REVIEW: “The Chalk Garden” at the Ghent Playhouse
by Fred Baumgarten Every generation, it seems, must have its “Chalk Garden.” Major revivals pop up every decade or so like crocuses sprouting in spring.…
REVIEW: “Don Pasquale” at the Berkshire Opera Festival
by Fred Baumgarten Comedy, arguably one of the two greatest human gifts – the other being music – is a timeless art. Picture an arrow…
REVIEW: “Working: A Musical” at the Berkshire Theatre Group
by Fred Baumgarten At the risk of stating the extremely obvious: it’s 2019. American goods are manufactured in Mexico, Vietnam, and China. Something called “Democratic…
REVIEW: “The Lyin’ Kings” Capitol Steps at Cranwell Resort
by Fred Baumgarten In this era of social media and spoofy news shows – John Oliver, Trevor Noah, Saturday Night Live, the Onion, Andy Borowitz,…
REVIEW: “La Traviata” at Panopera
by Fred Baumgarten Panopera’s presentation of La Traviata at the Academy of Music in Northampton straddled the line between professional quality and amateur production. On the strength…
REVIEW: “Rigoletto” at the Berkshire Opera Festival
by Fred Baumgarten For nearly three hours last Saturday afternoon, you could hear a pin drop inside the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield at the Berkshire…
REVIEW: “A Quiet Place” at Tanglewood
by Fred Baumgarten The best way to appreciate Leonard Bernstein’s 1983 opera, A Quiet Place, is through the music. At Tanglewood last week, this infrequently performed…