Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, December 2005 Although MASS MoCA brings some really exciting cutting-edge theatre to the Berkshires, I seldom review the productions because they generally only run for one or two performances. I don’t just write to hear myself type, I write to advise the public on how…

Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, December 2005 Exactly thirty years ago this month I was stage managing a workshop production of a musical based on Harold Gray’s legendary comic strip, Little Orphan Annie. It was a fun little show, and the author/director taught me a lot about Gray and the strip’s…

Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, December 2005 I am very leery of “holiday” shows. In fact I just plain refuse to attend productions of A Christmas Carol because I am liable to leap on the stage and strangle Tiny Tim the minute he hobbles on to the stage. The sight of a…

Review by Gail M. Burns, November 2005 There is much that is good about the Drury Drama Team’s production of Little Shop of Horrors, and some pieces that don’t quite work. The most important thing that is immediately apparent is how much fun the kids involved in this production are having…

Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, November 2005 The Emperor’s New Clothes is the sixth annual British-American Panto presented as a Thanksgiving treat for Columbia County and the surrounding region by Judy Staber and her stalwart Pantoloons, and this year they have a real, albeit small, theatre in which to perform. Having…

Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, November 2005 The Mill City production of Honk! is everything that community theatre should be. Dozens of local folks, from the smallest to the tallest, are involved. Everyone has a chance to dress up and sing and dance for their friends and relations, and they all seem…

Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, October 2005 Since its wildly successful off-Broadway run in 1998 and equally successful film version, both starring author John Cameron Mitchell, Hedwig and the Angry Inch has become a cult classic. People find it life-changing and the score and lyrics by Stephen Trask is venerated. Since Trask…

Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, October 2005 My Fair Lady, based on George Bernard Shaw’s 1914 play Pygmalion and Gabriel Pascal’s 1938 film of the same, is often called the perfect musical. While remaining extremely faithful to its roots, the music and dance seem to spring effortless from the script. In this…