Category Archives: Theater

Shakespeare & Company presents Satchmo at the Waldorf By Terry Teachout Directed by Gordon Edelstein Starring John Douglas Thompson as Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong and Joe Glaser Reviewed by Lesley Ann Beck John Douglas Thompson delivers an extraordinary performance in Satchmo … Continue reading →

Parasite Drag by Mark Roberts A new production at Shakespeare & Company’s Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre Directed by Stephen Rothman Cast: Elizabeth Aspenlieder as Joellen; Josh Aaron McCabe as Gene; Jason Asprey as Ronnie; and Kate Abbruzzese as Susie Reviewed by … Continue reading →

The North Pool by Rajiv Joseph at Barrington Stage Company Directed by Giovanna Sardelli With Remi Sandri as Dr. Danielson and Babak Tafti as Khadim Reviewed by Lesley Ann Beck [Pittsfield, MA] — The taut, tense plot of Rajiv Joseph’s … Continue reading →

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde Directed by David Hyde Pierce On the Mainstage at Williamstown Theatre Festival through July 14 Reviewed by Lesley Ann Beck Lady Bracknell as a tough, pistol-packing mob matriarch? Played by the indomitable … Continue reading →

Dr. Ruth, All the Way by Mark St. Germain A world premiere at Barrington Stage Company Directed by Julianne Boyd Starring Debra Jo Rupp Reviewed by Lesley Ann Beck Dr. Ruth Westheimer is well-known for her frank talk about sex, … Continue reading →

10X10 On North New Play Festival A Barrington Stage Company production of ten new plays BSC Stage 2, Feb 16-26, Thurs-Sat at 7:30pm; Sat/Sun at 3pm Plays by Suzanne Bradbeer, Sara Cooper, Laura Shaine Cunningham, Will Eno, Jacqueline Goldfinger, Mikhail … Continue reading →

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, … Continue reading →

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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