Bob Goepfert

The Shakespeare & Company production of August Wilson’s “The Piano Lesson” proves why the play, first produced on Broadway in 1990, deserved winning the Pulitzer Prize for drama as well as the Tony Award for Best Play.

My first impression of “Joan,” a play about Joan Rivers playing at Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield, MA, was that it felt like a juke box musical without any music.

One of the best things about theater is when a show without a strong reputation proves a very special experience. That was my experience with “The Little Mermaid” which is being presented by Playhouse Stage at Cohoes Music Hal through August 17.

At some places, like the Lake George Dinner Theatre, the enjoyment you get is greater than the sum of its parts.

“Once”, a bittersweet romantic musical, is an ideal way to close out Maggie Mancinelli- Cahill’s 30-year tenure as the company’s Producing-Artistic Director.

One of Park Playhouse’s greatest assets is their pool of young talent. Indeed, this summer’s production of “Oklahoma” uses many of their former students who were trained by their own Playhouse Academy.

There’s an old saying that claims, “There is no such thing as a free lunch.” That seems wise, but such a simple statement can be complex. Park Playhouse is the theater company beginning a four week run of “Oklahoma” in Albany’s Washington Park. It’s first performance is Tuesday.

The only problem with the Opera Saratoga season is that it’s too short. In only two weeks the company is offering only our productions of “La Vie Parisienne,” five productions of “She Loves Me,” and two offerings of the experimental work “A Mass For Women’s Bathrooms.”

This is officially the first weekend of summer and the summer theater companies are flourishing.

Though far from a perfect play, “N/A” is an intriguing look at backroom politics. The work offered at Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield, MA, pits reason versus passion in politics. If you are more WOKE rather than MAGA you should enjoy this production.