On the next edition of Arts in Depth, Southern Tier audiences are invited to experience an evening of wit, warmth, and musical storytelling, as Southern Tier Actors Read presents a double bill of two engaging works.
Director Judy McMahon discovered Barry Targan’s "Harry Belton and the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto" in an unlikely place. “Some years ago, I was given a book that nobody has ever heard of,” she said. “I fell in love with it right away. I thought it was delightful, and I wanted to find a way to bring it to life.” After years on the shelf, McMahon collaborated with Jim Michalek to adapt the piece for performance. “We had to trim it and shape it,” she explained, “but once we did, I realized we needed a companion piece—and that’s how the second work came into the program.”
That companion piece is a scene from I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change by Joe DiPietro. “It’s a very funny and very touching scene,” said cast member Gary Hansen. “It features a widow and a widower who meet at a funeral home and, quite unexpectedly, find themselves drawn to each other. It’s a winsome story about two people who’ve lived full lives and aren’t necessarily looking for romance—but discover it anyway.”
The centerpiece of the evening, however, is Targan’s Harry Belton, a story about passion, persistence, and an improbable dream. Hansen describes Harry as “an ordinary man—a hardware store clerk—who simply loves the violin.” That love leads him to an extraordinary goal: performing the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with a full orchestra. “It’s far beyond his abilities,” Hansen noted, “but he becomes obsessed with the idea. So he mortgages his house, hires an orchestra, and rents a hall. Everyone around him thinks he’s lost his mind—but he’s driven by something pure. It harms no one, and it becomes a charming journey of self-discovery.”
The production features a large ensemble of familiar faces from the local theater community, alongside a few newcomers, reflecting the collaborative spirit of Southern Tier Actors Read.
Performances take place April 17 at 7:30 p.m., and April 18 and 19 at 3 p.m., in the ballroom of the Phelps Mansion Museum. For more information, visit
Phelpsmansion.org