Stellar cast draws full house for one-night show

The cast included Charles Busch (left), June Gable (center) and Richard Kind (right), as well as Joanna Gleason and Rodd Cyrus (not pictured).
Matthew Kreta

The cast included Charles Busch (left), June Gable (center) and Richard Kind (right), as well as Joanna Gleason and Rodd Cyrus (not pictured).
The Sharon Playhouse hosted a one-night stage reading of “The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife” on their main stage on Sept. 13. The reading featured an absolutely star-studded cast including the playwright, Charles Busch, and was sold out.
“The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife” follows the midlife crisis of the main character, Marjorie Taub, and takes place entirely within the two-bedroom apartment of her and her husband Ira. The play was first produced in 2000.
From the very beginning it is clear that Marjorie is in full distress but can’t quite place a finger on why, other than the death of her therapist. Only able to be “assisted” so much by her constantly working husband and nagging mother who lives just down the hall, Marjorie begins to find some solace and joy again due to a chance meeting with her old childhood friend, Lee. Lee has lived an absolutely extraordinary life, and her openness and stories begin to revitalize Marjorie. From there, the play explores Marjorie and her family trying to navigate these changes.
The five-person comedy featured Charles Busch as the titular allergist’s wife, Marjorie, as well as Tony winner Joanna Gleason, Tony nominee June Gable, television and movie actor Richard Kind and Juilliard School graduate Rodd Cyrus. Director Carl Andress read the stage directions for the audience’s benefit. The sheer talent of these five actors and actresses was clear from the moment they began, and their proficiency made this reading nearly feel like a complete production, despite the static and simplistic nature of stage readings.
Throughout the night, the cast fully embodied each character over the course of the hour and forty minutes that the audience had the pleasure to watch, delivering punchline after punchline with absolutely perfect timing and conviction. The audience, in turn, was absolutely roaring with laughter and applause. It was very rare for the hall to be silent, as the writing and cast delivered a night of non-stop hits that left patrons more than satisfied.
The Sharon Playhouse will open on Friday, Sept. 20 with the final production of its main season, “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown”.
The HVRHS boys rejoice around Jackson McAvoy after he scored the game-winning goal against Shepaug with just two minutes left to play.
WASHINGTON — Housatonic Valley Regional High School’s boys varsity soccer team advanced to the Berkshire League tournament final after a 1-0 win over Shepaug Valley High School in the semifinal game on Friday, Oct. 24.
Jackson McAvoy scored the game-winning goal with just two minutes remaining.
The victory marked HVRHS boys soccer’s first victory over Shepaug since 2020.
“Finally,” said HVRHS Coach Adolfo Portillo after the game.
HVRHS will play top-ranked Nonnewaug High School in the BL final. Nonnewaug advanced to the title game by beating Northwestern Regional High School in penalty kicks (4-3) after a 2-2 draw in regulation time.
The championship game will be played at Nonnewaug beginning at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28.

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Students dressed in neon lined the soccer field for senior night under the lights on Thursday, Oct. 16. The game against Lakeview was the last in a series of competitions Thursday night in celebration of Homecoming 2025.
As homecoming week reaches its end and fall sports finish out the season, an air of school spirit and student participation seems to be on the rise across Housatonic Valley Regional High School.
But what can be attributed to this sudden peak of student interest? That’s largely due to SGA. Also known as the Student Government Association, SGA has dedicated itself to creating events to bring the entire student body together. This year, they decided to change some traditions.
Spirit week from Oct. 14-17 was unlike those of the previous years. From wearing Housatonic merch to Boomer vs Baby day, this year’s spirit week held a little friendly competition to see which grade could participate the most.
“I think that students are bored of the same old activities and events, so it’s good to switch things up even slightly to incentivize interest within students,” said SGA president and senior Mollie Ford. “Plus the point system is super beneficial because it gives students a reason to participate.”
The school spirit sentiment can be seen outside of just the school. Senior Simon Markow is known for his photography throughout the community, and has dedicated time to help Housy sports teams’ social media posts.
“Since I’ve started photography, I think school attendance [at sports games] has gone up,” Markow said. “I feel this year, students will be more aware of games and are more likely to be at the games.”
Whether it’s a pink-out volleyball game or an under the lights soccer match, it’s likely you’ll see some familiar faces.
Social media has played a large role in this over the years. Almost every student organization at Housatonic has an Instagram account, and it’s helped reach students more efficiently than a poster or email would.
“The increase of social media use, with the help from me but as well as the teams themselves has definitely increased student interest,” Markow said. “With Housy teams posting more about their upcoming games, and my help showing the cool goals, spikes, or touchdowns, it’s enlightened students to watch the games themselves.”
In a small school, promoting pride has proven to be a challenge. But this year’s senior class has made some adjustments in the hopes to change that.
“The SGA community has spent the last few years really focusing on student participation, because we think it’s the students who contribute to a better climate,” Ford said. While Housatonic’s student body may be small in size, it seems they certainly aren’t small in spirit.