MARK AUERBACH
Curious George Comes to the Quadrangle
Curious George, the little monkey who has captured the imaginations and hearts of millions for close to 75 years, is spending the summer at the Springfield Science Museum. A new exhibit, “Curious George: Let’s Get Curious!” will introduce young children (ages 3-7) to Curious George’s world and lead visitors on a fun, meaningful interactive math, science and engineering-based adventure.
Based on the familiar characters in H.A. and Margret Rey’s classic stories, the new Curious George exhibit inspires young children’s natural curiosity as they explore early science, math and engineering concepts through hands-on interactive play. The immersive exhibit re-creates the neighborhood where Curious George lives with his friend, The Man with the Yellow Hat. Visitors will recognize familiar characters and places featured in the classic stories and the popular PBS KIDS television series. The result is a three-dimensional, fully developed world that will resonate with young visitors while also appealing to grown-ups who remember the classic series from their childhood.
Curious George
The individual environments featured in the exhibit include George’s apartment building, nearby locales like the neighborhood supermarket and park (complete with a 3-hole mini-golf course), and places like a farm and even outer space where George’s curiosity famously got the best of him.
The exhibit also includes a “Museum Within the Museum” component where visitors can learn the fascinating story of H.A. and Margret Rey’s escape from France during World War II and how they saved the original Curious George manuscript, as well as an look at their work and Curious George’s history in print and media. As an added feature, the Science Museum has created a “Curiosity Corner” where young visitors can engage in activities designed to reinforce the science concepts introduced in the exhibit. Text panels and interpretive materials in the exhibit are provided in both English and Spanish to ensure accessibility for a wider audience.
The exhibit was designed, developed and built by the Minnesota Children’s Museum in partnership with Universal Studios Consumer Products Group.
For details: 413-263-6800 or www.springfieldmuseums.org
Bradley Cooper in the Williamstown Theatre production of “The Elephant Man”. (Photo by T. Charles Erickson)
It’s Tony Awards Time
It’s awards season on Broadway, and theatre buffs around the country will be tuning in to the Tony Awards on Sunday, June 7 (CBS). You’ll get see excerpts and snippets from the current crop of new musicals and revivals, from the high-stepping “An American in Paris” to the lavish revial of “The King and I”. Alan Cumming and Kristin Chenoweth co-host.
We western Massachusetts theatregoers should be quite proud of our contributions to this year’s awards roster. Thireen Tony nominations went to plays and musicals that originated on our stages. “On The Town” (with four Nominations including “Best Musical-Revival”) started at Barrington Stage in Pittsfield. The Williamstown Theatre Festival sent two productions to Broadway this year:: “The Visit” with Chita Rivera (five nominations, including “Best Musical” and one for Rivera), and “The Elephant Man” (four nominations including “Best Play Revival and “Best Actor for star Bradley Cooper).
The Tony Awards broadcast is likely to feature numbers from these nominated musicals: “An American in Paris” (based on the Gene Kelly film with music by the Gershwins); “Fun Home” (based on Alison Bechdel’s memoirs); “Something Rotten” (a silly musical about the creation of the world’s first musical, with Christian Borle as Shakespeare); and “The Visit” (Kander’s and Ebb’s last Broadway collaboation). Musical revivals likely to be showcased are “On The Town”, “On The Twentieth Century” and “The King and I”.A slew of stars are nominees this year, including Bradley Cooper, Helen Mirren, and Chita Rivera.
Next month, the curtain goes up on a new season, and New England theatres are once again preparing shows that they hope become Broadway stars. First up is a musical, “Amazing Grace” (about how the famous song was created). It had its first production at Goodspeed in 2012, and it begins previews on Broadway on June 25. For details: http://amazinggracemusical.com/
The American Repertory Theater’s production of “Witness Uganda”, a musical directed by Diane Paulus, won raves in Cambridge, and it’s Off-Broadway bound, with Paulus at the helm. The musical, now titled “Invisible Thread” will play at Second Stage this fall.
Meanwhile, at least two upcoming productions in New England regional theatres have “Broadway” written on them. “Waitress”, a new musical based upon the 2007 motion picture, begins performances in August at The American Repertory Theater. It features music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles. Jessie Mueller stars, and Diane Paulus directs. Hartford Stage has announced the world premiere of “Anastasia” based on the film, with music and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty of “Ragtime” fame and script by Terrence McNally. “Anastasia” opens next spring.
America
Keep in Mind…
The Berkshire International Film Festival celebrates its 10th anniversary on May 28-31 at various venues in Berkshire County. Among the screenings: Jeffrey Schwarz’s “Tab
Hunter” about the film star; the Norwegian film “Ballet Boys” about teens in the dance; “Grazers: A Cooperative Story” about the farm-to-table movement; and “Bob and The Trees”, a story of survival in a harsh Massachusetts winter. For details: http://www.biffma.org/
America, the Grammy Award winners best known for their signature song “A Horse With No Name”, perform at The Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield on May 28. An impressive string of hits fhas kept them in the spotlight for 45 years, including: “I Need You,” “Ventura Highway,” “Don’t Cross The River,” “Tin Man,” “Lonely People,” and “Sister Golden Hair.” For tickets: 413-997-4444 or www.berkshiretheatregroup.org.
Composer Christopher LaRosa
The Hartford Symphony Orchestra enda its current season with a performance of Mahler’s Fourth on May 28-31 at The Bushnell. Also on the program are Copland’s “Fanfare for The Common Man”, Mackey’s “Harvest Concerto for Trombone” and the world premiere of a composition competition, “Fanfare for The Hartford Woman” by Christopher LaRosa. Carolyn Kuan conducts. For tickets: 860-987-5900 or www.hartfordsymphony.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.
