by Barbara Waldinger During the question and answer session that concludes his solo production, George Gershwin Alone, Hershey Felder was asked by an audience member at Berkshire Theatre Group’s Colonial Theatre why he did not choose to be a concert pianist. His response was that in performing his nine distinctive…
by Barbara Waldinger Does anyone remember Tubal? Aside from Shylock, he’s the only Jewish character in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice; in fact, they are the only two Jews in the entire Shakespeare canon. In 1998 Gareth Armstrong, British actor and playwright, wrote and began performing his solo play, Shylock,…
by Barbara Waldinger A musical about fracking? Is it doomed to share the fate suffered by entertainments on such unlikely subjects as Anne Frank or Anna Karenina, the Musicals: obscurity and a critical chorus of “What could they have been thinking?” Decidedly not! Fall Springs by Niko Tsakalakos (music…
by Barbara Waldinger Kevin G. Coleman, the Director of Education and founding member of Shakespeare & Company, and runner-up for the Tony Award for Excellence in Theatre Education (2016), believes that “The Merry Wives of Windsor is Shakespeare having fun. Period. No grand themes. No deep waters.” And that’s what…
by Barbara Waldinger Nestled in the southeast corner of Columbia County is The Ancram Opera House, formerly a grange hall built in 1927. Currently, according to co-directors Jeffrey Mousseau and Paul Ricciardi, one of the missions of this intimate performing space is to “showcase contemporary theatre and alternative cabaret” by…
by Barbara Waldinger “If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth.” This lament from Psalm 137 serves as the inspiration for If I Forget, the drama by Steven Levenson…
by Barbara Waldinger Gun control, stay-at-home fathers, working mothers, breast feeding, immigration, fear of “the other,” white rage, forced retirement, a young child acting out, home invasions. These are only a few of the contemporary hot-button issues raised in Sharon Rothstein’s world premiere comedy, Tell Me I’m Not Crazy, directed…
by Barbara Waldinger Gertrude and Claudius, Barrington Stage Company’s newest offering by Mark St. Germain, based on John Updike’s 2000 novel by the same name, might well have been called simply Gertrude, for this is her story. A prequel to Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the play traces thirty years in the life…
