MARK AUERBACH
“Deathtrap” Set to Thrill Stockbridge
The Berkshire Theatre Group presents Ira Levin’s Tony Award-nominated Deathtrap (July 1-25) at its Stockbridge campus. A record holder for Broadway’s longest-running comedy thriller (with 1793 performances as noted in the Guinness Book of Records), the popular play was turned into a movie with Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve. Aaron Mark stages the Berkshire Theatre Group production, with a cast of theatre veterans. Gregg Edelman (Broadway’s City of Angels and Into The Woods), Alison Fraser (Broadway’s Romance, Romance), Eric Hill (former StageWest actor/director), Debra Jo Rupp (That 70s Show) and Tom Pecinka (last season’s Design for Living at Berkshire Theatre Group) co-star.
Gregg Edelman stars in Berkshire Theatre Group’s Deathtrap
Director Mark says, “Deathtrap is the play theatregoers think we know but shocks us every time. What struck me reading it again recently, though, is how eerily relevant it is prophetic, even—in our increasingly “success”—obsessed culture. Ira Levin (Rosemary’s Baby, The Stepford Wives) not only created the mother of all contemporary meta-thrillers when he created Deathtrap, he created a potent cautionary tale about greed. As one with “thrilleritis” (Levin’s term, not mine), myself, I couldn’t be more thrilled that The Fitzpatrick Main Stage is the frighteningly perfect setting for this ingenious puzzle of a ‘who’ll-do-it.'”
Alison Fraser stars in Berkshire Theatre Group’s Deathtrap
Incidentally, if your tastebuds need a thrill, Jane’s Cafe has opened on the grounds of the Fitzpatrick Main Stage with a menu created by The Red Lion Inn chef star Brian Alberg. Kate Maguire, The Berkshire Theatre Group’s CEO says , “We are very pleased to create an atmosphere where audience members can enjoy a delicious bite to eat, watch the goings on before the show begins, talk with a couple of artists perhaps, before moving right into their seats to watch unforgettable theatre.”
For tickets: 413-997-4444 or www.berkshiretheatregroup.org.
Paul Taylor Dance Company Visits Great Barrington
The world-renowned Paul Taylor Dance Company will return to the Mahaiwe in Great Barrington for its eighth consecutive summer residency, on July 9-12. A new component of the company’s Mahaiwe residency this year will be a special family matinee on July 11, with discounted tickets that cost $20 per family and that is specifically designed for young audiences with shorter excerpts of dances and a talkback session after the performance. Veterans will also be honored this summer with a free ticket opportunity.
Eric Dudley conducts The Hartford Symphony Orchestra’s Celebrate America at the Talcott Mountain Music Festival.
The diverse programs will feature Paul Taylor masterworks from various eras, including “Company B” (1991, music by the Andrews Sisters), “Eventide” (1997, music by Ralph Vaughan Williams), “Esplanade” (1975, music by Johann Sebastian Bach), “Diggity” (1978, commissioned score by Donald York), “Piazzolla Caldera” (1997, music by Astor Piazzolla and Jerzy Peterburshsky), and “Promethean Fire” (2002, music by J.S. Bach, orchestrated by Leopold Stokowski). Check the Mahaiwe’s website for the dates, when specific dances are performed.
Paul Taylor is considered by many to be America’s greatest living choreographer – a founder and towering icon of modern dance. He is among the few remaining pioneers of the modernist movement who rose to fame in mid- 20th century America; his ideas spread globally and have continued to influence art of the 21st century. He has offered cogent observations on life’s complexities while tackling some of society’s thorniest issues. He uses his dancers to illuminate such profound issues as war, piety, spirituality, sexuality, morality, and mortality. At age 84, Mr. Taylor continues to win public and critical acclaim for the vibrancy, relevance, and power of his creations.
For details: 413-528-0100 or www.mahaiwe.org.
Plan Ahead
Jessie Mueller, Tony Award winner for her portrayal of Carole King in the musical Beautiful, will head the cast of the pre-Broadway musical, Waitress, which plays Cambridge’s American Repertory Theater on August 2 through September 27. Based on the motion picture written by Adrienne Shelly the new musical has a book by Jessie Nelson, music and lyrics by Sara Bareiles, direction by Diane Paulus, and choreography by Chase Brock. For tickets: 617-547-8300 or
www.americanrepertorytheater.org/waitress.
Eric Dudley conducts The Hartford Symphony Orchestra’s Celebrate America at the Talcott Mountain Music Festival.
Mamie Parris with Bill Nolte in the Goodspeed production of “The Most Happy Fella”. Photo by Diane Sobolewski.
Laura Halzack and The Paul Taylor Dance Company perform “Diggity”. Photo by Whitney Browne
Gregg Edelman stars in Berkshire Theatre Group’s Deathtrap.
Alison Fraser stars in Berkshire Theatre Group’s Deathtrap
Keep in Mind…
The Ko Festival of Performance presents an eclectic mix of theatre and music, workshops, and other events July 10-August 9 in Amherst. This season’s theme is “New Homeland: Strangers, Newcomers, and Neighbors in a New America”. For details. www.kofest.com.
The Comedy of Errors, Shakespeare’s zany comedy which inspired Rodgers and Hart’s musical The Boys From Syracuse, joins the repertory at Shakespeare and Company in Lenox, with performances through August 23. For tickets: 413-637-3353 or www.shakespeare.org.
The Hartford Symphony Orchestra’s Talcott Mountain Music Festival continues with its annual Celebrate America concert (July 3, raindate July 4) in Simsbury, CT. Eric Dudley conducts a program of patriotic favorites, including Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes” and Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture/ Fireworks follow. For tickets: 860-987-5900 or www.hartfordsymphony.org.
Postscript: My Broadway Birthday
I had a milestone birthday this month, and my best friend flew over from Europe to celebrate with me, saying we’d go to the Broadway show of my choice. I chose the Rounabout revival of On The Twentieth Century, the highly-touted musical by Cy Coleman, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, which stars Kristin Chenoweth, Mary Louise Wilson and Peter Gallagher. It was understudy matinee at the show, with Chenoweth and Wilson out. Mamie Parris, the actor who created the roll of Rosabella in Goodspeed Musicals’ The Most Happy Fella, took over for Chenoweth, and she was incredible. Her performance, the staging, production, and choreography were all fantastic…and I didn’t have to review it on a deadline. On The Twentieth Century only runs through July 19. If you’re Broadway bound, don’t miss it. For details: http://20thcenturyonbroadway.com/
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.
