by Mark G. Auerbach
Winter Warm-Ups
Garrison Keillor
Garrison Keillor brings An Evening of Storytelling to Northampton’s Academy of Music on February 18. One of the most prolific American storytellers of all time, Garrison Keillor is a writer and humorist best known for his popular live radio variety show, A Prairie Home Companion. Keillor retired as host last summer, after doing one last live broadcast from Tanglewood. Keillor is also the host of the daily radio and online program, The Writers Almanac, and the editor of several anthologies of poetry, most recently, Good Poems: American Places. A best-selling author, he has published more than two dozen books, including Lake Wobegon Days, The Book of Guys, Pilgrims, and Guy Noir and the Straight Skinny. In 2006, Keillor played himself alongside a cast that included Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin and Kevin Kline, in the film adaptation of A Prairie Home Companion, directed by Robert Altman. DSP Shows is producer of the Northanmpton performance. For details: 413.584.9032 x105 or www.aomtheatre.com
Ellen Kaplan, director of Pirates of Penzance
Set Sail With The Pirates of Penzance
Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic musical The Pirates of Penzance plays Bowker Auditorium on the UMass/ Amherst campus on February 11-12. The production, part of the UMass Department of Music and Dance’s Opera Workshop, will be performed by members of the UMass Voice Studio and musicians from The Five Colleges. Ellen Kaplan directs. For details: For details: 413-545-2511, 800-999-UMAS or www.fineartscenter.com
When Gods Mingled with Mortals: Sacred Dances and Legends of Hawai’i
Celebrating 30 years of dance, chants and traditions, Halau Hula Ka No’eau, a 30 year old ensemble
Sacred Dances from Hawai’i
from the island of Oahu, Hawai’i makes a rare and exclusive Northeast appearance at the UMass Fine Arts Center on February 9 with their show, When Gods Mingled with Mortals: Sacred Dances and Legends of Hawai’i. Captivating audiences with their dance, chants, and traditions, and exquisitely artistic hula movement, choreographer and cultural historian Michael Pili Pang presents his new work based on Hawaiian legends. Deeply rooted in one of Hawai’i’s great hula lineages, Pang specializes in fusing ritual hula with innovative choreography.
When Gods Mingled with Mortals: Sacred Dances and Legends of Hawai’i takes the audience on a tour of the main types of hula, the ancient Hula Kahiko and the post-1890s Hula ?Auwana, beginning with a kahiko hula, the Hula Pahu or “drum dance.” Often considered the voice of the gods, pahu were played to accompany the mele that every hula is built upon. The choreographed hula movement is a supplication to the gods to entice them to reveal their presence.
For details: 413-545-2511, 800-999-UMAS or www.fineartscenter.com
Program Change
Hello “Heartbreak House”; Later “St. Joan”
Hartford Stage is substituting George Bernard Shaw’s Heartbreak House for its previously announced production of Shaw’s St. Joan, according to Artistic Director Darko Tresnjak, who will stage the play May 11-June 11. Heartbreak House, which takes place in 1914 England, may be especially relevant in today’s current climate. It’s a comic, yet caustic play about a venerable captain, his two daughters, one liberal and one conservative, and a house full of bickering guests. Subscribers use their St. Joan tickets for Heartbreak House. Single ticket buyers should contact the theatre for options. For details: 860-527-5151 or visit www.hartfordstage.org.
Of Note
The Berkshire Film and Media Collaborative presents the non-credit workshop, Film Production I,, in partnership with Berkshire Community College at the BCC Great Barrington Campus, on Wednesdays for eight weeks beginning February 1. And, In partnership with UMASS Springfield Center, BFMC offers a one-day workshop, How to Shoot a Movie on Your IPhone, on February 11. Erica Spizz is the instructor for both. For details: 413.528.4223 or www.berkshirefilm.org
Berkshire Theatre Group is the recipient of a $25,000 grant from the Falmouth, MA-based Josephine and Louise Crane Foundation. The Josephine and Louise Crane Foundation aids several arts and cultural, human services, and other non-profit organizations through gift-making. For details on Berkshire Theatre Group programs and services: www.berkshiretheatregroup.org
WAM Theatre has recently been the recipients of two grants: an unrestricted grant of $5,000 from the Massachusetts Bankers Association (MBA) Charitable Foundation, and a $2,000 grant from the Dramatist Guild Fund in support of the company’s 2017 Fresh Takes play reading series. For details on WAM programs and services: www.WAMTheatre.com
Javon Jackson solos with The Hartford Symphony.
Itzhak Perlman, the world-renowned violinist, recently received a $1 million Genesis Prize, and he opted to defer the award to organizations devoted to causes that are important to him, including the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, MA. The cultural and educational institution received $50,000 from Perlman’s prize to support its work on Yiddish language instruction and oral history. For details: 413-256-4900, or yiddishbookcenter.org
Keep in Mind…
Symphonic Love Potions fill Hartford’s Bushnell, when The Hartford Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Carolyn Kuan, performs on February 10-12. Guest percussionists Svet Stoyanov and Dmitri Nilov join the Orchestra along with guest saxophonist Javon Jack. The program includes Strauss’ Don Juan, Dorman’s Spices, Perfumes, Toxins, Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet overture, and jazz selections by Carmichael, Coltrane, and Van Heusen. For details: 860-987-5900 or www.hartforddsymphony.org.
Craig A. Meyer plays Elton John at The Colonial.
Remember When Rock Was Young: The Elton John Tribute Concert, plays The Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield on February 2, under the auspices of Berkshire Theatre Group. Craig A. Meyer stars as Elton John. For details: 413-997-4444 or www.berkshiretheatregroup.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.
