Play It Again, Ray, At the Mac-Haydn

The Shook sisters have been onstage since Kelly was 3 and Karla, 4. That’s when their mother took them to an audition for “Carousel” at the Mac-Haydn Theatre in Chatham, NY. In the 20 or so years since, they have totally abandoned the idea of making their livelihoods in any other way and have spent so much time performing that neither one can look at a camera without flashing the bright eyes and the big smile. “Musical comedy is a good fit for me,” Karla says, which is probably why she is playing Sadie in Ray Roderick and Michael Berkeley’s (TriArts founders both) “I Love a Piano” at the Mac-Haydn this summer. This Irving Berlin, six-person revue has history. It debuted in 1992 (in a frenetic and entertaining production at the Sharon Playhouse) back when the youthful Shooks were probably still annoying their parents by wearing grungy denims and green sneakers. It ran at regional theaters in Minneapolis and Denver. And by the time it was touring coast to coast (with a stop in Pittsfield in 2002 some may remember), Karla was playing Sadie. Last year the two, Kelly as understudy, toured with “I Love a Piano” in Japan. “You get paid to see the country,” Kelly said. “You get paid to see the world.” And they will get paid to open Mac-Haydn’s season with “I Love a Piano,” Karla as Sadie and Kelly codirecting with her sister, running May 29 through June 6. Berkeley plans to be in the audience one night. For tickets, call 518-392-9292. The Mac-Haydn Theatre is at 1925 New York Route 203, in Chatham.

Latest News

One dead, two hurt in Sharon car crash

Emergency responders block Amenia Union Road in Sharon Saturday, Oct. 11, while responding to the vehicle crash.

Photo by Patrick L. Sullivan

SHARON — Emergency crews were called Saturday, Oct. 11, to Amenia Union Road in Sharon for a report of a vehicle into a building with entrapment.

The call went out shortly after 3 p.m. with an update at 3:20 p.m. reporting one dead on arrival, two conscious. Emergency helicopter transport was requested.

Keep ReadingShow less
Rhys V. Bowen

LAKEVILLE — Rhys V. Bowen, 65, of Foxboro, Massachusetts, died unexpectedly in his sleep on Sept. 15, 2025. Rhys was born in Sharon, Connecticut, on April 9, 1960 to Anne H. Bowen and the late John G. Bowen. His brother, David, died in 1979.

Rhys grew up at The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, where his father taught English. Attending Hotchkiss, Rhys excelled in academics and played soccer, basketball, and baseball. During these years, he also learned the challenges and joys of running, and continued to run at least 50 miles a week, until the day he died.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kelsey K. Horton

LAKEVILLE — Kelsey K. Horton, 43, a lifelong area resident, died peacefully on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, at Norwalk Hospital in Norwalk, Connecticut, following a courageous battle with cancer. Kelsey worked as a certified nursing assistant and administrative assistant at Noble Horizons in Salisbury, from 1999 until 2024, where she was a very respected and loved member of their nursing and administrative staff.

Born Oct. 4, 1981, in Sharon, she was the daughter of W. Craig Kellogg of Southern Pines, North Carolina, and JoAnne (Lukens) Tuncy and her husband Donald of Millerton, New York. Kelsey graduated with the class of 1999 from Webutuck High School in Amenia and from BOCES in 1999 with a certificate from the CNA program as well. She was a longtime member of the Lakeville United Methodist Church in Lakeville. On Oct. 11, 2003, in Poughkeepsie, New York, she married James Horton. Jimmy survives at home in Lakeville. Kelsey loved camping every summer at Waubeeka Family Campground in Copake, and she volunteered as a cheer coach for A.R.C. Cheerleading for many years. Kelsey also enjoyed hiking and gardening in her spare time and spending time with her loving family and many dear friends.

Keep ReadingShow less
Eliot Warren Brown

SHARON — On Sept. 27, Eliot Warren Brown was shot and killed at age 47 at his home in New Orleans, Louisiana, in a random act of violence by a young man in need of mental health services. Eliot was born and raised in Sharon, Connecticut, and attended Indian Mountain School and Concord Academy in Massachusetts. He graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He and his wife Brooke moved to New Orleans to answer the call for help in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and fell in love with the city.

In addition to his wife Brooke, Eliot leaves behind his parents Malcolm and Louise Brown, his sisters Lucia (Thaddeus) and Carla (Ruairi), three nephews, and extended family and friends spread far and wide.

Keep ReadingShow less