Marc Savitt

Listening to SELECTED STORIES is a delight. The actors bring energy, nuance, intonation, inflection, and character to every aspect of the story they are telling. Having them do so live, in-person to a room full of enthusiastic audience member reactions made it even more so.

As BTG's Artistic Director, CEO Kate Maguire stated: 'Through moments of joy, heartbreak, humor and healing, JOHN & JEN explores the enduring connections between siblings, parents and children- the people who remain part of us across a lifetime.  With Andrew Lippa's moving score and a story filled with tenderness and truth, this production invites us to reflect on the love we carry, the memories that define us and the resilience that helps us move forward.  Those that choose to attend JOHN AND JEN on the Larry Vaber Stage at Berkshire Theatre Group's Unicorn Theatre in Stockbridge where this production of JOHN AND JEN runs through June 7, will experience a well-crafted, well executed piece of contemporary musical theatre.  

In the past, I have compared the 10x10 NEW PLAY FESTIVAL to dining at a Tapas restaurant, and it is. The production offers theatre goers a variety of content in small sized servings, to explore, share, and shake off a bit of mid-winter blues in anticipation of the bountiful season ahead. You may see something appealing, something appalling, something familiar, something peculiar, something for everyone – a comedy tonight. BSC is promoting this 2026 production of the 10x10 NEW PLAY FESTIVAL as “funnier than ever” and the standing ovation providing opening day audience seems to have agreed.

The show is proving to be hugely popular with those that lu-huv’ed those summer nights as well as those fond of pointing out its inconsistencies and continuity challenges. A large group of Berkshire County residents traveled down to see VAPE together recently. You too can enjoy “Green Lightning”, “Hopelessly Gaslighted by You”, “Look at Me in Agony”, and more in VAPE: The Grease Parody at Theatre 555 in New York City where it continues with performances through January 4. Visit: https://vapethemusical.com for tickets and more information.

1999 is well written and multi-layered. The subject matter is troubling and will likely elicit a wide range of responses undoubtedly influenced by one’s individual life experiences. The piece presents audience members with a number of questions that are highly topical and relevant. Like the subject matter itself, they are not easy, nor do the answers present themselves quickly or clearly.

Directed by Isadora Wolfe this production is rather unusual and quite unique. It is physical, poetic and charged with emotional power. Packed with passion, revenge, hubris and heartbreak, METAMORPHOSES is a gripping night of theatre that proves the ancient myths still burn with relevance today.

Despite a few slower moments, the 90-minute production (presented without intermission) is quite delightful. While we are led to believe that unfulfilled kismet and the chance to right missed opportunity are the crux of the matter, twists and turns that I won’t spoil, yield a larger look at life itself through the eyes of these mid-life friends and family folks that Berkshire region residents or visitors will undoubtedly find rather familiar. I think it rather likely that most will find, as I did, much to relate as the characters and their reality unfold. The peppering of local references throughout do indeed provide many winks, nods, and even a couple of a-ha moments.

I found MOTHER PLAY devastatingly powerful. The standing ovation and calls of bravo made it clear that others in the opening performance audience felt so as well, even perhaps without the full forced direct gut punch.

While on the surface, a play with basketball and one of its prominent players may seem a bit odd, KING JAMES proves to be a deep exploration of male friendship, its complexities, and how sports can bring people together and create a bond that goes beyond just grabbing a beer and watching the game.

While there ae certainly plenty of laughs to be had, there is also much pain and tragedy as major milestones in her life unfold. While I believe that much of the content may have previously been in the public sphere, there are some aspects that are explored more intimately. Though I don’t believe anything particularly revealing is uncovered. This is biographical, not an expose but more of a tribute. Melissa knew that the theatre was a huge part of her mother’s life and decided that a play was the appropriate media vehicle in which to do so.

Over the eight years I have been covering regional productions for BroadwayWorld.com (a number in the hundreds) this production of THE PIANO LESSON is without doubt one of the overall finest.  Simply stated it approaches flawless, a Broadway caliber production.

In the vernacular of the production, everything about it is quite satisfactory. Solid performances, handsome and functional staging, etc. It is all quite lovely. This production overall, however, fails to breakthrough. Christie’s script and characters are, as many of her works multifaceted and deliciously intertwined. As we get to know more about each of them over the course of the just short of two and a half hours (with one 15-minute intermission) information that makes all potential suspects much in the way the popular 1974 film Murder On The Orient Express did. This production is flat and rather two dimensional. Although the audience laughed in all the right places, we were never really drawn in. We watched the action play out before us, but the multitude of wait-what, and a-ha moments seemed to fall short not crossing the proscenium to connect with the audience members in the way they should. I will say that for me personally, , Matt Sullivan’s performance as Mr. Paravicini achieved the level of mysterious particularly well.

Due to scheduling conflicts, I was able to avail myself of only a small sampling of the W71 events during the first weekend of programming. We attended a performance of MANY HAPPY RETURNS at 11am and Tennessee Williams’ CAMINO REAL at 2pm. We had time between to enjoy lunch and a bit of shopping on Spring Street. The performances were very well done, a bit non-traditional, and without a doubt up to the long standing and well-established standards / expectations associated with the WTF. Bravo to all involved in the resurrection of this Phoenix from the Ashes. Although, admittedly once skeptical (I am a former New Yorker) I am happy to highly recommend immersion in the newly re-imagined Williamstown Theatre Festival. You will have to move quickly though as W71 runs only through August 3. That said, I am already looking forward to what W72 will bring us in the Summer of 2026.

Epstein, who noted he and Coleman have collectively directed more than 20 productions of ROMEO AND JULIET, said this production explores the pursuit of delight within a difficult and warring world. “Shakespeare is a master of integrating delight and this play is the archetype of that,” he said. “So, we’re asking: In a world where the common language is about conflict and strife, how can delight make room for itself?”

The eleven original songs are pleasant, reminiscent of pop / folk rock, and had my head nodding throughout. Equally as enjoyable to me as recent hits from Jason Robert Brown, Benj Pasek & Justin Paul, or Sara Bareilles.  Another thing you should know is that fuzzy is not complicated or deeply thought provoking.  “fuzzy is an invitation to sit with other people and remember together that it’s alright to feel things”.  It is a darling maybe even adorable little piece of musical theatre, you will likely be glad you had the chance to experience.

Over the course of the immensely entertaining and enjoyable, frenetically paced, roughly hour and a half presentation (without intermission), I smiled, nodded, laughed a great deal, cried to a much lesser degree, and felt seen, heard, and understood. At first, I attributed this to my being, Jewish, creative, neurodivergent, living an “alternative lifestyle”, and wearing an invisible pageant sash that reads “Miss Understood”. In processing the flood of overwhelming emotion post curtain with both my plus one and Mr. Stachel himself, I came to realize that this, gentle readers, is precisely why OUT OF CHARACTER rises to the level of overwhelmingly powerful near brilliance in a theatrical production.

I confess, it was difficult to leave the house on a truly glorious summer Sunday to attend the opening of Lerner & Loewe’s Camelot. That said, I had been anticipating this production since it was announced as the first musical of the 2025 season and I believe that it does not disappoint.

THE VICTIM achieves a level of brilliance wherein the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. While the script, direction, cast and creatives are near flawless in their own right, this production is topical, relevant, emotional, and well worth experiencing.

N/A is a gripping two-hander that imagines a fictional meeting between two powerhouse women in American politics: one, a seasoned Speaker of the House; the other, a newly elected congresswoman with a disruptive streak. As generational, ideological, and political tensions rise, N/A explores what it takes for women to wield, challenge, and share power in Washington—and what that means for the rest of us.

HOW TO NOT SAVE THE WORLD WITH MR. BEZOS is anything but ordinary. It is unlike most offerings seen of late and a piece that is difficult to speak or write about. It needs to be experienced first-hand. It examines current events and headline worthy topics like the ongoing billionaire’s space race as well as the role(s) people of influence (privilege / power) play. Some from a point-of-view you may not have thought of. One thing that is certain, it will make you think, possibly long after leaving the venue.