theater

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.

Last month I attended two plays: Where the Mountain Meets the Sea at Ancram Center for the Arts in Ancram, New York, and The Book of the Twelve in a barn in Millbrook, New York.

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.

Agatha Christie’s "The Mousetrap" is a timeless classic that has kept audiences on the edge of their seats for over 70 years and is the ultimate whodunit. When a group of strangers becomes snowbound in a remote countryside guesthouse, a chilling murder sets off a race against time to unmask the culprit.

A Schenectady theater company will receive millions of dollars in state funding to improve accessibility and upgrade its buildings.

On June 6, Tony and Grammy award winner Renée Elise Goldsberry’s debut studio album, “Who I Really Am,” was released via Borderlight Entertainment.The album coincides with the 10th anniversary of the Broadway phenom Hamilton, which saw Goldsberry win a Tony and Grammy award for originating the role of Angelica Schuyler. The album, “Who I Really Am,” blends genres in a deeply personal and sonically rich collection of songs.

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

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.

Hudson Valley Shakespeare in Garrison, New York wouldn’t be what it is without putting a Shakespeare work or two on its feet in the season under the tent. This summer, HVS presents “The Comedy of Errors” - a classic of mistaken identity and giddy mayhem.Ryan Quinn directs “The Comedy of Errors” for Hudson Valley Shakespeare and he joins us.

Kurt Rhodes and Nance Williamson star as Horace Vandergelder and Dolly Gallagher-Levi in “The Matchmaker” by Thornton Wilder at Hudson Valley Shakespeare in Garrison, New York through August 3.