It’s more than halfway through August and, at least in theater, the pickings are shrinking. Thankfully, what’s available is tasty. And, there is still time to attend them.
At Barrington Stage in Pittsfield, MA the marvelously performed and directed “Faith Healer” continues through August 27. The work by Irish playwright Brian Friel tells the story in four spell-binding monologues.
Although the essence of truth is in each, they differ so much it is difficult to decipher actual events and truthful conclusions. However, you do learn about reality and memory and how each shapes a need to find worthiness within ourselves.
On their mainstage, Barrington Stage opens the rarely produced William Finn musical “A New Brain.” It opens tonight and runs through September 9. Music is by Finn, the book by James Lapine.
It deals with a songwriter who needs emergency brain surgery to save his life. It is the same experience that happened to Finn, who upon recovery created a work that shows the fear of dying young with your potentially best work uncompleted.
The experience, often hallucinatory, puts the man in a position to understand what is truly important in life – friendship and his art.
After a life-saving operation the writer is given a new freedom from his writing block and creates memorable work. For instance, Finn created both of his “Falsetto” musicals and “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” post-surgery.
Also, in the Berkshires Shakespeare & Company continues its run of the powerful August Wilson classic “Fences” until August 27. It’s marvelously acted and directed. More important takes a familiar work and makes it new.
For something lighter, Shakespeare & Company is also offering an outdoor production of Shakespeare’s delightful comedy “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” through September 10. The comedy of pranks and potions is an enchanting funny night of true love winning out. Being played at the intimate, outdoor Rose Theatre is an added bonus.
Berkshire Theatre Group is presenting “On Cedar Street” as its final production of the summer. It’s a tender love story about a couple of advanced age living in a small town. Addie Moore is a widow of several years who is still a lonely woman.
Quite unexpectedly she makes an unusual proposal to Louis, her neighbor whose wife is also deceased. They agree to share a bed platonically.
The relationship becomes more. They learn to grieve, overcome loneliness and find love. It plays through September 2.
Mac-Haydn Theater in Chatham has earned a fantastic reputation of offer familiar titles in a fresh energetic way.
Tonight they open the modern classic jukebox musical “Jersey Boys.” The story of how Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons rose to fame, and what they had to do to stay there is a great blending of drama with the songs the group made famous. It plays until September 3.
Last by not least, the Park Playhouse production of “The Secret Garden” closes out its run this Saturday. The work is performed by the students of their teaching academy and they are sensational. Better yet, the amphitheater seats are free and the reserved lawn seats are reasonably priced.
And let’s not overlook the improvisational comedy “Shear Madness” at the Lake George Dinner Theatre. It’s a show that is impossible not to enjoy . It closes August 27.
The last couple of weeks of August is proof of that old saying, “So much to do; so little time to do it.”
Bob Goepfert is theater reviewer for the Troy Record.
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