Posts Tagged ‘Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center’

Friday Night Circus: Cirque vs. Cirque

Thursday, April 25th, 2013

Yes, the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus marches into the Times Union Center for an eight-show stand following next Thursday’s (May 2) elephant parade, but for those of us who prefer an animal-free circus experience, it’s time for a flip of the coin on Friday night (April 26).

WHAT: Cirque Zuma Zuma puts an African spin on circus skills.
WHERE: Proctors’ Mainstage, Schenectady.
THE BLURB: “Acrobats, tumblers, lion dancers, contortionists, singers and gymnasts band together for the high-flying, off-the-wall spectacle of rhythmic music and pulse-pounding movement that could only be Cirque Zuma Zuma. Skilled youngsters from 16 African nations present this extraordinary display of circus skills and nonstop action that will thrill you to the edge of your seat.”
WHEN: 8pm Friday
HOW MUCH: $20, $40, $45 & $50

WHAT: Cirque Shanghai puts an Asian spin on circus skills.
WHERE: Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, Great Barrington
THE BLURB: “A visually spectacular production combing astounding Chinese acrobatics, fast-paced action, and contemporary staging. Dating back to the Han Dynasty more than 2,000 years ago, Chinese acrobatic spectacles were first called “bai xi,” meaning “100 amazing acts,” in reference to the performers’ seemingly limitless skills. Today, “Bai Xi” brings this on-stage wonder to 21st century audiences via aerial acrobatics, plate spinning, contortion, balancing acts, hoop diving, martial arts and more.
WHEN: 7pm Friday
HOW MUCH: $35; ages 12 and under $25.

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Dozens of Berkshire Holiday Performances, Concerts Scheduled for December [Berkshire on Stage]

Thursday, November 29th, 2012

Herewith, an all-in-one review of upcoming performances in the Berkshires, in chronological order, based on news releases we have received as of Thanksgiving week.

David Joseph Hansen Leads The Santaland Diaries through Dec. 30 at Shakespeare & Company

Shakespeare & Company’s annual production of David Sedaris’ irreverent Christmas memoir, The Santaland Diaries is getting ready to tickle everyone’s funny bone while taking a sardonic look at the big Holiday. Once again directed by Artistic Director Tony Simotes, this will be the third and final year Shakespeare & Company calls on an actor to don the regulation pointy-toed socks. This year, Shakespeare & Company welcomes longtime Company member David Joseph Hansen to play Sedaris’ less-than-merry autobiographical self, Crumpet the Elf.

The Santaland Diaries is the occasionally subversive, alarmingly clever, engagingly poignant, and always rib-tickling account of Mr. Sedaris’ time as a Christmas elf in the famous Macy’s Santaland. The essay on which the play is based propelled Sedaris into the national spotlight when it was first published, and is now a modern holiday classic. After applying for the position as a gag job, our hero is suddenly thrown into a world of tinsel, fake snow, Santas who are more naughty than nice, and all the cringe-worthy trappings of the Macy’s Santaland. Our reluctant protagonist guides us through the yuletide nightmare with a wryly satiric attitude, but even he may eventually find himself filled with holiday cheer. A true tale of redemption and good will, The Santaland Diaries is a hilarious depiction of what the modern holidays are all about.

Click to read the rest at Berkshire on Stage.

Paul Winter Sextet at Mahaiwe PAC, June 6-7 [Berkshire on Stage]

Tuesday, June 5th, 2012
Paul Winter

Paul Winter and his sextet will be in top form. The concerts are being filmed for posterity.

Paul Winter’s first band, back half a century ago when he was a student at Northwestern University, was the Paul Winter Sextet. It has a history that is both tragic and uplifting. To mark the 50th Anniversary of his first band, and to capture the group for posterity, Paul Winter returns for two reunion concerts at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center on June 6 & 7, at 7:30pm. The concert will be filmed.

The band will include four of the original Sextet members – pianist Warren Bernhardt, drummer Harold Jones, bassist Cecil McBee, and Paul Winter on alto sax – along with trumpeter Marvin Stamm and baritone saxist Howard Johnson.

Click to read the rest at Berkshire on Stage.

Close Encounters With Music Plans Eight Concerts, Events in First Half of 2012 [Berkshire on Stage]

Friday, February 24th, 2012
The Daedalus Quartet from left to right: Jessica Thompson, viola; Raman Ramakrishnan, cello; Min-Young Kim, violin; Ara Gregorian, violin (photo by Janette Beckman)

The Daedalus Quartet from left to right: Jessica Thompson, viola; Raman Ramakrishnan, cello; Min-Young Kim, violin; Ara Gregorian, violin (photo by Janette Beckman)

From our News Desk: Now in their 20th year of presenting outstanding chamber music with lively commentary, Close Encounters With Music (CEWM) continues to expand its original programming of classical, contemporary and cutting-edge music in the first half of 2012. CEWM offers world-renowned musicians, some well known, others less so. In 2012 the series will introduce one of the foremost pipa players in the world, offer a Midwinter Fireside Concert with the piano yrio TROIKA, and revisit one of the most evocative periods in cultural history—the Roaring Twenties.

Click to read the rest at Berkshire on Stage.

Festival Fever: Berkshire International Film Festival, 6/3-6

Friday, June 4th, 2010

Following Thursday’s opening night documentary double-bill screenings of “Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work” and “Keep Dancing,” the fifth annual Berkshire International Film Festival is in full swing.

Tonight’s awards ceremonies take place at 7:30pm at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington. The honoree as the winner of the 2010 BIFF Achievement in Film Award is actress Patricia Clarkson, and following the awards presentation, the fest will screen Clarkson’s upcoming film, “Cairo Time,” at 8:30pm.

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LIVE: Cowboy Junkies @ Revolution Hall, 5/7/10

Monday, May 10th, 2010

Here’s something that you certainly don’t see very often – someone sitting demurely cross-legged on a stool, sipping tea as she sings a Rolling Stones cover.

And that’s precisely what makes Cowboy Junkies such a compelling band. The unexpected twist.

Truth of the matter is, Margo Timmins delivered one of her best vocal performances of the night on “Moonlight Mile.”

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James Taylor Adds 2nd Haitian Benefit Concert at Mahaiwe

Tuesday, January 19th, 2010

James Taylor has added a second benefit concert for Haiti at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington, Mass. at 8pm Saturday (January 23).

“The need in Haiti is so great and our community in the Berkshires is so generous. Performing another concert is the least I can do, and, fortunately, the Mahaiwe is free the next night,” Taylor said.

Tickets to Taylor’s Friday night benefit concert for Haiti sold out in 90 minutes when they went on sale at 9am today. The Friday night concert raised $150,000 for Partners in Health, which Taylor and his wife Kim then matched, bringing the total amount raised for Haitian relief to $300,000.

Tickets for the Saturday concert, “Help for Haiti: An Intimate Evening with James Taylor,” are $100 (balcony), $200 (orchestra and mezzanine) and $1,000 (golden circle including private, post-show reception with the artists).

Tickets will go on sale at 9am on Wednesday (January 20) online and in person at the Mahaiwe box office at 14 Castle Street in Great Barrington, Mass. No phone sales are available for this concert. Limit four tickets per person.

Taylor will be accompanied by longtime backup vocalists Kate Markowitz and Arnold McCuller, his wife Kim Taylor and Boston Symphony Orchestra cellist and frequent sideman Owen Young.

Proceeds from the show, plus a matching amount from Kim and James Taylor, will be donated to Partners in Health.

Taylor’s Friday night performance will also be simulcast on WAMC Northeast Public Radio, and phone pledges will be taken from listeners during the broadcast.

Be Here Now: Help for Haiti: An Intimate Evening with James Taylor @ Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, 1/22/10

Tuesday, January 19th, 2010

From Seth Rogovoy at Berkshire Living comes word that James Taylor will perform a benefit concert for Haiti at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington this Friday, January 22 at 8pm. Tickets are available online and in person at the Mahaiwe box office.

Taylor will be accompanied by longtime backup vocalists Kate Markowitz and Arnold McCuller, his wife, Kim Taylor, and Boston Symphony Orchestra cellist and frequent sideman Owen Young.

Proceeds from the show, plus a matching amount from Kim and James Taylor, will be donated to Partners in Health. The event will also be simulcast on WAMC Northeast Public Radio, and phone pledges will be taken from listeners during the broadcast.

UPDATE: This concert is now sold out.

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