REVIEW: “The Pajama Game” at the Mac-Haydn Theatre

Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, June, 2007 The Pajama Game is one of those ho-hum musicals from the 1950’s, but it had its 50th anniversary in 2004, followed by the inevitable Broadway revival in 2006. Under the star-power of sex-symbol crooner Harry Connick, Jr. it toddled off with the Tony for…

REVIEW: “Fiddler on the Roof” at The Mac-Haydn

Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, June, 2006 I was once turned down for a desk job because I was “not ethnic enough.” Anyone with two brain cells can tell that that is a patently ridiculous statement. We are all “ethnic” and ethnicity is not something that can be quantified. In…

REVIEW: “42nd Street” at The Mac-Haydn Theatre

Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, July 2005 If you are a tap dance junkie looking for your next fix now that Savion Glover has departed from Jacob’s Pillow, you will want to book tickets NOW for 42nd Street at the Mac-Haydn. I went to the theatre with high hopes and fond memories…

REVIEW: “The Student Prince” at The Mac-Haydn Theatre

Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, June 2005 Every year, usually early in the season, the Mac-Haydn treats local audiences to a gem from the canon of English operetta. These are memorable because, with the exception of a couple of the Savoy operas, operetta is seldom heard these days. In its…

REVIEW: “Show Boat” at The Mac-Haydn

Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, July 2004 And now, ladies and gentlemen, I have the pleasure of announcing that a star is born! I have been saying all season that RenĂ©e Brna is star material, and here in Show Boat, cast in the leading role of Magnolia, she finally gets her…

REVIEW: “Gypsy” at The Mac-Haydn

Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, June 2004 Gypsy is a great big, old-fashioned musical. Big is the operative word here. It calls for a big cast and endless scenery and costume changes as it spans a couple of decades and tries to tell the interlocking stories of several people’s lives. Someone…