NEXT TO NORMAL (Barrington Stage Company):
A gorgeous, heartbreaking musical, with a spectacular cast and a clever use of video that enables us to see into the hearts and minds of this broken family.
PRIMARY TRUST (Barrington Stage Company):
A simple, poignant story narrated by the main character, whose attempts to fit into his community and control his emotions are helped by the loving guidance of an imaginary friend. The ensemble acting and sensitive direction are pitch perfect for this Pulitzer-Prize-winning gem.
A TENDER THING (Barrington Stage Company):
With an audacious concept (Romeo and Juliet live into middle age, when the couple has to confront Juliet’s terminal illness) and Shakespeare’s words (taken from his sonnets and several plays), the two actors, director and designers create an elegant, joyful, and deeply moving production.
THE WEIR (Berkshire Theatre Group):
A play about storytellers in an Irish pub: their loneliness, poverty, difficult lives, the ghosts they have faced, and their need to be together for comfort and solace as they drink to drown their sorrows on a cold winter night. Beautiful work by every actor, a fine director and a first rate designer.
THE ISLANDERS (Shakespeare & Company):
Two middle-aged people who have each chosen to live alone on a sparsely populated island in Lake Michigan attempt to forge a difficult and tenuous connection. Delicately directed, with every step a frightening one, these actors plumb the depths of their characters’ isolated existence.
THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE (Dorset Theatre Festival):
Martin McDonagh’s dark and violent comedy about the relationship between an Irish mother and daughter trapped together in a modest home, as their mutual resentment simmers into shocking revelations and explosions. Kristine Nielsen, comedienne extraordinaire, aided by a top-notch cast and director, offers a fresh approach to this extraordinary play.