Berkshire Arts Flourish Despite Snow and Cold
Plenty of Live Theatre, Music and Dance This Winter
By: Larry Murray - Jan 21, 2009
The Berkshire Fine Arts Midwinter Survey
Hidden here and there beyond the mounds of snow are theater, dance and music performances to warm the heart and stimulate the mind even as winter continues to rage around us. Our resident performing arts companies and presenters are not deterred by the season, and neither are we. Herewith, our list of cures for cabin fever, organized by venue.
Barrington Stage Company
Living With It - February 6-7-8
Living With It, written and performed by Frank La Frazia, is an autobiographical account of life as a teenager with a parent suffering from bipolar disorder. It portrays a young man who is coming of age, seeking independence and having to deal with the responsibility of caring for a sick parent. In the tradition of Spalding Grey, John Leguizamo, and Eric Bogosian, this poignant and humorous piece features Mr. La Frazia portraying several characters.
Frank is the Director of BSC's nationally recognized, award-winning Playwright Mentoring Project. Friday and Saturday, February 6-7 at 8 pm and Sunday, February 8 at 3 pm at the Barrington Stage 2 located in VFW Hall, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield.
Kiss This - A Valentine's Cabaret - February 13-14
Some of the hottest Musical Theatre Lab writers are planning a get-together as they share their version of the perfect Valentine Day's song: funny, serious, loving, not-so-loving and outrageous! Featuring Alysha Umphress (BSC's Funked Up Fairy Tales), Demond Green (BSC's Funked Up Fairy Tales and Spelling Bee), Nikos Tsakalakos (Poolside at the Hotel Bel Air) and others.
Conceived by Nikos Tsakalakos and Directed by Julianne Boyd this promises to be two exceptional evenings of music and comedy, Friday, February 13 at 8 pm and Saturday, February 14 at 9 pm. Performances at BSC's Stage 2, the VFW Hall, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield.
Quick Link to Barrington Stage Company
Barrington Stage Company Announces 2009 Plans
Barrington Stage has announced their plans for the Summer Season 2009. Barrington's Main Stage will feature audience favorites Carousel, Streetcar Named Desire and Sleuth, while on Stage 2 Mark St. Germain's Freud's Last Session will receive its world premiere, followed by Glen Berger's off-Broadway hit, Underneath the Lintel. Bill Finn's Musical Theatre Lab will be back with two workshops, as will the Barrington Stage Company's Youth Theatre presenting Disney's High School Musical 2.
Check out our Barrington Stage season preview article.
New Series of Staged Readings at Berkshire Theatre Festival
At the invitation of the Berkshire Theatre Festival's Kate Maguire, the Aglet Theatre Company will present three staged readings at the Unicorn Theatre during the coming months, an extension of Aglet's regular work in Taconic and Sharon, Connecticut. Done well, staged readings can be quite compelling, and this resourceful company deserves the attention of serious theater-goers in the Berkshires.
Aglet's commitment to seldom-performed and/or new plays, along with the talk-backs that follow each presentation has engendered a loyal following in Connecticut. How delightful that they will perform in the Berkshires as well. For those of you who like to make a complete evening of it, the wine and dessert offerings following each performance are a pleasant bonus.
Sin (A Cardinal Deposed) - February 21, 2009
Using the actual depositions, this quietly disturbing play by Michael Murphy looks at the child sex-abuse crimes that sent shock waves through the Catholic Church. It reveals with devastating clarity the dubious role that Boston's Cardinal Law played in a tragedy that irreparably damaged hundreds of families and destroyed more than a few lives. Be prepared for ninety minutes of powerful, arresting theater. Directed by Deann Halper and Gloria Miller.
Amy's View by David Hare - March 28, 2009
Amy's View is a stimulating and original drama of love and death which will be directed by Thomas Gruenewald. Esme Allen is a well known actress caught in a changing social and artistic climate. A visit from her young daughter with a new boyfriend sets in motion a series of events which find their shape sixteen years later. Amy's View offers the absolute joy of watching a renowned playwright at the height of his powers.
A Tennessee Williams Menagerie - April 25, 2009
Directed by Macey Levin and focusing on the famed "gentleman caller" scene from The Glass Menagerie, Aglet will present three interpretations of that scene: the scene from the classic play; an earlier and seldom-performed one-act version entitled "The Pretty Trap" and then a satirical rewriting by Christopher Durang -- "For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls." An intriguing exercise in a theatrical experience by two brilliant writers.
For further information on this series, call 860-435-6928, or write aglettheatre@comcast.net, or visit the Aglet Theatre website for more information.
Berkshire Theatre Festival Announces 2009 Plans
Berkshire Theatre Festival has also announced their summer 2009 schedule. BTF promises a fast paced 2009 with Broadway show tunes, "Peter Pan" and "Candide." A world premiere of "Red Remembers," a play about baseball and Red Barber starring David Garrison. The regional premiere of the disturbing play Sicko, plus Neil Simon, Ibsen and Brian Friel.
Read all about it here.
The Colonial Theatre
Guitar Blues - Friday, January 30 at 8 pm
The guitar is the foundation upon which blues is built, and Guitar Blues features three of the most acclaimed blues players in America today. Join Hot Tuna's Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Jorma Kaukonen, the legendary Robben Ford and the phenomenal rising star Ruthie Foster for a very special evening of blues, featuring the wonderful six-stringed instrument that is the heart and soul of the genre.
Jim Brickman - Thursday, February 5, at 7:30 PM
Jim Brickman returns to the Colonial with vocalist Anne Cochran. One of America's most popular romantic piano artists, Jim Brickman weaves moments from Hollywood's timeless films and rich musical heritage into an unforgettable concert experience.
After years of releasing chart-topping hits, Brickman plans to release a new album just days before his Colonial appearance. Titled, Ultimate Love Song: The Very Best of Jim Brickman (Release Date 1/27/09), it includes songs like "Valentine" with Martina McBride, "The Gift" with Collin Raye and Susan Ashton, "Love of My Life" with Michael W. Smith and "Beautiful" with Wayne Brady. Jim's remarkable career includes six Gold and Platinum selling albums, three number one and twelve Top 10 Adult Contemporary radio hits, consistent debuts at number one on Billboard Magazine's New Age chart.
If you enjoy gentle, romantic music, you will love Jim Brickman. His many Berkshire fans await his return to the Colonial.
The Hot 8 Brass Band - February 7 at 8 pm
New Orleans means Preservation Hall, the Cafe du Monde, Bourbon Street, and the Hot 8 Brass Band. But since Hurricane Katrina, which scattered the players, it has been a task keeping the group together. With tourism still down in their home city, they tour more these days. This past summer word got back to us that their appearance at the Calderwood Courtyard at Boston's Musseum of Fine Arts was a total delight. They are now on their way to the Berkshires.
The Hot 8 Brass Band has been central to New Orleans street music for over a decade. Founded by Bennie Pete in 1995, the band has played in traditional Second Line parades, hosted each Sunday afternoon by a Social Aid and Pleasure Club, ever since. The Hot 8 are famous for playing all day in the sun, then hopping to a club gig and playing through the night. But even more than their boundless energy, what makes the Hot 8 special are the sounds they coax from their well-loved, well-worn horns.
Japanese Drummers Nagata Shachu
Thursday, February 12 at 7:30 pm
Though based in Toronto, this group is rooted in the folk drumming traditions of Japan. Nagata Shachu combines thunderous, primal drumbeats with subtle, intricate rhythms, producing a wide spectrum of sound using a vast array of Japanese taikos, including the massive O-Daiko, gongs, bells, wooden clappers, shakers and bamboo flutes. Under the direction of Kiyoshi Nagata, the ensemble's performances combine unbounded spirit with the highest levels of musicianship and discipline.
If you haven't experienced the gigantic sound and immense discipline of Japanese drummers - of which the group Kodo is perhaps the best known - here's a rare chance to hear and see what makes it so exciting.
Pius Cheung, Marimbist - Thursday Feb 26 at 7 pm
This artist is both daring and different. Chinese-Canadian marimbist Pius Cheung is one of the winners of the 2008 Young Concert Artists International Auditions. The twenty-five-year-old musician captivates audiences with performances of compositions by contemporary composers, his own compositions and arrangements of the classics. His debut album of the Bach Goldberg Variations is the first and only recording of the work on marimba. It was originally written for harpsichord, considered by some as more of a hybrid percussion instrument than a piano. He is currently pursuing his doctorate degree at the University of Michigan.
CSI: Live - Saturday Feb 28 at 2 and 8 pm
I have mixed feelings about this one, but for the families who watch a lot of television, it could prove to be very interesting. One hopes it won't have noxious commercials, though I note that this event is generously sponsored by the Greylock Federal Credit Union. The advertising never ends, does it!
The announcement for CSI: Live! includes an enormous amount of exclamation points and promises this event to be "an exciting, interactive journey through the fascinating world of crime scene investigations. When a crime is committed at the Las Vegas premiere of the Max Spade Magic Show, the CSI team springs into action. Sydney Mathis and David Hart play the role of CSI investigators on the case, assisted by supervisor Gil Grissom through a live video connection from the Las Vegas Crime Lab.
Audience "recruits" will jump up on stage to become part of the action, analyzing mysterious gases, launching experimental projectiles and firing lasers across the scene of the crime. Together they will use their superior logic and forensic know-how to uncover hidden details, investigate the evidence and solve the crime."
It is suitable for ages 8 and up.
National Acrobats of China - Wednesday, March 11 at 7:30 pm
The National Acrobats of China claims to be the most acclaimed large acrobatic troupe in the world, and features thirty-five performers . The company shows off the Chinese martial arts, illusion and acrobatics enhanced by elaborate costumes and traditional music. From plate-spinning and cycling stunts to juggling with their feet, The National Acrobats of China are master contortionists, tumblers and jugglers.
Revolution: A Tribute to the Beatles - Saturday March 14 at 8pm
Yet another tribute show, featuring Tim Piper as John Lennon.
The four musicians in Revolution will attempt to take on the personalities of the Beatles while wearing slick, collarless suits, Beatle boots and mop-tops. Revolution aims to transport audiences beyond the wigs and mere impersonations of most Beatle Acts. Revolution hopes to capture the very essence of four young men whose music continues to win the hearts of millions and whose melodies provided the soundtrack for an era.
Footloose! - Monday and Tuesday, Mar 16-17 at 7:30PM
Who isn't a fan of the 1984 movie Footloose, starring Kevin Bacon which had great music and dancing, a great cast and youthful spirit. 25 years later, this now classic movie is being presented on the live stage. (It was made into a Broadway musical that ran 700+ performances a decade ago.) You can preview a promotional video and read more about this bus and truck production at the highlighted website.
Footloose tells the story of a Chicago boy who moves to a Midwestern town with his mom, only to discover a conservative world where rock music and dancing have been banned. Before long, the youth of the town are teaching the elders that there is no sin in being young, having fun and getting to dance! The show's classic '80s hits include "Holding Out for a Hero," "Almost Paradise," "Let's Hear It for the Boy" and, of course, the unforgettable "Footloose." Sounds like fun to us.
Celtic Crossroads - Friday, March 20 at 8 pm
More than a celebration of St. Patrick's Day, this group captivates audiences with a wonderful fusion of musical genres, including eastern European gypsy, North American bluegrass, world classical and jazz and various forms of Celtic music from around the world. True high-kicking from some of Ireland's most-respected Irish dancers intensifies the pulsating rhythms of the show.
Trout Fishing in America - with and without Patty Larkin
Saturday March 21 at 2 pm (without)
Saturday March 21 at 7 pm (with)
Trout Fishing in America is the four-time Grammy nominated duo of guitarist Ezra Idlet and bassist Keith Grimwood. They play thoughtfully happy music, with unexpected forays into a wide range of genres from cool jazz to rock and bluegrass.
For the evening performance they will be joined by Patty Larkin, who has been redefining the boundaries of folk-urban pop music for more than 20 years with her inventive guitar wizardry and uncompromising vocals and lyrics.
Béla Fleck: A Collaboration with Amazing African Musicians
Thursday, Mar 26 at 7:30 pm
The banjo was born in Africa, emigrating on slave ships bound for the New World. Béla Fleck wanted to go there to not only revisit his instrument's roots, but play with some of the continent's best musicians, singers and dancers. Béla returned with a remarkable new body of work which he will premiere at the Colonial and then tour worldwide.
Tickets for events at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield
The Colonial Theatre, recently restored to its original glory, is located at 111 South Street in Pittsfield. The box office phone is 413-997-444. They also have a special webpage that details what tickets are remaining for each upcoming performance.
Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, Great Barrington
Symphony Space's Selected Stories - January 31 at 3 pm
Spellbinding short stories by established and emerging writers take on a new life when they are performed by stars of the stage and screen. Each Selected Shorts event is a unique night of literature as performance art. Hosted by Isaiah Sheffer, "Starting Over Stories for a new year" includes the following works: The Dummy by Susan Sontag, read by David Strathairn; The Lone Pilgrim by Laurie Colwin, read by Jayne Atkinson and The Fix by Percival Everett, read by Isaiah Sheffer. Atkinson, who we saw last summer in Candida at the Berkshire Theatre Festival, is slated to join Angela Lansbury and an all-star cast in a Broadway revival (discounted ticket information here) of Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit.
Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor
The Met Opera "Live in HD" Saturday February 7 at 1 pm
Anna Netrebko sings the title role of Donizetti's fragile heroine for the first time at the Met, with tenor Rolando Villazon in the part of her lover, Edgardo. Baritone Mariusz Kwiecien is her tyrannical brother. Mary Zimmerman's hit production is staged as a Victorian ghost story.
Conductor: Marco Armiliato; Production: Mary Zimmerman; Anna Netrebko, Rolando Villazon, Mariusz Kwiecien, Ildar Abdrazakov.
The Bacon Brothers
Sunday February 15 at 7 pm
The Bacon brothers return to The Mahaiwe on Sunday February 15 after a sold out show in May 2007. Through countless gigs and five albums, surprising people is something the band has gotten quite good at since forming some 11 years ago. What most don't realize is that guitarist/vocalist Kevin and his older brother Michael (guitar, vocals, cello) are lifelong musicians, which is of course part of the reason why they've become so good at turning heads and tweaking ears, harvesting an ever-growing fan base along the way.
Long before Kevin became a household name with such hit films as Footloose and A Few Good Men, he was writing songs on his own, and playing percussion in Philadelphia coffeehouses with his brother and other groups.
"All my heroes were guys with guitars," Kevin says, remembering his teens. "All my spare change was spent on music. I saw my brother playing out, and moving an audience and I could see how powerful music could be."
Albany Symphony Orchestra: Visionary Heroes
Saturday February 28th at 7:30 pm
On the program are Rossini's Overture to La Scala di Seta, Robert Beaser's Guitar Concerto (world premiere) with Eliot Fisk, Guitar, and the Beethoven Symphony No. 3, "Eroica" .
Dazzling guitarist Eliot Fisk will perform the world premiere of Robert Beaser's new Guitar Concerto written especially for him. Also on the program, one of the most important and life-affirming masterworks of the classical tradition, Beethoven's Eroica Symphony. This piece, inspired by the image of Napoleon, essentially ushered in the Romantic Period in music. Rossini's La Scala di Seta, one of the Master's most charming overtures, completes the program.
Forever Tango - Sunday March 1 at 7 pm
Forever Tango is an evening of tango music and dance which first appeared on Broadway and has since toured the United States widely, as well as making appearances in London, Toronto, the Spoleto Festival, and throughout Japan.
Tango fascinates for many reasons. There is the dance itself: steamy in its sexuality, legs entwined, eyes engaged, hands caressing necks, legs, backs. The complicated, tricky steps of the tango demand from the lead a movement of command, from his partner a response of alert and receptive obedience.
The very form of the dance, then, incorporates roles of dominance and submission, reflecting both sexual and nonsexual aspects of relationships. And in addition to the dancers, Forever Tango includes an eleven piece band that plays throughout the show displaying virtuoso musicianship on the piano, the violin, and the bandoneon.
Puccini's MADAMA BUTTERFLY Live in HD
Saturday March 7 at 1 pm
Cristina Gallardo-Domas returns to the title role of Anthony Minghella's stunning production, a new classic of the Met repertory, opposite Marcello Giordani.
Conductor: Patrick Summers; Production: Anthony Minghella; Cristina Gallardo-Domas, Marcello Giordani.
LA Theatre Works: War of the Worlds & The Lost World
Saturday March 14 at 7 pm
L.A. Theatre Works, a top radio theater company for the last two decades, invades the stage for an evening of harrowing audio drama. The original 1938 broadcast of 'War of the Worlds' by Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre of the Air sent the nation into hysterics over what they thought was an actual alien invasion. L.A. Theatre Works recreates that experience in gripping detail.
Bellini's La Sonnambula - Live from The Met in HD
Saturday March 21 at 1 pm
Mary Zimmerman, who directed Natalie Dessay in last season's hit production of Lucia di Lammermoor, underlines La Sonnambula's dual elements of sleep and wakefulness in an intriguing staging set in the present. Bellini's hauntingly lyrical score soars as performed by Dessay and Juan Diego Florez, back from their sensational run together in La Fille du Regiment.
Conductor: Evelino Pido; Production: Mary Zimmerman; Natalie Dessay, Juan Diego Florez, Michele Pertusi.
Swan Lake - National Russian Ballet Theatre
Friday April 10 at 8 pm
Swan Lake is the most beautiful of all the "white" ballets, with gorgeous music by Tchaikovsky. The Russian National Ballet debuts their new version of Swan Lake at the Mahaiwe and its artistry brings together the highest classical elements of the great Bolshoi and Kirov Ballet companies in an independent new company within the framework of Russian classic ballet.
The Mahaiwe also has an ongoing series of film showings and other special events.
Quick Link to the Mahaiwe
Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art
Performance Programs
Underworld with a Live Original Score by Alloy Orchestra
Saturday, January 31, 2009 at 8:00 pm
A precursor to the great crime dramas of the 1930s, Underworld has been called the first gangster film ever made. Alloy's intense original score (Listen now!) brings out the movie's gritty heart—the group uses its amazing array of found instrumentation to make the guns go pop and the menace hang in the air.
Alloy Orchestra is a three-man musical group, writing and performing live accompaniment to classic silent films. The trio is composed of Terry Donahue playing accordion, musical saw, and vocals; Ken Winokur on percussion and clarinet; and Roger C. Miller on synthesizer. An unusual combination of found percussion and state-of-the-art electronics gives the Orchestra the ability to create any sound imaginable. Alloy Orchestra is the only group that has been at MASS MoCA every year since the museum opened in 1999.
Honky Tonk Dance Party with The Defibulators
Saturday, February 7, 2009 at 8:00 pm
Nobody throws a party like Mass MoCA and their dance parties are not to be missed. For this Honky Tonk themed outing, The Defibulators' "whackabilly" style mixes bluegrass, rockabilly, Dixieland, and punk and features an arsenal of guitars, banjos, fiddles, and junkyard percussion accompanying razor-sharp harmonies and surreal lyrics. Unsure? They have an interesting website with several samples of their music to enjoy.
Being at a Defibulators show has been likened to watching Hee-Haw on mescaline—"No yeehaws or any other hoots or yawps were held back…like a hoedown band from a Warner Brothers cartoon." (The New York Times) Get your two-step on till the cows come home.
Rejecting the contemporary idea of what most people consider country music, The Defibulators have fused the raw soul and aggression of a greasy rockabilly outfit with the antique charm, spirit, and camaraderie of a post vaudevillian jug ban. Molding backwoods bluegrass, Dixieland and even punk into their own eclectic and electric sound, the group offers razor sharp harmonies, clever arrangements and delightfully surreal lyrics.
Kori Withers - Saturday, February 14, 2009 at 8:00 pm
Stepping out of the long musical shadow of her famous father, Bill Withers, singer-songwriter Kori Withers (Listen Now!) is carving out her own unique place in the music world with deft pop-soul compositions on piano and guitar and a voice that conjures memories of a young Roberta Flack. Katherine M. Graham, founder of Guerilla Cabaret, describes Kori as "incredible, absolutely incredibleÂ…a hard act to follow.
Anouk van Dijk DC: Shotz
Saturday, February 28, 2009 at 8:30 pm
After the sold-out and electrifying performance of STAU in 2006, Dutch choreographer Anouk van Dijk returns to MASS MoCA with yet another groundbreaking project. The work is a full evening program based on the short piece Shotz, which won best production at the 2008 De Parade, Holland's premier summer festival. Shotz erases the barriers between performer and audience, drawing the viewer into its highly athletic dramas in which dancers fly in opposite directions and are pulled together again with breathtaking speed and precision.
Cynthia Hopkins: The Success of Failure (or, The Failure of Success)
Saturday, March 21, 2009 at 8:00 pm
The NYC based singer and theater artist Cynthia Hopkins gives a work-in-progress performance of the final installment of her beguiling musical theater trilogy, which began with Accidental Nostalgia. This prequel/sequel to Hopkins' exploration of identity and unreliable memory is a humorous epic folk tale cast as science fiction: the hero's only chance to save the universe is to fail to save the earth.
Hopkins' company includes her band Gloria Deluxe and the video artists Jeff Sugg and Jim Findlay (Wooster Group), The work features Hopkins' signature hybrid of song, text, and dollhouse videoscapes. The performance of this one-woman show comes on the heels of a week-long residency. "Hopkins pulls off the impossible: She makes postmodernism danceable." –Time Out NY.
Sea of Birds
Friday, April 3 at 8 pm & Saturday, April 4 at 12, 4 and 8 pm
The innovative theater artist Sebastienne Mundheim's dreamlike work examines World War II in Eastern Europe through a child's fantasy, using striking, large kinetic paper sculpture, along with dancers, live musicians, and video projection to explore memory and history. The Hunter Center is transformed into an intimate playing space for this special event and there are four performances, 8 PM on Friday, and noon, 4, and 8 PM on Saturday.
Quick Link to Mass MoCA
Shakespeare & Company - Bad Dates Continues to March 8
Running through March 8 is Theresa Rebeck's delightful comedy about dates and dating starring Elizabeth Aspenlieder. It opened to near unanimous raves from all the Berkshire Critics, and our take on it was equally upbeat.
Bad Dates is performed on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:00 pm and Sundays at 2:00 pm. There are Thursday performances on February 12, 19 an March 5 at 7:00 pm. You can call the Box Office at 413-637-3353 or visit their website. Berkshire residents always get serious discounts.
Quick Link to Shakespeare & Company
The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute
Viva Flamenco! - February 20 at 8 pm
Embrace your inner gypsy with a seductive evening of smoldering passion, flavors, music, and dance inspired by the romantic culture of southern Spain. Matadors and senoritas indulge in tasty tapas as the sangria flows amid the staccato hand clapping and castanets. The dance floor will be a frenzy of flowing, twirling skirts. This can only be flamenco.
Planet Clark
March 20 at 8 pm
Grab your space boots and take a quantum leap to Planet Clark for a night of extraterrestrial fun. Defy gravity and stir up the planets with sounds by DJ Tigerbeatz who will spin a celestial mix of music. Dancers from Hooping Harmony will offer LED hoop demonstrations and lessons throughout the evening. Teleport to the Lunar Lounge for rocketinis and cosmic treats, or visit the print room to see celestial-inspired images, including prints that will highlight the Clark's connection to deep space. The mission is set and the ship is fired up to put this party into orbit!
Blast off early with a pre-event lecture at 7 pm by glass artist Josh Simpson. He will discuss his life, work, and celestial inspiration.
Quick Link to the Clark Art Institue
Larry Murray also blogs at Arts America