Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, June, 1999 This is one of those fabulous flops that enters into modern theatre folk-lore. “Mack and Mabel” ran this than two months in its initial Broadway outing in 1974, but people still talk about it. Because of this continued interest it is often produced…
Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, June, 1999 This sounds like a really good idea. Get seven award-winning modern playwrights to each write a play based on one of Shakespeare’s sonnets and stage them all in one evening. Shakespeare is the man of the hour, and how can you go wrong…
Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, June 1999 “Once on this Island” is probably the perfect family musical. It is brief (85 minutes), uplifting, and tuneful. And Weston Playhouse is giving it a nifty production that is simultaneously simple and full of surprises. Since its off-Broadway debut in 1990 “Once on…
Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, June, 1999 Mac-Haydn is off to a good start this season with a second fine musical production – this time Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 1950 opus “South Pacific”. Based on a group of shorth stories by James Michener, “South Pacific” was a tremendous hit for Rodgers…
Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, June, 1999 It is very important to note that “My Fair Lady” is a “musical play”. It is not a musical comedy – that uniquely American art form. Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe took the play “Pygmalion” by George Bernard Shaw, added some songs…
Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, October, 1998 Its a wonderful title, isn’t it? “Trapped in the Car with Mom” is a new musical-in-progress currently being presented by Barrington Stage in the Clock Tower Building in Pittsfield. The show was presented in staged readings at Barrington Stage’s summer home in Sheffield…
Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, August, 1998 The King and I is one of those shows that everyone assumes is wonderful. After seeing the decidedly shoddy production at the Mac-Haydn last night, I began to wonder if the underlying problem isn’t in large part due to the show itself. By…
Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, August, 1998 The Theater Barn has a hit on its hands with its charming production of “Promises, Promises.” This production has everything their “Grease” needed and lacked – energy and good casting. The Theater Barn proves that you don’t need a big budget or a…
