‘Rip Van Winkle: A Musical Legend’ at TriArts
Michael Berkeley, the artistic director of TriArts, is feeling a bit like Rip Van Winkle, the Washignton Irving character who falls asleep in 1770 and reawakens in 1790, discovering that the colonies have become states among other changes. Berkeley first produced his play Rip Van Winkle: A Musical Legend in 1994 when TriArts was located in Pine Plains. “The play is a Valentine to the Hudson Valley,” he says. This weekend, he’s doing two free staged readings this weekend to see how the musical has held up and what he needs to tweak so he can mount a full production at TriArts in the summer of 2009. “We have cast of 20 and they come from New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts,” he says. “I’m playing Rip because he has five songs and we did not have time for anyone else to learn them all.” The 5 PM Saturday show is already fully booked, but a few seats are still available for Sunday at 2PM. Call ahead to reserve seats: 860-364-7469.
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