See How They Run at Barrington Stage, August 9-26, 2012. (l to r) Michele Tauber, Michael Brusasco and Dina Thomas (photo: Kevin Sprague)

by Gail Burns and Larry Murray. For the Berkshire-Capital region’s most comprehensive listing of theatre offerings visit GailSez.org.

Larry Murray: See How They Run is the comedy that I have been waiting for all summer, funny, and farcical, with the unique humor we associate with the British. While French farce has its characters unexpectedly popping out of various doors, See How They Run lives up to its title and the love the Brits have of chase scenes, each appearance slightly crazier than the last.

Gail Burns: “Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot.” – Mark Twain

I am sure Philip King had this famous quotation from Mark Twain in mind when he wrote this back in 1944. In the grand tradition of British farce it is full of sound and fury, signifying absolutely nothing. If you are in the mood for a door-slamming, face-slapping, vicars-in-their-knickers good time, this is the play for you!

Larry: We have to thank Barrington Stage Company for resurrecting this British gem because from what I can see, it never had a Broadway run. Yet it is one of the most popular plays for community groups to perform in the USA. You know, in London, on opening night in 1944 the war was still on and three bombs went off nearby, causing one of the actors to complain that they drowned out his funniest lines. But that audience didn’t budge. Judging from the opening night laughter, it is as funny in 2012 as it was 68 years ago.

Click to read the rest at Berkshire on Stage.

The cast and setting for All My Sons (photo: Kevin Sprague)

Larry Murray: If we compiled a list of the one hundred essential plays everyone should see, wouldn’t you include All My Sons since it is, well, the most Arthur Miller-ish of his many Broadway successes which include The Crucible, Death of a Salesman, View from the Bridge and many others.

Gail Burns: I was warned before I went to see All My Sons for the first time many years ago, that it was a good play, but out of date. That advice was dead wrong. All My Sons is a perfect play, meticulously structured, and painfully timely in its message.

I actually like this the best of all the Miller plays I have seen and read. It was the tenth play he wrote and he had decided that if it was not a reasonable success he would give up playwriting and pursue a different dream. Luckily for the theatre world All My Sons was Miller’s first commercial success, winning Tonys for Miller as Best Script and the production for Best Play of 1947. Imagine, without it none of the plays you just named would have been written. American drama in the second half of the 20th century would have looked and sounded very different indeed.

Larry: I would also recommend this production at Barrington Stage Company since it is competent, respectful of the author’s intentions and as professional as you will get anywhere in the world. It has so many elements going for it, like family secrets, a disillusioned son, and most important, the sort of morality tale that Julianne Boyd, who directed, loves to bring to the stage.

Click to read the rest at Berkshire on Stage.

Debra Jo Rupp shines brightly as Dr. Ruth Westheimer. Under Julianne Boyd’s direction, Dr. Ruth felt she was watching herself on stage. (photo: Debra Jo Rupp shines brightly as Dr. Ruth Westheimer. Under Julianne Boyd’s direction, Dr. Ruth felt she was watching herself on stage. (photo: Kevin Sprague)

Larry Murray: Throughout my life I have looked closely at successful people for a good role model to learn from. Dr. Ruth Westheimer may be it. The play that Mark St. Germain wrote about her received its world premiere last night at Barrington Stage Company. The playwright spent months with her and last night we joined her on her journey, in one of the finest stage productions I have seen in the past decade. Biography on stage doesn’t always work, but the gods were with us on this one. Did you have a similar reaction, that we were witnessing something not only original, but also transformative?

Gail Burns: Absolutely! This play, this production, this performance are inspiring and life-affirming, as well as being highly entertaining. And for me having Dr. Ruth herself so obviously and enthusiastically in the house enjoying the show made the play especially poignant to me. You cannot fool the person who lived this story and so I thoroughly believed that every word of what I was seeing was true in some way to Dr. Ruth, her personal ethos, and her story.

Larry: I find it difficult to put my finger on the key element that made this evening of theatre so rewarding. It comes down to whether it was the subject matter, Julianne Boy’s direction or Debra Jo Rupp’s portrayal, right down to that famous accent.

Gail: This is a production where all the pieces fall perfectly in place. One-person shows can become talking-heads, but there is never a dull moment as Boyd has Rupp flying all over Brian Prather’s wonderful set. Indeed I don’t believe Dr. Ruth is ever idle in real life! St. Germain employs the “audience as guests” technique, so Rupp is speaking directly to you, inviting you into the story.

Click to read the rest at Berkshire on Stage.