by Lisa Jarisch This confession may very well get me drummed out of the musical theater corps of critics and aficionados alike, but in all fairness, it has to be said. I do not like Sondheim. I have never liked Sondheim. I KNOW Sondheim will never make it to my…
(June 6, 2023–Chatham, NY) The Mac-Haydn Theatre’s 55th summer season opens with the six time Tony-winning musical, “West Side Story,” running June 13 through June 23. Often regarded as the greatest love story of all time, this landmark Broadway musical returns to the Mac-Haydn. With a powerful, poignant book, and…
by Lisa Jarisch At first glance, it almost seemed a cruel joke on the part of the Mac-Haydn Theatre management—choosing as the last show of the season The Marvelous Wonderettes, another jukebox musical, with “nothing” but a four-person all-female cast, following hard on the heels of the marvelous and wonderous…
(August 31, 2023–Chatham, NY) The Mac-Haydn Theatre’s 2023 season concludes with 50s and 60s jukebox musical, “The Marvelous Wonderettes,” running September 7-17. Created by Roger Bean, “The Marvelous Wonderettes” is a jukebox blast from the past. It’s the night of the 1958 Springfield High School prom, and the night’s entertainment…
by Lisa Jarisch I lied. I do confess it, and I beg forgiveness in the name of famed Broadway critic Walter Kerr, and perhaps with the indulgence of Saint Genesius, the patron saint of theater. My last review predicted that Godspell would be the stellar highlight of the Mac-Haydn Theatre‘s…
(August 10, 2023–Chatham, NY) “Jersey Boys,” the most requested show in Mac-Haydn Theatre history, will play the Chatham summer theatre for three weeks, August 17 – September 3. Winner of both the Tony and Olivier Award for Best Musical, Jersey Boys is a story of rags to riches, celebrating one…
by Lisa Jarisch I have been waiting not-so-patiently many a year for the Mac-Haydn Theatre to take on this show, one of my absolute personal favorites. Without shame or embarrassment, I confess that Godspell holds a special place in my heart as the only show I have ever “graced” with…
(July 27, 2023–Chatham, NY) Stephen Schwartz & John Michael Tebelak’s groundbreaking dramatization of the Gospel According to Matthew, “Godspell,” will play the Mac-Haydn Theatre August 3 – 13. The first major hit for three-time Grammy and Academy Award-winner Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Pippin), “Godspell” is a contemporary take on the iconic…
