by Barbara Waldinger GALILEO’S DAUGHTER by Jessica Dickey, produced by WAM Theatre at Shakespeare & Company’s Bernstein Theatre, is the physical, intellectual and emotional journey of a New York City playwright in the midst of a painful relationship crisis. As narrator of the play, she explains to the audience her…
by Barbara Waldinger The second most important announcement by the Berkshire Theatre Group, after its decision to produce THE WEIR, an exquisite play by Conor McPherson, was the name of the director: Eric Hill. Once that was established, we knew this delicate play would be in capable hands and the…
by Barbara Waldinger Barrington Stage Company ends its 2024 summer fare with a dynamite production of Eboni Booth’s PRIMARY TRUST, this years’ Pulitzer Prize winner, a perfect vehicle to conclude a varied and exciting season. It is a simple, poignant story, narrated by the main character, Kenneth (Justin Weaks), who…
by Barbara Waldinger Shakespeare & Company’s fall play, THREE TALL PERSIAN WOMEN, a world premiere by Awni Abdi-Bahri (who also plays Golnar, the youngest of the women), is about many things: a gathering (the “mehmooni”) of three generations of Iranian women and their friends to pay homage to Golnar’s father…
by Barbara Waldinger Premiering on May 3, 1960 at the compact Sullivan Street Playhouse in Greenwich Village, NYC, THE FANTASTICKS ran there for forty-two years: the longest-running off-Broadway musical in American history. How many Baby Boomers, including this reviewer, remember attending the play with its original cast (including Jerry Orbach…
by Barbara Waldinger Charles Gounod’s FAUST, currently playing at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, is the Berkshire Opera Festival’s first foray (now in its ninth season) into French grand opera. Maestro Brian Garman (Artistic Director, co-Founder and conductor), explains what that entails: “intimate and heartfelt melodies, spirited and rousing choruses,…
Calling all Berkshire OLLI actors!! Auditions for the newly-formed OLLI Players, a Reader’s Theatre Company, will take place on: Wednesday, September 11, 1:30-4:00 p.m. andThursday, September 12, 9:30-11:30 a.m. Location: Berkshire Community College (BCC), 1350 West Street in Pittsfield in Room G-12 (easy parking in the visitors’ spots across from…
by Barbara Waldinger Since the Covid pandemic, theatres have been struggling financially to make up for the huge losses they suffered when they were forced to shut down. Many Berkshire theatres have chosen to produce one or two-person plays to cut expenses. The challenge for new playwrights is to find…
