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Photo by Daniel Rader |
May 17, 2022
Review: Shakespeare & Company, The Approach
May 16, 2022
REVIEW: Springfield Symphony Orchestra, Dances of Spring
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Mark Russell Smith |
Preview: Cirque du Soleil Presents CRYSTAL
CRYSTAL is the very first experience on ice from Cirque du Soleil. World-class ice skaters and acrobats claim their new frozen playground with speed and fluidity as they challenge the laws of gravity with never-before-seen acrobatics.
The misfit heroine, Crystal, takes the audience on an exhilarating tale of self-discovery as she dives into a world of her own imagination. CRYSTAL invites you to suspend reality and glide into a world that springs to colorful life the signature sound and sights of Cirque du Soleil. CRYSTAL is suitable for all ages.
Scott Smith is one of the performers in this production and he took a few minutes to talk with ITS about this unique theatrical event.
ITS: How long have you been skating?
SS: Since I was 7 years old. My local skating clubs would put on shows, like “The Nutcracker”. I was a competitive skater for 20 years and won some international medals. Then I did shows, including a combination trapeze/skating act on a cruise ship. So, being a big Cirque fan, when I saw they were looking for performers I was thrilled because, in a way I had been training for this all my life.
ITS: Who does the show appeal to more; Cirque fans or ice show fans?
SS: It has everything a Cirque fan wants, like the acrobatics, the music, the theatricality. But the show is on the ice, and we have a wide variety of skating styles, like extreme skaters, free style skaters and figure skaters. But unlike a more traditional ice review, it brings that kind of edgy, abstract Cirque feel to it, and it has a LOT more acrobatics.
ITS: One doesn’t often associate the word “theatricality” with hockey arena.
The rink completely transforms into a stage, there’s phenomenal projections that are put on to the ice, so that you wouldn’t even know that you are looking at a hockey rink. You get pulled into the story through the lighting and sound.
ITS: How many people are on the tour?
SS: 100 people tour, but only about 40 are actually on stage, and the rest support those of us in front of the audience. There’s really another full show going on backstage!
ITS: Cirque has shows that are centered on different elements, like water, with different themes and stories. Is there a connecting thread that runs through them makes people such fans?
The production value of a Cirque de Soleil show is always very high, and people appreciate that. And the level of acrobatic performance as well, from the singing to the musicians, to the acrobats and in this case the skaters, there’s a high level of excellence and athleticism needed to be part of the show. The audience knows that they are seeing the crème de le crème.
ITS: Any part of “Crystal” that still surprises you?
SS: I’ve done the show over 700 times now and just hearing the music; I still love the music and that’s not always the case. The music in this show is absolutely amazing. And of course, I’m wowed by my colleagues and their skill all the time.
ITS: What’s the most interesting reaction you’ve had from people who see the show?
SS: Honestly, a lot of people don’t expect there to be as much skating as there is! There are full skating numbers, full acrobatic numbers, but it is a nice blend of both. There are aerialists, and we have extreme skaters with huge ramps and hockey skates and padding, and flips, and figure skaters like myself with backflips and triple jumps. It really has something for Cirque and skating fans alike. And of course it is very family friendly.
May 9, 2022
Preview: Wilbraham United Players, Present Laughter
revolves around him is just not behaving as it should. As he faces down the years of middle-age the ingenue he brought home from a party wants to stay with him forever; his not really “ex” wife has him conspiring against his friend and director. His producer’s wife is trying to seduce him; his long-suffering secretary and his servants serve with a side of “sass” and to top it all off a crazy playwright who is a dedicated fan just won’t leave him alone.
Preview: Close Encounters with Music, "Reeds and Strings"
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Liang Wang |
May 6, 2022
Preview: MOSSO Summer Concert Series
PREVIEW: Berkshire Museum, Little Cinema
begins on Thursday, May 19 with Frida Kahlo, a detailed look at the famed artist. Using her letters and key works as guides, this film reveals the secrets behind the bold colors and the symbolism contained within her work. Two screenings of Frida Kahlo will feature Spanish subtitles.
April 28, 2022
REVIEW: UMass Amherst Fine Arts Center, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
April 26, 2022
REVIEW: Springfield Symphony Orchestra, Of Heroes and Poets
April 19, 2022
PREVIEW: Springfield Symphony Orchestra, Of Heroes and Poets
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William Grant Still |
April 18, 2022
REVIEW: Escaping Eden, The Hartt School
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Cast of Escaping Eden |
guitarist, calls “Escaping Eden” a “sung-through folk musical adaptation of the biblical story of Adam and Eve, which examines the story from Eve's perspective to ask questions about gender roles, free will, and the way we tell stories.”
April 15, 2022
REVIEW: Hartford Symphony Orchestra, Rachmaninoff & Tchaikovsky
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Henry Kramer |
April 13, 2022
REVIEW: UMass Fine Arts Center, Anat Cohen Quartetinho
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Anat Cohen |
April 6, 2022
Preview: The Musicians of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, Summer Concert Series
PREVIEW: Springfield Symphony Orchestra, Spring 2022 Concerts
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Mark Russell Smith |
programs will be led by Minneapolis-based Mark Russell Smith, SSO Music Director from 1995 through 2000. They will take place at 7:30pm in Springfield’s Symphony Hall.
March 30, 2022
REVIEW: The Bushnell, Dear Evan Hansen
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photo by Mathew Murphy |
March 24, 2022
PREVIEW: Playhouse on Park, Divas: Double or Nothing
March 23, 2022
Preview: K and E Theater Group, Altar Boyz
March 17, 2022
Preview: Majestic Theater, Blithe Spirit
REVIEW: Hartford Symphony Orchestra, Mendelssohn’s Italian
March 14, 2022
REVIEW: Exit 7 Players, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
March 10, 2022
Review: The Bushnell, My Fair Lady
March 7, 2022
REVIEW: UMass Fine Arts Center, “Guitarra!” Berta Rojas
Berta Rojas |
February 28, 2022
Preview: Academy of Music, Altar Boyz
February 16, 2022
Preview: MA Create the Vote Fellowship
A yearlong program, the Create the Vote Fellowship is a learning community for grassroots organizers focused on building advocacy, creating knowledge, and sustaining political power in Massachusetts’ arts and cultural sector. The inaugural class of Fellows is composed of nine artists and cultural leaders from across Massachusetts.
Over the next 11 months, Create the Vote Fellows will develop their grassroots organizing knowledge and strengthen their professional network through sharing, learning, networking, and mentorship. A key feature of the Fellowship will be co-designing a strategy to strengthen and support local and regional networks of arts and cultural advocates. Create the Vote Fellows will also work collaboratively with a broader coalition for arts and cultural advocates in the Commonwealth to engage votes and candidates in the 2022 statewide elections.
The Fellowship hopes that others will join in celebrating the inaugural Create the Vote Fellowship cohorts.
The Create the Vote Fellowship is generously supported by the Barr Foundation.
For further information, contact www.mass-creative.org
February 4, 2022
Preview: Ja'Duke Theatre, Nunsense: The Musical
Ja'Duke Theatre, Turners Falls, MA
through February 27, 2022
"Nunsense" is a hilarious spoof about the misadventures of five nuns trying to manage a fundraiser with a supporting cast of 20 nuns, the Little Sisters of Hoboken. Sadly, the rest of the sisterhood died from botulism after eating vichyssoise prepared by Sister Julia Child of God. Thus, the remaining nuns – ballet-loving Sister Leo (Jenna DiDonato), street-wise Sister Robert Anne (Samantha Myburgh), befuddled Sister Mary Amnesia (Rachel Howe), the Mother Superior Sister Regina (Judith Dean Kulp), and mistress of the novices Sister Mary Hubert (Juniper Holmes) and the Little Sisters of Hoboken – stage a talent show in order to raise the money to bury their dearly departed.
Ja’Duke Theater is continuing its quest to bring laughter and joy into people's lives during these trying times. With catchy songs and irreverent comedy, Nunsense is sure to keep audiences rolling with laughter and wanting more. After all, Nunsense is Habit Forming!