tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3554590441907565892008-05-15T10:11:59.019-04:00Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07313842125406605381noreply@blogger.comBlogger70125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355459044190756589.post-399725067128400392008-05-15T10:11:00.001-04:002008-05-15T10:11:59.058-04:00

Greene Room Productions, Monson through May 16-18, 2008 May 14, 2008 By Donna Bailey-Thompson "My no good, dirty rotten pig-stealing great-great-grandfather!" is the rationale spouted by Stanley, the hero of "Holes," for being wrongly accused, convicted and sentenced to a juvenile detention center preposterously named Camp Green Lake: there is no lake, no lanyard-braiding, no s’mores. Further,

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Exit 7 Players, Ludlow, MA Now through May 17, 2008 May 9, 2008 By Donna Bailey-Thompson If the meanings within the song, "Send In The Clowns" have eluded you, the answers await within the musical now glowing at Exit 7 Players theater. At the core of this engrossing marriage of lyrics which along with the spoken word propel the plot forward, is love that reveals its link with the four basic

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Bushnell, Hartford May 6, 2008 By Bernadette Johnson There’s something to be said for the tried and true. Doubtless, it was this that led to the choice of Ted Neeley for the lead role in the current tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s timeless rock musical “Jesus Christ Superstar.” Neeley, who at age 65 is almost twice the age Jesus was when he died, was nominated for two Golden Globe

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Suffield Players Mapleton Hall, Suffield through May 17, 2008 May 1, 2008 By Donna Bailey-Thompson All hail the incomparably gifted Noel Coward – dramatist, actor, writer, composer, lyricist, painter, and wit, knighted by Queen Elizabeth – whose impressive body of work lives on, including his bright comedy "Blithe Spirit," the latest star in the Suffield Players’ crown. Charles (Christopher

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Hartford Symphony Orchestra Bushnell, Hartford April 30, 2008 By Donna Bailey-Thompson Suddenly, organist Edward Clark’s thundering chord opened the latest program in the Masterworks Series, a reverberation that if created within dimmed light and long shadows could inject fear into one’s marrow . But in the lighted safety of Mortensen Hall, with the joining of throbbing cellos and the sweetness

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Springfield Symphony Orchestra Symphony Hall, Springfield April 25, 2008 By Donna Bailey-Thompson What a satisfying program, one that began with Music Director Kevin Rhodes pre-concert comments about what we were about to hear. Chopin’s Piano Concerto No.2, F minor "is beautiful from beginning to end." His talk focused on Brahms’ Symphony No. 3 in F Major, "the least played of his four

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Broad Brook Opera House, CT through May 18 April 27, 2008 By Donna Bailey-Thompson Igor, the ubiquitous hunchback of Frankenstein notoriety – oh dear, here comes an unbidden pun – has a back story thanks to local playwright Howard R. Odentz, who not only wrote the book but the lyrics and music for "Piecemeal" now enjoying its world premiere at Broad Brook’s Opera House. Actually, there are two

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Majestic Theater, West Springfield Through May 25 By Shera Cohen Colloquial definitions of “the full monty” mean: the whole lot, entire pot, full amount, and the more commonly understood “full striptease routine.” The Majestic’s interpretation of the musical “The Full Monty” gives many meanings to the word “full.” “Monty” tops off what has been a creative and exceptional season at the

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The Bushnell, Hartford April 22nd-27th, 2008 By Rachel White Marching into Hartford's Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts as part of their 2008 Broadway Series, "Meredith Willson's The Music Man" celebrates the timeless Broadway and film classics' 50th Anniversary and brings with it a star-studded cast, both new and legendary to the musical's history. Produced by the Bushnell's own Vice

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Hartford Stage, Hartford through May 4, 2008 April 13, 2008 By Donna Bailey-Thompson This lively, well-written play bears one essential resemblance to the sophisticated drawing room comedies of yesteryear: actors perform. And oh my, do they! Warts and all. The first act is awash in superficiality. By intermission I didn’t care about any of the four characters. If I had not returned for the

Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07313842125406605381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355459044190756589.post-85026572973817234972008-04-14T13:18:00.000-04:002008-04-14T13:20:00.625-04:00

Calvin Theater, Northampton, MA April 12, 2008 by Eric Sutter The Nields from Western, MA performed songs from their current release "Sister Holler" at the Calvin. The14th recording in their career, it emphasized an abundance of old folk songs mixed witha surprisingly new radical edge. Of course, the trademark harmonies of the sister duo of Nerissa and Katryna Nields was intact as they sang the

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Joe Peters is a professional artist. At age 24, he is also a graduate of Chicopee High School (2002) and will shortly receive his degree in Fine Art from Holyoke Community College. This May, Peters will display his flameworking and lampworking art forms at the Paradise City Arts Festival in Northampton, where he is one of the youngest artists in what has become the #1 of the top 10 arts fairs

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Symphony Hall, Springfield April 12 By Shera Cohen Tommy is age 70 and Dickie is age 68. Yet, the Smothers Brothers performance might as well have taken place in the 1960s. The “boys” never skipped a beat in impeccable timing, topical humor, irreverence, and their well-known stage personas. By the way, each aged very well. Tommy’s trademark stupidity and naiveté bounced off brother Dickie’s

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Hartford Symphony Orchestra The Bushnell, Hartford April 5, 2008 By Donna Bailey-Thompson The centerpiece of the program, Scottish Fantasy for Violin with Orchestra and Harp by Max Bruch (1838-1920) rendered what followed ("The Italian" by Mendelssohn, 1809-1920) anti-climatic. How could that be? Because Leonid Sigal stepped out of his role as HSO’s Concertmaster to beguile the audience with his

Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07313842125406605381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355459044190756589.post-56447062134922638442008-03-31T06:58:00.000-04:002008-03-31T06:59:08.641-04:00

Theater Guild, Hampden, MA Weekends through April 5 March 29, 2008 By Donna Bailey-Thompson Although this warm, funny, problem-ridden family play is set in September 1937, there are similarities with today’s vicissitudes and the inevitable maturations of human nature. Still mired in The Great Depression, the Brooklyn family has reconfigured their living space to accommodate recently widowed and

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CityStage, Springfield March 26, 2008 By Lauren Duquette The Capitol Steps provided a hilarious evening of over the top political satire on every current political scandal. Songs like "I'm So Indicted" and "God Bless My SUV" to "The Impossible Dean" gave the much-appreciative audience tons of belly laughing comedy in between. Produced by Elaina Newport and directed by Bill Strauss, the

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The Bushnell, Hartford through March 30, 2008 By Keith H. Purcell Reginald Rose’s gritty human drama “12 Angry Men” was vividly brought to life as part of the Bushnell’s Broadway Series. It is a complex study of human interrelationships under stress and how it brings out the worst and the best in men. The story revolves around jury deliberations of a capital murder case on a hot summer day in

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By Shera Cohen When a friend moved to Arizona in 1995, I was given an open invitation. “But there are no arts in Tucson, just cactus,” I replied. Thirteen years later, I finally traveled out West to learn that I was completely wrong about my perception of their arts. I jam-packed about 20 arts and cultural activities into one week. My friends thought that this was not the definition of “

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Colonial Theatre, Pittsfield March 14 By Shera Cohen Two math questions. What is Il Divo x 3.33? Hummm? Let’s make it easier? What are The Three Tenors x 2.5? Answer -- The Ten Tenors, or affectionally dubbed TTT. These Aussies combine camaraderie, energy, and animated choreography of a football team with debonair charm, wit, and professionalism of Wall Street bankers. They are

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CityStage, Springfield through March 9 By Shera Cohen Judy Gold, star and co-writer of this stand-up comedy performance, has a Jewish mother. Judy Gold is a Jewish mother. This talented, funny woman is also 6’3” and gay. These facts are not passing tidbits of information, but are essential to the story told onstage. Perhaps one would anticipate this latest program on the CityStage roster

Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07313842125406605381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355459044190756589.post-4272264491271474652008-03-04T15:16:00.001-05:002008-03-04T15:16:54.818-05:00

Colonial Theatre, Pittsfield March 2, 2008 by Eric Sutter Natalie MacMaster comes from the high cliffs of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. She started fiddling at age 9 and step-dancing at age 5. With attractive looks she lives and breathes this unique culture through her music and dance. In all her splendid glory she moved from Gaelic airs to reels and jigs. Her back-up band included

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Hartford Stage, Hartford Through April 20, 2008 By Bernadette Johnson “There were no marigolds in the fall of 1941,” begins the narrative to a backdrop of sheets hung out to dry. As the sheets are taken down and folded, a simple set is disclosed gently and deliberately, as are the ugly secrets and the harsh realities in the coming of age of Pecola Breedlove (Adepero Oduye), a poor, 11-year-old

Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07313842125406605381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355459044190756589.post-61786083272448994252008-03-03T10:25:00.001-05:002008-03-03T10:27:39.188-05:00

Majestic Theater, West Springfield through April 6 by Shera Cohen It’s March 2nd, dirty snow aligns the streets and sidewalks of downtown West Springfield. Yet inside the Majestic, it’s a warm spring full of flowers that could have been painted by the best Impressionists, setting the stage for rebirth and renewal. The current production at the Majestic is “Enchanted April,” which accomplishes

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Greene Room Productions, Monson Weekends through March 9, 2008 February 24, 2008 By Donna Bailey-Thompson A sophisticated retrospective of a five-year relationship – courtship, marriage, and disillusionment – is Greene Room Productions’ midpoint attraction of their second season. For "The Last Five Years" 2001 off-Broadway debut, the multi-talented Jason Robert Brown – book, composer, lyricist

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The Bushnell, Hartford Through February 24 By Shera Cohen This is an easy review to write. The hard ones are dramas and musical dramas, one-person plays and those with casts of thousands, avante garde and Shakespeare. “The Drowsy Chaperone” has none of the angst, tour-de-force performances, or difficult language found in any or all of the above categories. The Bushnell has brought in a

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