(GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass.) – Broadway musical stars Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin headline a gala benefit concert at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center on Sunday, October 14, 2012, at 7 p.m. The gala fills out a previously announced fall performance lineup that includes reggae legends Toots and the Maytals (November 4) and bluesman Keb’ Mo’ (October 18). The fall season at the Mahaiwe will also continue the restored theater’s screenings of Live in HD broadcasts by London’s National Theatre and the Metropolitan Opera and classic movies, as well as a two-night run of Menopause The Musical (December 4 and December 5).

“This fall, we’re excited to share three different Grammy-winning performing groups ranging from blues to reggae to Motown sounds on our stage, and international stars from London and the Metropolitan Opera on our big screen,” said Mahaiwe executive director Beryl Jolly.  “We’re also honored to turn double-headers into grand slams by offering our audiences very special opportunities to see two stars in one special night’s event, such as with our 2012 benefit performance”.

Tony Award-winning Broadway virtuosos (and lifelong friends) Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin reunite on stage for “An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin,” their first production together since Evita on Sunday, October 14, at 7pm in a gala evening to benefit the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center and to honor John Hoyt Stookey. More than a cabaret act, this fully-staged production is a unique musical love story told entirely through great songs written for the stage. Tickets are $75 (with limited Upper Balcony seats) to $150 (for tickets and a tax deductible donation)  as well as additional opportunities for post-show reception with the artists.

The gala evening will inaugurate the John Hoyt Stookey Fund for Programmatic Excellence to support the Mahaiwe’s efforts to bring incredible talents to the Berkshires on a year-round basis. Mr. Stookey was the first board member to join founder Lola Jaffe in 2002 when the nonprofit organization was formed and has been an active participant in its exhilarating decade ever since.

The Mahaiwe will present three London’s National Theatre: Live in HD broadcasts, including The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Simon Stephens’s imaginativ estage adaptation of Mark Haddon’s internationally renowned, multi-award-winning novel, directed by Marianne Elliott, who co-directed the globally successful stage production of War Horse for the National, for which she won a Tony Award in 2011 (Thursday, September 6 at 7pm and an encore broadcast on Saturday, September 15 at 7pm); Stephen Beresford’s The Last of the Haussmans, which examines the fate of the 1960s revolutionary generation and offers a funny, touching, and at times savage portrait of a family full of longing that’s losing its grip (Thursday, October 11 at 7pm and an encore broadcast on Saturday, October 13 at 7pm); and Timon of Athens, with Simon Russell Beale playing the title role in Shakespeare’s strange fable of conspicuous consumption, debt and ruin (Thursday, November 1 at 7pm and an encore broadcast on Saturday, November 10 at 7pm). Tickets are $18 to $25.

Upcoming cinema offerings include a Mahaiwe Movie of the Month screening of The Manchurian Candidate (1962, Rated PG) on Friday, September 14 at 7pm and The Wizard of Oz (1939, Rated G) on Saturday, November 24 at 3pm and 7pm. Tickets are $6 (general admission). Mahaiwe Movies of the Month are sponsored by Don Buchwald & Associates.

The Met: Live in HD schedule includes Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore (Saturday, October 13 at 1pm and an encore presentation on Sunday, October 21 at 1pm); Verdi’s Otello (Saturday, October 27 at 1pm and an encore presentation on Wednesday, November 7 at 1pm); Adès’s The Tempest (Saturday, November 10 at 1pm and an encore presentation on Wednesday, November 21 at 1pm); Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito (Saturday, December 1 at 1pm and an encore presentation on Wednesday, December 12 at 1pm); Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera (Saturday, December 8 at 1pm and an encore presentation on Wednesday, December 19 at 1pm); Verdi’s Aida (Saturday, December 15 at 1pm and an encore presentation on Wednesday, December 26 at 1pm); Berlioz’s Les Troyens (Saturday, January 5 at noon and an encore presentation on Wednesday, January 16 at noon); Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda (Saturday, January 19 at 1pm and an encore presentation on Wednesday, January 30 at 1pm); Verdi’s Rigoletto (Saturday, February 16 at 1pm and an encore presentation on Sunday, February 24 at 1pm); Wagner’s Parsifal (Saturday, March 2 at noon and an encore presentation on Wednesday, March 13 at noon); Zandonai’s Francesca da Rimini (Saturday, March 16 at noon and an encore presentation on Wednesday, March 27 at noon); and Handel’s Giulio Cesare (Saturday, April 27 at noon and an encore presentation on Sunday, May 5 at noon). Tickets are $18 to $25. Tickets go on sale to Mahaiwe members on August 31 and to the general public on September 5.

The Met: Live in HD, the Metropolitan Opera’s award-winning series of live transmissions to movie theatres around the world, has expanded its worldwide distribution to 1,600 theatres in 54 countries, the largest global audience the initiative has ever reached. The 2012-13 Live in HD season features many of the opera world’s most prominent stars, including Renée Fleming, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, and Anna Netrebko. Due to popular demand, the Mahaiwe has added an encore screening for each of the broadcasts.

Opera expert Scott Eyerly gives an introductory talk about each Met opera at the Mahaiwe before its live broadcast. Mixing erudition and humor, Eyerly’s lectures enhance the opera-goer’s experience. All interested community members are welcome to attend these educational seminars whether attending the broadcast or not.

As previously announced, Keb’ Mo’ and his band perform on Thursday, October 18, 2012, at 7:30pm. A singer, guitarist and songwriter, Keb’ Mo’ is a three-time Grammy Award winner for the Best Contemporary Blues Album and a key figure in the acclaimed 2003 PBS series Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues. He is a living link to the seminal Delta blues that traveled up the Mississippi River and across the expanse of America.  His post-modern blues style is influenced by many eras and genres, including folk, rock, jazz, and pop. Tickets are $55 to $75.

Reggae legends Toots and the Maytals – led by Frederick “Toots” Hibbert – will perform an unplugged acoustic concert on Sunday, November 4, 2012, at 7pm. The group began recording in the early 1960s and has released more than 20 studio albums, achieving a record-breaking 31 #1 reggae hits in Jamaica, including “Do the Reggay,” “Pressure Drop,” and “Monkey Man.” They earned a Grammy in 2005 for True Love, on which their classic songs were re-recorded alongside artists such as Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, No Doubt, and The Roots. Artists such as Amy Winehouse and Sublime have re-recorded Toots and the Maytals tracks, and the group has toured with The Rolling Stones, Dave Matthews, and Sheryl Crow. Tickets are $41 to $46.

The group currently performing as Motown superstars The Temptations will appear on Sunday, December 2, 2012, at 7pm. Original member Otis Williams leads The Temptations in this marathon of hits including “Get Ready,” “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg,” “Just My Imagination” and “My Girl.” In addition to Williams, the current lineup includes Ron Tyson, Terry Weeks, Joe Herndon, and Bruce Williamson. Tickets are $50 to $80.

The Mahaiwe will also host a wide variety of community events this fall presented by Berkshire Bach Society, Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, Close Encounters With Music, Fairview Hospital, Music in Common, and Deborah Zecher’s benefit for Construct’s Fuel Assistance Fund.

Recently launched Mahaiwe ArtSmart Tix is an initiative that offers $15 tickets to patrons ages 30 and younger to all Mahaiwe performances and is sponsored, in part, by Berkshire Gas. Ticket quantities are limited and available on a first come, first served basis for each show. Valid ID required. The discounted tickets apply to all Mahaiwe events, which include dance and music performances.

The Mahaiwe is located at 14 Castle Street in Great Barrington, Mass. Box Office Hours: Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 6pm and three hours before show times. For tickets and information, visit Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center or call 413.528.0100.