by Mark G. Auerbach
Misha Dichter performs Rachmaninoff with The Springfield Symphony.
Springfield Symphony Rachmaninoff Season Finale
The Springfield Symphony Orchestra’s season finale showcases the music of Russian-born composer Sergei Rachmaninoff on May 19 at Springfield Symphony Hall. Maestro Kevin Rhodes, internationally renowned pianist Misha Dichter, and the Orchestra perform three Rachmaninoff classics, 3 Études-Tableaux, Op. 33; Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43; and Symphonic Dances, Op. 45. This is the final concert of the SSO’s 74th season.
Misha Dichter traces his musical heritage to the two great pianistic traditions of the 20th century: the Russian Romantic School as personified by Rosina Lhevinne, his mentor at The Juilliard School, and the German Classical style that was passed on to him by Aube Tzerko. At the age of 20, while still enrolled at Juilliard, he entered the 1966 Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, where his stunning triumph at that competition launched his international career.
For details: 413-733-2291 or www.springfieldsymphony.org.
Ariyon Bakare in Hartford Stage’s A Lesson from Aloes
Hartford Stage Presents Athol Fugard’s Classic A Lesson from Aloes
Hartford Stage ends its current season with South African playwright Athol Fugard’s A Lesson from Aloes, which plays May 17-June 10. Darko Tresnjak directs the revered Fugard drama. Ariyon Bakare, Randall Newsome and Andrus Nichols co-star. Set in 1963, in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, A Lesson from Aloes is a compelling portrait of three individuals caught in the midst of the nation’s racial divide and the choices each one is forced to make. Considered by many to be a masterpiece, A Lesson from Aloes made its American debut at Yale Repertory Theatre in 1980. The play, starring James Earl Jones and directed by Fugard, transferred to Broadway later that year, receiving a Tony Award nomination for Best Play in 1981
Athol Fugard has been hailed as “the greatest active playwright in the English-speaking world” by Time Magazine. The South African playwright has won international praise for creating works of “power, glory, and majestic language.” In more than 20 plays, written over six decades – including The Captain’s Tiger, Valley Song, My Children! My Africa, The Island, “Master Harold” and the Boys, and the award-winning Sizwe Banzi is Dead – Fugard has chronicled the struggles of men and women of all races for dignity and human fulfillment.
Director Darko Tresnjak’s Hartford Stage credits include A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder (winner of four 2014 Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Direction of a Musical for Tresnjak); the new musical Anastasia, currently on Broadway; A Midsummer Night’s Dream; The Comedy of Errors; Rear Window, and Romeo & Juliet. Other recent credits include The Killer (2014 Obie Award for Direction) at Theatre for a New Audience and The Ghosts of Versailles at LA Opera. Tresnjak will makes his debut this fall at The Metropolitan Opera, directing Samson et Dalila.
For details: 860-527-5151 or www.hartfordstage.org.
“Disaster” Brings The Laughs to Connecticut Repertory Theatre
Angie Schworer stars in Disaster at CT. Rep’s Nutmeg Summer Series.
It’s 1979 and New York’s hottest A-listers are lining up for the opening of a floating casino and discotheque. What begins as a night of boogie fever quickly changes to panic as the ship succumbs to multiple disasters including earthquakes, tidal waves and infernos. As the night turns into day, everyone struggles to survive and, quite possibly, repair the love that they’ve lost…or at least escape the killer rats. You’ll go wild for this hilarious homage to the disaster movies of the ‘70s, with some of the era’s most recognizable songs including “Knock on Wood”, “Hooked on a Feeling” and “I Am Woman”.
Jack Plotnick’s and Seth Rudetsky’s hilarious musical spoof on every disaster movie you’ve ever seen, from The Poseidon Adventure to Airplane, opens the Nutmeg Summer Series at Connecticut Repertory Theatre in Storrs, June 7-16. Plotnick directs. Rudetsky stars, and the cast includes Broadway veterans Anne L. Nathan (Sunday in the Park With George) , Angie Schworer (Something Rotten!, The Producers) and Maggie McDowell from the Broadway company of Disaster.
For details: 860.486.2113 or www.crt.uconn.edu.
David Krakauer to perform at Yidstock
Of Note
Yidstock: The Festival of New Yiddish Music returns to the Yiddish Book Center for its 7th annual season, July 12-15. The four-day festival includes performances by a diverse group of groundbreaking, innovative bands and performers: Heather Klein & Joshua Horowitz; Tsvey Brider, featuring Anthony Russell & Dmitri; David Krakauer’s Klezmer Madness Reunion Concert, For details: https://www.yiddishbookcenter.org/yidstock
Tony Award Nominees with local ties include: Lauren Ridloff, nominee for Outstanding Actress in a Play for Children of a Lesser God, which originated at Berkshire Theatre Group; Lauren Ambrose, nominee for Outstanding Actress in a Musical for My Fair Lady, a part-time Berkshires resident who attended the Tanglewood Institute; Ben Stanton, nominated for his lighting design for Junk, graduate of UMass/Amherst; and two nominees from Hartt School at University of Hartford: John Clancy for his Mean Girls orchestrations, and Mike Dobston for his sound design for SpongeBob SquarePants. For details: https://www.tonyawards.com/index.html
Keep in Mind
Tasha Lawrence is “Typhoid Mary” at Barrington Stage.
Arts Beat Radio returns as a weekly program, Fridays at 8AM, beginning May 25 on 89.5fm/WSKB. Host Mark G. Auerbach talks with Chester Theatre Company’s Daniel Elihu Kramer about the upcoming season, and actor Graham Rowat, star of Berkshire Theatre Group’s Church and State. Start your weekend with ArtsBeat Radio. Tune in live on the airwaves, on Comcast ch. 15, or www.wskb.org
Typhoid Mary Mark St. Germain’s new play profiles the true story of Mary Mallon, known better as Typhoid Mary. As one of the most infamous women in America, she was incredibly stubborn, ambitious, and in fierce denial of any wrongdoing. This searing drama captures the controversy surrounding Mary and her steadfast conviction in her beliefs. The season opener at Barrington Stage in Pittsfield, May 23-June 16, is directed by Matthew Penn, and stars Tasha Lawrence as Typhoid Mary. For details: 413-236-8888 or www.barringtonstageco.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.
