by Paul Jenny, Special to Berkshire on Stage The stage of the Majestic Theater is transformed into a cozy Southern hairdressing salon in “Steel Magnolias”, a world where women get pampered, laugh, argue, and swap secrets about friends, family, health, relationships, and anything else making the rounds in town that…
by Suzanne Wells, Special to Berkshire on Stage The Goodspeed‘s Terris Theatre presents “The Great Emu War,” a farcical story from the point of view of the Emus. Based on a true story, the “Great Emu War” of 1932 saw a flock of 20,000 towering, long-legged emus migrate into Western…
by Emily Edelman In Larissa FastHorse’s “The Thanksgiving Play” at the Ghent Playhouse, four well-meaning people attempt to devise a historically accurate play for elementary school students about the origins of the Thanksgiving holiday while dealing with complications such as a disgruntled school board, conflicting interpersonal relationships, and the complete absence…
by Dan Mayer Author Paula Hawkins’ novel The Girl on the Train became an international best-seller, as well as a 2016film starring Emily Blunt, before being adapted for the stage. Schenectady Civic Players‘ production takes off like a speeding locomotive, but audiences may be in for a bumpy ride. The…
by Jarice Hanson, Special to Berkshire on Stage The World Premiere of “Rope” at Hartford Stage is scintillatingly suspenseful and murderously macabre. It’s theatrically perfect. The theatre commissioned noted playwright, Jeffrey Hatcher, to adapt this version of a 1929 three-act play by Patrick Hamilton, called “Rope’s End”. Audiences may be…
by Jess Hoffman It is a true testament to the enduring legacy of The Addams Family that a mere four notes can compel an entire audience to clap and snap in unison. This is exactly what happened when the music began at R’ville Stage Creations’ production of The Addams Family…
by Paula Kaplan-Reiss EDITOR’S NOTE: This review was written in response to a preview performance of 1999. As with any world premiere production, some changes may have been made before the official opening. Having the opportunity to see a preview of the world premiere of 1999,, I am confronted with…
by Paula Kaplan-Reiss The late great William Finn wrote the music and lyrics for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, originally workshopped at Barrington Stage Company in 2004 and premiered on Broadway in 2005. A winner of two Tony awards, this sweet, endearing and hilarious musical depicts the competitors…
