J. Peter Bergman is the Director of Communications at Herman Melville’s Arrowhead. In the past he has been a writer for The Berkshire Eagle, Berkshire’s Week, The Advocate, The Berkshire Beacon, The Independent and still contributes to The Chatham Courier and Edge.com and Berkshirebrightfocus.com. He is a novelist, poet and author of short fiction. His book “Counterpoints” won the 2002 Friends of Charles Dickens Award. He has been a paid theater critic since he was 15 years old.
Tuesday, 3 Dec 2019 - There cannot be a better way to address the political mish-mash we live in outside of this adorable theater in Columbia County.
Monday, 28 Oct 2019 - I want to know what happens to all of these people and to their lives. . . . I want to see this play again, to experience it and learn from it.
Tuesday, 22 Oct 2019 - Having seen the original on Broadway and cherishing much of what I could recall, I was hoping for a passing good show here, but the director and her actors have given me so much more than that.
Tuesday, 15 Oct 2019 - “The Cemetery Club” is enjoyable enough and with a few more performances, should jell into the sort of appetizer that makes a season into a delectable dinner party.
Wednesday, 9 Oct 2019 - The reality it projects is close at hand and I witness its growth every morning on my TV. See it!
Tuesday, 8 Oct 2019 - The elements of this piece jibe nicely, enhance the mystery elements of the story and promote a sense of local history as theater.
Monday, 7 Oct 2019 - This show, unlike other Broadway fare, is Sondheim's American opera and the orchestra, under director Stephen Sanborn's control, delivers the music like a Debussy score, or a Bizet or Schubert composition.
Monday, 30 Sep 2019 - Directed by the author, this play moves from the overly theatrical first act into the honestly realistic second act where tears don't manifest as easily as do other emotional reactions.
Wednesday, 25 Sep 2019 - The play is a comedy, but don't expect hearty laughs; instead, prepare for a psychological parade of issues and oddities that pervade the lives and attitudes of the young.
Monday, 23 Sep 2019 - This is one play it doesn't pay to miss.
Monday, 16 Sep 2019 - The combination here of creative artists, one and all, has given us some amazing theater and a large, gooey table of food for thought.
Monday, 9 Sep 2019 - It is a very enjoyable evening of history/comedy with enough honest laughter to make you wish for just one more gag, or one more funny truth to come along.
Tuesday, 27 Aug 2019 - Every minute of the show has something funny going on, and this production has a cast that is as funny as the writing: an excellent combination.
Monday, 26 Aug 2019 - This isn't so much a biography but a rather unique privilege: a few minutes with the genius, during which he entertains with his compositions and his personal stories.
Saturday, 24 Aug 2019 - This is more than a simple comedy. It is about the interpersonal skills that keep a marriage alive and well.
Friday, 23 Aug 2019 - If, like me, you've had enough of this show, go prepared to be stunned into applause by this stellar production.
Thursday, 22 Aug 2019 - The two actors are believable in their onstage relationship and the final moment in their bows brought home the special sense of family that the theater produces in its participants.
Wednesday, 21 Aug 2019 - The joy in watching these six actors comes from the wonderful differences they are able to bring to every character they portray.
Monday, 19 Aug 2019 - The question that remains at the end of the play is "What is justifiable when family, salvation, soul are saved by a fatal call?"
Friday, 16 Aug 2019 - Is it worth your time and money? It most certainly is! It will make you think, which is not always the case with a musical show.
Thursday, 15 Aug 2019 - I am not often caught at a lack of words, but in this case, it is not clear to me what or why this play is what it is. Even so, praise for it comes naturally.
Wednesday, 14 Aug 2019 - Even if you think you know this play, you owe it to yourself to see it in this version.
Tuesday, 13 Aug 2019 - It's a hard 76 minutes, but it’s worth the effort, for the show reveals the souls of its characters.
Monday, 12 Aug 2019 - Filled with small details, the play ultimately moved the full-house audience to tears and sighs of relief.
Sunday, 11 Aug 2019 - With Uma Thurman’s elegance and nuanced playing, Tom Pecinka’s emotive and visceral credibility, and the other actors’ reality, the play is simply alive onstage.
Saturday, 10 Aug 2019 - One of the nicest things about seeing this company work is the emergence from the corps of players of new, young stars.
Friday, 9 Aug 2019 - Emotions play out beautifully and musical numbers are performed with immense grace.
Tuesday, 6 Aug 2019 - When history and religious background lead the intellectual way to drama and all the factors work perfectly—as they do in this fine play—all we have to do is sit back and let the characters take us where they must.
Saturday, 3 Aug 2019 - Too much has been drawn from Agatha Christie's fiction, forced onto the reality of her life and left to the audience to sort out while the play is going on.
Wednesday, 31 Jul 2019 - These are the finest moments in this play: when human comedy takes over the laughter and reality has a shot at taking over the work itself.
Wednesday, 31 Jul 2019 - It is the performances here that save the evening from becoming a yawn.
Tuesday, 30 Jul 2019 - It is deceptively simple, but there are so many layers of truth, humor, history and relationships that to dig through the surrounding fields of emotion to find the right spot for each and every one of them must have been a remarkable experience.
