Review: Jane & Jay Braus Memorial Concert, Andris Nelsons, Conducting

Boston Symphony Orchestra, Tanglewood, Lenox, MA  
July 11, 2026  

https://www.bso.org/tanglewood

by Jarice Hanson 

  

After a hot summer day, there is nothing more refreshing and rejuvenating as a Boston Symphony Orchestra performance on a lovely evening at Tanglewood. On July 11th, the BSO, conducted by Andris Nelsons presented the audience with a magnificent concert featuring Emanuel Ax playing Mozart’s "Piano Concerto No. 25 in C, K.503," and in the second half, Gustav Mahler’s "Symphony No. 4 in G," featuring the talented coloratura soprano, Erin Morley.  

  

The evening opened with audience favorite Emanuel Ax performing a concerto that one might think Mozart wrote specifically for him. Surprisingly, there were many children in the audience for this portion of the evening’s entertainment, and one youngster was so excited to see Mr. Ax come back to the stage for a wonderful encore, he excitedly shouted “He’s going to play again. He’s going to play again!” to the delight of the adults seated near him, many of whom sported red roses and t-shirts honoring Conductor Nelsons.   

  

Photo: Hilary Scott, courtesy of the BSO

The perennially popular Ax then proceeded to play Schubert’s "Schwanengesang, D. 957: No. 4 Ständchen" as an encore that proved once again why he is a “rock star” who can touch the hearts of both children and adults with his skill and personal warmth. 

  

The second portion of the evening was dedicated to Mahler’s "Symphony No. 4 in G," the composer’s shortest symphony and one that starts with a motif that has become synonymous with Mahler’s creativity in blending instruments that seem to produce sounds that no individual instrument could affect. Somewhat poetic, somewhat of a fairytale, the 4^th is drawn from a compilation of German folk poetry from the early-19th century called “Des Knaben Wunderhorn,” (trans.“The Boy’s Magic Horn). In the final movement, Erin Morley, taking a break from one of her operatic engagements, joined the BSO to provide an ethereal vocal triumph that showed how skilled singers and musicians create memorable aesthetic audio experiences for audiences. She was simply, and undeniably, superb. 

  

In an evening that suggested hope and beauty, along with the energy of youth and the mastery of some of the world’s greatest musicians and composers, Maestro Nelsons brought down his baton, put his palms together as though in prayer, held the moment, and created a memorable evening in honor of all who have graced the stage at the BSO, and at Tanglewood.    

  

  

 

Review:Playhouse on Park "The Wild Party"

Playhouse on Park, West Hartford, CT
https://playhouseonpark.org

July 8 - August 16, 2026

By Suzanne Wells

Inspired by Joseph Moncure March’s poem, Andrew Lippa’s “The Wild Party” turns Jazz Age excess into a dark, volatile theatrical event.

Set in New York City in 1927, “The Wild Party” plunges into a single feverish night when restraint gives way, desire curdles into danger, and the glitter of excess darkens into brutality, leaving emotional wreckage by morning.

Scenic designer Kim Zhou creates a stage that shifts from an intimate apartment bedroom to a living room ready to burst with heat, noise, and recklessness. Costume designer Micah Ohno heightens the production’s decadence, dressing the women in silks, sequins, and furs, while the men move through the room in smoking jackets, tails, and suspenders.

Queenie, played by Mollie Downes, is a leggy blonde sex kitten caught in a volatile love-hate relationship with the manic-depressive Burrs, portrayed by Trevor Bunce. Restless and hungry for distraction, they throw a party and fill the room with a vivid assortment of guests, each arriving with appetites, secrets, and trouble in tow.

Downes is an athletic, graceful dancer, commanding the stage with restless movement even when the choreography leaves her circling or reclining. Her voice, however, raises the roof with “Out of the Blue” and “Maybe I Like It This Way,” and her ability to let distress seep through the melody of “How Did We Come to This?” is genuinely moving.

Bunce, also an athletic dancer with a strong voice, gives Burrs a jagged, combustible presence. His portrayal of the boorish, abusive lout who uses anyone and everyone to appease his physical hunger emphasizes the character’s cruelty feel immediate and makes it easy to question why anyone would love him.

Maddi Bowman brings bright, mischievous energy to Kate, the favorite party girl and sly instigator whose charm helps keep the night’s excesses evolving.

Directed by Sean Harris, with music direction by Colin Britt and choreography by Darlene Zoller, “The Wild Party” opens a window on a room where pleasure keeps edging toward punishment and glamour frays into consequence.

This production is not recommended for children.

Review: “Crazy For You” Goodspeed Opera House

Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, CT
www.goodspeed.org
extended through August 16, 2026
by Shera Cohen

“Crazy For You” is one of those musical reincarnations from days of old; in this case from “Girl Crazy” in the 1930’s and revived in the early 1990’s. “If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen ‘em  all,” assuredly someone must have said. In this case, repetition breeds smiles, laughs, and joy to Goodspeed’s audiences.

This work of the brothers Gershwin, strewn with at least a dozen familiar songs, deservedly became one of the 20 longest-running musicals in Broadway history by the end of its run.

The plot, such as it is, pays tribute to black & white movies. Actually, the musicals preceded the movies. Their monikers are huge, costumed dance numbers by what appear to be a cast of thousands. Most of Act I and all of Act II are populated by a cadre of townsfolk characters, initially skeptical as to why on earth would anyone come to “East Podunk,” NV for culture? In short time, they enthusiastically shout the proverbial -- let’s put a show on in the barn. Welcome to Off-off-off-Broadway with a twang.

Familiar is the boy meets girl love-at-first-sight plot. It’s so easy to lock lips when the two have a common interest; tapdancing. Will Burton (Bobby…aren’t all young men called Bobby?) is a terrific dancer who can also sing well. Brittany Zeinstra (his love interest, Polly) is an exemplary mezzo-soprano who can also tap. Burton plays a naïve and somewhat goofball lead to Zeinstra’s cowgirl with a head on her shoulders. Zeinstra’s “Someone to Watch Over Me” and “But Not for Me” show off her melodic and wispy vocal style. Burton and Zeinstra’s chemistry go beyond that of most musicals of this ilk. The audience anticipates before their first important duet, “Shall We Dance?” that these two will hit it off. 

The charm of “Crazy For You” doesn’t rest on the love-interest. There are other individuals to applaud. Edward Juvier (Bela Zangler, the erstwhile in-debt empresario), coupled with Burton, gets the most laughs in a lengthy slapstick bit. This element has the talents of Ken Ludwig written all over it. Ludwig, a prolific contemporary playwright whose forte is comedy, happens to have penned the musical’s book. Hailey Thomas and David Andrew Morton (showgirl and cowboy) squeeze every ounce of sex appeal in their stand-along number “Naughty Baby”. The piece is an unnecessary filler; it seems that the Gershwins liked it enough to make room for it anywhere. The audience is glad. 

The make-it-or-break-it bottom line for Goodspeed’s successful musicals is the compiled talents of Director, Choreographer, and Music Director. In this case, Michael Fling, Kelli Barclay, and Adam Souza, respectively, form the ideal mix of humor, pace, and creativity on a small stage for as many as 20+ dancers at any given time.

In addition to this triumvirate of skills, life on the Goodspeed stage would be lacking without costumes by Joseph Shrope. So many instant changes, colors ‘n glitter, and tap shoe steps that are easily the most important staccato instrument.

Perhaps the biggest problem for audience members at “Crazy For You” is deciding which song becomes the one stuck in their heads on the ride home.

REVIEW: Honoring Abraham Lincoln

Boston Symphony Orchestra, Tanglewood, Lenox, MA 

https://www.bso.org/tanglewood
July 5, 2026 

by Michael J. Moran 

The BSO’s first concert of the 2026 Tanglewood season offered an imaginative program of music by three major American composers honoring Abraham Lincoln during the nation’s 250th birthday weekend. 

First up was the world premiere of Philip Glass’ Symphony #15, subtitled “Lincoln.” Seven of its eight short movements set excerpts from speeches and autobiographical writings by the 16th U.S. president. They were sung or spoken by Broadway actor and operatic baritone Zachary James, who created the role of Abraham Lincoln in Glass’ opera “The Perfect American.” He and the concert’s guest conductor, frequent Glass collaborator Karen Kamensek, were making their BSO debuts. 

Kamensek, the first woman to direct several opera companies, led the BSO in a sumptuous and stirring account, building the composer’s repeated rhythmic patterns to a powerful and mesmerizing climax. James spoke Lincoln’s words with clarity and passion;  text was helpfully projected above the stage. Standout moments included the poignant “Slavery” movement, quoting the Emancipation Proclamation, and the modest brass fanfare that closes the “Farewell” movement and the symphony. Taking a post-performance bow with James and Kamensek, the 89-year-old composer received an enthusiastic standing ovation. 

Next came a four-movement suite from John Williams’ score for Steven Spielberg’s film “Lincoln". The music’s “Americana feeling” noted by program annotator Robert Kirsinger often recalls the style of Aaron Copland. Distinguished solo turns were taken by BSO members Thomas Rolfs (trumpet) in the touching “Elegy” and quiet “With Malice Toward None,” acting concertmaster Alexander Velinzon (violin), Blaise Dejardin (cello), and Elizabeth Klein (flute). 

The program culminated, fittingly, in its most familiar piece, Copland’s “Lincoln Portrait.” Written in 1942 at the request of conductor Andre Kostelanetz, its two orchestral sections suggest what Copland called “the mysterious sense of fatality that surrounds Lincoln’s personality” and evoke his era. A third section includes narration with excerpts from Lincoln’s Gettysburg address and other speeches. Actor Alec Baldwin read the text with precision and drama, using gestures for emphasis (“…even we here hold the power…”). Kamensek and the orchestra provided forceful support. 

As in many afternoon concerts in the Koussevitzky Music Shed, all three selections were enhanced by occasional snatches of birdsong from neighboring trees on a lovely Berkshire day. 

 

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: Mt. Holyoke College Summer Theatre, "Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express"

Mt. Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA

MHCSummerTheatre@MtHolyoke.edu

through July 11, 2026
by Nechama Katan

All aboard! After a 25 year wait, Mt. Holyoke College Summer Theatre has finally pulled its inaugural season into the station, and the ride is well worth the ticket.

For those who don't know the story: when a passenger turns up murdered in his locked compartment on the snowbound Orient Express, the world's most famous detective, Hercule Poirot, must sift through a train car full of secrets, lies, and suspects before the killer strikes again. Ken Ludwig's stage adaptation of the Agatha Christie classic keeps the whodunit twisty right up to the final reveal.

Sam Samuels anchors the show as Poirot, bringing the detective's fussy precision and quiet command to every scene without ever tipping into caricature. Wally Marsano-Lesnevich is a delight as Monsieur Bouc, the railway director whose composure crumbles convincingly as the suspect count grows. Emma Yee, a student performer, makes the mousy missionary Greta Ohlsson genuinely memorable, no small feat in a play stuffed with big personalities. 
 
This company is built on an unusual mix: students and professional actors. There are too many to mention each one's performance. The professionals take on the larger roles, and the pairing works. It's difficult to discern which actors belong in which category. That's the whole point, and it works.
 
Artistic Director Noah Ilya-Alexis Tuleja, who said of the production, "After 25 years this train is finally leaving the station and you won't want to miss this ride!", threads in touches of humor that keep what could be a very heavy play light on its feet.
 
Alina Tschumakow's set is more functional than fancy, a handful of pieces that the cast itself wheels and carries into place to turn a hotel in Istanbul into first class train compartments and then a dining car. It sounds like it shouldn't work, but it does. The curtain gets a real workout too, doing double duty as scenery and as its own bit of stagecraft. Managing Director and costume designer Jensen Glick, along with Sam Skynner's lighting and Gillian Tomlinson's sound design, round out a team clearly working with a modest budget and a lot of imagination. There are more names on the crew list, and every one of them earns a bow.
 
The venue is a dance theatre pressed into service as a playhouse, general admission. There truly isn't a bad seat in the house, and air-conditioning held up well during this heatwave. The seats are surprisingly comfortable for a studio space. The audience's attention leans in at exactly the right moments for a mystery plot. Enjoyable, as with most who-dun-it plays are the murmuring theories at intermission.

 For those not particularly familiar with Christie's stories, watching how the characters build out and are played will be enjoyable. Those in the audience who do not know the story will enjoy a genuinely fun puzzle. Mt. Holyoke is an easy trip from the Springfield area, and the acting is stronger than the price has any right to promise. When this train pulls out of the station, make sure you are on it, and pencil in "39 Steps" for later in the season. 

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.