In the ever eroding realm of print journalism yet again the deep cuts are to the arts. Berkshire theatre companies, Tanglewood, Jacob's Pillow, and museums have long relied on reviews by the New York Times and Boston Globe. As of now the Times is eliminating "regional" coverage which includes the Berkshires. In the western part of the state the arts in the Berkshires are likely to get far less attention from the Boston Globe. With its emphasis on "national" coverage the Williamstown Theatre Festival this season moved opening night from Thursday to Saturday in a perceived snub to "local" reviews including timely blogs. Other than the Eagle they also diminished access for interviews and elminated press conferences. Those polices may come back to haunt arts organizations next summer.

Director Marshall nicely controls the on stage silliness that frothy, light Shakespearean rom-coms deliver to audiences while at the same time providing the actors the opportunity to enjoy themselves. When they have a good time we have a good time.

After graduation from the BU School of Journalism David Bieber found that the only way to research and promote rock music was to collect the material. Soon his apartment was cluttered with thousands of albums and related detritus. It is the foremost archive of a formative era when Boston emerged as a major matrix for contemporary music. Now highlights of the Bieber Collection have been installed at Boston's The Verb Hotel.

The Shakers took full advantage of nature's bounty. Fresh vegetables, homegrown herbs and raised livestock were a daily feature on the Shaker menu. After experiencing one of these special 'Harvest Suppers', a realization occurred to me that there are two more meals being offered this October and that one should consider taking advantage of this opportunity.

David Lang was commissioned by the Brooklyn Academy of Music to compose an opera. The remarkable chamber opera 'the loser' is the result. Lang has lifted the author Thomas Bernhard's words, translated by Jack Dawson, intact. He can do this because the author composes with words very much as a musician composes with notes. The subject of the piece is Glenn Gould, whose uncanny ability to separate voices is the same as Bernhard's narrative schizophrenia.

Gregorian, Matthew Greene’s latest play, produced by Working Artists Theatre Project at the Walkerspace Theater, digs deep into the painful history of the Armenian people, examining the century long effects of the 1915 genocide on four generations of the Gregorian family, in which the Ottoman Empire slaughtered 1.5 million Armenians.

This is the sixteenth year of the Saratoga Wine & Food Festival. Each year, more personalities and vendors jump on the bandwagon of this significant event in upstate New York. It's popularity attracts the northeast, with Manhattan only 2.5 hours away.

Since 2004, September 17 has been officially recognized as Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, a day on which to learn about the Constitution. And there’s no better place to celebrate and learn than the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, established by Congress to “disseminate information about the United States Constitution on a non-partisan basis in order to increase the awareness and understanding of the Constitution among the American people.”

Johan Botha died today in Vienna at 51. He had suffered from liver cancer, but was scheduled to sing at the Wiener Staatsoper this fall. The September 10th performance of Turandot will be dedicated to him. He once said, “The biggest milestone for me is to make people happy and smile.”

Shakespeare & Company announces that actor and director, Allyn Burrows, a long-time member of the Company, has been named its new Artistic Director.

Burma and Tibet as neighbors, Yunnan is a culturally, ethnically, and geographically diverse, fascinating region of China. Sixteen of China's fifty six ethnic populations live in Kunming, the capital city. Kunming is a vibrant modern city with urban attractions, yet retaining old-fashioned charm and folkloric color.

Hancock Shaker Village is world renowned for its useful simplicity. A visit to this wonderful community, located in Pittsfield, Massachusetts is a rewarding experience. On September 9th, a Shaker auction will take place, as well as the first of a series of Shaker Harvest Suppers.

“The Rothschilds” is based on a real-life European family whose members established a powerhouse banking operation and secured rights for their fellow Jews during a time of anti-Semitism in late 18th century Europe. Family members faced boulder-size odds throughout their efforts, making their dream seem impossible.

With a magnificent ocean view from the terrace Pigeon Cove Tavern at the Emerson Inn in Rockport coudn't have been better. There was a perfect mix of fine dining, ambiance and impreccabler service.

The 2016 Tanglewood season come to a close with a long time commitment from Conductor Andris Nelsons to lead the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 2017.

This production is worth seeing less, I believe, for a seldom-seen, lesser Ibsen play, than for a sensitively directed, brilliant cast. The plot development may be drawn out and repetitious, but its dramatic effect onstage is mesmerizing.

For 24 years Carl Belz was the director of the Rose Art Museum where he was a champion of regional artists with an emphasis on women. There was an annual major exhibition sponsored by Lois Foster who was later instrumental in his ouster when she and her husband Henry were the primary donors of an addition in their name designed by Graham Gund. Belz passed away recently at the age of 78.

Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Nilo Cruz spins a lyrical drama centering on the long forgotten voyage of the St. Louis, which carried 939 German Jews seeking asylum. They were turned away and 234 ultimately died in concentration camps. "I can't believe this is happening again," Bernadette, the protagonist, says toward the end of Sotto Voce. The plight of these refugees seems reenacted in today's conflicts.

A number of quirky little subversive gems a made for a delightful summer. “The Lobster” had only a limited release in March and came into the theaters of middle America at the end of May, making it, by default, a summer movie for those of us not living in New York or LA. Then came “Swiss Army Man,” “Wiener-Dog,” “Captain Fantastic” and “Hunt for the Wilderpeople.”

Mark Morris is billed as a musician, and has, in fact, been music director of the Ojai Festival. He is clearly a musicians’ musician and knows as much about music as most professionals. His main gig is choreography. He insists on using live ‘bands,’ in this case, the Mostly Mozart Orchestra. Morris channels Mozart's notes in surprising and apt movements.

Two pianos. Four hands. One heart. A spiritual beauty lurks in the origins of Messiaen's music. Certainly duo pianists Michelle and Christina Naughton seem spiritually bound to one another, although there a sparks of difference. This does not suggest conflict, but rather an opportunity to work to achieve unity, as Messiaen must have worked to embrace his God in the face of the Nazi occupation of France.

Antoni Cimolino’s production is showy, full of brilliant moments, superbly cast, and elaborately staged. But what should be a souffle soon begins to feel like a heavy, overfilled, over-spiced stew.

Peter Sellars suggested that Julia Bullock interpret Josephine Baker. The young African American, who is more interested in creating musical moments than she is in taking on conventional opera roles, is riveting as Baker in a piece composed by Tyshawn Sorey.

Love is the theme connecting the five productions of the Santa Fe Opera 2016 Festival. Leading off one week of the season was Don Giovanni, where an attempted rape and then a murder jumpstart the opera. The Don is a questionable subject for the discussion of love, as the Don mows down woman after woman in his quest for the Guinness Book of Records first place position as the world’s best, or most effective, seducer. Yet love triumphs.

The production of A Chorus Line which opened the 85th season of Footlight Players in Charleston was so fresh and lively that it was hard to fathom that the musical premiered some four decades ago. The smallish stage was packed with 26 hopefuls auditioning for just eight roles.