Nina Arianda
SAM ROCKWELL and NINA ARIANDA STAR in SAM SHEPARD’S ‘FOOL FOR LOVE’ at WTF
(WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.) –Tony Award-winner Nina Arianda and stage and screen actor Sam Rockwell star in Sam Shepard’s modern classic, “Fool for Love,” playing the Nikos Stage at Williamstown Theatre Festival from Thursday, July 24, through Saturday, August 2, 2014.
Bang on a Can Allstars (photo Peter Serling)
BANG ON A CAN ‘PLAYS ART’ at MASS MoCA
(NORTH ADAMS, Mass.) — The 13th annual Bang on a Can Summer Music Festival at MASS MoCA will feature Bang on a Can Plays Art, a week-long, new music extravaganza comprising 14 concerts in 8 days, from Saturday, July 26 through Sunday, August 2, with music that draws inspiration from the visual art on exhibit in the galleries at MASS MoCA, performed by the festival fellows, Bang on a Can All-Stars, and special guests Steve Reich and Glenn Kotche (of Wilco). Each concert will showcase music that interacts with the art on various levels – stylistically, thematically, and whimsically.
Ellie Dehn in ‘Euryanthe’ (photo Cory Weaver)
WEBER’S EURYANTHE GETS FIRST AMERICAN STAGING in a CENTURY at BARD SUMMERSCAPE
(ANNANDALE-on-HUDSON, N.Y.) – “Euryanthe,” the 1823 opera by Carl Maria von Weber, receives its first American revival in 100 years at Bard SummerScape beginning Friday, July 25, and running for five performances through August 3. Starring Ellie Dehn, “a charismatic soprano with great stage presence” (Wall Street Journal), Bard’s original staging features the festival’s resident American Symphony Orchestra under the leadership of music director Leon Botstein.
SIMI STONE BRINGS ‘MOUNTAIN MOTOWN,’ ALL-STAR BAND, to HELSINKI HUDSON
(HUDSON, N.Y.) – If you only go to one concert this year, go see Woodstock-based soul-rock singer-songwriter Simi Stoneplay her signature brand of “Mountain Motown” music with her all-star band comprised of bandmates of David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, the B-52s, and Gang of Four at Club Helsinki Hudson on Saturday, July 26, at 9pm. Also at Helsinki this weekend are Magnetic Fields’ frontman Stephin Merritt on Friday at 9, and Grammy Award singer-songwriter Marc Cohn on Sunday at 8.
James Naughton
JAMES NAUGHTON STARS in NEW ONE-MAN COMEDY at BTF
(STOCKBRIDGE, Mass.) – Two-time Tony Award-winning actor James Naughton stars in the world premiere of “Cedars,” a one-man comedy by Erik Tarloff, directed by Naughton’s daughter, Keira Naughton, running at the Fitzpatrick Main Stage at Berkshire Theatre Group’s Stockbridge campus from Wednesday, July 23 through Sunday, August 9, at 8pm.
Patty Larkin
PATTY LARKIN BRINGS URBAN FOLK-POP to BRADLEY FARM SERIES
(LANESBOROUGH, Mass.) – Singer-songwriter Patty Larkin, an avatar of the new-folk scene for over 25 years, performs at the new Seeds of Harmony Saturday Evening Concert Series at the Coop on Bradley Farm on Saturday, July 26, at 6:30pm. Larkin is equally known for her incisive songwriting, her mellifluous voice, her affable stage presence, and her virtuosic guitar-playing, connecting the dots between Joni Mitchell and Ani DiFranco.
TOMMY TUNE TAPS, TALKS, and SINGS at BARRINGTON STAGE
(PITTSFIELD, Mass.) – Nine-time Tony Award-winner Tommy Tune kicks off the 2014 Summer Concert Series at Barrington Stage Company (BSC), with his program, “Taps, Tunes, and Tall Tales” on Monday, July 28, at 8pm.
MUSICAL HUMORIST PETER SCHICKELE BRINGS P.D.Q. BACH to THE COLONIAL
(PITTSFIELD, Mass.) – Musical Humorist Peter Schickele, best known for his public radio program “Schickele Mix” and his alter ego, composer P.D.Q. Bach, will perform “50 Years of P.D.Q. Bach: A Triumph of Incompetence” at the Colonial Theatre on Saturday, July 26, at 8pm.
Steve Wynn of the Baseball Project
MEMBERS of REM, DREAM SYNDICATE to SING ABOUT BASEBALL at HELSINKI HUDSON
(HUDSON, N.Y.) – The Baseball Project, a rock ‘n’ roll supergroup featuring members of R.E.M., Dream Syndicate, Hindu Love Gods and Young Fresh Fellows, bring their growing body of songs about America’s national pastime to Club Helsinki Hudson on Wednesday, July 23, at 8pm. The group was one of the surprise hits at the original Solid Sound Festival at MASS MoCA five years ago.
Works by Robbie Heidinger
HILLTOWN POTTERS OPEN STUDIOS for WEEKEND
(THE BERKSHIRES and PIONEER VALLEY) – A group of nationally recognized potters based in the Hilltowns of Western Massachusetts will open their studios for the annual Hilltown 6 Pottery Tour, a coordinated tour of their workshops, kilns, showrooms, and new work on Saturday and Sunday, July 26 and 27. The tour includes talks and demonstrations, and takes place in Ashfield, Cummington, Worthington, and Westhampton.
Stephen Merritt
MAGNETIC FIELDS’ STEPHIN MERRITT to PERFORM SOLO CONCERT at HELSINKI HUDSON
(HUDSON, N.Y.) – Hudson’s own Stephin Merritt, best known as frontman of his indie-pop group, The Magnetic Fields, will perform a solo concert at Club Helsinki Hudsonon Friday, July 25, at 9pm.
Jennifer Rohn
ONE-WOMAN COMEDY ‘HIGH DIVE’ at CHESTER THEATRE COMPANY
(CHESTER, Mass.) – “High Dive,” a one-woman comedy by Leslie Ayvazian that relies on audience participation, will get a special three-night run from July 22 through July 24 at Chester Theatre Company as part of its 25th anniversary celebration. The production stars Jennifer Rohn in her sixth CTC appearance.
Renee Fleming (photo Decca/Andrew Eccles)
RENEE FLEMING STARS in GARSON KANIN REMAKE ‘LIVING ON LOVE’ at WTF
(WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.) – World-renowned soprano Renée Fleming stars in the world premiere of Joe DiPietro’s “Living on Love,” based on the play “Peccadillo” by Garson Kanin, at Williamstown Theatre Festival, running on the Main Stage through Saturday, July 26.
ALAN TURING BIO-DRAMA ‘BREAKING THE CODE’ at BARRINGTON STAGE
(PITTSFIELD, Mass.) – “Breaking the Code,” Hugh Whitemore’s biographical drama of Alan Turing, the famed mathematician and computer science pioneer who solved the German Enigma code during World War II, is at Barrington Stage Company through Saturday, August 2.
Kire Tosevski
BEETHOVEN GETS MUSIC-THEATER TREATMENT at THE MOUNT
(LENOX, Mass.) – “Beethoven Love Elegies,” a dramatic program interweaving a script drawn from Beethoven’s letters and diaries and accounts by his contemporaries with performances of some of his greatest known works, will be performed by the Ensemble for the Romantic Century (ERC) as a fully staged theatrical concert at the Stables Theatre at The Mount through Sunday, August 3.
CAPITOL STEPS RETURNS to CRANWELL for 2014 SUMMER SEASON
(LENOX, Mass.) – The award-winning musical satire group Capitol Steps is back in residence at Cranwell Resort now through Sunday, August 31, with nightly shows at 8pm except Tuesdays. The Capitol Steps began as a group of Senate staffers who set out to satirize the very people and places that employed them. They’ve also been featured on NBC, CBS, ABC, and PBS, and can be heard 4 times a year on National Public Radio stations nationwide during their “Politics Takes a Holiday” radio specials.
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GRAMMY-WINNER MARC COHN to PERFORM at HELSINKI HUDSON
(HUDSON, N.Y.) – Grammy Award-winning folk-rock singer songwriter Marc Cohn, best known for the hit song, “Walking in Memphis,” will perform an intimate gig at Club Helsinki Hudson on Sunday, July 27, at 8pm. Singer-songwriter Amber Rubarth will warm up the crowd for Cohn.
ELSEWHERE ON THE WEB:
Paul Taylor Dance at the Mahaiwe
Mark Morris Dance Group at Jacob’s Pillow
The Actors’ Ensemble in “Mrs. Ripley’s Trip” and “Uncle Ethan Ripley” at PS21
‘The Golem of Havana’ at Barrington Stage Company