Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, September, 1998 When I was an aspiring teenage playwright, there were very few female playwrights for me to use as role models. In fact, there was only one – Lillian Hellman (1905-1984). Naturally, I was interested in who this one pioneer was and what she…
Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, August, 1998 Let me state at the outset that I am not an opera expert. I cannot discuss a singer’s coloratura or vibrato; and I barely know an aria from a recitative. But I know what I like when I see it, and Berkshire Opera…
Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, August, 1998 This is the funniest tragedy I have ever seen. I laughed till I cried, and never harder than when the main character fell head first into his chateau briand, dead as a doornail. The BTF press kit calls “An Empty Plate at the…
Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, August, 1998 Charles Ludlam (1943-1987) was one of the leading players of the off-off- Broadway avant-garde theatre scene in New York City for over twenty years. Between the time he founded his Ridiculous Theatre Company in 1967 until his death due to complications from AIDS…
Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, August, 1998 “A View from the Roof” focuses on three generations of women and the impact one man’s heartless act has on them, and on him. But you don’t realize that until about an hour after you’ve left the theatre. Playwright Dave Carley has crafted…
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…
