by Lisa Jarisch As a former librarian, I am almost always wont to pronounce “the book was better” or “read the book” when presented with a film or stage adaptation of a printed or published work. And like thousands of readers, I devoured E.L. Doctrow’s best seller of 1975 and…
by Lisa Jarisch For theatre goers “of a certain age”, the mention of Sunset Boulevard may very well conjure up images of beloved comedienne Carol Burnett’s loving homage to this classic 1950 Billy Wilder film. Burnett’s entrance as the faded Hollywood film star Norma Desmond slowly –at first—descending the staircase…
by Roseann Cane There may be no American musical that comes close to the poignant resonance of Lerner and Lowe’s Camelot. A favorite play of President John F. Kennedy (who had been a classmate of Lerner’s at Harvard), the star-studded, award-winning show originally ran on Broadway from December 1960 through…
by Lisa Jarisch Surely there is no better cure for melancholy that approaches as the curtain descends on the summer theater season than a healthy dose of rambunctious orphans, a rags to riches story, a guaranteed happy ending…AND a dog. The Mac-Haydn Theatre fills the prescription to a “T”…or in this…
It’s late July and the theatre scene is hopping! None of our regular Berkshire On Stage critics was able to fit a trip to the Mac-Haydn to see The Hunchback of Notre Dame into their schedule, but luckily Lisa Jarisch, a longtime subscriber to the Mac, agreed to share her…
by Barbara Waldinger The local go-to venue for big, splashy summer musicals is usually Chatham’s Mac-Haydn Theatre. The tiny stage is characteristically populated with dozens of talented young singers/dancers/actors, energetic and beautifully costumed.  However, the latest production, Mamma Mia!, despite showcasing all the usual ingredients, is largely a disappointment. Part…
by Barbara Waldinger The Mac-Haydn Theatre, celebrated for its spectacular musical revivals, opened its 50th season with the Tony-award winning Damn Yankees. The performance delivered on its promise of outstanding singer/dancers directed (by John Saunders) and choreographed (by Brian Knowlton) to a fare-thee-well. Damn Yankees first opened in 1955, written…
Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, June, 2002 This is one of the best shows I have ever seen at the Mac-Haydn. It looks great, it sounds great, and it is just plain fun. There were moments of color and light and song and dance that just made my heart soar.…
