Bill Marx
The Front Porch Arts Collective’s engaging revival of Katori Hall’s drama comes at a propitious time.
“If my work does have a recurrent theme, it is the pressure of the political/historical moment on individual choice.”
What has made for a successful life in the theater? Living by the values Vincent Murphy imbibed as a member of Boston Children’s Theatre in the ’60s: “cooperation, creativity, listening, and play.”
The high spirits and tolerance in this enjoyable production reinforce the director’s claim that this comedy is about expats striving for “a more balanced, egalitarian society.”
The strongest element in this Arlekin production is the indelible stage images of loss and love, death and despair, memory and resilience, dreamed up by director Igor Golyak and his talented production team.
A trio of companies — Barrington Stage Company, Great Barrington Public Theater, and, to a lesser extent, Berkshire Theater Festival — draw on the stage’s power to address our current political emergencies.
Overall, this is a satisfying production of a turn-of-the-century play that still underlines enduring economic inequity.
Back in February of 2024 I began to write a weekly column for the newsletter on Substack. A few readers have asked that I post these opinion pieces in the magazine. Here is a selection of my favorites.
Junior Programs undertook “a visionary rethinking of the potential relationship between the performing arts and the lives of the nation’s children, with the specific artistic innovations emerging organically from that rethinking”.
Arts Commentary: From the Editor’s Desk — By Popular Demand, 2025
Back in February of 2024 I began to write a weekly column for AF newsletter on Substack. A few readers have asked that I post these opinion pieces in the magazine. Here is a selection of my favorites of 2025
Read More about Arts Commentary: From the Editor’s Desk — By Popular Demand, 2025