Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike

Shakespeare & Co., Lenox, MA

www.shakespeare.org

through September 14, 2014

by Jarice Hanson

Though the title may reference Chekhov, there is only a wink and a nod to his work in Christopher Durang’s comic treatment of the master’s works. Add the skill of a talented director (Matthew Penn) and a stellar cast, and this production will have future audiences giggling and guffawing at squabbling siblings, pop culture, repressed desire, and libidinous lust. This show leaves no doubt as to why Durang won the 2013 Tony for Best Play with this gem.

In the Shakespeare & Co. production, director Penn has used his knowledge of how to interpret the work in an intimate setting, emphasizing the tensions between characters while allowing the audience to participate as voyeurs. An actor’s director, he trusts his actors’ instincts while giving them original bits to allow each one to shine in their own special way. The director’s note in the program states, “This play’s popularity is a credit to Durang’s wonderful ability to make theatrical moments simultaneously funny and touching…” Definite agreement here. Yes, the material is wonderful, and yes, the director has an expert touch, but in this case, each member of the ensemble deserves to take a bow for creating such memorable performances.

Vanya (Jim Frangione) is a cerebral, repressed 50-something man who lives with his despairing adopted sister, Sonia (Tod Randolph) in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Masha (Elizabeth Aspenlieder), their movie star sister “adored by many and loved by few,” comes for a visit with her sexy boy-toy (Mat Leonard). Newcomers Angel Moore as Cassandra the fortune-telling, voodoo practicing cleaning lady, and Olivia Saccomanno  as Nina, the innocent young neighbor, add wonderful layers of comedy and sweetness to advance the story. This talented ensemble take their audience on a hilarious, but heart-felt journey as each character comes to terms with who they are, and what they mean to each other.

This play is currently being produced in theatres around the country, and undoubtedly will be produced for years. Kudos to Shakespeare and Company for presenting such a memorable production, and for capping off their summer season with heart and warmth.

Dancing Lessons

Barrington Stage Company, Pittsfield, MA

www.barringtonstageco.org

through August 24, 2014

by Jarice Hanson

The standing ovation for the world premiere of Mark St. Germain’s "Dancing Lessons" was well deserved. Yet, upon leaving the theatre, overheard was a wide range of comments by patrons that expressed divergent views on what worked in the production and what didn’t. There is a lot to like in this new work. John Cariani is quirky and compelling as a professor with Asperger’s Syndrome.  His charm and honesty provides much of the heart of the story. Paige Davis as an injured dancer clearly expresses frustration and anger as she faces a future she can’t control. 

Director Julianne Boyd weaves contemporary music into the fabric of the story to create a metaphorical dance of two people as they get to know and trust each other. One of the major challenges for a work dealing with autism is how to impart the peculiarities of the neurological condition to the public, and in this production, the writer, director, and actors are most effective when autism is shown, rather than described.

There are moments of brilliance in the script, but the play suffers from trying to cover too much territory. Short, staccato bursts of dialog at the beginning of the show are intended to set a pace, but they fail to establish a rapport with the audience. At times, information on autism becomes didactic, and a litany of names of famous people who may have been autistic seems unnecessary to establish the fact that autistic individuals can be brilliant. Clues to the dancer’s back-story are delivered through phone messages from someone who sounds like a character from "The Prairie Home Companion." Surprisingly, the ending, though not particularly original, works well and leaves the audience with a message of hope for these two individuals trapped in worlds they can’t control.

"Dancing Lessons" is appropriately titled, and the characters’ relationship creates a compelling story that touches our humanity and is ultimately moving. If some of the “extra information” embedded in the script were eliminated or downplayed, the basic questions of what we as individuals control, and what circumstances in our lives we would change if we could, are strong enough for the story to stand alone. As a new work, "Dancing Lessons" may not be perfect, but this production shows great potential for a script that will be produced often, and will touch many.

Glimmerglass Festival

Glimmerglass Festival, Cooperstown, NY

www.glimmerglass.org

July 11- August 24, 2014

by Michael J. Moran

Alice Busch Opera Theater

Glimmerglass’ 2014 season presents three “beloved audience favorites after each underwent several revisions” and a revised version of a recent premier. All four productions can be seen in one weekend during August in the ideal acoustics of the 900-seat Alice Busch Opera Theater.

The newest piece is Tobias Picker’s opera “An American Tragedy,” based on Theodore Dreiser’s 1925 novel, commissioned and first presented by the Metropolitan Opera in 2005. Dreiser added a wealthy love interest (Sondra Finchley) to the real-life story of Chester Gillette (Clyde Griffiths in the novel and opera), a poor factory worker in upstate New York with no assets but his good looks, who was convicted of murdering his pregnant lover Grace Brown (Roberta Alden) in 1906 and executed in 1908.

The shorter revision heightens the personal drama of the three principals but loses some of Dreiser’s broader focus on class. Most of the cast are current or past members of Glimmerglass’s impressive young artists program. Baritone Christian Bowers was a suave and callous heartthrob as Clyde, while soprano Vanessa Isiguen was a poignant Roberta and mezzo-soprano Cynthia Cook an aristocratic Sondra. Veteran opera conductor George Manahan led an incisive account.

Like “Tragedy,” Francesca Zambello’s delightful production of Strauss’s “Ariadne in Naxos” was reset from central Europe to a barn in upstate New York, where a burlesque troop and an opera company must provide simultaneous dinner entertainment. Featuring local children and farm animals, the cast was headlined by soprano and 2014 artist in residence Christine Goerke, who was a hilarious Prima Donna and a ravishing Ariadne. Soprano Rachele Gilmore was lively and moving as burlesque queen Zerbinetta, and Kathleen Kelly conducted a vibrant rendition.

But Puccini’s “Madame Butterfly” offered the breakout performance of the season in soprano Yunah Lee’s elegant, heartrending portrayal of Cio-Cio-San. Young artist mezzo-soprano Kristen Choi was a compelling Suzuki, and tenor Dinyar Vania as Pinkerton and baritone Aleksey Bogdanov were other cast standouts. The leadership of Festival music director Joseph Colaneri and the stark sets by Michael Yeargan were cathartically effective.

A dark and dramatic production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Carousel” (which conductor Doug Peck notes that Rodgers instructed his orchestrators to “treat as his own Puccini opera”) completed the Festival line-up. Bass-baritone Ryan McKinny, last year’s riveting Flying Dutchman, was an equally riveting Billy Bigelow, with a strong Julie Jordan from soprano Andrea Carroll and a brilliant Carrie Pipperidge from young artist soprano Sharin Apostolou.

Such nearby attractions as the Baseball Hall of Fame, scenic Otsego Lake, and the Fenimore Art Museum, this summer featuring tie-in exhibitions on Madame Butterfly’s Japan and the Gillette/Brown case, offer worthwhile diversions from the ample Glimmerglass schedule.

Matthew Penn, Guest Director

From the director’s vantage point at Shakespeare & Company
Shakespeare & Company, Lenox, MA 

www.shakespeare.org

by Jarice Hanson and Shera Cohen

Act I: The Interview

The following is a paraphrased interview with Matthew Penn, director of “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike,” performing at Shakespeare & Company (S&C), Lenox, from August 6 - September 14. The interview took place during the first week of rehearsal.

The Tony Award winning play by noted playwright Christopher Durang tips a hat to Chekhov’s look at family dynamics, sibling rivalries, love, and dreams under the umbrella of razor-sharp comedy.

Penn’s primary credits are as director and producer of television and theatre. Penn has directed and/or produced over 150 prime time TV dramas including Law & Order (2003 - 2007), NYPD Blue, The Sopranos, House, Damages, and The Closer. He has been nominated for an Emmy Award. Prior to TV, Penn spent many years working in theatre. Last summer, Penn directed “Beauty Queen of Lennane” at S&C.

Q: What drew you to this show?

MP: I was drawn to its sweetness. It’s tons of fun. Having worked here last year, I enjoyed the experience. My family has had a house in Stockbridge for about 50 years, so I feel at home in the Berkshires

Q: What is it about “Vanya and Sonia...” and this venue that appeals to you?

MP: The audience here is very erudite. This play gives an affectionate nod to Chekov, but you don’t need to know Chekov to get the idea that this is about three siblings with all of the squabbling siblings go through. A casual theatre-goer can have lots of fun. There’s the kind of affectionate wit here that perhaps urges the audience to take a chance and change our lives for the better.

Q: Have you seen a production of this play before?

MP: I saw this in New York, but well before I knew I would be directing it. I thought that Jim Frangione (a Berkshire Playwrights Lab co-founder) to play Vanya. I thought that Elizabeth Aspenlieder would be Sonia, but then Tod Randolph auditioned and she was “born to play Sonia.” So Elizabeth became Masha. There are also a number of newcomers to S&C in this production.

Q: Do you have any favorite moments yet?

MP: I usually have a series of  favorite moments, but it’s too soon in this rehearsal process to have any yet. Plays are a conflation of writing talent, acting  talent, and as a director, I just need to know when to get out of the way.

Q: What was your first directing experience?

MP: It was “The Marriage Proposal” -- interestingly by Chekhov, which I directed very badly when I was still in school.

Q: Which do you enjoy more -- directing TV or live theatre?

MP: I love live theatre because the audience is right there with you. In “Beauty Queen,” for example, you hear the immediate laughs and gasps. There’s no substitute for live theatre.

Q: Is there a relationship between Berkshire Playwrights Lab (of which Penn is one of the founders) and S&C?

MP: Not officially. Last year I asked Elizabeth and Tina Packer (S&C. founder) to do readings at the Lab. I have always considered myself a fan and think of it as “a special place” largely because of Tina’s vision.

Act II: The Rehearsal

Photo by Kevin Sprague

Down what seemed like a maze of hallways at the Bernstein Theatre is a rehearsal room. It’s large, open, white, and unexciting. We sat in the few chairs situated against one wall. A table to the side held bagels and cream cheese. There was nothing fancy about the setting. Any thoughts of seeing the actual play set were quickly dashed, as the actors worked with only a few chairs. Each actor greeted us warmly -- highly unexpected, as we were the ones who interrupted their work.

Today’s rehearsal was Act II, Scene I featuring four of the actors. Penn had already (a week

 or so prior to our visit) set the scene, pace, character interaction, etc. which the actors stepped into. They wore casual summer wear...no costumes. They stood. Each held a script -- this is called an open book reading -- but the actors had already memorized most of their dialogue. It was instantly clear that three of the characters were siblings and the fourth, a young stud boyfriend of one of the sisters. The actors didn’t “just” read; they acted each line, addressing the others.

Let’s do it again...this time sitting on chairs in a semi-circle. On occasion, the actors walked to faux settings and held pretend props as they felt appropriate, undirected yet in character. Periodically, they talked to each other and asked Penn questions. There were no lengthy discussions.

It was Matthew Penn who walked and paced, deliberately and with concentration. He often held his hand under his chin. He said nothing, didn’t laugh, just watched from all angles. He let the rehearsal scene play out. Only then did the significant conversation take place. Yes, conversation. This was not dictatorial direction, but a give and take between the actors and Penn.

It will be exciting to see the “end product” on stage.

Henry IV, Parts I & II

Shakespeare & Company, Lenox, MA

www.shakespeare.org

through August 31, 2014

by Jarice Hanson

Adapting any of Shakespeare’s history plays so that today’s American audience can understand them can be a daunting task, but Jonathan Epstein has created a lively, energetic version of Henry IV by combining elements of Part I and Part II that capitalize on the bawdy humor of the Bard’s most entertaining comedies. Battles are fought with the sound of aircraft and artillery in the distance; information arrives by cell phone and computer; acrobatic actors swing on ropes and leap to different playing levels; actors sing, dance, and the inevitable sword fight is performed with outstanding vigor.

Epstein has condensed the two plays to focus on Prince Hal, the heir apparent who negotiates his future duties by relating to Henry IV (forcefully played by Epstein with appropriate gravitas) and the secondary father figure of Falstaff who is undoubtedly one of Shakespeare’s most bawdy creations. Every character in the production is perfectly cast, and Malcolm Ingram’s portrayal of Falstaff is an unabashed crowd-pleaser. Henry Clark as Prince Hal physically and intellectually inhabits the son, torn between fatherly love and parental rejection. Travis George’s set design provides a dynamic multiple-purpose playing space that complements the story beautifully, and combines Shakespearean and contemporary stagecraft to best advantage.

For anyone who may think that Henry IV may be too historically complicated to understand, this production will change their mind. The adaptation shows the timeliness of Shakespeare and the elements of human desire, greed, and political will that characterize his work. The words—the beautiful words—come alive and the characters touch our sense of what it means to be human. Though Epstein’s adaptation takes some liberties with the original text (for example, he sometimes gives lines to different actors and emphasizes different features of the two original plays), he has clearly demonstrated how Shakespeare’s magic still works, 450 years after the author’s birth. I think the Bard would approve.

Steampunk Circus Bands

FREE MUSICAL EXTRAVAGANZA

Steampunk Circus Bands

Saturday, August 16, 2014

Noon-5pm

Come for the day or any part of the day.

SPRINGFIELD ARMORY NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

1 Armory Square, Springfield, MA

(Corner of State & Federal Streets)

For more information: 413-734-8551

Sponsored by The Springfield Armory NHS

Frankenstein

Museum of Fine Arts, Springfield, MA

www.olddeerfieldproductions.org

September 26 & 27, 2014

After its huge success in Greenfield last month, a new adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein will be presented by Old Deerfield Productions for two nights only in Springfield. Written and performed by Lindel Hart as the Creature, the cast includes Colin Allen in the roles of Victor Frankenstein, Mr. DeLacey, and William, with Jane Williams playing Mary Shelley and Elizabeth.

Said McInerney, "This is a wild story that takes the audience on an unforgettable roller coaster ride through the life experience of the Creature. We follow his birth, his rejection by his father, his abuse and mounting rage, and his superhuman travels around the world ending in the Arctic on an ice floe as he relentlessly seeks connection with his father, Victor Frankenstein. By highlighting the prescience of Shelley’s novel we hope to further the process of changing the original "Story" from one that sanctions dominance over nature to the New Story of our interconnectedness that will allow the human race to thrive in respectful relationship with the planet.

The production will feature projection design by Albanian artist, Florian Canga illustrating the story through light and image that will also draw parallels to the troubled present. Handheld video cameras and video installation manipulated by the character Mary Shelley incorporates images from the Scientific Revolution of her time with present day images. Athan Vennell creates set installation and costumes, Matt Cowan is the lighting designer, Sloan Tomlinson is the poster designer and the extraordinary makeup design and execution is by world renowned make up artist, Joseph Dulude, II.

Not appropriate for young children.

Tickets are $20 and available at www.olddeerfieldproductions.org or at the door.