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| Brecht
. . . with puppets: Mettawee River Theatre Company. |
IT’S
BETTER WITH WOOD: One evening at a local tavern, a few editorial
colleagues and I discussed, over eight or 12 drinks, how much
better theater would be if it were done with puppets.
Unfortunately, it’s likely that our most hoped-for puppet
productions (like, say, The Vagina Monologues or the
Oberammergau) will never happen. However, the Mettawee
River Theatre is doing something close to our alcohol-enlarged
hearts: Bertolt Brecht, with puppets. And masks. The
company’s 30th anniversary production is an adaptation of
Brecht’s The Caucasian Chalk Circle, a typically Brechtian
story of a child abandoned by its wealthy parents and raised
by a peasant. (Naturally, a custody battle eventually ensues,
leading to a twist on King Solomon’s biblical split-the-baby
decision.) The company will be performing The Caucasian
Chalk Circle all around the region, from the McCullough
House lawn in North Bennington, Vt. on July 8 to Olana’s lawn
in Hudson on Aug. 6. Stops along the way include Lake Placid,
Bolton Landing, Queensbury and North Adams, Mass. In the Mettawee
press release, designer and director Ralph Lee explains:
“For several months I have been turning out masks of all sorts
and sizes as well as some life-size puppets, so our company
of six actors can bring to life over 30 characters in this
beautiful epic drama.” For a complete schedule of play performances
and other special events, visit their Web site at www.mettawee.org.
CRAZY ABOUT SAMANTHA: In conjunction with the new Columbia
Pictures remake of Bewitched, a special anniversary
edition of the ultimate guide for bemused Bewitched
fans is being reissued: Bewitched Forever: The Immortal
Companion to TV’s Most Magical Supernatural Situation Comedy,
by Herbie J. Pilato. You can meet Pilato—who has to
be the ultimate fan—at the Regal East Greenbush 8 cinema
this Saturday (June 25) from 5:30-9 PM. “Herbie J.” will have
copies on hand for you to buy, which he will be delighted
to sign. Buy the book, so that you can have Bewitched
fun facts at your fingertips like: Neither Elizabeth Montgomery
(Samantha) nor Agnes Moorehead (Endora) won an Emmy
for their performances, despite multiple nominations. The
two cast members who did win Emmys for their supporting roles,
however—Marian Lorne (Aunt Clara) and Alice Pearce
(Gladys Kravits V 1.0)—died during the run of the show. OK,
so that’s a little macabre. The book isn’t macabre; I’m assured
that it’s fan-friendly fun.
NOT CRAZY ABOUT JOHN ASHCROFT: After Sept. 11, you may recall,
the U.S. government wasn’t quite sure what to do. Well, we
were sure about hunting down Osama Bin Laden, but other
than that . . . things were sort of chaotic. Ironically, while
we never did catch that Osama fellow, the Justice Department
and associated Feds did manage to round up more than 5,000
people here at home and lock them up indefinitely. Most were
noncitizens of Middle Eastern or South Asian origin; many
were Muslim. Many were not allowed family visits or a lawyer.
Many were deported. The powerful documentary Persons
of Interest zeros in on 12 families whose lives were
irreparably damaged by this roundup of “the usual suspects.”
The New York Civil Liberties Union (Capital Region
Chapter) is sponsoring a screening of Persons of Interest
this Saturday (June 25) at 8 PM at Saratoga Film Forum
(in the Arts Center Theater on Broadway, Saratoga Springs).
Tickets are $6 general, $4 for members; call 584-FILM for
more info.
—Shawn
Stone
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