War of the Worlds

Adapted by Howard Koch from the novel by H. G. Wells and additionally inspired by the radio broadcast by Orson Welles

Directed by Tony Simotes

Now through November 6

Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre

Cast: Elizabeth Aspenlieder, Jonathan Croy, Dana Harrison, David Joseph, Josh Aaron McCabe, and Scott Renzoni

Reviewed by Lesley Ann Beck

[Lenox, MA] — Ladies and gentlemen, we interrupt our regularly scheduled program … for Tony Simotes’s terrific production of War of the Worlds at Shakespeare & Company.  The golden age of radio is alive and thriving at Shakespeare & Company, as six adept actors sing, dance, and emote their way through an old-time variety show, culminating in a gripping re-enactment of Orson Welles’ renowned War of the Worlds.

On October 30, 1938, radio listeners across the country were terrified when they heard Orson Welles and his Mercury Theatre broadcast of War of the Worlds and mistakenly believed that Martians were attacking New Jersey.  Based on the classic H.G. Welles novel and adapted by Howard Koch, with plenty of inspiration from the original Mercury Theatre production, the new Shakespeare & Company production of War of the Worlds is an imaginative and entertaining evening of theater.

A circa-1930s radio studio has been recreated in the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre, from the authentic microphones to the APPLAUSE and ON THE AIR signs that cue the studio audience.  The show begins with the actors strolling into the studio, relaxed and bantering, getting ready to perform. 

Each of the six accomplished actors in the cast plays multiple roles, as the troupe, in various configurations, presents a sampling of 1930s-type radio entertainment, from tight-harmony bluegrass tunes “Man of Constant Sorrow” and ‘I’ll Fly Away,” to a series of commercial breaks for local businesses, a quiz show, and an episode of an action/adventure serial; to the fully dramatized War of the Worlds segment.  There is even a tap dance number.

Scott Renzoni plays Bobby Ramiro, the emcee, with an authentic 1930s inflection to his voice and a smooth, suave radio manner.  He introduces all the other actors, sings, and takes the helm for the clever “Bobby’s Knowledge Nook Quiz.”  Jonathan Croy is first-rate as Lionel Harrison, leading man and the star of “Ace Moran: American Hero,” who is battling the villain Drakkar Noir, voiced by Josh Aaron McCabe.  The good vs. evil action allows for lots of great sound effects, and the sounds not supplied by the in-view sound man are provided vocally by the multi-talented McCabe.

Sound designer Michael Pfeiffer is on stage, playing the part of Foley artist Max Michaels, creating a marvelous array of sound effects with a tableful of props from rubber gloves to bells and horns to ice cubes and coconut shells.

Elizabeth Aspenlieder delivers several effective performances, first as Darla Ford, one of the singing Sweetwater Sisters, and then as Carla Phillips, the hard-hitting journalist with microphone in hand who is on the scene in New Jersey, filing her eye-witness account of the Martian invasion.  David Joseph is wonderful as the sophisticated, handsome heartthrob crooner, who is rattled as the news of the Martian invasion begins to come into the studio, but stays calm and keeps on broadcasting.  Dana Harrison is Melinda Maguire, the other Sweetwater sister, and a whole roster of characters in the Pyramus and Thisbe scene from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the radio play that is under way when the “Martian invasion” begins.  Harrison, Croy, and Renzoni are the harried thespians who are trying to get through their scene and are repeatedly interrupted by the breaking news announcements, a circumstance that adds to the hilarity of their scene.  Renzoni is a hoot as Pyramus, aided and abetted by Harrison and Croy.

Where the first part of the production is witty and light-hearted; the second section, which includes the War of the Worlds, is darkly dramatic and suspenseful.  Simotes has wisely decided to take the action outside the studio, so while we see some of the characters at their microphones, continuing to broadcast, the other actors change costumes and with the help of skillful lighting, perform as if they were in the small New Jersey town being overtaken by aliens.  Croy delivers a compelling scene as an Air Force pilot reporting on the destruction, and McCabe is very affecting as the Princeton professor who identifies the Martian threat.  

Simotes has skillfully woven the multiple elements of this show into a satisfying production, likely to please those nostalgic for days gone by as well as others looking for a spooky, autumnal show to set the mood for Halloween.  War of the Worlds is an enjoyable mix of smart direction, clever writing, and skilled performances, with just the right amount of old-fashioned suspense.

PRODUCTION TEAM: Set design by Patrick Brennan; costume design by Kara D. Midlam; lighting design by Stephen Ball; sound design by Michael Pfeiffer; stage manager, Hope Rose Kelly; singing coach, Bill Barclay 

Shakespeare & Company is at 70 Kemble St., Lenox, Mass.  For tickets, call the box office at (413) 637-3353 or visit www.shakespeare.org.

The Game

A Barrington Stage Company presentation of a musical in two acts

Book and lyrics by Amy Powers and David Topchik; music by Megan Cavallari

Directed by Julianne Boyd

Music direction by Darren Cohen

Choreography by Daniel Pelzig

Cast in order of appearance:

Sarah Stevens as Cecile

Christianne Tisdale as Madame de Volanges

Rachel York as Marquise de Merteuil

Graham Rowat as Vicomte de Valmont

Amy Decker as Madame de Tourvel

Chris Peluso as Danceny

Joy Franz as Madame de Rosemonde

Taylor Anderson, Michael Hewitt, Stephen Horst, Analisa Leaming, Hannah Richter, Amanda Salvatore, and Michael Wessels as Ensemble

Reviewed by Lesley Ann Beck

The Game, a musical based on the eighteenth-century epistolary novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses, is a rich, elegant evocation of the excesses rife in the French aristocracy in the years before the French Revolution: the Marquise de Merteuil and her former lover the Vicomte de Valmont plot, manipulate, and scheme, but do it in sumptuous surroundings, within the framework of courtly etiquette, however duplicitous. Barrington Stage Company first presented the world premiere of The Game in 2003, and this summer’s gorgeously appointed, fascinating new production, skillfully directed by Julianne Boyd, does not disappoint.

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The Best of Enemies

By Mark St. Germain

Directed by Julianne Boyd

Cast: John Bedford Lloyd as C.P. Ellis; Aisha Hinds as Ann Atwater; Clifton Duncan as Bill Riddick; and Susan Wands as Mary Ellis

Reviewed by Lesley Ann Beck

[Pittsfield, Mass.]—In 1971, when C.P. Ellis, a Ku Klux Klan member, and Ann Atwater, an African-American community activist, were asked to work together to help integrate the Durham, North Carolina, public schools, it was doubtful the two could be civil to each other, but in an extraordinary turn of events, they became lifelong friends. Mark St. Germain’s riveting new play, at the Barrington Stage Company Mainstage now through August 6, tells the true story of this remarkable relationship in an excellent production notable for the superb performances of Aisha Hinds and John Bedford Lloyd as Atwater and Ellis, under the creative and insightful direction of Julianne Boyd.

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The Hound of the Baskervilles

By Steven Canny and John Nicholson

Directed by Tony Simotes

Cast: Jonathan Croy, Josh Aaron McCabe, Ryan Winkles

Reviewed by Lesley Ann Beck

[Lenox, Mass.]—The new Shakespeare & Company production of The Hound of the Baskervilles, a wacky adaptation by Steven Canny and John Nicholson of the classic Sherlock Holmes story, is laugh-out-loud funny from beginning to end. A deft directing job by Tony Simotes and terrific performances from Jonathan Croy, Josh Aaron McCabe, and Ryan Winkles had the audience howling with laughter. The Hound of the Baskervilles plays in Founders’ Theatre through September 4.

The three actors—aided and abetted by clever costumes, inventive props, an assortment of accents, and an amazing amount of energy—play sixteen roles in the side-splittingly funny production.  

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Sylvia

By A.R. Gurney

Directed by Anders Cato

Cast: David Adkins as Greg; Walter Hudson as Tom/Phyllis/Leslie; Jurian Hughes as Kate; and Rachel Bay Jones as Sylvia

Reviewed by Lesley Ann Beck

[STOCKBRIDGE, Mass.]—In A.R. Gurney’s very funny Sylvia, Greg, a middle-aged businessman disenchanted with his job and somewhat adrift in life, finds a stray dog in the park—a dog named Sylvia who absolutely adores him, much to the consternation of his rather rigid wife Kate. The skilled cast, with spot-on direction by Anders Cato, tells the story of this unique threesome in an absolutely delightful production on the Main Stage at Berkshire Theatre Festival in Stockbridge; the show runs through July 30.

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Pride @ Prejudice

By Daniel Elihu Kramer

Directed by Ron Bashford

Cast: Aubrey Saverino, Jay Stratton, Gisela Chipe, Colin Ryan, and Michele Tauber

Reviewed by Lesley Ann Beck

Jane Austen’s beloved novel Pride and Prejudice is given a number of twenty-first century twists in pride@prejudice by Daniel Elihu Kramer, now delightfully on stage at the Chester Theatre Company through July 17. Five accomplished and appealing actors play more than thirty roles: most of the characters are familiar from the novel, but this version also has bloggers, scholars, commentators, and Jane Austen herself appearing from time to time.

Die-hard Austen fans will not be disappointed; this new play includes all the twists and turns of her original storyline, and newcomers to the plot will easily follow the romantic adventures of the Bennet sisters, helped by the witty asides and notes on the book delivered throughout the play.

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