Click to Hide
Please Check Directly
With Lodging Property
If You Do Not See
Availability Displayed.
|
Bells are Ringing!
By Bess Hochstein
November, 2009
I’ve got a bead on the many performances happening during the Berkshire Museum’s 25th Annual Festival of Trees. It all starts with the gala Preview Party, November 13, when carolers stroll the galleries and opera singer Jennifer Poole belts out a few seasonal songs as guests enjoy festive food and drink.
Holidays call for festive attire; for inspiration, on November 19, notable floral designer Bill Graham – tops in his field in New England – presents ‘The Little Black Dress” – which fascinatingly combines the art of floral design, fashionable accessorizing and that timeless item of clothing that Coco Chanel immortalized. After the show, he’ll auction  off eight spectacular floral arrangements to benefit the Berkshire Museum! Next up on November 28 is ‘The McKrells’ Christmas,” an evening of song, stories, recitations and instrumentals by these beloved performers of folk, Americana and Celtic music. The very next weekend the Berkshire Museum hosts family-oriented performances on two consecutive days: The Berkshire Hillsmen Holiday Special, a barbershop quarter singing seasonal songs of yesteryear on December 5; and the Berkshire Music School’s Holiday Cabaret, with a new twist on holiday classics on December 6. Since the Festival of Trees is celebrating its silver anniversary, the Silver Bells theme is evident in a performance by the Adlersgate Bell Choir on December 12 as part of the Berkshire Museum’s special holiday family day.
The Berkshire Museum has teamed up with its neighbor, The Colonial Theatre, to offer visitors a holiday gift: 10% reciprocal discounts. So, if you go to the Museum, you may be eligible for 10% off tickets to The Colonial’s holiday performances, such as “Sister’s Christmas Catechism” December 1-6; “The Canadian Brass Christmas Program” on December 8; George Winston on December 9; and The Albany Berkshire Ballet’s “Nutcracker” December 12 & 13.
The Berksh ire region is big on celebrating the season – after all, there’s no better place to spend the holidays – so it’s no surprise that seasonal shows crop up across the region. Hot on the heels on the rabid success of “The Hound of the Baskervilles” at Shakespeare & Company comes “Cindy Bella (or The Glass Slipper),” a magical adaptation of the classic Cinderella tale by Irina Brook, starting on December 10. And Berkshire Theatre Festival brings back “A Christmas Carol” beginning on December 12. The Mahaiwe joins in the holiday spirit, too, with the Empire Brass Holiday Spectacular on December 4 and Close Encounters with Music’s Holiday Concert of Stravinsky’s “Soldier’s Tale” on December 5. It could be taken as a nod to Hanukkah that Symphony Space’s Selected Shorts returns to the Mahaiwe on December 6 with Tales of Amazement: Surprising Stories from the World of Jewish Literature. But not every performance is Christmas-themed. For example, jazz vocalist Jane Monheit performs at the Mahaiwe  on November 15 and anti-corporate pranksters, The Yes Men, will be there on November 20 to screen their film, “The Yes Men Fix the World.”
The Third Annual Dialogue One Solo Theatre Festival returns to the ’62 Center December 3-6 with an international array of performances that break through the boundaries of dance, theatre, music and multimedia. And even though it has nothing to do with tintinnabulation, the Cap and Bells group chimes in with several performances, including a production of Shakespeare’s “King John” December 10-12. Yes, here in the Berkshires we ring in the holiday season as we do all other seasons: with a cornucopia of cultural bounty!
About Bess Hochstein
Bess J. M. Hochstein came to the Berkshires as a second-homeowner before deciding to move here full time. Previously a communications executive, she’s now a freelance business and feature writer living in Tyringham with K and her rescued corgis, Duffy and Hobbes. She writes for several publications, including Berkshire Living, The Boston Globe, and New England Wine Gazette. Find out more at BessHochstein.com
|
|