A (very) few of my favorite things
Admittedly, I was somewhat distracted during my summer theater season this year, being preoccupied with some unexpected personal health issues. Nevertheless,several of the performances I did attend admirably managed to distract me from myself, and I am grateful for the opportunity live theatre often provides us to
My choice for personal favorite of the season wasn’t a full-blown , multi-cast standard musical or play, but rather a “ Limited Performance” at the Mac-Haydn Theatre. Elizabeth Ward Land’s “Moondance” was what I consider a tour de force, with Land offering up songs and stories about…well, the moon… in all its mystery and wonder and majesty. Ward has a glorious voice, and an absolutely riveting stage presence, and her 90 minutes of vocal lunar homage and tale-telling brought me to my feet as the last note faded in the theatre. I was additionally graced with a “shout out” from the stage from Elizabeth, with whom I’ve “friended” and “chatted” through social media since being awed and moved to tears by her bravura performance in”Sunset Boulevard” at the Mac in 2019, as well as the opportunity for a post-curtain chat. My only regret is that this performance is not—yet???–available in CD, as is her Linda Ronstadt “Still within the sound of my voice.” I would listen to “Moondance” on an endless repeated loop.
For “monstrously” hilarious fun and pure Mel Brooks humor, “Young Frankenstein” produced by the Berkshire Theatre Group at the Colonial Theatre gets my vote. So good I saw it twice, and each time impressed by a cast who were clearly enjoying themselves as much as the audience. Admittedly a bit put off by what I thought was sometimes overdone and perhaps rather gratuitous use of strobe lighting, but still a show more than worth the price of admission.
Last but not least, “West Side Story, ” Mac-Haydn’s season opener was my favorite show of their season, a choice no one is more surprised at than myself, considering my “well-known and proud of it”general dislike of anything Sondheim. This was a contemporary, gritty, innovative production which brilliantly combined the classic, dare I say timeless, elements, storyline and moments with modern meaning and importance. The vocal performances were stunning, with a young, passionate cast giving every note and every number their whole-hearted and full-throated commitment, and the sets and lighting were more than up to the Mac’s usual exacting standards. Seriously considered seeing it for a 2nd time, simply to be able to offer a personal standing ovation, but alas, time and schedule did not permit the indulgence.