MARK AUERBACH
Man of La Mancha
Man of La Mancha, the musical that introduced “The Impossible Dream” to the catalogue of 20th century showtune standards, celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, and Barrington Stage presents a revival of the classic with Jeff McCarthy as Cervantes (Don Quixote) through July 11. Man of La Mancha originated at Goodspeed Musicals, before opening on Broadway in 1965. Barringston Stage Artistic Director Julianne Boyd stages the Dale Wasserman/Mitch Leigh/Joe Dorian musical; Darren R. Cohen is music director and Greg Graham choreographs.
Jeff McCarthy stars in Man of La Mancha at Barrington Stage
Jeff McCarthy is an Associate Artist at Barrington Stage, where he’s appeared in All My Sons, Sweeney Todd and Southern Comfort. His Broadway credits include Zorba opposite Anthony Quinn, the Marvin Hamlisch musical Smile, Beauty and The Beast, Urinetown, and the original Side Show.
Felicia Boswell, an alum of Broadway’s Motown and Memphis plays Aldonza, and Tom Alan Robbins from The Lion King is Sancho Panza.
Man of La Mancha won five Tony Awards including “Best Musical” in 1965. It has been revived four times, toured extenisvely, and been performed in regional theatres worldwide. A film version starred Peter O’Toole and Sophia Loren. The original cast recording is still one of America’s top Broadway recordings, and there’s a recording with Jim Nabors, Marilyn Horne and Madeline Kahn which is a collector’s item.
For tickets: 413-236-8888 or www.barringtonstageco.org.
Riley Costello plays Peter Pan in Storrs
Peter Pan
Some of us theatregoers of “a certain age” remember the TV production of Peter Pan, where Mary Martin was the ultimate Pan, and Cyril Ritchard was Captain Hook. Others remember popular tours of the musical with Sandy Duncan or Cathy Rigby. And then, there was the forgettable live broadcast on TV earlier this season.
Connecticut Repertory Theatre presents the musical (June 18 through July 3) and it’s a fun show for kids and their parents. Based on the play by Sir J.M. Barrie, with music by Moose Charlap and Jule Styne, lyrics by Carolyn Leigh, Betty Comden and Adoph Green, Peter Pan was originally adapted, directed, and choreographed by Jerome Robbins. Cassie Abate, choreographer for CRT’s The Music Man, Gypsy (with Leslie Uggams) and The Drowsy Chaperone, stages Peter Pan.
David Adkins, author and star of Thoreau or Return to Walden, at Berkshire Theatre Group.
Riley Costello, recently seen in the Arkansas Rep production of Because of Winn Dixie and the Metropolitan Opera production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, plays Peter. Terrence Mann from Broadway’s Cats, Barnum, and Les Miserables, plays Captain Hook.
Peter Pan tells the lovable tale of a mischievous little boy who can fly and never wants to grow up. He is joined by the Darling children, Wendy, John and Michael, on the island of Neverland for a series of fantastical and heart-warming adventures with Tinker Bell, the Lost Boys, the Princess Tiger Lily, and a rambunctious band of pirates led by the ruthless Captain Hook.
Says director Cassie Abate: “Peter Pan was the first show to make me fall in love with the magic of theatre. My approach with the cast and creative team is to explore what our version of Neverland looks like as well as the people and creatures indigenous to this particular island. I am excited for the energy a male actor will bring to the role of Peter, a part typically played by a woman. This is a show for the child inside all of us.”
For tickets: 860-486-2113 or visit www.crt.uconn.edu
Amber Chand solos at Berkshire Theatre Group
Season Announcements
TheaterWorks has announced its upcoming season in Hartford. The line-up includes Wendy Wasserstein’s Third; the off-Broadway hit Buyer and Cellar (about an unemployed actor who becomes caretaker to Barbra Streisand’s collections); Laura Eason’s Sex with Strangers; Tanya Barfield’s The Call, and Midsummer: A Play with Songs. The theatre will also present its annual Christmas on the Rocks. For details: 860-527-7838 or www.theaterworkshartford.org.
Keep in Mind…
Three Acts, Two Dancers, One Radio Host is an off-beat evening of radio and dance with public radio host Ira Glass of This American Life and dancers Monica Bill Barnes and Anna Baas, June 13-14. Jacob’s Pillow, Lee. For details: 413-243-0745 or www.jacobspillow.org.
Thoreau or Return to Walden, a world premiere written by and starring David Adkins as the transcendentalist philosopher and writer, is next at Berkshire Theatre Group’s Unicorn Theatre in Stockbridge. (June 18-July 11). Adkins has appeared in 22 productions at BTG. Hill is one of the resident directors, who wrote and directed Adkins in the one-person show Poe. For tickets: 413-997-4444, or www.berkshiretheatregroup.org.
Searching For The Moon: A Heroine’s Journey Tales of Love, Despair, Faith and Forgiveness, written by and starring Amber Chand, directed by Jayne Atkinson will have one performance at Berkshire Theatre Group’s Unicorn Theatre on June 13. Global entrepreneur and visionary storyteller Amber Chand weaves together the events of her life in Chand’s acclaimed one-woman show. For tickets: 413-997-4444, or www.berkshiretheatregroup.org.
Noms de Guerre, Jacqueline E. Lawton’s socio-political drama about the damaging impact of PTSD on on veterans and their family, gets a staged reading as part of WAM’s Fresh Takes Series and the Lift Ev’ry Voice Festival on June 14 at the No. Six Depot Roastery and Cafe in West Stockbridge. Jayne Atkinson directs. For details: 800-838-3006 or www.wamtheatre.com.
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.
