Category: Arts & Entertainment

Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, The Musical at Colonial Theatre

The Colonial Theater presents Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, The Musical, from December 2 – December 23.

The Colonial Theater presents Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, The Musical, from December 2 – December 23.

Join the Berkshire Theatre Group this holiday season when they transform The Colonial into a snow globe come to life and welcome back Director Gregg Edelman (BTG: Coming Back Like A Song, Constellations, Arsenic and Old Lace), Music Director Ross Patterson (BTG: Coming Back Like A Song) and Choreographer Gerry McIntyre (BTG: Nina Simone: Four Women, Godspell) as we celebrate the season staging the must-see spectacular, White Christmas!

Irving Berlin’s White Christmas is a timeless tale of joy and goodwill about a song-and-dance team putting on a show in a magical Vermont inn and falling for a stunning sister act in the process. Full of dancing, laughter and some of the greatest songs ever written, the dazzling score features, “Blue Skies,” “I Love a Piano,” “How Deep is the Ocean?,” ”Count Your Blessings” and of course the unforgettable title song, “White Christmas.” Give everyone the gift they’re dreaming of with this merry and bright holiday musical.

Based upon the Paramount Pictures Film written for the Screen by Norman Krasna, Norman Panama and Melvin Frank
music and lyrics by Irving Berlin
book by David Ives and Paul Blake

directed by Gregg Edelman
music direction by Ross Patterson
choreography by Gerry McIntyre and Bryan Hunt

scenic design by Randall Parsons
costume design by Elivia Bovenzi-Blitz
lighting design by Matthew E. Adelson
sound design by Nathan Leigh
wig design by Mary Schilling-Martin

stage manager Jason Weixelman
assistant stage manager Taylor Meszaros
production assistant Caroline Stamm

Proof of COVID-19 vaccination is required for this performance.
Masks are mandatory for all patrons regardless of age (unless eating or drinking in specified areas).

DATE/TIME: Thursday, December 2 – Tuesday, December 23, 2021 / 2pm Matinees & 7pm Evening
Click here for full schedule

TICKETS: Adult: $59, Child (16 and Under): $29
To purchase, visit www.berkshiretheatregroup.org

LOCATION: The Colonial Theatre
111 South Street
Pittsfield, MA 01201

MORE:
www.berkshiretheatregroup.org
facebook.com/berkshiretheatregroup
instagram.com/berkshiretheatregroup

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Two Of Us Productions Presents ‘Cabaret’, Nov 19 – 21

The Two Of Us Productions presents ‘Cabaret’ with three performances this weekend – November 19, 20, and 21.

 

The Two Of Us Productions presents ‘Cabaret’ with three performances this weekend – November 19, 20, and 21. 

At its heart CABARET is a dramatic commentary told through three parallel story lines: the younger couple who are denying reality, the “toast of Mayfair” Fraulein Sally Bowles and the aspiring novelist Cliff Bradshaw from America; a dramatic & gently romantic sub-plot of love denied in the endearing older couple Fraulein Schneider & Herr Schultz; and the social commentary of the Master Of Ceremonies that was played by Joel Grey in the original production & by Alan Cummings in this 1998 version.  The Kit Kat Klub performers that this show is so well known for work with the Master of Ceremonies in commenting on the dark cloud of National Socialism that is engulfing 1930’s Germany & how the gathering storm is impacting the principle characters.  

CABARET features Constance Lopez as the Master of Ceremonies, Betsy Rees as Sally Bowles, Stephen Foust as Cliff Bradshaw, Benita Zahn as Fraulein Schneider, Fred Sirois as Herr Schultz, Brian Yorck as Ernst Ludwig, Andrew Stein as Klub owner Max, and Candace Wood as the always hospitable Fraulein Kost.  CABARET also features a dynamite group of singers & dancers on-stage at The Kit Kat Klub, including Karissa Payson as Helga, Cathy Hunt Wheelock as Frenchie, Debra Tice Hughes as Texas, Lauren Wicks as Rosie, Emily Fuller as Lulu, Fran Martino as Bobby, Matt Leinung as Hans, and Black Schober as Victor.  The Kit Kat Klub orchestra will be on-stage live & in-person, so Sally Bowles really means it when she says “come hear the band!”​

In light of the current COVID situation in Columbia County, and in concert with other live venues in this area, in order to attend a performance, audience members are required to: 

  • Show proof-of-vaccination at the door 

  • Wear a mask at all times while within the theater building

DATE/TIME: Friday, November 19 / Saturday, November 20 Sunday, November 21, 2021
Friday and Saturday performances are at 7:30 pm and Sunday matinee is at 3 pm

LOCATION: The Copake Grange
628 Empire Road
Copake, NY

TICKETS: $20 (adults), $15 (students & seniors), $12 (groups & families) 
purchase online, in-person, or by calling (518) 758-1648

MORE:
TheTwoOfUsProductions
Facebook.com/TheTwoofUsProductions
instagram.com/thetwoofusproductions

 

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Window On Hudson Presents “Cleaning out the Attic” by George Spencer

Window On Hudson is thrilled to present the incredibly ambitious exhibition, “Cleaning out the Attic” by George Spencer. 

Window On Hudson is thrilled to present the incredibly ambitious exhibition, “Cleaning out the Attic” by George Spencer.  Spencer reached deep into his archives and came out with a multitude of paintings which he reworked into a series of totems and wall hangings.  The work fills the storefront windows and spills into the gallery space, covering the walls, floor and ceiling in a chaotic cacophony of bright colors and abstract forms.  

An Artist’s Reception will take place on Saturday, November 13th from 6-8pm during the 2econd Saturday Hudson Gallery Crawl. 

“Cleaning out the Attic” gave Spencer the opportunity to create bold, new work and at the same time offer retrospection on his years of painting and sculpting.  By cutting his canvases into pieces and then collaging the fragments onto cardboard tubes, sheets of lumber, or rolls of tar paper Spencer is mirroring what he sees as the recent dismantling and decay of society.

Spencer says, “I want to get away from the fixed object.  I work with what we are living through which is entropy, instability and indeterminacy.  I lessen the authoritarian space between artist and viewer.  I work with images, colors and designs that come from the infinite surprises of randomness rather than rote cognition. 

“This is a sensible response to the current state of the world.  We are tempting the fates and the fates always win.  We are surrounded by a bizarre combination of aggressive late stage capitalization and entropy, starvation amid excess, children in cages alongside heavily armed militia who should be in cages.  Under these circumstances I don’t think any of the old rules and related hierarchies that are the repressive collective judgements of self appointed keepers of the cultural gates have anything to do with the needs of present day creativity. 

“I am working my way through the destruction of color harmonies, of the stabilities of compositional delicacies, the convention of frames and proper presentation, all the accouterments of the Euro/phallocentric desire for verisimilitude.  My wish is to get back to spontaneity.  The fullest examples of spontaneous art are the art of children and outsiders.  I want to be on the edge of unacceptable or over it as a minimum.”

George Spencer is an artist, curator, poet and interviewer who lives in Kinderhook, NY.  His interviews can be heard on WGXC Radio.  He created an eight hour reading/musical event dedicated to James Joyce’s Ulysses on WGXC in 2019 and 2021.  His most recent book of poetry, “Unpious Pilgrim,” (2011, Fly By Night Press) is available on Amazon.  His most recent curation is “WinterOver?” on view 24/7 in the yard of Time & Space Limited through spring of 2022.  Spencer has shown at Joyce Goldstein Gallery, Thompson Giroux Gallery, Collars Works, LabSpace and more.

About Window On Hudson
Window On Hudson offers storefront window exhibition space for artists of all mediums who are in Hudson and the Hudson Valley.  Window On Hudson is committed to providing a platform for established and developing artists to display their work, of all mediums, while also offering professional development opportunities for emerging artists.  Window On Hudson exhibits a new artist on a monthly basis.  Artists interested in submitting their work may do so by emailing submissions@windowonhudson.org or visiting the website.

Info & Image From Window On Hudson

DATES/TIMES: November 3 to 29, 2021

LOCATION: Window On Hudson
43 South Third St., 
Hudson NY 12534

MORE:
windowonhudson.org
instagram.com/windowonhudsonwww.willmcleod.net

Window On Hudson takes Covid-19 and your health seriously.  It follows the most current federal, state and local guidelines for safety.  As the population of Hudson is diverse we ask that masks be worn indoors.  

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CANCELLED – Spencertown Academy Music Lessons: Ed Napier, Nov 13

Spencertown Academy Arts Center presents Music Lessons: Ed Napier, on Saturday, November 13. 

We just got the news that this performance has been cancelled. No additional info available as of the time of this update. 

Spencertown Academy Arts Center presents Music Lessons: Ed Napier, on Saturday, November 13. 

Music Lessons tells the story of Ed Napier’s journey from the backwoods of West Virginia to the halls of Columbia, Herbert Berghof (HB) Studio, and Juilliard in New York in pursuit of becoming a playwright and opera singer. Through scenes, stories, and songs, he recounts the process of growing up, becoming an artist, and learning, he says, “to relish the glory of just being alive.” On stage he channels a multitude of characters from his life with ebullience and humor. He slips into many roles—ranging from singing gospel as a kid in a West Virginia church to country songs in a bar with drunken locals; from Enrico Caruso singing Neapolitan songs of love and revenge to Puccini in the voice of his Viennese acting mentor to playing Constantine in Chekhov’s Seagull.

*Directed by Robert LuPone, the production also features William Lewis on piano and soprano Maria Gabriella Landers.

For Covid safety, proof of vaccination will be required for attendance, seating will be distanced and limited, and masks will be required for audience members while in the building. The Academy has installed Blue Pure 211+ air filters in the auditorium.

*Robert LuPone’s Broadway credits include Jesus Christ Superstar, A Chorus Line (Tony Nomination), A Thousand Clowns, True West, A View From The Bridge, Zoya’s Apartment, and Saint Joan. He is the co-artistic director of MCC Theater, an award winning Off-Broadway Theater.

Maria Gabriella Landers is an entrepreneur, operatic soprano, collage artist, and celebrated party host. After Barnard College, she cofounded the CoOPERAtive, a New York City based nonprofit that provided performance opportunities to classical singers between formal studies and a professional career.

William Lewis, pianist/accompanist, vocal coach, arranger, and performer has worked as a professional musician for more than 50 years. He regularly appears with Irish tenor Ronan Tynan in concert and also plays for Marcello Giordano and violinist Gregory Harrington. He has performed throughout the US, Canada, Iceland, Brazil, Germany, Sicily, the British Isles, and China.

Founded in 1972, Spencertown Academy Arts Center is a cultural center and community resource serving Columbia County, the Berkshires, and the Capital region. Housed in a landmark 1847 Greek Revival schoolhouse, the Academy is located at 790 State Route 203 in Spencertown, New York. For more information, please see spencertownacademy.org.

DATES/TIMES: Saturday, November 13, 2021 / 7pm – 8pm

TICKETS: $20 – General Admission, $15 – Academy Members
May be purchased in advance via www.spencertownacademy.org and, pending availability, will be available at the door.

LOCATION: Spencertown Academy
790 NY-203
Spencertown, NY

MORE:
SpencertownAcademy.org
facebook.com/SpencertownAcademy
instagram.com/thespencertownacademy
Phone: (518) 392-3693

 

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Spencertown Academy Music Lessons: Ed Napier, Nov 13

Spencertown Academy Arts Center presents Music Lessons: Ed Napier, on Saturday, November 13. 

Spencertown Academy Arts Center presents Music Lessons: Ed Napier, on Saturday, November 13. 

Music Lessons tells the story of Ed Napier’s journey from the backwoods of West Virginia to the halls of Columbia, Herbert Berghof (HB) Studio, and Juilliard in New York in pursuit of becoming a playwright and opera singer. Through scenes, stories, and songs, he recounts the process of growing up, becoming an artist, and learning, he says, “to relish the glory of just being alive.” On stage he channels a multitude of characters from his life with ebullience and humor. He slips into many roles—ranging from singing gospel as a kid in a West Virginia church to country songs in a bar with drunken locals; from Enrico Caruso singing Neapolitan songs of love and revenge to Puccini in the voice of his Viennese acting mentor to playing Constantine in Chekhov’s Seagull.

*Directed by Robert LuPone, the production also features William Lewis on piano and soprano Maria Gabriella Landers.

For Covid safety, proof of vaccination will be required for attendance, seating will be distanced and limited, and masks will be required for audience members while in the building. The Academy has installed Blue Pure 211+ air filters in the auditorium.

*Robert LuPone’s Broadway credits include Jesus Christ Superstar, A Chorus Line (Tony Nomination), A Thousand Clowns, True West, A View From The Bridge, Zoya’s Apartment, and Saint Joan. He is the co-artistic director of MCC Theater, an award winning Off-Broadway Theater.

Maria Gabriella Landers is an entrepreneur, operatic soprano, collage artist, and celebrated party host. After Barnard College, she cofounded the CoOPERAtive, a New York City based nonprofit that provided performance opportunities to classical singers between formal studies and a professional career.

William Lewis, pianist/accompanist, vocal coach, arranger, and performer has worked as a professional musician for more than 50 years. He regularly appears with Irish tenor Ronan Tynan in concert and also plays for Marcello Giordano and violinist Gregory Harrington. He has performed throughout the US, Canada, Iceland, Brazil, Germany, Sicily, the British Isles, and China.

Founded in 1972, Spencertown Academy Arts Center is a cultural center and community resource serving Columbia County, the Berkshires, and the Capital region. Housed in a landmark 1847 Greek Revival schoolhouse, the Academy is located at 790 State Route 203 in Spencertown, New York. For more information, please see spencertownacademy.org.

DATES/TIMES: Saturday, November 13, 2021 / 7pm – 8pm

TICKETS: $20 – General Admission, $15 – Academy Members
May be purchased in advance via www.spencertownacademy.org and, pending availability, will be available at the door.

LOCATION: Spencertown Academy
790 NY-203
Spencertown, NY

MORE:
SpencertownAcademy.org
facebook.com/SpencertownAcademy
instagram.com/thespencertownacademy
Phone: (518) 392-3693

 

For more local happenings, news, and events, follow ColumbiaCountyCurrent
on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter