For songwriters who yearn to hear their songs on a Broadway stage someday, you can't get any luckier than knowing Bill Finn, the musical theater guru of Barrington Stage Company. For the fourth year in a row, Finn has put together an evening of Songs By Ridiculously Talented Composers and Lyricists You Probably Don't Know But Should . . . (September 4 & 5) in which (mostly) unknown songwriters with Broadway aspirations have their work sung by several actors with Broadway credits . This year Finn found six extraordinarily talented actors who can deliver songs in character without costume changes or props, but with wit, charm and intense feeling. Musical director Matt Castle (who played Peter in the 2006 Broadway revival of Company) accompanies them so masterfully you'd be happy to listen to him play the piano alone all night. And the for the finale, you'll get to hear a clever ditty called "Independence Day in Pittsfield" that is sharp, funny and joyous, and makes you think that Pittsfield is what New Haven and Philadelphia used to be--the stepping stone to Broadway. If you're a musical theater junkie, try to make it to the second performance at Barrington Stage on Saturday, September 5, because you'll hear the glorious sounds of the American musical theater's future. Barrington Stage CompanyPittsfield, MA
