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: Springfield Chamber Players, SCP Oboe Quartet

52 Sumner, Springfield, MA 
https://www.springfieldsymphonymusicians.com/
May 17, 2026 
by Michael J. Moran 

The “SCP Oboe Quartet” closed the Springfield Chamber Players’ second season at 52 Sumner with a typically stimulating and entertaining program of six chamber music selections, mixing old and new, familiar and less known repertoire. The acoustics of this former church are clear, warm, and spacious.

The quartet’s members are: Marsha Harbison, retiring Assistant Concertmaster of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra; SSO oboist and English horn player Karen Hosmer; SSO violist Dani Rimoni; and SSO cellist Boris Kogan. The concert, in honor of the late Dr. William Harbison, Marsha’s husband and an avid supporter of the SCP, drew a sizable and enthusiastic crowd. 

The concert opened with an elegant performance of German Baroque composer Georg Philipp Telemann’s four-movement “Trio Sonata in a Minor.” Next came a century-and-a-half leap forward to the best-known work on the program, Mozart’s cheerful three-movement 1781 “Oboe Quartet in F Major.” The ensemble gave it a sprightly turn, with Hosmer displaying greater virtuosity in the first and last movements than the oboe’s design allowed in Telemann’s time. 

The strings then turned in lively readings of two movements from Beethoven’s early (1797) six-movement “Serenade in D Major, Op. 8:” a charming opening (and closing) march; and an affectionate Polish dance. This was followed by a moving account of Brett L. Wery’s dramatic 8-minute “Passage of Orpheus for English Horn and String Trio.” Depicting Orpheus’s rescue and loss of his lover Eurydice in the underworld, it features soulful work by Hosmer (who is also Wery’s wife) portraying Eurydice alone on the English horn, a slightly larger and darker version of the oboe. 

The concert continued with a bracing rendition of French composer Jean Francaix’s jazzy 1971 “Quartet for English Horn and String Trio.” The three movements exuded alternately bustling and quiet corners of daily life in contemporary Paris. The afternoon ended with a novelty by George Gershwin, “Promenade: Walking the Dog,” in which Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire walk a dog on board a luxury liner in the 1937 film “Shall We Dance?” The ensemble took it for an aptly jaunty spin. 
  
Engaging comments before each piece by Harbison or Hosmer made up for the lack of program notes, and the Players commendably save paper by making a program list and performer bios easily accessible via QR code. 

REVIEW: Springfield Symphony Orchestra, “Brahms and a Modern Voice”

Symphony Hall, Springfield, MA 

https://www.springfieldsymphony.org/

May 2, 2026 

by Michael J. Moran 

The SSO’s season finale, sponsored by the Harbison family in memory of amateur violist and SSO supporter William “Bill” Harbison, who died earlier this year, began by honoring his wife Marsha Harbison, retiring as SSO Assistant Concertmaster after 49 years in the orchestra. She told several short anecdotes about Bill, one involving a piece on today’s program, which set a warm, welcoming tone for the large house at this concert. 

Guest conductor Courtney Lewis, Music Director of the Jacksonville (FL) Symphony, opened the program with the first of three suites of “Ancient Airs and Dances,” arranged for modern orchestra by Ottorino Respighi from lute pieces of early Italian and French composers. Lewis led the SSO in sparkling accounts of a stately “Balletto” (Molinaro), graceful “Gagliarda” (Galilei), charming “Villanella,” and lively “Passo mezzo e Mascherada” (both anonymous). 

Photo Credit Silver Photography

Next, American violinist Charles Yang was a brilliant soloist in the concerto “For a Younger Self,” which film composer Kris Bowers wrote for Yang in 2019-2020. Bowers’ musical story-telling skills (he also wrote the score for the series “Bridgerton”) were well suited to Yang’s rock star personality and flamboyant performance style. 

 

Following Bowers’ instructions, Yang expressed the “chaos and anxiety” of the young artist in the “Moderato ma non troppo,” “gently” navigated the quiet “Larghetto,” and dispatched the “Presto” finale “with [the] ease and confidence” of a mature artist. Lewis and the orchestra were agile accompanists. 

A standing ovation brought Yang back to perform what he called “an unscripted, improvised” encore, playing and singing Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” with dazzling rhythm and blues chops. 

The program closed with a powerful rendition of Johannes Brahms’ 1877 second symphony. A dramatic “Allegro non troppo,” a serene “Adagio non troppo” (where the cellos played their opening passage “with love,” in Marsha Harbison’s words), and a lilting “Allegretto grazioso” led to an outburst of joy in the closing “Allegro con spirito.” With perfectly judged tempos in all four movements, Lewis may have surpassed even his impressive SSO debut on short notice last year, drawing inspired playing from all sections of the supercharged ensemble. The enthusiastic audience would clearly welcome more return visits by this dynamic conductor. 

The SSO will next present a Juneteenth concert on June 19.

Preview: Author Talk, A Biography of Eleanor Powell, Springfield Native

Thursday, May 28, 2026, 7pm-8:30pm

Hope Center for the Arts

150 Bridge St., Springfield MA

FREE, open to the public!

Lisa Royere, co-author of a biography of of Eleanor Powell

will speak and show a video on her book.

Watch on YouTube

Review: The Bushnell “& Juliet”

The Bushnell, Hartford, CT

www.bushnell.org

through May 10, 2026 

By Geoff and Linda O’Connell

Early in the bold musical “& Juliet,” the character William Shakespeare declares he can navigate his wife Anne’s demand that she rewrite his classic love story. “Where there’s a Will, there’s a way,” he says, emphasizing the pun. That assertion emerges as the theme as all the characters find the will to redefine themselves and chart their destinies. 

Perhaps the greatest will of all was exerted by the book’s writer David West Read, who disrupted the plot – and even subplots – of “Romeo & Juliet,” using a bucketful of the Bard’s tricks: surprise, slapstick, word play, genderbending. Read did all this while improbably, but dazzlingly, interweaving the dialogue to connect 30 of the biggest selling pop songs of the 1990's composed by Max Martin, who has produced more #1 hits for the American market than all comers except Paul McCartney.

Some critics have dismissed this kind of mash-up of dialogue with pre-existing songs as a “jukebox” musical. Director Luke Sheppard and his team acknowledge the criticism from the get-go, placing a glitzy jukebox near center stage. Then, the real fun begins.

Cast members appear one by one, smiling, dancing, waving at audience members and “breaking the fourth wall” by sitting on the edge of the stage and interacting with patrons, not as characters but as friendly actors. 

The fourth wall stays permeable with the arrival of real-life boy-band superstar Joey Fantone of ‘NSync. Fantone is there to play a character in the musical, who is welcomed loudly by adoring fans of his previous incarnation. Fantone portrays his character Lance with Falstaffian verve and sly nods to his status as a former teenage sex symbol. Fantone still has his signature moves but can parody them deftly as well.

CJ Eldred slides in and out of this “fourth wall” while playing Shakespeare; and Crystal Kellogg, as his wife, courses over multiple planes of reality.

More lines cross with Costume Designer Paloma Young’s mixing Elizabethan wear with 1990's concertgoer aesthetic. Scenic Designer Soutra Gilmour smushes eras – a DJ booth at a Renaissance ball! Lighting Designer Howard Hudson and Video Designer Andrzej Goulding join the team with clever scrims and other devices to conjure up Verona and Paris, boudoir and ballroom. Confetti bombs and pyrotechnics make it a party.

And what a party it is when Fantone’s character gets the family band back together. The Elizabethans break into “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” as the fourth wall comes tumbling down. Jennifer Webber’s high voltage, pulse-pounding choreography surges around the stage captivating audience members to dance, sing, and ecstatically scream along.

The musical is a remarkable ensemble cast with strong belting voices all around. High, sustained notes have particularly become a key benchmark in ranking pop divas. 

The scenic design features a three-dimensional logo that morphs from “Romeo & Juliet” to “& Juliet.” It raises and answers the question that Anne put to her playwright husband: “Are you a strong enough man to write a stronger woman?” Read channels the Bard of Avon to tell a complex, often funny, sometimes bittersweet tale of humans struggling to see who they are. All the world’s a stage.

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: Jacob’s Pillow,

Preview: Jacob's Pillow 2026

www.jacobspillow.org
May 3, 2026
By Suzanne Wells


Jacob’s Pillow has wrapped up its vibrant second annual spring session, which featured the rhythms of Soles of Duende and romance of ROWDIES IN LOVE. With the echoes of these performances still resonating, the organization is now eagerly preparing for its much-anticipated Summer Festival.

Nestled in the scenic foothills of the Berkshires, Jacob’s Pillow blends rustic charm and contemporary innovation. Its campus features a harmonious mix of historic barns and state-of-the-art buildings, all designed to foster the creation and appreciation of bold, diverse, and captivating choreography.
 
Among its most unique spaces are the indigenous garden and fire pit honoring the Mohawk people, an outdoor stage boasting breathtaking views, and an archive dedicated to preserving and sharing the vibrant legacy of dance.

In addition to its diverse performance spaces, Jacob’s Pillow offers enriching educational opportunities. Many are unaware that in addition to dance performances, the Pillow presents a wide range of lectures, workshops, and classes tailored for all ages and skill levels, inviting participants to deepen their understanding of dance. Public tours and engaging exhibits further encourage visitors to connect with the art form and each other.

Photo Credit: Theik Smith

The archive at Blake’s Barn stands as a vibrant center for exploration, currently showcasing “Connecting Through Time: 50 Seasons with Norton Owen”—a tribute to dance heritage and curatorial excellence.
 
Looking ahead, upcoming exhibits are poised to inspire and inform, including “The Legacy of Martha Graham,” which highlights the profound influence of this modern dance pioneer, emphasizing her political and social activism. Also featured is “Parable or Portals: The Acorn Archives,” an immersive, multisensory journey into Black thought and Afrofuturism. Rounding out the future offerings is “Illuminating the American Experience: Groundbreaking U.S. Women in Dance,” which honors the pioneering women whose contributions have transformed the American dance landscape.

Opening on June 20th and running through August 30th, the summer lineup features Shamel Pitts with “Touch of RED,” a powerful exploration of identity and resilience; Akram Khan Company’s “Thikra: Night of Remembering,” an evocative tribute to ancestral traditions through tribal dance; Circa Contemporary Circuit’s “Wolf,” an acrobatic spectacle; and Ilya Vidrin’s “Proxies,” which links technology and movement. These performances represent a small glimpse of the artistry on the Pillow's calendar.

Whether you are a longtime dance lover or a newcomer to the festival, Jacob’s Pillow invites you to experience its welcoming spaces, inspiring performances, and vibrant sense of community this season.

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: “Jesus Christ Superstar”

Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, CT
www.goodspeed.org
April 17 – June 7, 2026
By Geoffrey and Linda O’Connell

In the late 1960’s, young composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Tim Rice tried their hand at songwriting with the pop-music cantata “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” The piece was a minor success and led them to something grander, their rock opera “Jesus Christ Superstar,” which has been produced worldwide for more than half a century. Goodspeed Opera House brings a new production that is as fresh as today’s headlines while paying homage to the original work.

The musical conveys a modern interpretation of the last days of Jesus. The music and lyrics were and still are bold, brash, questioning and genre-bending; a cultural cauldron boiling over with the tensions of the times.

Playing Jesus of Nazareth, Justin Matthew Sargent, commands the lead vocals, bringing back the heavy-metal style belting grit of the original album’s Jesus. Judas Iscariot, Austin Lesch, matches Sargent’s range and grit, lifting the Jesus-Judas, love-hate relationship to dizzying, emotionally fraught heights. The ensemble is strong throughout. Gender-blind casting as Nicolette Antonia Shin plays King Herod is a showstopper.

Director Tatiana Pandiani deftly manages the relationship between Jesus and his betrayer Judas, who wanted Jesus to lead the zealots’ revolt against the Roman occupiers and who questioned his divinity.

Both Pandiani and Scenic Designer Riccardo Hernandez use their spare tools wisely. The sand-filled stage serves as a prop for cast members to sift through the sand of time. Spare-looking small tables add depth to the otherwise empty stage, morphing into raised walkways, thrones, and temple terraces on which Herod and Pilate, Caiaphas and his high priests lord over the Jewish rabble below.

Pandiani never lets the secular, political themes that Rice explored in his lyrics be overshadowed by the theological gauntlet or the deeply personal psychology of Jesus and Judas. With echoes of the protests of 50 years ago morphing into today’s headlines, Pandiani makes the politics explicit with the zealots carrying signs saying: “Rome Lies, People Die” and “No Justice, No Peace, No Ceasar.”

Goodspeed’s stage extends with the pit musicians now set three floors below to vastly increase the space for dancers to spread their wings. Choreographer Amy Campbell has the talented full cast fill the space with energetic pop dancing movements.

Cha See’s heavenly-turned-hellish lighting, Adam Souza’s spare, rock band instrumentation, and Pandiani’s gifted direction conjure up the violence of the story – Judas’ suicide, Christ’s torture and crucifixion – in a way that live theatre rarely can these days.

The company successfully embraces the complexity of the creators’ narrative, balancing the intimate setting with arena-rock energy and music festival zeal.

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, “Come From Away”

Majestic Theater, West Springfield, MA
https://www.majestictheater.com/
by Shera Cohen

Canadians are the nicest people in the world. Everyone knows this. The musical “Come from Away” proves it.

Photo by Kait Rankins

Imagine 7,000 uninvited visitors arriving, all at the same time, in your tiny town whose own population numbers are nearly the same. The initial response might be, “Get the heck outa’ here.” Yet the folk of Gander, Newfoundland emerge as an ensemble of 12 amazingly talented actors/singers who not only open their doors wide, set up dormitories, cook up meals, pour on the beer, and install as many phones as Gander can find.

The plot starts on 9/11/2001 and the days that follow when 38 planes were diverted to Canada. With horrific challenges in the world beginning on that fateful day, these passengers were not initially aware of the terror in the U.S.

The stirring opening number, “Welcome to the Rock,” features the full cast singing, hooting, ‘n foot-stompin’. While there are no hummable tunes for the drive home, most of the music is atypical from musicals “back in the day”—here we have country meets ballad meets sea-shanty.

Director Russell Garrett doubles an already immense role with that of choreographer. Movement is seamless from one vignette to another. There is purpose in every encounter between characters. Each actor’s role is essential to create the relationships among passengers, and more importantly between the homespun Canadians and the strangers embarking on Gander.

Garrett creates an atmosphere of hope and camaraderie and gifts the audience a piece of humanity, made more poignant because it depicts an honest point in human history.

The actors take on at least two roles; one as a townie and the other as an airplane passenger. Each actor changes his or her character instantly. A hat, a small prop, a gesture transforms one distinct personality into another. Never for a moment is the audience confused. Canadian accents also trade off with Texan, British, or Middle Eastern, and then back again.

For the most part the set, too, transposes from numerous locations as actors essentially play musical chairs in the townies’ café “where everybody knows your name” and then to seats on the plane where no one knows you, or care.

Throughout the performance, many of the musicians are visible onstage, blending within the action. They are a fun, talented group, playing on an eclectic collection of instruments: pipes, mandolins, and bouzouki, and bodhran (a stringed instrument and a drum, by the way).

Many theatergoers have never heard of "Come From Away”. These two-hours at the Majestic are joyful. What is special about this show is that; it is incredibly inventive in style, music, and staging, it manages to be deeply affecting and moving -- true account of people simply being nice to each other when needed most.

 

REVIEW: Hartford Symphony Orchestra, "Brahms’ Third"

Bushnell, Belding Theater, Hartford, CT

www.hartfordsymphony.org

April 10-12, 2026

by Michael J. Moran

For the seventh weekend in its 2025-26 Masterworks series, HSO Music Director Carolyn Kuan led the orchestra in four pieces by three composers, including two HSO premieres, one featuring the composer as soloist.

The concert opened with the first HSO premiere, the rarely heard 1831 concert overture inspired by French composer Hector Berlioz’s take on Shakespeare’s tragedy, “King Lear.” In an engaging spoken introduction, Kuan asked sections of the HSO to play segments of the piece, with themes depicting Lear, his three daughters, and his descent into madness. The full orchestra gave a fiery version of this rousing mini-drama.

Photo by Jim Henkel

The second HSO premiere was Brazilian-born composer Clarice Assad’s colorful 2024 “Flow, Suite for Piano and Orchestra.” Commissioned by the Albany Symphony for the bicentennial of the Erie Canal between Albany and Syracuse, New York, its three short movements depict “the flow of ideas” across time and space, Assad comments in a program note. She proved a virtuosic pianist, also playing a small drum in the mercurial “River Tide,” relaxed and sensitive in the jazzy “Last Song,” and dazzling in the energetic “Rhapsodic Dances” finale. Kuan and the orchestra were supportive accompanists. The well-filled house gave Assad a standing ovation.

Next came a vibrant performance of Johannes Brahms’ 1883 third and shortest symphony. An alternately energetic and reflective “Allegro con brio,” including the often-omitted repeat, was followed by a flowing “Andante” that surged forward to a magical hushed ending, an exquisitely melancholy “Poco allegretto,” and a robust closing “Allegro,” fading to a quiet close. Standing out among the many players who took bows for their work in solo passages was HSO principal oboe Erik Andrusyak, who also excelled in the Berlioz.

As a sort of “orchestral encore,” Kuan spoke again to introduce “the fun-loving, beer-drinking side” of Brahms with a rip-roaring rendition of his popular 1869 “Hungarian Dance No. 5 in G minor,” based on a folk-like melody for piano four hands, arranged for orchestra by conductor Albert Parlow, which ended the program on a festive note. 

The HSO’s next Masterworks program (May 8-10) will feature Kuan leading music by Clyne and Mendelssohn, with HSO principal clarinet Sangwon Lee as soloist in Mozart’s clarinet concerto.

REVIEW: South Windsor Cultural Arts, "Shelest Piano Duo"

South Windsor, CT
www.facebook.com/SouthWindsorCulturalArts
March 22, 2026
by Michael J. Moran

An enthusiastic full house in South Windsor was treated to a captivating debut appearance by acclaimed Ukrainian-born pianists Anna and Dmitri Shelest. First meeting as students at the Kharkiv Special Music School, they later married and began performing together as a piano duo after moving to the US. The imaginative program shed new light on familiar music and introduced unfamiliar repertoire that should be better known.

It opened with an exuberant reading of the Overture to Leonard Bernstein’s “Candide,” arranged by Charlie Harmon, showcasing both the emotional sensitivity and technical precision of this four-hands team playing the same keyboard, Dmitri, the low notes, Anna, the high. This was followed by the deeply felt of Variations on a Shaker Melody from Aaron Copland’s ballet “Appalachian Spring,” flowing without pause into “Carpathian Song,” an original piece written in folk style by contemporary Ukrainian cellist-composer Zoltan Almashi.  

Next came beautifully characterized performances of five Romantic Pieces (1890) for piano duet by once-popular French composer Cecile Chaminade, whose lovely music is now being rediscovered. Introducing their virtuosic rendition of Camille Saint-Saens’ “Danse Macabre,” Dmitri noted a “special bond” the Shelests feel with Ukrainian-born pianist Vladimir Horowitz, whose sister Regina taught for many years at the Kharkiv School.

Composer Theodore Akimenko was born in Kharkiv in 1876 but lived for many years in Paris, where his music was influenced by French impressionism. His ravishing folk inflected Six Ukrainian Dances for piano duet (1925) received affectionate readings from the duo.

The concert closed with George Gershwin’s "Rhapsody in Blue". Dmitri’s opening notes replaced the famous clarinet glissando in the orchestral version with pianistic elegance. Anna’s delicate handiwork in the upper keyboard filled in expressively for the missing strings and woodwinds. The power of their combined sound in climaxes had an almost orchestral sonority.

The charismatic stage presence of both performers was apparent not only in their carefully balanced playing but in the personal engagement with which they alternately introduced each musical selection, highlighting how profoundly both their home (the US) and homeland (Ukraine) have shaped the duo's artistry.  

 SWCA will next present pianist Wynona Wang on April 12 at 4:00 pm.

 

REVIEW: The Bushnell, Hartford, CT “Kinky Boots”

The Bushnell, Hartford, CT
www.bushnell.org
March 17 – March 22
by Simon Brighenti

Pop culture mavens of a certain age may remember Cindy Lauper as a bubbly, bejeweled bopper whose 1980’s persona might be summed up at least superficially as “MTV, the WWE and Me”. However, as evidenced brilliantly by the current production of "Kinky Boots" at the Bushnell, her talent as a songwriter and wordsmith is much deeper than that.

Combining Lauper’s memorable tunes with a book by the inimitable and legendary Harvey Fierstein, "Kinky Boots" is a fun, sassy, and brassy theatrical experience; in a phrase everything a Broadway-worthy musical should be.

The message permeating the production is how we can be changed, our lives enhanced and dreams achieved by recognizing the true colors within each other and ourselves. The musical is inspired by a true story which brought together two seemingly wildly disparate individuals who find common ground and realize that what is underneath is what truly counts.

The immensely talented Omari Collins (aka Scarlett D. Von’Du) is first introduced as Lola, a flamboyant and boisterous drag performer, who, as the production and relationships develop and evolve on stage, reveals a real tender and thoughtful soul and a determination to remain true to both identities.

As Charlie Price, portrayed by Noah Silverman, is torn between respecting and trying to maintain the shoe making business his father and grandfather built – mostly for the sake of the supportive lifelong friends his family has employed and kept on over the years -- and his desire to find his true self which may mean putting the business and his treasured relationships behind him. 

The discomfort that some “traditionally minded” folks might feel when presented initially with who Lola is and what Lola represents is personified by Jason Daniel Chacon in the role of Don. In the hands of a lesser actor this portrayal could easily turn cartoonish, but Chacon inhabits it with a heartfelt humanity and (eventual) understanding.

No review of "Kinky Boots," and especially this production, would be complete without an appreciation of the costuming, hair and makeup, and scenic design. It all comes together in a pageant of flair and fun. The ability to work within an athletic and gender-fluid presenting cast of main players and “angels” such as presented at the Bushnell is surely a dream assignment. 

The energy of the choreography and flamboyancy of the ensemble as they go through many intricate and fabulous costume changes and the ability to navigate the set while wearing footwear ranging from “sensible shoes” to “are you kidding me?” is nothing short of stunning.

So, an enthusiastic suggestion would be to don that favorite footwear and head over to the Bushnell for an entertainment experience that will delight down to the very sole.

 

REVIEW: Springfield Symphony Orchestra, “Mendelssohn, Gershwin, and a Woman’s Voice”

Symphony Hall, Springfield, MA
https://www.springfieldsymphony.org/

March 14, 2026
by Michael J. Moran

The SSO began this Women’s History Month concert by presenting their fourth annual “Fearless Women” awards to eleven local leaders who, the program notes, “have shaped our community through education, entrepreneurship, advocacy, philanthropy, public service, and community leadership.”Taiwanese-American conductor and SSO Artistic Advisor Mei-Ann Chen opened the program with the only orchestral work by Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, older sister and musical mentor of her more famous brother Felix Mendelssohn. Chen led the committed players in a fiery account of the 1832 “Overture in C major,” whose fleet rhythms often resembled those of her brother but with a distinctive melodic invention all her own. Next came a colorful reading of George Gershwin’s 1925 “Piano Concerto in F major,” featuring American-born and internationally acclaimed pianist Claire Huangci, making a well-received SSO return engagement. Soloist and conductor hewed closely to the composer’s descriptions of all three movements: a “quick and pulsating” Allegro, in a “Charleston rhythm;” “poetic [and] nocturnal” in the haunting Adagio-Andante con moto, with two blues themes; and “an orgy of rhythms, starting violently and keeping to the same pace throughout” a fast-paced Allegro agitato finale. Huangci was a commanding and fluid soloist, Chen and the SSO offered nimble support, and trumpet player Phil Snedecor took a well-earned bow for his sultry Adagio solo.

Photo by Silver Photography

 
The program closed with a thrilling performance of Mendelssohn’s 1842 third symphony, nicknamed “Scottish” because it chronicles the composer’s 1829 walking tour of Scotland. Chen gave an engaging introduction, reading vivid excerpts from the composer’s diary of his journey and leading the musicians in brief passages from each movement. She then conducted the orchestra without pause through an urgent Andante con moto-Allegro un poco agitato; a whirlwind Vivace non troppo; a flowing Adagio; and an exhilarating yet majestic Allegro vivacissimo-Allegro maestoso assai finale. Chen honored each section of the SSO with a separate group bow, all richly deserved. They are fortunate to have Chen’s charismatic leadership and boosterism for Springfield during this period without a music director.

Comments like “She has a joy about her” were common from appreciative concertgoers. The next SSO concert, on April 11, will feature music by Vivaldi, Poulenc, Ravel, and Gershwin, with the SSO chorus, soprano Jamie-Rose Guarrine, and conductor Kedrick Armstrong. 

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: Valley Classical Concerts, “Rendez-Vous”

Camille Thomas, Cello, and Julien Brocal, Piano
Smith College, Northampton, MA
https://valleyclassicalconcerts.org
March 7, 2028
by Michael J. Moran

French-born 30-somethings with extensive international training and performance experience, Camille Thomas and Julien Brocal both have strong solo careers; they also enjoy an inspired musical partnership as a duo. Their chamber music concerts mix tradition with innovation in imaginative ways. 

The duo's VCC debut program opened with a segment entitled “Grace.” It began with a “Reflection” written (seemingly improvised) by both performers on Charles Gounod’s arrangement of the “Prelude in C Major” from Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Well-Tempered Clavier.” A mercurial introduction highlighted the bright simplicity of Gounod’s setting, best known as “Ave Maria.” This segment ended with a stylish account of Bach’s third suite, originally for the lighter viola da gamba and keyboard, with a lively “Vivace,” a meditative “Adagio,” and a fleet “Allegro.”    

Two more segments with unusual musical combinations followed. “With Surprises” featured a haunting Brocal/Thomas “Reflection” on both a “Gnossienne” by the experimental French composer Erik Satie (who invented but never explained the title) and the more modern style of the English rock band Radiohead. “Chimera” presented a stately Brocal “Reflection” on a medley of Satie’s familiar “Gymnopedie” No. 1 (another original title) and “The Swan” from Camille Saint-Saens’ “Carnival of the Animals.”

The concert closed with a forceful but sensitive reading of Edward Grieg’s only cello sonata, dating from 1882-1883. The “Allegro agitato” alternated dramatic intensity with pastoral lyricism; the “Andante molto tranquillo” was hushed and pensive; the “Allegro molto e marcato” finale contrasted march-like and Norwegian folk-dance rhythms. Both players brought full, rich tone to their instruments, Thomas visibly relishing the many plucked passages throughout the piece, and Brocal building powerful climaxes on the keyboard.   

 A standing ovation from the appreciative packed house brought the musicians back for an encore, which Brocal introduced with mock seriousness as “delicate and intimate:” a rousing performance of Polish composer-violinist Henryk Wieniawski’s “Polonaise Brilliante,” arranged for cello. The flattering acoustics of Sweeney Concert Hall made every piece sound clear and sumptuous. The mix of classical and jazz traditions by these artists clearly had wide audience appeal.

The last concert in Valley Classical’s 47th season will present Boston-based chamber orchestra “A Far Cry” in music by Copland and Beethoven at Sweeney Concert Hall on March 21, 2026.

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.