THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 31, 1994 TAG: 9407280085
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TERESA ANNAS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 231 lines
A CHEERY BUNCH of theater patrons, their faces lit by anticipation and afternoon sun, shuffles into the ornate drawing room.
It is early July and they are on the main floor of The Mount in Lenox, Mass., summer home of author Edith Wharton from 1901 to 1911.
Wharton's upper-crust society, which she satirized in ``The Age of Innocence'' and other acclaimed books, would have winced at their attire.
Shorts and scant sundresses for theater. Really!
Unaware of Wharton's finger-wagging spirit, the 75 guests fill three tiers of folding chairs set up at either end of the 20-by-25-foot room. A young woman with bare, unshaved legs - Edith, the smelling salts! - gives a curtain speech about Wharton. A rigorous enunciator, she explains that the two one-act plays about to be presented were based on two of Wharton's short stories - ``Soul's Belated'' and ``Xingu.''
Then she prods for donations on behalf of Shakespeare & Company, which has presented Shakespeare, Wharton stories and the classics for 17 years at The Mount. Fans whir, as patrons settle in for a few hours of civilized dialogue.
The expansive estate is not the only setting for theater in the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts.
In fact, summer in the Berkshires is just the place for discriminating patrons who yearn for world-class theater in country-chic venues at moderate prices. And all the theaters are within a stage whisper of scenic, snaky U.S. Route 7.
For its 66th season, the Berkshire Theater Festival in Stockbridge has scheduled, among other works, ``Brimstone,'' a world premiere of a musical set in war-torn Northern Ireland.
About 45 miles north, the Williamstown Theater Festival is celebrating its 40th anniversary season with James Whitmore as the narrator in ``Our Town'' and Chekhov's ``The Sea Gull,'' starring Williamstown regular Blythe Danner.
An anniversary gala on Aug. 14 features a cabaret with an impressive lineup of Williamstown artists from previous seasons. Among those scheduled to appear are Karen Allen, Olympia Dukakis, Celeste Holm, Christopher Reeve, Ann Reinking and Christopher Walken.
Besides the drawing room, theater at The Mount is presented on the estate in two large outdoor theaters (a 600-seat main stage and the 200-seat Oxford Court) and inside the 108-seat Stables Theater.
The drawing room opens onto a large terrace that once looked out onto lavish gardens with ponds, fountains and stone benches leading to Laurel Lake. Now, the stone steps descend to a yard in disrepair. Edith Wharton Restoration Inc. is engaged in restoring the home and gardens.
If you're attending a matinee, come early and tour the house, designated a National Historic Landmark in 1971. Wharton designed and built the home herself after the progressive principles espoused in her book ``The Decoration of Houses.''
In the drawing room, you know the show has started when an actor in Victorian garb strolls in from the terrace or the hallway and says something amusing in a loud, clear voice.
At intermission, they serve ``tea'' - but it's actually lemonade, iced tea and cookies. It's very English. The rural countryside even rolls in a similar way.
The Berkshire Theater Festival isn't quite so remote, though it has its own charms. The small proscenium theater brings every audience member near the stage, where the serious, inventive tone of the productions is like what you'd find at any of the nation's finest regional theaters.
In early July, the new musical ``Brimstone'' was being performed. A small pit band (including tin whistle) performed the original score by noted Irish composer Patrick Meegan, book and lyrics by Mary Bracken Phillips (``Metro,'' ``Cradle Song''). The work was presented as a staged reading in 1993, so Stockbridge audiences got to see it develop.
The story concerns a successful Irish-American architect who returns home after his IRA terrorist brother gets killed. He reunites with his former love, now also an IRA terrorist. He gets caught up in the conflict.
Besides the main stage, a red barn structure nearby houses the 100-seat Unicorn Theater, the nation's only theater devoted to encouraging emerging directors. In late August, Caryl Churchill's ``Mad Forest'' opens at the Unicorn, directed by John Rando.
Williamstown Theater Festival draws critics and audiences from all over the nation. The productions are highly polished, better than Broadway - because the troupe takes chances.
Earlier this month, Williamstown presented the U.S. premiere of ``The Mask of Moriarty,'' a spoof of Arthur Conan Doyle's tales of Sherlock Holmes.
The lively comedy, rife with surprising plot twists, was written by Hugh Leonard, author of the Tony Award-winning Broadway play ``Da.'' Leonard also wrote the screenplay for the film ``Widow's Peak,'' which opened this weekend at Naro Expanded Cinema in Norfolk.
For the joy of it, great artists continue to return to Williamstown. Writing for an anniversary booklet, Blythe Danner recalled playing the young Nina in ``The Sea Gull'' in 1974. Two decades hence, she'll perform again in Chekhov's great tragedy - as Arkadina. Her daughter Gwyneth Paltrow will play Nina. ILLUSTRATION: Color photos
RICHARD BAMBERY
From left, Diana DeVegh, Susan deCosta and Diana Holdridge star in
``Xingu,'' from an Edith Wharton story, at the Mount in Lenox,
Mass.
JONATHAN ERNST
Peter Hunt is the artistic director of the Williamstown (Mass.)
Theatre Festival.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF WILLIAMSTOWN THEATRE FESTIVAL AND BERKSHIRE
THEATRE FESTIVAL
James Whitmore, top, stars with Sam Trammell and Calista Flockhart
in Williamstown Theatre Festival's production of Thornton Wilder's
``Our Town.''
LEFT: Paxton Whitehead and David Schramm in the Sherlock Holmes
spoof ``The Mask of Moriarty'' at Williamstown. RIGHT: Colleen Quinn
and Jeff McCarthy in the world premiere musical ``Brimstone'' at the
Berkshire Theatre Festival in Stockbridge.
Graphics
TRAVELERS ADVISORY
ADMISSION to arts events in the Berkshires is reasonably priced,
given the high quality. It's getting there, plus lodging and dining,
that can break you.
Throughout the Berkshires, there are many hotels, motels,
bed-and-breakfast spots and quaint inns. While they tend to be
pricey, reasonable rates can be obtained. The least expensive inns
fill up first, so book as early as possible.
During the summer-fall season, a stay at Blantyre Castle
(413-637-3556) in Lenox, among the Berkshire's most elegant country
inns, runs from $150 to $525. At the historic 1773 Red Lion Inn
(413-298-5545) in Stockbridge, rooms are $70 to $235. But there are
many rooms available for $85 to $120, some even lower.
If you don't mind traveling on dark country roads for as much as
an hour after a show, thrifty travelers might consider staying in
the Bennington, Vt., vicinity, where a plain, decent motel room or
cabin can be found for as little as $30 a night.
U.S. Route 7, the main north-south artery that cuts through
Stockbridge, Lenox, Pittsfield, Williamstown and other picturesque
Berkshire towns, also passes through Bennington, just north of the
Massachusetts-Vermont line.
There's a summer playhouse in Bennington, too. Called Oldcastle
Theater Company (802-447-0564), it recently moved to the new
Bennington Center for the Arts on Vermont Route 9. Though not in the
Berkshires, the Oldcastle troupe is close kin to its southern
counterparts, with its Equity status and ambitious works. The 23rd
season's lineup includes the East Coast premiere of ``Sweet Talk,''
a provocative play by Emmy Award-winning author Peter Lefcourt.
Vermont is Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream country, but they also have
real food. The Blue Benn Diner (802-442-5140) in Bennington is a
vintage spot with both classic diner food (chicken and biscuits,
hamburgers) plus sumptuous meals for health-conscious folks. Their
inexpensive mega-menu changes often, and has included blue corn meal
pancakes with fresh blueberries, veggie burgers and black beans and
rice.
In Stockbridge, The Red Lion Inn's hearty suppers are
surprisingly reasonable; entrees at the three dining areas are
priced from $15 to $25.
Or an energetic traveler could pack a picnic and dine al fresco -
perhaps on the lawn at The Mount before a performance. Just don't
forget bug spray.
But how to get there? The nearest major airport is in Albany,
N.Y., about an hour's drive from the Stockbridge-Lenox area.
Round-trip rates from Norfolk on USAir start at $119; plus, you'll
have to rent a car.
If you can spare the time, the 11-hour drive from Norfolk isn't
bad. We took U.S. Route 13 through the Eastern Shore, got on the New
Jersey Turnpike in Wilmington, Del., then drove north on the Garden
State Parkway to its end at Interstate 287.
From there, travel north on Interstate 87 for a more commercial,
somewhat lighted route. An alternative is the more scenic Taconic
State Parkway, which offers lovely mountain views, less traffic and
few exits. Since it is unlighted and curvy, we do not recommend the
Taconic for night travel.
Various rural roads head east to your destination along the
Berkshires and into Vermont.
Regional guidebooks contain helpful information about lodging,
restaurants, shopping, an events calendar and maps. For a copy of
Berkshires Guide, call 413-528-9565 or write Country Hills
Publishing Inc., P.O. Box 860, Great Barrington, Mass. 01230. For
Vermont Green Mountain Guide, call 802-885-4572 or write Highland
Marketing Inc., 100 River St., Springfield, Vt. 05156. The guides
are free, but publishers request $2 for postage and handling.
Other useful numbers: Berkshire Visitors Bureau, 413-443-9186;
Lenox Chamber of Commerce, 413-637-3646; Stockbridge Chamber of
Commerce, 413-298-5200; Bennington Area Chamber of Commerce,
802-447-3311.
Teresa Annas
BERKSHIRES ON STAGE
Shakespeare & Company
On Plunkett Street, just off U.S. Route 7, Lenox.
413-637-1199
Tickets: $15.75 to $35
Housed in summer and early fall at The Mount, the troupe offers
an extensive lineup in four venues. Highlights:
Through Aug. 27: Edith Wharton's ``The Custom of the Country,''
adapted for stage, and Shakespeare's ``The Comedy of Errors.''
Through Aug. 28: Shakespeare's ``Richard II,'' performed by three
actors, and Shakespeare's ``Hamlet,'' with a slightly larger cast.
Other Wharton works staged in the drawing room at The Mount are
``Xingu'' and ``Souls Belated'' through Sept. 4 and ``The House of
Mirth'' through Oct. 15.
Berkshire Theater Festival
On Main Street just east of U.S. Route 7, Stockbridge
413-298-5576
Tickets: $12 to $32
Mainstage is in an 1889 building; more experimental works and
staged readings presented in the funkier Unicorn Theater.
Highlights:
Stephen Poliakoff's ``Breaking the Silence,'' set in
post-Revolution Russia. Aug. 2-13.
Carter W. Lewis' ``Golf with Alan Shepard,'' the East Coast
premiere of a comedy about life, death and putting. Aug. 16-Sept.
3.
Caryl Churchill's ``Mad Forest,'' about the last days of the
dictatorship in Romania. Aug. 23-Sept. 3.
Williamstown Theater Festival
On Main Street just east of U.S. Route 7, Williamstown
413-597-3400
Tickets: $11 to $28
Since 1955, the renowned summer playhouse at Williams College has
presented Chekhov, American and French classics and new works, often
featuring famous performers. Highlights:
Chekhov's ``The Sea Gull'' with Blythe Danner. Aug. 3-14.
A.R. Gurney's ``Love Letters,'' featuring a different set of
well-known actors each night. Aug. 17-28.
Tanglewood, the summer home of Boston Symphony Orchestra in
Lenox, Mass., features daily concerts of popular and classic music.
800-347-0808.
Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, features a range of top dance
troupes through Sept. 4. 413-243-0745. by CNB