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Some busy and exciting weeks ahead for the arts

Even though it is only the second full week of July, for the arts the next couple of weeks might be thought of as the heart of the summer season.

This week the New York City Ballet performs at SPAC. After two seasons, the full company of over 90 dancers return. It should be an exciting week.

At Tanglewood the Boston Symphony performs today and Monday in Lenox, MA. On Friday the Boston Pops performs the score of “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.” And. Of course, the other days are filled by fabulous music.

And if contemporary dance is your thing, at Beckett, MA, Jacob’s Pillow the legendary home to contemporary dance is in full swing presenting the finest national and international dance companies in the world. They perform on two indoor stages and one outdoor space. It is a magical spot.

As for theater, it’s everywhere. Currently running at Williamstown Theatre Festival is “A Man Of God.” It’s an unusual play about female empowerment which is defined as a mystery-comedy by the company.

It‘s about four teenage girls who while travelling as a religious group discover a camera in their bathroom. When they find it was placed there by their pastor they are conflicted by their faith in God, authority and doing the right thing. Their problem is the four agreeing on the right thing as appropriate retaliation. It continues in the Nikos Theater through July 22.

There is joyful music in Pittsfield. What would you expect from a show set in Ireland? The romantic musical “Once” just opened at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield, MA. Produced by the Berkshire Theatre Group it runs until July 16. This is a work to see if you just want to be captivated by lovely music and understand how it comforts the lives of a charming couple.

On Thursday at the main stage “Most Happy in Concert” opens at Williamstown on Thursday and continues through July 31. It’s concert version of Frank Loesser’s opera-like musical “The Most Happy Fella.’ What makes this an exciting event it is conceived and directed by Daniel Fish, who is noted for his Tony Award-winning controversial reinvention of “Oklahoma” a few seasons ago.

It’s not all about musicals. Barrington Stage Company opens “ABCD” on Wednesday. Based on a true, real school cheating incident in the early 2000’s, the play examines the pressure to perform well on standardized tests. One is an underserved school on the edge of being shut down. The other is an elite, exclusive high school. The pressure for success is different in each school, but daunting nonetheless. It’s a story of the inequities in our society, but it is equally a story about the pressures teachers and students live with on a daily basis.

As for the classics, Shakespeare’s romantic-comedy, “Much Ado About Nothing” opens at Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, MA on Friday and runs in repertory through August 14. The work is best known for its love-hate relationship between the strong-willed Beatrice and the equally thick-headed Benedick. The constantly bickering couple have to be tricked into realizing they really love each other.

Perhaps the most intriguing opening of the week is at Adirondack Theatre Festival at the Charles Wood Theatre in Glens Falls where they are offering a stage adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit.” In the extremely athletic work five actors become goblins, spiders, wolves, elves, eagles and residents of Middle Earth to save the homeland. It appears to be one of the more imaginative offerings of the summer. It plays Thursdays to Sundays tonight through July 17.

Closer to home, on Friday, Capital Repertory Theatre in Albany begins previews for the musical “Jersey Boys.” And in Washington Park in Albany Park Playhouse continues in delightful run of the Go-Go’s musical “Head Over Heels.” It continues through July 23.

I I think it’s safe to say, there’s a full season of entertainment going on in a very short time. Enjoy..

Bob Goepfert is theater reviewer for the Troy Record.

The views expressed by commentators are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.

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