Weekend Preview Mar 17-20
IRISH COMEDY at the COLONIAL
The Irish Comedy Tour makes a St. Patrick’s Day stop at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield, Mass., on Friday, March 18 at 8. The trio of comedians brings the party atmosphere of a Dublin pub and combines it with a boisterous evening of laughs with Detroit’s Derek Richards, Boston-born Mike McCarthy and Dublin’s own Keith Aherne.
Derek’s act is fast, fresh and, at times, fanatical—often described as a politically incorrect discussion amongst friends at a bar. Derek tells humorous tales about his Detroit, blue-collar upbringing; his mom’s dog; the holidays; living in Florida and dating an exotic dancer. Derek is on the air via the XM Satellite Radio Network and on both the nationally syndicated shows Bob and Tom and Bob and Sheri. He has also appeared on The Weather Channel’s Top 10 series.
Mike honed his craft in the Boston comedy scene, starting his career 20 years ago and climbing the ranks with fellow Bostonians Joe Rogan, Steve Sweeney, Kenny Rogerson, Lenny Clarke and many more. He has been on Showtime's Comedy Club Network and Comedy Central. This Medford, Mass., native brings his twisted, high-energy take on family, relationships, kids and growing up the youngest of nine in an Irish-American household.
Keith was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland and has played with many of the Emerald Isle’s favorite acts including Brendan Grace and The Dublin City Ramblers. He has toured the U.S. and Ireland with his band The Lahinch Mob. Now he brings his authentic Irish music to the comedy stage.
Tickets may be purchased in person at the Colonial Ticket Office at reet or by calling or online at the Colonial Theatre.
GYPSY PUNK at CLUB HELSINKI
played its first formal show at the former Club Helsinki in Great Barrington, Mass., back in 2008 after months of open-mic turns there and weekend busking in the back alleyway near the club. The theatrical 10-piece band, sometimes described as “Balkan Rockabilly” or “Circus Rock,” comes to Club Helsinki in Hudson, N.Y., on Friday, March 18 at 9.
The charismatic assemblage is fueled with high octane vocals, instrumentation including bass, trumpet, violin, trombone, and accordion, and the spectacle of wild. Their eccentric costumes of dark hats, headscarves, wigs, ball gowns, sneakers and suit jackets, are married to the distinctive, klezmer- and Eastern European-infused compositions.
The group seamlessly fuses elements of punk-rock, pop, folk and classical serving up hooky, danceable compositions that seem completely fresh. The band is quickly becoming known for indefatigable, sweat-drenched performances coupled with a ferocious stage presence drawing from punk, cabaret, performance art, and operatic traditions.
This past summer Bella's Bartok completed its first recording, At the Kingmakers Ball, recorded in a whirlwind 3-day session at Henry Hirsch's Waterfront Studio in Hudson, N.Y. A collection of the group’s earliest works, At the Kingmakers Ball possesses a charming musical eclecticism that sweeps from Eastern European folk-inspired two-steps to orchestral waltz-punk, to glam rock and back again.
MORMON ANTI-GAY ACTIVISM DOC SCREENS AT MASS MOCA
8: The Mormon Proposition, termed “an outstanding and urgent example of the investigative documentary” by the Los Angeles Times, will screen at MASS MoCA on Thursday, March 17, at 7:30. The screening of this controversial documentary about Mormon opposition to the California gay marriage law will be followed by a Q&A with the director, Emmy award-winning journalist Reed Cowan.
8: The Mormon Proposition began as a documentary about gay teen homelessness and suicide in Utah. After Cowan began filming, he soon realized that the impetus which drove otherwise loving parents to kick their children out of their homes and lives stemmed from a deep-seated homophobia perpetrated by the Mormon Church. The film morphed into an exposé of the fierce Mormon rejection of the gay community's demand for equal rights.
The film documents the day California passed the law granting homosexual citizens the right to marry. The movie then follows the passage and effect of Proposition 8 -- the first law passed that took rights away from citizens. The story follows politicians, gay couples and activists, and the Mormon Church through the ravenous battle for equality and acceptance.
8: The Mormon Proposition generated debate and controversy before and after its release. The night before the 2010 Sundance Film Festival premiere, Utah Senator Chris Buttars accused filmmakers of deceiving him during the interview he participated in for the film. He claimed the crew was clad in T-shirts from Mormon-founded Birmingham Young University. Cowan responded by releasing a picture of himself and Buttars on the day of the interview -- Cowan notably not dressed in a BYU tee -- though Cowan admitted that his photographer, a former BYU student, did wear BYU attire. Before the film's Sundance screening, Cowan publicly asked for Buttars's resignation.
8: The Mormon Proposition is a part of MASS MoCA's Cinema Lounge Series, Power to the People, a documentary series which features the stories of courage, uprising, and perseverance in the face of injustice, oppression, and marginalization. Other documentaries in the series include A Small Act, which will show on April 14, and The Garden, screening on April 28. All Cinema Lounge films are shown in MASS MoCA's Club B-10 where patrons can enjoy a full bar, coffee, tea, and snacks such as ice cream in the café-style screening area.
Tickets for 8: The Mormon Proposition are $8. Students can purchase reduced tickets for $5. Members are eligible for a 10% discount. Tickets to all 3 films are available for $20 for a package price of $18. Tickets are available through the MASS MoCA Box Office located on Marshall Street in North Adams, open from 11AM to 5PM every day but Tuesdays. Tickets can also be charged by phone by calling during Box Office hours or online at any time.
NEW PLAY READINGS in PITTSFIELD
New Stage Performing Arts Center in Pittsfield, Mass., is presenting a weekend of staged readings of new plays by Berkshire playwrights. On Friday, March 18 at 7 and Saturday, March 19 at 3, The Trouble with Nicole by Chris Newbound will be performed. Directed by David Lane, this thought-provoking and subtle play concerns a widowed father, whose life is disrupted when his third grader daughter starts exhibiting provocative behavior at school.
On Saturday, March 19 at 7 and Sunday, March 20 at 3, a “Collection of Short Plays” will be presented, featuring works by local authors David Scribner, Phil Johnson, Barbara Hammond, Mark Rosenthal and Andrew Joffe. Ranging from intense drama to surreal comedy, a special feature of this program is the premiere of a play by Tadd Gero, a promising young writer who died tragically in 2009 at the age of 21.
After each of the four performances, the audience will have a chance to ask questions and give feedback with the writers, actors and directors. The performances will be presented at the NEW Stage Performing Arts Center, 55 North Street in Pittsfield, above the Beacon Cinema. A donation of $10 is suggested. Reservations can be made by phone at .
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