The Mahaiwe celebrates Valentine's Day with a talk by acclaimed food historian Francine Segan titled "Aphrodisiacs: Myth or Reality," followed by an Italian desserts reception and screening of John Patrick Shanley's 1987 Oscar-winning romantic comedy Moonstruck.

Starring Cher, Nicolas Cage, and Olympia Dukakis as Italian-Americans in Brooklyn. Segan will discuss aphrodisiacs from ancient times into the present, exploring the decadent stories behind aphrodisiacs like frog saliva, rhinoceros horns, oysters, truffles, and caviar, as well as sharing tantalizing trivia like why the ancient Romans ate bread shaped like a penis, which veggie was responsible for King Henry VIII?s renowned sexual stamina, what foods Casanova served to insure a passionate partner, and the erotic origins of the champagne glass. Following her talk will be a dessert reception of Italian sweets courtesy of Amarelli, Bauli, Corsini, Falanga, ICAM/Vanini, Motta, Pastiglie Leone, Perugina, Vicenzi, and Venchi provided by www.DolceItalia.com, a new website dedicated to Italian sweets and dessert wines. Tickets are $5 for the talk and reception , $6 for the movie, or $10 for both (general admission).

A stunning program of works by Beethoven, Arensky and Prokofiev, all mining overlapping Russian folkloric themes, interpreted by the Avalon Quartet ("Engrossed, impassioned and imaginative..." - The New York Times). The Opus 59 No. 2 "Razumovsky" Quartet represents the pinnacle of Beethoven's quartet writing, revolutionary in character and symphonic in reach. Arensky's arresting work is for two cellos, and Prokofiev's Quartet No. 2 bears his infatuation with folk instruments.

Avalon String Quartet: Blaise Magniere, violin; Marie Wang, viola; Cheng-Hou Lee, cello; Yehuda Hanani, cell. The Amernet String Quartet: Misha Vitenson, violin; Marcia Littley de Arias, violin; Michael Klotz, viola; Javiar Arias, cello

Yehuda Hanani, cello

Jazz legend McCoy Tyner will perform with his trio, McCoy Tyner Trio consists of: McCoy Tyner Gerald Cannon, bass Eric Kamau Gravatt, drums, at The Mahaiwe.

Discovered at age 17 by John Coltrane, Philadelphia-born pianist McCoy Tyner has been performing and composing for more than 50 years. Replete with sophisticated chords and explosive percussion, Tyner's blues-based piano style has transcended traditional jazz conventions to become one of the most identifiable sounds in improvised music. He has been named National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master and is a five-time Grammy Award winner.

The all-female collective Cherish the Ladies performs on Saturday, February 27 at 7pm. One of the most sought-after Irish-American groups in Celtic music, they are known for their musicianship, breathtaking singing, and lively step dancing, and they have shared the stage and studio with such performers as Joan Baez, James Taylor, the Clancy Brothers, the Chieftains, Arlo Guthrie, and Pete Seeger.

The Monument Mountain Regional High School Band, under the direction of Jeffrey Stevens, returns to the Mahaiwe Theater to present its 28th Annual Pops Concert. This event is part of the band's celebration of national "Music in the Schools" month and will also include performances for young people at several area schools. It will feature performances by the MMRHS Jazz Ensemble and the 80 member MMRHS Concert Band. This year's guest artist will be Allan Dean. The Monument Band has performed in Virginia, Washington, D.C., Toronto, New York City, the Massachusetts State House in Boston and the Colonial Theater in Pittsfield. Previous concerts at the Mahaiwe have featured the band with trumpeter Rolf Smedvig, pianist Peter Serkin and jazz vocalist Wanda Houston.

Gould Farm is proud to present Frank La Frazia's one-man show "Living with It": detailing his experiences as a teenager living with his mother who suffered from bi-polar disorder. In his theater piece, Mr. La Frazia revisits his life between the ages of 13 and 18 during which he was his mother's caregiver negotiating an obstacle course of hospital admissions, medical problems and his own coming of age. With limited contact from his father, a sister who was in another city and a mother with not only bi-polar disorder but with what would eventually become life-ending diabetes, La Frazia's work centers on the effect his dramatic monologue can have on teenagers and families facing the mental health crisis of a family member. In the tradition of Spalding Grey, John Leguizamo, and Eric Bogosian, this stirring, poignant and humorous piece features Mr. La Frazia portraying several characters and narration throughout.

La Frazia currently works with at-risk youth through the national award-winning Playwright Mentoring Project at Barrington Stage Company in which young people use theater and acting to address a variety of issues from drug use to sexuality to school problems. The event will conclude with a 30-minute Question & Answer panel discussion led by Gould Farm board member, former guest and staff member, John Otenasek.

Bach through the filter of Schumann, Mendelssohn, Brahms (the brilliant Chaconne arrangement for the left-hand piano) and Liszt, and unfiltered, in his own voice, in Suites and Partitas. Truly a composer for all seasons and for all times, Bach, like Shakespeare, emerges always relevant through different ages and treatments. Plus the world premiere of a new neo-Bach chamber piece commissioned by CEWM in homage to his magisterial presence.

Cordelia Hagemann, violin; James Tocco, piano; Yehuda Hanani, cello.

World-renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's Ailey II performs on Sunday, March 21 at 3pm and Monday, March 22 at 10 am (school field trip performance). In 1974, legendary dancer and choreographer Alvin Ailey created the Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble from the most promising scholarship students in his namesake school. Today, as Ailey II, the troupe has become one of the most popular dance companies in the country. Combining the ideals of African-American cultural expression and the American modern dance tradition, Ailey II is known for merging the spirit and energy of the country's best young dance talent with the passion and creative vision of today's most outstanding emerging choreographers. Aley II's Mahaiwe program will include Echoes (Thang Dao), Essence (Christopher Huggins), Proximity (Carlos dos Santos, Jr.), and Divining (Judith Jamison).

http://www.alvinailey.org/
www.alvinailey.org

Join us for an afternoon of a cappella singing. You will enjoy the rhythmic sounds of melodies that span generations of music. With original songs and others ranging from classic jazz standards to 80's pop and hip-hop, the incredible talent of these performers will keep your toes tapping. The unique mix of harmony and humor combined with stimulating choreography is inspiring for audiences of all ages.

An active lecturer and teacher, Eyerly is on the faculty of The Juilliard School, where his Evening Division courses "Understanding Classical Music" and "Desert Island Opera" are in great demand. In February 2009, Eyerly created an online course about The Marriage of Figaro for OperaAmerica. Additionally he serves on the faculty of Saint Thomas Choir School. Since 2007 Eyerly has presented a popular lecture series before the Met Opera "Live in HD" Broadcasts at the Mahaiwe.

Castle Street Cafe will be open for lunch for those interested in taking advantage of their close proximity to the theater in the timeframe available between lecture and broadcast. Please phone them directly for reservations: 413-528-5244.

Running Time: 3 Hrs. 43 Min.

Simon Keenlyside and Natalie Dessay bring their extraordinary acting and singing skills to two of Shakespeare's unforgettable characters. When this production, directed by Patrice Caurier and Moshe Leiser, opened in London at Covent Garden, The Independent called Keenlyside's Hamlet, "a revelation - thrilling throughout." Dessay plays the volatile Ophelia, whose extended mad scene is among the greatest in opera. Louis Langree conducts.

Composer: Ambroise Thomas
Libretto by Michel Carre and Jules Barbier, based on the play by William Shakespeare

Grammy nominee David Bromberg brings his singular sound to the Mahaiwe stage on Saturday, April 10 at 8pm. Known for his eclectic combination of blues, bluegrass, jazz, folk, country and western, and rock, he has recorded and performed with a wide range of artists, including country blues master Reverend Gary Davis, the Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, Chubby Checker, and George Harrison. He can play just about anything with strings - guitar, dobro, mandolin, and fiddle. Impossible to pigeonhole, Bromberg has been acclaimed as an American musical treasure.

All season tickets go on sale to MEMBERS of the Mahaiwe on Wednesday, January 27 at noon, and to the general public on Wednesday, February 10.
Including...

One of the premier singer-songwriters of the past two decades, Shawn Colvin, who will give a solo acoustic concert on Friday, April 16 at 8pm. She has been making a name for herself since her 1989 Grammy Award-winning debut album, Steady On. Seven years later, her song "Sunny Came Home" from her critically acclaimed 1996 album, A Few Small Repairs, earned her the Grammy's Best Song of the Year Award. Colvin has toured with such celebrated performers as Richard Thompson, Neil Young, Lyle Lovett, Buddy Miller, and John Hiatt, and is equally at home with folk, Texas swing, rock, and pop music.

More of this season includes:

Saturday, February 13 at 7pm (talk) and 8pm (movie)
Valentine?s Talk by Food Historian Francine Segan Aphrodisiacs: Myth or Reality and Screening of Moonstruck (1987)

Sunday, February 21, 7pm
McCoy Tyner Trio
Legendary Jazz Pianist

Saturday February 27 at 7pm
Cherish the Ladies
All-Women Traditional Irish Band

Sunday, March 21 at 3pm Monday, March 22 at 10 am (school field trip performance)
Ailey II
World-renowned African American modern dance troupe

Saturday, April 10 at 8pm
David Bromberg
Grammy-nominated Folk-Blues-Bluegrass-Rock Innovator

Friday, April 16 at 8pm
Shawn Colvin
Folk Rock Singer-Songwriter

Thursday, April 22 at 2pm
London?s National Theatre: Live in HD Alan Bennett's Habit of Art

Saturday, May 15 at 8pm
Cowboy Junkies
Alternative Country Rock

Saturday, May 29 at 8pm Sunday, May 30 at 3pm (family matinee)
Paul Taylor Dance Company
Legendary Modern Dance Company

Saturday, July 31 at 8pm
Catskills on Broadway
An Evening of Borscht Belt Comedy

Saturday, August 7 at 8pm
Mahaiwe Presents Bucky Pizzarelli & Friends
Swing Jazz Guitarist

Saturday, August 20 at 8pm
The Lettermen
60s Pop Vocal Group

Alan Bennett's new play "The Habit of Art," directed by National Theater a.d. Nicholas Hytner, will be filmed live and screened in 60 U.K. cinemas and a further 110 screens worldwide.

Centering on the poet WH. Auden and composer Benjamin Britten, "Habit" stars Michael Gambon, Alex Jennings and Frances de la Tour. De La Tour also starred in Hytner's premiere production of Bennett's Tony-winning international hit "The History Boys."

The play is one of four included in the lineup of NT Live, which premiered with Helen Mirren in Phedre, and includes All's Well That Ends Well on October 1st and Nation on January 30.

A second evening celebrating the Chopin 200th anniversary: From John Field, father of the Nocturne, who paved the way for Chopin's masterworks of the genre, to Hummel, whose music Chopin heard in Poland and whose concerti he played, to Auguste Franchomme, his cohort, and to the charismatic Paganini, a frequent collaborator, this program offers a spectrum of Chopin's friends and mentors as well as his sublimely poignant, swoon-inducing Ballades and Nocturnes. Adam Neiman, a latter-day Romantic, elicits lavish praise for his Chopin - "Playing of wisdom and light" - The Washington Post.

Adam Neiman, piano; Stefan Milenkovich, violin; Yehuda Hanani, cello; Amy Gillingham, cello.

An active lecturer and teacher, Eyerly is on the faculty of The Juilliard School, where his Evening Division courses "Understanding Classical Music" and "Desert Island Opera" are in great demand. In February 2009, Eyerly created an online course about The Marriage of Figaro for OperaAmerica. Additionally he serves on the faculty of Saint Thomas Choir School. Since 2007 Eyerly has presented a popular lecture series before the Met Opera "Live in HD" Broadcasts at the Mahaiwe.

Castle Street Cafe will be open for lunch for those interested in taking advantage of their close proximity to the theater in the timeframe available between lecture and broadcast. Please phone them directly for reservations: 413-528-5244.

Running Time: 4 Hrs. 19 Min.

Renee Fleming stars as Rossini's sorceress, opposite no fewer than six tenors. Mary Zimmerman returns to direct, bringing her fine-tuned theatricality to a work she describes as "a buried treasure, a box of jewels." The fanciful story of the sorceress who enthralls men in her island prison of sensual delights, Zimmerman says, "has an epic, enchanted quality and a tremendous visual element."

Composer: Gioachino Rossini
Libretto by Giovanni Schmidt, based on the epic poem Gerusalemme Liberata by Torquato Tasso

The Cowboy Junkies bring their alternative country rock sound to the Mahaiwe stage. Founded in 1985, the Canadian band?s music is grounded in traditional country, blues, and folk, yet drifts along in a sleepy, narcotic haze that clearly bares the stamp of the Velvet Underground. Part alt-country, part alternative rock, the group's unique and compelling sound has consistently garnered critical acclaim.

An afternoon to celebrate Railroad Street Youth Project's ten years of contributions to the South Berkshire community. Presentations to honor RSYP founder Amanda Root and local youth, followed by a special performance of Eric Bogosian's SubUrbia. Reception after the show.

Our mission is to empower young people by supporting the creation of youth-generated activities that promote self-worth, responsibility and inter-generational respect and communication.

The Berkshire Playwrights Lab, a theater company in the Berkshires, is entering its third season of presenting staged readings of new plays, by emerging and established playwrights, at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.

The Berkshire Playwrights Lab is the artistic collaboration of founders Joe Cacaci, Jim Frangione, Bob Jaffe, and Matthew Penn, all established theater professionals. Lori Bashour, General Manager. Audiences will see and hear exciting new plays performed and staged, script in hand, by a talented cast of New York professionals. The actors, author, and director will rehearse in the beautiful Berkshires for three days, culminating in a full exploration of the text that will bring the writer's words to life onstage.

Paul Taylor Dance Company returns to the Mahaiwe over Memorial Day weekend to celebrate Paul Taylor's 80th birthday with two performances. The programs include Mr. Taylor's two newest dances, Also Playing and Brief Encounters. On Saturday, May 29 at 8pm, the program features the satiric Public Domain, the erotic Brief Encounters, and Taylor's red-hot look at the culture of tango, Piazzolla Caldera. On Sunday, May 30 at 3pm, the program includes the blissful Brandenburgs, the comic Vaudeville tribute Also Playing, and Piazzolla Caldera. The New York Times says, "There is no other choreographer today whose imaginative range looks so large or so multilayered."

http://www.ptdc.org
Click here for more on Paul Taylor Dance Company!

From the land of Franz Kafka, bucolic landscapes, and Bohemian crystal, music by Dvorak, Smetana, and Janacek that glows with lyricism and melodiousness. Dvorak's Piano Quintet is a recognized masterpiece, and along wiht the other selections, it over-flows with Mittel-European ease, cultivation and affecting tenderness. It's never too far from the Czech countryside and a languid summer's evening. This Gala concert is followed by a Patron's reception for all CEWM season contributors.

Lydia Artymiw, piano; Erin Keefe, violin; Lily Francis, violin; Toby Appel, viola; Yehuda Hanani, cello.

Tony Award-winning singer and actress Patti LuPone brings her powerhouse talent to Great Barrington on Sunday, July 11 at 7pm. Fresh off her rapturously received, role-defining stint as Mama Rose in Gypsy, Broadway star LuPone - the original Evita - takes us on a high-spirited tour of her favorite songs. Her recent stage credits include her debut with the Los Angeles Opera in Weill-Brecht's Mahagonny, the world premiere of Jake Heggie's new opera To Hell and Back with San Francisco's Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Mrs. Lovett in John Doyle's award winning Broadway production of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd (Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle Award nominations - Best Actress in a Musical; Drama League Award for Outstanding Contribution to Musical Theatre), the title role in Marc Blitzstein's Regina, a musical version of Lillian Hellman's The Little Foxes at Washington D.C.'s Kennedy Center, and a critically acclaimed performance as Fosca in a concert version of Stephen Sondheim's Passion, which was also broadcast on PBS' Live From Lincoln Center.

The Broadway hit Catskills on Broadway on Saturday, July 31 at 8pm is a good old-fashioned night of comedy - clean, funny, and realistic family humor. The Catskills, also known as the Borscht Belt, circled some 400 hotels and resorts, which catered to a Jewish clientele and enjoyed enormous popularity during the40s and 50s. The region launched the careers of many great comics. During two hilarious hours of stand-up, veteran comedians Freddie Roman, Mal Z. Lawrence, and Dick Capri bring audiences back to the golden years of the Catskills

Master jazz guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli and Friends swing into town on Saturday, August 7 at 8pm. For more than half a century, John "Bucky" Pizzarelli has been a part of the fraternity of musicians who have kept mainstream and traditional jazz alive. He learned to play banjo and guitar as a youngster. At the age of 17, he toured with Vaughan Monroe's dance band, which he re-joined after military service in 1946; he made recordings with the band for RCA and also played on the radio. In 1952, he joined the staff of NBC. For many years, at NBC, he played in the Doc Severinson Band on the "Tonight Show." He also played with Benny Goodman, led his own trio, and recorded duos with Zoot Sims, Bud Freeman, Stephane Grappelli, and his son John.

Popular 60s vocal group The Lettermen bring their vintage harmonies to the Mahaiwe stage on Friday, August 20 at 8pm. The Lettermen first appeared on the music charts in 1961 with the song "The Way You Look Tonight." The group then followed with a string of hits, including "When I Fall in Love," "Theme from a Summer Place," "Goin' Out of My Head/Can?t Take My Eyes Off of You," and "Put Your Head on My Shoulder." The Lettermen have had 32 consecutive Billboard Magazine chart albums, 11 gold records, and five Grammy nominations. In 2001, they were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.