#Katie Birenboim

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REVIEW: "Hair" at the Berkshire Theatre Group

REVIEW: “Hair” at the Berkshire Theatre Group

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Christian Borle discusses a pre-show ritual with Jonathan from Little Shop of Horrors in this interview with Katie Birenboim from March 2021 (from 8:50). Christian was discussing whether theatre will come back in a different form, and remembering the simple joys of what he previously took for granted.

“Jonathan Groff sent me a little phone video of our backstage ritual during the prologue in Little Shop of Horrors at the beginning of the show that we would do together. On his last show someone taped it. And it’s just nonsense, it’s ridiculousness and we were just joking around. Why we love theatre is because we have these little rituals that we do every night. And it was so sweet we had no idea what was coming, and there was an innocence to it. Which is beautiful, but I think, moving forward, [we will] savour those moments even more.”

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REVIEW: "Working: A Musical" at the Berkshire Theatre Group

REVIEW: “Working: A Musical” at the Berkshire Theatre Group

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REVIEW: "The Snow Queen" at the Ancram Opera House

REVIEW: “The Snow Queen” at the Ancram Opera House

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by Barbara Waldinger

Fairy tales never lose their power to affect us, no matter how old we get.  Jeffrey Mousseau’s beautiful production of The Snow Queen at Ancram Opera House both moves and delights us as we root for the good guys to triumph over evil.

Mousseau, co-director of Ancram Opera House (with Paul Ricciardi) and director of The Snow Queen, has partnered with Barbara Wiechmann, his frequent collaborator, who adapted this story from Hans Christian Andersen and wrote lyrics for the music composed by Lisa Dove.  Dove and Wiechmann’s version of this well-known fairy tale has previously been seen at The Kennedy Center, HERE Arts Center in New York City and Siena College.

Andersen’s story is no stranger to adaptations in every form:  animated films, stage plays, musicals, ballets, television shows, video games and operas.  It has inspired C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Disney’s Frozen.  Wiechmann’s script differs from the original (written in 1844), mainly in its use of two male narrators:  the Man (James Occhino), who is a writer (perhaps Andersen, struggling against his own demons) and his younger self:  the Boy (Shawn Adiletta).  They are haunted by a recurring nightmare:  the devil’s magic mirror, which distorts everything beautiful into ugliness and turns all good people bad, breaks into a million pieces, lodging splinters of evil into the boy’s heart, freezing it, and into his eye, removing all human feeling and turning him against the people he loves.  When he wakes, the boy is obsessed by the dream of those splinters, seeking a way to remove them, so people will find the good within him.  The man attempts to help the boy by narrating the story of The Snow Queen.

Following Andersen’s story, Wiechmann includes seven sections, featuring a young man named Kai (Adam Basco-Mahieddine), who is the personification of the boy’s nightmare:  it is he who was struck by the splinters and is kidnapped by the evil Snow Queen (Cheyenne See), his dear friend Gerda (a terrific Katie Birenboim), who braves horrendous obstacles in order to save him, and a variety of talking animals, flowers, and strange people.  Three talented musicians:  Elizabeth Gerbi, pianist, musical director and conductor, Louis Rizzo, cellist, and Emma Piazza, violinist, provide the music for both the songs and the underscoring of much of the dialogue.

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The contributions of the design team cannot be overstated.  The brilliant Sarah Edkins, set designer, provides a gleaming white snowscape both onstage and below it, creating two different playing areas draped in white fabric.  The boy, a clever storyteller, often uses origami-type cut-outs to enhance his tales.  Edkins has enlarged this technique to create white cut-outs of all different shapes and sizes, which hang from the ceiling of the stage and below, often attached by strings to a track that enables them to be moved.  Costume designer Denise R. Massman has dressed everyone in white—even the floor and music stands are white!—and created fabulous head coverings for both animals (a crow, a reindeer) and people (the silver-jeweled headpiece for the queen, the crazy hat of an old conjuring woman, and the animal skin that dons the head of the Robber Girl).  Lighting designer Ayumu “Poe” Saegusa injects colors in into the landscape through overhead lights and the back cyclorama, and takes advantage of the glass chandelier to suggest the shards of the mirror that has been shattered.  Sound designer Alexander Sovronsky’s effects add to the tension of the piece.

According to Ricciardi, this new work is a “concert with storytelling”—a first-time genre for this compact theatre.  Several actors hold scripts (in the form of pale blue storybooks), including the narrators, and the ensemble.  In a nod to Brecht, Mousseau seats performers on both sides of the lower playing area (on white chairs, naturally) when they are not embodying specific characters.  They contribute sounds when seated, and rise to surround the action in song and story.  Mousseau utilizes every part of the playing area, moving his actors up and down the two side staircases, and the center aisle as well.  Much of the action is mimed while the narrator, usually seated on an armchair below the stage, informs us of what is happening.  But none of this prevents us from becoming involved in Gerda’s desperate attempts to find and save Kai.  Mousseau is well-versed in the use of theatrical techniques and tableaux to capture his audience, though perhaps an intermission (the play runs two hours), given the fact that the play is divided into several segments, might have been helpful.

The performers are a joy to watch—they are 100% committed to these fantastical characters and events.  The action unfolds through narration, dialogue and song.  The play feels more like a story with music rather than a musical:  the songs further the plot but are not particularly memorable, except for the final one, which leads to a moving ending.  There are traces of The Wizard of Oz in Gerda’s blue dress, red shoes, and the fact that despite the help she receives along the way, the power to save her friend is within her.

There are several standouts among the company:  first and foremost Birenboim as Gerda, whose beautiful singing voice and heartfelt struggle immediately engage us.  Surprisingly there is humor sprinkled throughout the work as evidenced by Brian Demar Jones’ Crow, with his intellectual veneer, David Perez-Ribada’s reindeer, Bac, whose outsized machismo leads him on to more and more dangerous deeds, Lauren Bell’s Robber Girl, who parades her bloodthirstiness even as she saves Gerda, and the competition between Occhino’s Man and Adiletta’s Boy, as they vie to determine who is the real narrator.  Narrators have to decide whether to be unobtrusive observers or actual players. One of the most effective aspects of James Occhino’s Man is how he reacts to everything that happens—his sympathy for the plight of the heroes, for the boy within and without, the emotional involvement of his words as he tries to keep up with swelling music and passionate dialogue, and the peaceful slumber (is it slumber?) when all is resolved.

After years of battling against evil, we are told that the young man and woman, reunited, are now “very old but still children.”  That’s how the Ancram audience feels and that’s why this production will appeal to everyone.  Think of a circus ringmaster’s opening line:  “Ladies and gentlemen and children of all ages.”

  THE SNOW QUEEN runs from December 6—15.   December 6, 7, 13 at 7:00 and December 8, 14, 15 at 2:00.  Tickets may be purchased online at ancramoperahouse.org.  Children are admitted free (age nine and older).

Ancram Opera House presents THE SNOW QUEEN:  Adaptation and Lyrics by Barbara Wiechmann and Music by Lisa Dove, based on the fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen.  Directed by Jeffrey Mousseau; Musical Direction by Elizabeth Gerbi.  Cast:  James Occhino (Man), Shawn Adiletta (Boy), Katie Birenboim (Gerda), Adam Basco-Mahieddine (Kai), Sandra Boynton (Grandmother/Lapp Woman), Cheyenne See (Snow Queen), Sandy York (Old Woman/Robber Mother), Brian Demar Jones (Crow), David Perez-Ribada (Prince/Bac), Lauren Bell (Robber Girl).  Musicians:  Elizabeth Gerbi (pianist/conductor), Louis Rizzo (cello), Emma Piazza (violin).  Scenic Design:  Sarah Edkins; Lighting Design: Ayumu “Poe” Saegusa; Costume Design:  Denise R. Massman; Sound Design:  Alexander Sovronsky; Voice and Text Coach:  Paul Ricciardi.  Stage Manager:  Hannah Schiffer.

Running Time:  two hours, no intermission.  Ancram Opera House, 1330 County Route 7, Ancram, NY; from December 6; closing December 15.

REVIEW: “The Snow Queen” at the Ancram Opera House by Barbara Waldinger Fairy tales never lose their power to affect us, no matter how old we get. 

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by Fred Baumgarten

At the risk of stating the extremely obvious: it’s 2019.

American goods are manufactured in Mexico, Vietnam, and China. Something called “Democratic Socialists” are making a political stir. The wealth gap continues to grow to obscene proportions.

I mention this not to start an argument, but because “Working,” the musical adaptation of Studs Terkel’s eponymous book, which is on stage at the Berkshire Theatre Group, sits uneasily with a current audience, or at least with this reviewer. Seeing BTG’s very energetic and appealing performance was enjoyable, and also felt at times like looking at a 3D movie without 3D glasses—you know, where the images don’t line up.

Terkel interviewed dozens of laborers of all kinds for his great tome to find out, as the subtitle put it, “What People Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do.” In the musical, which was adapted by Stephen Schwartz (“Wicked,” “Pippin”) and Nina Faso (“Godspell,” “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”), the subjects, from waiters to firefighters, press agents to receptionists, present Terkel’s words in monologues and songs.

The songs and lyrics are from Schwartz, Gordon Greenberg, and numerous other luminaries including Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mary Rodgers (“Once Upon a Mattress” and daughter of Richard Rodgers) and Susan Birkenhead, and James Taylor.

Terkel’s book is from 1974; the musical premiered in 1977. Revisions and presumably additions were made in 2012, the version presented here. (Miranda was not yet born in 1977.) Other attempts to modernize may have been made in 2012 or by this production’s director, James Barry. For example, a hedge fund manager carries a smart phone and wrestles with e-mail; a South Asian-accented call center attendant is introduced alongside a receptionist, one of several pairings of characters. These updates help refresh the material and generate some needed laughs. But they cannot paper over the odd juxtapositions and anachronisms of the book.

The most awkward of these pairings, which exemplified the problems, placed a prostitute with a socialite/philanthropist. They both use their charms and looks to separate people from their money, I suppose, although one suspects Terkel sided with the hooker with a “heart of gold.”

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Like other characters, such as the fireman, factory worker, teacher, stewardess, and stonemason, they are one-dimensional cutouts, props for Terkel’s sanctification of the working class hero or vilification of the heedless capitalist. It’s a man’s world for sure, where what you build is “Something To Point To,” as the last number goes.

The thing is, we don’t have firemen in 2019; we have firefighters. We don’t lament the miserable lot of the “Just Housewife” (even if we try to substitute “stay-at-home mom”), we go to work and fight for equal rights and equal pay, or we (men, too) make a conscious and affirmative choice to raise children; we don’t work in factories (in the number “Millwork”)—Chinese workers and robots do; UPS drivers don’t publicly fantasize about women, or at least I don’t want to know about it (“Delivery”).

And I’m not sure stonemasons still see themselves as the salt of the earth, the most satisfied laborers in the world. But hey, I could be wrong.

The evening’s most disturbing moment came in a monologue by a recently fired journalist (Deven Kolluri) who imagines taking a gun to his office. If I’m director, I cut that scene out, period. It’s 2019, folks. Have I mentioned that?

There are, thankfully, numerous exceptions in which the characters are more nuanced and individual. In the rousing number “It’s An Art,” a waitress (Katie Birenboim) gleefully embraces her exhibitionist side. Joe, a retiree superbly played by Miles Wilkie, reminisces; his caretaker and a child care worker team up for a beautiful duo, “A Very Good Day.” In “Cleanin’ Women,” domestic workers with mops do a lively song and dance tinged with sadness, as one of them (the amazing Erica Dorfler) wishes to see her daughter escape the life she leads.

Other numbers, even if not quite as believable, are merely enjoyable, such as “Millwork,” which uses the motions of the workers manufacturing luggage to create an intricate dance. “Brother Trucker” is, predictably, a celebration of the open road, performed vivaciously with Tim Jones in the lead.

The top-notch cast brought its A game. Doffler, who has been on Broadway in “Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812,” among others, scored a knockout. Farah Alvin, who portrayed a teacher and the housewife, had a memorably strong and rich voice. Birenboim glittered as the waitress. Kolluri gave depth to his portrayals. After a bit of a rough start, Barry kept the show moving briskly, and the musical accompaniment led by Casey Reed was on point.

At nearly two hours, the show needed an intermission. I would humbly suggest the company consider having one. With a show that is essentially plotless, the pacing of characters, musical numbers, and monologues starts to get a bit monotonous. Breaking it up would do it good.

Working: A Musical, from the book by Studs Terkel, adapted by Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso, runs in the Unicorn Theatre at Berkshire Theatre Group in Stockbridge, Mass., through August 24. Running time: one hour and fifty minutes.

Additional contributions by Gordon Greenberg. Songs by Craig Carnelia, Micki Grant, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mary Rodgers and Susan Birkenhead, Stephan Schwartz, and James Taylor. Directed by James Barry. Musical direction by Casey Reed. Choreography by Ashley DeLane Burger. Orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire.

Cast: Farah Alvin, Katie Birenboim, Erica Dorfler, Julie Foldesi, Tim Jones, Deven Kolluri, Denis Lambert, Jaygee Macapugay, Rob Morrison, and Miles Wilkie.

REVIEW: “Working: A Musical” at the Berkshire Theatre Group by Fred Baumgarten At the risk of stating the extremely obvious: it’s 2019. American goods are manufactured in Mexico, Vietnam, and China.

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Berkshire Theatre Group Announces No Boundaries in Art Free Summer Readings

Berkshire Theatre Group Announces No Boundaries in Art Free Summer Readings

Pittsfield, MA – Berkshire Theatre Group (BTG) and Kate Maguire (Artistic Director, CEO) are proud to announce free readings at The Unicorn Theatre (6 East Street, Stockbridge, MA) of So This Is My Family: Mr. Green Part 2, Jeff Baron’s continuation to his award-winning play, Visiting Mr. Green on July 12. Back by popular demand, Evidence of Things Unseen by Katie Forgette will be presented on…

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by Roseann Cane

I was just shy of 15 when Hair opened off-Broadway and began to cause a stir in 1967, a pivotal time in American culture. When a significantly revised version of the show opened on Broadway in 1968, it rapidly permeated the culture it reflected. It’s impossible to overstate the national turbulence caused by the war in Vietnam, the terror that the draft imposed on students and families, the frequent public protests in cities, suburbia, on college campuses, and even in high schools. The war felt that much more personal because it was televised right in our living rooms, a new experience then.

Concurrently, the free-spirited hippie counterculture blossomed, with its commitment to peace, political awareness, love, sexual freedom, spontaneity, and drug experimentation.

Hair was a widely celebrated, groundbreaking musical. Because so many of its songs were covered by popular artists, and heard on radios across the nation, its fame reached far beyond the New York stage to make the show an international sensation.

With its multiracial cast, brazen sexuality, and mostly whimsical nature, with its actors (or the Tribe) frequently mingling with the audience, no theatergoer had ever seen anything like it. It also became famous because of its notorious nude scene, which was probably far less shocking than prospective audience members imagined: the Tribe rapidly undressed and stood proudly naked in a line downstage for a moment at the end of the first act.

The exuberant young Tribe now celebrating Hair at the Berkshire Theatre Group’s Unicorn Theatre is percolating with joie de vivre. I was enormously gratified to hear the songs that helped shape my adolescence presented by lush and powerful singing voices, including those of the stunning Latoya Edwards (Dionne), sexy Brandon Contreras (Berger), and lusty Eric R. Williams (Hud). As Sheila, Kayla Foster’s poignant rendition of “Easy To Be Hard” was arresting and memorable; an adorable trio of castmates, Livvy Marcus (Jeanie), Sarah Sun Park (Tribe ensemble), and Katie Birenboim (Crissy), joined in a charming presentation of “Air.” Will Porter (Woof) offers a hilarious delivery of “Sodomy.” As Claude, Andrew Cekala’s portrayal of a young man faced with a heart-wrenching decision is tremendously touching.

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Really, while Hair has is packed with many more songs than most musicals, every song in the show is a gem, not only because of lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado, and the music by Galt MacDermot, but thanks to this charming cast and to the excellent musical direction of Eric Svejcar and his orchestra, along with Lisa Shriver’s consistently delightful, fresh, and sometimes surprising choreography. Shane E. Ballard’s costumes were authentic and colorful, and Jason Simms’s scene design created an ideal minimalist, yet gritty, showcase for the action. Lighting and sound by Patricia M. Nichols and Nathan Leigh, respectively, buoyantly enhanced the show.

While I commend director Daisy Walker for her casting, pacing, and the easy interaction among the members of the Tribe, I was disappointed with a few of the choices she made. There is a song in the first act, “My Conviction” (a wry explanation of the flamboyance exhibited by males of all species) that is traditionally sung by a mature, conservatively dressed woman identified as Margaret Meade, who emerges from the audience with a silent male companion. At the end of the song, Meade flashes the audience to reveal she is a man in drag. I’ve always found that to be a witty bit of gender-bending. Walker has a female Tribe member sing it center-stage, and even though the singer has the appropriately conventional suit on, and she has a fine voice, a neatly show-stopping bit of humor was lost. Then there was the nude scene. At the end of Act I, some of the Tribe members clustered upstage in the dark, removed their clothes, and exited. From the audience, we could just about see dark outlines of bodies. While I think choreographing and clustering the actors could very well make a more authentic statement about the free-spirited, freely sexual nature of the Tribe than lining them up downstage, I don’t see the point of including the nude scene at all if the audience can’t see it.

I had a lot of fun vicariously reliving my wayward adolescence at Hair, as I think most Baby Boomers will. In fact, I know most theatergoers of all ages (except young children, perhaps) will enjoy themselves. Hair is emblematic of a particular time and place in history, and this production is faithful to that time and place.

Hair, directed by Daisy Walker, book and lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado, music by Galt MacDermot, music direction by Eric Svejcar, choreography by Lisa Shriver, scenic design by Jason Simms, costume design by Shane E. Ballard, lighting design by Patricia M. Nichols, sound design by Nathan Leigh, CAST: Latoya Edwards (Dionne), Brandon Contreras (Berger), Eric R. Williams (Hud), Kayla Foster (Sheila), Livvy Marcus (Jeanie), Katie Birenboim (Crissy), jWill Porter (Woof), Andrew Cekala (Claude). Tribe Ensemble: Ariel Blackwood, Shayna Blass, Chance Brayman, Kristopher Saint Louis, Nick Pankuch, Sarah Sun Park, Aidan Wharton.

Hair runs July 5-August 11, 2018,at The Unicorn Theatre, The Larry Vaber Stage, on the Berkshire Theatre Group’s Stockbridge Campus, 6 East Street, Stockbridge, MA. Tickets: A: $90 B: $67 C: $45. https://www.berkshiretheatregroup.org

REVIEW: “Hair” at the Berkshire Theatre Group by Roseann Cane I was just shy of 15 when Hair opened off-Broadway and began to cause a stir in 1967, a pivotal time in American culture.

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“Arsenic”—Old Hat?

by Barbara Waldinger

Can this 1941 farcical black comedy still amuse an audience in 2017?  You bet–check out Berkshire Theatre Group’s production of Arsenic and Old Lace on The Fitzpatrick Main Stage.  If its initial pre-war audience craved an escapist entertainment, perhaps we too might be grateful to enjoy a good laugh and avoid today’s headlines.  Joseph Kesselring’s fast-paced story of crazies and murderous misfits appears in the nick of time.

The plot, you may recall, concerns the Brewster sisters (Harriet Harris and Mia Dillon)—two sweet, charitable old ladies who take it upon themselves to poison lonely, aged, unattached males in order to put them out of their misery.  Their visiting nephew Mortimer (Graham Rowat), upon learning to his horror that a dozen men are buried in the cellar, determines to save his aunts from prosecution.  The play is, believe it or not, fact-based.  Beginning in 1907, one Amy Archer-Gilligan operated a convalescent home in Windsor, Connecticut.  Residents, including a couple of her husbands, began disappearing after Archer-Gilligan convinced them to pay a flat fee of $1,000 to cover expenses incurred during their lifetime (which didn’t last very long).  Investigations of no fewer than 48 deaths in a four-year period produced evidence of poison.  A gruesome tale, but Kesselring decided to give it a comic twist after a nudge from his producers.

Arsenic and Old Lace was an immediate hit, running on Broadway from 1941 to 1944, and its success had interesting ramifications.  A film version, directed by Frank Capra and starring Cary Grant, was shot in 1941 but its release was delayed until the Broadway run finally ended three years later. Capra had wanted Boris Karloff to repeat his Broadway role in the film (Jonathan Brewster, Mortimer’s brother), but the producers wouldn’t allow him to leave the stage production.  Capra had to settle for Raymond Massey, who was then made up to look like Boris Karloff.  In Kesselring’s play, the homicidal Jonathan had undertaken to disguise his identity, but the surgery, performed by his drunk, incompetent accomplice, was botched and he was turned into a Karloff look-alike.  Even without Karloff, the movie was immensely popular.

Translated into many languages and performed throughout the world in theatrical, film, and television versions, this play has always been a favorite of community theatres.

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But professional theatres, at least in the Berkshires, have not turned to this old chestnut recently.  Berkshire Theatre Group’s Artistic Director Kate Maguire has taken it on, and turned it over to Gregg Edelman, who encouraged his actors to broaden the comedy into over-the-top farce.  In this, he followed Frank Capra.  Cary Grant believed his performance as Mortimer was one of his worst, complaining:  “I couldn’t do that kind of comedy—all those double takes. I’d have been better as one of the old aunts!”  Yet Graham Rowat excels in his role as Mortimer here.  He plays a fast-talking, fast-walking, double-taking drama critic who hates the theatre.   Whenever he is onstage we are swept up in the urgency of his mission.  Mia Dillon and especially Harriet Harris perfectly capture the unawareness of the sisters who don’t see that they’ve done anything wrong, as they proudly describe how they poison their victims and use their batty nephew Teddy (Timothy Gulan), who believes he’s Theodore Roosevelt, to dig their graves in what he imagines are the locks of the Panama Canal (actually, the cellar).  Wonderful performances, both.  Gulan, incredibly energetic, repeatedly blows his bugle and screams “CHARGE!” as he runs up San Juan Hill (the staircase).  The most lovable aspect of his performance is the way he expects and receives the respect due to a president.  The third nephew, Jonathan (Matt Sullivan), the creepiest of the eccentrics, engages with his aunts in a competition to see who has killed the most people.  He provides the scariest moments of the play, while his long-suffering comic sidekick, the German Dr. Einstein (Tom Story—well-played) just wants to lead a stable, normal life.  Gerry McIntyre, who plays a police officer dreaming of being a playwright, brings enthusiasm and a dancer’s physicality to this improbable cop.  Katie Birenboim, as Elaine Harper, one of the few rational characters, plays the “straight man” to her fiancé, Mortimer.  Although she exhibits admirable spunk, she has a disconcerting habit of speaking out to the audience, regardless of whom she is addressing.

The finely detailed old Brewster home (designed by Randall Parsons) is said to have been modeled on a boarding house where Kesselring lived while teaching at Bethel College in Kansas.  The Brooklyn living room is mostly brown with blue trim, filled with feminine touches—curtains on all of the windows, a lovely blue and gold tablecloth, many old photos, one of which happens to be a portrait of Amy Archer-Gilligan (!), and the all-important window seat with a pull-up cover recessed below two tall windows.  Sound designer Scott Killian supplies period songs but his most amusing contribution is the organ music that signals frightening events to follow.  Costume designer (Hunter Kaczorowski) dresses all of the characters in appropriate clothing but the most interesting outfits are worn by Gulan as Theodore Roosevelt (at one point he wears two hats for an African safari).  Lighting designer Alan Edwards adds to the macabre atmosphere, enabling us to see what the characters are up to, even in semi-darkness.

The play is long:  by the third act, after two intermissions it can get a bit tedious. There are 14 characters, some of whom could have been excised without sacrificing the essential plot.  However, like a fireworks display, enough colorful personalities are thrown in to keep the action going.  With strong performances and capable direction, Arsenic and Old Lace can still elicit laughter after all these years.

Arsenic and Old Lace runs from July 27—August 19 at the Berkshire Theatre Group’s Fitzpatrick Main Stage.  For tickets call 413-997-4444 or online at berkshiretheatregroup.org.

Berkshire Theatre Group presents Arsenic and Old Lace.  Cast:  Katie Birenboim (Elaine Harper), Ryan Chittaphong (Officer Klein), Mia Dillon (Martha Brewster), Timothy Gulan (Teddy Brewster), Harriet Harris (Abby Brewster), Walter Hudson (Mr. Gibbs/Mr. Witherspoon), Gerry McIntyre (Officer O’Hara), Graham Rowat (Mortimer Brewster), Tom Story (Dr. Einstein), Matt Sullivan (Jonathan Brewster), Michael Sullivan (Officer Brophy), Walton Wilson (The Rev. Dr. Harper/Lieutenant Rooney).  Director:  Gregg Edelman, Scenic Designer:  Randall Parsons, Costume Designer:  Hunter Kaczorowski, Lighting Designer:  Alan Edwards, Sound Designer:  Scott Killian, Wig Designer:  J. Jared Janas, Stage Manager:  Jason Weixelman.  Running Time:  2 hours 30 minutes including two intermissions; at Berkshire Theatre Group’s Fitzpatrick Main Stage, 83 East Main Street, Stockbridge, MA., from July 27; closing August 19.

REVIEW: “Arsenic and Old Lace” in Stockbridge “Arsenic”—Old Hat? by Barbara Waldinger Can this 1941 farcical black comedy still amuse an audience in 2017? 

[larryland]

Pittsfield, MA– Berkshire Theatre Group presents celebrated playwright Joseph Kesselring‘s Arsenic and Old Lace. Filled with colorful characters and witty plot twists, this quirky comedy is one for the ages. This production is directed by Tony Award-nominated Gregg Edelman (Broadway: City of Angels, 1776, Into The Woods; BTG: Constellations, Deathtrap), and features Katie Birenboim (Fiorello!) as Elaine Harper; Ryan Chittaphong (BTG: Finian’s Rainbow) as Officer Klein; Tony Award-nominated Mia Dillon (Crimes of the Heart) as Martha Brewster; Timothy Gulan (Sting’s The Last Ship, BTG: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof) as Teddy; Tony Award-winner Harriet Harris (Thoroughly Modern Millie; TV: Frasier) as Abby Brewster; Walter Hudson (Welcome to the Club) as Mr. Witherspoon and Mr. Gibbs; Gerry McIntyre (Once on This Island) as Officer O’Hara; Graham Rowat (Sunset Boulevard) as Mortimer; Tom Story (BTG: The Glass Menagerie, Camelot, and The Heidi Chronicles) as Dr. Einstein; Matt Sullivan (The Roads to Home) as Jonathan Brewster; and Walton Wilson (BTG: Benefactors) as The Rev. Dr. Harper and Lieutenant Rooney. Arsenic and Old Lace runs from July 27 through August 19 at The Fitzpatrick Main Stage in Stockbridge, MA. Opening night is set for Saturday, June 29 at 8pm.

Good-hearted drama critic, Mortimer Brewster appears to lead a normal, happy life. Recently engaged to be married, Mortimer plans a trip to visit his charming, spinster aunts, Abby and Martha Brewster. However, shortly after Mortimer’s arrival, he discovers that his innocent aunts have a deadly secret buried in the basement—about a dozen older gentlemen. To Mortimer’s dismay, Abby and Martha deem their poisonous habits as charitable acts; convinced that they are putting these men out of their misery. Attempting to protect society without sending Abby and Martha to prison, hilarity and madness ensues as Mortimer tries to wrangle in his crazy aunts, along with his brothers—Theodore, who believes he is Theodore Roosevelt, and maniacal, murderous Jonathan.

Timothy Gulan as Teddy

Gerry McIntyre as Officer O’Hara

Walter Hudson as Mr. Witherspoon and Mr. Gibbs

Matt Sullivan as Jonathan Brewster

Mia Dillon as Martha Brewster

Harriet Harris as Abby Brewster

Graham Rowat as Mortimer Brewster

Tom Story as Dr. Einstein

Walton Wilson as The Rev. Dr. Harper and Lieutenant Rooney

Ryan Chittaphong as Officer Klein

Katie Birenboim as Elaine Harper

Tickets may be purchased in person at the Colonial Ticket Office at 111 South Street, Pittsfield; at the Fitzpatrick Main Stage Ticket Office at 83 East Main Street, Stockbridge; by calling (413) 997-4444 or online at www.BerkshireTheatreGroup.org. Ticket Offices are open Monday–Saturday10am-5pm, Sunday 10am-2pm or on any performance day from 10am until curtain. All plays, schedules, casting and prices are subject to change.

Arsenic and Old Lace by Joseph Kesselring directed by Gregg Edelman

at The Fitzpatrick Main Stage BTG’s Stockbridge Campus, 83 East Main Street

Previews: Thursday, July 27 through Friday, July 28 Press Opening/Opening Night: Saturday, July 29 at 8pm Talkback: Monday, July 31 after 7pm performance Closing: Saturday, August 19 at 8pm Tickets: Preview: $45 Tickets: $65 Sponsored by: Country Curtains, The Red Lion Inn and Blantyre; The Shubert Foundation and Massachusetts Cultural Council

Cast:

Katie Birenboim as Elaine Harper Ryan Chittaphong as Officer Klein Mia Dillon as Martha Brewster Timothy Gulan as Teddy Harriet Harris as Abby Brewster Walter Hudson as Mr. Witherspoon and Mr. Gibbs Gerry McIntyre as Officer O’Hara Graham Rowat as Mortimer Brewster Tom Story as Dr. Einstein Matt Sullivan as Jonathan Brewster Walton Wilson as The Rev. Dr. Harper and Lieutenant Rooney

About Berkshire Theatre Group

The Colonial Theatre, founded in 1903, and Berkshire Theatre Festival, founded in 1928, are two of the oldest cultural organizations in the Berkshires. In 2010, under the leadership of Artistic Director and CEO Kate Maguire, the two organizations merged to form Berkshire Theatre Group (BTG). Berkshire Theatre Group’s mission is to support wide ranging artistic exploration and acclaimed performances in theatre, dance, music and entertainment. Every year, BTG produces and presents performances to over 68,000 attendees and, through our Educational Program, serves over 13,000 Berkshire County schoolchildren annually. BTG’s celebrated stages reflect the history of the American theatre; they represent a priceless cultural resource for the community.

“Arsenic and Old Lace” Opens at the Berkshire Theatre Group Pittsfield, MA– Berkshire Theatre Group presents celebrated playwright Joseph Kesselring's Arsenic and Old Lace. Filled with colorful characters and witty plot twists, this quirky comedy is one for the ages.