REVIEW: Majestic Theater, “Steel Magnolias”

Majestic Theater, West Springfield, MA  
www.majestictheater.com
through November 30, 2025
by Paul Jenney

The stage of the Majestic is transformed into a cozy Southern hairdressing salon, a world where women get pampered, laugh, argue, and swap secrets about friends, family, health, relationships, and anything else making the rounds in town that day.

Our story unfolds inside Truvy’s salon. Portrayed by a perky Elaine Hom, Truvy has just hired a new stylist, Annelle (Kait Rankins), who is shy, polite, and harboring a mysterious past. Meanwhile, Shelby is getting married later that day. She and her mother, M’Lynn, arrive for wedding-day hairdos. M’Lynn is the classic over-involved parent, managing every detail with love and just a little too much control, to Shelby’s visible irritation.

Soon, the salon regulars begin arriving, from cheerful Clairee, who laughs easily and seems to know everything about everyone, to the sharp-tongued Ouiser, who never misses a chance to fire off a one-liner. Their banter touches all the familiar salon staples: reckless hobbies of husbands, like shooting off guns for fun (Ryan Hickey’s sound design created

great atmosphere), questionable romance choices, and health struggles that test even the toughest spirits. Through it all, these women handle life with grit, love, and humor.

Angela Dias’s Ouiser relishes every caustic comment, and laughter follows her wherever she goes. MaConnia Chesser’s Clairee delivers her lines with impeccable timing and understated wit.

The second act becomes more poignant as Shelby’s health crisis takes center stage. The tears shared among these women, along with their unwavering solidarity, make the story’s emotional impact hit home. Both Raya Malcom (Shelby) and Cate Damon (M’Lynn) nailed their roles here.

Anyone who has ever sat in a salon chair or worked at one will instantly recognize the rhythm of these conversations, the way secrets slip out, and the unique sense of community found among hair dryers and curlers. Inspired by the real-life story of his sister, Susan, who died of complications from diabetes, playwright Robert Harling captures women’s voices, vulnerabilities, and humor with striking authenticity.

In today’s world of cell phones, laptops, and fewer genuine spaces to connect, it was fun — and touching — to watch women gather, support, challenge, and care for one another. The audience laughed, cried, and felt everything in between.

Perhaps that small-town world never really existed quite as perfectly as we imagined, but for a few hours, it was wonderful to believe it did.

 

REVIEW: Springfield Chamber Players, "All about the Bass"

Springfield Chamber Players,
Springfield, MA
https://www.springfieldsymphonymusicians.com/
October 26, 2025
by Michael J. Moran

Today’s concert opened this ensemble’s second season at its comfortable venue, 52 Sumner, at 52 Sumner Avenue in Springfield, with warm acoustics and ample free parking. The aptly titled program featured Alexander Svensen, Assistant Principal bassist of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, who also plays bass in the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and elsewhere across the northeastern United States.   

The concert began with three waltzes for “solo double bass” (another name for the bass, as Svensen quipped, because it’s “twice as good” as other instruments) by Italian composer and bass player Domenico Dragonetti. Nicknamed “Il Drago,” his virtuosity so impressed his contemporaries, including Beethoven, that the bass soon became more prominent in many orchestral scores. Svensen played these waltzes with an easy swing, drawing on his jazz background.   

Next came Scotia Aerin Switzer’s 2014 “Five Miniatures for Solo Bassoon,” arranged for bass by Svensen and Switzer. The low-lying sonority of these quirky pieces translates well to the bass, and Svensen tossed off their technical challenges with aplomb.

Introducing Johann Sebastian Bach’s 1720 second suite for solo cello, Svensen noted that in its higher “singing bel canto voice,” the bass can sound very much like a cello, while also retaining the deep resonant power of its lower tones. An imposing “Prelude” was followed by five short movements in French dance tempos: a stately “Allemande,” a fleet “Courante,” a ravishing “Sarabande,” in which time almost stopped, two graceful “Minuets,” and a lively “Gigue."

Svensen was next joined by violinist Romina Kostare, also an SSO and HSO member, in seven of the “44 Duos for Two Violins,” written by Hungarian composer Bela Bartok in 1933 as teaching exercises for children. Kostare’s nimble violin contrasted sharply with Svensen’s hefty bass in these appealingly varied selections, all based on eastern European folk tunes.

Photo by Angela Park

The program ended with Russian composer Alexander Muravyev’s 2014 “Alice in Wonderland – Suite for Double Bass Solo.” Alternating chipper narration by Patrick Berry of six scenes from Lewis Carroll’s book with Svensen’s playful accounts of Muravyev’s colorful depictions, the piece was played in memory of local arts impresario Mark Auerbach, without whom Svensen said “the Springfield Chamber Players would not exist.” Images of a smiling Auerbach and of John Tenniel’s original book illustrations were projected behind the stage.

This entertaining and enlightening program by the charismatic Svensen and friends sets a high standard for this resourceful ensemble’s new season

Review: Goodspeed/Terris Theatre, "The Great Emu War"

Goodspeed/Terris Theatre, Chester, CT

www.goodspeed.org
through October 26, 2025
By Suzanne Wells

The Terris Theatre presents “The Great Emu War,” a farcical story from the point of view of the Emus. Based on a true story, the “Great Emu War” of 1932 saw a flock of 20,000 towering, long-legged emus migrate into Western Australia, decimating its wheat crops. The government, ruffled by this invasion, deployed its military - armed with machine guns - to eradicate the nuisance. Imagine “The Roadrunner” cartoon with a National Geographic twist, for a sense of this comical, wildly dramatic, and occasionally risqué play.

Brimming with clever pop culture and political references, the show keeps the audience cackling, while lively songs, energetic choreography, and a dash of Hamlet-style revenge ensures that there is something for every member of the flock to enjoy.

Photo by Diane Sobolewski

Claire Saunders stars as Edith, a spirited and self-reliant young emu determined to make her own way. Rather than waiting to defend her nest, Edith uses clever tactics to outwit her adversaries. Saunders skillfully captures the struggles of a teenager frustrated by her father's overprotective wing, while also portraying a female boldly exploring her independence and sexuality. While Saunders' impressive vocal range is occasionally showy for Edith’s story line, it is a delight to experience.

Taylor Matthew’s performance as Major Meredith delivers entertaining over-the-top drama, reminiscent of William Shatner and Alan Rickman. Embracing his inner villain, Matthew makes Major Meredith a man you love to hate - a gun-toting, bird-fearing protagonist whose comedic timing and expressive reactions perfectly depict the chaos of facing a flock of determined, unyielding emus.

The music, composed by Paul Hodge and skillfully directed by Angie Benson, features an array of infectious show tunes that anchor the story. Highlights include the charming “Backwards,” which portrays the quirky, zigzagging lifestyle of the Emu, and the spirited “Love Doesn’t Start with a Bang,” marking the beginning of a heartfelt romance. The score also delivers emotional depth with ballads like “Fly Solo,” sharing thoughtful fatherly wisdom, and “Stand Still,” capturing the bittersweet transition from youthful exuberance to adult responsibility. Rounding out the lineup is “Boom," a playful boom-chicka-boom number bringing a cheeky twist that ironically suits the Emu-themed narrative.

“The Great Emu War” is a surprisingly entertaining, “booming” good production.

REVIEW: Hartford Stage, “Rope”

Hartford Stage, Hartford, CT.
www.hartfordstage.org
by Jarice Hanson
through November 2

The World Premiere of “Rope” at Hartford Stage is scintillatingly suspenseful and murderously macabre. It’s theatrically perfect.

 

The theatre commissioned noted playwright, Jeffrey Hatcher, to adapt this version of a 1929 three-act play by Patrick Hamilton, called “Rope’s End". Audiences may be more familiar with the film, “Rope” adapted by Alfred Hitchcock in 1948. Hatcher’s version, however, builds on the tension integral to the plot. At the end of the show, it seems that the audience had been collectively holding their breath until the final moment. This production is a triumph of structure and stagecraft.

 

Under the direction of Melia Bensussen, a top-notch cast mined the material for every nuance and subtle twist of the murder mystery which is at the heart of the story. Daniel Neale’s interpretation of Brandon, the mastermind of what he claims is the “perfect murder,” is a slick, smarmy operator who orchestrates an intricate plan to murder one of his former college friends. He engages his partner, Lewis, played by the enigmatic Ephraim Birney, to actually do the deed.

 T. Charles Erickson

Please note that none of the above are spoilers. Literally, in the first three or so minutes of the play, the audience is immediately brought up to speed on the murder. What follows is the mystery.

When family and friends of the deceased come to a dinner party, a “cat and mouse” dance begins as the diners’ cluster around the chest that is the tomb of the dearly departed. Mark Benninghofen as Rupert Cadell, the boys’ former teacher, depicts one of the more important characters. This is a master performance by Benninghofen.

The rest of the cast includes James Riordan as the victim’s father; Fiona Robberson as Meriel, the deceased’s fiancé; and Nick Saxton as Kenneth, an unsuspecting friend. The actors work beautifully together, and every word is clear and understandable.

 

The outstanding, elegant set by Riw Rakkulchon is brooding and dark; a perfect setting for people who come and go, as well as confide and confess. Mary Louise Geiger’s lighting design provides an eerie glow to the stage. Jane Shaw’s sound design and original music shows how tension can evolve with subtle musical cues and percussion. Risa Ando’s costume design is historically accurate and provides visual references to each actor’s character.

Weaving these stage elements together is the truly outstanding script penned by Hatcher.  He understands the conventions of a typical murder mystery, and with Bensussen's direction adds enough visual clues to make the act of watching the play, engaging and suspenseful.

 

This is an early Halloween gift to audiences, and Hartford Stage has opened its season with a masterful play. 

 

REVIEW: Hartford Symphony Orchestra, "Beethoven & Sibelius"

Bushnell, Belding Theater, Hartford, CT
www.hartfordsymphony.org

October 17-19, 2025
by Michael J. Moran

For the second weekend of the HSO’s 2025-2026 “Masterworks” series, guest conductor Viswa Subbaraman and piano soloist Drew Petersen, both making distinguished HSO debuts, presented a well-balanced program of music by three diverse composers..

The concert opened with a radiant account of the rarely heard 1903 “Helios Overture,” by Danish composer Carl Nielsen. Named after the Greek god of the sun and written during a stay in Athens, Nielsen wrote this description in the score: “Silence and darkness – then the sun climbs in joyous paean of praise – wanders its golden path – sinks tranquilly into the sea.” The HSO and Subbaraman

photo courtesy of Drew Petersen

portrayed this atmospheric day in the sun with power and sensitivity.   

Petersen next soloed in a commanding rendition of the third piano concerto, completed in 1803, by Ludwig van Beethoven. From a forceful opening “Allegro con brio” and a rapturous “Largo,” which Richard Rodda’s program notes aptly call “an extended song – a marvelous juxtaposition of hymnal tranquility and operatic love scene,” to a vigorous “Rondo: Allegro,” ending in a burst of major-key energy, the charismatic pianist played this masterpiece of Beethoven’s early maturity with technical finesse and emotional depth. Orchestra and conductor offered resourceful support.    

A standing ovation called the 2018 Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient back to the stage for an exquisitely sensuous reading of Claude Debussy’s familiar 1905 “Clair de Lune” (“Moonlight”), holding the audience in silent thrall for five minutes.

The program closed with a thrilling performance of Finnish composer Jean Sibelius’s longest and best known symphony, his second, written in 1901-1902. Subbaraman’s long experience conducting operas served him especially well in this dramatic work. A buoyant opening “Allegretto,” a tempestuous “Tempo Andante, ma rubato,” an exuberant “Vivacissimo” (“as fast as possible”), with a pastoral slow interlude, and an alternately somber and joyous “Allegretto moderato” finale, closing with a triumphant brass chorale, brought the audience to its feet. Both this conductor and this pianist would clearly be welcome return visitors to Hartford. 

The HSO’s next Masterworks program (November 14-16) will feature HSO Assistant Conductor Adam Kerry Boyles leading music by Antonin Dvorak and Sergei Rachmaninoff, with cellist Tommy Mesa in Dvorak’s cello concerto.

REVIEW: Springfield Symphony Orchestra, “A Night in Italy”

Symphony Hall, Springfield, MA
www.springfieldsymphony.org
October 11, 2025
by Beverly Dane

Opening Night for the 2025/2026 season was a tribute to Springfield’s Italian heritage and featured both classical and contemporary selections. The opening number, by tradition, had the audience standing for the national anthem. Springfield Mayor Dominic Sarno was glad to accept “an offer he could not refuse” to deliver opening remarks and express thanks to audience members and musicians for their support and dedication. Heather Caisse-Roberts, the Symphony’s new President and CEO, brought energy and enthusiasm as she thanked past President Paul Lambert and all those in attendance for making a new season possible.

Six big bold brass soundings opened the concert with Verdi’s “Force of Destiny” Overture. Ottorino Respighi’s “Ancient Airs and Dances: Suite III” brought approximately two dozen musicians of The Springfield Youth Orchestra to the stage to play side by side with the SSO’s professional musicians. The all-strings orchestra rose to the occasion. The sound was beautiful, and they will hopefully play with the SSO for many years to come. Guest conductor and SSO Artistic Advisor Mei-Ann Chen asked all parents and teachers of the students to stand for a round of applause. In her words, “It takes a village to raise an orchestra.”

The iconic sound of the solo trumpet opening of Nino Rota’s music for “The Godfather” were familiar and expected, but what was unexpected was the trumpet played from the Grand Tier balcony of Symphony Hall.

This surprise was magnified in Respighi’s “Pines of Rome.” Before it started, the conductor’s podium was removed. It was impressive to be able to conduct without a score, but what was more impressive was the full-body conducting of Mei-Ann Chen. The piece opens brightly with strings, wind, brass and percussion mimicking happy children at play. The second movement depicts the Catacombs with a mournful, somber sound. The third movement features the clarinet as a nightingale, and recorded bird song filled the hall. The fourth movement is a loud, rousing parade, suggesting the Roman Army marching along the Appian Way.

The main body of the orchestra was on stage, but there were French horns in the Left Loge, trumpets in the Grand Tier, and trombones in the Right Tier. It was Surround Sound, and Conductor Chen was employing 360 degrees of conducting. Even when the music had ended, Chen’s exuberant cue for the musicians to rise highlighted her talent for full-body bows.

REVIEW: K and E Theater Group, “Sunday in the Park with George”

K and E Theater Group, Northampton, MA

www.ketg.org

through October 19, 2025

by Michael J. Moran

The original 1984 Broadway production of this play, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Lapine, won a Pulitzer Prize and two Tony Awards. A fictionalized version of how French artist George Seurat painted his 1884-1886 masterpiece A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, its strong visual component can be daunting for local theaters to replicate. But KETG’s moving production shows that it can be done exceptionally well.

Act I, set in Paris, shows George creating the painting and interacting with the people who appear in it, including his lover, Dot. When George’s immersion in his work seems to leave no room for Dot in his life, she marries Louis, a baker, and they move to the United States with her newborn daughter, Marie. Act II follows George's great-grandson, an American artist, also named George, as he loses and then regains his artistic muse, with help from his ancestors, on a visit to La Grande Jatte.

There is no weak link in the 13-member ensemble cast, each playing two or more roles, with many local stage credits and some beyond. Michael

 Graham is compelling as both Georges, finding their human vulnerability and gritty determination. Nicole Elledge-Hickey is extraordinary as Dot and, in Act II, 98-year-old Marie. Her gleaming, lyrical soprano captures the full range of their emotions. Gene Choquette is a winningly sardonic boatman. Elizabeth Monte, Carol Wrobleski, and Eddie Zitka shine in smaller roles.

Musical highlights include: Elledge-Hickey’s hilarious title song; her touching “Children and Art” as the elderly Marie; two of her soaring duets with Graham – a shattering “We Do Not Belong Together” and an inspirational “Move On;” Graham’s virtuosic voicing of two dogs in a kaleidoscopic “The Day Off;” Wrobeski’s wistful “Beautiful” with a reflective Graham; and a rapturous “Sunday” by the full company. Music Director Cavallin’s eight-member onstage band offers colorful, stylish backing.

Director-choreographer-actor Zitka (the “E” of KETG, with co-founding “K” partner Ken Comia) deploys his cast seamlessly to move his flexible set on and off the Northampton Center for the Arts stage. Elegant costume design by Moonyean Field and the protean Zitka is period-perfect. Creative projection design by Nicco Palazzi and Comia keeps the painting front and center. 
 

This impressive mounting of a peak Sondheim show is highly recommended for mature theatergoers.