by Mark G. Auerbach
The Summer Sizzle: Berkshire Theatre Group’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Berkshire Theatre Group opens its Fitzgerald Main Stage series in Stockbridge, MA, with Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (through July 16). David
Michael Raymond James is “Brick” in Berkshire Theatre Group’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
Auburn directs the sizzling classic, which stars Rebecca Brooksher (who starred in Auburn’s acclaimed BTG production of Anna Christie a couple of summers ago) as Maggie; TV star Michael Raymond James (Game of Silence) as her husband, Brick; Jim Beaver and Linda Gehringer as Big Daddy and Big Mama.
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is one of Tennessee Williams most popular plays and his personal favorite. He wrote the drama on the terrace of a bar in Tangiers. When it opened on Broadway in 1955, staged by Elia Kazan, with Barbara Bel Geddes, Ben Gazarra, and Burl Ives, it won the Pulitzer Prize for drama, became a hit movie (although sanitized for Hollywood) with Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman, and Ives. Williams made revisions to the play, before it opened in a revival (at The former American Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford, CT) in 1974, this time starring Elizabeth Ashley (who used to perform frequently at Hartford Stage).
Rebecca Brooksher is “Maggie” in Berkshire Theatre Group’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
Mississippi plantation owner, the cantankerous Big Daddy, is celebrating his 65th birthday. His family has returned for the occasion, including his favorite son, the super jock Brick, and Brick’s wife, the lonely and longing Maggie. Brick and Maggie’s strained marriage plagues Big Daddy’s mind, and he demands answers to why they haven’t given him a grandchild yet. However, Big Daddy’s family holds a powerful secret, and an ulterior motive as to why they have returned to the plantation. The families’ troubled relationships and emotional lies become exposed in the timeless American treasure
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is an audience favorite, as much as it’s a challenge for actors who are drawn to the play. Some famous Maggies have included: Kathleen Turner, Ashley Judd, and recently Scarlett Johansson. Charles Durning, Fred Gwynne, and Ned Beatty have given the role of Big Daddy their spin. Keir Dullea, Daniel Hugh Kelly, and Jason Patric have played Brick in major productions.
Include some time before the performance to visit Jane’s Cafe at the Main Stage, with some lovely sandwiches, salads, and snacks. It’s catered by The Red Lion Inn, which has received rave reviews for its revamped cuisine by Brian J, Alberg, who has also put Pittsfield’s Hotel on North Restaurant in the spotlight. For details: http://www.berkshiretheatregroup.org/visit/jane-s-cafe
For details: 413-997-4444 or www.berkshiretheatregroup.org.
Newsmakers:
Olivier Meslay has been named director of Williamstown’s Clark Museum. He’s currently associate director of curatorial affairs at the Dallas Museum of Art. He came to Dallas after a distinguished career at The Louvre in Paris. For information on The Clark: www.clarkart.edu.
John Hassan, a Holyoke native most recently senior deputy editor at ESPN, is the new Director of Marketing and Public Relations at the Mark Twain House and Museum in West Hartford, CT. For information on the Mark Twain House: www.marktwainhouse.org.
Justin Townsend, the UMass Theatre alum, picked up two Drama Desk Awards, one for his lighting design for The Humans, and one for his lighting esign of American Psycho. For a recap of all the nominees and winners: http://dramadeskawards.com/
Keep in Mind…
Camila Cano Flavia stars in My Jane at Chester Theatre Company.
My Jane, a world premiere by Chester Theatre Company’s new Artistic Director Daniel Elihu Kramer, opens the theatre’s 2016 summer season (June 29-July 10) in Chester, MA’s historic town hall. My Jane is a contemporary exploration of Charlotte Brontë’s sweeping novel Jane Eyre. Camila Canó-Flaviá will be making her professional debut in the title role of Jane. Knud Adams, who staged Annie Baker’s Body Awareness at Chester in 2013, will stage this play. For details: 1-800-595-4849 or www.chestertheatre.org.
A Chorus Line, the musical about a group of dancers auditioning for a Broadway show, based on a group of real dancers who poured their hearts out to creator Michael Bennett, is onstage through July 31 at West Hartford’s Playhouse on Park. Sean Harris and Darlene Zoller stage the musical, which originally brought home nine Tony Awards and The Pulitzer. For details: 860-523-5900 x10 or www.playhouseonpark.org
Steve Henderson of Westfield stars in Silverthorne Theatre’s production of “The Miser”. Photo by Rick Teller.
The Miser, Moliere’s still fresh French comic farce about the inequity of income distribution and hoarders of wealth, opens the Silverthorne Theatre season (June 23-July 2) in Greenfield, MA. Westfield actor Steve Henderson plays the wily and untrustworthy valet to the miser. Henderson frequently appears at The Majestic in West Springfield and Northampton’s New Century Theatre. Julian Finsley directs. For details: silverthornetheater.org,
Celebrate America ! The Talcott Mountain Music Festival, Hartford Symphony’s outdoor summer home in Simsbury Meadows, CT, opens July 1 with Hartford Symphony Orchestra’s new Assistant Conductor Adam Kerry Boyles conducting the Orchestra and the Asylum Hill Congregational Church Choir in an evening of seasonal favorites, including Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, Sousa’s Stars and Stripes Forever, and of course, fireworks. Raindate is July 2. For details: www.860-987-5900 or www.hartfordsymphony.org.
Adam Kerry Boyles conducts the Talcott Mountain Music Festival season opener.
Ugly Lies the Bone, a new drama by Lindsey Ferrentino, and directed by Daniela Varon has its regional premiere at Shakespeare and Company in Lenox through August 28. It’s the story of a combat veteran who comes home to Florida after three tours in Afghanistan bearing deep physical and emotional scars. An innovative, experimental video game therapy offers an escape from her excruciating pain, but can virtual reality help Jess come to terms with the altered reality of her hometown, relationships, and dreams? For details: 413-637-3353 or www.shakespeare.org.
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Mark G. Auerbach studied theatre at American University and the Yale School of Drama. He’s worked for arts organizations and reported on theatre for newspapers and radio.
