Arts

Arts

Commentary: Mr. Rodgers' Neighborhood

by Scott Baldinger In 1966, when asked what he thought of the music of the Beatles, Richard Rodgers churlishly replied, “I find it monotonous…I don’t think there’s anything creative or original about it.  Their music won’t last.”  When told about this, Paul McCartney responded that he

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Arts

Shorts: A Filmmaking Roundtable and A Juried Contest for Young Filmmakers

The Columbia Land Conservancy  and The Chatham Film Club are seeking entries for a juried competition. Filmmakers 16 to 25 are invited to submit original shorts (max. 30 minutes) about land conservation, agriculture, land-use planning, environmental education, or outdoor recreation, all aspect of the Conservancy's work. A jury

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Arts

Review: "Moonchildren" Shines at BTF

Comedy is so much harder to get right than tragedy: making an audience laugh is more difficult than making them cry. The veteran actress Karen Allen, in her directorial debut at Berkshire Theatre Festival, gave herself a formidable challenge: to resurrect Moonchildren, a 40-year-old comedy about Vietnam era youth culture,

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Arts

Mark Morris Directs Milhaud's Operas-Minutes at Tanglewood

Berkshire audiences are long-accustomed to seeing Mark Morris Dance Group at both Jacob’s Pillow (since 1982) and at Tanglewood (since 2003). This year—MMDG’s 30th anniversary—the company bookends the season, with its pre-BSO-arrival Tanglewood performances last week and its season-closing appearance at Jacob’s Pillow August 24

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Arts

U.S. Debut of Carte Blanche at Jacob’s Pillow: Frosty Moves from Norway

Dance review by Bess J.M. Hochstein Ella Baff is a dance-world star-maker. Each year she travels the globe, reaching out to artists unknown in the United States, extending invitations for them to perform at Jacob’s Pillow. Each spring, in the Festival calendar, she presents the results of her

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Arts

Crandell Celebrates Anniversary with Special Screenings

This weekend, the Chatham Film Club, which bought Chatham's historic Crandell Theatre last year, is celebrating its one-year anniversary as owners with a weekend of special movie events, including two rarely seen Buster Keaton silent films, with live musical accompaniment, and the local premiere of Project Nim, a

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Arts

This Week at Jacob’s Pillow: Jane Comfort and Company

Dance preview by Bess J.M. Hochstein “Dance theater,” like its cousin “performance art,” can be a weighted term. Purists of either discipline – dance or theater – tend to view it as a bastardization of both. In the hands of a smart, engaged choreographer/director such as Jane Comfort, who has

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Arts

Ragtime Concert Picnic, a Family Affair

“It’s amazing how many people don’t know what ragtime music is,” says Gwen Gould, Founder and Conductor of the Columbia Festival Orchestra.  “It’s full of energy.  It’s delightful,” says Ragtime expert Dan Paget.  “It’s syncopated sound,” says Webster’s Dictionary, the music considered modern when

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Arts

Larry Keigwin + Company: Sparkle and Sass

Review by Bess J.M. Hochstein Photos: Christopher Duggan courtesy of Jacob’s Pillow When putting together each summer’s Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Ella Baff ensures that the schedule includes something for everyone. This weekend’s pairing of Keigwin + Company in the Doris Duke Theater, while Ballet Genève

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Arts

Review: "A Streetcar Named Desire" at Williamstown Theatre Festival

A Streetcar Named Desire—the Pulitzer Prize winning 1947 Tennessee Williams play that became the classic 1951 movie with Marlon Brando and Vivian Leigh—dates back to the era when some films were made in Technicolor and others in black-and-white.  Two summer's ago, Barrington Stage offered us an

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Arts

Ballet Genève's Romeo and Juliet -- A Somber, Spellbinding Success

Review by Bess J.M. Hochstein Photos: Christopher Duggan courtesy of Jacob's Pillow Those who think about performing arts programming could be forgiven for scratching their heads to find Romeo and Juliet on this season’s Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival schedule. After all, just two years ago

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Arts

"Spring Awakening" Team Returns to Powerhouse to Workshop a New Musical

by Scott Baldinger If you were in Los Angeles, busy working with Burt Bacharach on a new musical (Some Lovers), having just returned from a project in London (a new version of Alice in Wonderland for the National Theatre), how would you feel about having to be in Poughkeepsie the

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