MARK AUERBACH
Home for The Holidays
West Springfield’s Majestic Theater will present its annual seasonal variety show, “Home For The Holidays,” December 16-22.
The family-friendly “Home for the Holidays,” featuring Pioneer Valley-based performers, has become a tradition at the theater for the past six years. Similar in style to nostalgic holiday specials of years past headlined by Andy Williams and Perry Como, “Home For The Holidays 2014” will be hosted by singer Ray Guillemette, Jr., who has headlined the “Home for the Holidays” shows the previous three years, and countless “A Ray of Elvis” sold-out shows at the Majestic.
Joining Guillemette onstage will be veteran Majestic performers including Ben Ashley (“Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story,” “Blood Brothers”), Luis Manzi (“Piecemeal,” “John & Paul”), Sue Dzuira (“Miss Saigon,” “The Full Monty”), and Nikki Wadleigh. Other performers in the lineup are radio host Brad Shepard, Teri LaFleur, Emery Henderson and Morgan Moriarty. Santa Claus will also be on hand to entertain. Popular holiday songs will be delivered by the ensemble. Danny Eaton is producing director of the show, which will be directed by Cate Damon, with music direction by Mitch Chakour. Band members include Mitch Chakour, Tim Hosmer and Don Rovero.
Ben Ashley and Ray Guillemette Jr. in the Majestic Theater’s production of “Home for the Holidays.”
For tickets: 413-747-7797 or www.majestictheater.com
“A Christmas Carol” at The Colonial
The Berkshire Theatre Group presents the Eric Hill adaptation of Charles Dickens’ holiday classic “A Christmas Carol” (December 14-22) at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield. Hill co-directs the production with Travis G. Daly, and stars as Ebenezer Scrooge alongside a cast of 44, including 30 talented young Berkshire County actors.
Hill first adapted “A Christmas Carol” for Springfield’s StageWest, where the production (and his performance) became one of the region’s holiday high points.
Eric Hill, director of Berkshire Theatre Group.
“It’s one of the greatest stories ever written and as it is, it deserves to be repeated so we can be reminded of this classic tale of generosity. The play is all about community,” said Hill.
Eric Hill directed Berkshire Theatre Group’s production of “Poe”, “Benefactors”, “Oklahoma!”, “A Chorus Line”, and “The Who’s Tommy. Travis S. Daly’s Berkshire Theatre Group credits include the stagings of “ Pinocchio”, “Oliver”, “Seussical” and “Peter Pan”.
For tickets: 413-997-4444 or www.berkshiretheatregroup.org.
Broadway Notes
You may have seen Caroline Bowman as “Evita” at The Bushnell, last September, and/or Kara Lindsay as Glinda in “Wicked” at The Bushnell last month. Both actresses have joined the cast of Broadway’s “Wicked”. Broadway’s current hot ticket, “On The Town” started its road to the Big Apple at the Barrington Stage in Pittsfield. Now, Williamstown Theatre Festival’s production of “The Elephant Man” with Bradley Cooper, is a Broadway hit. Two more productions from Williiamstown are possibly Broadway-bound. Renee Fleming is slated to star as an opera star in “Living On Love” and Chita Rivera is slated to star in the Kander and Ebb musical “The Visit”. No opening dates for either have been announced.
Goodspeed Musicals’ “Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn” has been held over through December 28, and there’s been buzz about Broadway in its future. However, next stop is the St. Louis Muny this upcoming July 6-12. http://www.muny.org/
Josh Burrage, the Westfield native, has joined the national tour of “Newsies”, which plays Boston’s Opera House from June 23-July 5. He plays “Darcy”. For tour information: http://www.newsiesthemusical.com
The original cast recording of Broadway’s current hit, “On The Town” (which premiered at Pittsfield’s Barrington Stage last year) will be released on the PS Classics label as a two-CD set on January 20. It’s available for pre-order now. http://www.psclassics.com/cd_onthetown.html
Opportunity
The Silverthorne Theater, a professional theatre company in residence at Northfield Mount Hermon School’s Rhodes Arts Center, is looking for new plays for its 2015 summer season. If you have a non-produced play, 90 minutes to two hours long, with no more than eight characters, submissions are due by January 5. The winning play will be performed at the Sloan Theater at Greenfield Community College in Greenfield, MA. For details: FFI: http://www.silverthornetheater.org/new-play-competition.html
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.
