MARK AUERBACH
Two World Premieres on Berkshires Stages
Cedars
Berkshire Theatre Group presents two-time Tony Award winner James Naughton in the world premiere of Erik Tarloff’s “Cedars” on their Stockbridge campus (July 23-August 9). Naughton plays “Gabe” in the one-person comedic drama about a 50-ish lawyer who comes to terms with his broken marriage, dwindling career, family struggles, and new relationships, while at his ill father’s bedside. Naughton’s daughter, Keira Naughton, directs.
“Erik Tarloff’s writing is smart, funny and ultimately very moving,” James Naughton said. “It’s an exploration of one man’s relationships with his family, his work, and his ever-changing place in the world.”
Naughton, who grew up in West Hartford (and graduated from Conrad High School), has two Tony Awards to his credit for performances in “City of Angels” and “Chicago”.
Keira Naughton directed the “Roman Fever” part of last season’s “Mary and Edith” at Berkshire Theatre Group. The Naughton family have extensive theatre credits nationally.
James Naughton stars in “Cedar” at Berkshire Theatre Group. Photo by Jonathan Becker.
Playwright Erik Tarloff has written professionally since his college years. Much of his early work was written for the screen, both large and small. His list of credits includes almost 100 situation comedy scripts, including multiple episodes of “M*A*S*H”, “All in The Family”, “The Bob Newhart Show”, “The Jeffersons”, “Alice” and others.
For tickets: 413-997-4444 or www.berkshiretheatregroup.org
The Visit
“The Visit”, a musicalization of a 1956 Durrenmatt play by John Kander and Fred Ebb (“Cabaret”, “Chicago”, and more) and Terrence McNally, was, as theatre legends go, written with Angela Lansbury in mind. A Broadway opening in 2001 was shelved, when Lansbury took ill, and Chita Rivera took over in subsequent productions. Now, Williamstown Theatre Festival mounts a new production (July 31-August 17) with John Doyle directing, and Rivera once again plays the lead.
Chita Rivera stars in “The Visit” at Williamstown Theatre Festival. (Photo by Laura Marie Duncan)
Chita Rivera is a Broadway legend, since “West Side Story” days. In “The Visit”, she plays a wealthy old woman who returns to her hometown to seek revenge on a man who scorned her. At Williamstown, she’ll be joined by some other Broadway legends, including Judy Kuhn, Howard McGillin, and Roger Rees.
A Chita Rivera “visit” is a must. She’s still going strong at 81, and she is one of Broadway’s greatest leading ladies. “The Visit” is one of Kander and Ebb’s final collaborations, yet to debut on Broadway. For tickets: 413-597-3400 or www.wtfestival.org
Caroline Bowman is “Evita” at The Bushnell. (Photo by Richard Termine)
Of Note
The Bushnell and Hartford Stage have put single tickets on sale for some of their upcoming 2014-15 productions.
At the Bushnell, single tickets are now on sale for “Evita”, “Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat” and “Pippin”. Tickets for “Wicked” go on sale on September 12, and tickets for the remainder of the season (“Nice Work If You Can Get It”, “Camelot”, “Once” and “Kinky Boots”) go on sale September 20. For details: 860-987-5900 or www.bushnell.org.
At Hartford Stage, all single tickets are on sale. Some of the season highlights include: “Kiss Me Kate”, “Hamlet”, “Private Lives” and the East Coast premiere of “Ether Dome”, the psychological thriller is based on the true story of the discovery of ether as an anesthetic in 1846 by Hartford’s own Dr. Horace Wells. For details: 860-527-5151 or www.hartfordstage.org.
Scott Pask’s set rendering for “Finding Neverland” at ART in Cambridge.
Keep in Mind…
***Finding Neverland gets its world premiere at Cambridge’s American Repertory Theater through September 28. It’s a musicalization of the film with music and lyrics by Gary Barlow and Elliot Kennedy, and book by James Graham. Diane Paulus, who brought productions of “Porgy and Bess”, “Hair” and “Pippin” to Broadway, is directing the musical. Jeremy Jordan, Laua Michelle Kelly, Rogert Bart, and Carolee Carmello star. For tickets: 617-547-8300 or www.americanrepertorytheater.org
***50 Years of PDQ Bach with musical humorist Peter Schickele plays The Colonial in Pittsfield for one performance on Saturday, July 26. Peter Schickele will perform twelve “quite heavenly songs” including: musical upsettings of the signs of the zodiac (for chamber ensemble), excerpts from The Notebook for Betty-Sue Bach (for solo piano), and songs from Shakespeare: The Bard’s most famous speeches set to 1950’s rock ‘n’ roll (for piano & chamber ensemble). For tickets: 413-997-4444 or www.berkshiretheatregroup.org.
***Breaking The Code, Hugh Whitemore’s compelling portrait of Alan Turing, runs at Barrington Stage in Pittsfield through August 2. Mark H. Dold stars as the mathematician and computer scientist who broke the Enigma code during World War II, but who was cruelly treated because he was gay. For tickets: 413-236-8888 or www.barringtonstageco.org.
***The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Bertolt Brecht’s panoramic tale of refugees fleeing war, is the next offering at Silverthorne Theatre (July 24-26) on the Northfield Mount Hermon campus in Gill. It’s directed by theater veteran David Rowland. STC’s production will showcase original music written for this play by Chris Rohmann. For tickets: 413-768-7514 or www.silverthornetheater.org.
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.
