Peter Bergman Theater Reviews

"Three Sisters" by Anton Chekhov, translated by Paul Schmidt. Directed by Michael Greif. At the Williamstown Theatre Festival.

The children of General Prozorov, three girls and one boy, have dreams that will die each dawn, unrealized dreams of their own futures both bright and bleak. Adults, orphaned, living in a provincial village far away from the Moscow of their childhood, they long to make a move back to the city with its rich resources and high-tension lifestyles.
Masha, beautiful, married, bored, is trapped in the village through her marriage to a stuffy, simpleton school teacher. Olga, a teacher herself, has the longest of longings for another life, but her attachment to the people around her grounds her. Irina, just 20 in the first act, has the brightest future, the boldest opportunities ahead and her desire for work, for achievements of importance seem to make all things possible.
Their brother, Andrei, a philosophical scientist and violinist, is the lynchpin to whom they tie their hopes, but he is ineffectual, socially inept and frightened of life.
Or so it seems on stage at the Williamstown Theatre Festival where this well-loved play, in a neat, vernacular translation by Paul Schmidt, is making its current appearance.

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"Almost, Maine" by John Cariani. Directed by Chuck Hudson. At the Chester Theatre Company.

In the winter, at 9 in the evening, as the northern lights make their magical appearance, couples discover, or rediscover, the magical powers of love. It can excite, or it can illuminate, or it can bifurcate or eliminate possibilities for the occupants of an area on the Maine map too small to be an actual town or village or hamlet. Well, perhaps not too small, but too uninterested in making the effort.
A woman camps on the lawn of the town’s repairman without permission; she has come to see the lights and to pay homage to the departing soul of the husband she believes she has killed. A man who has mistakenly tattooed his arm with a misspelled declaration of his own villainy finds an unexpected miracle in the back room of a small bar. A couple who have grown apart over the years ask for a miracle, and lo, the other show drops and everything is different.
These are three of the nine stories that make up this mockumentary play which is adorning the stage of the Chester Theatre Company at the moment.

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“The Light in the Piazza,” book by Craig Lucas, music and lyrics by Adam Guettel, based on the novella by Elizabeth Spencer. Directed by Steve Stettler. At Weston (Vt.) Playhouse Theatre Company.

Through a veil of romantic music, out of arched spaces made remote and foreign by their size and placement, emerge two women, one young and one not so young. The younger of the two asks, “Mother? What happened here?”
The older woman replies, “What did happen here? I played a tricky game in a foreign country.”
This is the perfect setup for a memory play, flashback play, a story retold by the mother, or held back, hidden from the daughter as a protective measure. We are set up, in those first few moments, for a storybook drama with songs.
We are lied to. The authors have provided a gimmick that has no pay-off.
If we don’t fall into this trap of the opening moments, the authors have provided a very straight-forward, onward-proceeding narrative. However, if we are haunted, as I was, by that very clearly created opening, then what follows — especially the ending of this very engaging show — makes little sense.

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“The Mousetrap,” by Agatha Christie. Directed by Tony Capone. At the Theater Barn in New Lebanon, N.Y.

How could a simple murder mystery play run in London for 56 unbroken years? How could more than 6 million theatergoers buy tickets for a simple murder mystery play? How could more than 200 actors play on stage in London in roles so old and in a play where the mystery is no longer mysterious?
And honestly ... for this request season, how could Theater Barn audiences choose this same murder mystery play out of all the mysteries that have been done there in years past? Simple. It’s the best of the best. How could they not?
The new production of the Theater Barn’s favorite play is selling out, as it should. It’s a well-mounted, finely directed and neatly played performance. There is an excellent cast of players, each bringing quirky sensibilities to their roles which aptly suit their characters. Abe Phelps and Michael Marotta have made the set lovely, livable and with six entrances, including the window from “Night Must Fall” — another British murder mystery, that time by Emlyn Williams — have fashioned just enough farcical possibilities to make the question of “whodunit” fun to contemplate.

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“Capitol Steps: Campaign and Suffering.” Written mostly by Bill Strauss, Elaina Newport and Mark Eaton with the cast. Directed by Bill Strauss. At Cranwell Resort, Spa and Golf Club.

Take five talented performers — Bari Biern, Mike Carruthers, Ann Johnson, Jack Rowles and Mike Thornton — add in the musical abilities of Howard Breitbart, toss in song parodies, political jokes, stand-up abilities, incisive material, cutting edge humor, insider information and constantly updated material and you have Capitol Steps.
All of the participants have had some personal professional contract in Washington, D.C., working for a senator or a representative. Each of them is able to bring a degree of insight into their performances. The result is a knock-out 90 minute show that whizzes by in the wink of an eye.

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Posted by Rebecca Dravis at 04:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

‘The Book Club’ Play by Karen Zacarias. Directed by Nick Olcott. At the Berkshire Theatre Festival.

Thank God for talented people. They can perform extraordinary surgery. They can inspire us to learn. They can remove our pain with a gallant sweep of a hand. Sometimes they can even turn the mediocre into the marvelous.
A talented crew of seven superb players is performing that latter miracle at the Berkshire Theatre Festival where a new play, "The Book Club Play," is gracing the main stage for a few weeks.
This is a play that has had only one previous production, also directed by Nick Olcott, who has been a part of this show’s history since at least its first development stage at the Theater of the First Amendment in Fairfax, Va., in March, 2005. He has hardly missed a single stage of the work required to hone and sharpen the playwright’s vision, and it is possible he has spent too much time too close to the project. Even with a remarkable cast, as this production has, a fresh perspective could have made the difference between an acceptable, amusing evening and a truly wonderful stage work.

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“Pageant Play” by Matthew Wilkas and Mark Setlock. Directed by Martha Banta. At the Berkshire Theatre Festival.

What are we doing to our children? This summer’s theater experience is emphasizing the competitive spirit in our youth with musicals and non-musicals, it seems. Whether forced into spelling bee competitions, child rape or child beauty pageants, there is an odd symmetry to the focus our best theater companies are presenting.
Open now, and running through July 26 at the Unicorn Theatre at the Berkshire Theatre Festival in Stockbridge, is the latest excursion into the Hell that parents enter with their infant daughters. The world premiere of “Pageant Play” by two men who also appear in the show presents an unforgettable, somewhat regrettable, journey.

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