Berkshire Buzz: Great beginnings
by Bess Hochstein

I’m happy to report that the cultural season is off and running, and it has been a strong start, with an engaging production of “A Picasso” at Barrington Stage Company, which has already closed after having had its run extended due to popular demand. Another early hit is “The Glass Menagerie” at Berkshire Theatre Festival, with executive director Kate Maguire strutting her stuff on the boards as Amanda Wingfield, the domineering mother in Tennessee Williams’ tragic tale. This was my first time seeing her on stage – up until now I’ve only seen her greet the audiences and brief the press – but given the acting skills she displayed I hope it won’t be the last. We’ll be back at BTF this week for the opening Main Stage production of “Love! Valour! Compassion!” by Terrence McNally.

Speaking of MainStage productions, Barrington Stage begins its first full season in its fully refurbished Pittsfield home with a Pow! The Jets and Sharks are going at it full force in “West Side Story,” a crowd pleaser that opened this week, and we were there for the first show at which the newly restored mezzanine was open. Musicals usually aren’t my cup of tea, but this classic had me tapping my toes and barely able to stop myself from singing along. (And there was plenty of room to tap those toes; every seat at Barrington Stage has generous leg room!) 

A less familiar musical is on stage at Williamstown Theatre Festival. “Herringbone,” a one-man show starring B.D. Wong, is playing at the festival’s new Center Stage. The production had a difficult start when Wong injured himself during a performance, but this star of stage and screen is a true professional, resuming his role the very next night. If you want to catch this class act, you’ll have to act fast, since it closes on June 24. By the way, in addition to Wong, Williamstown has quite the celebrity line-up this summer, with Wayne Knight (of “Seinfeld” and “Basic Instinct”) in “The Front Page,” opening at the Main Stage on July 4; Emmy Award-winner Wendie Malick -- from the TV series “Don’t Shoot Me” as well as “Frasier,” “The X Files,”  “NYPD Blue” -- in “Blithe Spirit,” which begins on July 18 on the Main Stage,  and – late in the season -- Dylan Baker of  films “Road to Perdition,” “Kinsey,” and “Spiderman” 2 & 3 plus Ginnifer Goodwin from HBO’s “Big Love” in “The Corn is Green.” In addition, film star Kathleen Turner will direct Beth Henley’s “Crimes of the Heart” on the Nikos Stage in August. I’m looking forward to the June 27th world premier of “Dissonance,” a play centered on a string quartet that has their world rocked by a rock ’n roll star.

There’s more music as Barrington Stage launches into the second summer of its Musical Theatre Lab under the guidance of Tony-award winner William Finn. The first production -- “Calvin Berger,” a modern day take on Cyrano de Bergerac set in an American high school – opens June 26 at Pittsfield’s Athenaeum.  And there’s no shortage of music of all kinds on Berkshire stages over the next few weeks, as MASS MoCA presents Mark Mulcahy on June 23; Berkshire Opera Company presents Lully’s “Psyche” at the Mahaiwe June 22-24; and “CATS” comes to The Colonial on June 27. And of course there’s Tanglewood, which has its own great beginning on June 28, with Mark Morris Dance Group’s production of “Dido and Aeneas,” set to Purcell’s music. 

While we’re on the topic of dance, let’s not forget that Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival opens this week. Having held its sold-out gala on June 16, the season kicks off with Nina Ananiashvili and the State Ballet of Georgia in the Ted Shawn Theatre June 20-24, and the film “Carmen and Geoffrey” in the Doris Duke on June 23. We’re going to see Aurelia Thierreé next week, the night after we see the opening night performance of “Scapin,” a free, two-part production at Shakespeare & Company. And we’ll be back that weekend for Shakespeare & Co’s 30th Anniversary Gala on June 30, including a performance of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” What a great way to begin the summer!

About Bess Hochstein
Buzz chronicler 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 writer living in Tyringham with her corgis Duffy and Hobbs and K. She writes for several publications, including Berkshire Living, the Boston Globe, New England Wine Gazette, and Healing Lifestyles & Spas magazine.