Marc Savitt - Page 4

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.

PHOTOGRAPH 51, the second offering in Williamstown Theatre Festival’s 2020 season on Audible Theater is a biographical piece.  It focuses on Rosalind Franklin (Anna Chlumsky) a chemist at England’s King's College and her work in the early 1950s. 

The presentation of the 2020 season at this time, in the audio only format, represents a creative approach to keeping the arts alive during the pandemic.  The innovative solution, a collaboration spearheaded by WTF Artistic Director Mandy Greenfield, and Audible Artistic Producer Kate Navin provides  employment for the artists and a body of work that, through Audible, can be accessed by a much broader (global) audience than traditional seasons.  This is different to be sure - what isn’t during these unprecedented times?  It is a bit like taking a step back to those “simpler times” when families gathered around the wireless and listened to radio plays.  It may take a moment to adjust, but this production of STREETCAR stands up and will draw listeners in.  I look forward to the additional six titles in the season scheduled to be released over the coming weeks.

the audience was sincerely and repeatedly thanked for the opportunity to share music that is a?oejust not the same as sitting at homea??. Smiles on the masked faces as the sun set and many were no doubt whistling a happy tune as they returned to their cars suggested that although there are most certainly changes and differences, THE HILLS ARE (still) ALIVE WITH RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN.

Dold demonstrates mastery of an overwhelming amount of dialogue and the nuance necessary to present a total of some 19 characters. Dold navigates the thin line between perception and reality so adeptly, the line blurs and we find ourselves questioning whether the character knows exactly what he is doing, or has become lost in his own deception.

There are many good reasons you might choose to see GODSPELL under the tent at Berkshire Theatre Group's Colonial Theatre. Whatever the motivation, you will experience a new, fresh, relevant, powerful, topical, and most certainly different production. You will also be making history as part of what many see as the rebirth of theatre in America.

With a small cast of only ten, the simplicity and small scale of Godspell made it an ideal choice to move forward with given current concerns. Performances will take place under a tent in the parking lot of BTG's Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield. To allow for Social Distancing, the audience for each performance will be limited to 75-100.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Barrington Stage Company has postponed the previously announced 2020 season until 2021. They have, however, come up with an a?oealternate seasona?? that honors live theatre and allows for gathering safely. BSC has devised a plan which follows Social Distancing guidelines to ensure the safety of audience members, employees, and performers alike.

In mid- June here in The Berkshires, a?oethe seasona?? should be in full swing. We SHOULD be enjoying outstanding performance experiences at our beautiful and beloved venues by world-class artists and creatives. Alas, that is proving to be difficult if not impossible.

A unique and interesting collection of more than 30 titles including clips, concerts, shorts, and full performances are made possible through the permission and generous support of ATF alumni playwrights and filmmakers. The content, you likely will not find elsewhere, will be available during the dates originally planned for ATF's 2020 summer season: June 12 - Aug. 7, 2020.

HERSHEY FELDER AS IRVING BERLIN is being presented as a Mother's Day special on Sunday, May 10 at 8pm. Participants will be able to stream on a smart TV, computer, smartphone or tablet. After the performance, audience members will be able to communicate directly with Felder, via text or online, in a post-show audience encore.

The a?oeseasona?? for the performing arts in The Berkshires typically runs the six months between May and October. With the limited window of opportunity to create the outstanding work Berkshire arts organizations are known for and the public health concerns making it difficult to imagine let alone plan for an a?oeordinarya?? season. Accordingly, it is not surprising that many have adopted a a?oewait and see posturea?? as Julieann Boyd Artistic Director of Barrington Stage Company announced this morning.

I want to state clearly this a very good production with a large group of talented professionals. Notable performances include Yehezkel Lazarov as Tevye and Ms. Murphy, Froch, and Barenblat as his daughters, Tzeitel, Hodel, and Chava respectively. The choreography originally by Jerome Robbins, recreated by Christopher Evans, with new choreography by Hofesh Schecter is also noteworthy. Overall, however, I felt the production did not quite reach its potential. While this is not a re-imagined Fiddler, there are infusions of some new elements that for me, just didn't work.

With costumes by Trinity Koch, lighting by Lucas Pawelski, sound by Alex Sovronsky, stage management by Rachel Lynne Harper, and line production by Nora Zahn, ten new plays presented by six fine performers under the guidance of two strong directors, the  10 x 10 NEW PLAY FESTIVAL continues at Barrington Stage Company's St. Germain Stage in Pittsfield through March 8th. 

This production of YOUR BEST ONE marks the east coast premier of one in a series of three plays by Meridith Friedman. In it, the Hoffman family rallies together, and against one another, as they wrestle with issues such as love, loss, finance, health insurance, child custody, and more in the context of a non-traditional, more modern family. As Richard and David deal with grown up matters, Josh, David's teenage adopted son, deals with newcomer Richard: Who is he? What does he really want? And what does it mean for Josh's future? Meridith Friedman's warm, funny and touching play gets to the heart of what family is all about and makes us realize that indeed, family matters.

THE BAND'S VISIT is a heartfelt, critically acclaimed (one of only four musicals in Broadway history to win the unofficial a?oeBig Sixa?? Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Book, Best Score, Best Actor in a Musical, Best Actress in a Musical, and Best Direction of a Musical) of how the smallest moments can have the largest impact.  The characters have unusual names and speak differently from a?oetypical Americansa?? and those we typically see on our stages, but their story is both charming and delightful. It reminds us that as human beings we are far more alike than we are different.

If you think of FROZEN as being for kids, I suggest you need to think again. Like the stage version of Disney's Lion King before it, this production is high quality live theatre that excels on multiple levels. There is quite a lot to see, experience, and enjoy in FROZEN both for the young and the young at heart.

This production is, in a word - 'tight'. The many facets and elements of the script, costuming, sound, lighting, sets, direction, and cast are all notable in their own right. This is a case where they come together and the whole is, indeed, greater than the sum of the parts. The result is 90-minutes of powerful, intense, and frighteningly plausible theatre that is engaging, emotional, intriguing, important, and regardless of your politics or point-of-view, well worth seeing.