The Foundry presents ‘Spring Fever,’ an evening of high-voltage fun with Gypsy Layne
West Stockbridge— On Saturday, May 17th at 7:30 p.m., The Foundry presents ‘Spring Fever,’ an evening of high-voltage fun with Gypsy Layne and special guest Bella Santarella.
Spring fever is hotter than ever, and Gypsy Layne is to blame! This fast-paced, feel-good, body-positive revue is packed with sultry dance numbers, sizzling strips, jaw-dropping circus acts, and all sorts of sexy twists guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat.
Joining the Gypsies is special guest host Bella Santarella, whose larger-than-life sass is sure to bring the house down. Get ready to laugh, marvel, and be thoroughly blown away — Gypsy Layne is serving up the ultimate springtime spectacular at The Foundry, and you’re invited!
The performance is on Saturday, May 17th at 7:30 p.m. at The Foundry, located at 2 Harris Street in West Stockbridge. The doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets and more information can be found online.
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Springfield Museums presents ‘Witch Panic! Massachusetts Before Salem,’ a new exhibition
Springfield— From May 17th through November 2nd, Springfield Museums presents “Witch Panic! Massachusetts Before Salem,” an exhibition exploring how the first instance of witchcraft hysteria in the American colonies influenced the early history of the city and how the conversation continues today.
Travels back to a time when accused witches walked among us. Forty years before the infamous trials in Salem, fear gripped the small settlement of Springfield, culminating in the arrest and prosecution of a married couple. In 1651, talk of mysterious sickness, eerie visions, and unexplainable events led residents to accuse Mary Lewis Parsons and Hugh Parsons, who lived on the south end of Main Street and already had a reputation for “strange behavior.”
Taking the perspective of a 1650s colonist, visitors are invited to serve as a member of the grand jury and determine the Parsons’ fate. After studying the witness testimony and reviewing the real evidence collected by the townspeople over several years – ranging from missing items and spoiled milk to apparitions and visions to sudden illness and death – they will be asked to answer the ultimate question: Guilty, or Not Guilty?
The immersive exhibit explains how ordinary objects such as cauldrons and broomsticks became symbols of witchcraft, their everyday presence twisted into evidence of the supernatural. Visitors can also assemble puzzles representing “familiars,” supernatural helpers thought to assist witches in their evil deeds. Young visitors can don a cloak and hat and pose in front of a “magic mirror,” and vote for their favorite witch from a variety of media, including Wicked Witch of the West and Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
The exhibit runs from May 17th through November 2nd at the Springfield Museums, located at 21 Edwards Street in Springfield. There is a hybrid curator talk on Thursday, June 26th at 12:15 p.m. Registration and more information can be found online.
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Berkshire County Historical Society presents Sea Shanties with Alex Harvey and Shinbone Alley to open 2025 season
Pittsfield— On Saturday, May 17th at 7 p.m., Berkshire County Historical Society presents Sea Shanties with Alex Harvey and Shinbone Alley to open its 2025 season.
Celebrate Arrowhead’s opening day with a special concert of sea shanties with Alex Harvey and Shinbone Alley. Harvey is described as an old-world folklorist who performs street ballads and songs of the sea. From Sea Shanties to Lovesick Dirges to Whaling Serenades, this music was meant as the earliest form of group therapy.
Come early and picnic on the grounds. Step into the tavern and warm up those swashbuckling vocal chords with hard ciders and beer from Berkshire Cider Project and Hot Plate Brewing Company, available for purchase. Additionally, throughout the day, Berkshire Cider Project’s Matt Brogan will be pruning the orchard. At 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., he will demonstrate proper pruning and grafting techniques and discuss the history of apples in New England.
The concert is on Saturday, May 17th at 7 p.m. at Herman Melville’s historic home, Arrowhead, located at 780 Holmes Road in Pittsfield. Guided tours of the property also begin on May 17th. More information can be found online.
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The Mahaiwe and The Clark presents ‘Met Opera Live in HD: Strauss’s Salome’
Great Barrington/Williamstown— On Saturday, May 17th at 1 p.m., The Mahaiwe and The Clark presents “Met Opera Live in HD: Strauss’s Salome.”
Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin takes the podium to conduct Strauss’s one-act tragedy. Leading the company’s first new production of the work in twenty years, Claus Guth, one of Europe’s leading opera directors, gives the biblical story a psychologically perceptive Victorian-era setting. South African soprano Elza van den Heever leads a celebrated cast as the abused and unhinged antiheroine, with Swedish baritone Peter Mattei as the imprisoned prophet Jochanaan; German tenor Gerhard Siegel as Salome’s lecherous stepfather, King Herod; American mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung as his wife, Herodias; and Polish tenor Piotr Buszewski as Narraboth.
The live broadcast is on Saturday, May 17th at 1 p.m., The Mahaiwe, located at 17 Castle Street in Great Barrington and The Clark, located at 225 South Street in Williamstown. Tickets and more information can be found online (The Mahaiwe/The Clark.)
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Bennington Theater presents national touring bluegrass band Nu-Blu
Bennington, Vt.— On Friday, May 16th at 7:30 p.m., Bennington Theater presents national touring bluegrass band Nu-Blu, bringing their dynamic blend of Americana and roots music to Vermont for the very first time.
“This is a big milestone for us,” said Daniel Routh, multi-instrumentalist and founding member of Nu-Blu. “We’ve played in every state in the lower 48 except Vermont.”
After releasing four Top Ten Billboard albums, North Carolina-based Nu-Blu has firmly established themselves as one of the top acoustic acts in the industry, delivering songs that range from the melancholy to the exuberant, each one reaching deep into the heart of the listener. Known for their powerful harmonies, heartfelt storytelling, and genre-crossing appeal, the band’s Vermont debut promises an unforgettable night of heartfelt ballads, blazing bluegrass pick work, and powerful storytelling—performed with the kind of authentic chemistry that only comes from years on the road together.
The concert is on Friday, May 16th at 7:30 p.m. at Bennington Theater, located at 331 Main Street in Bennington, Vt. Tickets and more information can be found online.
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Berkshire Concert Choir presents ‘This Shining Night,’ spring concerts at Tanglewood and St. Mark’s Church
Pittsfield— Berkshire Concert Choir presents ‘This Shining Night,’ spring concerts with guest soloist jazz legend Wanda Houston at the Linde Center at Tanglewood on Saturday, May 17th at 6 p.m. and at St. Mark’s Church on Sunday, May 18th at 4 p.m.
The program uses the phases of night as a metaphor for aging and memory, and features Jessica Rudman’s work, “A Forest that is a Desert,” and Eric Nelson’s “When Memory Fades,” as well as pieces by Samuel Barber, Morten Lauridsen, Eric Whitaker, Alice Parker, and Ysaye Barnwell.
Artistic Director Ryan LaBoy designed the inspiring and consoling Spring program for audience and chorus members experiencing the impact of aging on themselves, their family and friends, and those they care for. He said, “There are unbeautiful, challenging aspects of aging that we seldom talk about. Singing about it could serve as a meaningful foray into the conversation.” The May 18th performance will feature a pre-concert talk on the themes of memory loss and nighttime skies with chorus members Anne Jaskot, PhD and Assistant Professor of Astronomy, Williams College; Jane Salata, LICSW, psychotherapist, and hospice social worker; and Jason Kittler, MD, BHS internist.
The concerts are at the Linde Center at Tanglewood on Saturday, May 17th at 6 p.m. and at St. Mark’s Church on Sunday, May 18th at 4 p.m. Tickets and more information can be found online.
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Triplex Cinema presents a screening of ‘A Trip To Greece’ with talk-back with Nobel Prize winning scientist Dr. Joachim Frank
Great Barrington— On Saturday, May 17th at 3 p.m., Triplex Cinema presents a screening of “A Trip To Greece” with talk-back with Nobel Prize winning scientist Dr. Joachim Frank.
Michael Winterbottom’s film “The Trip to Greece” follows the actors Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, who play fictionalized versions of themselves, as they set out for Greece, via Turkey, to retrace the steps of Odysseus’ famous voyage home and to visit restaurants, hotels and ancient landmarks. Along the way they argue about tragedy and comedy, astronomy, history, democracy, and the meaning of life. The film follows previous episodes, all directed by Michael Winterbottom, “The Trip to Italy” (2014) and “The Trip to Spain” (2017). The series began in the U.K. as a TV series, “The Trip,” in which Coogan and Brydon toured the countryside of Northern England.
Following the film, Triplex Creative Director Ben Elliott will moderate a discussion about the film with Dr. Frank, who has recently published a novel, “Ierapetra, or His Sister’s Keeper,” which is set in Greece. There will be a book signing and reception with Dr. Frank after the discussion.
The event is on Saturday, May 17th at 3 p.m. at the Triplex Cinema, located at 70 Railroad Street in Great Barrington. Tickets and more information can be found online.
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Ventfort Hall Community Day
Lenox— On Saturday, May 17th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., all are welcome to the Ventfort Hall Community Day!
Come with friends and family, see the mansion, walk the grounds, witness the famous green and white striped awnings gracing the veranda for the first time in years, and learn how you can be part of this legacy! The awnings will be unveiled at noon and the history of Ventfort Hall will be given every hour.
The event is on Saturday, May 17th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Ventfort Hall, located at 104 Walker Street in Lenox. Admission is free all day. More information can be found online.
