ARTS AMERICA: Berkshires, Broadway and Beyond

Randy Harrison sings The Who's "Tommy" in new Berkshire Theatre Festival production

2011-02-27T12:08:00.009-05:00

As the season announcement of the newly merged Colonial Theatre-Berkshire Theatre Festival began, the schedule of events was handed out to reporters, most of whom were seeing it for the first time. When Kate Maguire opened the floor to questions, the first show to draw questions was the complex and wildly popular rock opera Tommy by Peter Townshend and The Who. Undertaking a rock opera in the Berkshires is rare, especially this one. The Who’s Tommy was first released as a concept album in 1969, and then given the full Broadway treatment in 1993. It toured the country for a decade afterwards.

In 2011 the Berkshires will be one of the few places in the world where it can be seen in a fully staged production from the Berkshire Theatre Festival on the stage of the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield, MA. Previews begin July 7, with the opening set for July 9 and the final performance on July 16.

There is more about the Berkshire Theatre Festival 2011 season, plus news, previews and interviews at our main site, Berkshire on Stage. You can also find Berkshire on Stage at Facebook, or our Twitter name is BerkshireStages.

Actor James Barry seen here in "Bloody, Bloody, Andrew Jackson."
Tommy is a powerful totem from an earlier age, its music and message still able to reduce an audience to tears, or make them cringe during its unfolding, and then raise the crowd to their feet with cheers as it ends.But the cheers and tears do not come automatically. Eric Hill who will direct the Berkshire Theatre Festival production has signed on for what could be his greatest challenge ever. Even with a long history of complex undertakings behind him, Hill has his work cut out for him. Tommy is as much about the music as it is the story. And it never stops moving. This is one musical that has to be done “right” to work, with split second timing, relentless energy…so difficult in fact that few theatre companies have undertaken it in recent years. It’s real risky.

Tommy not only requires perfection in its musical elements (to gloss over them is to risk disaster), but the acting can not take a back seat for even one moment. For that, much of the weight falls on the person who plays the title role, and the actors who play his younger self. Finally the production itself is Dickensonian in its scope, for this is one sweeping, epic tale. Those who were born after its earlier incarnations have quite a theatrical tsunami to look forward to.

The casting is exciting. It includes both Randy Harrison who will play Tommy, and James Barry as Captain Walker. James Barry is fresh from the cast of Bloody, Bloody, Andrew Jackson, and has been seen in The Caretaker and The Einstein Project at the Berkshire Theatre Festival.

About Randy Harrison

When the casting was announced,, perhaps the most excited person was the irrepressible Randy Harrison, who said: “I’m very excited to finally sing on a Berkshire stage, and thrilled and honored to be a part of the first Berkshire Theatre Festival production in the gorgeous Colonial Theater.” And being the consummate professional he is, we have no doubt that he is already committing the music and book to memory.

Randy Harrison
While Berkshire audiences know Harrison for his acting abilities in BTF shows like Equus, Waiting for Godot and One Flew Over the Cukoos Nest, he has earned his stripes in musicals as well. He played in Wicked on Broadway, and has extensive musical theatre experience in regional theatre, most notably playing Andy Warhol in Pop! at Yale Rep in 2009.

“Since I’ve started working in the Berkshires and in western Massachusetts, I feel re-connected to the New England area. It’s always felt like home to me. I still have some family there. My aunt is there. But now I think of it like a summer home, which is kind of nice.” – Randy Harrison

Harrison played the youngest member of the cast in the Showtime series Queer as Folk which is still in syndication worldwide. It brought him to the attention of millions of television viewers and could have typecast him as a heartthrob, but after the series finished, he returned to his first love, the stage, and continued to perfect his craft. On the sunny side of 30, Harrison still can play young, and that combined with his deep experience means that we could be in for a Tommy that will sear its music and characters on our memories. You have to see and feel his character for the show to work.

At the moment, Harrison is preparing to open in a new play off Broadway. The Red Bull Theater’s “In the Raw” workshop of Margaret, A Tyger’s Heart, which explores the role of the French Queen throughout Shakespeare’s history plays, begins tomorrow, Feb. 25. Michael Sexton directs the work, which is adapted from Shakespeare’s Richard III and Henry VI. Performances are just this weekend at the Theatre at St. Clement’s.

Jenn Harris (l) and Randy Harrison in Jack Ferver's "Swan".
From March 10-12, the actor and his friends will have a little fun at PS 122 as they undertake their spoof of the film Black Swan, complete with unhinged ballerinas, lurid hallucinations, tons of makeup and stage blood with Harrison playing the mad mother, with Jack Ferver as Lily, the hot new bad ballet girl in town. The cast will also include Christian Coulson and Matthew Wilkas. It promises to be catnip for lovers of camp and spoofery. It is a production of the infamous dancer Jack Ferver and his QWAN (Quality Without a Name) Company. “It is going to be insane,” Ferver said modestly.

Harrison maintains a busy schedule in his home base of New York, but uses the Berkshires as his summer retreat, thanks to the Berkshire Theatre Festival.

”I want to do Shakespeare. I want to do Chekov. I want to do Beckett. I did Waiting for Godot in the Berkshires. I think it was just a really, really good production. It was a wonderful director, and a wonderful company and people really responded to what we did. I love the play. I love Beckett. I like what I do now.

But I’ll also do a musical every three or four years. I miss singing after a while, so I’m always happy when the time comes and I’m like, ”I think I want to do a musical.” And also, there are more jobs in musicals and they pay better. [Laughs.] So it’s good when you want to do one.” – Randy Harrison

About Tommy’s Creation

Tommy becomes a Pinball Wizard.
In 1968, Pete Townshend told Rolling Stone he was working on a rock opera about a deaf, dumb, and blind boy. Townshend had rejected psychedelic drugs and discovered mysticism, and wanted to represent different states of consciousness through the story and music. It was only after rock journalist Nic Cohn gave an early version a cool reception that Townshend, knowing Cohn to be a pinball fan, made Tommy a Pinball Wizard. But the plot is much darker than anything you can experience at the local arcade, and varies among the many incarnations of The Who’s eponymous 1969 album. It was played live at Woodstock, and appeared as a ballet, a symphonic recording, a movie, an all-star stage performance, and, in 1993, a Broadway musical.

The original rock opera, The Who’s Tommy is at once a show-stopping rock concert and a cautionary tale of the power and perils of celebrity. We witness Tommy Walker from his birth, through the shocking episodes of his childhood that render him deaf, mute and blind, as he conquers the world with his stardom, and finally after the crowds have turned on him. Featuring legendary songs by the Who, including “Pinball Wizard,” “See Me, Feel Me” and “Tommy, Can You Hear Me?” this promises to be the event of the summer in the Berkshires.

Schedule and Ticketing

Previews are July 7 and 8 with opening night July 9. It plays until July 16 with tickets priced at $49, 40 and 20. Performances are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday-Saturday at 8pm, Wednesday at 7pm, Thursday and Saturday at 2pm. Subscriptions now, otherwise single tickets for all events go on sale March 14 to the general public. For BTF productions (including Tommy) contact the BTF Box Office at (413) 298-5576 or visit www.berkshiretheatre.org to purchase.

Arts America has moved to Berkshire on Stage

2011-01-01T23:09:00.002-05:00

As Berkshire on Stage has grown in size and scope, it is also claiming more of my available time. Please visit me there, and if you wish to see articles, interviews and stories with a LGBT focus, just select that category. We also continue to cover selected regional theatres.

http://berkshireonstage.com/

Thanks for your readership and support.

Larry

"Nicholas Nickleby" finally gets its N.E. Premiere at Lyric Stage

2010-10-18T21:27:00.017-04:00

(l to r) Jason Powers as Smike, Jack Cutmore-Scott as Nicholas Nickleby and Nigel Gore as Mr. Squeers. Photo by Mark Howard.

It's only taken thirty years and one of Boston's bravest theatres to undertake a full scale production - running over two nights - of the legendary Nicholas Nickleby. It premiered in London in 1980, created a sensation in New York where it opened in 1981 and then mostly sunk from sight. This is a play that requires huge resources.

So we take our hat off to the Lyric Stage Company of Boston as they debut the New England premiere of the Olivier and Tony Award winning theatrical epic, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby Parts I & II October 21 through December 19, 2010 Called “the theatrical event of a lifetime,” by American Theatre Magazine, "love, sex and money, poverty and exploitation, hope and despair: Dickens' world is vividly brought to life in David Edgar's adaptation of his 1838 novel." The Times, London.

According to Producing Artistic Director Spiro Veloudos, “this extraordinary piece has never been produced in New England and we are pulling out all the stops for this remarkable two-part play with music featuring over 150 characters.” He adds, “the new, shorter adaptation streamlines the narrative, and captures Dickens' genius for combining exuberant characters, theatrical spectacle, and genuine emotion.”

The Lyric’s production of …Nicholas Nickleby includes 25 of the Boston area’s best actors, most of them playing multiple roles. Featuring: Will Lyman (Ralph Nickleby), Jack Cutmore-Scott (Nicholas Nickleby), Peter A. Carey (Newman Noggs), Maureen Keiller (Mrs. Nickleby), Larry Coen (Vincent Crummles), Nigel Gore (Wackford Squeers), Leigh Barrett (Miss LaCreevy) Kerry Dowling (Mrs. Squeers/Mrs. Crummles), and Jason Powers (Smike), John Davin (Arthur Gride), and Neil A. Casey (Mr. Mantalini) .

The …Nicholas Nickleby creative team, led by director Spiro Veloudos and Associate Director Courtney O’Connor, includes Janie E. Howland (scenic designer), Rafael Jaen (costume designer), Scott Clyve (lighting designer), and local composer Kevin O’Shaughnessy (original music). The production manager is Nerys Powell and the assistant stage manager is Katie Ailinger.

(Shown here is the wonderful actor Jack Cutmore-Scott who plays the title role. Photo by Sara Joe Wolansky, Harvard Crimson.)

Left penniless by the death of his father and young Nicholas Nickleby assumes responsibility for his mother and sister and seeks help from his Scrooge-like Uncle Ralph. Instantly disliking Nicholas, Ralph sends him to teach in a school run by the sadistic Wackford Squeers. Nicholas decides to escape, taking with him the orphan Smike, one of Squeers’s most abused young charges, and the two embark on a series of adventurous encounters with an array of humanity’s worst and best—greedy fools, corrupt lechers, cheery innocents, and selfless benefactors.

Lyric Stage Company of Boston is located at 140 Clarendon Street, Boston. Performances are Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings at 7:30 pm, select Wednesday matinees, 2 pm (Part I: November 3, December 1; Part II: November 10, December 8), Saturdays at 3pm and 8 pm and Saturday and Sunday matinees at 3:00 pm. Performances of both parts will be in rotating repertory, with five “marathon days” (November 13, 28, December 1, 4 and 18) where Part I and Part II will be performed with a 2 hour dinner break. Tickets range from $29 to $56 and are available by calling the box office at 617.585.5678 and online at www.lyricstage.com.

Waiting for Godot - An Opera by Pierre Boulez? It might happen.

2010-07-09T14:32:00.013-04:00

The Berkshire Theatre Festival's 2008 production of Waiting for Godot had an almost-operatic set. Kevin Sprague photo.
Normally you don't find insider gossip here, but this rumor has a fine provenance, and is being printed by some mainstream UK sites, so it is worth passing along.

It is being reported that Pierre Boulez, the French composer and conductor, is planning to make an opera from Samuel Beckett's most famous play, Waiting for Godot. According to Charles T. Downey at Ion Arts, Beckett is not only planning to write a Godot opera, it is going to be presented by La Scala in Milan in 2015. Peter Gelb (General Manager of the Metropolitan Opera), where are you in this? It's going to be the hottest opera of the 21st Century!

"… the sound thus obtained had a 'spatialised' richness, which, without requiring any electronic aid, could be of interest to Pierre Boulez for the opera that, according to our sources, he will adapt from Beckett's Waiting for Godot, planned for La Scala in Milan in 2015. - Ion Arts"

His source is, in turn a review in the June 15 Le Monde.

Pierre Boulez, composer and conductor.
It's certainly true that Boulez has wanted to write an opera for a while. Talking to the U.K.'s Telegraph in 1996, he confirmed that he corresponded with the playwright Jean Genet about working together in the 1960s, as well as the German writer Heiner Müller in 1995, and that a year later he was thinking about adapting Edward Bond's plays for the opera house. None of these plans ever came to fruition.

Whether the legendary composer and historic opera house have bothered to check in with the notoriously sniffy Godot estate, I have no idea. Based on the rigid and dust-preserving tendencies of the estate, (read this tale of Endgame in the current Berkshire On Stage) I seriously doubt it. It would be news if they allowed an adaptation. They fight fiercely to preserve every word, every pause and gesture of Beckett's infamous and inscrutable play.

Yet if the composer used the play's script as its libretto, word for word, and followed the prescribed action to the letter, I don't see how they could object. And it might be easier in French than English, since Beckett wrote it first in French before doing his own translation back into English. Odd man that Beckett.

This one is worth watching.

MOMIX does insects, too

2010-06-22T14:55:00.004-04:00

After seeing the incredible OvO from Cirque du Soleil (reviewed in previous post) I went in search of other dancers that celebrate the world of insects and found a Momix video excerpt from their Joyce appearance in May 2009. It is apparent that the world of Entomology still offers plenty of ideas for choreographers and dancers. The one thing missing from the Cirque show was a flying act on bungees with silk wings fluttering which judging from this video would not be that difficult to stage.

Cirque du Soleil brings Ovo to New England: Hartford now, Boston next

2010-06-19T11:06:00.010-04:00

Ovo immerses you in a colorful ecosystem teeming with life.

First a little background before the OvO review. Hartford is the seventh city on the worldwide tour of OvO, which began in Montreal in April 2009. It's arrival in Hartford follows the successful runs of Dralion there in 2003, Varekai in 2005 and Kooza in 2008. It plays until July 11 and then packs up and heads to Boston where it plays from July 22 to August 15. So now, the question is, how does OvO measure up compared to the earlier shows?

OvO is simply the best show Cirque du Soleil has ever sent on the road. Written and directed by Deborah Colker, it has moments of sheer spectacle, held together with dance, movement and pure theatrical wizardry. During a performance you may notice subtle references to artists such as Gaudi, Dali and Piazzolla while enjoying performers dressed as butterflies, spiders and even a Ladybug looking for a mate.

OvO (which means egg in Portuguese) is the 25th quirky show from Cirque, created for the company's 25th Anniversary. Currently playing in Hartford, next month it moves on to Boston, then to Washington, DC in September.

Spiders are more artistic than scary.
Even for those who have seen Cirque du Soleil, it is difficult to describe the experience. Those flat two-dimensional televised snippets of their performances don't do it justice, and even in print, how can words describe a basically wordless show?

You don't just see a Cirque show, you experience it. On the way in you may hear some first time ticket buyers complain about the ticket prices (they're not cheap) but you never hear that on the way out. You get a lot for your money. There's more imagination and entertainment compressed into 2.5 glorious hours than you will get in a month on commercial television.

The fun begins the moment you spot their blue and gold Grand Chapiteau (big top) at the Intersection of I-84 and I-91 In Hartford. It seats 2200.

As you push the canvas flaps aside to enter, you notice the subtle smell of grass and hear a cacophony of insects all around you. Scientists in beekeeper-style helmets with nets and specimen boxes patrol the audience, on the trail of insects. A few unfortunate latecomers are examined, magnifying glasses are employed, and Grotowski-esque mutterings and grunts fill the air. The show has no script, but uses a wide variety of the Polish theatre director Jerzy Grotowski's techniques to communicate their surprise, happiness etc. Once in a while you can even make out the word "ovo" or "no" but Cirque's shows are created for multi-lingual audiences. They travel the world.

The scarabs operate at the top of the tent.
As this is happening, insects are slowly hopping, crawling, slithering and otherwise finding their way on stage. Someone is lugging a human sized egg through the audience. On stage is a gigantic egg, perhaps 60 feet wide, dominating everything. In the background is an organic structure reaching from floor to ceiling. Two pods of four musicians each begin playing a samba with tango overtones. All this, and then the show actually begins.

The audience becomes aware that they have shrunk in size and importance and entered a different world. OvO offers a headlong rush into the insects colorful ecosystem. On stage we watch as the creepy-crawlies work, eat, flutter, play, fight and look for love in a non-stop dance of endless energy. Giant flowers open and their scent fills the air. The insects’ home is a world of biodiversity and beauty alternately filled with noisy action and moments of quiet emotion.

The contortionist made the audience gasp at her impossible combinations.
But all this is simply the lavish frosting to introduce the circus acts, albeit using every dance and theatre trick imaginable. Just as Julie Taymor created a special world for the animals of The Lion King so do Deborah Colker and Chantel Tremblay create an imaginary world for the insects. OvO's costumes are not precise depictions of what a cricket or ant looks like, but an interpretation. None of the proceedings will upset someone who might get squeamish at the site of a spider, ant or cockroach. Instead it's like being twelve years old again, looking to see what's hiding under the rocks in the back yard.

With 54 performers from 16 countries, there are a lot of insects. For example, five yellow and-red ﬂeas ﬂing themselves through the air and come together in graceful, perfectly balanced sculptural formations. A Dragonfly performs a graceful balancing act. A spider defies gravity and physics on the slack wire earning gasps and applause from the onlookers.

Perhaps the most stunning performance was that of the "scarabs" who operate from perches high above the audience . It is an act that combines several traditional circus skills like banquine, Russian swing and swinging chair. These fly boys leap from the edges of two platforms in the rafters to the catchers positioned on a third. Their physical setup is the largest ever created under a big tent, and requires some 16 people just to set up. They do it in minutes as other action was taking place on the stage.

The fleas cling to each other as they jump about.
The penultimate act was the 25' high Cricket Wall, which has 20 artists running, jumping and walking across its jagged face. Using trampolines and power tracks - plus pure physical strength and teamwork - they leap, jump and spring to the top. The effect is so stunning that the audience can not believe what it is seeing. But there are no hidden wires, nothing but the artists and the setup. A similar effect is used at the close of La Nouba, a permanent Cirque show in Orlando. It is an acrobatic achievement like no other.

Cirque's productions have become so elaborate and intricate that they are becoming more grandiose than Grand Opera. Like that art form, they combine spectacle, theatre and music into a whole new experience. The gold and crystal of the venerable Metropolitan Opera House is even challenged by the KA theatre Cirque created at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Instead of monied gilt, that theatre's interior resembles the heart of a giant space ship with a hydraulic stage that arises from the deep.

Everything about this show is amazing, scenery, costumes and makeup included. The costumes for OvO are not only intricate, they are sufficiently detailed to allow close-up scrutiny. (They offered, I accepted.) But what makes them special is they are also truly durable. They are able to take the punishment these circus acts inflict on them. Liz Vandal, who created them, is known for her futuristic superhero costumes, and for recreating suits of armor from all eras. There is little doubt that is why they have such beauty and durability.

In OvO, it is the lighting and sound people who create the magical environment that surrounds the audience. There are four enormous lighting toweres and the same number of giant subwoofers strategically placed under the seating. 100 surround speakers are placed around the arena to immerse the audience in a wall of sound. The effect is stunning. You can feel the action at several points in the evening. And subtle. The chirping and chattering never stops, yet becomes a soundstage on which everything else is overlaid.

OvO, like most Cirque shows, is designed to please all ages and all levels of sophistication. As someone who has seen ten of their 25 shows, the question is when they will begin repeating themselves. Yes,, there are certain elements that appear in all their shows, which might be dismissed as just a bunch of dressed up circus acts.
But like a good meal, where we use the same ingredients over and over, Cirque always creates totally new and different menus to excite our taste buds. This is a company that totally reinvents themselves again and again. Any Cirque du Soleil show makes for a great way to spend an evening. But this is one you should see early. And often.

This is only two-thirds of Ovo's huge cast!

Dates, Performance and Ticket Information

Cirque du Soleil's OvO opens in Hartford June 17 and runs through July 11. It then moves on to Boston from July 22 to August 15 and Washington, DC from September 9 to October 3.

The performances are Tuesdays thru Thursdays at 8:00 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays at 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. No performances on Mondays. Tickets are available via www.cirquedusoleil.com/ovo or at 1-800-450-1480. A VIP Tapis Rouge™ package is also available.

A slightly different version of this review appeared earlier in Berkshire Fine Arts.

Karen Zacarias saved by Arena Stage Playwriting Program

2010-06-18T09:13:00.010-04:00

There was a moment not long ago when Karen Zacarias became sure that her blossoming playwriting career would be lost among sippy cups, baby dolls and field trip forms. Arena Stage made the difference.

Can you have it all? Playwright Karen Zacarias certainly seems to have found the secret. With three young children at home and a blinking computer awaiting, the 2009 Playwright in Residence for Washington, D.C.'s Arena stage is a prolific writer. She finished five plays the year her youngest was born, and the ideas just keep on coming. She has had four of her plays staged in the past year or so. Legacy of Light is one that Arena Stage produced. But the double duties of mother and writer takes its toll. "I haven't slept in years," she says. Thanks to Arena's program, she has found a way to live two lives.

Today news came that the path that Zacarias has blazed will soon be joined by two additional women playwrights Lisa Kron and Amy Freed, who will each start their three-year residencies in July 2010, and then Katori Hall and Charles Randolph-Wright, who will begin in January 2011. It's all part of The American Voices New Play Institute. The Institute—integral to Arena’s mission as a leading center for the production, presentation, development and study of American theater—isdesigned as a center for research and development of effective practices, programs and processes for new play development in the American Theater.

In addition to the first round of Resident Playwrights, the Institute will also host Project Residents Lynn Nottage and David Henry Hwang, who will be commissioned through the Institute to write a play that Arena Stage will produce.

In addition to the residencies, the American Voices New Play Institute operates with a suite of interrelated programs, including the New Play Producing Fellowships, Theater 101 Audience Enrichment Seminar, administration of Round One of the NEA New Play Development Program and major convenings of American artists and arts administrators around issues facing the new play sector.

Under the leadership of Arena Stage Artistic Director Molly Smith, the Institute is guided by Arena Stage Associate Artistic Director David Dower and works in partnership with Georgetown University’s Theater Department, led by Dr. Derek Goldman. The American Voices New Play Institute is made possible through the keystone gift of $1.1 million in support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

"With the launching of the residencies for the American Voices New Play Institute under the visionary funding of the Mellon Foundation, we at Arena Stage are eager to support and help transform play development around the country,“ said Smith. “These writers are so different; my mouth is literally watering at the thought of what each may write. From major dramas to musicals, comedies, one-person plays and interview-based stories, the range is exhilarating. Now the writers will have the time, support and finances to be able to do their best work. Each writer is splendid and has the talent and insight to surprise us all.”

The primary purpose of the residency is to write plays and to advance professional outcomes for the participating writers, as well as to help Arena Stage test and develop best practices for such residencies in theaters around the country. The playwrights will determine their individual involvement in the life of the theater company. Ultimately, Arena Stage hopes the Institute will make the case for the power, practicality and impact of resident playwrights in regional theaters nationwide.

"This first cohort of playwrights is going to really advance the inquiry here at Arena Stage,” shared Dower. “They come at it from so many different perspectives on form, process and story, and they have all grabbed hold of the opportunity to help develop the role of the playwright in the institutions of the regional theater. So I expect we'll not only see work they write popping up on stages around the country, but I hope through their leadership we'll see increased opportunities for playwrights' residencies around the field."

This is one of the most exciting initiatives by any American theatre company. The nurturing of playwrights is essential for the theatre's future.

For more information regarding all of the American Voices New Play Institute programs please visit www.arenastage.org/institute.

"Carnival" at Goodspeed Musicals has Acrobats, Jugglers, Puppets and Magicians

2010-06-09T13:24:00.008-04:00

The original cast album design for Carnival.
Carnival is one of those classic book musicals that tells a heartbreaking love story surrounded by the color and vibrancy of a traveling troupe of artists. With a gorgeous score by the almost forgotten Bob Merrill, it is a musical I actually saw on Broadway with Anna Maria Alberghetti in the lead role of Lili, a young innocent.

Scheduled to run from July 9 – Sept 18 at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Conn. This production will officially open on August 4, 2010. The last time I saw this musical was at the Berkshire Theatre Festival in 1979 or so. It's been a long time waiting for a top notch production, which the Goodspeed name always promises.

Lauren WorshamThe magical and heart-warming tale of a naïve young woman who eagerly joins a traveling circus. Surrounded by a riot of acrobats and jugglers, music makers and clowns, she is dazzled at first by the troupe’s manipulative magician. In the end she finds happiness with a disillusioned puppeteer who can only express himself through his delightful puppets. Based on the film Lili and with songs like “Love Makes the World Go Round” and "Her Face," Carnival! casts a romantic spell over the entire audience.

In addition to the Music and Lyrics by Bob Merrill Carnival's book is by Michael Stewart, based on Material by Helen Deutsch with Revisions by Francine Pascal.

Now to the cast. Lili will be played by Lauren Worsham whose gorgeous voice I heard up at the Weston, VT Playhouse two summers ago in Adam Guettel's Light in the Piazza. She broke my heart with her acting.

Adam MonleyPaul will be played by Adam Monley who appeared on Broadway in Mamma Mia! . Mr. Monley played Dominque in The Norma Terris production of The Baker’s Wife.

Marco will be played by Mike McGowan whose Broadway credits include Ragtime, Grease, The Apple Tree and The Producers. Mr. McGowan previously performed in Goodspeed’s 2001 production of They All Laughed.

Rosalie will be played by Michelle Blakely who performed the Broadway revivals of Annie Get Your Gun and Grease. Jacquot will be played by Nathan Klau. Schlegel will be played by Laurent Giroux whose Broadway credits include The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Dancin’ and Pippin. Mr. Giroux returns to Goodspeed where previously he played M. le Marquis in The Baker’s Wife.

Joshua DeanThe ensemble will include Joshua Dean and Ben Franklin, co-founders for New York based aerial theatre company Suspended Cirque. Mr. Dean has performed around the world as a ballet, modern, and musical theater dancer. Mr. Franklin has performed all over the world as an actor/singer/dancer. He has worked in numerous regional theatres, national tours, world cruises, Off-Broadway, and Lincoln Center.

Price Waldman from Broadway’s The Little Mermaid and Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! joins the ensemble. Mr. Waldman returns to Goodspeed where he previously performed in Sweeney Todd and Amour.

Other members of the ensemble include Timothy Hughes, Kara Kimmer (Goodspeed’s A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum), Robin Masella, Clifton Samuels, Amy Shure, Justin Urso and Dana Winkle (Goodspeed’s Pippin and Mack & Mabel). The swings will be Miguel Edson and Melissa Steadman.

Carnival! will be directed by Darko Tresnjak, who directed Goodspeed Musicals’ Amour and A Little Night Music. Carnival! will be choreographed by Peggy Hickey, whose previous Goodspeed Musicals credits include Brigadoon, King of Hearts, Amour, On The Twentieth Century, and A Little Night Music.

Scenic designs will be by David P. Gordon whose New York Credits include String Fever, Cheat, and Princess Turandot. Mr. Gordon also designed the Goodspeed production of A Little Night Music.

Costume Design will be by Fabio Toblini. Mr. Toblini has served as Assistant Costume Designer for Broadway’s Triumph of Love and assisted Costume Designer Ann Hould-Ward with her Broadway sensation Beauty and the Beast . Mr. Toblini served as Assistant Costume designer for Goodspeed’s revival of Man of LaMancha in 2000.

Lighting design will be by John Lasiter whose designs for Goodspeed Musicals include Annie Get Your Gun, Camelot, Big River and 1776. His off-Broadway credits include The Seagull, Common Vision, and Make Me A Song.

Puppet designer for Carnival! will be Robert Smythe. Mr. Smythe is considered one of the foremost puppet artists in the United States. As the founder and Artistic Director of Mum Puppettheatre, the only regional theater in the United States devoted to puppetry, he wrote, directed and performed over 20 original productions using puppets, masks and human actors.

The Music Director for Carnival! will be Michael O’Flaherty. He is in his 19th season as Goodspeed’s Resident Music Director. F. Wade Russo will be Assistant Music Director. Orchestrations will be provided by Dan DeLange, who provided the orchestrations for Goodspeed Musicals’ Annie Get Your Gun, Camelot, 42nd Street, Half a Sixpence, High Button Shoes, Singin’ in the Rain, The Boy Friend, Red Hot and Blue, Call Me Madam, and Babes in Arms. Carnival! is produced for Goodspeed Musicals by Michael P. Price.

Performances and Tickets

Carnival! will run July 9 through September 18, 2010. Curtain times are Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Thursday at 7:30 p.m. (with select performances at 2:00 p.m.), Friday at 8:00 p.m., Saturday at 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. (with select performances at 6:30 p.m.). Tickets are available through the Box Office (860.873.8668), open seven days a week, or on-line at www.goodspeed.org.

Dennis Hopper. actor and art collector

2010-05-31T22:39:00.008-04:00

"I started acting at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego, from the time I was thirteen years old to when I was seventeen. I was doing Shakespeare and plays at the Old Globe in Balboa Park." Dennis Hopper

Dennis Hopper (1946-2010) and some of his beloved paintings.
If you read the celebrity columns and blogs, Dennis Hopper is often treated as an oddball, an eccentric actor. Much of it is true. Once spurned by Hollywood and nearly destroyed by drugs, he bounced back as so many of us do. And over a long career he worked hard to redeem his reputation.

In later years, his feet were solidly planted on the ground. For one thing he collected art. Not as an investment (though he seems to have quite an eye for emerging artists) but as a tool, perhaps even an obsession that enriched his acting. For another, he voted Republican, something most people are surprised to learn. He was a wonderfully complex person, a living contradiction.

"My whole written history is one big lie! [laughs] I mean, I can't even believe my history. But I did have the first Campbell's Soup painting. It was in the office at Virginia Dwan's, and I bought it for $75. This is '62 or '63. "Dennis Hopper

We will miss him, Perhaps the best memory we could take away of him is that of someone who was as curious about the visual arts as about life.

Broadway has another Billion Dollar Year

2010-05-26T12:52:00.008-04:00

Actually, only a couple of theatres are on Broadway itself.

The Broadway League released end-of-season statistics for the 2009 – 2010 season, which began May 25, 2009 and ended May 23, 2010. For the 2009 – 2010 season, Broadway shows yielded $1.02 billion in grosses, and total attendances reached 11.89 million.

Grosses are up 1.5% from last season's absolute numbers (which do not include Young Frankenstein*). Attendance is down 3.0% from the 2008 – 2009 season, also using absolute numbers.

Charlotte St. Martin, Executive Director of The Broadway League, said, “Using the numbers we know, grosses were up 1.5% over last season. However, if we factor in estimated figures for Young Frankenstein which ran 32 weeks in 2008 – 2009, it could be down slightly this season – perhaps as much as 1.0% in grosses. In any case, it seems that even in this current economic climate, the numbers are strong thanks to the vibrancy of this season's offerings.“

The League recently studied the demographics of theatre-goers and found that, for Broadway, international visitors accounted for one in five admissions. Tourists in general accounted for a whopping 63% of Broadway admissions, though that could be a misleading statistic since under their parameters I would be considered a tourist, not the Broadway regular I consider myself.

The report also shows that the use of the Internet for the purchase of tickets has grown by 471% since the 1999-2000 season (from 7% to 40%). Online purchase was the most popular method of ticket buying for a fifth year in row.

During the 2009-2010 season, 39 shows opened (11 new musicals, 14 new plays, 6 musical revivals, and 8 play revivals).

The total for 2009-10 was $1.02 billion vs. $1.00 billion in 2008-9.

The more important figure was the gross attendance and that was 11.89 million in the last year, vs. 12.25 million the year before, representing a decline.

Broadway audience is aging
The average age of the Broadway theatregoer was 42.2 years old, slightly older than last season, while those aged from 25-34accounted for 16% of all tickets sold, higher than it has been since the 1999-2000 season. But younger audiences generally seem to prefer the more edgy (and cheaper) offerings of off-Broadway and off-off Broadway houses.

Broadway theatregoers were a very well educated and affluent group. In addition to an annual reported income of $195,700, 73% of theatregoers over the age of 25 had completed college and 36% had earned a graduate degree.

“Broadway is a national pastime! As there is more of a choice for the theatregoer than ever before, it is exciting to report that we are seeing a wider audience for Broadway. Our shows, and our audience, are more diverse than ever,” continued Charlotte St. Martin. “With our goal to make Broadway a stronger international brand, we do believe that the increased attendance from foreign visitors to New York City reflects that these efforts are working. A stronger international brand will not only be an asset for Broadway’s business, but for the New York City economy as well.”

*Estimates for Young Frankenstein, which played 32 weeks during the 2008-09 season are not included here (previews began 10/11/07, closed 1/4/09 ) The producers refused to cooperate with the Broadway League and insisted on keeping their numbers to themselves.

Goodspeed Musicals "Annie Get Your Gun" Hits a Bullseye

2010-05-18T20:25:00.012-04:00

The Company of Annie Get Your Gun at Goodspeed Opera House until July 3. Photos by Diane Sobolewski.
Theatre companies do Broadway musicals all the time, but few productions ever seem to measure up to the originals. The one reliable exception is the little Goodspeed Opera House, hidden away in East Haddam, Connecticut, just southeast of Hartford. This is one company that almost always hits a bullseye.

Jenn Gambatese as Annie Oakley

Since Irving Berlin's Annie Get Your Gun opened this past weekend, we had to revisit this musical tale about Annie Oakley (1860-1926), who was a sharpshooter from Ohio, and her husband, Frank Butler.

The verdict? The audience rewarded it with wildly enthusiastic applause, and so did I. It's fresh, funny and fabulous. The love they lavished on this musical is right up there on stage to hear and see. There's an energetic cast of two dozen singers and dancers who put their hearts into the show. The choreography by Noah Racey was dazzling. The work of the hard working performers was enhanced by the sparkling sound, with eight top notch musicians in the orchestra pit.

This edition of Annie Get Your Gun is not the same as the original, however. Cuts - most significantly of "I'm An Indian Too" - and updates were made to both book and song to bring it into the 21st Century, and to avoid some of the earlier racist cliches that were common in the mid 1940's.

From the opening notes of "There's No Business Like Show Business" to the rip roaring final duet of "Anything You Can Do" the two lead actors, Jenn Gambatese as Annie Oakley and Kevin Earley as Frank Butler filled the hall with glorious singing and acting that made the old fashioned book almost believable. Despite all its puns the audience loved every line, got every joke. I had a grin that went from ear to ear for most of the show. So much so that my jaw is sore today.

Kevin Earley as Frank Butler and the company of Annie Get Your Gun at Goodspeed Opera House.
Success of course has many mothers. Nevertheless, a big portion of the credit has to go the incredibly clever director, Rob Ruggiero who used every inch of stage space available. His cast swarmed and swirled under the big top, through the crowned heads of Europe and into a high society gathering. One dance took place on the top of a railroad car which rolled on and off stage with ease.

David McDonald made Buffalo Bill Cody a gentleman ringmaster in this role. Equally impressive were Bill Nabel as Pawnee Bill and Rebecca Watson as Dolly Tate. Impeccable timing in delivering his lines was Chief Sitting Bull played by the delightful Michael Nichols.

Orville Mendoza - who I first heard at Barrington Stage Company - carried the roles of Running Deer and several others over the course of the evening.

Rounding out the major figures are the two lovers Winnie Tate (Chelsea Morgan Stock and Tommy Keeler (Andrew Cao). Their voices were sweet, if not terribly loud.

As usual, the Goodspeed's production was world class, even with the limited playing space this jewel box of a theatre has to work with. Michael Schweikardt's set was highly creative, billowing posters and curtains doing the work of dividing the locations and scenes with speed and decisiveness. The costumes by Alejo Vietti were just amazing to see, detailed right down to the dirt and grime on Annie's leather and rough hewn clothes.

Anyone who is looking for a top notch musical - of the old fashioned variety - should find their way to East Haddam and see this superb company for themselves. You will quickly discover why Goodspeed is the home of Broadway hits - they have sent more musicals to Broadway than any other regional theatre company.

Annie Get Your Gun. Music and lyrics by Irving Berlin. Original Book by Herbert and Dorothy Fields. Revised by Peter Stone. First performance April 16, 2010. Recently extended to play to July 3. Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, Connecticut. About 2 hours, 15 minutes with one intermission. http://www.goodspeed.org/

Roger Rees and Sir Ian McKellan mistaken for bums in Sydney

2010-05-12T13:19:00.008-04:00

Sir Ian McKellan mistaken for a bum by a passerby who dropped a dollar in his hat.
If there is anything more dangerous than a "method" actor, it's a "method" costume designer. Put the two together and the public can be easily fooled.

Ian McKellen was taking a break during rehearsals for Waiting for Godot which he and Roger Rees (former Williamstown Theatre Festival Artistic Dirextor) first did in London and are now performing in Australia.

Roger Rees (top) and Ian McKellan take their routine on the road.

As fate would have it, Sir Ian is sitting a short distance from the stage door, Estragon's bowler in hand when a passerby takes one look at the aging, threadbare actor and drops a dollar in the hat.

Of course, that prompted the publicist to set up some photographs which we most happily reprint here.

McKelan hopes the Melbourne critics will be as kind.
After Waiting For Godot finishes its run in Melbourne, it will continue on to Sydney, Adelaide and Perth.
The Samuel Beckett play was a huge success in London's West End, with Sir Ian starring as Estragon opposite Patrick Stewart's and then Roger Rees's Vladimir.

Sir Ian McKellan attracts stares as he continues to wait for Godot in full public view.

You can ead more at: The Daily Mail.

Sir Ian has a wicked sense or irony:

Concert Hall Decorum Loses to PaGAGnini Players

2010-05-06T10:55:00.008-04:00

The Pagagnini Quartet.
They begin as any chamber concert does, with a pensive pianissimo passage of a Bach Brandenburg or the Pachebel Canon in d. Their playing is superb. The audience is rapt. Then...cleverly choreographed chaos erupts. The Pagagnini Quartet is off and running and the evening erupts in hilarity. It's about as entertaining as classical music ever gets.

Descended from a squiggly line of classical clowns, from Spike Jones (Carmen Ghia) to Anna Russell to PDQ Bach, the Pagagnini foursome is clearly out to have a good time. Their audiences respond with endless cheering and laughter. The group, from Spain, is about to appear in New York City and we want to be sure you know about them.

Their high voltage show makes quite a racket, and the choreography requires their playing to be almost acrobatic as they pluck, bow and abuse their instruments in the name of art. This video will give you a good idea of what they are up to.

They play the New Victory Theatre in Manhattan from May 7 - 23. Performances are Fridays at 7pm, Saturdays at 2pm and 7pm, and Sundays at 12pm and 5pm.

Regular ticket prices are $35, $25, $12.50. With our code your discount price is only $29.75, $21.25, $10.50.

When you call for tickets, (646-223-3010) be sure to mention code GAG1915.

You can also order on line directly from the New Victory Theatre. Again, when prompted, enter the code GAG1915 for your special pricing. Or bring a copy of this advance story to the box office at 209 West 42nd Street.

Cirque du Soleil's "OvO" Arrives in Hartford June 17

2010-04-30T09:19:00.012-04:00

"Families will literally BUG OUT and HAVE A BLAST"
- Time Out Kids
Cirque du Soleil's Grand Chapiteau (Big Top) returns to Market Street in Hartford June 17 for OvO, a show teeming with insects.

OvO is the most jaw dropping spectacle yet from the Cirque du Soleil, and it is creating significant buzz as the best touring show this company has ever put on the road. Currently playing in New York City (Randall's Island Park) to June 6, the company will pack up its tent and move to Hartford June 17 to July 4 and then Boston from July 22 to August 15.

In Hartford it is conveniently located at the intersection of I-84 and I-91 (Northwest corner). In Boston the blue and yellow tent will be found at Fan Pier and Pier 4 instead of Suffolk Downs.

All About OvO

OvO is a headlong rush into a colorful ecosystem teeming with life, where insects work, eat, crawl, flutter, play, fight and look for love in a non-stop riot of energy and movement. The insects’ home is a world of biodiversity and beauty filled with noisy action and moments of quiet emotion.

When a mysterious egg appears in their midst, the insects are awestruck and intensely curious about this iconic object that represents the enigma and cycles of their lives. It’s love at first sight when a gawky, quirky insect arrives in this bustling community and a fabulous ladybug catches his eye – and the feeling is mutual.

Cirque du Soleil's OvO is visually stunning.

As anyone who has seen a Cirque show knows, their sows are overflowing with contrasts. The hidden, secret world at our feet is revealed as tender and torrid, noisy and quiet, peaceful and chaotic. And as the sun rises on a bright new day the vibrant cycle of insect life begins anew.

The cast of OvO comprises 54 performing artists from 16 countries and director Deborah Colker, a renowned choreographer, has integrated dance movements into many of the acts in the show. Colker is the first female Director at Cirque du Soleil.

OvO features many acrobatic acts including a stunning flying trapeze act: Six flyers soar 40 feet in the air, making this act the biggest of its kind ever presented under a big top by Cirque du Soleil. It combines many circus disciplines: banquine, Russian swing and swinging chair. The finale features 20 artists running, jumping and leaping up a 24-foot vertical wall.

The playing space envelops and involves the audience.
The Creative Team behind the world of OvO is: Artistic Guides Guy Laliberté and Gilles Ste-Croix; Writer, Director and Choreographer Deborah Colker; Director of Creation Chantal Tremblay; Set and props Designer Gringo Cardia; Costume Designer Liz Vandal; Composer and Musical Director Berna Ceppas; Lighting Designer Éric Champoux; Sound Designer Jonathan Deans; Acrobatic Equipment and Rigging Designer Fred Gérard; Acrobatic Performance Designer Philippe Aubertin; and Makeup Designer Julie Bégin.

iShares is the presenting sponsor of the 2010 U.S. tour of OvO. Sun Life Financial, CGI, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts and American Express are the official sponsors.

Everything about OvO is extravagant: huge cast, live music, incredible costumes, clowns, acrobats, what's not to like?

"WHAT A SHOW! To say audiences are wowed is an understatement."
"It's not just great family fun; it's breathtaking."
- The Huffington Post.com

Ticket Information

The performances are Tuesdays thru Thursdays at 8:00 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays at 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. No performances on Mondays. Tickets will be available as of this Sunday, April 11 at 9 a.m. via www.cirquedusoleil.com/ovo or at 1-800-450-1480. Tickets for adults are from $45 to $125 and tickets for children are from $31.50 to $87.50. A VIP Tapis Rouge™ package is also available. It includes one of the best seats in the house, as well as access to the VIP suite one hour before the show and during intermission. The adult package is available for $250 and the child package for $175 (aged 2 to 12 years old). Prices include taxes.

Fewer Jukebox Musicals and More Plays About Sports, Please

2010-04-23T10:38:00.014-04:00

George Merrick and Shannon Lewis
in a publicity photo for Damn Yankees at Boston's North Shore Music Theatre in 2006.

Thank goodness for Damn Yankees. It's probably the best sports musical ever written, and for those of us in the Northeast, we will be able to enjoy it again August 5-21 at the Weston, VT Playhouse.

(For a rundown on the Berkshire's Summer of 2010 Schedules, visit Berkshire on Stage which lists all the major companies.)

I first saw it in its original Broadway outing back in the late fifties, and have never stopped loving it. "You've Gotta Have Heart" and "Whatever Lola Wants" are so eminently hummable while "Steam Heat" can be a great dance number.

Instead, lately it seems the jukebox musicals are becoming the new form for musicals, from Mamma Mia! and Jersey Boys to Rock of Ages and American Idiot, that last one recycling a Green Day 2004 album. Now, there is no question that the music in question is good, even great, but the underpinnings, the book, the plot, the depth is pretty shallow. In Damn Yankees we have the issue of selling one's soul to the Devil while in Mamma Mia! we have a pastiche.

Here in the Berkshires we have the additional curse of the "tribute" shows, including one which I attended that supposedly saluted ABBA. In the middle of the show they scrapped ABBA and started playing anti-Disco music which clearly showed they hated playing ABBA in the first place. It was insulting to those who paid to enjoy the songs of the Swedish pop group. The venues who book these scandalous second rate shows are shortchanging their audiences and endangering their "brand" by diluting it with pap.

Audiences love these pop music revues, and there is no shortage of ticket buyers, so what is a commercial producer to do?

The lack of substance in musicals has always been a problem. But would you swap Sweet Charity for say, Footloose?

Sucker Punch at London's Royal Court Theatre

Sports musicals are rare, and plays about the subject are few and far between. Here we can count our blessings that Kate Maguire (Artistic Director of the Berkshire Theatre Festival) is a fan, a BIG fan of baseball. WIthout her, we would never have gotten to see the nostalgic and impressive Red Remembers last fall.

But isn't it about time someone did a credible job on Take Me Out, also about baseball players? Roy Williams new play about boxing, Sucker Punch is also intriguing. In the UK there are lots of plays about rugby, cricket and their version of football, but where is the American basketball or football tale to keep audiences riveted to the stage.

Dave Garrison as Red Barber in the Berkshire Theatre Festival play, Red Remembers.
Don't think there aren't sports fans in the audience, and theatre lovers at the stadium cheering on the local team. Audiences cross over all the time. Indeed I contend that a someone at the baseball stadium is more likely to buy a ticket to a stage show than some television viewer watching Survivor.

The world is divided into those who sit at home and those that go out. People who are always out and about will eventually discover local theatre and music. The couch potatoes only leave the nest to scoop up more junk at WalMart.

To expand audiences for the arts, it is possible that sports could be a better magnet to draw new people in than the jukebox.

Annie, Get Your Earplugs! Dueling Musicals in May

2010-04-16T12:23:00.006-04:00

Jenn Gambatese is Annie Oakley in Goodspeed Musicals' ANNIE GET YOUR GUN Photo by Diane Sobolewski.

When Irving Berlin wrote Annie Get Your Gun, he wrote a classic. It's the show that introduced "There's No Business Like Show Business" to the world which has become an anthem. In just a matter of weeks we will have two versions of this great musical within striking distance of the Berkshires.

But like the other famous song in the show, "Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better," it will be easy to pick which show you want to see. You see there is the scaled down MacHaydn version in Chatham, NY which runs from May 27 to June 6 or the Goodspeed Opera House full bore production in East Haddam, CT which runs from April 16 to June 27. If you are a WalMart shopper you will love the MacHaydn version where tickets are only $26-28. It's done in the round, with some pretty fine singers, but there are problems. Certainly having to look at the back of an actor's head is no fun, and doing musicals on a stage that is barely larger than a pizza platter doesn't leave room for much for scenery or choreography.

Then there is the matter of the sound. At the Mac it seems limited to a piano and synthesizer to emulate what a band or orchestra should rightly be playing.

The MacHaydn has scores of loyal fans who will no doubt throw their walkers and canes at me for writing such harsh words, but bad music clearly does not seem to bother the geriatric set which predominates, especially at matinees. I apoloigize in advance for the snark attack, but don't you think that when you can't hear very well anyway, it likely doesn't matter much?

I have friends who don't mind. But it is their achilles heel. You can certainly see for yourself and come back and comment here. Tickets and information is available at http://www.machaydntheatre.org/

The Alternative

Jenn Gambatese as Annie Oakley with Jessie, Nellie & Little Jake (Joy Rachel Del Valle, Griffin Birney, Marissa Smoker) Photo by Diane Sobolewski
On the other hand there is the Annie Get Your Gun being staged at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, CT. This is the upscale version with prices to match. Tickets are $27.50 to $71.00 though what you get is a decent sized group of live musicians, great sets and costumes and a cast that is drawn from Broadway. The Goodspeed has sent more musicals to Broadway than any other theatre company.

Kevin Earley (above) will play marksman Frank Butler opposite the sharp-shooting Annie Oakley played by Jenn Gabatese (below).

This Annie Get Your Gun will be directed by Rob Ruggiero whose work has been seen frequently in the Berkshires, as well as in award-winning regional theatres around the country. Mr. Ruggiero returns to Goodspeed where he directed 1776, Big River and last year’s sensation Camelot. His off-Broadway and tour credits include All Under Heaven and the world premieres of Ella and Make Me A Song, all of which he both conceived and directed. His newest production, Looped starring Valerie Harper, is currently running on Broadway.

Annie Get Your Gun was first staged on Broadway at the Imperial Theater on May 16, 1946 and ran for 1,147 performances. It was directed by Joshua Logan; Ethel Merman starred as Annie Oakley, and Ray Middleton played Frank Butler. Mary Martin starred as Annie Oakley in a U.S. national tour that started on October 3, 1947 in Dallas, Texas. Martin also did the television version back in the 1950's about the same time Merman was doing Happy Hunting on Broadway.

The Revival Changed a Lot of Songs.
I saw the most recent Broadway revival in 1999 that starred Tom Wopat and Bernadette Peters, an unlikely combination if ever there was one. It was not a success, and having seen it, I think both leads were miscast.

There is a good reason to see both versions: in the past some of the songs have been cut or revised due to the changing political climate and increasing respect for Native Americans. Musicals, often show their age, and this one does, though for those of us who lived through the period in which the original was written (1946) don't seem to notice the disconnect nearly as much as young people who are surprised by the subtle and overt racism. Still, it is a show that has all the classic ingredients including a wonderful score. Don't miss it.

Performances: April 16- June 27, Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Thursday at 7:30 p.m., (with select performances at 2:00 p.m.), Friday at 8:00 p.m., Saturday at 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. (with select performances at 6:30 p.m.).

Tickets:$27.50 - $71.00, Goodspeed Box Office (860.873.8668) or on-line at goodspeed.org

Pharmaceutical Marketing Explored in Orgasm, Inc. at MASS MoCA

2010-04-15T15:52:00.006-04:00

To go to film website, click here.

Pharmaceutical Marketing Explored in Orgasm, Inc.
Film at Mass MoCA

The final film in MASS MoCA's Lie, Cheat, Steal and Fake It documentary series is Orgasm, Inc., a feature-length documentary exploring the depths of female pleasure and the distances pharmaceutical companies will go just to make a buck. Orgasm Inc. will be screened on Thursday, April 29, at 7:30 PM in MASS MoCA's Club B-10. A full bar and snacks and Herrell's ice cream from Lickety Split will be available.

Filmmaker Liz Canner had been making documentaries on human rights issues such as genocide, police brutality, and world poverty for years when she decided to take a break and pursue something more pleasurable, no pun intended. When offered a job editing erotic videos for a pharmaceutical company that was developing an orgasm cream for women, she accepted. Excited about the opportunity to explore the mixture of science and female pleasure, she gained permission to document the work of her employers. She did not intend to create an exposé of the pharmaceutical world but, as she uncovered more about the process and goals of her employers, she felt compelled to dig deeper. She says, "[my] insider perspective allows the film to scrutinize the everyday patterns of pharmaceutical company work in order to explore a culture that has been perverted to place the drive for profit above our health."

The search for a female orgasm drug.
In the film, Canner uncovers a company, Vivus, who lost the race for a drug to aid erectile dysfunction when Pfizer beat it to the market with a much larger advertising budget. Vivus executives believe that their product will work just as well on wome, and the company forges ahead with development of a drug that has no particular "disease" that it is intended to cure. In an expert sleight of hand Vivus creates a new syndrome which its drug will treat: Female Sexual Dysfunction (FSD). The reason why thousands of women fail to enjoy intimacy is because they suffer from FSD, and Vivus becomes the largest advertiser and advocate for a cure.

Aside from meeting and interviewing drug company CEOs, field-testers, and number-crunchers, Canner films doctors, scientists, and psychiatrists who are resisting the pharmaceutical industry's notion that sexual dissatisfaction is a "disease" that needs to be treated with a drug. Additionally, she profiles a sex shop owner who crashes pharmaceutical conferences to educate the doctors in attendance, a vintage vibrator collector who provides insight into the history of female sexuality, and a professor whose monkeys have taught him to pay more attention to women. They all profess that the key to sexual satisfaction is to change not just our sex lives but also our society. Canner has stated that her disagreement is not about the idea of a drug to help women achieve satisfaction but rather the assumptions these drug-mongers make about who and what women are.

The film (and all the films in the Lie, Cheat, Steal and Fake It series) will be introduced by Williams College professor Shawn Rosenheim who will also lead a post-screening discussion with other scholars and activists.

Canner shooting the film Orgasm, Inc.
Canner earned a BA with honors in both Visual Arts and Anthropology from Brown University. Her subsequent work has received more than 40 awards, honors, and grants. Her projects have been supported by foundations such as The National Endowment for the Arts and the Paul Robeson Fund for Independent Media. A number of her films have been broadcast on PBS and on public television around the world. She has screened films at the New York Film Festival and the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival, among others. Her film, Deadly Embrace: Nicaragua, The World Bank and the IMF, on the effects of IMF and World Bank policy, was one of the first documentaries to look critically at globalization. Canner was also recently named one of the "top 10 independent filmmakers to watch" by The Independent Magazine.

Tickets for the screening of Orgasm, Inc. are $8 for adults and $5 for students. MASS MoCA members receive a 10% discount. Tickets are available through the MASS MoCA Box Office located off Marshall Street in North Tickets can also be charged by phone by calling 413.662.2111 during Box Office hours or purchased on line at www.massmoca.org. Snacks and Herrell's ice cream from Lickety Split and full bar are available before and during the film.

Commonwealth Opera's Fully Staged "Lucia" May 7-9 in Northampton

2010-04-11T14:23:00.007-04:00

Lucia is loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's historical novel The Bride of Lammermoor. It is a role that makes stars.
Opera in the Berkshires and Western Massachusetts has become a rare treat, and fully staged operas are to be cherished.

So it comes as great news that Commonwealth Opera, a professional opera company in residence in Northampton, Massachusetts, will be presenting two performances of Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor on Friday May 7 at 7:00 PM and Sunday May 9 at 2:00 PM at The Academy of Music Theatre in Northampton. Best of all, it is happening at a time that there is in the "shoulder" season, before the hectic summer.

November's Cosi fan Tutte marked Commonwealth Opera's debut as a fully professional company. The company itself was founded more than three decades ago.
For those who might not be familiar with Donizetti's masterpiece, the opera Lucia follows a tragic heroine caught between family obligations, a forceful brother’s will, and her true love - her family’s sworn enemy! This star-crossed love affair takes place in 17 century Scotland.

Enrico has promised his sister, Lucia, to Arturo, but Lucia loves Edgardo. Fearing her brother's rage, Lucia and Edgardo agree to keep their love a secret. Edgardo leaves on a diplomatic mission, but Enrico learns of his sister's relationship. In Edgardo's absence, Enrico gives Lucia a letter he forged to make her think that Edgardo has been unfaithful.

Devastated, Lucia consents to marry Arturo. Edgardo bursts into the wedding celebration to claim her, but seeing her infidelity he curses Lucia and leaves. Enrico follows Edgardo and challenges him to a duel, meanwhile Lucia and Arturo retire to their bridal chamber where Lucia stabs him to death and goes mad.

In the most famous scene of the opera, she wanders into the ongoing wedding festivities, crazed and covered in blood, imagining she is married to Edgardo, and then falls down dead. Awaiting Enrico's arrival for their duel, Edgardo learns of Lucia's death and, distraught, he stabs himself and dies, hoping to join his beloved in heaven.

This "Mad Scene, "Il dolce suono...Spargi d'amaro pianto," has historically been a vehicle for several coloratura sopranos (providing a breakthrough for Dame Joan Sutherland) and is a technically and expressively demanding piece as the video clip below demonstrates. It features Sumi Jo in a concert version of the aria. I can hardly wait to see it fully staged in Northampton.

Some sopranos, most notably Maria Callas, have performed the scene in a come scritto ("as written") fashion, adding minimal ornamentation to their interpretations. Most sopranos, however, add ornamentation to demonstrate their technical ability, as was the tradition in the bel canto period. This involves the addition and interpolation of trills, mordents, turns, runs and cadenzas. Almost all sopranos append cadenzas to the end of the "Mad Scene", sometimes ending them on a high E-flat.

Donizetti’s lush dramatic masterpiece comes to beautiful life in this new, fully staged period production directed by Eve Summer under the baton of Commonwealth Opera music director Ian Watson. This three act opera boasts stunning bel canto arias, magnificent choruses, and a passionate love story for the ages. The opera will be sung in its original Italian with a simultaneous projected English translation.

The scenic design is by Julia Noulin-Merat, costume design by Toni Elliott, and lighting design by Ben Pilat.

Ian Watson will conduct.

Cast:
Lucia...Andrea Chenoweth
Edgardo...Jin Ho Hwang
Enrico...Anton Belov
Raimondo...Paul Soper
Arturo...Giovanni Formisano
Alisa...Glorivy Arroyo
Normanno...Joseph Holmes

Tickets are priced from $10 - $50, and may be purchased directly through Commonwealth Opera (all box office fees will be waived) by calling 508-847-0517. The Academy of Music Theatre's box office begins sales April 16th at http://academyofmusictheatre.tix.com or at 413-584-9032 x105. Box office fees may apply. Some tickets will be available for students the day of performance at $8.00.

Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam - Soldier's Stories Resonate

2010-04-10T13:54:00.006-04:00

The Things They Carried at Barrington Stage April 15-17.
Tim O'Brien and David Rabe both served in Vietnam and lived to write about what they saw and felt. Rabe wrote for the stage and his Vietnam plays - "The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel," "Sticks and Bones," "The Orphan," and "Streamers," are still popular, perhaps because of the parallels they offer with Iraq and Afghanistan today.

Tim O'Brien wrote a book - a masterpiece, really - "The Things They Carried," and it will receive a staged reading April 15-17 at Barrington Stage Company. It is part of The Big Read currently being celebrated throughout the City of Pittsfield.

And it's the performances planned by Artistic Director Julianne Boyd and Producing Director Richard M. Parison, Jr that will likely be the most memorable and moving. The book has long been known to have the power to change the way people think about that war (or any war for that matter) and to understand how the first hand experience is nothing like the media drawn images we substitute for the real thing.

Actors participating in “The Things They Carried: A Staged Reading” include Tim Rush as Tim O’Brien, Alex Cendese and MacCleod Andrews as two soldiers in the Vietnam War, and Hannah Koczela (BSC’s “Carousel”) in the role of Tim O’Brien’s 11-year-old daughter.

Tim O'Brien's book about the men who live through endless war will come to life through a staged reading.
Three readings will be presented on Friday, April 16 and Saturday, April 17 at 7p.m. at the BSC Mainstage, 30 Union Street , Pittsfield. In addition to the Friday and Saturday readings, a matinee reading will be presented on Thursday, April 15 at 12:30p.m. for invited local schools and Vietnam veterans. Tickets are available for a suggested donation of $10 for adults, $5 for Vietnam veterans and youth ages 18 and under. Tickets may be reserved by calling the Box Office at 413-236-8888 or online at barringtonstageco.org

Today, Tim O'Brien teaches writing at Texas State University. His book, based on the events he experienced in 1969, is a series of short stories, slices of life as lived by the guys on the ground. When you talk with veterans of wars, you often get well-rehearsed war stories, or stoney silence and one word answers. The experiences are harrowing, but often uplifting too. It takes writers like o'Brien to give them substance and form. And an ensemble of gifted actors and directors to bring them to life on stage. This is one of those rare moments.

Far from home and love. Maya Alleruzzo Photo.

What Did They Carry?
They Carried Each Other.

"They carried P-38 can openers and heat tabs, watches and dog tags, insect repellent, gum, cigarettes, Zippo lighters, salt tablets, compress bandages, ponchos, Kool-Aid, two or three canteens of water, iodine tablets, sterno, LRRP- rations, and C-rations stuffed in socks. The carried standard fatigues, jungle boots, bush hats, flak jackets and steel pots.

They carried the M-16 assault rifle. They carried trip flares and Claymore mines, M-60 machine guns, the M-70 grenade launcher, M-14's, CAR-15's, Stoners, Swedish K's, 66mm Laws, shotguns, .45 caliber pistols, silencers, the sound of bullets, rockets, and choppers, and sometimes the sound of silence. They carried C-4 plastic explosives, an assortment of hand grenades, PRC-25 radios, knives and machetes.

Some carried napalm, CBU's and large bombs; some risked their lives to rescue others. Some escaped the fear, but dealt with the death and damage. Some made very hard decisions, and some just tried to survive.

They carried malaria, dysentery, ringworms and leaches. They carried the land itself as it hardened on their boots. They carried stationery, pencils, and pictures of their loved ones - real and imagined. They carried love for people in the real world and love for one another. And sometimes they disguised that love: "Don't mean nothin'!"

They carried memories

For the most part, they carried themselves with poise and a kind of dignity. Now and then, there were times when panic set in, and people squealed - or wanted to, but couldn't; when they twitched and made moaning sounds and covered their heads and said "Dear God" and hugged the earth and fired their weapons blindly and cringed and begged for the noise to stop and went wild and made stupid promises to themselves and God and their parents, hoping not to die.

They carried the traditions of the United States military, and memories and images of those who served before them. They carried grief, terror, longing and their reputations. They carried the soldier's greatest fear: the embarrassment of dishonor. They crawled into tunnels, walked point, and advanced under fire, so as not to die of embarrassment. They were afraid of dying, but too afraid to show it. They carried the emotional baggage of men and women who might die at any moment. They carried the weight of the world. "

Wilco Solid Sound Festival at Mass MoCA from August 13-15

2010-04-08T02:17:00.026-04:00

Wilco, arguably the greatest rock band working today.
I think Wilco is a brilliant and innovative programming choice for Mass MoCA. It is also the best thing to happen in North Adams in years. It is the sort of popular attraction that will make North Adams the center of the universe for fans of rock and roll. Ready or not, this is no cookie cutter event, it's our own mini-Woodstock. Let's hope the city of Spaghetti Suppers and 50/50 raffles has the class to pull off such an important and highly visible event.

One of the unusual amenities being promised is a bicycle valet. Now that is out of the box thinking!

Using the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail? You can take it from Lanesboro to Adams, but then it's Route 8 until the final leg is built. Waiting on the other end there will be a bicycle valet for the Festival, a first for Mass MoCA.
If you are wondering just how they are predicting 10,000 when the Hunter Center at max can hold 900 people standing, 650-700 sitting, there will be three stages set up at MMoCA. The main one will be in the huge field behind MMoCA that is partially owned by National Grid. It's an immense undertaking. Mass MoCA's tech staff is top notch, and handling three stages at once will require an awful lot of good people to pull off successfully.

From what I gather Wilco will not only perform as a band, but also individually.

Wilco will headline the festival with two performances, with additional individual performances by all the Wilco members’ side projects, including Glenn Kotche’s On Fillmore, The Nels Cline Singers, The Autumn Defense featuring John Stirratt and Pat Sansone and Mikael Jorgensen’s Pronto.

They are only selling weekend tickets not one day at a time, which admit purchasers to every event. It is a logistical challenge. If they follow their usual pattern of residencies, they will do half a dozen shows - or more - over the period, each one featuring different combinations of musicians and repertoire. They like to review their recordings without ever repeating a song on any of the set lists.

Fender bender Nils Cline.
There are incredible possibilities with this event, and I hope it succeeds. The Berkshires could develop a popular-rock-mainstream live performance series to equal Tanglewood, and this is the leading edge of a move towards that. That it will happen in the Northern Berkshires is something to cheer about.

Wilco last appeared at Tanglewood and garnered rave reviews even as the ushers tried to keep people plastered to their seats. I love Tanglewood (spent a summer there in the press office once) but the BSO management and trustees have dithered long enough and clearly does not want to dilute its image as a classical music venue by going populist.

Update and mea culpa: Since I wrote those harsh words, the BSO has announced the appearance of folk-rock group Crosby, Stills and Nash at Tanglewood, scheduled for September 1 in the Shed. In addition, jazz legend Herbie Hancock slated for August 9. The summer is shaping up to be a great one.

Though I continue to be concerned about the future of classical music, and the greying of its audiences. In recent times we have seen theatre, dance and contemporary art reinvent themselves over and over. But classical music has hardly changed in 150 years. There's a lot that can be done to bring in more young people, but change is incredibly difficult to sell to the benefactors who make mammoth operations like the BSO and other orchestras possible. It can't be done on ticket revenues alone, and those with the checkbooks call the shots.

Anyway, Stockbridge is in for some fun. And so too is North Adams. The Berkshries are in for something different, very populist, yet tinged with contemporary music, art and old fashioned money. The question is, will it draw a younger demographic, and will their needs be met as smoothly as the older crowds.

Let's hope there is a sensible balance between making sure it is a great experience for concert-goers and residents alike.

With the tickets now on sale I suggest you act soon since I sincerely doubt there will be any left by the time we get to the event itself. Of course the scalpers will try to get their pound of flesh. Word.

Below is the official announcement for the event.

The Hunter Center at Mass MoCA.
The SOLID SOUND FESTIVAL is a new festival curated by the Chicago band Wilco. It debuts August 13 - 15 at MASS MoCA (Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art) in North Adams, MA. The SOLID SOUND FESTIVAL is an independently promoted and ticketed three-day event of music, art, comedy, interactivity and more. Wilco headlines the weekend, in the bandʼs only East Coast performance of the summer. This new festival also presents individual performances by all the Wilco membersʼ side projects including Glenn Kotcheʼs On Fillmore, The Nels Cline Singers, The Autumn Defense featuring John Stirratt and Pat Sansone and Mikael Jorgensenʼs Pronto.

SOLID SOUND FESTIVAL at MASS MoCA also plays host to additional musical performances, a fully programmed comedy stage, interactive installations and exhibits (including the Solid Sound Stompbox Station, an interactive guitar pedal exhibit created and demonstrated by Wilco guitarist Nels Cline, a concert-poster screening demonstration, planned workshops by luthiers and more), plus film, video installations and djʼs. Festival attendees will have full access to the entire MASS MoCA campus, which incorporates 150,000 square feet of galleries. MASS MoCA, a renovated 19th century textile mill, is the largest center for contemporary visual and performing arts in the U.S.

Tickets for SOLID SOUND FESTIVAL are on sale this Friday, April 9 through the bandʼs official website wilcoworld.net and through solidsoundfestival.com. From April 9 to May 31 tickets for the three-day event will be available for $86.50 (including all fees and parking) and after June 1 for $99.50 (including all fees and parking).

Art on display during the festival includes the Sol LeWitt wall Drawing Retrospective (chosen #1 exhibition of the year by Time magazine); Inigo Manglano-Ovalle's Gravity is a Force to be Reckoned With; a major exhibition of work by Petah Coyne; Material World: Sculpture to Environment, a group exhibition; Leonard Nimoy's Secret Selves; and a new installation by Michael Oatman.

Tickets for Wilco's Solid Sound Festival will go on sale on-line on Friday, April 9, at 10 AM through www.massmoca.org or at 11 AM in person at the MASS MoCA Box Office. More information is available at www.solidsoundfestival.com. From April 9 to May 31 tickets for the three-day event are $78, after June 1 tickets are $91. Children under 6 are free. The event is rain or shine. Tickets are general admission and are available through the MASS MoCA Box Office located on Marshall Street in North Adams from 11 AM until 5 PM daily.

Cabaret Open Mic with Katie Johnson at Taylors in North Adams

2010-04-02T15:16:00.022-04:00

Portrait of Katie as an Artist.

When local songstress Katie Johnson plays host for a Broadway Open Mic Night on April 16, she will be stepping into a new role as entrepreneur extroadinaire. 

Based on a wildly popular similar event a year ago, it's part soirée, part cabaret, and part reunion, featuring an open mic and some of the Berkshires best singers. You never know exactly who is going to sing, or what, but it's a rip roaring good time. And there is a bit of humor and irony squeezed in between the notes.

Katie Johnson will host a Cabaret at Taylor's April 16th.
Katie Johnson is an impassioned artist who has a trumpet of a voice that lends itself to boldly expressive singing. Katie was a huge hit at last year's highly successful Cabaret Night. Katie's credits include but are not limited to Urinetown, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Fame: The Musical, Chicago, Annie, Sound of Music, and Cinderella.

Singers are encouraged to bring sheet music for their favorite Broadway or Cabaret tune and take a turn at the mic. The event is for one night only, on Friday, April 16, 2010; at 9:00 p.m. For tickets, call: 413.662.5204 and for general information, call: 413.664.8718.

Though Katie is gaining a following as a singer, she also has an impressive number of Facebook friends who revel in her witty postings. Yet not too much is known about the real person behind the microphone. So for the past week or so Arts America has been exchanging emails about her life and music.

So is this Cabaret at Taylor's a big deal?

 Its a HUGE deal. A Broadway open mic night in the Berkshires? Are you kidding? I've died and gone to heaven. When I'm revived, I will spread the news that I have seen the promised land and it is in North Adams, MA. Hallelujah!

For one thing, I've never hosted an open mic night before. And I don't consider myself a stand up comedienne by any stretch of the imagination so barring any unforeseen mishaps like sliding off the top of the piano while trying to channel Michelle Pfieffer in The Fabulous Baker Boys, it'll be more about letting everyone get a chance at the mic than clever one liners from me. I'm just going to try to be a classy, encouraging, mega-sexy host. My genius lies in my simplicity and fear of crickets. 

 Why do audiences love these informal gatherings so much?

 Some remarkably talented people love to sing at cabarets. Some who will be there are part of our theater scene, and others I met while studying under Sheri James Buxton, who has been my inspiration for years. With cabaret open mike, the response I always observe from new audience members is "What a great night, I had no idea there was so much talent!"

I also hear "Katie Johnson, you are talented and adorable. Why are you still single?" a lot.

And people can be so helpful. Recently, at a local cabaret, I had a women tell me that she didn't like my hair cut and gave me the number of her very expensive hair stylist in South County.

How anyone could pass up a night of live music and cocktails is beyond my comprehension. Its not about being the best singer.. its about saying something in a song that means something to you.

I can't afford therapy so I sing in cabarets.

Katie, l Let's talk about your piano player who supports all these different singers. It takes skill and fast reflexes to offer singers stylistic freedom while maintaining the tempo. A new singer’s expressive turns can't be known in advance. So the pianist has to be able to turn on a dime. Good ones are hard to find, right?

 I originally had asked Brian Usifer (you can read an earlier interview with Brian here) who I met performing in Fame the Musical in 2006 at Barrington Stage Company.

Happily for him and sadly for me, he's in rehearsal for a show in New York City and I would've had to drive him to Wassaic almost immediately after the cabaret and even doing that I was not sure I could get him back in time for his gig.

I almost panicked. Then I remembered that Carlton Maaia II is back in the Berks full time. He has saved the day. We met when he, Kara Demier and I worked together. He is one fantastic pianist. He knows musical theater, jazz and a great deal of other styles.

 He's also single, ladies..and devilishly handsome.  

Carlton Maaia II will be the Music Director.

When did you first know you wanted to sing?

For me it was a 6th grade moment. My teacher announced that the holiday concert needed singers for a "special" chorus. I desperately wanted to be in that chorus so I sat up straight in my chair and sang out as best I could as she walked up and down the aisles listening. She tapped my shoulder (which I think in today's school system would get her fired for inappropriate touching) and from then on I knew I would sing for the rest of my life.

 Of course, music was always around the house growing up, thanks to my father. He played early jazz, ragtime and a lot of the old Irish tunes. Not exactly the type of music a kid wants to listen to but it grew on me as I got older.

As I evolved, I grew to love the great standards and singers like Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Julie London, Peggy Lee and Betty Hutton.  

Katie Johnson as a Rasta Woman. She can sing in a variety of styles.
How do you select your songs?

 I pick songs that say something to me or I think speak in a unique voice. I listen to all genres of music all the time. Then a song will come along and knock me off my feet. A song like that just demands to be sung so people know how great it is.
 
A good example is Driving Naked by Nikos Tsakalakos and Jess Digiacinto which I first heard at Barrington Stage last year.

Barrington Stage is unique in their commitment to new music and musicals, aren't they.

The best. The Pool Boy by Nikos will get a fully staged production this year at their Music Lab. And Bill Finn hosts a show on Labor Day weekend every year at BSC called Songs by Ridiculously Talented Composers You Probably Don't Know But Should. He brings in all sorts of great talent. Students from the Musical Theater MFA program at NYU. Broadway singers from NYC. Locals. Bill introduces the audience to brand new songs written by these...well... ridiculously talented composers.

The promising composer, Nikos Tsakalakos whose Pool Boy will get a full production this summer at Barrington Stage.

 I love these younger composers like Nikos and Jess, Daniel Mate (who just won the 2010 Jonathan Larsen Foundation Grant) Anna Jacobs, Maggie-Kate Coleman, Sara Cooper, Zach Redler, and Bill Nelson. Then there are the usual suspects: Sondheim of course, Bill Finn, Marc Blitzstein, Kurt Weill, Hoagy Carmichael, Cole Porter, Mary Rodgers, Duke Ellington, Comden and Green, Billy Rose, Frank Loesser. A lot of great music is ageless, and new talents are constantly adding to the songbook.

  Where do you see your life and career going?

 In a perfectly normal family of hard working civil servants, I became the black sheep who was drawn to the arts. I live, eat and breathe it. Commercial, nonprofit, there are many choices. Lately I've been drawn to complexities of casting, and think I'd make a good theatrical agent. I have had the unbelievable good fortune to have gotten my feet wet at BSC where there is so much talent and innovation.

Singing can be fun too, especially though it helps with the rent if there is a paycheck involved. I really love singing for cocktails. But the level of training, talent and dedication that is needed to succeed is daunting. Perhaps with perseverance my day will arrive.

 Do you think there is enough of a critical mass to support Cabaret on a regular basis in the Berkshires?

We won't know until someone makes a serious commitment at it. Are there people who love to sing at cabarets? Yes. Is it easy to find a venue to host a regular cabaret night? It's a pretty unfamiliar way to make money for most restaurant and club owners. It won't happen overnight, but it can be done.

 I would love to parlay this night, if successful, into a once-a-month night at Barrington Stage at Stage 2 during the summer. I would love to share the stage with other singers who live or work in the Berkshires. To name a few, there's Jeff McCarthy, Harriet Harris, Tyne Daly, Michael Winther, Sally Wilfert, Heath Calvert. Donna Lynne Champlin, etc. These are people who can not only deliver a song, but also encourage local singers to stand up and do the same.  

Where do you go to be entertained?

Actor Frank LaFrazia and I are hooked on karaoke. Sometimes colleagues from Barrington Stage and the Berkshire Theatre Festival will get together for a night of drinks and song at Michael's in Stockbridge. And I love the Dream Away Lodge especially on Hootnanny night.

This past year, I've joined a rock/blues band with a few local guys that I call "The Alan Bauman Project". They are introducing me to music I never thought I could sing which excites me for every rehearsal. 

 Background:

 Katie Johnson, 32, was born and grew up in Lynn, MA, (City of Sin) and graduated from MCLA in North Adams, where she focused on Arts Management. She is Assistant to the Producing and Artistic Directors at Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield, MA. While currently happily ensconced at Barrington Stage Company, who knows what the future will bring.   When she acts as host for the Broadway Open Mic Night she will be stepping into a new role as entrepreneur extroadinaire. 

Cabaret Old and New - Songs, Stories and a little Burlesque

2010-03-29T16:02:00.020-04:00

Mighty Tiny (April 22-24) is an unusual choice for Cabaret, yet totally brilliant!

Cabaret takes many forms. Its range includes singers who keep the embers of great ballads alive, to the somewhat naughty Kit Kat Klub portrayed in the show and film Cabaret. But lately it is being reinvented especially by The Performance Lab in Boston. We'll get to them in a moment, but first some background.

Cabaret as an art form was born in the clubs of France and Germany in the late 1800's and became burlesque when it was transplanted to the United States. Baggy pants comedy soon gave way to fans, feathers and strippers and the last vestiges of that form died in the latter half of the 1900's. In Boston burlesque and pasties died when the Old Howard Casino in Scollay Square was razed to make room for Government Center. The Naked Eye bar continued the strippers, but not the art.

The late Nancy LaMott was the greatest cabaret artist of recent times.
Cabaret as personal music evolved separately. It sprung up in nightclubs and other small venues where the ladies like Eartha Kitt purred the lyrics, and men like Tom Anderson could bring tears to your eyes . It was Nancy LaMott and Michael Feinstein and it tended to bloom in upscale supper clubs like the Hotel Carlyle and the Rainbow Room of New York City,

Many Broadway stars found sustenance in cabaret when between shows. In Boston there was Blinstrub's until it burned down, and Freddy Taylor's Paul's Mall and sometimes even the Jazz Workshop. Lenny Sogoloff's Lenny's on the Turnpike even offered a chanteuse or two over the years.

But less visible have been the experimental cabaret practitioners like drag queens, experimentalists, and those who deliver acidic social commentary. For every Peggy Lee there has been a Tom Lehrer.

In my mind, Cirque du Soleil has its roots more in cabaret than circus. All Cirque shows feature a smallish band and live singers who act as the thread that holds the whole colorful tapestry together. And Baggy pant comedians? Well, more like clowns trained by Grotowski, and very sophisticated.

Cabaret then is a living art, still evolving. This spring and summer we will see a bit more of it in the Berkshires than in seasons past. In fact, 2010 kicks off with a Cabaret night at Taylor's in North Adams on April 16 with an open mic hosted by local favorite Katie Johnson. Katie and I are having an email discussion of the art form right now, which we will publish in April.

Creators of New Cabaret: (Top L) Jason Slavick, Artistic Director, (Top R) Rachel Hock, Artistic Associate and Webmaster, (BL) Kate Smolik, Production Manager and (BR) Josh Mocle, Media Coordinator
But now, to the main feature of this story, The Performance Lab, a new experimental theatre company based in Boston. They represent the new directions that cabaret as theatre is traveling.

Certainly The Berkshire Fringe has nibbled at the edges of this new form, as have many other groups. But the concept of The Performance Lab goes beyond anything most of us have seen before.

They will open their inaugural show, Le Cabaret Grimm –on April 8th in Boston.

Their first week features The Hubbub - a variety of performers drawn from the rich underground performance scene in Boston. The plan is to rotate the performers each week. Included are singers of songs, performers of poetry, and practitioners of burlesque, circus and more. They call this "a punk cabaret fairy tale (sans fairies)."

Johnny Blazes has a fluid sexual identity.
Le Cabaret Grimm and The Hubbub runs at The Boston Center for the Arts, April 8-24 in the Plaza Theatre. Performances times are Thursdays at 7:30, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00. The Hubbub will be hosted by its co-producer Johnny Blazes, a Boston-based cabaret performer whose gender-bending shows have toured throughout the US.

“We’re bringing a lot of cool things together in one place,” says Artistic Associate and Hubbub co-producer Rachel Hock. “There are so many exciting fringe happenings in Boston. This showcases what not a lot of people know about.”

The Performance LAB has partnered with Johnny Blazes to work with the fringe community. “Johnny has sharp insights putting together shows like this and is deeply connected to the alternative scene,” says Hock.

“I’m excited to work with some of my favorite people on the performance scene,” says Blazes. “It’s an opportunity to bridge two worlds that are important to me: the theatre scene and the variety arts scene.”

Lolita LaVamp lends some transgender talent to the new cabaret April 15-17.
The mission of The Performance LAB includes broadening the live entertainment offerings in Boston and expanding the audience for them. The LAB does this by bringing different audiences together and exposing them to new things.

“Boston has a history of being segregated – racially, geographically, culturally and sexually. We think of ourselves as an enlightened city, but to be that you have to experience things beyond your own comfort zone,” says Blazes. “When different communities interact there’s learning and exchange. That’s paramount to becoming a better society. We can’t call ourselves ‘the Greater Boston Community’ if we don’t have something connecting us across lines.”

Here's the line up for the three different shows:

Week 1 April 8-10

Walter Sickert & the ARmy of BRoken Toys.
Walter Sickert & the ARmy of BRoken Toys, combining music and performance art they create a SteamCrunk, Organic-Industrial experience. "Really, any fan of the Velvet Underground, the Dresden Dolls, or those haunted merry-go-rounds that turn up in horror movies shouldn't miss Walter and the Toys, who elegantly merge the essence of all three" (The Boston Globe)

Jojo, The Burlesque Poetess, a personal commissionable wordsmithy known for her Betty Boop antics and "accidentally fanny flashing".

JoJo is a burlesque poetess. You gotta have a gimmick, right?
Madge of Honor, a queer performance artist who tells stories through drag, burlesque, movement, innovative costuming, clowning and poetry. Madge of Honor is a regular performer with the Femme Show and at Traniwreck, Jacque’s Cabaret, the Middle East, Great Scott, and the Midway.

Week 2 April 15-17

The Boston Typewriter Orchestra
The Boston Typewriter Orchestra, a collective endeavor which engages in rhythmic typewriter manipulation combined with elements of performance, comedy and satire. BTO has been featured on NBC Weekend Today, WCVB Chronicle, FOX 25 News, Fox Cable News, National Public Radio, live on WMBR (MIT) and in several major newspapers.

Ms. Lolita LaVamp, a proud Puerto Rican transgender female Burlesque Artist. She has worked as a professional domme and was featured in the PBS Lesbian and Gay television news magazine "In The Life." She has also performed for Boiling Point Burlesque and The Slutcracker: A Christmas Burlesque. Ms. LaVamp has been involved in HIV Prevention and Education for the past 14 years, advocating for LGBTQ individuals.

Week 3 April 22-24

Mighty Tiny, a journey into the depths of musical madness guided by six masked lunatics playing tunes dating back to the golden days of Tin Pan Alley - those days where songwriting meant more than a weepy man with a guitar at your local coffee house.

Dominique Immora, shades of Cirque!
Dominique Immora, a hula hooping, fire eating, burlesque dancing, stilt walking, poi spinning, whip cracking and aerial hoop artist. Dominique, is one of the longest running fire acts in the northeast. She has won a number of accolades, including Best Solo at the 2007 Boston Burlesque Expo, and appears on Season 4 of America's Got Talent. She has been called "a one woman Cirque du Soleil" by the Boston Phoenix.

Tickets are on sale at www.BostonTheatreScene.com or by calling 617-933-8600, $20 for students and $35 for adults. Discount promotions are available from www.performancelaboratory.com, through Twitter and Facebook. To preview the music, see a webseries of the show or for more information go to www.performancelaboratory.com.

The Berkshire Beat is set to shake things up

2010-03-21T17:41:00.011-04:00

Proposed cover design by Kaitlyn Squires.
The first issue isn't even printed yet,and already the dream of an alternative to traditional arts coverage has caught fire.

Berkshire Beat has surfaced, via Facebook, and it has already turned people on to art and performance events that escape the attention of traditional media like the Berkshire Eagle. It is shaping up as the place to find out about the local, the truly experimental and exceptional that capture the attention of the younger demographic from high school and college to twenty-somethings.

What is amazing about the development, is that you can watch it happening in real time by visiting their Facebook page, largely fueled by the efforts of Caleb Hiliadis, a Waconah High School Senior with a journalistic career in mind. But he is the first to tell you that he is nothing more than one of many people - some 1500 to date - that are pushing this concept ahead.

As anyone who toils in the arts and cultural reporting scene can tell you, one person can not possibly keep up with everything that is happening in the ever expanding Berkshire cultural world. We have splendid coverage of the BSO and other "top" arts institutions, but the local scene, where the creative ferment really takes place, barely rates a mention in the weekly Advocate which has rested on its laurels for years. It could have been an alternative in the spirit of the Boston Phoenix, but instead tends to play it safe, with a fuzzy focus that results in half its coverage being spaghetti suppers and face painting, and half listings in type so small as to be unreadable. The only redeeming features are their writers Peter Bergman and Judith Fairweather.

Proposed cover design by Kathryn Collins.
Of the local media, Berkshire Living, Rural Intelligence and Berkshire Fine Arts do the best job of covering all the arts, including classical, jazz and rock yet they miss much of what is happening right under our noses. Too many events, too few reporters. (Disclosure: I've written some one hundred articles for Berkshire Fine Arts in the past couple of years and - until I began my blogs - was part of the problem.)

There are dozens of other outlets that specialize in various niches. Foremost among these is Gail Sez, written by Gail Burns who covers theatre not only in the Berkshires, but adjoining states, and rarely misses even the smallest theatre company.

With Berkshire Beat, in essence everyone becomes a reporter, the readers will also be out there looking for new things going on. The key here is that at some point mediocrity will have to be weeded out, and a really sharp editor is going to have to watch the spelling, syntax and personal pronouns.

The major force behind this publication, which will also have a strong online presence, is Philip LaPointe, Jr. of Lee, an Iraq war veteran with a vision. There is an active advisory board, and others involved include Brad Steele. It is their hope to launch a prototype edition in the next month or so to test the waters. Ultimately they foresee a controlled circulation distribution plan, with biweekly issues being sent to 15,000 readers.

Because they will focus on a lot of the newer, emerging bands, artists and writers - they have a niche for poetry and visual arts in their plans - their vision is wide ranging. Since the cost of print is high, and requires major advertiser support, it is likely that the magazine will be a tool that will bring even more people to their website and the content there.

There is a board which is doing the planning, but at this point it is all open concept.

I submitted a cover design as well.
For a peek at the ongoing birthing pains, drop in to their Facebook page or sign up for their newsletter.

Boston's Theatre Scene - Then and Now

2010-03-18T15:05:00.027-04:00

The Publick Theatre's Entertaining Mr. Sloane at the Boston Center for the Arts is wonderful. It stars an all-British cast. Pictured are the great Sandra Shipley with newcomer Jack Cutmore-Scott.
When I arrived in Boston in 1960 after an adolescence in the New York City area, I was shocked to find there wasn't very much in the way of a Boston theatre scene. The Colonial, Shubert and Wilbur Theatres were often lit with pre-Broadway tryouts and national touring companies fresh from Broadway, but the experimental, the daring and the surprising little companies were nowhere to be seen.

For a long time there was just the Charles Playhouse which made a valiant effort, and soon after that the Theatre Company of Boston which provided brief, brilliant flashes of creativity in the midst of an otherwise non-existent theatre community.

Al Pacino at last year's Norton Awards accepting a posthumous award for the late Paul Benedict. Photo Bill Brett from the Boston Globe Story.

Some of the luminaries were actors like Olympia Dukakis, Paul Benedict and Al Pacino. Because of the scarcity of real theatres, Pacino ended up performing Richard III in the sanctuary of the Church of the Covenant on Newbury Street.

A decade later I would be doing the marketing for the Pocket Mime Theatre in a little candy box of a theatre in the chapel of that same church, at a desk in Pacino's old dressing room. The little mime theatre even enticed Marcel Marceau to attend a performance and had a nice five year run until the fire inspectors discovered it.

They closed it down.

The late 60's and early 70's saw the birth of several additional resident theatres . Smaller companies like Lyric Stage (then on Charles Street) and the Publick Theatre struggled, and amazingly, survived.

But the Boston Repertory Theatre, The Proposition and Boston Shakespeare Company were brief shooting stars that burned out. They made valiant attempts to sink their roots into the cultural soil only to be rebuffed by the cultural elite who shoveled buckets of money to the BSO and MFA. Even the fledgeling Boston Ballet and ICA were treated like foundlings. It was a hardscrabble existence.

Arts Boston sells tickets in person and increasingly, on line too. Their second Bostix booth, designed by Graham Gund has become as much of a landmark as Copley Square itself.

But from this hardy bunch of pioneers grew Boston's first theatre league, which over time morphed into StageSource. Arts Service Organizations began to emerge, to help develop the management and financial expertise that artists needed. The Artists Foundation, Massachusetts Cultural Alliance are long gone, but Arts Boston remains. Perhaps that organization - which I ultimately headed for a decade in the 80's - knew that the most important thing for an artist is an audience. And the money ticket buyers bring. It's director, Catherine Peterson continues the Sisyphean task of finding warm paying bodies to fill otherwise cold, empty seats.

Soon Boston's two major colleges established the American Repertory Theatre at Harvard and the Huntington Theatre at BU. ART formed a resident company of actors who stayed with Robert Brustein (artistic director) for decades. Eventually he left and the brilliant Diane Paulus prefers rotating casts to fill the roles as needed. Meanwhile, Peter Altman played it safe at the Huntington, which mostly cast its productions from the New York pool of actors. His successors have drawn from both Boston and New York auditions.

Nicholas Martin was the Huntington Company's gift to Williamstown Theatre Festival. Here he is seen with actor Victor Garber.
Today there is a deep and significant reservoir of top talent which lives and works in Boston, although who can say "no" to an offer to go to Broadway, or even off-Broadway. Indeed, many of the ART and Huntington shows, especially under NIcholas Martin, made the transistion to New York. Martin left the Huntington and currently is planning the Williamstown Theatre Festival's summer season.

To my way of thinking, quite a few of what we used to call Boston's small theatres have grown to become mid-sized ones, with million dollar budgets to match. Foremost among them is Lyric Stage which, under the guidance of Spiro Veloudos, has cannily chosen shows with wide appeal and interest and kept its prices affordable. As my interview with him a year ago revealed, he is both creative and cautious.

The Adding Machine: The Musical from Speakeasy Stage is riveting.

On a recent trip to Boston I had the pleasure of seeing the latest work of the Publick Theatre, Entertaining Mr. Sloane (Review here), and the New England premiere of The Adding Machine: A Musical (Review here) at Speakeasy Stage Company. The quality of the productions was uniformly excellent, a testament to the growing strength of both these companies and our local talent pool.

Speakeasy follows The Adding Machine with Trailer Park: The Musical beginning April 3.

Lyric Stage opens Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill March 26, and closes its season with Blithe Spirit starting May 7.

Other companies that have continued to impress are the New Rep which opens Opus on March 28 and will follow with The Hot Mikado beginning May 2.

The Nora Theatre Company opens From Orchids to Octopi on March 31.

Zeitgeist Stage Company has their final production of the season, Farragut North slated to open on April 30 .

Le Cabaret Grimm from The Performance Lab.
And even as these companies continue to grow and develop their own theatrical locovore following, new companies are born with startling frequency. Among the most interesting of the new crop is The Performance LAB, an experimental theatre company. It will present the world premier of Le Cabaret Grimm, a punk-cabaret musical April 8-24 at the Boston Center for the Arts. The show is written and directed by Artistic Director Jason Slavick, with original music by Cassandra Marsh and choreography by Michelle Chasse. It will be their first show.

What is unusual is that it seems to be hip to the newest trends of younger audiences to mix their media. Slavick promises "a wickedly ironic sensibility" in a show that incorporates Cabaret, Steam Punk, Burlesque and old fashioned theatricality. The music reflects such influences as Tom Waits, Ska, R&B and the Dresden Dolls. “We’re using these fun, contemporary styles to draw in the audience” says Slavick, “but we’re combining them with classic tales that have a universal quality and resonate deeply.”

Interviewing Jack Cutmore-Scott about "Entertaining Mr. Sloane"

2010-03-02T18:23:00.018-05:00

An Actor Prepares.
When young actor Jack Cutmore-Scott, 22, strides onto the stage at the Boston Center for the Arts on March 11 in Entertaining Mr. Sloane, it's going to be a magical moment.

Bostonians will finally get to see this promising performer, a Harvard Senior, in the flesh. For all his theatrical credentials, this is really his first public professional appearance in the USA. The Publick Theatre is known for its crafty casting, and Cutmore-Scott not only looks the role of Mr. Sloane, he promises to follow in the footsteps of others who have used the role (Maxwell Caulfield and Chris Camack) to make lasting impressions on audiences.

Only 22 and already Jack Cutmore-Scott is a triple threat: actor, writer, director.
We talked with Jack via phone a few days ago as the rehearsal process got underway, and he is clearly excited about the professionals he is working with - director Eric Engel, and a superb group of actors which includes Nigel Gore (Ed), Dafydd Rees (Kemp), and the renowned Sandra Shipley (Kath).

Jack grew up in the Chelsea section of London, not far from Sloane Square. Perhaps it was a prescient sign that the role of Mr. Sloane in Joe Orton's comedy would one day be his.

He arrived at Harvard in 2006 to begin his studies and has undertaken a whirlwind slate of extracurricular activities - not just theatre, but film and television too. In a few short years he has performed in a dozen plays, directed or assisted in six others, and written (or helped to write) four original scripts. And that is just the tip of the iceberg.

Jack Cutmore Scott has racked up a lot of time on stage, and off. Here he gets drenched for a film.
About a year ago, he took on the title role in Shakespeare's Hamlet, following his earlier outing as Henry V. 2007 is remembered for his Max in Martin Sherman's Bent about the fate of gays in the holocaust. Most recently he appeared in Sartre's The Flies as Orestes.

But Cutmore-Scott is far more than just an actor. Last summer he wrote, directed and appeared in Breaking Up at the Loeb Experimental Theatre. It is clear that it is not just acting and applause that appeals to him, but the whole concept of theatre as a collaborative craft.

As a Senior, he is looking forward to graduating this year, and while his studies have concentrated on English and American Literature and Language, it is the theatrical side of his Harvard education that appeals.

Jack Cutmore-Scott as Mr. Sloane is irresistible. Susanne Nitter photo.
"Once I graduate I would like to continue doing what I have been doing here. Acting of course, but also directing and writing. I will likely head to New York City to try my luck there. But for me it is as much about making shows happen as actually being on the stage," he said. With this sort of wider view in mind, Jack is unlikely to remain available for long.

Jack's C.V. is already chock-a-block full of amazing credentials. After training with the British National Youth Theatre, he did a year-long stint at London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts before taking his original play, Making a Scene, to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It was well received.

But, we wondered, how did this all start.

"My first audition was almost by accident, and I ended up with a walk-on, walk-off role. But it introduced me to the world of theatre. Just watching the rehearsal process was the most amazing experience for me. Observing how the director worked with the actors revealed what interesting people they were," he said. Indeed, for many people seeing theatre people at work picking at the words, looking beneath the surface of things opens the mind to an expository way of looking at life, reading between the lines and seeing what is really going on. It is addictive.

"You pull it all apart, and then put it back together when you finally do it for real on stage...it's exciting," noted the actor. "And I find that often you get more out of the rehearsal process than you do onstage. You learn about yourself."

A rare moment to himself.
We turned to the Joe Orton play. Directed by Eric Engel, Entertaining Mr. Sloane revolves around the charming, enigmatic Sloane as he arrives to rent a room from Kath (Sandra Shipley), a lonely, delusional landlady, in the junkyard house she shares with her declining father, Kemp (Dafydd Rees). A handsome opportunist, Sloane quickly ingratiates himself, entering into seductions offered by both Kath, and her estranged brother Ed (Nigel Gore), who soon employs Sloane as his driver. Sloane’s past misdeeds and the dueling affections within the family soon collide, leading to a desperate act that proves the limit of his charms, and reveals the ruthless and cunning strategies that Sloane’s victims will engage in to preserve their unique arrangement.

The delusional landlady Kath (Sandra Shipley) and cunning yet charming new tenant Mr. Sloane (Jack Cutmore-Scott) test all boundaries at their first meeting in Joe Orton’s dark comedy Entertaining Mr. Sloane. Susanne Nitter photo.
I wondered if the play, first performed in 1964 has stood the test of time. "It's still very contemporary, and still speaks to us," said Cutmore-Scott. "Nevertheless," he says, "I am still grappling with the role of Mr. Sloane. He is a very fascinating and bombastic character. As we work through it scene to scene I keep discovering something new. I try to remember it all, and Eric (Engel) has been terrific in helping me resolve the motivations behind his actions. They are, after all, pretty crazy characters and they do some pretty crazy things."

According to Engel, “The play is almost a farce, in which all four characters, because they are desperately lonely, allow their domestic, social and animal instincts to become irrevocably intertwined.” He adds, “Orton eliminates the line between the obvious and the Freudian, making things all the more confusing and delightful. Entertaining Mr. Sloane is a perfect play for today's audiences, who can explore sexuality with intrigue and open minds, rather than fear and judgment.”

The young actor seems to balance his demanding studies and extracurricular activities pretty well, though there can be an element of surrealism to them. "There are moments I feel a bit like a sponge, and others when people look at me like I am nuts. When I am riding the T for example, I am usually immersed deeply in my studies, and I tend to mumble absent-mindedly as I am stuffing material into my brain. If I glance up, the looks I get from the other passengers can be quite unexpected," he laughs.

"Sometimes I will take out my cellphone to cover, but when you are actually underground, and the phones won't work I just have to live with the looks."

Three different moods in one day.
"During my freshman year, I had a different problem. I would talk to people and they would look at me blankly because of my accent. But after four years, things are getting better, and I can pretty well understand American, too," he chortles. Cutmore-Scott once told the Harvard Crimson that the english accent is "my unfortunate and totally incurable speech impediment which I’ve had since I was a baby. But it is also my sexiest physical trait."

Entertaining Mr. Sloane is set in England, so his accent should come in quite handy in the months ahead.

Who knows, he might even write a play about it someday.

THE PUBLICK THEATRE
Under the leadership of Producing Director Susanne Nitter and Artistic Director Diego Arciniegas, The Publick Theatre has experienced a renaissance, garnering critical acclaim, including for last fall's Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf with Tina Packer, Founding Artistic Director of the Berkshire's own Shakespeare & Company in Lenox.

Others involved in the production of Entertaining Mr. Sloane include Dahlia Al-Habieli (Sets), Kenneth Helvig (Lights), Molly Trainer (Costumes), and John Doerschuk (Sound).

Entertaining Mr. Sloane runs from March 11 to April 3, 2010 at the Plaza Theatre at the Boston Center for the Arts, 539 Tremont Street in Boston's South End. Performances are Wednesdays at 7:30pm, Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays at 8:00 pm, Saturdays at 3:00 pm and 8:00 pm and Sundays at 3:00pm. Tickets: $33.00 - $37.50. For tickets contact the BostonTheatreScene.com box office at 617.933.8600 or order online at www.bostontheatrescene.com.

iPhone and Blackberry Ticket Buying - Emerging Technologies

2010-02-26T10:44:00.022-05:00

Theatres and concert halls pay huge fees to credit card processors and banks.
Many theatres and concert halls sell tickets online but only from PC's and laptops. The technology has not yet enabled mobile devices like iPhones, Blackberries and other smart phones to be incorporated into most small and mid sized operations ticketing operations. But it is coming. The biggest problem is handling the payments.

Our evolving internet world is working on payment systems that avoid the need for credit cards. Imagine, just person to person or person to business transfers activated on cell phones and other portable devices, and verified at the businesses themselves.

Merging social networking and payments between friends, businesses.
Not only cultural organizations, but the public itself would love to be able to cut out the middle man. Imagine holding on to that pound of flesh extracted by the rapacious banks and credit card companies which charge both buyer and seller unconscionable fees to transfer money around.

Ask the treasurer of any 501 (c) 3. The fees extracted by banks and credit card companies is excessive, and often passed along to consumers with through the dreaded "handling charges" for online and transactions over voice phone lines. (The iPhone and other mobile devices are not yet in the mix.)

And those processing fees can add up. For a smaller company with low ticket prices, this can amount to 10% of the cost of the ticket. When I was at the Boston Ballet, credit card processing fees amounted to $200,000 for The Nutcracker alone. And that was 30 years ago.

The new services are being spearheaded - believe it or not - at Twitter, which is where the young code warriors mostly gather. Twitpay is up to 15,000 users who link their Twitter account to Paypal. Paypal does the money moving, person to person.

Twitpay is actually up and running with 15,000 users so far.
]ack Dorsey created an app that accepts payments with an iPhone. Obopay is another service that enables mobile devices, but it seems more traditional in its link to MasterCard and major banks.

Wired magazine has a good baseline article on it:

"Last summer, PayPal began giving a small group of developers access to its code, allowing them to work with its super-sophisticated transaction framework. Michael Ivey immediately used it to link users’ Twitter accounts to their PayPal accounts, and his new company, Twitpay, took off. " - Wired

The eggheads at the Atlantic Monthly see these fledgeling attempts to use mobile devices to move money around as the beginning of a wave that might well crest into a movement to cut the expensive credit card companies out of the equation.

Nothing could make me happier.

With new technology it may be possible to retain almost all the proceeds of electronic payments.
Writing in The Futurist, Thomas Frey calls it a "fractal payment." Frey says that, instead of routing money through an expensive and slow banking system, you could simply use your phone or other wireless device to transmit the payment directly to the seller's wireless device. He says the reason it would circumvent the banking system is by allowing the user to automatically divide up the payment between the necessary recipients.

"For example, when you buy a book from Amazon.com, your payment is instantly divided four ways in a split between the author, the publisher, Amazon, and the shipping company." - Thomas Frey, The Futurist

Yet it is not that clean and separate from the traditional methods. Even Paypal now charges almost 3% on transfers designated as payments for goods or services.

Naysayers abound. The Awl's Choire Sicha isn't buying it. Sicha sees Twitpay as nothing more than Paypal for cellphones, which isn't so different from a credit card. And tools that allow you to use your iPhone like a credit card reader still require you to go through the credit card system.

Paypal is an innovator and already set up for mobile transactions without credit cards, using my account balance, like a debit card. I lived through the birth of Paypal - and the efforts of the establishment banking industry to undermine and destroy them.

(Long ago, between gigs, I became an eBay Power Seller three times over.) Paypal not only evolved, but prospered. They had huge issues in their early days, but solved them and currently are used by over 150 Million people and 100,000 merchants. Frankly, I do not understand why more cultural organizations don't take advantage of this low cost alternative to traditional credit card processing arrangements.

Making phone and texting devices compatible with ticket buying is essential.
To me, the main thing is that lots of people are thinking about the problem of our dependence on a banking and credit card system that is out to fleece the public. And ways around it. It's great to have people working on solutions that we can all benefit from.

Everyone needs to keep their costs down, and millions still can be made a few cents at a time. It is the million dollar salaries and bonuses to greedy executives who add no value to transactions that have caused the money industry to become fat, lazy and irresponsible.

The moment a logical alternative emerges, the pent up demand for an alternative to the current credit card stranglehold will cause millions to give up their plastic and return the economy to one in which people earn money by creating value, not by fiat and monopoly.

"Please turn off your cellphones..."

2010-02-23T17:50:00.019-05:00

It all started in 1999 when Brian Dennehy, performing in Death of a Salesman couldn't bear the chirping phone. "Please, just answer it," he pleaded. And it has gotten progressively worse. You would think that people might have learned to turn them off upon reaching the theatre. Without reminders.

A Faraday Cage under construction which prevents unwanted electo-magnetic signals and lightning from interfering with a theatre's electronics equipment. Oh, and it blocks cellphone signals, too.
But despite having paid $50 or more for a ticket, no more than halfway through the first half comes a ring of a cellphone, or the glow and tapping of a texter a few seats from you. What to do.

Just about every theatre makes a pre-show announcement, which like pre-takeoff instructions from the stewardness are pretty roundly ignored. Fortunately here in the Berkshires, we have considerate audiences so that this is not a common problem. But it does happen. So what to do. In cinemas, this particular filmed announcement has been know to make its point with humor:

So what can be done, you ask? Some patrons have taken to buying cellphone jammers which run on batteries and will pretty quickly foul up incoming signals for up to 200'. Jammers are illegal, but blockers are not.

The simplest (and legal) one is called a Faraday cage, which is simply a copper mesh cage around the auditorium. Its primary purpose is lightning protection or to prevent unwanted electrical impulses from impeding a hospital's MRI equipment.

While there are some FCC regulations about jamming signals, if it is the design of the building itself which blocks, but does not jam signals, it is allowed. It has been rumored for some time that some Broadway theatres have retrofitted them. A friend at IATSE tells me the justification is based on the complex electronics used to run many high tech performances today, especially those that use radio control frequencies to manage stage effects. There had also been problems with unwanted outside crosstalk being picked up by wireless remote microphones.

The Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association — a Washington-based cell phone lobby that is also known as CTIA-the Wireless Association — said it would fight any move to block cell phone signals. But the person who spends money on tickets for a show has rights to the peaceful enjoyment of their purchase too. It is a good foundation for a defense against the selfish short-sighted businesses that profit from their products disrupting our activities.

Of course, I would post a notice prominently that stated that the theatre does not have good cell phone reception due to the building's design to cover any legal issues.

The ticket buyer could then make an informed decision about which was more important, spending a couple of hours immersed in a great show, or opting out so they are able to take every inane call that comes their way. They can not be allowed to have it both ways.

The cellphone trade group is, of course, completely against forcing people to stop using their cellphones, but the audience has a right to enjoy the show, too.

TicketMaster sent customers to rapacious scalpers FTC says

2010-02-19T09:15:00.010-05:00

"The Boss" was not very happy to see his fans screwed.
How do scalpers get away with not only roasting the public on ticket prices, but also selling tickets that they don't even have? Easy, cut a deal with TicketMaster.

Never content to just make an honest buck, TicketMaster, once an honest ticket selling operation, seems to be on a never ending quest to extract money from the public looking for a little entertainment. Take their selling of tickets for Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band last May and June.

According to the FTC, "Ticketmaster displayed a No Tickets Found message on its Web page to consumers to indicate that no tickets were available at that moment to fulfill their request." The FTC charged that Ticketmaster used this Web page to steer unknowing consumers to TicketsNow, where tickets were offered at much higher prices – in some cases double, triple, or quadruple the face value.

The FTC found that "Ticketmaster displayed the same misleading Web page to consumers looking to buy tickets for many other events." This time not only were they caught doing it, they are being held responsible by an FTC no longer held down by those who talk "free trade" while they mean "rape and pillage."

A popular T-shirt at arenas everywhere.
“Buying tickets should not be a game of chance,” said FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz. “Ticketmaster’s refrain is that it sold through TicketsNow to give consumers more choices. But when you steer consumers to your resale Web sites without clear disclosures, and they unknowingly buy tickets at higher prices, they’ll be left with a sour note.”

Compounding this deception, Ticketmaster failed to tell buyers that many of the resale tickets advertised on TicketsNow.com were not “in hand” – in other words, they were not actual tickets secured for sale at the time they were listed and bought. In fact, some tickets were being sold speculatively – that is, they were merely offers to try to find tickets.

In fact, many consumers hoping to go to a Springsteen concert at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC in May 2009 paid for tickets in February that never materialized. Ticketmaster kept the sales proceeds for more than three months without a reasonable basis for believing it could fulfill the orders, the FTC complaint alleged.

Another sore point is the practice of not refunding the service charge when shows get cancelled. This has been the subject on consumer litigation in the past.

“TicketsNow.com sold phantom tickets without letting consumers know that the tickets did not exist. Then, the company held onto consumers’ money, sometimes for months, when it knew those fans weren’t going to see Springsteen,” Leibowitz said. “Clearly consumers deserve better. They deserve to know what they’re buying, including the risk that their tickets won’t materialize.”

The complaint against Ticketmaster Entertainment L.L.C. and TicketsNow.com, Inc. also names Ticketmaster L.L.C., a subsidiary of Ticketmaster Entertainment L.L.C., and TNOW Entertainment Group, Inc., a holding company for TicketsNow.com. The Commission vote to authorize the staff to file the complaint and stipulated final order was 4-0. The FTC filed its complaint and stipulated final order in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division.

Scalping Executives? Live Nation President and CEO Michael Rapino, left, and Ticketmaster Entertainment CEO Irving Azoff are sworn in before testifying to a U.S. Senate committee in February. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

VERY BAD NEWS FOR CONSUMERS: THE TICKETMASTER-LIVE NATION MERGER GETS APPROVED

On another front, the U.S. Department of Justice has approved the merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster, possibly the worst thing that could be done for consumers. In approving the companies' merger, Assistant Attorney General Christine Varney said it would have the effect of lowering ticket prices.

Yeah, right. Just a little whipped cream on top of a shit sandwich for ticket buyers.

Oh, they did impose some restrictions. Like a 10-year court order prohibiting it from retaliating against venues that choose to sign ticket-selling contracts with competitors.

TicketMaster does things Godfather-style. Sign with us or things will not go well. Imagine a court order forbidding them from retaliating against competition. Before they even do it. That judge knew their reputation for near-illegal business practices.

WalMart to enter ticket selling business with Ticketmaster

2010-02-17T20:16:00.004-05:00

Ticketmaster to sell tickets at Wal-Mart, but will the service charges come down? Don't count on it.
News leaked out that "Walmart and Ticketmaster have entered into an agreement for selling event access in Walmart stores in select markets,” according to Irving Azoff at the NBA Technology Summit in Dallas late last week. Walmart shoppers will be able to buy tickets to concerts, sports and other community events at around 500 stores in the coming months. There are more than 7,000 WalMart stores and superstores, not counting Sam's Clubs.

However, just how much they will save at the big retailer is in question. Most likely nothing. The outrageous service charges extracted from ticket buyers is unlikely to change, as the monopolistic Ticketmaster and WalMart become a cartel, and will maintain uniform pricing across its phone and retail operations. And talk about opportunities to grab the best seats by the underpaid associates for their friends. I bet it will help WalMart find more low paid help who in turn could make money on the side selling to scalpers.

WalMart is only committing 500 stores initially, most likely as a test, since Ticketmaster, with one fell swoop, could have outlets in all its stores if wanted. This may be the first product sold by WalMart that is not discounted. And you will have the pleasure of having to go to the store's electronics department and have one of their "associates" pull up and print out the tickets.

The impact on the Berkshires will be minimal since most local venues handle their own ticketing operations, mindful of the effect that service charges have on attendance. The tickets will be available at WalMart's in large cities first, Chicago and Los Angeles for example. Azoff has worked with WalMart before, specifically in pushing the Eagles' Long Road Out of Eden in 2008. The album was a best seller that year.

I worked with TicketMaster in its early days, and was able to watch them grow into a powerhouse that bought out the once dominant TIcketron. They have managed to become the gorilla in the room of ticket selling.

On another front, the Saratoga Performing Arts Center recently announced that they will be creating their own ticket selling operation this coming season. However, I was greeted with total silence when trying to learn if that meant there would be a reduction in service charges. Right now it is looking for SPAC, as for WalMart, as a giant new profit center.

The change is likely necessitated by the destruction of most alternative retail by monoliths like WalMart. For years, TicketMaster relied on Tower Records as its main retail outlet. Since the demise of that chain, they have had less of a presence at street level. Clearly this is about to change, and while it might work for mass market events, I am not so sure it would do the high end arts organizations much good.

Having to visit WalMart for tickets to the BSO, or Jacob's Pillow just sounds like a trip to hell and back. If they had to do a discount chain, it should have been Target.

Valerie Harper Hits Broadway as Tallulah Bankhead

2010-02-08T11:24:00.008-05:00

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

2010-02-03T19:15:00.013-05:00

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"

2010-02-03T16:02:00.011-05:00

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

2010-02-03T15:29:00.002-05:00

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

2010-02-03T15:25:00.007-05:00

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

"Cabaret" at the Colonial Theatre Gets the Basics Right

2010-02-01T13:36:00.013-05:00

Oakley Boycott - an ascending Broadway star to watch.
The temperature barely rose above the zero mark this past Saturday, but inside the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield, it was hot, even torrid, on stage as the famous musical, Cabaret, was brought to life once again. The famous Kander-Ebb work is evergreen, audiences never seem to tire of it. Though only in the Berkshires for the day, with a matinee and evening performance, this was no bare pipe production.

Windwood Productions, which specializes in what are called "bus and truck" shows threw up a wonderful set to recreate the Kit Kat Klub, and had a full complement of stage lighting and sound that made it feel that this was a show that was settling in for a long run. And they filled the Colonial stage with a cast of two dozen plus an eight piece band that moved on a platform from backstage to front at several points in the show.

As the Emcee, Zac Mordechai skipped the usual heavy makeup and went for a more naturalistic look and his performance was not as over the top as many I have seen. Perhaps more suitable for conservative rural audiences, but I think the lack of zing is one reason the matinee audience seemed to sit on its hands.

Oakley Boycott as Sally Bowles delivered a very workmanlike performance, finding the sweet spot between Sally's impulsive nature and her humanity. This was no spoiled brat, but rather a frightened young woman who sought the shelter of friends and lovers rather than independence. It seemed that she and the company hit their stride in Act Two, where we saw flashes of a real talent at work. Her rendition of the title song was very touching. Given more seasoning and a maturing of her vocal and movement skills, she's on her way to becoming a Broadway triple threat.

The brief fight scene was very well choreographed, even if the dance numbers themselves needed more polish. The difference between a good performance and a great performance is attention to detail, and only directors and choreographers with sufficient rehearsal time can reach the stars.

Most of you probably missed this show. Admittedly, the publicity focused far too much on the Broadway and Hollywood versions, and gave precious little detail as to the Windwood production. In fact, it was not even clear if there would be live music, and casting information and good photographs were virtually nonexistent. This is the fault of the producers, not the Colonial. Some good photos of that Kit Kat Klub set with the large band and cast prominently visible would have gone a long way to helping potential ticket buyers know what their dollars were buying. Most theatre-goers I know are still watching their dollars, and you have to work extra hard to convince them to part with them.

Nevertheless, in the quiet off-season the Colonial, Mahaiwe and Mass MoCA all do us proud by finding and presenting theatrical attractions to keep theatre alive when the lakes freeze and life moves indoors. This coming weekend will see a staged reading of ART at the Clark, and the opening of Les Liaisons Dangereuses at Shakespeare and Company. There is even a much anticipated premiere of The Waypoint from the Berkshire Fringe at Mass MoCA on February 6. Then on February 12, the Acting Company-Guthrie Theatre production of Romeo and Juliet brings theatre to the Colonial again.

Also worth noting, is Frank LaFrazio in Living With It coming to the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center on March 13.

Many of our area community and resident theatres are hard at work keeping theatre seats warm and their stages full as well. Check out Gail Sez for a complete calendar.

Publicity, audience development and the art of selling tickets

2010-02-01T10:45:00.013-05:00

Photos: The WSJ's Terry Teachout saw and reviewed both Ghosts in Stockbridge, MA and Heartbreak House in Peterborough, NH last summer. (L) Mia Dillon and Randy Harrison in Ghosts, Jaime Davidson photo and (R) George Morfogan and Ellie Dunn in Heartbreak House.

The WSJ Covers Berkshire Theatre Companies

Here in the Berkshires, many of our professional resident companies do exceptional work, and as a result, have attracted national attention. It doesn't happen nearly often enough, but when this sort of publicity lightning strikes, large audiences usually follow. All four of our resident professional companies - Barrington Stage Company, Berkshire Theatre Festival, Shakespeare & Company and Williamstown Theatre Festival - have often been reviewed by the Wall Street Journal's traveling critic, Terry Teachout. Critics from the New York Times and Boston Globe are also often seen in the local audiences.

When the Guthrie Theatre's Joe Dowlling put their "Everything Kushner" Festival together last Spring, he created the perfect storm of publicity. Not only did he undertake the Pulitzer Prize winning Angels in America but the Guthrie also commissioned a new play, The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures. They also did an evening of Tiny Plays in which five of Kushner's lesser known short works were performed.

They did this with panache, offering terrific photos and news releases with real news and interesting facts. Their incredibly helpful public relations attracted interest from across the country, including this blog. The critics from the national media flocked to Minneapolis, and the out of town audiences were so large the theatre company hired a concierge to help with hotel arrangements. Selling almost every ticket they could print, the festival's revenues covered a healthy portion of the expenses involved. It was both an artistic and financial success.

Berkshire theatres often note that tickets only cover half of their operating expenses. But that is because they only sell 50-60% of their tickets. Imagine what consistent sell-outs would do. When I was at the Boston Ballet, we managed to get that figure up to 92% of all tickets sold, and that greatly reduced the need for panic fundraising.

Marketing and PR is often handled by people with little real expertise in the art of developing audiences, and so tickets go wanting. Part of the problem is that many companies don't take the task seriously as evidenced by the majority of recent college graduates and actor wannabes in that role in some American companies. With more attention to these staff positions, it is possible that for each additional $10,000 budgeted to hire a real professional in the field, you can expect an increase of $100,000 in ticket revenues. This is not a job for an intern or novice. Nor is it a job to be lumped with sixteen other responsibilities.

Teachout wrote that Elizabeth Aspenlieder is "a splendid stage comedienne whose zany acting is part of what makes Shakespeare & Company the best theater troupe in the Berkshires." She is also a very adroit publicist.

Of course, trying to find audiences when there have been a series of poor choices in production can also have a devastating effect. Audiences know when they are getting a cheap, under-rehearsed product, or an artistic director's vanity project instead of something worth paying for. There is also the important matter of audience comfort. How can it be that we pay ten times the price of a comfortable stadium movie theatre seat for perches barely able to contain a midget? That's a topic that will get analysis from me this spring.

But I digress from the main point of this entry. Which is to recommend a wonderful guide written today by Terry Teachout from the Wall Street Journal. If you have wondered what it takes to get someone from a major publication like the WSJ to cover your "hot" production, this is the ultimate guide. Teachout reveals his agenda and actually lists the playwrights and plays he will consider, and those he avoids like the plague.

He also takes on the common practice of sending out press releases for every minor event, and how it important it is to keep a theatre's website up to date and functional. Here's a sample:

Terry Teachout

"You probably know that I'm the only drama critic in America who routinely covers theatrical productions from coast to coast. As I wrote in my "Sightings" column a few years ago:

"The time has come for American playgoers--and, no less important, arts editors--to start treating regional theater not as a minor-league branch of Broadway but as an artistically significant entity in and of itself. Take it from a critic who now spends much of his time living out of a suitcase: If you don't know what's hot in "the stix," you don't know the first thing about theater in 21st-century America.

"I also have a select list of older shows I'd like to review that haven't been revived in New York lately (or ever). If you're doing The Beauty Part, The Cocktail Party, The Entertainer, Hotel Paradiso, The Iceman Cometh, Loot, Man and Superman, Rhinoceros, The Skin of Our Teeth, The Visit (the play, not the musical), or anything by Jean Anouilh, Bertolt Brecht, Horton Foote, William Inge, Terence Rattigan, or John Van Druten, kindly drop me a line."

You can find his email address and the rest of his thoughts at the Arts Journal's About Last Night
blog which he writes with Laura Demanski (Our Girl in Chicago) and Carrie Frye.

Romeo and Juliet too "Impure" for Nashville, Shakespeare Censored

2010-01-27T13:33:00.007-05:00

Tennessee, home of great ribs and backward thinking, is in the news again. This time its citizens demanding that Shakespeare's classic Romeo and Juliet be censored. Seems the 400 year old play is too racy for its high school students. This was the claim of a group of self-appointed censors who found the Bard of Avon a bit too bawdy for Music City, U.S.A. They requested a number of cuts to Shakespeare's text in order to tone down the play he wrote. The theatre company refused and went with what the Bard wrote instead of a watered down version to please the nabobs.

Most of the upset is was about some of the bawdier scenes with Mercutio and the Nurse. But Romeo and Juliet also shows two teenagers disobeying their parents, and this gets some of the Nashville fundamentalists in a tizzy. A woman who identified herself as Val, a home-school teacher complained that she "struggled being here with my son. The sexuality was too much. Our children need to be more pure." The full story is in The Toronto Star.

If you want to see what all the fuss is about, you can enjoy The Acting company's splendid production of the classic at the Colonial Theatre on February 12.

Meantime, chalk up another one for Tennessee where the Butler Act was passed by fundamentalist Christians in 1925 banning the teaching of the theory of evolution in all public schools and colleges. This of course led to the famous Scopes (Monkey) Trial which made the state a laughingstock, and the anti-evolutionists haven't stopped trying to turn the clock back to the dark ages since.

Guthrie Family and Friends Stage February 14 Haiti Benefit at the Colonial

2010-01-25T19:19:00.005-05:00

When the Guthrie family gathers together with a few friends, it can be quite impressive.
After the wonderfully successful James Taylor benefit for Haiti which raised over $500,000 - and had ticket prices from $100-1000, there is second major Berkshire event, this time at popular prices at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield.

Artists from the Berkshires and surrounding cities will come together to show solidarity and help bring money and more awareness to the devastation from the earthquake in Haiti. This once-in-a-lifetime event will feature performances by Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion, The Mammals, Bobby Sweet, Vetiver, Tift Merritt, Meg Hutchinson, Kris Delmhorst, The Guthrie Family and special guests.

“The momentous tragedy in Haiti generated subsequent shockwaves throughout the entertainment industry in the United States. Artists and venues have been searching for ways to help the victims by tapping the generosity of our friends and neighbors. We are grateful to the Taylors for their very generous leadership earlier this week. We are pleased to help our dear friends the Guthrie family whose concert at The Colonial Theatre on Valentine’s Day will make it possible for concerned citizens, at every economic level, to participate in a musical event to raise funds to assist in the rescue of the people of Haiti.”

Tickets for the Sunday, February 14 performance at 7 PM are $25 and $15 and can be purchased in person at the Colonial Ticket Office at 111 South Street Monday-Friday 10AM-5PM, performance Saturdays 10AM-2PM, by calling (413) 997-4444 or online at www.TheColonialTheatre.org

Romeo and Juliet Berkshire Bound February 12 at the Colonial

2010-01-25T19:13:00.005-05:00

Hamish Linklater and Heather Robison in The Acting Company's production of Romeo and Juliet at the Colonial February 12. Photo by Susan Johnson.
The Acting Company, a highly praised American touring repertory company and the renowned Guthrie Theater proudly present Romeo & Juliet. It's been some time since we saw a professional production of this masterpiece in the Berkshires. Young love has never been so delightful, or as dangerous, as in this stirring, full-length production.

Since its founding in 1972 by the legendary John Houseman and Margot Harley, The Acting Company has performed 133 productions touring to 48 states and ten foreign countries. Slated for Friday, February 12 at 8 PM, tickets are $45 and $25 and can be purchased in person at the Colonial Ticket Office at 111 South Street Monday-Friday 10AM-5PM, performance Saturdays 10AM-2PM, by calling (413) 997-4444 or online at www.TheColonialTheatre.org

There will also be a performance at 9:30AM for students as part of the Performing Arts for Schools Education Program.

Mike Dugan says "Men Fake Foreplay" - February 6 at the Colonial in Pittsfield

2010-01-25T19:06:00.005-05:00

Mike Dugan is in Pittsfield February 6 at the Colonial.
“It was never about finding the right woman. It was about becoming the right man,” quips Mike Dugan in his show, Men Fake Foreplay. His appearances are hilariously funny, offering pointed commentary on relationships and the battle of the sexes, in an evening's entertainment that is both written and performed by the Emmy-winning writer and Tonight Show comedian and world traveller.

Dugan spent two years touring throughout Europe and the UK while developing Men Fake Foreplay, and has performed the show in London, Paris, Amsterdam, and the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland.

Tickets for the Saturday, February 6 performance at 8 PM are $65 (includes VIP preferred seating with post-show Artist meet & greet), $35 and $25 and can be purchased in person at the Colonial Ticket Office at 111 South Street Monday-Friday 10AM-5PM, performance Saturdays 10AM-2PM, by calling (413) 997-4444 or online at www.TheColonialTheatre.org

30 Years of Shear Madness - Will it Never End?

2010-01-22T11:31:00.011-05:00

Cheers for 30 Years of Shear Madness! (l to r and back to front) Boston cast members Christopher Robin Cook, Patrick Shea, Jennifer Ellis, Ellen Colton, Michael Fennimore and Richard Snee. Paul Lyden photo.
Shear Madness, the comedy whodunit that holds the Guinness record as the longest-running play in the history of the American theater, will celebrate its 30th Anniversary at The Charles Playhouse Stage II on Friday, January 29, 2009 (the show’s 12,580th performance). I have seen and totally enjoyed it a half dozen times, and for those of us in the hill country, there is an interesting fact: This show began not far away, in Lake George, and its creators, Marilyn Abrams and Bruce Jordan, live in Latham, New York. And you can bet that lots of the actors appearing in it have trod the boards in Williamstown, Lenox, Pittsfield and Stockbridge. How's that for a local connection!

Marilyn Abrams and Bruce Jordan modesetly accept full responsibility for three decades of madness.
Twenty years before shows like Tony and Tina's Wedding, Bruce Jordan discovered how much fun it is to involve the audience in the production. That's what sets Shear Madness apart from all the other long running plays - it varies each night, as the plot changes with audience input. Back in Lake George, where it began, they started experimenting with the formula. " When the audience got to question the suspects, the suspects would try to defer having to answer some of those questions through humor -- so that is where the little egg of humor began," says Jordan.

The show soon was playing in Boston on Warrenton Street, and word of mouth was sensational. It became a favorite (and still is) with groups and lots of folks who normally don't attend theatre. Millions have seen it not only in Boston, but in more than 40 cities and 85 international productions. Still an impressive 1.8 million have bought tickets at the little Charles Playhouse alone.

(pictured l to r) Nick Rossetti (Michael Fennimore) and Tony Whitcomb (Patrick Shea) in Shear Madness, the hilarious interactive whodunit. Paul Lyden photo.
The legendary Boston production is set in a Newbury Street salon, and engages locals and visitors alike as armchair detectives to help solve the scissor-stabbing murder of a famed concert pianist who lives above the unisex hairstyling salon. The show combines up-to-the-minute improvisational humor and a mixture of audience sleuthing. To keep it fresh it also incorporates frequent references to the latest media scandals and local news items.

“We love to be on the cutting edge,” said director Michael Fennimore. “Our goal is to have 30 new jokes and clues in the show for the 30th Anniversary night. Our actors are such talented improvisers they love to create something fresh and funny at every show.”

"Mrs. Shubert on the phone." Seen here are Nick Rossetti (Michael Fennimore), Tony Whitcomb (Patrick Shea), Mrs Shubert (Ellen Colton), Mike Thomas (Christopher Robin Cook), Barbara DeMarco (Jennifer Ellis), and Edward Lawrence (Richard Snee). Paul Lyden photo.
The Stats: The Boston production has employed over 150 Equity actors (14,800 weeks of work) in its 30-year history. The show has gone through nine barber chairs, 96 blow dryers, 270 bottles of stage blood, 198 hairbrushes, 1320 cans of hairspray, 1560 bottles of nail polish, and more than 13,000 cans of shaving cream.

Shear Madness returned to its Lake George Dinner Theatre roots in 2007 with a fresh producton.
The History: In 1978, Abrams and Jordan - the show’s creators, producers and original cast members - first performed a serious version of the play based on Scherenschnitt, written by German writer and psychologist Paul Portner, in Lake George, New York. Jordan, the original director, sensed the comic possibilities of the piece and turned it into the topical spoof, Shear Madness. Because they were on stage each night, Abrams says they experienced the “magical chemistry” between the actors and the audience.

The audience response to Shear Madness was so enthusiastic that Jordan and Abrams decided to purchase the world stage, screen and television rights to the play. Cranberry Productions (as in, they are quick to explain, ”What else goes with a turkey?”) was created to nurture the hit that they had cultivated.

With complete financial and artistic control over the show, they now had an enormous project on their hands. Based on the encouragement they received from New England visitors to Lake George, they decided that Shear Madness just might work well in Boston. So after more than two years honing the comedy, Abrams and Jordan moved their little show to The Charles Playhouse. The rest, as they say, is history.

Entrance to the Fun House where Shear Madness plays.

Boston Performance and ticket information
Performance schedule is Tuesday through Friday at 8PM, Saturday at 6:00PM and 9:00PM and Sunday at 3PM and 7:00PM at The Charles Playhouse, 74 Warrenton Street, in the heart of Boston's theatre district. The Friday, January 29th gala performance will be at 7:00 PM Single tickets are $42. For tickets and information call the Shear Madness box office at 617-426-5225. Great discounts for groups of 15 or more. Visit www.shearmadness.com for more information.

All proceeds from the special anniversary performance of Shear Madness on January 29 (7pm) will be donated to the Actors Fund of America.

Second James Taylor Concert added Jan. 23 to benefit Haiti

2010-01-19T22:44:00.004-05:00

James and Caroline (Kim) Taylor
Tickets to singer/songwriter James Taylor’s just-announced benefit concert for Haiti sold out in 90 minutes this morning.

In that short span of time they raised $150,000 for Partners in Health (pih.org), which Taylor and his wife, Kim, then matched, making the total amount raised so far to benefit the people of Haiti: $300,000.

Upon hearing news of the sold out concert, Mr. Taylor volunteered to donate his services for a second show on Saturday, January 23 at 8pm. “The need in Haiti is so great and our community in the Berkshires is so generous. Performing another concert is the least I can do and, fortunately, the Mahaiwe is free the next night,” he said.

The ticket will go on sale tomorrow (Wednesday the 20th at 9 AM) at the theatre and online. Other than the second date, details for the performance at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington are in the earlier blog entry, directly below.

James Taylor offers Help for Haiti Jan. 22 at Mahaiwe PAC in Great Barrington

2010-01-18T20:09:00.005-05:00

The Legend Himself

The most beloved of Berkshire singer/songwriters is James Taylor, who has announced that he - and a few friends - will perform a benefit concert for Haiti at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington, Mass. on Friday, January 22 at 8pm.

Taylor will be joined by longtime friends and singers Kate Markowitz and Arnold McCuller, as well as his wife, Kim, and Boston Symphony Orchestra cellist Owen Young.

Titled “Help for Haiti: An Intimate Evening with James Taylor” its mission is simple. To help raise funds for Partners in Health which has been in Haiti for 20 years.. The event will be simulcast on WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

“Our hearts go out to everyone in Haiti. We need to do everything we can to help the country recover after this tragic earthquake. I’m grateful to do my part and hope my neighbors here in the Berkshires will join me and be as generous as possible.”
- James Taylor

The concert will take place at the glorious and incredibly intimate Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington and offers a rare opportunity to see the legend up close and personal knowing every penny of your ticket purchase is going to help those recovering from the earthquake in Haiti, and not to some ticket scalper.

Kim and James Taylor will match proceeds from all ticket sales. Tickets are $100 (balcony), $200 (orchestra and mezzanine), and $1,000 (golden circle including private post-show reception with the artists) and will go on sale on Tuesday, January 19 at 9am via mahaiwe.org and in person at the Mahaiwe Box Office (14 Castle Street in Great Barrington, Mass.). No phone sales are available for this concert. There is a limit of four tickets per person.

Partners In Health (PIH) has been working on the ground in Haiti for over 20 years. The organization works to bring modern medical care to poor communities in nine countries around the world. The work of PIH has three goals: to care for patients, to alleviate the root causes of disease in their communities, and to share lessons learned around the world. Based in Boston, PIH employs more than 11,000 people worldwide, including doctors, nurses, and community health workers. The vast majority of PIH staff are local nationals based in the communities they serve.

Grizzly Bear meets Claymation in Ready, Able - a fusion of art forms

2010-01-15T21:20:00.009-05:00

The Grizzly Bear guys.
Imagine taking the common promotional music video and turning it into real art. Doesn't happen often, but when it does, it is something to blog about.

What we have here is the inventive and original Grizzly Bear quartet that has been around for years, its originality slowly seeping into the mainstream. Their latest album Veckatimest has earned a place on many end-of-year lists. They currently are touring Australia, to sold out houses, with the UK to follow in March. If only Mass MoCA was able to bring them to the Berkshires when they return to America. The guys are all alums of NYU.

In this video, Grizzly becomes the soundtrack to the incredible claymation-stop motion effects under the watchful eye of Los Angeles artist, Allison Schulnik. The results are astounding. Schulnik and Grizzly Bear go to creative heights rarely seen in the commercial arts world.

Prepare yourself and enjoy.

After you view the video embedded here (full screen is best) a selection of their other Grizzly Bear music videos will appear - all are highly creative and worth viewing.

Video for "Ready, Able," features music from Grizzly Bear's 'Veckatimest.' Check them out at http://grizzly-bear.net

Allison Schulnick's home page is but one example of the richness of her site.
The Ready Able video was directed by artist Allison Schulnik. You can also see her Hobo Clown video on her own website. Visit http://allisonschulnik.com/

Stephen Petronio Dance Co takes on a Tempest with Nico Mulhy score

2010-01-14T15:03:00.006-05:00

Barrington Hinds by Sarah Silver
The innovative Stephen Petronio Company will bring its visceral and exciting I Drink the Air Before Me to MASS MoCA’s Hunter Center in North Adams on Friday, April 9 and Saturday, April 10, at 8pm. It is a joint production of Mass MoCA and Jacob's Pillow which collaborate to present one dance event at the renowned art center each year. Petronio is acclaimed for his lush, sweeping performance landscapes enriched by artful pairings of contemporary music and movement.

Comments the Pillow's executive director, Ella Baff: ”Stephen Petronio is well recognized in the U.S. and abroad as a bold, leading choreographer of his generation. He also collaborates with some of the most important contemporary artists in music, fashion, and the visual arts such as Laurie Anderson, Rufus Wainwright, Anish Kapoor, and a great painter who is especially familiar to us in the Berkshires, Steve Hannock.”

The composer Nico Muhly (L) and choreographer Stephen Petronio. Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris.
The work features an original score by contemporary Nico Muhly, a composer whose work has been performed by the Boston University Tanglewood Institute Orchestra, the Boston Pops, and the Chicago Symphony. Although in the original presentation it was played live complete with a chorus that was scattered throughout the audience, at MoCA the music will be recorded, not live.

A Trio of Petronio dancers in photo by Steven Schreiber.
Petronio's new work is titled after a quote from William Shakespeare’s The Tempest from the moment in which the sprite Ariel rushes away on Prospero’s errand: “I drink the air before me, and return / Or ere your pulse twice beat.” Moved by the character’s willingness to throw himself in the path of a raging storm, Petronio combines inspiration from forces of nature, both environmental and human. The work portrays both the calm and anger of storms, while a sailor (performed by Petronio himself) rides along.

Petronio created I Drink the Air Before Me in celebration of this year’s 25th anniversary of the company. He comments, “Instead of looking back on our achievements like photographs of old friends, I have chosen to look to the future with a new work. I wanted to give a dance that spoke of riding the awesome and unpredictable forces of now, and I hope you will receive our presentation in that spirit of adventure and pleasure.”

The performance will be followed by a post-show talk with Ella Baff and Stephen Petronio.

Amanda Wells in a photo by Sarah Silver.
Tickets in the orchestra section of the theater are $38, mezzanine tickets are $32, and student and children’s tickets are $20.
The MASS MoCA Box Office hours are Wednesday through Monday, 11am – 5pm. To purchase by phone: call the Box Office at 413.662.2111. To order online: www.massmoca.org. The Hunter Center and Box Office are located at 87 Marshall Street in North Adams, MA, 01247. MASS MoCA theaters are handicapped-accessible.

For additional information on Jacob’s Pillow or the 2010 Festival, visit www.jacobspillow.org.

The Smithereens, Steven Wright and "Cabaret" at Colonial

2010-01-14T13:40:00.006-05:00

"Cabaret" arrives on Saturday, January 30 for just two performances. Carol Rosegg photo.

The midwinter doldrums are here, but things sure are popping at Pittsfield's Colonial Theatre which offers three outstanding programs for late January.

The Smithereens play The Who’s “Tommy,” The Beatles’ B-Sides
Fri 1/22/2010 at 8PM
A: $45 B: $25
Brandishing heavy guitars and a shameless fetish for British Invasion Pop, The Smithereens carved their niche on rock radio and earned a reputation as a huge concert attraction with songs like, "A Girl Like You,” “Only A Memory,” and "Blood & Roses.” Now the all original-member group are touring their greatest hits and paying homage to the music of The Who and The Beatles.
http://www.officialsmithereens.com/

Steven Wright
SUN 1/24 7PM • A: $55 B: $35
When Steven Wright says “I put tape on the mirrors in my house so I don’t accidentally walk through into another dimension,” you know his trademark comedy comes from an off-center perspective. Wright is an Oscar winning comedian with dry wit and a deadpan delivery. He is one of the hottest acts to catch today, selling out venues worldwide. Here are a few of his classic quotes:

"All those who believe in psychokinesis raise my hand."

"The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese."

"I almost had a psychic girlfriend but she left me before we met."

www.stevenwright.com

Cabaret
Sat 1/30/10 3pm & 8pm
A: $65 B: $45
Wilkommen!, Bienvenue!, Welcome!, sings the Emcee of the Kit Kat Club through painted lips, as the people of 1929 Berlin join him. Whatever your troubles, you will forget them at the Cabaret. Songs include, “Wilkommen,” “Cabaret,” “Money Makes the World Go Round,” “Don’t Tell Mama” and “Two Ladies.” Cabaret is the winner of 12 Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best Revival.
www.windwoodtheatricals.com

Further information on tickets and availability: Box Office: (413) 997-4444 or visit Colonial Theatre.

The Problem with ART (The Play by Yasmnina Reza)

2010-01-11T16:01:00.007-05:00

After a seven year run in London, brilliant productions all over the world, Reza Yasmnina's adult comedy Art is making its way to the Berkshires in 2010. The problem isn't the play which is delightfully hilarious. It tells the story of a man who buys a large canvas painted white with "fine, diagonal white scars" for an outrageous sum and then defends the purchase to his friends.

The play is not really about art as much as how middle class men communicate - or rather, don't. Playwright Reza takes a distinctly French feminist skewer to the ways of these typical men. When the discussion turns to "what is art" it is really just one male seeking validation from his peers. We may hear them discussing the purchase, but in truth we are observing the nature of male friendships.

Which is Yasmina Reza, the best writer since Neil Simon or Theresa Rebeck, or both?
Art is a play that takes conflict and differences and makes a darkly comical stew of them. The roles are delicious, and such notables as Tom Courteney, Ken Stott and Albert Finney (the original West End cast) have appeared in it. The three parts are roles that actors can really get their teeth into and perfect their comic timing and subtleties.

John Procaccino, Francis Guinan and K. Todd Freeman in the Steppenwolf (Chicago) 2009 Production of ART.
Well, what's the problem with Art you ask? Isn't this a sure-fire winner that the cultural Berkshires will eat up? Well, yes and no. The first hurdle comes with its very title, "Art" which can be off-putting to many people. Previous regional productions have had praise heaped upon them, and still the audience stayed away in droves. Regular theatre goers may have been put off by the title, believing it to be too arty-tarty for their taste, As you can see from the sample at the top of this entry the poster that is most often used conveys that artsy feel, not one of an insightful comedy. It is the illustration being used on the Clark Art Institute site promoting an upcoming staged reading.

But I detect some poor communication and cooperation between our arts institutions. It is wonderful news to see that the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute and the Williamstown Theatre Festival are collaborating to present a free staged reading of Art at the Clark on February 5 at 7 PM (reservations required - call the Clark at 413-458-0524).

But nowhere on the Clark's website nor in its promotional materials does it happen to mention that Art is also coming to the Berkshires this summer in a fully staged production at Barrington Stage Company, which will run from July 22 to August 7 on their main stage. I could find no reference to the Clark or Williamstown Theatre Festival on the Barrington Stage website either. They should be working together to figure out some cross pollination, don't you think? Something along the lines of "Now that you've seen Art at Barrington Stage, see it in person...at the Clark." And vice versa: "Now that you've seen our Art at the Clark, see the drama behind it at Barrington Stage."

WHen a play is as tough to sell as this one - despite having received 125 productions in 30 translations to date - the logic of cross promotion to help develop audiences for all three institutions is obvious. Instead we have cultural institutions that appear more concerned with their own "branding" (as if they are a commodity like aspirin or frozen pizza) than reaching out and informing and intriguing museum and theatre-goers.

Most importantly, whether an arts aficionado or a theatre maven, do not miss the staged reading. It will delight and surprise you at how witty and on the mark Yasmnina Reza is. And in six months, when the full theatrical version is unveiled with sets, lights, well rehearsed cast and all, you will be able to rediscover the work, and enjoy it from another director's viewpoint. This is the way that the depth of the theatrical experience expresses itself.

I can only assume that this failure to communicate is a lapse, an oversight, and will soon be corrected. Or that it is in the works. One can hope.

Avatar Hits Billion Dollar Box Office Mark

2010-01-04T11:23:00.005-05:00

Only a few movies have ever reached the billion dollar mark in ticket sales, and James Cameron's Avatar joins that rare club in just 18 days. There are less than a handful of other films that have reached such stratospheric heights and they include Cameron's "Titanic" which grossed $1.8 Billion worldwide. "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" are the only other movies to make more money.

Who says the arts aren't important part of our economy!

Granted, Avatar is not some great artistic triumph intellectually, but it is technically and marketing wise. Having cost a reported $300+ million to make, and many millions more to market and promote, when the accounting is all in hand it will prove to be a healthy return on investment. Of course, Hollywood accounting is nothing like real accounting, and more akin to that which is notoriously applied to Wall Street derivatives.

A disabled veteran looks at his new body being grown.
"Avatar" tells the tale of a disabled ex-Marine Jake Sully who is charged with persuading the local aliens of planet Pandora to allow his employers to mine their natural resources. The role is played by Australian Sam Worthington, a former bricklayer who is now the hottest property in Hollywood. He falls in love with the exotic planet's strong Amazonian type woman Natiri, played by Zoe Saldana. Ultimately a love story, nevertheless their developing closeness and understanding are subjected to obstacles which give the film its impact.

Avatar employed a literal army of special effects people, stunt men, creature fabricators, CGI innovators and the like. You wonder how much real acting was required when the actors would spend six hours in a chair getting made up to look like aliens from a Cirque du Soleil planet. Cameron's film also spent its capital on CGI and perfecting the 3D process.

Cameron worked with Sony to reach new levels of technical sophistication, and in the theatres, the 3-D screenings claim a premium $5 or more over the already hefty first run ticket prices. In the Berkshires, the only theatre to show the film in all its glory is the new Beacon Cinema in Pittsfield. One can only imagine how stunning an IMAX presentation would be.

The film itself is an oddity. Because of the romantic angle, and the presence of a strong Sigourney Weaver, it is dismissed as a chick flick and has a pretty cheesy plot which serves as the canvas for the special effects. And it is these that seem to motivate the guys who are mainly buying the tickets.

To me, the Na'vi, who inhabit the planets, and the body Jake moves into are a conceit not unlike that of the thousands of actors who created their own feline appearances in "Cats." Frankly I find them off-putting and silly, and think they ruin what might have been a great movie. But the average public seems to thrive on cheap gimmicks like this, but for me, the Blue Man Group did it first.

Still this is a billion dollar baby now, so who am I to carp. This is one movie you should see in a theatre, but it must be seen in 3-D, and if possible, IMAX to understand that the ground this film has broken is technical, not theatrical.

NEA Awards Grants to Six Berkshire Cultural Organizations

2009-12-21T13:28:00.019-05:00

The grants were announced by new NEA chair, Rocco Landesman.

Both the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) have completed a new round of funding. The NEA has selected six organizations in the Berkshires, while the NEH looked, but came up empty.

As might be expected, large, well known Berkshire based organizations like Tanglewood, Jacob's Pillow and The Clark Art Institute were among those blessed, and so was the feisty Barrington Stage Company - for its Musical Theatre Lab project. It runs each summer under the watchful eye of composer William Finn (he of Spelling Bee fame).

But two smaller, literary organizations were also selected, the Orion Society based in Great Barrington, and the Tupelo Press, recently arrived in North Adams and headquartered at the Eclipse Mill. While the Berkshires have long been home to visual and performing artists, the tradition of literary lights living here is also well established, going back to Herman Melville whose home in Pittsfield was named Arrowhead and Nathaniel Hawthorne who had a small cottage in Lenox.

The NEA grants were made under the Access to Artistic Excellence program and chosen from more than 1,600 applications. Access grants "support the creation and presentation of work in the disciplines of dance, design, folk and traditional arts, literature, media arts, museums, music, musical theater, opera, presenting, theater, and visual arts."

Here is a summary of the six grants made in the Berkshires:

The workshopped Calvin Berger is typical of the Musical Theatre Lab's best work. Top left to right - Michael Perreca (Other Stages Producer), Justin Paul (Musical Director) and Stephen Terrell (Director and Choreographer); Bottom row l-r: The Cast of Calvin Berger - Aaron Tveit, Elizabeth Lundberg, David Perlman and Gillian Goldberg. Photo by Charlie Siedenburg.

Barrington Stage Company Inc. Pittsfield, MA.  $25,000  CATEGORY: Access to Artistic Excellence   FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Musical Theater . To support the Musical Theatre Lab. The program provides emerging composers, lyricists, and book writers the opportunity to develop new works of musical theater in a supportive environment with an experienced management team.

In talking to Artistic Director Julianne Boyd about the Musical Theatre Lab, she noted that quite a few musicals and performers got their start there. The 2007 musical Burnt Part Boys gets produced in New York this Spring. And in Summer 2010, Nikos Tsakalakos and Janet Allard musical Pool Boy (first workshopped by BSC last summer) will get a fully staged production.

Earlier, the musical workshop of Calvin Berger brought Aaron Tveit to the public's attention, and he "got his equity card through that show," she noted. Tveit has since gone on to become much in demand in American musical theatre, being featured in Next to Normal which went from Arena Stage to Broadway, and assuming the Leonardo DiCaprio role in the new musical Catch Me If You Can which is in preparation for Broadway.

Each summer, the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in Becket becomes the world's center of contemporary dance.

Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, Inc.,  Becket, MA.  $90,000  CATEGORY: Access to Artistic Excellence   FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Dance . To support residencies and performances of dance companies. The project will include a Creative Development Residency, presentation of national and international dance companies, and audience engagement and educational programs.

The BSO's Contemporary Music program takes place at Tanglewood in Lenox/Stockbridge. Ozawa Hall is the concert hall used for these concerts, and it too opens to their glorious lawn.

Boston Symphony Orchestra, Inc. (on behalf of Tanglewood Music Center)  Boston, MA.  $45,000  CATEGORY: Access to Artistic Excellence.   FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Music.  To support the Festival of Contemporary Music at the Tanglewood Music Center. The 70th anniversary festival will honor the resident composers who have led composition activities for the festival over the past seven decades.

Orion Magazine is at the junction of art, science, politics and the environment. It serves as an intellectual, spiritual and discussion center for the conservation movement.

Orion Society , Great Barrington, MA.  $15,000  CATEGORY: Access to Artistic Excellence   FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Literature.  To support feature-length pieces of literary prose in Orion magazine. A bi-monthly literary and visual arts journal devoted to exploring the relationship between people and the natural world, the magazine currently has 20,000 subscribers.

The Clark Art Institute may be battling over expansion with their NIMBY neighbors in Williamstown, but its role as the steward for the world's greatest art has never been challenged.

Sterling & Francine Clark Art Institute,  Williamstown, MA.  $75,000  CATEGORY: Access to Artistic Excellence   FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Museum.  To support the exhibition Picasso/Degas, with accompanying catalogue and education programs. The exhibition is being organized in association with the Museu Picasso in Barcelona.

Tupelo Press publishes innovative, unpredictable and visceral poetry by authors such as the young luminary Larissa Szporluk's. Her Embryos and Idiots is sly, seductive and spare.

Tupelo Press, Inc. , North Adams, MA . $25,000  CATEGORY: Access to Artistic Excellence.   FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Literature . To support the publication and promotion of new collections of poetry and international literature. Proposed authors include Gary Soto, Ellen Doré Watson, Michael Chitwood, Megan Snyder-Camp, Rebecca Dunham, and Stacey Waite.

First online critic admitted to New York Drama Critics Circle

2009-12-08T11:59:00.022-05:00

There are many websites, digital magazines and blogs that cover the arts today, and many professional critics find themselves online as the world of print continues to shrink. Alas, there has been a problem in that many of those left in the print media have been resistant to giving credibility to their online counterparts. Until this week.

After years of debate, the New York Drama Critics Circle has admitted Theatre Mania's critic and commentator David Finkle to full membership and participation. I learned of the precedent in Adam Feldman's Time Out New York column.

David Finkle

"Everyone agreed that Finkle was qualified; but several members, particularly those who had been in the Circle for a long time, were reluctant to start down what they worried would be a slippery slope into the blogosphere. And because admission to the Circle requires a daunting two-thirds vote of the entire membership, their concerns carried the day.

But times have changed, and so has the Circle.

So it is my pleasure to announce that in our meeting last week, the Circle voted to accept Finkle for membership, making him the first critic in the group’s history to have been accepted primarily for his online work. (Two previous members had stayed on in the Circle after moving from print to the Net: Ken Mandelbaum of InTheatre, who moved to Broadway.com, and John Simon of New York, who switched to Bloomberg News.)"

Read more: TimeOut NY

David Finkle is a New York-based writer who concentrates on the arts. He's currently the chief drama critic for TheaterMania.com and writes regularly on music for The Village Voice and Back Stage. He's contributed to many publications, including The New York Times, The New York Post, The Nation, The New Yorker, New York, Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and American Theatre. Finkle's blog is part of the regular Huffington Post entertainment offerings.

In the Berkshires, where the print media is dominated by the crusty Berkshire Eagle and North Adams Transcript, many of the old school arts administrators (who tend to think in terms of branding instead of audience development) still defer to them even though the times are a changin'.

For example, yesterday an announcement of the retirement of Nicholas Martin from Williamstown Theatre Festival was given to the print media which exploited it in a rather unfortunate manner. Those of us who write online - and there are quite a few of us - were sidelined. Of course, when there are tickets to be sold, we count. Eventually more of the communications experts at the cultural organizations will include us in the breaking news, but for now, there sometimes seems to be benign neglect.

Elyse Sommer
In terms of the New York Critics, it seems obvious that Elyse Sommer, publisher and chief critic of Curtain Up should be considered next. She already is a member of the Drama Desk of the Outer Critic's Circle.

Some old timers believe granting credibility to internet reviewers is a dangerous and slippery slope. They are right up to a point. Not every online writer is a worthy candidate. But, as all can see, the nose of the camel is already under their tent, competing for space. And the readers are continuing to change their loyalties.

Holiday Inflation Hits Nutcrackers, 12 Days of Christmas

2009-12-02T00:58:00.006-05:00

The New York City Ballet's Nutcracker is spectacular. Here an army of toy soldiers foil the Chubby Mouse King.
Neither Nutcrackers nor tickets for The Nutcracker come cheap these days. It can cost $1.59 a minute to watch the New York City Ballet's Nutcracker from their "Sweet Seats" which cost $215 each for the 2 hour and 15 minute show which includes an intermission.

This chubby "Mouse King" Nutcracker is on sale by the Pacific Northwest Ballet for $82.00 With rabbit fur hair and ears, it is handmade in Germany, probably by Dr. Drosselmeyer himself.
This life sized Nutcracker is sold out, even at $700.00
12 Days of Christmas Inflation is running about 2%.
While you might be able to get some nutcrackers cheap this year, the cost of buying all the gifts in the song "The 12 Days of Christmas" is higher.

To buy everything in the song this year, from a partridge in a pear tree to 12 drummers drumming, would cost $21,456.66, up $385.46 from last year.

Two items that saw the sharpest price rises: five golden rings and three French hens.

NEA Webcast on How Art Works in the US Economy

2009-11-19T12:43:00.011-05:00

The National Endowment for the Arts Presents
a Live Webcast of its
Cultural Workforce Forum on
Friday, November 20, 2009

Debate has raged for decades on how art and culture contributes to America's economy. Some of us, myself included, think the emphasis on the economic impact of the arts misses its real role in society, but that is an argument for another day.

In our WalMart economy, run by the bean counters, everything of importance is reduced to a commodity in the United States, and that is just the way it is. Once again we go through the exercise of being forced to consider the arts from an economic standpoint, despite the fact that the same arguments can be made by the Army, the makers of SUV's and even the chemicals that go into Twinkies.

So it comes as no surprise that the National Endowment for the Arts has scheduled a conference that is all about the arts and the economy. One can only hope that something new, something compelling might be dredged up. Failing that, perhaps the organizers can get Congress to listen. Maybe we would be better off simply hiring lobbyists. Still, one can hope for that breakthrough moment at the conference.

Though that is unlikely as no real artists will take part in the discussion.

"You can't expect the government to give money to artists. Our trillions are needed to support the bankers, GM executives, mortgage derivative scam artists and fraudulent insurance company executives."
From the NEA press announcement, we find that on Friday, November 20, 2009, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) will present a live webcast on www.arts.gov of a forum about America's artists and other cultural workers who are part of this country's real economy. Academics, foundation professionals, and service organization representatives will come together to discuss improving the collection and reporting of statistics about arts and cultural workers, and to develop future research agendas and approaches.

9:00 a.m.
Opening Remarks and introductions
Joan Shigekawa, NEA Senior Deputy Chairman and Sunil Iyengar, NEA Director of Research & Analysis

9:30
Panel One: What We Know About Artists and How We Know It
NEA Research on Artists in the Workforce
Tom Bradshaw, NEA Research Officer
Artist Labor Markets
Greg Wassall, associate professor, Department of Economics, Northeastern University
Artist Careers
Joan Jeffri, director, Research Center for Arts and Culture, Teachers College, Columbia University
Artist Research: Union Perspectives
David Cohen, executive director, Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO

11:00
Panel Two: Putting the Research to Work
Cultural Vitality: Investing in Creativity
Maria Rosario Jackson, senior research associate, The Urban Institute
Artists and the Economic Recession
Judilee Reed, executive director, Leveraging Investments in Creativity (LINC)
Teaching Artists Research Project
Nick Rabkin, Teaching Artists Research Project, National Opinion Research Center, University of Chicago
Strategic National Arts Alumni Project
Steven Tepper, associate director, the Curb Center for Art, Enterprise, and Public Policy, Vanderbilt University

1:20
Panel Three: Widening the Lens to Capture Other Cultural Workers
Artists in the Greater Cultural Economy
Ann Markusen, Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota
Creative Class: Who's in, Who's out?
Tom Bradshaw, NEA Research Officer
American Community Survey: An Emerging Data Set
Jennifer Day, assistant division chief, Employment Characteristics of the Housing and Household Economic Statistics Division, United States Census Bureau

2:20
Comments and questions from panel participants

3:00
Discussion: Summary and Recommendations for Future Research
Moderated by Sunil Iyengar and Tom Bradshaw
Lead discussants: Holly Sidford, president, Helicon Collaborative and Paul DiMaggio, professor, Department of Sociology, Princeton University

4:30
Adjournment

In addition to the above presenters, the following respondents will participate in the NEA Cultural Workforce Forum:

Randy Cohen, vice president of local arts advancement, Americans for the Arts

Deirdre Gaquin, consultant

Angela Han, director of research, National Assembly of State Arts Agencies

Ruby Lerner, president, Creative Capital Foundation

Judilee Reed, executive director, Leveraging Investments in Creativity (LINC)

Carrie Sandahl, associate professor, Department of Disability and Human Development, University of Illinois at Chicago

Mary Jo Waits, director, Social, Economic & Workforce Programs Division, National Governors Association

An archive of the event will be available on www.arts.gov the week following the forum.

A Nation of Misled TV Addicts

2009-11-12T10:07:00.011-05:00

Television's main purpose is to keep you watching the commercials.
The latest Nielsen statistics are out. The average American household is exposed to 2.75 hours of commercials per day, out of a 8 hours, 21 minutes in front of a television.

That's pretty scary considering that in 1991, the first year Nielson did such a survey, the typical home only spent 1 hour, 50 minutes in front of the boob tube.

This increase in viewing may be due to a tight economy with frugal households trying to save money by not going out. Of course, it is a bit of a false economy since tv was once free, and these days most people pay for tv - still with commercials - through cable or satellite.

These services average $71.00 a month. It is quite a rise from $43.00 in 2005.

TV is a black hole into which billions of dollars are sucked out of the economy for products we could live without.
Young people can not believe that television was actually free in its first few decades of existence, and that the amount of commercials have almost doubled since its inception.

It is the cable channels like AMC with "Mad Men" and FX's "Damages" that are getting the additional eyeballs for content that is surprisingly good compared to the reality and talk shows the networks have increasingly used to fill their time slots.

Interestingly, prime time television growth is flat, while the off peak times is where the audience is growing. This could be because of the increasing number of people who are surviving with part time jobs, or are out of work.

TV depresses brain function and creativity.

The brain waves seen during hypnosis are quite similar to those measured in people watching television. Television advertisers have seized on this effect of television and brain function for their television commercials. When people watch most television programs, they are quite suggestible. Thus a claim made in favor of a specific product, on some level, causes the person watching television to be more apt to believe it.

The net effect of all this television watching has been a seismic shift in how American's view life, work and buy products. It has also changed the way we elect our officials and view the democratic process, most of which has coarsened both public discourse and interpersonal behavior.

Television is a mixed blessing. But that is a story for another day.

Thomas Pynchon and Inherent Vice

2009-11-03T11:42:00.008-05:00

A fascination with the hot cars of their day.
Writer Thomas Pynchon is fascinating, and not just because we grew up on opposite shores of Long Island. He was a North Shore beat guy, me a South Shore clamdigger a few years younger, but with aspirations. His writing tends towards offbeat themes: oddball names, sophomoric humor, illicit drug use and paranoia.

Pynchon in a rare photo from his younger days.
He was Hunter Thompson before Rolling Stone was a magazine. And he was gonzo before Charles Giuliano coined the word. He holds the same fascination for me as did Jean Shepherd whose storytelling abilities are almost cinematic. The ability to draw word pictures and conjure up mental images is a special gift that not every writer masters. Pynchon does this with a sparing use of words, not volumes of them.

His latest book, released this past summer is Inherent Vice and the video below gives you a good taste of his work. The voice over is allegedly done by the reclusive Pynchon himself.

The Incredible Tracey Moffatt is a God

2009-10-27T10:46:00.006-04:00

Tracey Moffatt, "Marie Curie, Under the Sign of Scorpio", 2005, archival pigment ink on acid-free rag paper, 17 x 23 inches

Artist. Feminist. Human Being. Her words and work use the artifice of culture and get to the sinew that connects life with death. Spend twenty minutes with her via these videos and you may follow her work for the rest of your life. Tracey Moffatt may be Australian and part aboriginal by birth, but her creative gift belongs to the world.

First, a short interview with her about her latest project at The Brooklyn Museum.

Twenty years ago, she created this short experimental film that is about the relationship between an aboriginal daughter and her white mother. The daughter cares for her mother as she approaches death in a film shot entirely in her own created visual environment. It is easy to see this film as at least partially autobiographical, and yet its wordlessness brings to mind the simplicity of Beckett, the desolate world of Sam Shepherd and even the early experimental films of Kenneth Anger.

Her film Night Cries: A Rural Tragedy is in two parts.

The Brooklyn Museum has an extensive collection of her work.

The Berkshires - Chicago Connection

2009-10-20T12:40:00.002-04:00

In seeking out diversions, people fall into predictable patterns. There is a great deal of traffic between Boston, New York and the Berkshires. Tanglewood has its roots in Boston's Symphony Hall, and the Willliamstown Theatre Festival in Manhattan's theater scene. But there are other circuits, too.

Not nearly as well travelled, but still significant is the Chicago-Berkshires loop, bringing players from the Windy City's Goodman Theatre now running the hilarious musical, Animal Crackers, and Steepenwolf (currently running Fake and The House on Mango Street) to the resident companies along Route 7: Berkshire Theatre Festival, Barrington Stage Company, Shakespeare & Company, and Williamstown Theatre Festival.

The only train service in the Berkshires is the Lake Shore Limited which runs between Boston and Chicago, stopping at the Intermodal Center in Pittsfield along the way. And for a limited time, you can save 40% on tickets.

Here's the deal: travel with a friend on the Lake Shore Limited and save 40% on the companion rail fare. Whether you want to travel from Boston, New York, Chicago or anywhere in between, take advantage of this limited-time offer to plan your next trip.

Watch the seasons change from your train window as you travel along the shorelines of the Great Lakes and through the Berkshire mountains. Relax in your spacious seat or grab a bite to eat in the dining car — you'll enjoy the journey as much as the destination. Call 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245) or visit Amtrak online.

Etiquette - Non-Theater Carried to an Extreme

2009-10-04T16:14:00.008-04:00

I don't think it is theater either.

The Premise: Etiquette is Theater

For this intimate piece of participatory theater, two museum visitors sit across from each other at a small table...

The response from theater critic Gail Burns: No, it's not.

…Etiquette failed to qualify for lack of an audience. I wanted to see a) if there was anything worth watching, b) if there was anything visually provocative that would cause other people in the café to watch, and c) if people actually did watch. The answer was “no” on all counts.

Points to Mass MoCA for trying this, but it is a new form of social networking in which you come in contact with other people in a ultimately meaningless way.

Online Innovations in Spotlight at National Summit on Arts Journalism

2009-10-02T17:07:00.008-04:00

Some of the Speakers
Online coverage of arts and culture is continuing to grow and become more important to artists and organizations. That was the conclusion reached at the National Summit on Arts Journalism held today, and streamed live from this blog.

Online there are more than 300,000 blogs like this already in existence, not to mention hundreds of online magazines, multi-media sites and other variations on traditional coverage. The question is what is going to be the economic model. How do the writers get paid. It seems when the discussion turns to the finances, the traditional business model falters. Support seems to moving in the direction of a hybrid taking different parts of existing profit and nonprofit models. For all the individuality that artists and blogs represent, success seems to tied to the ability to scale up any efforts to become attractive to either advertisers or funders.

The presentations by the innovators in this field were wonderful, combining creativity and good reporting with the array of multimedia available to online entrepreneurs today. These examples are available for viewing, as are the roundtable discussions that followed. Topics covered ethics, income and the evolution of arts journalism.

In the digital age, it appears that some arts organizations are already ahead of the critics in technology and in a basic understanding of what the public wants. And that technology savvy ticket buyers want more personal involvement in the arts themselves, just reading objective critical response is too narrowly focused. People want context in their content, and to shape the arts experience to their own lives.

The four hour session was interspersed with sample tweets and online comments from viewers which provided immediate feedback to the hosts of this event, Doug McLennan of Arts Journal and Sasha Anawalt, director of USC Annenberg Arts Journalism Programs.

The entire conference held on October 2, 2009 has been archived and is reachable at Journalism Summit Website

Watch the National Summit on Arts Journalism from Arts America

2009-09-30T13:13:00.007-04:00

This Friday - October 2 from Noon to 4:00 EDT (9AM-1PM PDT) - is the first ever National Summit on Arts Journalism at USC Annenberg in Los Angeles. We're taking part in the presentation of ten projects in arts journalism from around America, and each we think has something to say about the future of how we cover the arts. It will be in the auditorium of the journalism school in front of an audience of 200, but it's primarily conceived of as a virtual online event. Arts America is a participating blog.

Here is a live link that will enable you to watch it live on Friday, October 2 beginning at noon EDT.

Video chat rooms at Ustream

Marketing a Show Via Twitter - Next to Normal

2009-09-29T22:25:00.006-04:00

Beating out Coca Cola, Star Trek, HBO and Sprint, the musical Next to Normal which began at Arena Stage in Washington, DC and moved on to Broadway, won an OMMA award for its Twitter campaign. The Online Media, Marketing and Advertising Awards are for internet creativity. The promotion was recognized by the MediaPost Group which sponsors the awards.

They used tweets to retell the show's plot by having the various characters advance the plot via short 140 character messages. They were taken from the book written by the show's author, Brian Yorkey. The responses by others has brought about the creation of a new song about tweeting, to be debuted at a future date.

During the campaign, the number of people following the show's messages topped out at 750,000 or so.

The Twitter campaign for "Next to Normal," much buzzed-about due to its unusually large number of followers for a Broadway show, has picked up an OMMA (Online Media, Marketing and Advertising) Award for online marketing.

It didn't hurt that the show's campaign was promoted extensively by Twitter itself to keep new participants involved. The drop out rate at Twitter is very high, at least half, and 30% of its users - according to a recent poll - don't expect it to still be around in a few years. It is all a crap shoot. And as the story below this one indicates, it doesn't stop people from claiming that Twitter is worth a billion dollars. The owners must be tweeting a happy tune.

But I wonder how many tickets this ad campaign sold, and how much the effort actually cost compared to traditional marketing methods.

Bursting the Billion Dollar Twitter Bubble

2009-09-25T11:54:00.007-04:00

Call it froth, call it sizzle, but don't use more than 140 characters. A billion dollars. That's the value of Twitter according to the esteemed Wall Street Journal, the newspaper of record when it comes to over valuing things from mortgage derivatives to the current story on Twitter's prospects. Wall Street lays another egg. How do you say nineties nonsense?

The investors are valuing Twitter -- which has yet to generate more than a trickle of revenue -- at about $1 billion...The investor group is expected to include mutual-fund giant T. Rowe Price Group Inc. and private-equity firm Insight Venture Partners, which would be new investors to Twitter. Existing Twitter investors, including Spark Capital and Institutional Venture Partners, are also expected to participate in the round, according to the people familiar with the plan.Twitters Value is Set at $1 Billion

We're seen these speculative internet gold rushes before, when IPO's were all the rage in order to monetize some code warrior's sleepless nights of toil creating, say, a website devoted to images of her friend's piercings and tattoos. Of course, theatres, symphonies and other arts presenters have been doing backflips trying to figure out how to get people to tweet short reviews of their productions, not realizing that it is as easy to say "save your money" as it is to encourage friends to "buy a ticket." Besides, the bottom line is it takes more than a few abbreviated words to convince me to attend something. The twitterati have short and shallow attention spans, what with their multi-tasking and everything.

I am a regular visitor to and participant in both Facebook and MySpace (or My Face as my friend Shirley likes to say) and think they are better suited to the future prospects of being adjuncts to arts marketing efforts. Here in the Berkshires just about every cultural group with more than one member is now online, on My Space, and the number of writings on my wall touting this event or that far outnumber those of friends reporting on their baby's diaper condition.

Still, every once in a while somebody posts something really interesting, or novel, and makes it all worthwhile.

But not a billion dollars of worthwhile, no matter what the WSJ says. Let the investors choose their vehicles to ride over their cliffs. Thelma and Louise can do whatever they want to piss away their retirement money. This time let's just not bail them out, ok?

Taxing the History, Arts and Culture of Pennsylvania

2009-09-21T12:09:00.019-04:00

A tax on history and the arts.
In an incredibly hostile act by the backward thinking legislators in Pennsylvania, that state's new budget will extend its sales tax to performing-arts programs, museum admissions and other cultural venue tickets, while movies and sports events will be spared.

Taxing the non-profits is clearly the latest move by this group of scoundrels while protecting for-profit businesses. It is another example of how corporate and lobbying interest are making sure nothing impedes their ability to make money. Senate Republicans, who had steadfastly opposed any new taxes, insisted on the tax. They claim some of the funds will go towards support for the arts. Of course, this was a promise, and a murky one at that, since nothing concrete was included in the legislation. Support for arts in Pennsylvania has already been sharply reduced.

Arts administrators and support organizations were caught totally by surprise, and this statement has appeared on the website of the Philadelphia Cultural Alliance:

On Friday evening, Pennsylvania's state legislators announced a budget deal, balanced in part by a 6% sales tax on nonprofit cultural organizations.

The deal, which is expected to pass the full legislature in the next ten days, is expected to raise $100m to balance the budget.

Nonprofit cultural organizations are currently exempt from the sales tax on concert and other entertainment tickets; the proposal would lift this exemption. Other items that would be taxed to generate new revenue include an additional 25 cents per pack on cigarettes, a tax on cigarellos (small cigars), expanded gas-drilling leases on state land.

A proposal has also surfaced to dedicate a portion of the tax revenues in support of organizations affected by the tax; no details about this idea are available at this time.

The tax is likely to have a devastating effect on cultural organizations, many of which have been hit hard by the recession.

The tax on culture came the same day as the Philadelphia Orchestra announced that it was in a financial crisis, and in need of an immediate infusion of $15 million to continue operating. When Pittsburgh imposed a sales tax on tickets many decades ago, that city experienced a collapse of its cultural life as many groups closed, and others moved out, resettling elsewhere. Only in recent years has that tax been reduced, bringing hope to the resident arts organizations, only to face this new hurdle.

Legislators with no sense of basic fairness tax nonprofit tickets and admissions but leave profit making entertainment tickets tax free.

In essence taxes on the arts and culture are taxes on education since that is the purpose that the IRS grants tax exemption status of a 501(c)3.

Tyler Green writes in his Modern Art Notes blog over at Arts Journal that it is all the fault of The Philadelphia Museum. "Why are Pennsylvania institutions facing this now? It's hard to miss the confluence of the Philadelphia Museum of Art's outrageous 'Cezanne and Beyond' ticket fees and this tax proposal. Extortionately high exhibition charges -- the PMA asked a family of four for $88, over $100 with parking -- helped create this problem."

The Philadelphia Museum of Art
He goes on to say "Those fees have done two things: First, they say that the museum (and the arts in general) is a place for mostly the wealthy, so why not soak the rich with a sneaky tax no one else will notice or pay? And secondly, if a museum looks like an opportunistic business and if it acts like a greedy price-gouger, how can it be surprised when a local government wants to treat it the way it's been acting?"

So I guess to punish one big arts institution with questionable pricing policies, all the small and mid-sized operations have to deal with this new tax. And do their best to have it reversed.

The arts are an asset to a state, but clearly not in retrograde and destructive Pennsylvania. Like everyone else, the arts are suffering from the recession with a decline in contributions and tougher ticket sales, Now they now are also being asked to make up for the hit to the economy (brought about by Wall Street and the banks) by short-sighted Pennsylvania politicians.

Let's hope the voters of the Commonwealth let their legislators know that this is a very bad idea and should be dropped.

William and Margaret Gibson Remembered at Shakespeare & Company

2009-09-14T16:06:00.005-04:00

Playwright William Gibson honored.
From Jeremy Goodwin comes news that friends and fans of the late playwright, novelist and poet William Gibson, and psychotherapist and author Margaret Gibson, gathered yesterday to remember them. There was an intimate celebration of the Gibsons’ lives at Shakespeare & Company’s Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre, co-produced by S&Co. and the Berkshire Theatre Festival. A group of artists long associated with both S&Co. and BTF gathered to perform scenes from Mr. Gibson’s plays, as well as to read from Mrs. Gibson’s writings.

Tina Packer and Dennis Krausnick
Tina Packer, S&Co.’s Founding Artistic Director, recalled meeting the Gibsons shortly after founding S&Co., and described Mrs. Gibson’s impact as an early member of S&Co.’s Board of Trustees. Kate Maguire, BTF’s Artistic Director, shared stories about Mr. Gibson’s time as BTF’s Artistic Director, and his deep and long-running working relationship with the festival.

Berkshire Theatre Festival Artistic Director Kate Maguire
Maguire and Packer were joined by fellow actors Jonathan Epstein, Eric Hill, Dennis Krausnick (S&Co. Director of Training), and Annette Miller. Miller opened the program with a performance of a scene from Gibson’s Golda’s Balcony. This was followed by reminiscences about the Gibsons and readings from Mr. Gibson’s Jonah’s Dream, American Primitive, A Cry of Players, and The Miracle Worker. Eric Tucker directed the program and read aloud from Mrs. Gibson’s work. After the hour-long program, the invited crowd of about fifty adjourned for a reception, slideshow, and further discussion about their old friends.

Jonathan Epstein
According to Broadway World, Gibson's most famous play is The Miracle Worker (1959), the story of Helen Keller's childhood education, which won him the Tony Award for Best Play. His other works include Dinny and the Witches (1948, revised 1961), in which a jazz musician incurs the wrath of three Shakespearean witches by blowing a riff which stops time; the Tony Award-nominated Two for the Seesaw (1958), a recounting of which production appeared the following year in Gibson's nonfiction book The Seesaw Log; the book for the musical version of Clifford Odets's Golden Boy (1964), which earned him yet another Tony nomination; A Mass for the Dead (1968), an autobiographical family chronicle; A Cry of Players (1968), a speculative account of the life of young William Shakespeare; Goodly Creatures (1980), about Puritan dissident Anne Hutchinson; Monday After the Miracle (1982), a continuation of the Keller story; and Golda (1977), a work about the late Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir, which in its revised version Golda's Balcony (2003) set a record as the longest-running one-woman play in Broadway history on January 2, 2005.

Eric Tucker and Eric Hill
In 1954 he published a novel, The Cobweb, set at a psychiatric hospital resembling the Menninger Clinic. In 1955, the novel was adapted as a movie by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Gibson married Margaret Brenman-Gibson, a psychotherapist and biographer of Odets, in 1940. She died in 2004.