by Gail M. Burns The original London production of The Mousetrap, which opened in 1952, is STILL running; and there are endless amateur stagings every year all around the world. But if you’ve managed never to see it, this production at The Theater Barn is your opportunity to enjoy a…
by Barbara Waldinger The local go-to venue for big, splashy summer musicals is usually Chatham’s Mac-Haydn Theatre. The tiny stage is characteristically populated with dozens of talented young singers/dancers/actors, energetic and beautifully costumed.  However, the latest production, Mamma Mia!, despite showcasing all the usual ingredients, is largely a disappointment. Part…
by Macey Levin There’s a nostalgic diversion receiving its world premiere at Berkshire Theatre Group’s Fitzpatrick Main Stage in Stockbridge, MA. Coming Back Like a Song! By Lee Kalcheim is a play about Irving Berlin, Harold Arlen and Jimmy Van Heusen, three giant composers on the Broadway and Hollywood stages…
by Roseann Cane “Fruitful introversion is possible only when there is also a relation to the outside.”  –C.G. Jung The world premiere of The Sound Inside at the Williamstown Theatre Festival invites us to witness something not often seen on stage: the portrayal of two profoundly introverted people who struggle…
by Macey Levin Martin O’Reilly is divorced, his son won’t speak to him, he’s probably going to be fired from a job he doesn’t like at a Catholic religious supplies warehouse, he has no prospects for another job, he has no money and he owns a huge white elephant of…
by Barbara Walldinger Directions for a perfect production of The Cake:  start with a brilliant, sensitive and brave playwright (Bekah Brunstetter), add a director who understands the playwright’s message and translates it beautifully from page to stage (Jennifer Chambers), throw in a multi-talented actress who can embody the inner life…
by Barbara Waldinger Metaphor: the oft-repeated word describing Rabbi Michael Levitz-Sharon (Tara Franklin)’s view of biblical stories in Mark-Leiren-Young’s Bar Mitzvah Boy. The Creation of the World in 7 Days, the Burning Bush, Noah’s Ark, the Binding of Isaac—all metaphors, not to be taken literally, according to the Rabbi. This…
by Macey Levin Cabaret, first produced in 1966, is set in 1929-1930 as the Nazi Party under the leadership of Adolf Hitler is growing into a major political/social force in Berlin. This musical by John Kander (music,) Fred Ebb (lyrics) and Joe Masteroff (book) based on the play , was…
