLE, narrated by Academy Award winner Jeff Bridges and directed by Kristi Jacobson and Lori Silverbush. The BIFF and MMRHS will present a FREE community dinner followed by the screening and panel discussion on Thursday, March 13 at Monument High School. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4498_546489.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-09-2014_biff-presents-a-place-at-the-table.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-09-2014_biff-presents-a-place-at-the-table.htm Sun, 09 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC Our correspondent is in Paris for the annual meeting of AICA (International Society of Arts Critics). Of which he is a board member. He sent links to exhibitions which he plans to check out. We appreciate being kept in the loop. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4497_965223.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-09-2014_not-quite-april-in-paris.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-09-2014_not-quite-april-in-paris.htm Sun, 09 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC Not an ordinary whale of a tale, The Whale is the story of a rather pathetic Charlie. And he wants to make up for lost time. In the wake of personal tragedy, he has gluttonously eaten to assuage his grief and become a morbidly obese couch-bound, apartment-bound sad recluse. With his health ominously failing, he makes one last desperate attempt to connect with his estranged teenage daughter. Along the way, there are ingredients of Mormonism, costly medical insurance and online higher education as well. This is an exceptionally well-acted humorous, and emotionally wrenching play. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4496_958594.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-09-2014_the-whale-brilliantly-spouts-at-speakeasy.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-09-2014_the-whale-brilliantly-spouts-at-speakeasy.htm Sun, 09 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC The terrific comedy production “The 39 Steps”, brilliantly directed by Ken Parks; produced and presented by Coyote StageWorks, of Palm Springs, and The Norris Theatre of Palos Verdes, CA, through March 9, is often referred to as hilarious, zany, and an a inspired collision of comedy and parody at its finest. Newspaper ads often bill the show as “Hitchcock meets Monty Python” wherever it plays, and rightly so. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4495_831765.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-08-2014_39-steps-at-annenberg-theatre.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-08-2014_39-steps-at-annenberg-theatre.htm Sat, 08 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC A new, young contributor to BFA, photographer and writer Ioana Taut, grew up in Romania. Her field of passion is Jazz ! Here she's reporting in word and image about a recent festival in Prague, where she's currently residing. Jazz is alive and well in Eastern European countries! http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4494_187930.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-07-2014_first-petrof-pianojazz-festival-in-prague.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-07-2014_first-petrof-pianojazz-festival-in-prague.htm Fri, 07 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC With a $25.4 Million grant from the Commonwealth Mass MoCA is embarking on the third and final phase of renovation and development of its 26-building, 600,000 square foot, 16-acre factory campus. Phase III research and concept design work is complete. The project is ready to move construction projected for 2014-2016. This entails 130,000 square feet of gallery space requiring $25 million in state infrastructure grants, plus $30 million in privately raised construction investments, building maintenance reserves, and endowment funding. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4493_379298.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-06-2014_third-and-final-phase-of-mass-moca-buildout.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-06-2014_third-and-final-phase-of-mass-moca-buildout.htm Thu, 06 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC The new music director of the Boston Symphony announced the 2014-15 season and the air was crackling with excitement. In addition to the full schedule we offer a sidebar for what this portends for the orchestra immediately and in the future. Our critic, Susan Hall, had lunch with him well before the appointment. Be still dear heart. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4492_Nelsons361302.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-06-2014_critical-analysis-of-andris-nelsons-s-bso-season.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-06-2014_critical-analysis-of-andris-nelsons-s-bso-season.htm Thu, 06 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC The latest in a string of movies turned musicals is Ghost the Musical. A Broadway Across America show based on the 1990 film of the same name, the production follows in the footsteps of The Wedding Singer, Grease, Once, Newsies, Sister Act, Flashdance and a few notable others, fleshing out the story from the movie with musical numbers. This popular trend works well with some movies, but feels forced with others; unfortunately Ghost is one of those others. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4491_491859.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-06-2014_ghost-the-musical-in-indy.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-06-2014_ghost-the-musical-in-indy.htm Thu, 06 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC The Boston Symphony Orchestra’s 2014-15 season shines a welcoming spotlight on Andris Nelsons as he makes hihighly anticipated debut as BSO Music Director, leading performances that feature an eclectic offering of music and an impressive lineup of guest artists, and presenting programs that illuminate touchstone moments in his life as a musician, from his youngest days as a child in Riga, to his present-day stature as one of the world’s most sought-after conductors. When Mr. Nelsons takes on the title of BSO Music Director in September 2014, at age 35, he will be the youngest conductor to hold that title with the orchestra in over 100 years. The fifteenth music director since the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s founding in 1881, Mr. Nelsons is also the first Latvian-born conductor to assume the post. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4490_641974.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-06-2014_bso-announces-2014-2015-season.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-06-2014_bso-announces-2014-2015-season.htm Thu, 06 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC The mission of La Biennale de Montréal is to foster, support, interpret and disseminate the latest visual arts practices, while raising the international profile of Montréal as a destination of choice for contemporary art. Building on this mission, Uniform has drawn inspiration from the organization’s artistic vision—conveyed by four key terms: experimentation, agility, rigour and openness—to develop the graphic identity of La Biennale de Montréal. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4489_994096.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-05-2014_la-biennale-de-montr-al.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-05-2014_la-biennale-de-montr-al.htm Wed, 05 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC Eagle eyed columnist, John Seven, observed that 67-year-old Liza Minnelli didn't wear panties under her blue pantsuit at the Oscars. Seems he never thought much of her anyway. Her mother, Judy Garland, makes him break out in hives. Stating that he never watches the Oscars or even knows what films are nominated he wrote about it anyway. This from the columnist who urges readers to boycott artistic creeps like Woody Allen. It must have sent him to the emergency room that Cate Blanchett won an Oscar for one of Woody's films. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4488_523998.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-04-2014_liza-minnelli-trashed-by-john-seven-in-the-eagle.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-04-2014_liza-minnelli-trashed-by-john-seven-in-the-eagle.htm Tue, 04 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC This summer marks the 35th annual Festival International de Jazz de Montréal. There are many highlights with international artists slated to perform. It's worth planning for for the trip north to hear Diana Ross, Keith Jarrett, Bobby McFerrin, Ginger Baker, Rufus Wainwright and the music of Frank Zappa. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4487_852957.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-04-2014_festival-international-de-jazz-de-montr-al.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-04-2014_festival-international-de-jazz-de-montr-al.htm Tue, 04 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC Guitarist/oudist/composer Jussi Reijonen showcases music from his acclaimed CD Jussi Reijonen: un at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 5 at Regattabar, 1 Bennett Street, Cambridge. He is joined by an international array of players: Swedish acoustic bassist Bruno Råberg and Palestinian percussionist Tareq Rantisi - each of whom is featured on un - along with Spanish pianist Juan Pérez Rodríguez and Palestinian cellist Naseem Alatrash as special guests. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4486_134346.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-04-2014_jussi-reijonen-at-regattabar-march-5.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-04-2014_jussi-reijonen-at-regattabar-march-5.htm Tue, 04 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC Steve Zevitas is a Boston gallerist and publisher of the juried magazine New American Painting. Like many in the art world he is constantly on the go making the rounds of biennials and art fairs. Normally he is level headed and reasonable focusing on the artists he publishes and promotes. But he recently vented in a piece in the Huffington Post. He's mad as hell and ain't gonnah take it anymore. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4485_918213.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-03-2014_art-publisher-steve-zevitas-sounds-off.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-03-2014_art-publisher-steve-zevitas-sounds-off.htm Mon, 03 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC David Bonetti started a career as an art critic writing for the Boston Phoenix and Art New England. He moved on to write for daily papers in San Francisco and St. Louis. Now retired from covering fine arts he has returned to Boston. For the past few years he has covered opera for Berkshire Fine Arts with the occasional art piece. In response to our coverage of the retirement of MFA director, Malcolm Rogers, in a letter to the editor he offered a different take. We post it as an op ed piece. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4484_371735.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-03-2014_malcolm-rogers-another-opinion.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-03-2014_malcolm-rogers-another-opinion.htm Mon, 03 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC The MFA today has been totally rebuilt and defined by Malcolm Rogers. He is resigning after 19 years of dramatic and event brutal change. Part of that transformation is a not so benign neglect of more than a century of institutional and cultural history. The story of the resignation of Rogers was written under pressure of deadline. Since then further research has clarified points raised in the article. More will follow. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4483_631458.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-02-2014_malcolm-rogers-resignation-sidebar.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-02-2014_malcolm-rogers-resignation-sidebar.htm Sun, 02 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC In the front row of the Civic Opera House, Renée Fleming sat watching an enchanting water nymph take on the role which has been Fleming's signature for decades. The audience fell for Ana Maria Martinez from her first notes and throughout the challenging first Act. What would Fleming make of the performance? http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4482_rusalka175817.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-01-2014_rusalka-re-imagined-in-chicago.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-01-2014_rusalka-re-imagined-in-chicago.htm Sat, 01 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC In Boston, the two music conservatories and the Boston University Opera Institute offer a mix of warhorses and rarities with young singers variously ready for the next step. Often student performances are frustratingly uneven with various degrees of accomplishment on display, but sometimes they come together with well-balanced casts, offering the experience of professional opera at a quarter the price. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4481_420910.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-01-2014_student-opera-offers-deep-satisfactions.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/03-01-2014_student-opera-offers-deep-satisfactions.htm Sat, 01 Mar 2014 00:00:00 UTC By just two years over Perry T. Rathbone, at 19, the British born Malcolm Rogers is leaving the Museum of Fine Arts as its longest running, most successful and controversial director. From top to bottom he reformed, renovated and rebuilt ever aspect of the museum. Along the way playing a hardball game of croquet worthy of the Queen of Hearts. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4480_937140.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-28-2014_malcolm-rogers-retires-from-the-mfa.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-28-2014_malcolm-rogers-retires-from-the-mfa.htm Fri, 28 Feb 2014 00:00:00 UTC It would be funny to say that Konrad Smolenski is someone you will soon have heard of. Already a pretty big deal throughout Europe, he had the honor of representing Poland at the Venice Biennale this year and made quite the lasting impression. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4479_159806.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-27-2014_polish-artist-konrad-smolenski.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-27-2014_polish-artist-konrad-smolenski.htm Thu, 27 Feb 2014 00:00:00 UTC A great deal of the credit for this “family values” production of the bullet-proof On Golden Pond being as successful as it is belongs to Desert Theatre League (DTL) award winning director Rebecca Havely, whose sharp eye filled the stage with props, emotions, and action with tender loving care. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4478_770735.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-27-2014_ernest-thompson-s-on-golden-pond.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-27-2014_ernest-thompson-s-on-golden-pond.htm Thu, 27 Feb 2014 00:00:00 UTC Christopher Durang, freely borrows characters and plot-lines from Chekhov’s plays, then cleverly remixes and reinserts them into his highly entertaining comedy tale with the result being it’s one of the best ensemble casts to tread LA theatre boards in quite awhile. At Mark Taper Forum through March 9. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4477_476742.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-27-2014_christopher-durang-comedy-at-mark-taper-forum.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-27-2014_christopher-durang-comedy-at-mark-taper-forum.htm Thu, 27 Feb 2014 00:00:00 UTC In the world premiere of “The Who & The What,”, at The La Jolla Playhouse through March 9, playwright Ayad Ahktar boldly goes where few Muslim writer’s (except for Salmon Rushdie) have gone before – to the heart of religion – to the family. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4476_169758.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-27-2014_the-who-the-what-by-ayad-ahktar.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-27-2014_the-who-the-what-by-ayad-ahktar.htm Thu, 27 Feb 2014 00:00:00 UTC Previously Williamstown Theatre Festival released the Main Stage schedule. Now we are informed of two plays for the smaller Nikos Stage. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4475_808425.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-27-2014_nikos-stage-for-2014.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-27-2014_nikos-stage-for-2014.htm Thu, 27 Feb 2014 00:00:00 UTC For decades actor Alec Baldwin has opted to duke it out with paparazzis and the gossip media. Now like Roberto Duran tossing in the towel stating "No Mas" Baldwin, in a screed in New York Magazine titled "I Give Up," is withdrawing from public life. For celebrities of his stature, who have tried it in the past, this is more easily said than done. As Martha and the Vandellas sang "Nowhere to Run, Nowhere to Hide." http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4474_289320.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-26-2014_alec-baldwin-cries-no-mas.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-26-2014_alec-baldwin-cries-no-mas.htm Wed, 26 Feb 2014 00:00:00 UTC WAM Theatre’s Artistic Director Kristen van Ginhoven announces highlights of the 2014 season. The Berkshire-based professional theatre company will celebrate its fifth anniversary with plays readings, special events, panel discussions, and educational programs that focus on women artists and stories of women http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4473_424876.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-25-2014_wam-theatre-announces-2014-season.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-25-2014_wam-theatre-announces-2014-season.htm Tue, 25 Feb 2014 00:00:00 UTC There isn't a lot of depth and substance to Noel Coward's classic 1930 comedy Private Lives. Under artistic director Tony Simotes the game actors of Shakespeare & Company are striving to create an upbeat hilarious production. Through March 30 theatre is alive and well in Lenox as we wait for signs of Spring. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4472_645028.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-23-2014_private-lives-at-shakespeare-company.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-23-2014_private-lives-at-shakespeare-company.htm Sun, 23 Feb 2014 00:00:00 UTC The Sills Award honoring and supporting up and coming opera singers is one of the most prestigious. This year the Award was given o Michael Fabiano, a wonderfully gifted young singer. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4471_fabiano487238.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-21-2014_michael-fabiano-wins-beverly-sills-award.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-21-2014_michael-fabiano-wins-beverly-sills-award.htm Fri, 21 Feb 2014 00:00:00 UTC "For our 86th Summer Season, we are producing a full schedule of musicals, plays, and special theatrical performances for another wonderful summer in the Berkshires with a splendid cast and crew of talented artists from across the nation,” said Kate Maguire. "Six extraordinary plays: The Mystery of Irma Vep: A Penny Dreadful, Benefactors, Design for Living, A Hatful of Rain, including two world premieres: Cedars and POE and two wonderful musicals: A Little Night Musicand Seussical highlight our schedule and make for an enjoyable mix of masterful and provocative classics and contemporary works. A special week-long performance of A Lover's Talespotlighting the works of Giuseppe Verdi, Charles Ludlam and Alexandre Dumas and performances by our summer apprentices, our 86th season will be memorable and entertaining for all.” http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4468_263677.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-21-2014_berkshire-theatre-group-2014-season.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-21-2014_berkshire-theatre-group-2014-season.htm Fri, 21 Feb 2014 00:00:00 UTC “It Happened in Saint-Tropez” is gorgeously photographed by Jean-Marc Fabre along with a stunning production design by Michele Abbe-Vannier. The film is easy on the eyes, and is well acted. It’s a light, frothy, tasty French pastry of a movie that produces chuckles and laughs all the while being entertaining in the process. And there isn’t a calorie in sight. Enjoy! http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4467_580117.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-20-2014_it-happened-in-saint-tropez.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-20-2014_it-happened-in-saint-tropez.htm Thu, 20 Feb 2014 00:00:00 UTC The story of the film “Shoes” is cleverly told without dialogue or seeing the faces of the actors. This unique film approach immediately engages the viewer; drawing them deeper into the story that director Costa Fam wants to tell. “Shoes” is a powerful, yet tenderly crafted movie, that traces a pair of red shoes from their purchase by a young woman just beginning to enjoy the pleasures and dreams that life has to offer. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4466_247121.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-20-2014_24th-annual-san-diego-jewish-film-festival.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-20-2014_24th-annual-san-diego-jewish-film-festival.htm Thu, 20 Feb 2014 00:00:00 UTC “Neil Diamond: Solitary Man” chronicles Diamond’s early years growing up in Brooklyn and his initiation into the world of songwriters working in the famous Brill Building, in New York City in the fifties. He wrote songs for others, but always harbored a desire to become a performer of his own songs. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4465_510845.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-20-2014_neil-diamond-solitary-man.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-20-2014_neil-diamond-solitary-man.htm Thu, 20 Feb 2014 00:00:00 UTC San Diego's renowned Old Globe’s new Artistic Director Barry Edelstein, wanted his favorite Shakespeare play, “The Winter’s Tale” to be his first directorial production – and he wanted to present it inside, in the Globe’s venerable and famous 75 year-old theatre. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4464_682352.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-20-2014_the-winter-s-tale-at-old-globe.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-20-2014_the-winter-s-tale-at-old-globe.htm Thu, 20 Feb 2014 00:00:00 UTC Considered one of the greatest American drama's of the 20th Century, since it was first performed in 1949, Death of a Salesman has been recognized as an iconic event of the American theatre. The aging, failing and delusional Willy Loman makes his living riding on a smile and a shoeshine. Playwright Arthur Miller redefined the tragic hero as a man whose dreams are both insupportably grand and pathetically insubstantial. Boston's Lyric Stage Company brilliantly portrays this epic statement of promise and loss and the American Dream unfulfilled. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4463_273742.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-20-2014_death-of-a-salesman-brilliant-at-lyric-stage.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-20-2014_death-of-a-salesman-brilliant-at-lyric-stage.htm Thu, 20 Feb 2014 00:00:00 UTC Anthony Freud, the non pareil general manager of opera, brought Rob Ashford to the Lyric to mount his first opera. The Tony and Emmy award winning choreographer and director does a brilliant job by honoring the form of Beaumarchais and Rossini. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4462_barber933666.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-19-2014_barber-of-seville-at-lyric-opera-of-chicago.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-19-2014_barber-of-seville-at-lyric-opera-of-chicago.htm Wed, 19 Feb 2014 00:00:00 UTC The 64th Berlinale just closed after eleven days, while 400 films from around the world were viewed by 330.000 Berliners and international visitors. The talk of the city while it lasted! http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4461_323139.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-19-2014_the-64th-berlinale-set-new-records.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-19-2014_the-64th-berlinale-set-new-records.htm Wed, 19 Feb 2014 00:00:00 UTC Dishing the dirt on celebrities has become a billion dollar industry for muckraking supermarket tabloids, talk radio, and TV entertainment and gossip shows. But we were shocked and distressed when Berkshire Eagle columnist John Seven unloaded a mud slinging screed against Woody Allen and other "artistic creeps." Seven seems surprised and offended to realize that great artists are not always great people. Duh. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4460_121185.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-19-2014_eagle-columnist-john-seven-boycotts-artistic-creeps.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-19-2014_eagle-columnist-john-seven-boycotts-artistic-creeps.htm Wed, 19 Feb 2014 00:00:00 UTC Jean-Philippe Rameau's one-act opera "La Guirlande" might seem to be a frivolous pastoral, but he brings it to life with rich and subtly detailed music. The afternoon belonged to Amanda Forsythe. She is as fine an actress as singer, imbuing everything with the force of life. Where other singers make you aware of the effort expended to hit high notes (or low), Forsythe makes it all sound easy. She moves without break through the vocal registers that loom as roadblocks to other singers. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4459_429121.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-18-2014_amanda-forsythe-keeps-the-garland-fresh.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-18-2014_amanda-forsythe-keeps-the-garland-fresh.htm Tue, 18 Feb 2014 00:00:00 UTC Most Performance Art is warmed over conceptual art from three or four decades ago. So when something is truly new and exciting, even intellectually and aesthetically provocative, it should be celebrated. Currently at the Peabody Essex Museum is a performance piece by 70 beautiful finches created by French artist Céleste Boursier-Mougenot. It should be seen and heard. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4458_623576.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-18-2014_freeport-no-007-from-here-to-ear.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-18-2014_freeport-no-007-from-here-to-ear.htm Tue, 18 Feb 2014 00:00:00 UTC As an act of protest the renowned dissident Chinese artist, Ai Weiwei, famously was photographed deliberately dropping and destroying a priceless Han Dynasty vase. Now it appears that in protest an artist has dropped an ancient vessel, painted over by Weiwei, that was included in his traveling exhibition. We explore the many layers of irony that tracks vandalism mimicking the creative destruction of Weiwei. Yet again imitation, however criminal, is the sincerest form of flattery. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4457_420143.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-18-2014_ai-weiwei-a-smash-in-miami.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-18-2014_ai-weiwei-a-smash-in-miami.htm Tue, 18 Feb 2014 00:00:00 UTC In celebration of his 85th birthday Bernard Haitink has arranged several New York concerts as a guest conductor. We covered his Carnegie Hall appearance in an all Ravel program leading the Boston Symphony Orchestra and its Tanglewood Chorus. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4456_778880.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-17-2014_boston-symphony-orchestra-at-carnegie-hall-2.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-17-2014_boston-symphony-orchestra-at-carnegie-hall-2.htm Mon, 17 Feb 2014 00:00:00 UTC Visiting new York City means seeing great theatre. Mark Favermann and his companion Lisa saw Pinter's No Man's Land with Sirs Ian McKellan and Patrick Stewart and the musical A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder with the versatile Jefferson Mays. These shows are two of the 2013-14 Broadway season highlights in the Big Apple. And NYC also means visiting great museums. Two that were visited were MoMA and the Morgan Library. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4455_92077.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-17-2014_new-york-sojourn-ii-iii.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-17-2014_new-york-sojourn-ii-iii.htm Mon, 17 Feb 2014 00:00:00 UTC Through March 2 Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield is presenting its now annual, much anticipated 10 x 10 Upstreet a lively festival of new plays. The pace is fast and furious as one theatrical thumbnail morphs into another and another. After two quick and crammed acts we departed with a head swirling marathon of impressions. There were many joyous nuggets in a mash up of intensive theatre. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4454_230727.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-17-2014_barrrington-s-theatrical-speed-dates.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-17-2014_barrrington-s-theatrical-speed-dates.htm Mon, 17 Feb 2014 00:00:00 UTC Looking Berkshire hipster and artist Arthur Yanoff in the eye the rabbi told him "Once a Lubavitcher always a Lubavitcher." In part two we move from Coffee Corner to crits with Clement Greenberg and raising dogs in the country. Along the way Yanoff was celebrated as Jewish Artist of the Year. For which he had to rent a tux in Great Borington. Or something like that in no particular order. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4453_76852.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-16-2014_gonzo-chronicles-two.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-16-2014_gonzo-chronicles-two.htm Sun, 16 Feb 2014 00:00:00 UTC Sarah Treem contributed to Netflix's brilliant House of Cards and works also on HBO series. But she comes from a live theatre background. This is made clear in her intoxicating new play. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4452_Treem255458.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-15-2014_the-how-and-the-why-by-sarah-treem.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-15-2014_the-how-and-the-why-by-sarah-treem.htm Sat, 15 Feb 2014 00:00:00 UTC For the past 18 months, while resident in the artist loft Eclipse Mill in North Adams, Darren Waterston has been working on an exacting installation based on Whistler's iconic Peacock Room. We viewed the work in progress with the artist during the intensive final phase of the exhausting project. The work is now completed and on view. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4451_300982.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-14-2014_darren-waterston-at-mass-moca.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-14-2014_darren-waterston-at-mass-moca.htm Fri, 14 Feb 2014 00:00:00 UTC Arthur Yanoff has had a one man show at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston and was named Jewish Artist of the Year. A couple of years ago he and photographer Kay Canavino collaborated on a Melville project for the Ralph Brill Gallery and the author's former home Arrowhead in Pittsfield. We met recently to discuss Boston's Coffee Corner and its rarely documented hipster legacy which was a spawning ground for gonzo. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4450_22682.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-13-2014_the-gonzo-chronicles.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-13-2014_the-gonzo-chronicles.htm Thu, 13 Feb 2014 00:00:00 UTC During the Golden Age of Comedy in the pioneering era of television in the 1950s the undisputed King of Comedy was Sid Caesar. After decades of self abuse he embraced sobriety and clean living. This week he passes away at the hilarious age of 91. We recall his genius and the genre he presided over. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4449_214479.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-13-2014_hail-sid-caesar.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-13-2014_hail-sid-caesar.htm Thu, 13 Feb 2014 00:00:00 UTC Mark St. Germain is developing a two person play Dancing Lessons to premiere this summer at Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield. It entails a brilliant professor with Aspberger's a form of Autism. He seeks dancing lessons from a resident in his New York apartment building leading to a poignant and humorous relationship. There will be a Q&A following a reading at MCLA on March 8. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4448_180475.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-13-2014_reading-of-st-germain-play-at-mcla.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-13-2014_reading-of-st-germain-play-at-mcla.htm Thu, 13 Feb 2014 00:00:00 UTC Using the technique of collage Hannah Hoch was one of the most inventive artists of the absurdist Dada movement in Germany during the 1920s. Her work is being surveyed at London's Whitechapel Gallery. She was condemned by the Nazis and included in Entartete Kunst an exhibition of Degenerate Art. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4447_260347.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-13-2014_hannah-h-ch-at-london-s-whitechapel-gallery.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-13-2014_hannah-h-ch-at-london-s-whitechapel-gallery.htm Thu, 13 Feb 2014 00:00:00 UTC When Griffin, a young New York City actor, volunteers for a project in Uganda, he finds himself on a journey that will change his life forever. Inspired by a true story, this rousing new musical is energetically staged by Tony Award-winning director and A.R.T. Artistic Director Diane Paulus. The show exposes the challenges confronted by idealistic American aid workers and the complex realities of trying to change the world while changing themselves more. A great entertainment perhaps destined for a long run on Broadway. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4446_36805.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-13-2014_witness-uganda-compelling-entertainment.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-13-2014_witness-uganda-compelling-entertainment.htm Thu, 13 Feb 2014 00:00:00 UTC There are no secrets in a beauty parlor where women and their beauticians dish the dirt. Steel Magnolias is best know for the Academy Award winning 1989 film. It was a stage play before that. In a lively and absorbing production it is being staged in Indianapolis at the Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre through February 22. If your favorite emotion is, in Truvy’s words, “laughter through tears,” you’ll be right at home. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4445_885616.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-13-2014_steel-magnolias-blooms-in-indy.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-13-2014_steel-magnolias-blooms-in-indy.htm Thu, 13 Feb 2014 00:00:00 UTC Aliens from Planet X landed in Chicago on the stage of Symphony Hall at approximately 11 am on Saturday, February 8th. Quickly word spread that a Martian cylinder had landed in Chicago. Orson Welles broadcast an earlier Martian arrival. While the city’s panicked citizens fled town through fat puffs of snowflakes falling over Michigan Drive, many young people embraced the two ETs on stage, who were unable to speak an earthly language, but gestured in a language of signs. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4444_aliens250063.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-09-2014_aliens-arrive-at-symphony-hall-in-chicago.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-09-2014_aliens-arrive-at-symphony-hall-in-chicago.htm Sun, 09 Feb 2014 00:00:00 UTC The 37th annual Freihofer's Saratoga Jazz Festival, one of the most celebrated and longest running jazz events in the world, will be held on Saturday, June 28 and Sunday, June 29 at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. This year's festival headliners include Earth, Wind & Fire, Trombone Shorty, Terence Blanchard, Dave Holland Prism, Patti Austin, Jon Batiste & Stay Human, Eddie Palmieri Salsa Orchestra, Quinn Sullivan, Dr. Lonnie Smith, and Newport Jazz Festival®: Now 60, among others. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4443_659885.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-09-2014_2014-freihofer-s-saratoga-jazz-festival.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-09-2014_2014-freihofer-s-saratoga-jazz-festival.htm Sun, 09 Feb 2014 00:00:00 UTC Beautiful—The Carole King Musical, currently at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre on Broadway, is another prime example where song and dance, beautifully delivered by a talented cast and crew, trumps the storyline. Carole King attended James Madison High School in Brooklyn, the same one that I attended. Carole Klein as she was known in those years belonged to Gamma Phi the same sorority as my sister Annette. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4442_395801.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-08-2014_beautiful-the-carole-king-musical.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-08-2014_beautiful-the-carole-king-musical.htm Sat, 08 Feb 2014 00:00:00 UTC This evening introduced spaghetti-Western composer Ennio Morricone. Often nominated for an Academy Award, he finally won one for lifetime achievement. Clint Eastwood translated his acceptance speech live. Before Muti began to conduct Morricone’s tribute to 9/11, Maestro Muti pointed out that this music has a message. The piece begins with a poem by the South African Richard Moore Rive. Ora Jones beautifully articulated the rainbow of our world, where words are neither white nor black. “Where the rainbow ends, there’s going to be a place…where we can sing together, a sad song. “ http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4441_CSO871119.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-07-2014_chicago-symphony-orchestra-under-riccardo-muti.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-07-2014_chicago-symphony-orchestra-under-riccardo-muti.htm Fri, 07 Feb 2014 00:00:00 UTC The Monuments Men is a American-German war film based on the book The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert M. Edsel. The film follows the story of the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program, an Allied group, tasked with saving pieces of art and other culturally important items before their destruction by Hitler during World War II. It focuses on a squad comprised of seven museum directors, curators, and art historians who with limited resources enter Germany with the Allied forces during the closing stages of World War II to rescue artworks plundered by the Nazis. It is a terrific story. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4440_361488.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-07-2014_the-monuments-men.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-07-2014_the-monuments-men.htm Fri, 07 Feb 2014 00:00:00 UTC The venues at Sochi look great, but like a too sweet holiday dessert, the Sochi Winter Olympics "Look" seems to try too hard to please everyone by the way it visually frames the 2014 Winter Games. Similar to Vancouver's 2010 everything including the kitchen sink approach to branding and graphic identity, Sochi's "look" works better. Too visually and perhaps ethnically layered, the " patchwork quilt" looks best on athletes' bibs and venue interiors. Perhaps, it has something to do with the Russian Character? http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4439_8225.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-07-2014_sochi-2014-olympics-look-of-the-games.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-07-2014_sochi-2014-olympics-look-of-the-games.htm Fri, 07 Feb 2014 00:00:00 UTC The author Kurt Vonnegut is remembered as a home town artist in Indianapolis. He is being celebrated with three plays based on romantic short stories at Indiana Repertory Theatre. Rollicking songs and tender ballads add a great tone to the production. “Who Am I This Time" runs until Sunday, February 23. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4438_819024.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-07-2014_kurt-vonnegut-at-indiana-repertory-theatre.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-07-2014_kurt-vonnegut-at-indiana-repertory-theatre.htm Fri, 07 Feb 2014 00:00:00 UTC “Invasion of Privacy” director Judith Chapman asks the audience in her program remarks to take a step back in time to the 1940’s. That was a time when a woman lawyer was a novelty in the South, and man’s moonshine was nobody’s business, and that an “invasion of privacy” lawsuit was something of a brand new issue, which eventually, became a popular reason for going to court. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4437_16797.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-06-2014_invasion-of-privacy-at-dezart-performs.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-06-2014_invasion-of-privacy-at-dezart-performs.htm Thu, 06 Feb 2014 00:00:00 UTC “Bethany”, written by playwright Laura Marks and directed by Gaye Taylor Upchurch, is a dark, tragic-comedy that chronicles the efforts of a young single mother who has been caught up in the economic roller coaster of the housing and financial market bubbles of 2009. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4436_947997.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-06-2014_bethany-at-old-globe-in-san-diego.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-06-2014_bethany-at-old-globe-in-san-diego.htm Thu, 06 Feb 2014 00:00:00 UTC In upscale Italian restaurants when possible I always order Osso Bucco. Having read and absorbed some classic recipes on line, to the horror of my gourmet friends, I winged it and improvised. The resultant sauce was just awesome. But even at the suggested two hours the meat could have been more tender with longer cooking. http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/leads/4435_491291.jpg http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-06-2014_contrarian-osso-bucco.htm http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/02-06-2014_contrarian-osso-bucco.htm Thu, 06 Feb 2014 00:00:00 UTC