by Barbara Waldinger In Time Flies and Other Comedies, Barrington Stage Company draws from the canon of David Ives, a playwright crowned by The New York Times as “maestro of the short form,” owing to the quality of his one-act plays. The evening features six sketch comedies, varying between silly…
by Barbara Waldinger Is it possible to have too much of a good thing? Berkshire Theatre Group’s production of Rock and Roll Man: The Alan Freed Story is an enormous undertaking, featuring nineteen cast members, forty-five songs, a revolving stage and multiple projections. Trotting out dozens of 1950s classics and…
by Barbara Waldinger What is the purpose of producing a classic play that has already been revived many times onstage and on film? Some people say that it’s to give a new generation of theatregoers the opportunity to see an important work. Others insist that it’s to give a director…
by Barbara Waldinger We have often heard that good casting is responsible for 95% of a play’s success. That is especially true for Berkshire Theatre Group’s Outside Mullingar by John Patrick Shanley. The play was directed by Karen Allen, who has had a successful acting career for forty years in…
by Barbara Waldinger What a pleasure to attend the appealing and comfortable McConnell Theatre at Daniel Arts Center, Bard College at Simon’s Rock, where Barrington Public Theater makes its debut—Breakwater by Jim Frangione.  Facing the audience is a deep, wide proscenium stage, depicting beige sand dunes in Hyannis circa 1990,…
by Barbara Waldinger The Berkshires as a summer destination attracts visitors who want to escape the heat, seek cultural enrichment, and bask in outdoor activities in beautiful surroundings. One might assume that theatrical offerings would cater to the wishes and expectations of this part-time audience. But Artistic Director Julianne Boyd,…
by Barbara Waldinger It has been said that a play is merely a blueprint until it receives a full production. Lady Randy, by Anne Undeland, is a perfect example of how a biographical play about Jennie Jerome, the mother of Winston Churchill, becomes an extraordinary theatrical event. Undeland’s witty and…
by Barbara Waldinger Casse Noisette, French for Nutcracker and subtitled A Fairy Ballet, is Bridge Street Theatre’s current World Premiere offering. Given these clues, audience members may be excused for expecting Balanchine’s ubiquitous holiday ballet, set to the familiar score of Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky, based on Hoffmann’s famous fairy tale. …
