Berkshire Theatre Group, one of the foundations of quality theater in Western Massachusetts, has partnered with the ambitious upstart, WAM Theatre to produce the American premiere of the Canadian play, Kate Cayley’s The Bakelite Masterpiece at Berkshire Theatre Group’s intimate Unicorn Theatre in Stockbridge. It’s a partnership of note.

David Adkins and Corinna May in The Bakelite Masterpiece | Photo by Emma Rothenberg-Ware

WAM, under the leadership of Kristen van Ginhoven, calls itself “Theater for everyone that benefits women and girls”. It’s known for employing women as playwrights, directors, actors, and production people. It donates a percentage of its box-office proceeds to non-profits that provide programs and services to women and girls.

Van Ginhoven, Canadian-born director, is bringing one of the best representatives of contemporary Canadian theater to the Berkshires. The subject matter of The Bakelite Masterpiece, set in Holland, resonates with Van Ginhoven, since her family survived World War II in The Netherlands.

In this taut 90-minute drama, punctuated by solid writing, thoughtful staging, and two outstanding performances by David Adkins as an artist and Corinna May as an investigator working to repatriate Holland’s art masterpieces which had been looted by the Nazis, there is a fascinating story told to perfection. At the close of World War II, an artist is about to be prosecuted–and ultimately executed for selling a priceless Vermeer to a Nazi officer. The investigator, an art student, may have witnessed the sale, but the artist claimed that he’d copied Vermeer and created a fraud. She basically says “If you did, recreate another Vermeer that can’t be told apart from an original.” Kate Cayley’s play combines strong characters with elements of a thriller, and director Kristen Van Ginhoven fuses the performances and production values with satisfying results.

David Adkins and Corinna May in The Bakelite Masterpiece | Photo by Emma Rothenberg-Ware

David Adkins and Corinna May are much-respected actors on the Berkshire theater scene. They work together in synch, and both deliver superb performances. There are sequences in which Adkins takes center stage with no dialogue to render breathtaking artistry. May has subtle transitions in her performance that are equally splendid.

Juliana Von Haubrich’s Dutch prison set is effective, and it’s well-lit by Lily Fossner. Brad Berridge’s sound design is top quality, as are Deborah A. Brothers’ costumes.

The Bakelite Masterpiece is one of the best plays and productions that I’ve seen this season, and seeing WAM and Berkshire Theatre Group in collaboration is a partnership that I hope continues in years to come. Add the polished performances of David Adkins and Corinna May to the mix, and The Bakelite Masterpiece is a great reason to savor some good theater on a frosty Berkshires autumn night.

The Berkshire Theatre Group and WAM present The Bakelite Masterpiece by Kate Cayley. Directed by Kristen van Ginhoven. Scenic design by Juliana Von Haubrich. Costume Design by Deborah A. Brothers. Lighting design by Lily Fossner. Sound Design by Brad Berridge. Cast: David Adkins as Han Van Meergeren and Corinna May as Geert Piller.

Through October 23
The Berkshire Theatre Group’s Unicorn Theatre
Stockbridge MA.
For tickets: 413-997-4444 or berkshiretheatregroup.org

This review originally ran in the Westfield News Group

Top image: David Adkins and Corinna May in The Bakelite Masterpiece | Photo by Emma Rothenberg-Ware

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Western New England has enjoyed a wealth of theatrical world premieres, both plays and musicals this year. All of the shows featured top-notch performances, staging, and production values. Some of them were propelled by stars. Some won’t seem to have future lives. Some of the plays, like Hartford Stage’s The Body of An American and Barrington Stage’s American Son, are so intense, vital and fascinating, that I’ve thought about them in depth long since their performance runs ended.

Hartford Stage’s season opener, Queens For A Year joins the list for its provocative subject matter, exceptional writing, polished performances, staging and production values, and subject matter that will keep you thinking about the drama long after the curtain falls.

T.D. Mitchell has written about a group of women, all Marines, some currently in service and some veterans. As Mitchell’s play unfolds in a Virginia farmhouse in 2007, with tours of duty in Iraq and Camp Lejeune, we learn the stories of why the women joined the Marines–some because of family tradition, the desire to see the world, the desire to get an education, and how they were treated by a heterosexual male institution in transition, hesitant to give women in the military equal rights, and unequipped to treat women soldiers’ post-traumatic stress disorders, their sexual objectification, harassment, and rape. Mitchell explores some really difficult themes, although she’s written some great characters, and snippets of military life and occasional bits of humor to balance the material.

Vanessa R. Butler | Photo by T. Charles Erickson

Most of the creative team involved with this production are making their Hartford Stage debuts. Lucie Tiberghien’s direction is taut, and working with an exceptionally well-designed set by Daniel Conway and lighting design by Robert Perry, she’s able to give the play an almost cinematic pacing. Victoria Deiorio’s sound design and Beth Goldenberg’s costume design are spot on. The production elements pull together explosively during Queens for A Year’s cataclysmic finale.

The cast of eight offer a great ensemble performance. Vanessa R. Butler, who will be familiar to Hartford audiences for her performances with HartBeat Ensemble and Capital Classics, was a stand-out for me in a challenging role of being an officer trying to uphold the Marine code of ethics, while feeling real compassion for a woman in her command. Sarah Nicole Deaver masterfully played a private who had been assaulted and is in need of help. Alice Cannon, who was a Broadway musical theater ingenue in the 1960s and 1970s, was the right spot of humor as a grandmotherly vet.

Hartford Stage began the year with a premiere, The Body of An American, about the effects of war on a photojournalist covering these events. Barrington Stage’s American Son asked difficult questions about race in America. Queens For A Year reveals tough realities about women in the military and about our misunderstandings of veterans’ needs. These are not “date night” theater events for those looking for a little light fare. Good theater can tell a strong story, can plant the seeds for discourse and debate, and bring an intensity that movies and TV just can’t. I’ll be thinking about Queens For A Year for quite a long time.

This review originally ran in the Westfield News Group.

Charlotte Maier | Photo by T. Charles Erickson

Hartford Stage presents Queens for A Year by T.D. Mitchell. Directed by Lucie Tiberchien. Scenic design by Daniel Conway. Video and Projection Design by Aaron Rhyne. Costume design by Beth Goldenberg. Lighting design by Robert Perry. Sound design by Victoria Deiorio.
Cast: Heidi Armbruster, Mary Bacon, Vanessa R. Butler, Alice Cannon, Sarah Nicole Deaver, Mat Hostetler, Charlotte Maier, Jamie Rezanour.

Through October 2nd
Hartford Stage
Hartford CT
For tickets: 860-527-5151 or hartfordstage.org

Top image Jamie Rezanour, Sarah Nicole Deaver | Photo by T. Charles Erickson

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