tagged: Art, Barrington Stage, Event, pay what you can, Pittsfield, Theater

Pay What You Can – A Night of Comedy at Barrington Stage

Posted by Kaitlyn in Events, Theater

Headed in to see the show!

This weekend in the Berkshires is one of those ones where everything is going on at once and you wish there were 5 of you to be able to see it all! Last night I kicked off the weekend of creativity with the pay what you can event at Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield. I had only ever been there once before to see the demon barber of Fleet ST, Sweeney Todd so I was very excited to return knowing a little better what to expect ( a post about my last experience there). The show on the main stage is a witty comedy called “ART” set in 1994 Paris about 3 friends whose friendship is tested when one of them purchases an all white painting for a large sum of money!

ART - At Barrington Stage

I recruited some friends who had never been to Barrington Stage before and we all arrived about 10 minutes before tickets went on sale at 7pm. The first pay what you can event the line was out the door for tickets but this time it was a lot more tame. We ended up with 3rd row seats off to the left side of the theater. I remembered from last time that there really is no bad seat in the entire place, you can see and hear well from anywhere. We walked inside past the ticket and gift counters to the cash bar. We bought a bottle of water which is the only thing allowed in the theater during the show and made our way to our seats.

The show was very witty and the 3 man cast did an excellent job of engaging us. I particularly liked when they would cut from the scene, make the set dark and spot light 1 character as they gave you an inner monologue full of relateable humor. It was definitely a bit of an intellectual comedy that required you to think about the words or the art but it was also very easy to follow. I personally liked it so much in part because it was so drastically different from Sweeney Todd and it provided an entirely new experience at the theater for me!

Dancing, music, food, and drinks after the show!!

After the show I quickly made my way to the bathroom which had a very small line thankfully and was very clean. After that I was ready to enjoy the delicious food and excellent music at the after party. I had a drink at the cash bar, danced, and chatted with a few people about the show and up coming events. The after party was in the lobby where the gift counter and cash bar are, the DJ was excellent and kept the music coming while we danced and enjoyed the delicious peanut spice chicken and home made sweetish meatballs, mmmmmmmm!!

If you missed the pay what you can night for ART you are in luck!! Friday August 20th at 8pm Barrington Stage will be hosting another pay what you can night for their next show to hit the main stage!  Absurd Person Singular is a comedy that follows the fortunes of three couples on three successive Christmas Eves in three different kitchens as they spin out of control to a darkly hilarious ending!

Of course you never have to wait for a pay what you can event, you can always drop in and get a schedule and tickets at any time! Today I am not sure where I am off to, maybe an art opening on north street before dinner with some friends tonight, I’d love to hear where you went last night or any up coming events you plan on attending!

In the short time I have been doing this blog I have already experienced so much of the area and I haven’t even put a dent in the list!! Until next time!

Kaitlyn