Arts

Arts

Echoes Of The Borscht Belt (Plus Latkes) At Valley Variety

By Jamie Larson There’s a German word, sehnsucht, which means a longing for a place you’ve never been. Marisa Scheinfeld’s beautiful photographs of the crumbling ruins of Borscht Belt retreats in the Catskill Mountain are arresting in this same complex, yet relatable way. Scheinfeld will be speaking

By Editor

Arts

Rodgers Book Barn: A Community Shop With A Long Shelf Life

Owner Maureen Rodgers poses next to the woodstove. By Amy Krzanik “Old books and CDs" read the bookmarks and business cards used to advertise Rodgers Book Barn in Hillsdale, N.Y. And while that claim may technically be true — the barn-turned-bookshop does indeed offer those items —  the store’s

By Editor

Arts

Kinderhook Century-Old Limericks Foretell 'Winter in America'

By Jamie Larson Who is Harold Van Santvoord? And why the hell are the 19th-century illustrated limericks from the long dead Kinderhook, New York writer’s journal being presented at one of our region's premier modern art venues? Past and present collided in 2006, when the Friends of

By Editor

Arts

Crime In The Gilded Age? Grislier Than You Might Expect

By Jamie Larson Murder and mayhem may not be the first two words that come to mind when you think of our lovely Berkshires, but during the region’s “Gilded Age" life was, at times, a bit less civil than we’ve come to know it. From the 1870s

By Editor

Arts

An Artistic Revolution In New Milford: the harts gallery

Carmen Elsa Lopez Abramson. By Jacque Lynn Schiller When a gallery’s business plan is as inspiring as the art on its walls, you know the gallerists are seeking to do more than simply display pretty pictures — though the recently opened the harts gallery [sic] in New Milford, Conn. accomplishes

By Editor

Arts

Something Old And A Whole Lot New At Wind-Up Fest

By Amy Krzanik Some people find it difficult to cultivate the suspension of disbelief needed to enjoy most big-budget films. Luckily, the recent and explosive popularity of memoirs, reality TV shows and documentary films has filled in the entertainment gap. Their popularity can be attributed, in part, to the ease

By Editor

Arts

Spencertown Festival Of Books Turns The Page On Ten Years

David Highfill, Kimberly Rawson and Academy Board President Nick van Alstine at last year's preview party. By Amy Krzanik Not just another used book sale, the Spencertown Festival of Books spans four days (September 4-7) and features award-winning and bestselling authors of fiction, history, memoir, food tomes, and

By Editor

Arts

Prodigal Percussionist: Kenny Aronoff’s Berkshire Rock Star Homecoming

By Robert Burke Warren “I was born with a lot of energy," says drummer extraordinaire and rock star Kenny Aronoff, on the phone from a Tempe, Arizona hotel. It is the understatement of the day. Technically, he is on a break from touring with John Fogerty, taking time to

By Editor

Arts

New Movie, 'Look Away,' Stars Hudson

By Jamie Larson When Location Manager Matthew Chamberlin needed to find small town backdrops with texture, character and some “authentic grit" for the setting of the dark comedy Look Away, starring Matthew Broderick and Chloe Sevigny, he said he found everything he could have hoped for in the always

By Editor

Arts

Review: "The Comedy of Errors" at Shakespeare & Company

By Dan Shaw When you walk into the Tina Packer Playhouse at Shakespeare & Company in Lenox for its production of The Comedy of Errors, you feel as if you’ve stumbled into a backyard barbecue scene about to be shot for a John Waters movie. The actors, who are

By Editor

Arts

At Rhinebeck Writers Retreat, Watch Musicals In The Making

By Robert Burke Warren When it comes to creating art, inspiration is only a fraction of the process. Artists also contend with time constraints, isolation, and financial woes, especially in aggressively capitalist, crowded, notoriously noisy New York City. Musical theater folks have it particularly hard; Broadway depends on lavish sure-thing

By Editor

Arts

Review: "Merrily We Roll Along" at Sharon Playhouse

By Dan ShawWalking out of the Sharon Playhouse after its exhilarating production of Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along, it’s impossible to comprehend how this musical was a flop when it opened on Broadway in 1981, closing after 16 performances. The story of three best friends — composer Franklin

By Editor