REVIEW: “Godspell” at the Mac-Haydn

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…

“Godspell” Comes to the Mac-Haydn

(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…

REVIEW: “Urinetown” at the Mac-Haydn Theatre

by Lisa Jarisch Satire? Farce? Social Commentary? Political humor? Ecological & Environmental Propaganda ? Black comedy? Don’t bother trying to slot the Mac-Haydn‘s first-ever production of Urinetown into its “proper place” in musical theatre; it doesn’t have one. What it does have is a place as a show that checks…

“Urinetown” Makes Its Mac-Haydn Debut July 7-17

(June 29, 2022–Chatham, NY) “Urinetown” makes its debut at the Mac-Haydn Theatre, running July 7-17. Planned for the Mac-Haydn’s 2020 season (but postponed due to COVID), the production is two years in the making. Inspired by the works of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill, Urinetown is hilariously funny, remarkably irreverent…

Berkshire On Stage Critics Pick Their Favorites of the 2017 Season

The four critics who review for BerkshireOnStage.com – Gail M. Burns, Roseann Cane, Macey Levin, and Barbara Waldinger – have each listed their favorite regional theatre productions of the past calendar year. Because for the most part we all see and review different shows, there was no sense trying to…

REVIEW: “Little Shop of Horrors” at the Theater Barn

Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, August 2007 Even theatre critics have their favorite shows, and it is no secret that Little Shop of Horrors is one of mine. My son Brandon and I make pilgrimages to see it whenever it is presented within reasonable driving distance. We have seen everything from an…

REVIEW: “Violet” at the Theater Barn

Reviewed by Gail M. Burns, August 2007 “To emphasize only the beautiful seems to me to be like a mathematical system that only concerns itself with positive numbers.”– Paul Klee Among local theatre critics the debate has been raging: Is Tina Packer too old, too heavy, or too Celtic to…