Cabaret

Barrington Stage Company
in ,

5 out of 5 Stars

Willkommen to the new and completely rejuvenated version of Cabaret, the beloved and poignant musical previously brought to life by the likes of Joel Gray or Alan Cumming depending on your age and/or perspective. I wondered if this giant show could be mastered in this small-town setting. Well, you can leave these concerns (along with your troubles) at the door. What awaits you at Barrington Stage is a completely refreshed and somewhat reimagined version of this story that rings the bell in every musical theatre category.

Beginning with the entrance of Nik Alexander as our Emcee, you are enthralled by the casting of every role in this production. Krysta Rodriguez is simply brilliant as Sally Bowles. Another stand-out is Candy Buckley as Fraulein Schneider. To describe these as Broadway-level performances is simply unfair to this ensemble in that they exceed any expectation you might have for a Broadway show. Labeling these performers as non-binary would be a constrained description of this beautiful and talented cast. Actors change roles and genders with extreme fluidity. Costumes, lighting, and set design all get the highest marks with the final product presented under the superb direction of Alan Paul. Placing the orchestra right on the stage further enhances the powerful punch of the music. Despite being freshly revived in its interpretation, the musical remains firmly attached to its core story by Joe Masteroff, music by John Kander, and lyrics by Fred Ebb.

Prior versions of Cabaret include the 1966 Broadway musical, a 1972 film version, and numerous revivals as recent as 2013. What these productions have in common is their historical nature. The Barrington Stage production however is every bit as much about the present and our current political landscape. It serves to supercharge the message of the show in a way that allows it to stand alone when compared to past productions.

Our access to Barrington Stage’s production of Cabaret underscores what is so wonderful about life in the Berkshires. Miss this production at your peril. After all, what good is sitting alone in your room? See the show.

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West Side Story

Barrington Stage Company
in , ,

5 out of 5 Stars

The collection of geniuses that converged at the time of our nation’s birth is described in the Hamilton lyrics - - 
              "What are the odds, that the Gods, would put us all in one place?"
​​​​​​​A similar statement can be made regarding the creation of one of Broadway’s greatest musicals – West Side Story.

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The Ballad of Little Jo

Two River Theater
in

Guest Review

The remarkable new musical, The Ballad of Little Jo, tells the reimagined story of the real woman, Little Jo Monaghan.  The limited facts of her story are best captured in the playbill:  “When the well-liked rancher Jo Monaghan died in 1904 of pneumonia at the age of 56, his death was mourned by many in his town of Rockville, Idaho. Although he was quiet and kept mostly to himself, he had developed a reputation in his 37 years in the area as a good man and a hard worker. As his body was prepared for burial, a secret was revealed: “Little Jo” was a woman."

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The Women of Padilla

Two River Theater
in

Guest Review

Let me preface my review with this: I loved the play. I feel compelled to write about The Women of Padilla because it moved me, and I want to encourage others to be moved as well. I hesitate because the play is delicate, and I am afraid that my words will weigh it down and obscure that lovely feature. In the world presented by playwright, Tony Meneses, we meet the ad hoc family, fitfully created. Women left behind after their husbands - eight brothers - have left for a mysterious, yet sadly familiar war.

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A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

Two River Theater
in

A friend once told me, in glass blowing if you can’t make it good, make it blue.  For me extrapolating this to theater I would say if you can’t make it good fill the stage with scantily clad women.    This raised great concern for me when I learned that A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum was set with an all-male cast.  I left the production realizing that this was the way Forum was always meant to be presented.  

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Man of La Mancha

Barrington Stage Company
in

Full disclosure - there are shows that I don’t see because I don’t want to bias my opinion.  The corollary of this is that certain shows are impossible for me not to love.  Man of La Mancha is one of those shows.  That, however, should take nothing away from the joy I derived from this production.  Already expecting to be wowed by the reunion with my old friends in the dark and dirty dungeons of the Spanish Inquisition, I was overwhelmed by the spirit and potency of this production. 

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Off the Main Road

Williamstown Theatre Festival
in

What is the Main Road?  Happiness is found in beauty, wealth and achievement (baseball for example).  We lived our life reflecting off the signposts on the Main Road.  The detour that is taken in this world premiere of William Inge’s Off the Main Road, is the path that we were nearly discovering in art and literature in the early 1960s. 

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