February at the Colonial - Coming Attractions

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

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

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

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

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

Tickets and information:

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

"Cabaret" at the Colonial Theatre Gets the Basics Right

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.

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

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.

Romeo and Juliet Berkshire Bound February 12 at the Colonial

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.