by Jeannie Marlin Woods Delightful, inventive and disarming, THE WEEKEND: A STOCKBRIDGE STORY is making its world premiere at the St. Germain Theatre. A longtime denizen of the Berkshires, playwright Ben Diskant, has created a charming story set in autumn in the Berkshires. Directed by Alan Paul, the Artistic Director…
by Jeannie Marlin Woods For over 500 years the story of King Arthur and his Round Table has held us under its spell. The legend of the Celtic king who envisioned a social order of justice, compassion, and righteousness for Britain compels us to look at our own times and…
by Barbara Waldinger “Stop talking,” says Nancy Pelosi to the newly elected Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, whom she has invited to her office. But discussion is the point of this seventy-seven minute intermission-less series of confrontations between the two women from 2018-2022, currently playing at Barrington Stage Company’s St. Germain Stage.…
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 Paula Kaplan-Reiss As a theater critic I am aware that an entire audience watching the same show can result in an audience-size number of opinions. What a clever idea Mark St. Germain put into action writing Forgiveness, performed at Barrington Stage Company. Reading about the Board of Pardons, a…
by Paula Kaplan-Reiss All Americans know how privileged we are that English is a universal language. Rarely are we forced to learn a second language. Traveling and studying are not often impeded by our inability to speak or read the native tongue of other countries. Sanaz Toossi, an Iranian-American playwright…
by Paula Kaplan-Reiss A New Brain, by William Finn, is receiving a new life at Barrington Stage in a collaboration with Williamstown Theatre Festival. What a thrill to have the playwright/composer in the audience to witness this exceptional revival, first produced at Lincoln Center in 1998 and revived in 2015.…
by Barbara Waldinger Of the twenty-four plays written by the great Irish dramatist Brian Friel (1929-2015), (probably best known in America for his multi-award winning Dancing at Lughnasa [1990]), two of them—Faith Healer (1979) and Molly Sweeney (1994)—consist of monologues expressed by three characters. Why would such a gifted playwright…
