Valerie Harper Hits Broadway as Tallulah Bankhead

Valerie Harper as Tallulah Bankhead
It's time to get Looped, the production that has travelled from California to Washington, DC and is now ready for prime time. Valerie Harper has been perfecting her role as Tallulah Bankhead in Looped, directed by Rob Ruggiero. Brian Hutchison and Michael Mulheren also star. Best of all, we have serious discounts on the tickets.

From the Looped website (Link).
The first preview is February 19 with the official opening scheduled for March 14. Our ticket offer applies to all performances except opening night through April 5. Balcony seats are $25 and the $111.50 orchestra seats are priced at $66.50. At the Lyceum Theatre, 149 West 45th Street.

Tallulah is Looped again.
The comedy by Matthew Lombardo is based on a real event. It takes place in the summer of 1965, when an inebriated Tallulah Bankhead stumbles into a sound studio to rerecord (or 'loop') one line of dialogue for her last movie --Die, Die, My Darling. Ms. Bankhead was known for her wild partying and convention-defying exploits that surpassed even today's celebrity bad girls.

Given her intoxicated state and inability to loop the line properly, what ensues is an uproarious showdown between an uptight film editor, Danny Miller, and the outrageous legend.

Valerie Harper offstage.

"VALERIE HARPER IS DIVINE AS TALLULAH, AN ACTRESS WHO NOT ONLY CHEWED THE SCENERY BUT SNIFFED IT, SNORTED IT, AND DRANK IT!"
- The Washingtonian

Here's how to get your discount tickets and save over 40%. Call 212-947-8844 and mention code LPNYT23. Alternately, you can go to www.broadwayoffers.com and enter the same code, LPNYT23.

The Mikado and Royal Court to travel from Cohoes, NY to Pittsfield, MA

The Mikado is a sparkling and lavish comedic operetta written by Gilbert & Sullivan at the height of their creative genius. Yum-Yum, Nanki-Poo and other charming and absurd characters will amuse and entertain both long time fans and first time explorers of this Victorian forerunner to musical comedies.

The Mikado tells a tale of preposterous carryings on in the mythical Japanese village of Titi-pu. A Japanese prince will do just about anything to win the hand of the national executioner's daughter, for she is his one true love. Over a century later, the themes of The Mikado still resonate with modern audiences with references used in films and television from "Chariots of Fire" to "The Chipmunks". The ultimate classic love story set in the most famous Savoy Opera continues to captivate audiences.

This is the Hill Country's own production, initially mounted in Cohoes, New York at their Victorian Music Hall by C-R Productions and then moved, cast, sets and orchestra to Pittsfield where Berkshire audiences can easily enjoy it. If this is half as good as their sell out production of The Producers last year which played the Colonial under similar arrangements, then we are all in for a real treat, especially if the company's legendary Jim Charles plays The Lord High Exectioner in full over-the-top costume.

Before there was Saturday Night Live, there was Gilbert and Sullivan spoofing the norms and conventions of the time, and drawing other countries and cultures in caricature. Considering the size of this production, the ticket prices are very reasonable.

Performance Schedule:

AT THE COHOES MUSIC HALL IN COHOES, NY:

February 18-28
Thursday-Saturday at 8:00pm
Saturday and Sunday at 3:00pm
Tickets: $25-$35
Box Office: 518.237.5858
http://www.cohoesmusichall.com/

AT THE COLONIAL THEATRE IN PITTSFIELD:

Saturday March 6, 2010
Performances at 3 PM and 8 PM
Tickets $25-$45
Box Office: (413) 997-4444
www.thecolonialtheatre.org

Shakespeare & Company: "Les Liaisons Dangereuses" and "Women of Will"

Josh Aaron McCabe and Alexandra Lincoln in Les Liaisons Dangereuses. Photos by Kevin Sprague.
There's activity aplenty in South County as Shakespeare & Company lights its marquee for two events in February. Both are must-see performances.

Les Liaisons Dangereuses
The first is the much anticipated Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Christopher Hampton and adapted from the novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos which opens this week. It is directed by Tina Packer and presented at the intimate Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre from through March 21, 2010.

Love is the ultimate weapon! This wickedly entertaining story of love, sex and betrayal is as sumptuously guilt-inducing as a decadent chocolate you just can't resist. Depicting the devious schemes of French aristocrats on the cusp of the Revolution.

Elizabeth Aspenlieder
Packer directs Elizabeth Aspenlieder, who won the coveted Elliot Norton Award for her tour de force performance in Bad Dates last winter, and Josh Aaron McCabe, most recently seen last fall as Sherlock Holmes (and a host of other characters, both male and female) in the runaway hit The Hound of the Baskervilles. Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Dangerous Liaisons) was ahead of its time as a novel in 1782 and it still may be ahead of its time today.

Women of Will
Tina Packer and Nigel Gore.
On February 28, in the Bernstein Theatre, there will be a sneak peek of Women of Will. A true tour de force of performance, discussion, and just a bit of crowd participation, this pla, written by Founding Artistic Director Tina Packer, and directed by Eric Tucker is the much-anticipated, masterful summation of Tina Packer's 40-odd years of deep investigation into all things Shakespeare. Performing with Packer is Nigel Gore.

After years of work, refinement, and workshop performances, Tina is making the world premiere of Women of Will at the Mercury Theatre in Colchester, England this March. For one night only, our audience will get a sneak peek of this remarkable survey here in Lenox—before Tina takes it across the pond.

How did Shakespeare's view of women and the feminine impulse change throughout his career? And what can his 400-year-old insights teach us today about our own lives, as we each figure out for ourselves what it means to be alive?

My colleague Chales Giuliano does a nice advance take on Women of Will and its place in the Shakespeare & Company repertoire. Berkshire Fine Arts

For ticket and specific performance information, visit www.shakespeare.org

Shakespeare & Company is located at 70 Kemble Street in Lenox, MA.
Box office: 413-637-3353
Main office: 413-637-1199

February at the Mahaiwe - Coming Attractions

The uplifting Cherish the Ladies takes the stage on February 27.
Ticket information: www.mahaiwe.org

Thursday, February 4 at 8pm
Mahaiwe Presents
A rairie Home Companion: Live in HD
Garrison Keillor's public radio program
$23 Adult/$21 Seniors/ $16 Children 12 and under

Friday, February 5 at 7pm
Greenagers Presents
The Gods Must be Crazy (film screening)
$8

Saturday, February 6 at 1pm (SOLD OUT)
Mahaiwe Presents
Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD
Verdi's Simon Boccanegra
$23 Adults / $21 Seniors / $16 Children under 13

Saturday, February 6 at 10:45am
Mahaiwe Presents
Scott Eyerly Opera Lecture about Verdi's Simon Boccanegra
$10 General Admission

Sunday, February 7 at 3pm
Mahaiwe Presents
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Grammy Award-Winning South African Singing Group
$39 / $34 Members

Saturday, February 13 at 7pm (talk) and 8pm (movie)
Mahaiwe Presents
Valentine's Talk by Food Historian Francine Segan Aphrodisiacs: Myth or Reality
and Screening of Moonstruck (1987)
$5 Talk/ $6 Movie/$10 for Talk & Movie General Admission

Saturday, February 20 at 6pm
Close Encounters with Music Presents
A Night of Quartets (with Avalon String Quartet)
$35 / $10 Students with valid ID

Sunday, February 21, 7pm
Mahaiwe Presents
McCoy Tyner Trio
Legendary Jazz Pianist
$67 Golden Circle/ $47/ $42 Members

Saturday February 27 at 7pm
Mahaiwe Presents
Cherish the Ladies
All-Women Traditional Irish Band
$38 / $33 Members

Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center
14 Castle Street. Great Barrington. MA 01230
Box Office: 413-528-0100
Note Box Office Hours:
Wednesday - Saturday: 12noon - 6pm
plus 3 hrs prior to all show times

www.mahaiwe.org

February at the Colonial - Coming Attractions

This Romeo and Juliet is not your embalmed version, but set more recently, with stunning action and comedy sequences.
Tickets: www.thecolonialtheatre.org

Mike Dugan’s Men Fake Foreplay
Sat 2/06/10 8pm
VIP: $65 preferred seating with post-show Artist meet & greet
A: $35 B: $25
“It was never about finding the right woman. It was about becoming the right man.” Men Fake Foreplay is a hilariously funny, yet pointed commentary on relationships and the battle of the sexes, written and performed by Emmy-winning writer and Tonight Show comedian Mike Dugan.
www.menfakeforeplay.com

The Balcony Scene is as touching as ever.
Romeo & Juliet
Presented by The Acting Company and The Guthrie Theater
Fri 2/12/10 8pm
A: $45 B: $25
The Acting Company, the most respected and praised touring repertory theater in America, and the renowned Guthrie Theater proudly present Romeo & Juliet. It opened last month for a healthy run in Minneapolis, and is currently on a short 25 city tour. Pittsfield is among the lucky cities it will visit. This production presents another approach to Shakespeare. Young love has never been so delightful, or as dangerous, as in this stirring, full-length production. This production comes with our personal recommendation for its thoroughly contemporary reading of Shakespeare's classic lines. Though unchanged, this staging has an impact and is staged for twenty-somethings as well as lovers of the Bard.
www.theactingcompany.org

Love Me Tender: The Ultimate Elvis Valentine Bash
Starring Mike Albert, Scot Bruce and the Big “E” Band
Fri 2/19/2010 at 8PM
A: $45 B: $25
Celebrate Valentine’s Day with the ultimate Elvis tribute show starring two of the world’s finest Elvis impressionists. Mike Albert is second to none in bringing to life the Elvis of the '70s, while Scot Bruce looks like, sounds like—and swings his hips like—Elvis in his younger days. Many hit songs made famous by the legendary entertainer are featured in the show, including “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Burning Love,” “Love Me Tender,” “Jail House Rock” and more.
http://www.mikealbertsings.com/
http://www.scotbruce.com/

Corbian The Dinosaur: A Glow In The Dark Adventure
Sponsored by Greylock Federal Credit Union
Sat 2/27/10 3pm
All seats: $15
Truly unique and visually dazzling, Corbian is an innovative theatrical experience that sparks imagination and inspires creativity. Audiences will be awed as electroluminescent crayon-like creatures and characters light up the stage in this heart-rending tale of a dinosaur that discovers the true meaning of love.
Recommended for ages 7 and up
www.iancarney.com

Tickets and information:

www.thecolonialtheatre.org
The Colonial Theatre
111 South Street
Pittsfield, MA 01201
P: (413) 448-8084