Preview: Majestic Theater, “Shear Madness”

Majestic Theater, West Springfield, MA

www.majestictheater.com

through October 20, 2024

by Beverly Dane

No one would think of questioning your reason for watching the instant replay of a baseball homerun or seeing it again on the evening news. You already know who hit the bat. You already know who caught the ball or if a kid in the stands caught the ball or if no one caught the ball. Not only do you want to watch the replay, even though this time it’s not instant, you still want to see it; in fact, look forward to it.

Many would say, why spend money to purchase a movie ticket to see “Deadpool and Wolverine” or “Toy Story I, II, III, etc.” or “E.T.” again. You already know you will be nail-biting tense, smiley-faced, or teary eyed, respectively. The same holds true for the sixth time seeing Mr. Bookman (the library truant officer of late returns) chastise Jerry on “Seinfeld”.

Why repeat life experiences, whether they be sublime, comical, or merely watercooler chat? Do watercoolers still exist? I digress. 

Photo by Katie Rankins

The Majestic Theater’s current production, “Shear Madness,” is a very funny, silly play about a beauty salon. This play isn’t like the tragicomedy “Steel Magnolias,” also set at a salon. There is really no reason to see “Magnolias" twice, in my opinion. Albeit a pleasant ensemble piece for woman, even with the cast of Sally Fields, Julia Roberts, et al (movie version), the story is not compelling enough to spend two hours in a dark room smelling popcorn.

As for “Shear Madness,” who wouldn’t want to repeat the experience of laughter, sometimes belly-laughs, again? In the case of The Majestic, this was likely be my fourth or fifth version of the comings ‘n goings of the ridiculous characters in this setting. Not a spoiler: there’s a murder mystery as background; a who-cares who-done-it. Actually, the audience decides the outcome. Each night or matinee’s performance in a single week may designate a different culprit.

Every theatre company, director, and cadre of actors make for a different production – some clever, some going for pratfalls, some over-the-top, and/or some emphasizing R-rated laughs.

The motley mix of personalities, eat up the madness of the story’s plot, chew up the scenery, and purposely scene-steal. Take nothing seriously in this romp at the salon, especially the erstwhile murder intrigue. 

If for no other reason than to see a perfectly designed set, complete with hot and cold running water, “Shear Madness” should be seen again. 

Actors’ skills in nearly every “Shear Madness” are comedy. Go for the jugular, and then quickly to the next, while the audience is still laughing at the first joke. Timing is important, and the Majestic is always at its best in this genre.

Visiting the “Shear Madness” once is not enough. After all, people get frequent haircuts over time; don’t they. Recommended is an appointment at the Majestic’s “Shear Madness” exploits.

Review: Shakespeare & Company, “Three Tall Persian Women”

Shakespeare & Company, Lenox, MA

www.shakespeare.org

through October 13, 2024

by Shera Cohen

What a coup it is for any theatre to present a World Premiere. A double coup for Shakespeare
& Company is a playwright starring in her own play. This is the case in “Three Tall Persian Women”.

Photo by Maggie Hall

“Women” is a generational story of the old country, reluctant or intended immigration, and the new country. How do people segue from lifestyles, mores, and particularly the roles of women to another while still appreciating their heritage?

Yes, three women populate this story of mother/daughter relationships in a contemporary setting in the U.S. None are “tall,” yet perhaps mighty in each one’s convictions. Their heritage is Iranian.

Golnar, the 20-something daughter, portrayed by the play’s writer Awni Abdi-Bahri, shows her audience a young woman, caught in the middle of generations, beliefs, and history. While the outward focal point of many of the laughs, Abdi-Bahri gives her character a somber churning in her entire being.

Niousha Noor’s depiction of Golnar’s mother is in direct opposition to the personality, dreams, and lifestyle of Golnar. Noor plays this well-meaning mother role with hesitance and self-questioning.

The matriarch of this family of women is acted by Lanna Joffrey as Grandmother Mamani. Joffrey plays a powerhouse senior, living in Iran’s past as if history made no edits on her life as it is now.

The interaction between the characters is primarily between mother and daughter. In her own quiet way, Nasrin is at the center of the picture, on this day marking the anniversary of her husband’s death. The audience knows little about this man, except that he is an example of Iranian society where women are viewed in ancillary roles in a family and society.

Yet, the play’s title is about three women; not men; the setting America. 

Into this picture walks the only male on the stage; Shayan, richly and realistically portrayed by Afsheen Misaghi. Mom and Grandma have set up Golnar on a date with Shayan. These scenes provide many moments of laughter, but the duo does not play coy. Each character gives what he/she gets in their verbal jibes. Misaghi has fewer lines than anyone else on stage, yet he makes the most of every line, whether speaking or singing.

The running time is long, especially with some unnecessary elements that might be deleted or reduced; i.e. Grandma’s dissertation on the Shah, actors giving candy bits to the audience, and the shadowed sexual encounter that opens the play. Note: Not recommended for anyone under 16.

Some may disagree; the story is somewhat generic where Iranians could be substituted with just about any ethnic group. What is true about immigrants, especially in this era and to America, can be true throughout the globe.

REVIEW: South Mountain Concerts "Wu Han & Friends"

South Mountain Concerts, Pittsfield, MA

www.southmountainconcerts.org/concerts.html

September 8, 2024

by Michael J. Moran

David Finckel & Wu Han

Pianist Wu Han, Co-Artistic Director (with her husband, cellist David Finckel) of the NYC-based Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, was joined by Finckel, violinists Chad Hoopes and Richard Lin, and violist Matthew Lipman to open the 2024 season of this century-old festival with a program of three major works for varied instrumental ensembles with broad appeal to chamber music veterans and newcomers alike.

The concert began with a lively reading by Lin, Finckel, and Lipman of Beethoven’s 1799 String Trio in C minor, Op. 9, No. 3. The key of C minor always drew music of high drama from the composer (for example, his fifth symphony). A turbocharged “Allegro con spirito” was followed by a gentle, almost happy-go-lucky “Adagio con espressione.” Both the energetic “Scherzo” and the tempestuous “Presto” finale had abrupt, quiet endings, a playful touch.                

Next came an impassioned account by Wu Han, Hoopes, and Finckel of Czech composer Bedrich Smetana’s Piano Trio No. 1 in G minor, Op. 15. Written in 1858 in memory of his young daughter Bedriska, its “Moderato assai” first movement opened with a seven-measure violin solo, played with piercing intensity by Hoopes. Wu Han’s sensitive pianism and Finckel’s rich cello tone were equally affecting in the expressive middle movement, “Allegro…Maestoso,” and a defiant closing “Presto” which includes a brief funeral march.

The program ended on a more upbeat note with a joyous performance by the full ensemble of Robert Schumann’s most popular chamber piece, his 1842 Piano Quintet in E-flat major, Op. 44. It featured an exuberant “Allegro brillante,” an alternately somber and brisk second movement, marked “In the Style of a March,” a virtuosically nimble “Scherzo,” and a jubilant “Allegro, ma non troppo” finale.    

The frequent choice by Wu Han and Finckel to perform with musicians several decades younger, creates a cross-generational spark in their music-making that clearly resonated with today’s enthusiastic audience.

This venerable series of chamber music concerts performed by world-class ensembles continues on Sundays through October 6.