'
Year in arts A
look at the big events on
theater, dance and visual arts
Critics
talk. It's a fact. But their Monday
morning water cooler is any given
evening's intermission, where they
discuss the last few weeks of what's
been happening on local stages. By
late this summer, the topic turned
more and more to just what a bad season
it was in the Berkshires this year
-- financially and artistically. But
it's even harder to fill seats in
a tough economy with a season so dreadful
as this one. I'm sure Williamstown
Theatre Festival, Berkshire Theatre
Festival and Shakespeare and Company
put on plays this year, but I'm having
a hard time remembering what they
were; and maybe that's a good thing
for my mood.
Miss
Daisy' on top
The best production in the region
this year was a small play that's
been seen too many times in a small
theater off the beaten track. Curtain
Call Theatre's fall staging of "Driving
Miss Daisy" put the actors right
next to the audience, and the intimacy
exploded. Director Phil Rice found
every nuance in the quiet, wordy play
and held it out like a gift. It's
always a joy when someone offers the
opportunity to see something familiar
with new eyes. And such magnificent
performances from Lucy Breyer, Emmitt
Ferris and Kevin Gardner.
Year
in Review
2009: Theater Some
stages defied economy, tried new plays
The
2008-2009 theater season has been a
mix of some delightfully done classics
and an unusual number of new plays.
While some companies, bowing to the
economy I suppose, have been doing re-runs
of previously successful productions,
there are a fair number of groups willing
to take a chance on a new play.
In fact, at least a dozen of the plays
I have reviewed this year alone were
written after 2000. That is surely a
testament to the courage of members
of our theatrical community.
Notably, the newer plays are generally
staged simply, if often skillfully,
while the more mature plays are given
masterful sets, costumes and lighting.
That is surely a testament to the good
business sense of our theatrical community.
In all, despite the troublesome economy,
especially troublesome to the arts communities,
it has been a very good year.
My colleague Matthew Moross and I have
chosen, from plays we reviewed during
2009, the best of a very good year.
They follow in alphabetical order:
Adirondack Theater Festival's "Ordinary
Days" which was a gem of an urban
fairy tale, with smart music and a winning
cast
Barrington Stage Company's "Underneath
the Lintel" a new play by Glen
Berger, head writer of "Fetch,"
one of the cleverest children's shows
on PBS
Berkshire Theatre Festival's "The
Faith Healer" for a solid cast
and muscular writing by Brian Friel
Capital Repertory Company's "My
Fair Lady," with quirky, unexpected
staging and a strong cast
Curtain Call's "Driving Miss Daisy"
for Emmett Ferris' performance as Hoke
Lake George Dinner Theater's production
of "Old Love" for strong comic
acting and the food's good, too
Mac-Haydn Theater's "Crazy For
You" for an energetic cast and
dancing that would make Gene Kelly jealous
Stageworks/Hudson's "Nowhere on
the Border" for a riveting new
text and skillful performances
Schenectady Light Opera's "Jacques
Brel is Alive and Living in Paris"
for fine performances and a stunning
set created by JoAnna Hepinstall.
