Review: “The Legend of Georgia McBride,” Berkshire Theatre Group

Berkshire Theatre Group, Pittsfield, MA
www.berkshiretheatregroup.org
through August 16, 2026
by Shera Cohen

The songs of Edith Piaf are not nearly as popular as they were decades ago, except perhaps in gay bars. Indeed, that’s exactly the on stage location where the audiences of Colonial Theatre’s production of “The Legend of GeorgiaMcBride” frequent nightly (except Mondays) along with matiness.

Matthew Lopez, one of the most prolific and talented playwrights whose works are often staged in Hartford and the Berkshires, takes credit and laughs for “Georgia”. The comedy is broad, outlandish, and side-splitting. Yet, in Act II, sobering text offers a deep look at humanity. 

Straight guy Casey, down on his luck with an empty wallet, has two things going for him: a dream to be a successful musician and a caring wife. Michael Wartella as Casey, portrays a somewhat dimwitted young, sweet man who would take the shirt off his back to help a stranger. Metaphorically, this is his only shirt. In dire straits, Casey reluctantly agrees to work as a drag queen at a failing bar in a hick town in FL. Wartella’s credits include Broadway, Off Broadway, and several plays at BTG. Obviously, he is a favorite in the Berkshires. Somewhat short in stature, Wartella is a talented singer on guitar and physical comedian. 

Kyle Taylor Parker, who easily stands at 6’6’’ as transvestite extraordinaire whose comic timing, nuances, and asides steal the show portrays Miss Tracy Mills. Another Broadway and touring star, Parker’s lithe strides and dance moves bely his stature. Wartella and Parker make an odd couple fun to laugh at and laugh with. We like them both for their similarities and differences.

One sign of a skilled director and choreographer, in this case Isadora Wolfe takes on both, is when the audience doesn’t notice the work put into these jobs. Directors don’t just worry that actors might bump into each other (that should be a given), but every movement is purposeful for the characters.

Randall Parsons, scenic designer, has more to do than meets the eye. Casey and Jo’s apartment is bare because they have few funds to buy anything. The same for the rundown bar. However, a set mechanism turns one scene 180-degrees to create the other. Amy Avila, costume designer, must be in stitches (okay, bad pun) seeing her cheeky formal dresses worn by men.

Known primarily for his dramatic portrayals, BTG’s artistic regular of 40 years, David Adkins, takes an unusual role as the very funny on-stage MC and scripted bar owner. The small cast also includes Emilie Kouatchou (Casey’s wife), Shayne Haley (Tracy’s friend), and E. Gray Simons III (landlord).

“Georgia” is hoot. Some may hesitate to bring youngsters to this play. Don’t. Lots of kids on opening night obviously loved it!

 

Review: TheatreWorks, “The Cannibals of McGower County”

TheatreWorks, Hartford, CT

Photo:  Curtis Brown Photography

https://twhartford.org/

through August 30, 2026

By Jarice Hanson

 

TheaterWorks Hartford has mounted a play that is disturbing, violent, and very current. Four outstanding actors tell the story that unfolds before the audience’s eyes with honesty and full commitment. 

 

Playwright Drew Larimore’s note in the playbill explains that this show is part one of a trilogy he is writing that he classifies as “Southern Gothic.” The characters each have backstories of abuse, lies, poverty and disappointment, and Larimore workshopped the play with the four actors over a two-year process, undoubtedly learning each actor’s strengths and mining their ability to behave like disparate members of the community that has seen better days in McGower County in West Texas.

 

Director Jen Wineman finds humor at the right moments but never allows the story to get silly or lose its momentum. Instead, the story emerges like an onion, shedding its skin and drawing one deeper into the human condition. There are twists and turns aplenty, and many of them unexpected. If this show had men at the center of the action it would be just another treatment of men behaving badly, but because two of the leads in this ensemble piece are women of a certain age, the behaviors are unexpected and shockingly powerful.

 

Anchoring the play are two gifted actresses, Annalee Jefferies as “Lindalyn,” a curmudgeonly woman who seems bitter and unfulfilled. She walks with a cane and a limp—signs of an injury that never healed correctly. Constance Shulman as “Viola” seems simple-minded but loyal to Lindalyn, who she’s known most of her life.  The two women are wonderful together, especially as they enter the broken-down diner wearing what looks like miners' hats with headlamps, planning to steal whatever they can sell. 

Costumes by Alejo Vietti tell the story of their personalities, and Tim Mackabee’s set design gives them plenty of props on the realistic set that looks like a deserted bar in a place where no one wants to live.

 

The young lovers are Gus Birney as “Sarah Nell,” a sweet, beautiful girl who hasn’t had much life experience, and Edward Hoke as Blaze" who comes from privilege and has purchased the old bar.

What do these two have in common besides a load of chemistry and passion? That’s where the story that brings these four people together starts to get juicy.

 

There are more sudden shifts in tone than could be described in this summary, but that would spoil the moment-by-moment pleasure of the audiences’ discovery of these characters and the lives of the three women who try to guard a lifetime of secrets. 

 

“Cannibals of McGower County” is not a perfect play (yet), but this is an excellent production and shows the promise of the character-driven study that emerges as the story spirals deeper and deeper. This creative cast and production team work seamlessly together to reach into the audience’s collective soul and remind us that there are places in this country that have suffered from ignorance and poverty. 

McGower County is a place where even people who mean well, are sometimes damaged and dangerous. 

 

Constance Shulman and Annalee Jefferies in "Cannibals of McGower County"

 

Review: “Amchitka,” Chester Theatre

Chester Theatre, Chester, MA

www.chestertheatre.org

through August 8, 2026

by Shera Cohen

“Amchitka” is the name of a new play presented at Chester Theatre. It is also the name of a basically uninhabited island located off of Alaska. Its historical context during WWII and in the mid-1960’s are the reasons that some people might have heard of it. In November 1971, the United States (the country which owns these islands) conducted a series of nuclear tests, albeit extremely controversial and news-worthy at the time.

Playwright Mark St. Germain is well-known in the Berkshires, particularly for his fictionalized biographical plays about famous individuals; i.e. Sigmund Freud, Alan Turing, Dr. Ruth. While “Amchitka” does not focus on any one person, his latest story utilizes the setting and its history as historic backdrop in which he places three fictitious characters.

Diana (Kelly Lester), Nate (Will Maizel), and Connie (Hero Marguerite) portray scientists living and working in close quarters for an extended period of time on the island. They are colleagues; not friends. Their mission for the U.S. Department of Energy is vitally important; to oversee the long-term effects of nuclear contamination. The actors’ skills are fine and evenly matched.

Photo credit: Andrew Greto 

Another familiar and highly respected name in the Berkshires’ theatre scene is Julianne Boyd, director of this play and Founding Artistic Director of neighboring Barrington Stage Company. Boyd does the best that she can using a static, uninteresting, white lab as backdrop for the primarily static and generally boring characters.

The plot focuses on personal conflicts among the trio, yet more importantly on decisions that will affect world history. In truth, the play’s plot is difficult to fully understand, and spoilers won’t permit a critique that gives the particulars of what happens before, during, and after these scientists study and work at “Amchitka” except to say that the happenings of nearly 50 years ago are in many ways too close to home for the audience’s comfort level in the 21st century.

Unlike St. Germain’s other work, “Amchitka” is extremely talky – between three characters that the viewers care little about. Had each been a person who walked out of a history book (even Richard Nixon who was president in this era), the story would have been worth the time to explore.

Perhaps others will find the play a chilling look into today’s political and environmental tensions as foreseen in “Amchitka”.

 

Review: “Lovesong” Berkshire Theatre Group

Berkshire Theatre Group, Stockbridge, MA

www.berkshiretheatregroup.org

Date: August 29, 2026

by Shera Cohen

“Lovesong” at Berkshire Theatre Group’s Unicorn Theatre stars four actors as two characters. The quartet is extraordinary as a whole and individually. Without hesitation, this play is assuredly one of BTG’s best in many years.

The story is somewhat universal about your average married couple; at the same time unique in the execution of the lives that these two develop for 40 years. At the start of the story is the older Maggie and Billy; the husband is a retired dentist; his wife, retired as well, never really had a career. They love each other. Deeply? Or, after many decades, is it the best alternative to any other choice? The answer is for the characters and viewers to decide, yet most would likely lean toward the answer, “both”.

The same couple is depicted in the early years of marriage, as the play’s timeline, while chronological, shifts back and forth between the couples, who are indeed the same pair. The success of this achievement of the ebbs and flows, coupled with joys and many sorrows of the same characters is drawn deftly with emotional nuances by director David Auburn. “Lovesong” is a director’s dream challenge, and Auburn (whose day job is as Associate Artistic Director at BTG) handles the extraordinary task with precision beyond expectations. This is a director’s play.

Photo credit: Caelan Carlough

The production also shows the immense talent of scenic designer Alexander Woodward. The staging, a house seen as if sliced horizontally, is the only setting. This is an entire house with several rooms the size of an actual kitchen bedroom, and bathroom, for example. The backyard, complete with hammock, is natural. Stairways and halls lead to other parts of the home. This, in itself, is no magical feat. Yet the transition of the young Margaret and William immediately and almost mystically becoming the older Maggie and Billy and vice versa simply within the confines of a house is enormous.

Of course, the remarkable direction and design would be static without four extraordinary actors. The love, expectations, and trust that grows in an even somewhat, if not a long, marriage is realistic. The actors work brilliantly as a small ensemble. Margaret almost flows into the body of Maggie. Rebecca Brooksher holds her own with Karen Allen (whose name is recognized as a movie star in epic blockbusters), each as the vulnerable woman living the best she can for herself and for her husband. Shawn Fagan and David Garrison (the latter, recognizable from TV roles) are the Williams, as a man working on sensitivity through the years.  

There are a few subtle attempts for the actors to look alike through the decades, although some clothing styles are consistent. The Williams seem to consistently like plaid shirts. Mirror-looks are unnecessary.

The characters’ words and demeanor are significant tools for the actors to truly become the person on stage. And these four actors are remarkable.

Review: “Twelfth Night,” Shakespeare & Company

Shakespeare & Company, Lenox, MA
www.shakespeare.org
Through July 26, 2026
by Shera Cohen

A shipwreck, disguises, twins, mistaken identities, paired-off lovers, and the ever-present wise fool(s) are the basic elements of most Shakespearian comedies. “Twelfth Night,” one of the Bard’s last in this genre, is also one of his best. S&Co. mounts this rapid-action farce with aplomb. No matter how often S&Co. presents this comedy; given different actors, director, and sets, the play is always fresh.

S&Co. formula is emphasis on confusion. Please take this comment in the good humor in which it is intended. Yes, there is a plot, albeit convoluted, hackneyed, and thin. More importantly is the cast of fit and misfit characters, each with his or her own ingredients to dump into the mix to ultimately create an “all’s well that ends well” story. Alas, that is yet another one of Shakespeare’s numerous comedies.

Twins are lost at sea (of course), are rescued, and somehow get to the same seacoast dukedom unbeknownst to the other. In this scenario the duo (one male and one female) supposedly look exactly alike. Hmm? Therein lies the first of many misperceptions. Will the twins find each other? Will each find their true love at first sight? Will the clowns upstage the main characters? The answers: yes, yes, and oh yes!

Photo by Nile Scott Studios

Shakespeare’s clowns, also called fools, are those characters (usually male) who serve the play as comic relief, yet oftentimes have a great deal of intellect and cunning. “Twelfth Night” tops an already funny play with even more laughs which is why this is one of the best of the Bard.

Kate Bohler Amory directs. Assumedly, the most difficult job for Amory is moving a 2+ hour play from an outdoor setting onto an indoor stage. A guess would be that in outdoor productions, the actors normally utilize trees and paths in the woods as part of the staging. Yet, the Tina Packer Theatre permits scaling scaffolding and running up and down aisles. All parts must be reassembled in the indoor Arthur S. Waldstein Amphitheatre. 

Hers is a dream cast of current S&Co. regulars plus some from decades ago; it is refreshing to see the return of some ‘ol timers. Several actors deserve praise, but let’s not so arbitrarily focus on Allyn Burrows, who happens to also wear the hat of Artistic Director. If a star character of “Twelfth Night” was to be chosen, it would be Malvolio – the arrogant, snobby, prissy, and put-upon servant portrayed by Burrows. It’s a toss-up as to which of Malvolio’s episodes gets the most laughs: donning the yellow leggings and parochial school-like plaid kilt, imprisonment in a tiny caged cubical, or reading a feigned and overly demonstrative love letter from his mistress. Burrows’ facial nuances of scorn and misery say more than most actors would hope to accomplish.

Another ‘ol-timer (45 years employed) is Govane Lohbauer, costume designer extraordinaire. From clown Feste’s motley mix of colors and styles to Countess Olivia’s elegant runway dress, creativity is seen in every stitch.

To review any S&Co. production one must start at the beginning and end at the same point – with music and dance. While the Bard’s intended location of the story is a fictitious city in Illyria; sounds Italian. No matter. Here we have a land where the tongue and songs have a melodic Irish lilt.

Program Note: When the weather hits 84+ degrees, the play is brought inside the air-conditioned theatre. Thank you, S&Co.!

REVIEW: Barrington Stage “Estate Sale”

Barrington Stage Company, Pittsfield, MA 
www.barringtonstageco.org
through July 25, 2026 
by Jarice Hanson 

  
As the audience files into the theatre through a back door, onto a stage that looks like a thrift store, there’s a feeling that this show is going to be unlike anything they’ve ever seen before. This may be very true. What the audience is about to see is familiar, revelatory, and profound. It’s also emotionally laden, heart-wrenching, and wonderful. 

  

The world premiere of Keelay Gipson’s “Estate Sale” at Barrington’s intimate St. Germain Stage has something for everyone. The playbill warns that it is a play about grief—which is true—but it is also so much more. The play deals with memory, family, love, loss, and the gifts that growing up in a loving household bestows on the home’s occupants. 

  
Jayson Lee, described in the script as “Executor” is a marvel as the storyteller of the play. He uses a microphone which at first, seems like something an auctioneer would use, but the device also suggests he may tell the story the way a stand-up comic might. He even starts with three jokes that tell the audience he is now an orphan, and his feelings of aloneness are

clear, though implied rather than articulated. This is a clever device to key the audience into the back-and-forth time references that unfold as the characters enter the stage. First, a long-lost friend from the neighborhood called “Youth”. Then Father, “Truth” and Mother, “Beauty” appear. The last two happen to be ghosts.  

Photo: Roman Iwasiska

  
This is primarily the Executor’s story, and Lee is a wonderful actor who does a superb job suggesting different ages as he introduces memories, enacted by the other characters.

 

“Youth” is played by Christopher B. Portley; Father, by Blake Morris; and Mother, by Gillian Glasco. The team of talented actors show the audience the range of emotions of family and friends throughout different time periods and give the impression that they (the actors) have known each other for decades.    

  
They are surrounded by the detritus of life that the Executor now has to deal with; and the items, complete with price tags, are beautifully staged by scenic designer, You-Shin Chen. Director Steph Paul guides her actors around the stage integrating memory and objects and ruminating on the joys and sorrows of family life. What emerges is a story of love, remembered differently through the objects that we imbue with meaning, all the while reminiscing of the small acts of love that ultimately make us who we are.  

  

“Estate Sale” transcends time. The Executor says, “There’s good shit. And there’s bad shit.” The simplicity of those lines hides the multi-layers that emerge as this play evolves. From the audience's reaction, nearly everyone can relate to the emotions that arise as worlds shift with the passing of time, people, and the things that give meaning to an individual's position in the world.  
       

Since this is production is the world premiere, it's a good guess that "Estate Sale" will take to many stages in the near future; perhaps enough to become a modern-day classic. It's that good.

Review: Fannie: The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer

Chester Theatre Company, Chester, MA

www.chestertheatre.org
July 12, 2026
By Suzanne Wells

It is hard to sit through “Fannie: The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer” without feeling that the past is pressing urgently into the present. Written by Cheryl L. West and directed by Gilbert McCauley, the production gives Fannie Lou Hamer’s story the force of testimony, music, and memory.

Set during the 1960's Civil Rights Movement, “Fannie” carries the audience through the remarkable life of Fannie Lou Hamer—from her childhood picking cotton to her courageous fight for the right to vote, her tireless work encouraging others to register, and her own historic run for office. What primarily moves those at Chester who learn Fannie's story most is not only the scope of what Hamer endured, but the strength she kept returning to: faith, hope, humor, and determination. 

Her story brings the injustices of the era into sharp focus while celebrating a woman whose courage, voice, and unshakable spirit still feel necessary.

As Fannie, Shannon Lamb does more than command the stage—she makes history feel immediate. Whether she is offering warm Southern hospitality, delivering a stirring speech, or reliving the frightening and brutal moments Hamer witnessed and endured, Lamb fully opens a first-hand view into the world of the Civil Rights Movement.
 

With remarkable energy, powerful storytelling, and a beautiful voice that carries the songs of the era, she turns the theatre into a pulpit of witness and song, complete with heartfelt Amens and Hallelujahs.

Kevin Sharpe’s musical accompaniment deserves special recognition. His playing helps shape the emotional rhythm of the production, moving from moments that make audience members want to stand up and rejoice to quieter passages that ask listeners to be steady and listen.

Jeremy Winchester’s scenic and projection design also leaves an impression, supporting the story with images that sharpen its emotional impact without overwhelming the audience.

Hamer’s fight still echoes in the civic life of today. This is the kind of story that belongs not only on a stage, but in classrooms, and election-year conversations. Searching for some inspiration and a little hope, “Fannie: The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer” continues through July 12, 2026.

REVIEW: Chester Theatre Company, "R. Buckminster Fuller: The History (and Mystery) of the Universe"

Chester Town Hall Theatre, Chester, MA 
https://chestertheatre.org/  
June 19-28, 2026   
by Nechama Katan

 

Chester Theatre Company opens its season with a fun and exhilarating journey through the mind of one of the 20th century's great visionaries. "R. Buckminster Fuller: The History (and Mystery) of the Universe," written by D.W. Jacobs from the life, work, and writings of R. Buckminster Fuller and directed by Barbara Karger, follows the futurist, environmentalist, architect, inventor, and geodesic dome designer from his childhood in MA, to a meeting with Albert Einstein, through the extraordinary inventions that shaped his belief that doing more with less can save both humanity and the planet. 

Photo Credit: Andrew Grecco

 

More than a biography, the evening is an invitation to step out of our crazy lives for a couple of hours and see the world in a genuinely different way. The one-man-show format proves enormously enjoyable, though "one man" undersells it. Michael Preston shares the stage with a remarkable set, lighting, music, and video that he engages as though they were fellow actors, trading energy with each cue and image. 

 

Preston is amazing throughout, inhabiting the material and the character so fully that Fuller comes alive in movement, dance, and a sheer love of life that radiates from the stage. He draws the audience in at the play's start with Fuller's own story of being unable to see until he got glasses at the age of four, of learning who people were by smelling them, and of the wonder that washed over him when he finally put on those glasses and could see the world for the first time. It is a human moment that sets the tone for everything that follows.The lines themselves are a delight, from sharp jabs at Boston life to Preston's lucid account of Ephemeralization, the accelerating ability of technological advancement to do "more and more with less and less until eventually you can do everything with nothing," an idea that clearly touches our lives today. 

 

For those who think the pace of change feels crazy now, the production offers a steadying reminder of the people who lived through the beginning of the last century, the staggering changes they witnessed, and how much there still is to learn. One example is Fuller's tireless drive to be creative, to ask questions, and to think.

 

Audience members are sure to walk into this play with a settled view of how the world works and the pace at which it changes; yet walk out as many scratch their heads, happily rethinking much of what was known isn't necessarily the case. 

Scenic design by Tim Latta and Barbara Karger's direction make the show come alive, and sound design by Raphael Hendrick-Baker adds an additional dimension that deepens the whole experience.

Chester Theatre Company's season is just kicking off, with two shows running now and many more planned. The venue sits at the end of a beautiful drive through western MA, and the drive itself is worth the trip.

Review: Barrington Stage Company, “Driving Miss Daisy”

Barrington Stage, Pittsfield, MA

www.barringtonstageco.org
May 26 – June 21, 2026
by Shera Cohen

Over the 26 years since Barrington Stage Company (BSC) began, most season openers have been big musicals; a strategic and smart choice as an audience draw.This summer of 2026 differs.

photo credit Roman Iwasiwka

“Driving Miss Daisy” is a small play with a few big messages. Essentially a comedic drama (dramady) with a cast of only three, it is the talents of the actors that can make or break the spirit of the story. Add the fourth vital player in the mix -- a tried ‘n true director – and what appears on stage are live characters, telling their story, in a quality production.

Set in 1948, Georgia, is spunky Jewish widow Daisy. Her trappings are upper-middle class, although she refuses to admit it. She is spunky and stubborn. At the start of the play, the world revolves around her. Enters an unwanted hire, who Daisy’s son insists on as Daisy’s driver. Apparently, the widow Daisy has had one too many car accidents. For good or bad, Hoak, a middle-aged, unemployed, African-American man gets the job. The plot becomes the developing relationship between these two disparate people.

Debra Jo Rupp, a frequent player at BSC, as well as one of the audience’s favorites, becomes Daisy, not so much in broad comedy strokes as she has depicted in other BSC plays, but subdued, befitting her character. For the most part, Rupp makes for an ideal Daisy. Even wearing a grey-haired wig, Rupp belies Daisy’s age as 72, and throughout the scenes she ages to 97, the audience must forgive the aging process asfiction. Rupp is too young and cute.

Ray Anthony Thomas, a newcomer to BSC as Hoke, comes with an impressive resume. Thomas effectively grows from Daisy’s chauffeur to become her friend. This is Daisy and Hoke’s play against a background of prejudice and racism in the U.S.

Matthew Korinko, as Daisy’s son, serves as the conduit between the other two characters. Boolie’s role doesn’t call for deep analysis.

“Daisy” especially benefits by the direction of BSC’s founder and artistic director of over 20 years, Julianne Boyd. Although now retired, Boyd keeps her creative mind and hand in a few productions this summer. It is assuring that she has not completely left the theatre that she created.

BSC’s St. Germaine Stage provides the intimacy for the acting trio, plus the caricaturized car -- front and center. The venue would offer plenty of stage space even for a much larger cast. A point, however, regards the division of the stage space in three equal sections: Daisy’s home, the automobile, and Boolie’s office. A recommendation would be to minimize the office portion. Scenes that take place here are not as important as those in the other two sections. There is no need for all spaces to be equal.

Effective videos and still black & white photographs tell the audience that years are passing. Immediately following “Driving Miss Daisy’s” run at BSC, it moves a bit up north in geography to Williamstown, MA from June 26 – July 5, 2026.

A personal note: In its first 11 years, BSC operated from rented space at a high school in Sheffield, MA. I remember seeing the world premiere of “The Putnam County 25^th Annual Spelling Bee” performed in the school’s band room. The composer and author sat directly in front of me. “Spelling Bee” went on to Tony Awards and other accolades on Broadway! How fortunate was I?!

Review: WAM Theatre, "Rooted"

Shakespeare & Company, Lenox, MA 
www.wamtheatre.com
through May 16, 2026
by Jarice Hanson 
  
When walking into the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre at Shakespeare & Company, audiences may wonder whether a show can live up to a scenic design so intricate and so creatively rendered. 
 
There are plenty of clues to what this enigmatically named play, Rooted, could possibly mean. Branches hang from the theatre ceiling and living plants onstage all establish that this production is set in a well-loved treehouse, somewhere in a rural area. When meeting Emery, talking into her laptop and demonstrating her experiments by dropping plants, the mystery of the play’s name begins to unfold. 
  
Rooted, by the highly original playwright, Deborah Zoe Laufer, works by creating metaphors that don’t provide answers—but they do raise possibilities.  Emery (Marcy McGuigan) looks like a seasoned gardener. It takes a few minutes to realize she’s talking to her fans on her YouTube channel. She considers herself a scientist, but her fans consider her a cult-like personality who holds the secret to life itself. 
 

Photo Credit: WAM Theatre

Her sister, a waitress at the only restaurant in town, Hazel (Jennie M. Jadow) climbs up through a trap door to deliver food, and the necessities Emery needs while squirreled away in her tree house with her plants. Soon it becomes apparent that Emery’s followers have come to the treehouse to hear her words of wisdom, but Hazel thinks it would be much better if Emery abandoned her “science” and came back to the real world below. 
 
When they are joined by the third character, Luanne (Mei MacQuarrie), a new set of circumstances begin to unfold and the audience is left to figure out how these women connect, and how their different beliefs influence how they make sense of the world inside the treehouse and outside in the rest of the world.  
  
There is much to praise in this highly original production. The three actresses are outstanding and have done the playwright proud by demonstrating these complex characters.
 
Director Maggie Mancinelli-Cahill has a wonderful eye for bringing out the comedy in the script and she keeps the pacing lively and visually interesting (a major accomplishment since the playing space inside the treehouse is limited). Nora Marlow Smith’s scenic design is outstanding and should be nominated for a Berkie Award this year, and David Lane’s use of puppetry adds to the wonders raised by the details of the set. Madeleine Hebert’s lighting design is subtle and effective, and Jane Shaw’s sound design adds whimsy and a contemporary feeling that helps create the total environment. Stella Schwartz’s costumes are perfect for an audience looking for clues to a character’s backstory.   
  
This is the type of play in which the audience participates (silently) to find the meaning. There are moments of wonder about the kind of celebrity a YouTube Content Creator cultivates, what brings people together at certain times in social life, and the role of nature as having healing power. Many more contemporary issues are hinted at, and the audience is free to interpret at their will.   
  
As WAM’s first mainstage production of the season, Rooted anchors a season of powerful plays by-and-with powerful women, that have meaning for all.  
  
 

Review: TheatreWorks, “Circus Fire”

TheatreWorks, Hartford, CT
https://twhartford.org/
through May 31, 2026

By Shera Cohen

On a hotter-than-usual July 4th weekend approximately 80-years ago the circus came to town, specifically Hartford, CT. Families, especially children, cheer and laugh at the hire-wire acts, horses, clowns, et al.

Theater Works takes on the daunting task of mounting "Circus Fire" for the first large-scale professional production about one of the most horrific dates in CT history and likely circus history. Not coincidentally, the drama is set at a location near where the actual fire took place on July 6, 1944. 

 The count of those who perished is still a bit uncertain at 167 with more than half children.

It takes an amazing, intelligent, and sensitive triumvirate, along with dozens of actors and crew under their helm, to establish the facts with an oh-so-human touch to the 12 actors, in at least the roles of four characters each.

 

The threesome includes Rob Ruggiero, Artistic Director of the theatre for some 30 years, who often takes on risks and new works. He is the man at the core. Oftentimes, TW does not receive attention and accolades that it deserves alongside some of the other, larger theatre venues in and around Hartford. A suggestion is to pay attention to TW, especially “Circus Fire”.

 

The second of the three talents is Jacques LaMarre, playwright. Well-known in CT, primarily as a writer of comedic plays, his “Circus Fire” exposes his chops at drama at its most raw and extreme, all the time true to this account in history. He develops a somewhat linear flow – individual families eager to attend the circus, then tragedy and its aftermath, next inquiry. There is not a solitary word of dialogue that is unnecessary. The last section, the investigation, intersperses though the latter half of the play. The audience participates in the entire event including the prosecution. LaMarre presents this story of shock, helplessness, and comradery with depth and compassion. 

 

Director Jared Mezzocchi moves his players into a circus-like tent setting in the middle of the theatre with audience seats on raised levels along the perimeter. Directing in-the-round is not an easy task with a large cast. Adding a very limited number of props, centerstage also turns into settings for homes, offices, and back to the circus.

 

What makes Mezzocchi’s skills extraordinary are his multimedia show primarily appearing in black and white on the tent’s ceiling and as a circle on the inside of the entire tent/theatre. From the play’s start (names of those who died are scattered above audience's seats) to its conclusion (moving images of the actual fire), these pictures (both still and moving) indicate circus atmosphere. With projection, the play's circular center stage becomes that of the circus. Mezzocchi's work is beyond clever; it is extraordinary. "Circus Fire" is extraordinary. 

 

NOTE: This play takes place at the First Company Governor’s Foot Guard, 159 High Street, downtown Hartford. The venue proves ideal and historically fitting. Check with the box office if seats remain; it's that wonderful a play.

REVIEW: Hartford Stage, "Native Gardens"

Hartford Stage, Hartford, CT 

www.HartfordStage.org 

April 17 – May 10, 2026 

by Nechama Katan

In a cultural moment when conversations about race, class, and identity too often flatten into competing slogans, Karen Zacarías' "Native Gardens" arrives at Hartford Stage like a breath of fresh air from an overgrown garden.

 

T. Charles Erikson (photo credit)

Directed by Nicole A. Watson, this sharp contemporary comedy follows two neighboring couples in Washington, DC whose shared dream of replacing an old chain-link fence spirals into something far more revealing than a property dispute. What looks like a comedy of manners turns out to be one of the most layered, humane, and deeply funny explorations of how those with diverse backgrounds relate, especially in recent years.  

 

At the heart of the conflict are young couple Tania and Pablo, newly arrived in the neighborhood, and their established neighbors Virginia and Frank, guardians of an aspiring to be prize-winning English garden. When a fence replacement on a tight deadline goes wrong, the audience watches in anticipation to see what happens between the two couples. 

 

Playwright Karen Zacarías is too skilled to let this remain a simple, unfriendly neighborhood issue. Race, class, age, gender, and entitlement all take root in the soil of this story, and what grows is a portrait of four complicated, fully realized people. Nobody here is entirely right, and nobody is entirely wrong, and that recognition alone makes the play remarkable.

Alina Collins Maldonado is deeply authentic as Tania, a very educated woman of firm conviction still tethered to her roots. Bradley Tejeda's Pablo radiates the polished confidence of a man building his future in a new country by any means necessary. Judith Lightfoot Clarke's Virginia is a revelation, every chip on her shoulder earned and visible, yet softened by unexpected depth. Greg Wood's Frank, old school and garden-devoted, anchors the production with quiet wit and a love for his garden, sprinkled with a lot of old-fashioned competition. Lawrence E. Moten III's split-yard scenic design is a delight, and there is not a bad seat in the house.

What sets "Native Gardens" apart is its refusal to take sides. Every scene carries layers beneath layers, and when you are not laughing you may find yourself crying, sometimes both at the same time. In a world that has largely forgotten how to let neighbors be complicated, this play insists on exactly that. The insistence feels necessary and deeply hopeful.

Hartford Stage follows with "Sweeney Todd," a historic partnership with Theater Works Hartford.

Review: Majestic Theater, "Dear Jack, Dear Louise"

Majestic Theater, West Springfield, MA
http://www.majestictheater.com 
by Suzanne Wells

Some say letter writing is a dying art form; however, it is revitalized in "Dear Jack, Dear Louise," a play written by Ken Ludwig and directed by Sue Dziura, at the Majestic Theater. Set against the backdrop of WWII, this romantic comedy follows two strangers whose heartfelt exchanges blossom into love. Their witty, vulnerable letters not only reveal their deepest hopes and fears but also forge an unbreakable bond, offering comfort and courage as they navigate the uncertainties of war.

The early 1940's come to life with Matthew Whiton’s stage design, which cleverly divides the space between Jack’s stark, utilitarian military quarters and Louise’s colorful, cluttered boarding house room. Dawn McKay’s costume design with authentic touches to Jack’s uniforms and Louise’s wardrobe accentuate the period. In addition to the set and costumes, lighting designer Daniel David Rist and sound designer Ryan Hickey’s collaboration significantly contributes to the more dramatic scenes of the era.

Alexandra O’Halloran’s and Gregory Boover’s dynamic interplay animate both the humor and poignancy of the script. She delivers an outstanding performance as Louise, infusing the character with vivacious energy and charm. From her enthusiastic auditions as an up & coming actress to her outrageous depictions of Jack’s relatives, O’Halloran is brimming with excitement and effusive optimism, leaving the audience wondering what her audacious character will do next.

 In contrast, Gregory Boover’s quietly dramatic portrayal of Jack, a military doctors who is a contemplative and shy man, is enhanced by O’Halloran’s energy. Boover’s subtle, nuanced acting is particularly striking when Jack reveals the emotional weight of the war’s brutality. The actors dynamic interplay brings their correspondence—and their growing bond—to vivid life.

While the storyline is partly perfunctory in its coverage of WWII, it also provides an alternative view of the era highlighting the roles of these characters in supporting the war effort. Though the plot can be a little predictable, the comedy aspect is genuinely funny, and the more dramatic moments are heart wrenching.

 "Dear Jack, Dear Louise" is a profound tribute to the power of art, love, and resilience.

REVIEW: Hartford Stage, “Death of a Salesman”

Hartford Stage, Hartford, CT
www.hartfordstage.org
through March 29, 2026

by Jarice Hanson 
  
There’s something wonderful about a classic play that feels as fresh as the day it was first performed. In Hartford Stage’s production of “Death of a Salesman” audiences are treated to Arthur Miller’s masterpiece, brilliantly interpreted by director Melia Bensussen and a first rate cast that breathe new life into lines audiences may have heard before—but now, hear with greater meaning. At this time in history, when so many families are being torn apart, this story of a father, mother, and two sons and the desire for the “American Dream” is heartbreakingly poignant. 
  

Photo: T. Charles Erickson

Anchoring the cast is Peter Jacobson as Willy, who will be familiar to many audience members for his performances in several successful television series, and films.  Adrianne Krstansky as Linda is a formidable wife/stage partner. A successful Linda has to embrace the culture of a woman who gives herself entirely to the hearth and home of a family, and Krstansky has the depth to shift gears from supporting Willy to showing how she can be a no-nonsense mother who expects her sons to have empathy for Willy’s shortcomings. She is simply amazing in this role, and both actors join a pantheon of great performers who embody these characters with emotional depth. 
  
The sons, Samuel H. Levine as Biff and Max Katz as Happy, have the challenge of playing their characters at different ages, and both do so in such a way that the “older” Biff and Happy are inextricably tied to their younger selves. They do so not only with grace but with a physicality that makes each believable. 
 
The production has six additional characters who appear briefly, yet there is not one actor who doesn’t stand out. Bravo to the casting and the talent of the director and actors to work so seamlessly together, but with such complete command of their characters.  
  
A feature of this particular interpretation of the play deals with Miller’s original intention to title the play “The Inside of His Head,” a reference to the inner workings of Willy’s mind as he thinks of his past and future self. In director Bensussen’s playbill notes she writes: “We witness how he feels his life unraveling, his own self discarded, and his great fear that he is leaving nothing of meaning or substance behind.” 
 
Sara Brown’s ingenious set design is a framed house, in which furniture moves in and out of the “house” while characters appear in the distance, on a high catwalk, while establishing the mood of each scene in a 3-dimensional playing space that is metaphorically extended into the audience. 
 
Matthew Richards’ lighting design and Darron L. West’s sound design complement this suggested sensory experience, and just like a dream, or an inner monolog, Willy is drawn to the inevitable conclusion of the story while all of the other characters seem anchored to a special time and place in his mind. 
 
The stagecraft is outstanding and allows the audience to feel empathy with the characters to such a degree, many audience members wept quietly in the concluding sections of the production. 
 
What a tribute to a great writer like Arthur Miller, to find the relevance of this Pulitzer Prize winning play 70-years after its first Broadway run. This is a story and a performance that should not be missed.