Thank you!
Your support is sustaining the future of local news in our communities.

Albee Powerfully Performed at Unicorn Theatre

The Berkshire Theatre Group production of Edward Albee’s “The Goat or Who is Sylvia” is a smash in more ways than one.

First, it is a complex, intriguing and challenging play brilliantly performed. Albee’s reframing of the classic tragedy, this time with laughter, amazement and pathos, is produced so well that the audience could hardly wait to leap to its feet in appreciative applause.

Second, the mesmerizing portrayal of Stevie, the woman scorned, by Jennifer Van Dyck is so electric that when she single-handedly smashes an extensive collection of pottery props adorning the well appointed living room set, it makes so much sense that the audience is with her, every shard of the way.

Albee’s dramas are legendary, not only for their thematic impact but for the way he uses language and demands that his actors establish an unrelenting pattern of give and take. There are no pauses that are not demanded. There are no lines thrown away as entrance or exit. Each word, each line, is critical, and the four actors commanding the Unicorn Theatre stage do not miss a beat. It’s hard to imagine that during their powerful monologues they even have time to catch a breath.

Because Stevie’s character is so complex and her emotions are so wide-ranging the effort to embody her on stage is exhausting. Van Dyck’s performance is, without doubt, the “high bar” for the summer’s performances across all the serious stages in the Berkshires. Others will, no doubt, be excellent, but this is breathtaking.

Her match on the stage is her husband, Martin, presented with complex intensity by Berkshire Theatre Group veteran David Adkins. Throughout the hour and forty-five minute piece, Albee wants us to hate him, to pity him, to revile him for what he does … and yet, in the end, Adkins elegantly captures both the complexity of the character and the impossibility of finding resolution to the tragedy.

Supporting characters Josh Aaron McCabe as long time family friend and confidant Ross, and Evan Silverstein as the couple’s son Billy do yeoman’s work of keeping up with the tsunami of emotion that floods the stage. They are both skillful in not only presenting their characters but ensuring that the energy demands of Adkins and Van Dyck are fully met.

Director Eric Hill has skillfully made the play seamless from lights up to lights down by allowing his actors to inhabit the characters and have their physical drama brilliantly mirror their emotional turmoil.

An easy play? Not really. An important play? Most definitely. A play you should find time to see? Your summer season would be the poorer if you did not.

 

“The Goat or Who is Sylvia”?  The Unicorn Theatre, Stockbridge, Mass. Performances through June 15, get tickets by calling the Berkshire Theatre Box Office at 413-997-4444 or at www.BerkshireTheatreGroup.org.

Latest News

Let's Hear It - September 17, 2026

Let's Hear It - September 17, 2026

This Week

As summer comes to an end and the days begin to get a little cooler, signs of fall are starting to appear all around us. The leaves are beginning to change, the evenings are getting shorter, and a new season of activities and traditions is just around the corner.

Keep ReadingShow less

$5,000

$5,000

Letters to the Editor - September 17, 2026

Letters to the Editor - September 17, 2026

Put $1M to work for housing affordability

If I had $1 million to improve housing affordability in Litchfield County, I would create a revolving Housing Opportunity Fund. Instead of spending the entire amount on one or two homes, I would use it to help local housing trusts acquire land or properties, provide down-payment assistance for qualified buyers, convert appropriate existing buildings into housing, and help cover some of the upfront costs that can prevent good housing projects from ever getting started.

Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

Turning Back the Pages - September 17, 2026

125 years ago — September 1901

LIME ROCK — Matthew Patterson recently received a silver medal from the Canadian government as a token of his services during the Fenian raid in ‘71. The medal is suitably inscribed and is considerably heavier than a silver dollar. It depends from a silk tri-color and pin, and altogether makes a very neat souvenir.

Keep ReadingShow less
Voices from our community about the housing we need for a healthy, vibrant future

Jordan Seibert and Riley Bossi

Shelly Dinelle

There’s a reason people say, “It takes a village to raise a child.” To thrive, a child needs a safe, stable place to call home. That’s the bedrock for health, dignity, and the chance to build a bright future. What kind of “village” does it take to create these homes?

Motivated by compassion and a drive to make housing more accessible, it took the Foundation for Norfolk Living years of hard work to create ten affordable homes at Haystack Woods. The “village” turned out to be a patchwork of support that included financial help from the DOH, a construction mortgage through Northwest Community Bank, and a Community Development Block Grant to purchase the property and pay for the road and infrastructure. The result? Two- and three-bedroom homes reserved for first-time homebuyers earning 60-80% of Litchfield County’s median income, and selling for $159,000 to $261,000. The condominium homes are deed-restricted and net-zero thanks to energy-efficient construction, solar panels, and battery storage, meaning the homebuyers will have no energy costs! Curious? Just Google “Haystack Woods” to learn more. It’s a remarkable accomplishment.

Keep ReadingShow less
Selectmen back $113,000 request for new ambulance

FALLS VILLAGE — The Board of Selectmen approved a request from the Fire Commission for $113,000 toward a new ambulance scheduled for delivery in November.

The selectmen acted during their regular monthly meeting Monday, Sept. 14.

Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.