Harriet Harris, Leslie Kritzer, Debra Jo Rupp & More Join Barrington Stage Company's Streaming Season; THE HILLS ARE ALVIE Begins Tonight

Barrington Stage Company (BSC), under the leadership of Founder/Artistic Director Julianne Boyd, continues its 2020 season with performances beginning tonight for the concert, The Hills Are Alive with Rodgers & Hammerstein.

The Hills Are Alive, directed by Ms. Boyd, features Rodgers & Hammerstein's most-beloved songs from Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I and The Sound of Music, and stars Alan H. Green (BSC's American Underground, Broadway's School of Rock), Storm Lever (Broadway's Summer: The Donna Summer Musical), Nicholas Rodriguez (Broadway's Tarzan), Alexandra Silber (Broadway's Fiddler on the Roof) and Alysha Umphress (BSC and Broadway's On the Town, Broadway's American Idiot). Shea Sullivan (BSC's Ragtime) will choreograph. Darren R. Cohen is the musical director.

The concert will be performed at the Tartell Family Outdoor Stage at the former Polish Community Club - opposite BSC's Blatt Center (55 Linden Street) from August 19-29. As August 19-23 is sold out, best availability is in the second week of performances.

As previously announced, an online reading of Judgment Day by Rob Ulin and directed by Matthew Penn, will premiere on Saturday, August 22 at 7:30pm and will be available for viewing for a limited period of 96 hours only through Tuesday, August 25. Sammy Campo, a deeply corrupt, morally bankrupt lawyer (Jason Alexander), has a near-death experience in which he encounters a terrifying angel (Patti LuPone) who threatens him with eternal damnation. In a desperate attempt to redeem himself, Sammy teams with a Catholic priest (Santino Fontana), who is having his own crisis of faith as he struggles against Church authority (a monsignor played by Michael McKean). Together Sammy and the priest debate the timeless questions of Western philosophy - "morality," "faith," and "Are people any damn good?" - as they form an unlikely bond in this irreverent comedy. Access to the show is available with a donation of $35 or more.

BSC's production of Harry Clarke, by David Cale, starring BSC Associate Artist Mark H. Dold and directed by Ms. Boyd, was scheduled to open the Boyd-Quinson Mainstage season as the first indoor production in the United States to receive approval from Actors' Equity Association following the industry-wide shutdown in March. At the end of July, Massachusetts State Governor Charlie Baker delayed Phase 3, Step 2 of his reopening plan, which included indoor theatres. In less than a week, Harry Clarke was moved outdoors to the Tartell Family Outdoor Stage and opened to rave reviews.

Bob Goepfert, WAMC, aptly summed up the experience, saying "I have enjoyed many memorable theatrical occasions over the years. This production of Harry Clarke is among the more important for many reasons. For me, for the country, and the industry, it symbolizes the power of theater and the love of those who create it and those who attend it. Harry Clarke is an excellent theater experience. It is also proof that the art form can inspire, comfort and even more importantly, survive."

Harry Clarke ended its run on Sunday, August 16.

Leslie Kritzer: Is It Over Yet?, previously announced for Sunday, September 6 at the Mainstage, has been rescheduled for Sunday August 30 where it will close BSC's outdoor season at the Tartell Family Outdoor Stage. The 7:30 pm performance is sold out, so a second performance at 3:00 pm has been added.

"We are very proud of all we have achieved with our outdoor productions, but we are eager and ready to move indoors and open our Mainstage, having met all of the safety guidelines of Actors' Equity and employing the same social distancing practices that are currently in place with indoor seating for restaurants, casinos and houses of worship in Massachusetts," said Artistic Director Julianne Boyd. "Our next step is to get indoors when we are allowed to do so."

Until BSC is able to open its Mainstage theatre, indoor productions have been postponed, as noted below, with additional online programming announced:

Marilyn Maye: Party Time on August 24 has been postponed.

Ann Hampton Callaway: The Linda Ronstadt Songbook with Billy Stritch on August 31 and September 1 has been cancelled. Callaway will record a virtual concert, Diva Power, from her home, which will be available for current BSC ticketholders. Diva Power is a soaring celebration of the legendary ladies who helped shape the soundtrack of our lives - Barbra Streisand, Linda Ronstadt, Judy Garland, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Peggy Lee, Anita O'Day, Edith Piaf, Etta James, Carole King and Joni Mitchell. The virtual concert will be streamed on August 31 and September 1 at the original performance times at 7:30 pm ET.

Eleanor, a reading of a new play by BSC Associate Artist Mark St. Germain about Eleanor Roosevelt, starring Tony Award winner Harriet Harris (BSC's The Royal Family of Broadway, Broadway's Thoroughly Modern Millie), announced for September 4 and 5 at the Boyd-Quinson Mainstage, will now be streamed. The reading, directed by Henry Stram, will be filmed at the Mainstage without an audience, and will be available for stream on September 4 and 5 at the original performance times at 7:30 pm. ET. All present ticketholders will be sent a link to the show; additional tickets can be purchased at $15.

Ms. Boyd's Mainstage productions of Three Viewings by Jeffrey Hatcher, starring BSC Associate Artist Debra Jo Rupp (BSC's The Cake; Dr. Ruth, All the Way), announced for September 9-20, and The Price, by Arthur Miller and announced for October 1-18, will be postponed until later this year.

Rupp will reunite with her "That '70s Show" co-star Kurtwood Smith for a special preview streaming version of Three Viewings, which will be available from September 23-26 for a minimum donation of $25.

Ticket and additional season information is available at barringtonstageco.org.

BSC's complete safety procedures are available on the company's website at the following link: barringtonstageco.org/distancing.

Single tickets can be purchased by calling 413-236-8888 or emailing boxoffice@barringtonstageco.org.