This weekend see the critically acclaimed SHAKESPEARE & COMPANY production of Hamlet.  When SHAKESPEARE & COMPANY staged their stunning new production of Hamlet in 2006, The New York Times praised the “invaluable and indefatigable” 28 year old company for “…speak[ing] the speech so clearly and comprehendingly that even theater goers new to Shakespeare grasp the plot and characters.”

Now, America’s foremost center for Shakespeare performance and studies will offer Hamlet as their first national tour in the fall of 2008, bringing a “pared-down, revved-up version” of Shakespeare’s uncontested masterpiece to audiences across the country.

Curtain times are at 2:00pm and 8:00pm on Saturday and Sunday September 13 and 14.  Contact boxoffice@shakespeare.org or visit their website http://shakespeare.org.  The performances are at the Founders Theater on Kemble Street in Lenox Massachusetts, around the block from Brook Farm Inn.  Call us to reserve your room this week end.

We have our tickets, and can’t wait to see “Oliver!” at the Berkshire Theater Festival in Stockbridge.  It’s one of the favorite musicals of all time. The cast includes children and adults drawn from the local Berkshire community.  Stay at Brook Farm Inn in Lenox Massachusetts, and see the show September 4 through 7.

Come to the Berkshires in September, and enjoy special events at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington.  September 13, it’s Paula Poundstone, Sept. 21st see the Indigo Girls.  Then on Sept. 22nd the Metropolitan Opera “Live in HD” series begins, with Renee Fleming.  Stay with us at Brook Farm Inn in Lenox Massachusetts, and you can also enjoy the Mahaiwe’s Monday night movies, which present great classic flicks.

The Capitol Steps will be performing their hilarious political satire at the Cranwell Resort and Spa in Lenox Massachusetts through the Labor Day weekend.  Guests of Brook Farm Inn who saw the show this week reported that many new skits have been added that make the show timely.  The recent events in Georgia, the Olympics in China, and John Edwards all are dealt with as only the Capitol Steps can.  By the way, has anybody seen John Edwards lately?

Don’t miss the final weekend of performances.  Also, make reservations for  dinner at The Wyndhurst in the mansion at Cranwell before the Capitol Steps shows.  If you prefer a more casual meal eat at the Sloanes Tavern.  Try the porter on tap if you like dark beer.

We hope the Cranwell brings back the Capitol Steps next season.  In fact, we wish they were staying until November.  This election year should certainly give them a lot of material to work with.

It’s time for picking your own apples in the Berkshires!  At Brook Farm Inn in Lenox Massachusetts, we’re recommending Windy Hill Farm in Great Barrington, where the orchard offers a beautiful mountain view.  This weekend, Bartlett’s Orchard in Richmond will also be open for “pick your own.” 

At Brook Farm Inn in Lenox Massachusetts, we’re recommending that our guests see these wonderful exhibits at the Berkshire Museum.

Look at Us: Portraits from the Berkshire Museum
The Berkshire Museum showcases a diverse collection of art from the 17th century to the present. Look at Us, on view July 1 through October 26, 2008, will feature approximately 40 paintings,  drawings, photographs, and prints, by artists over the centuries. Featured artists include: Ammi Phillips, Rembrandt Peale, Asher B. Durand, Erastus Salisbury Field, John Singer Sargent, J.M. Whistler Edouard Vuillard, Norman Rockwell, Kaethe Kollwitz, Alfred Stieglitz, and more. Plus, a selection of portraits on loan from the Whitney Museum of American art will include works by Cindy Sherman, Andy Warhol, Chuck Close, Ann Hamilton, and others. Explore how Facebook and other technologies change the way we think of identity and portraiture. Take your picture in the photo booth or get creative at the mobile art studio (Saturdays). July 1-September 1, 2008
Full Moon at Night: Monoprints by Betsy Dovydenas
Eight works by the Lenox, Mass., artist explore the natural world at night.  In-kind sponsor: Curtis Publishing and The Saturday Evening Post

Lenox, Massachusetts is a prime destination for September and October.  The Lenox Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring these great events, and we’re telling all our guests at Brook Farm Inn about them.  Call us for more information. 

Sept. 12-14 — A Weekend of the Gilded Age

Sept. 19-21 — The Autumn Art Festival

Sept. 26-28 — Apple Squeeze and Folk Art Festival

Oct. 11-13 — A Coaching Weekend and America’s Harvest

Oct. 18 — Scenic Fall Foliage Train Ride

Golf in the Berkshires in September is incomparable. Link to the “Packages” page for Brook Farm Inn in Lenox, Massachusetts.  There you’ll find our newest package…

September Midweek  Golf Special! 

When you stay at Brook Farm Inn at least  2  midweek nights in September, you’ll receive 2 gift certificates for 9 holes at nearby Greenock Country Club.   Stay must include 2 weekday nights Monday thru Thursday.  (Tee times are subject to availability, cart fees are extra.)

“Waiting for Godot” has been called “Beckett’s first and funniest dramatic masterpiece.” We had the pleasure of seeing it performed at Berkshire Theatre Festival, and we recommend it to all guests of Brook Farm Inn in Lenox Massachusetts.  It was acted superbly; everyone still leaves the theater talking about its meaning, although the program notes remind us that this play is really just about waiting.  Whatever meaning you take from it, you’ll be glad you went.

Today was the opening of the Berkshire Open Market, a covered market of small stalls at the Aspinwell complex in Lenox, Massachusetts.  Artists, crafters, and dealers of all types of handmade items have space in this open air market.  In August, it will be open Saturdays from noon to 6 PM, and there are plans to extend to Sunday as well.  Although today the number of stalls was limited because it was a “soft opening,” the offerings all were quality items, especially some wonderful pottery. We at Brook Farm Inn look forward to seeing the market grow.