Marc Savitt - Page 9

The 2020 season opened with one of my personal favorites, PIPPIN.  It was the first Broadway show I saw. PIPPIN uses the premise of a performance troupe, led by the Leading Player, to tell the story of a young prince (son of Charlemagne) on his search for meaning and significance. 

In BOCA, we follow a group of retirees who, between rounds of golf, bridge and Botox, can be found bickering, gossiping and living it up like they’re teenagers all over again. Don’t worry, Sophia, this is NOT Shady Pines. The residents of the Royal Palm Polo Club, a gated community that offers Kundalini Yoga classes even if it gives some of them gas. These are quite a lively bunch, and these kids know how to party.

Allyn Burrows, became aware of the piece by Yasmina Reza when it ran in New York in the late 1990’s and it has been with him ever since.  Given that the play was translated into English by Christopher Hampton twenty-five years ago, along with the current common need for something to laugh about - ART’s time in the Berkshires has come. 

In Eleanor, Barrington Stage Company Associate Artist and playwright Mark St. Germain brings to life Eleanor Roosevelt, the most influential First Lady the world has ever seen. We chat with Harriet Harris on playing the title character.

I’m in this place where my questioning of Shakespeare is revolving around some of the same issues as these three characters are dealing with as they look at this painting, then consequently, as they look at each other.  What is the value of friendship?  What’s the cost of a contemporary painting and what’s the value of that painting? 

Every aspect of this production works together seamlessly and synergistically.  What's more, the team deploys seemingly simple techniques and tactics with very positive results.  The scenery consists of a park bench and a few sheets of fabric.  There is one actor in only one costume with no changes.  

Provides a tasty smorgasbord comprised of the layers contributing to the woman, as well as her depth, dynamism, energy, and intensity. The performance is primarily, a recounting of Byrd’s life and experiences. Like the woman, herself, the piece is an amalgamation of myriad events, issues, topics, some of which can be unpleasant and challenging.

“BECOMOING OTHELLO taught me how to get over things that I am.  I’m a mixed-race girl, and I am on the fairer side of blackness.  I had so many issues with colorism and racism and all the isms that I needed to tell this story.  If audience members are listening, no matter where they come from; what race, what religion, everyone is going to find something they can relate to.' 

The return of the performing arts across the region over the past few weeks has given Berkshire theatre goers much to celebrate.  With the opening production of KING LEAR, Shakespeare & Company increases the list of reasons, “when power to flattery bows”.

Oscar Wilde's much-loved and enduring masterpiece, THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST tells the story of two bachelor friends, dandy Algernon Moncrieff and reliable John (Jack) Worthing, as they take on double lives to court the attentions of the desirable Gwendolyn Fairfax and the romantic Cecily Cardew. But the gallants must then grapple with the uproarious consequences of their ruse...and with the formidable Lady Bracknell. The results are a world filled with chaos, mistaken identity, and laughter.

Sharing details regarding the plot would be a disservice to the piece and those who will accept my encouragement to experience it for themselves. During the roughly 90 minutes (with no intermission) the pair of skillful actors present two broadly disparate seeming individuals mostly in a series of impressive and moving monologues.

Barrington Stage Company has been presenting award winning theatre in downtown Pittsfield for more than a quarter century. The thought of not producing during the pandemic was unacceptable to BSC Artistic Director, Julianne Boyd, board members and staffers. They went to extraordinary lengths to present a highly irregular and relatively limited number of offerings.

BSC Artistic Director, Julianne Boyd, who directs this production, said that WHO COULD ASK FOR ANYTHING MORE? Is a tribute to Gershwin’s indominable spirit and love-for-life.  It is also a joyous and triumphant return of live theatre to the Berkshires following the bleakness of the pandemic.

In response to the unprecedented challenges the last year brought, WTF embarked upon an innovative artistic endeavor that ensured the voices of their artists could be heard loudly and clearly around the globe. Four of the seven offerings in the 2020 WTF Season on Audible Theatre are World Premiers including the final selection, a new musical, ROW. 

WISH YOU WERE HERE presents a reality which, on the surface, might seem rather different than our own, but below is far more similar.  In the final scenes / moments, it also pointed out, to me, how relatively “good” Americans have it.  Then again, like all works of art, what it says to you will vary for all who experience it.

WTF Artistic Director Mandy Greenfield’s choice to revive PARADISE BLUE is another of many highly relevant selections given prevailing racial tensions.  It also demonstrates that a new play, 'born' at Williamstown, that the New York Times suggested was “unlikely to be final” in its form can evolve and overcome challenges. 

“Who knew when we started our 10x10 New Play Festival ten years ago that it would become one of our most popular events of the year?” said Artistic Director Julianne Boyd. “We started with two weeks of performances and as of last year, we ran our 10x10 Plays for one month in the middle of the winter.'

These characters and the circumstances that bring them together are different. While different can be nice, it sure isn’t pretty.  Pretty is not really what CHONBURI INTERNATIONAL HOTEL & BUTTERFLY CLUB is about.  Its about keeping or perhaps, making it real.  About making one’s way in the world.  A world that is not always pretty, easy, or kind. 

Alan H. Green, Alysha Umphress, and Joel Waggoner display ample skill and talent as they present viewers with a selection of 18 musical numbers (credited, although I counted a few uncredited bonus tunes) that are fun, often campy, poignant, tender, notably well- balanced, and entertaining.

Directed by Obie Award Winner, Whitney White, the piece is billed as a comedy that “marches into the muddy intersection of romantic entanglement, identity, pride, and survival.”  For me the piece is something like the theatrical (verbal) equivalent of a mixed doubles tennis match. There are lots of volley’s, some overhead smashes and an occasional Ace leaving the recipient unable to respond but stinging none the less.  The four characters engage in relatively rapid-fire banter that includes a fair amount of intensity and emotion.  The subject matter often deals with sensitive issues that include political correctness, cancel culture, race, roles, and even some romance.  The dialogue is real, sometimes raw, rarely funny.  The piece packs a lot of drama and emotion, but not much oomph, sizzle, or pizazz.