by Mark G. Auerbach
WAM Theatre’s “Ann” Heads to Washington, DC and Dallas
Ann, Holland Taylor’s portrait of Texas governor Ann Richards, was the hot ticket last summer at Vermont’s Dorset Theatre, and WAM’s fall season at Shakespeare & Company. Starring Jayne Atkinson and helmed by WAM co-founder Kristen Van Ginhoven, the play got rave reviews in both venues. Atkinson and Van Ginhoven repeat their roles at Washington DC’s Arena Stage and The Dallas Theater Center. DC performances begin July 11, For details: www.arenatage.org. Dallas performances begin October 15. For details: www.dallastheatercenter.org. WAM Theatre’s Tenth Anniversary Season begins next month. For details: www.wamtheatre.org..
Come From Away. Photo by Matthew Murphy
London’s Olivier Awards Have Area Ties
London’s Olivier Awards, their version of the Tony Award, have announced their nominees for the bet in London theatre, and two multi-nominated productions have. Broadway’s big musical hit, Come From Away, a Canadian story about the people of Gander, Newfoundland, who took care of stranded passengers, when US airspace was closed on 9/11, has nine nominations, including “Best Musical”. On the road from Canada to Broadway, Come From Away had a developmental production at Goodspeed’s Festival of New Musicals in 2013. Incidentally, the national tour plays The Bushnell in Hartford from April 30-May 5. For details: www.bushnell.org.
Matthew Lopez
Matthew Lopez’s two-part epic The Inheritance has eight Olivier nominations. The play was commissioned by Hartford Stage, who presented the world premiere of Lopez’s Reverberation, and productions of Somewhere and The Whipping Man. Theaterworks presented his comedy with music, The Legend of Georgia McBride last season. Elizabeth Williamson, Hartford Stage’ Associate Artistic Director, is the dramaturg for The Inheritance. Hartford Stage hasn’t announced its upcoming season as yet, but hopefully will include The Inheritance on its roster.
Winners will be announced on April 7. For the nominees: https://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/olivier-awards-2019-the-nominations-in-full_48638.html
Of Note
The Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Commonwealth Awards include two WMass finalists. Kate Maguire, CEO of Berkshire Theatre Group, and Eileen McCaffrey of Community Music School of Springfield will be honored at the April 8 event in Boston. Presented every two years, the Commonwealth Awards shine a spotlight on the extraordinary contributions the arts, humanities, and sciences make to education, economic growth and vitality, and quality of life in communities across Massachusetts. For details: http://www.massculturalcouncil.org/news/2019_ComAwards.asp
Keep in Mind
Arts Beat Radio airs every Friday at 8AM, on 89.5fm/WSKB. On March 29, we’ll chat with director Jenn Thompson, who’s staging The Music Man at Goodspeed, and CJ Pawlikowski., who is co-starring in Girlfriend, the new musical at TheaterWorks. ArtsBeat Radio, live on Fridays at 8AM on 89.5fm/WSKB, on Westfield Comcast channel 15, or streamed on www.wskb.org. And, if you miss an episode, find it on YouTube at WSKB Community Radio’s page
Craig Simmons
Who Are You: A Celebration of The Who at The Colonial Theatre, in Pittsfield, under the auspices of Berkshire Theatre Group, on March 30. The popular Who tribute band last played The Colonial in 2013. Soon after, lead singer, Craig Simmons suffered a spontaneous brain bleed, leaving him unable to perform with the band, until now. In Craig’s first show back, Who Are You returns to the Colonial for a night of Who classics. A portion of the proceeds from this show will benefit the Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts.For details: 413-997-4444, or www.berkshiretheatregroup.org
Kevin Tracy and Jen Campbell in Constellations
Constellations, Nick Payne’s portrait of a relationship past, present, and future, was a big hit at both Berkshire Theatre Group and Hartford’s TheaterWorks. Now, Ghost Light Theatre gives it a spin at Holyoke’s Gateway City Arts through March 30. Sue Dziura directs. Kevin Tracy and Jen Campbell co-star. People may remember Campbell for her compelling performance as Annie Sullivan in Majestic Theater’s The Miracle Worker.. For details: https://www.gatewaycityarts.com/constellations
Reel to Real, Darlene Zoller’s new dance piece for stop/time dance theatre, plays West Hartford’s Playhouse on Park March 27-April 7. The Playhouse’s resident dance company is celebrating its 16th season with this homage to dance in film. Zoller is a co-founder of Playhouse on Park, who will present the national tour of Spamilton this summer. For details: 860-523-5900 x10 or www.playhouseonpark.org.
stop/time dance
The Ying Quartet brings a concert with classical European fare and a “dim sum” of contemporary Chinese compositions to UMass/Amherst’s Bowker Auditorium on March 27. For its appearance at UMass, the Ying Quartet presents “Musical Selections from the East and West.” The quartet will begin with selections from Debussy: String Quartet in G minor, Op. 10 in addition to other pieces in the European canon. In the second half, the quartet will take cues from the Chinese tradition and present Dim Sum – short compilations from contemporary Chinese composers Zhou Long, Lei Liang and Chen Yi. For details: 413-545-2511, 800-999-UMAS, or www.fineartscenter.com/Ying
Gypsy Layne Cabaret & Co. returns to Greenfield’s Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center with a performance o ole-time burlseque on March 23. The Berkshires-based troupe combine music, comedy, dance, and a few bump an grinds in the tradition of Gypsy Rose Lee, Ann Corio, and the classic mode of entertainment. For details: https://gypsylayne.com and http://hawksandreed.com
The Springfield Symphony Orchestra brings pianist Claire Huangci back to Symphony Hall on March 23, in a program that includes Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, Lizst’s Piano Concertos No.1 and 2, and Libby Larsen’s Beauty Alone, the second movement from her String Symphony No. 4. Kevin Rhodes conducts. For details: 413-733-2291 or www.springfieldsymphony.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. Mark produces and hosts ArtsBeat Radio for 89.5fm/WSKB.
