Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center Schedule
Events in Great Barrington Through August
By: Ariel Petrova - Jan 15, 2010
Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington announces the schedule of events for January through August.
The Mahaiwe will present Broadway star Patti LuPone, winner of Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards (July 11) and two jazz legends: five-time Grammy Award-winning jazz pianist McCoy Tyner (February 21) and ASCAP Jazz Wall of Famer jazz guitaristBucky Pizzarelli (August 7).
Internationally-renowned modern dance troupes Ailey II (March 21-22)and Paul Taylor Dance Company (May 29-30) make return appearances in Great Barrington.
Upcoming pop music concerts include Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Shawn Colvin (April 16), Grammy Award-nominated folk-blues-bluegrass-rock innovator David Bromberg (April 10), popular alt-country band Cowboy Junkies (May 15),and the 60s pop vocal group The Lettermen(August 20).
World music offerings include Grammy Award-winning South African singing group Ladysmith Black Mambazo (February 7) and the all-women traditional Irish band Cherish the Ladies (February 27).
Old fashioned Borscht Belt comedy will take center stage with Catskills on Broadway (July 31).
The Mahaiwe's "Live in HD" broadcasts continue in 2010 with the Metropolitan Opera (January 16, February 6, March 27, and May 1), London's National Theatre (January 30 and April 22), and A Prairie Home Companion (February 4).
The Mahaiwe celebrates Valentine's Day with a talk by acclaimed food historian Francine Segan titled "Aphrodisiacs: Myth or Reality," followed by an Italian desserts reception and screening of John Patrick Shanley's 1987 Oscar-winning romantic comedy Moonstruck (February 13). All performances, unless noted otherwise, are reserved seating. For details and to purchase tickets, visit www.mahaiwe.org, or phone the Mahaiwe Box Office at 413.528.0100.
The Emmy and Peabody Award-wining series Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD returns to the Mahaiwe on Saturday, January 16 with Bizet's Carmen. This live cinema telecast series continues with Verdi's Simon Boccanegra on Saturday, February 6, Thomas's Hamlet on Saturday, March 27, and Rossini's Armida on Saturday, May 1. All of the Met broadcasts begin at 1pm. Tickets are $16 to $23.
Juilliard's Scott Eyerly gives an introductory lecture at the Mahaiwe at 10:45am about each Met opera before its broadcast. Mixing erudition and humor.
Eyerly's lectures enhance the opera-goer's experience. While most of the Met broadcasts are already sold out, all interested community members are welcome to attend these educational seminars whether attending the broadcast or not. Lecture tickets are $10 (general admission).
Additional "Live in HD" broadcasts at the Mahaiwe include London's National Theatre productions of Nation, based on a novel by Terry Pratchett and adapted by Mark Ravenhill, on Saturday, January 30 at 2 pm and Alan Bennett's Habit of Art on Thursday, April 22 at 2pm. Nation is an exhilarating adventure story of survival and self-discovery that includes live music, thrilling dance, and puppets. This spectacular family production is suitable for children age 10+. Habit of Art centers on the poet W.H. Auden and composer Benjamin Britten, and stars Michael Gambon, Alex Jennings, and Frances de la Tour. On Thursday, February 4 at 8pm, the Mahaiwe will broadcast Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion direct from the home of Lake Wobegon at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, MN. Tickets to all of the broadcast performances are $16 to $23.
Grammy Award-winning Ladysmith Black Mambazo performs on Sunday, February 7 at 3 pm. This celebrated a cappella group represents the traditional culture of South Africa and is regarded as the country's cultural emissary at home and around the world. They have recorded with numerous artists, including Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, Josh Groban, and Dolly Parton. Tickets are $34 to $39.
Celebrate the eve of Valentine's Day on Saturday, February 13 at 7 pm with a talk by acclaimed food historian Francine Segan titled "Aphrodisiacs: Myth or Reality," followed by an Italian desserts reception and then an 8pm screening of John Patrick Shanley's 1987 Oscar-winning romantic comedy Moonstruck, which stars Cher, Nicolas Cage, and Olympia Dukakis as Italian-Americans in Brooklyn.
Segan will discuss aphrodisiacs from ancient times into the present, exploring the decadent stories behind aphrodisiacs like frog saliva, rhinoceros horns, oysters, truffles, and caviar, as well as sharing tantalizing trivia like why the ancient Romans ate bread shaped like a penis, which veggie was responsible for King Henry VIII's renowned sexual stamina, what foods Casanova served to insure a passionate partner, and the erotic origins of the champagne glass. Following her talk will be a dessert reception of Italian sweets courtesy of Amarelli, Bauli, Corsini, Falanga, ICAM/Vanini, Motta, Pastiglie Leone, Perugina, Vicenzi, and Venchi provided by www.DolceItalia.com a new website dedicated to Italian sweets and dessert wines. Tickets are $5 for the talk and reception , $6 for the movie, or $10 for both (general admission).
On Sunday, February 21 at 7 pm, jazz legend McCoy Tyner will perform with Gerald Cannon (bass) and Eric Kamau Gravatt (drums). Discovered at age 17 by John Coltrane, Philadelphia-born pianist Tyner has been performing and composing for more than 50 years. Replete with sophisticated chords and explosive percussion, Tyner's blues-based piano style has transcended traditional jazz conventions to become one of the most identifiable sounds in improvised music. He was named a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master in 2005 and is a five-time Grammy Award winner. Tickets are $42 to $67.
The all-female collective Cherish the Ladies performs on Saturday, February 27 at 7 pm. One of the most sought-after Irish-American groups in Celtic music, they are known for their musicianship, breathtaking singing, and lively step dancing. They have shared the stage and studio with such performers as Joan Baez, James Taylor, the Clancy Brothers, the Chieftains, Arlo Guthrie, and Pete Seeger. Tickets are $33 to $38.
World-renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's Ailey II performs on Sunday, March 21 at 3pm and Monday, March 22 at 10 am (school field trip performance). In 1974, legendary dancer and choreographer Alvin Ailey created the Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble from the most promising scholarship students in his namesake school. Today, as Ailey II, the troupe has become one of the most popular dance companies in the country. Combining the ideals of African-American cultural expression and the American modern dance tradition, Ailey II is known for merging the spirit and energy of the country's best young dance talent with the passion and creative vision of today's most outstanding emerging choreographers. Ailey II's Mahaiwe program will include Echoes (Thang Dao), Essence (Christopher Huggins), Proximity (Carlos dos Santos, Jr.), and Divining (Judith Jamison). Tickets are$12 to $47.
Grammy nominee David Bromberg, performing with the Angel Band, brings his singular sound to the Mahaiwe stage on Saturday, April 10 at 8 pm. Known for his eclectic combination of blues, bluegrass, jazz, folk, country and western, and rock, he has recorded and performed with a wide range of artists, including country blues master Reverend Gary Davis, the Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, Chubby Checker, and George Harrison. He can play just about anything with strings - guitar, dobro, mandolin, and fiddle. Impossible to pigeonhole, Bromberg has been acclaimed as an American musical treasure. Tickets are $36 to $41.
One of the premier singer-songwriters of the past two decades, Shawn Colvin will give a solo acoustic concert on Friday, April 16 at 8pm. She has been making a name for herself since her 1989 Grammy Award-winning debut album, Steady On. Seven years later, her song "Sunny Came Home" from her critically acclaimed 1996 album, A Few Small Repairs, earned her the Grammy's Best Song of the Year Award. Colvin has toured with such celebrated performers as Richard Thompson, Neil Young, Lyle Lovett, Buddy Miller, and John Hiatt, and is equally at home with folk, Texas swing, rock, and pop music. Tickets are $37 to $42.
On Saturday, May 15 at 8pm, the Cowboy Junkies bring their alternative country rock sound to the Mahaiwe stage. Founded in 1985, the Canadian band's music is grounded in traditional country, blues, and folk, yet drifts along in a sleepy, narcotic haze that clearly bares the stamp of the Velvet Underground. Part alt-country, part alternative rock, the group's unique and compelling sound has consistently garnered critical acclaim. Tickets are $37 to $42.
Paul Taylor Dance Company returns to the Mahaiwe over Memorial Day weekend to celebrate Paul Taylor's 80th birthday with two performances. The programs include Mr. Taylor's two newest dances, Also Playing and Brief Encounters. On Saturday, May 29 at 8 pm, the program features the satiric Public Domain, the erotic Brief Encounters, and Taylor's red-hot look at the culture of tango, Piazzolla Caldera. On Sunday, May 30 at 3 pm, the family-friendly program includes the blissful Brandenburgs, the comic Vaudeville tribute Also Playing, and Piazzolla Caldera. The New York Times says, "There is no other choreographer today whose imaginative range looks so large or so multilayered." Tickets are $12 to $62, with a 25% discount when purchasing tickets for both Taylor programs.
Tony Award-winning singer and actress Patti LuPone brings her powerhouse talent to Great Barrington on Sunday, July 11 at 7 pm. Fresh off her rapturously received, role-defining stint as Mama Rose in Gypsy, Broadway star LuPone - the original Evita - takes us on a high-spirited tour of her favorite songs. Her recent stage credits include her debut with the Los Angeles Opera in Weill-Brecht's Mahagonny, the world premiere of Jake Heggie's new opera To Hell and Back with San Francisco's Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Mrs. Lovett in John Doyle's award winning Broadway production of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd (Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle Award nominations - Best Actress in a Musical; Drama League Award for Outstanding Contribution to Musical Theatre), the title role in Marc Blitzstein's Regina, a musical version of Lillian Hellman's The Little Foxes at Washington D.C.'s Kennedy Center, and a critically acclaimed performance as Fosca in a concert version of Stephen Sondheim's Passion, which was also broadcast on PBS' Live From Lincoln Center, Tickets are $67 to $102.
The Broadway hit Catskills on Broadway on Saturday, July 31 at 8 pm is a good old-fashioned night of comedy - clean, funny, and realistic family humor.The Catskills, also known as the Borscht Belt, circled some 400 hotels and resorts, which catered to a Jewish clientele and enjoyed enormous popularity during the40s and 50s. The region launched the careers of many great comics. During two hilarious hours of stand-up, veteran comedians Freddie Roman, Mal Z. Lawrence, and Dick Capri bring audiences back to the golden years of the Catskills. Tickets are$37 to $67.
Master jazz guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli and Friends swing into town on Saturday, August 7 at 8 pm. For more than half a century, John "Bucky" Pizzarelli has been a part of the fraternity of musicians who have kept mainstream and traditional jazz alive. He learned to play banjo and guitar as a youngster. At the age of 17, he toured with Vaughan Monroe's dance band, which he re-joined after military service in 1946; he made recordings with the band for RCA and also played on the radio. In 1952, he joined the staff of NBC. For many years, at NBC, he played in the Doc Severinson Band on the "Tonight Show." He also played with Benny Goodman, led his own trio, and recorded duos with Zoot Sims, Bud Freeman, Stephane Grappelli, and his son John. Tickets are$27 to $47.
Popular 60s vocal group The Lettermen bring their vintage harmonies to the Mahaiwe stage on Saturday, August 20 at 8 pm. The Lettermen first appeared on the music charts in 1961 with the song "The Way You Look Tonight." The group then followed with a string of hits, including "When I Fall in Love," "Theme from a Summer Place," "Goin' Out of My Head/Can't Take My Eyes Off of You," and "Put Your Head on My Shoulder." The Lettermen have had 32 consecutive Billboard Magazine chart albums, 11 gold records, and five Grammy nominations. In 2001, they were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. Tickets are $37 to $57.
In addition to events produced by the Mahaiwe, this season the theater hosts events presented by Berkshire Playwrights Lab, Close Encounters with Music, Gould Farm, Great Barrington Rudolf Steiner School, Greenagers, Monument Mountain Regional High School, Railroad Street Youth Project, and The Mostly Baroque Players. Details about these events are listed in the full calendar that follows below.
Announcements will be made as additions to the 2010 schedule are confirmed. Tickets to all January and February events are available now. March on events will go on sale to Friends of the Mahaiwe on January 27 and to the general public on February 10.
Join Friends of the Mahaiwe now and receive special discounts and benefits that are now available online. Membership begins at $65 and all Friends receive priority ordering for first access to the best seats and discounts on tickets to most Mahaiwe Presents events throughout the year. To join, call the Mahaiwe Box Office: 413.528.0100, or visit www.mahaiwe.org
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Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center
2010 Calendar
Saturday, January 16 at 1pm (SOLD OUT)
Mahaiwe Presents
Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD
Bizet's Carmen
$23 Adults / $21 Seniors / $16 Children under 13
Saturday, January 16 at 10:45am
Scott Eyerly Opera Lecture about Bizet's Carmen
$10 General Admission
Saturday, January 23 at 7:30pm
The Mostly Baroque Players Present
Chamber Music from the Baroque
$25 Adults/ $20 Seniors / $12.50 under 18
Saturday, January 30 at 2 pm
Mahaiwe Presents
London's National Theatre: Live in HD
Nationbased on a novel by Terry Pratchett
$23/$21 Seniors /$16 Children under 13
Thursday, February 4 at 8pm
A Prairie Home Companion: Live in HD
Garrison Keillor's public radio program
$23 Adult/$21 Seniors/ $16 Children 12 and under
Friday, February 5 at 7pm
Greenagers Presents
The Gods Must be Crazy (film screening)
$8
Saturday, February 6 at 1pm (SOLD OUT)
Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD
Verdi's Simon Boccanegra
$23 Adults / $21 Seniors / $16 Children under 13
Saturday, February 6 at 10:45am
Mahaiwe Presents
Scott Eyerly Opera Lecture about Verdi's Simon Boccanegra
$10 General Admission
Sunday, February 7 at 3pm
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Grammy Award-Winning South African Singing Group
$39 / $34 Members
Saturday, February 13 at 7pm (talk) and 8pm (movie)
Valentine's Talk by Food Historian Francine Segan Aphrodisiacs: Myth or Reality and Screening of Moonstruck (1987)
$5 Talk/ $6 Movie/$10 for Talk & Movie General Admission
Saturday, February 20 at 6pm
Close Encounters with Music Presents
A Night of Quartets (with Avalon String Quartet)
$35 / $10 Students with valid ID
Sunday, February 21, 7pm
McCoy Tyner Trio
Legendary Jazz Pianist
$67 Golden Circle/ $47/ $42 Members
Saturday February 27 at 7pm
Cherish the Ladies
All-Women Traditional Irish Band
$38 / $33 Members
Friday, March 12 at 8pm
Monument Mountain Regional High School
Pops Concert featuring trumpeter Allan Dean
$10
Saturday, March 13 at 6pm
Gould Farm Presents
Frank LaFrazia in Living With It
$20 (plus special gala packages available)
Saturday, March 20 at 6pm
Close Encounters with Music Presents
The Romantic Bach
$35 / $10 Students with valid ID
Sunday, March 21 at 3pm
Monday, March 22 at 10 am (school field trip performance)
Mahaiwe Presents
Ailey II
World-renowned African American modern dance troupe
$47/ $37 Members/ $12 Youth under 18
Saturday, March 27 at 1pm
Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD
Thomas's Hamlet
$23 Adults / $21 Seniors / $16 Children under 13
Saturday, March 27 at 10:45am
Scott Eyerly Opera Lecture about Thomas's Hamlet
$10 General Admission
Sunday, March 28 at 3pm
Great Barrington Rudolf Steiner School Presents
VOICE VII - An Evening of A Cappella
$22 General Admission / $20 Mahaiwe Members / $7 Children
Saturday, April 10 at 8pm
David Bromberg
Grammy-nominated Folk-Blues-Bluegrass-Rock Innovator
$41/ $36 Members
Friday, April 16 at 8pm
Shawn Colvin
Folk Rock Singer-Songwriter
$42/ $37 Members
Thursday, April 22 at 2pm
London's National Theatre: Live in HD
Alan Bennett's Habit of Art
$23/$21 Seniors /$16 Children under 13
Saturday, April 24 at 6pm
Close Encounters with Music Presents
Chopin and His Circle
$35 / $10 Students with valid ID
Saturday, May 1 at 1pm (SOLD OUT)
Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD
Rossini's Armida
$23 Adults / $21 Seniors / $16 Children under 13
Saturday, May 1 at 10:45am
Scott Eyerly Opera Lecture about Rossini's Armida
$10 General Admission
Saturday, May 15 at 8pm
Cowboy Junkies
Alternative Country Rock
$42/ $37 members
Sunday, May 16 at 1:30pm
Railroad Street Youth Project
10th Anniversary Celebration
$TBA
Friday, May 21 at 8pm
Berkshire Playwrights Lab Presents
Season Opening: Gala
$TBA
Saturday, May 29 at 8pm
Sunday, May 30 at 3pm (family matinee)
Paul Taylor Dance Company
Legendary Modern Dance Company
Saturday Night: $62 Golden Circle/$52/$47 Members/$22
Sunday Matinee: $62 Golden Circle/$52/$42 Members/$12 Youth 18 and under
Saturday, June 5 at 6pm
Close Encounters With Music Presents
Prague Spring - Czech Idyll
$40 / $10 students with valid ID
Sunday, July 11 at 7pm
Patti LuPone
Tony-winning Broadway Singer and Actress
$102 Golden Circle/ $70/ $67 Members
Saturday, July 31 at 8pm
Catskills on Broadway
An Evening of Borscht Belt Comedy
$67 Golden Circle/ $57 Orch/ Mezz/ $52 Members/ $37 Limited Balcony
Saturday, August 7 at 8pm
Bucky Pizzarelli & Friends
Swing Jazz Guitarist
$47 Golden Circle/ $32/ $27 Members or Balcony
Saturday, August 20 at 8pm
The Lettermen
60s Pop Vocal Group
$57 Golden Circle/ $42/ $37 Members