THE THEATER MIRROR, New England's LIVE Theater Guide
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"Keely & Du"
* Also see REVIEWS
CURRENTLY RUNNING SHOWS
"Stones in His Pockets" *
* Also reviewed here in QUICK TAKES
CURRENTLY RUNNING SHOWS
Reviewed HERE in QUICK-TAKES
No more at The Moment
Reviewed in REVIEWS
"Adrift in Macao" 2
"The King And I" 2
"La Cage Aux Folles"
"The Mystery of Edwin Drood"
KEELY AND DU, by Jane Martin
Performances through March 15
Presented by Hovey Players, Waltham MA
Directed by Bill Doscher
Co-Producers: Jessie Olson & Kristin Hughes
Stage Manager: Mark Sickler
Cast: Philana Gnatowski, Ann Carpenter, Larry Lickteig, Robin Gabrielli
The judges who award outstanding performances around Boston need to get to Waltham by March 15 to see the Hovey Players' production of KEELY AND DU by Jane Martin. This drama with four actors is directed by Bill Doscher. Keely (Philana Gnatowski), a young woman pregnant by rape, is held captive by a militant anti-abortion cadre insistent that she deliver (and love) the fetus Keely is determined to abort. Du (Ann Carpenter), the group's grandmotherly nurse, is assigned to care for Keely in a locked basement for several months. The play is about their changing relationship, and both actresses hold the stage firmly the entire drama. Walter (Larry Lickteig), the zealous minister who leads the anti-abortionists, frequently visits Keely's prison to persuade her to follow their plan. They even bring in repentant rapist Cole (Robin Gabrielli), Keely's alcoholic ex-husband, who begs forgiveness.
These four actors are terrific, especially young Philana Gnatowski and stage veteran Ann Carpenter in their demanding, leading roles. Larry Lickteig and Robin Gabrielli make their unsympathetic characters fully understandable. All are convincing. In a program note Bill Doscher, whose directing awards include musical shows, thanks the Hovey Players for letting him do "serious stuff." Audiences and judges should be grateful as well.
Mathew Todd’s cheeky BLOWING WHISTLES (at Zeitgeist Stage through Feb 9th) starts off like a lightweight British sitcom. Picture, if you can, an even-more-gay-than-it-already-is ARE YOU BEING SERVED. Then something sweet happens. The titillating laughter gives way to some lovely sentiment as a sincere banker bloke and his less than honest lover celebrate their 10th anniversary.
The lover (a buff Christopher Michael Brophy) thinks he’s God’s gift. He’s the kind of guy who thinks a boy toy is an appropriate anniversary present. Brian Quint gives a heartbreaking performance as the banker who tries to please everyone, even at his own expense. Director Thomas Garvey mines some earnest emotion from the over the top script and classy performances from Quint and Joey Pelletier as the confused teenager who comes wrapped or should I say ‘unwrapped’ as a gift.
Marie Jones’ STONES IN HIS POCKETS (at Hovey Players through next weekend) is a vigorous workout for two actors. The duo gets to play over a dozen roles in this peculiar little comedy of bad movie manners. The premise brings an American film company to Ireland to shoot some local color and everyone in town wants in.
There’s an old coot whose claim to fame is that he’s the last surviving extra from John Wayne’s THE QUIET MAN. There’s the kid who abuses drugs to escape his dashed dreams and it wouldn’t be a Hollywood movie without a pompous director and a frazzled assistant, not to mention a haughty starlet who just can’t, for the life of her, master an Irish accent. Our entrée into this strange world of close-ups and wide shots filled with “downtrodden peasants” are two regular blokes, happy to be extras.
Often an actor in STONES will find himself playing a scene with himself as another character, so keeping each one distinct is of paramount importance. Director Leigh Berry’s cast does a good job of making each character unique and the brogues are surprisingly easy to understand (which sometimes isn’t the case with native Irish speakers). Bill Stambaugh and Michael Sean Corbett run a good race, transitioning smoothly from silly to sober and back again.
The NSMT’s LES MISERABLES is a must see and here’s why. No more dark, gloomy Broadway set. The brooding, plodding direction of the original production has been replaced with a clarity and vitality which infuses the show with freshness and excitement. NSMT plays their shows in the round and here’s the delightful paradox: The much ballyhooed circular staging (Think FORBIDDEN BROADWAY) that we’ve come to expect in LES MIZ is gone! Director and choreographer (and soon to be NSMT’s Artistic Director/Producer) Barry Ivan makes the action soar—and not once are you conscious of the sightlines. Now you’re conscious of the through line, and Victor Hugo’s sweeping story.
If all you remember about the novel is Jean Valjean’s imprisonment for stealing bread---and his escape through the Paris sewers---you’ll be enthralled by the heroics of Fred Inkley’s Valjean. He brings a strength of character to the role that few actors do. Devin Richards, too, makes an indelible mark as Javert, the policeman who dogs Valjean through the years. See it, as well, for Ron Wisniski as Thenardier, the scurrilous landlord who looks like he stepped out of a scathing Daumier caricature. Every aspect of the show makes a political impact. The French Revolution is only a memory to the students who arm the barricades in LES MIZ but the cause is the same. The poor are no better off--- and Ivan and company make you keenly aware of the stakes.
Hi Larry,
I went to see part I of the Kentucky cycle yesterday and was surprised that I didn't see you there; we seem to be hitting lots of shows at the same time. This is by far the best theatre I have seen in Boston in a long time. The action of the show was so well paced and riveting that I hardly noticed the time. I wasn't able to stay for the evening of part II but plan to go next weekend. I am urging everyone to get to see this amazing event.
Renee Miller
by all means put me on the reviewers' list - you are doing fantastic work at the Company Theater - I felt so good about the state of theater to see so many enthusiastic people in the audience - and you have a wonderful mix of actors on the stage. I loved seeing the orchestra play - that is a unique aspect to your production as well. Congratulations all around.
Kay Bourne
Sure, there’s the sweet story of the little girl from Allentown (Jessica Greeley) who steps out of the chorus and into the lead. There’s the handsome producer (John Anthony) who famously says “You’re going out there a youngster, but you have to come back a star.” But the big reason to see the Reagle production is the dancing: The New York City tapestry ballet—“where the underworld can meet the elite” on “bawdy, naughty, gawdy, sporty 42nd Street”---will lift you right out of your seat and send you tapping your way happily home.
Kudos, too, to Suellen Estey as the haughty star who breaks her leg and can’t go on. Her tough break, of course, leads to a lucky break for “Allentown.” You’ll remember that life has imitated art a couple of times. That’s how Shirley McLaine and Catherine Zeta-Jones, both got their starts.
It’s not often you get to see a huge-scale musical with all the bells and whistles. Reagle knows how to pull out all the stops and director Eileen Grace knows how to turn up the heat.
Any psychologist will tell you that a child’s play mimics the adult behavior (s)he experiences---so a “naughty” dolly might get a “time out” or maybe even a spanking, in some households. Playwright Noah Haidle drags this imaginative play toward the dark side in his creepy tale of latchkey kids called MR. MARMELADE (playing through Aug. 11th at the Boston Center for the Arts).
John Kuntz gives a downright scary performance as the sadistic, manipulative imaginary friend of an adorable, pigtailed four year old, portrayed in glorious, melt-in-your-mouth naiveté by Rachel Hunt. The Company One production, directed by Shawn LaCount, makes the sometimes hilarious, sometimes shocking material jump right off the stage. (Scene cards, like old silent movie exposition, even warn us that some of the action will be hard to take, for the squeamish.)
This dark comedy, nevertheless, has its bright side, in the pint-sized personage of a disturbed five year old, brilliantly played by Greg Maraio. He befriends the lonely little girl with an imagination as bizarre as his and together they keep evil at bay.
Larry,
I don't normally have the urge to write about shows I've seen (and i
see alot) but after last night's performance of Company One's Mr.
Marmalade, I couldn't resist.
All I can say is this is one of the funniest, smartest, and most interesting plays I've seen in a long time. Not only was it bitingly funny, but it had me thinking about just about everything well after the show was over.
The production itself was flawless and the cast was to die for. John Kuntz was in top form as always and it was a delight to see him as the smarmy and charming Mr. Marmalade. But the play belonged to Rachael Hunt as Lucy and Greg Maraio as Larry. It's always a minefield when an adult plays a child, and these two not only pulled it off but made me forget I was watching adult at all. Hunt, who spends the entire show onstage was simply mesmerizing to watch, the absolute heart of the play. As for Greg Maraio's adorable Larry, all I can say is that his performance was the funniest I've seen all year (or longer). Hilarious and touching, he stole every scene he was in.
Strong performances all around from the supporting cast Daniel Berger-Jones, Amanda Good- Hennesey, Mark Vanderzee, Danny Balel, and Tory Bullock.
Go see this play! Its not for children due to a lot of the racy
subject matter, but if you are over 18, you're sure to have a good
laugh, and it doesn't hurt if your sense of humor is on the darker
side
Erin Griffiths
Company One's Mr. Marmalade opened this past weekend at the BCA Plaza Theatre and I have a brief recommendation:
GO SEE IT!!
I saw it on opening night and it was polished and ready and absolutely hilarious. I feel like I need to see it again because we were all laughing so hard I missed some lines. I can pretty much guarantee that you'll enjoy it (unless you're offended easily, in which case: stay home).
Company One is taking a big step, hiring their first equity performer: local legend John Kuntz! John is fantastic as always and it's a fabulous cast all around, but to my mind the real standout is Greg Maraio as Larry. His physicality is so perfect that he didn't have to say a word to have me rolling in the aisles.
This is a high-energy summer play by a hot, young playwright, so bring some friends for the fun! The show deserves to be a big hit - kudos to Company One. (But please - no kids!!)
The Makeshift Theatre Co, has been doing theater for younger audiences, at ghodawful hours of the pre-dawn like 10 A M for a while, but until 15 July they'll be on the Durrell Stage at the Cambridge YMCA doing Everything Shakespeare wrote in a little over an hour, with lengthy asides and a Dramatic Intermission --- and all for a mere $15. The three guys in sneakers are Larry Leggett, Jonathan Overby, and Artistic Director Andrew Rhodes, and their high-energy high-jinks is quick, broad and subtle by turns, and a laugh riot. They are masters of a sort of sidelong glance and dying voice that implies Something Is Screwed Up Here, they throw themselves about the stage like dimented things (whether doing Ophelia or Juliet or Desdemona --- the shriek's the same), and they at least Mention 36 plays.
Well, Thirty SEVEN, actually, though Larry Leggett has this Thing about "Hamlet" that....
Ooop! NoNoNo, I'll be as mysterious about that as they are about some "Schottish Play" they want to do as a Step-Dancing Musical. (That is a lie, but so is a lot of this fun show. It's funny for everyone, but the more you know about Shagsberd, the funnier it gets.) And what d'ya expect for only Fifteen Bucks, huh? Check 'em out!
Love,
===Anon.
/H4>
I paid another visit to the improv comedy concert featuring a local band called Jim's Big Ego. My first review praised the concept, the band, and the audience participants, but criticized the performer who interpreted how the songs answered audience members' questions. See http://www.theatermirror.com/CBEte&tojtob.htm
Since then, the show has been polished, and there is a new "interpreter" -- a "medium" called Jenny G (Jenny Gutbezahl). Jenny G makes all the difference. She is completely comfortable with improv and has a rapid-reaction comic sense. She also gave an improved explantion about just what this offbeat entertainment aims to do.
The show is a clever vehicle for the band because you have to listen carefully to the lyrics if you want to know how they "answer" the audience questions, and the lyrics are a particular strength of Jim's Big Ego.
Although the show is temporarily closed, it will reopen at Jimmy Tingle's Off-Broadway Theater in Davis Square, Somerville, in July and may also run in August. A packed audience on June 17 got a big kick out of it, and I can now recommend warmly it for an evening of kooky fun. For more information, see http://www.theegoandtheoracle.com.
Caroline Burlingham Ellis
there is a new play in town that i highly recommend: THE TRIAL OF ONE SHORT SIGHTED BLACK WOMAN VS. MAMMY LOUISE AND SAFREETA MAE. written by karani marcia leslie, it is the inaugural production of the roxbury crossroads theatre (www.Roxburycrossroadstheatre.com). although it is billed as "a comedic courtroom drama that centers on the efforts of a successful black woman to sue two stereotypes of american black women", it is indeed more than that. it is, really, a scholarly, honest, and profoundly moving exploration of the legacy of slavery, african-american identity, and the perennial problem of the "color line" (as w.e.b. dubois termed it) in this country. it has very funny as well as very sad moments; its characters are richly developed. from writer to producer to director to actors, everyone gives his/her soul to this production.
reviewers have called it "a wickedly funny, thoughtfully provocative play, often funny but also deeply serious" and "a lightly rolllicking vehicle of wit, humor and history."
although i am not a frequent theatre goer, i have seen my share of plays over the years. i can tell you, without exaggeration, that this play moved me in ways that i had never been moved by a work of art, dramatic or otherwise. based on the reaction of very enthusiastic and appreciative fellow audience members, i don't think my reaction was atypical.
last but not least, as a bonus, you will get to see our own talaya freeman displaying her great thespian gifts in a magisterial role.
the venue is the boston center for the arts plaza theatre, 539 tremont st., in the south end. it will run through 6/10/07.
please do your soul a favor and go see this play.
-pedro
I have only a few minutes before going to be "ROASTed", and I have had a devastating Cold for ten debilitating days now, so I think I'll go, after tonight's show, to the Beth Israel Emergency Room to find out just what is wrong with me.
But these two plays, seen back-to-back last week-end, are beautifully written and acted and, yes, Surrealistic and in-your-face attacks on current affairs. The one with the longest title is at the BCA; the other is at Gloucester Stage Company --- and both must be seen to be believed.
"The Trial" puts not people, but IMAGES on trial --- noting the persistence of the "Aunt Jemima figure" and the younger, sexier Black prostitute as stereotypes. The suit is brought by a young and more-or-less upwardly-mobile Black woman in a business power-suit (Kortney Adams), who complains that the jokes of her peers at her expense are based on these demeaning character-studies in old movies. Since there is really no courtroom, the prosecutor (Valerie Lee) and defender (Marvelyn McFarlane) can summon any witnesses they want, real or imaginary, and get The WHOLE Truth from them. And it turns out that hardly Any of these witnesses (including Jeff Gill's hard-shelled slave-owner) is willing to Step Down after testimony ends. The judge (Talaya Freeman) is quite capricious in sustaining or denying objections, and her search for the Whole Truth changes several of the characters' minds about a lot of things. And that could be true of you in the audience as well.
This is a toe-to-toe battle about truths and mythologies, well worth everyone's attention. It is brilliantly directed by Jacqui Parker, written by Karani M. Leslie, and produced by Ed Bullins' new Roxbury Crossroads Theatre --- in their first full-length production.
Out in Gloucester, it's Heidi Dallin and Jacqueline Kristel playing two famous women; their fictitious collision supposedly takes place before Bill Clinton's dalliance became public. Yvette Heyliger, who not only wrote but directed this production, barges across genres from farce to stand-up to high drama to politiical gossip, with quips and malapropisms popping off in all directions. The scene here is a small display-room showing the table-crockery chosen by every First Lady --- some of which come close to turning out Intercontinental Ballistic Weapons as the conflicts escalate.
I can't remember how many (dozen?) times Mrs. Clinton hollered "Ah no, Little Girl, you're not sneeking out through that door yet!" at Lewinsky's guilty back, and Monica's stumbles ("I was gong to meet him in the Oral Office") and ignorance ("Woodward and Bernstein? Who are they?") are in serious need of editing. But these are both actresses of solid talent and experiences going at each other non-stop and no-quarter, drawing blood early and often.
Jeff Pierce makes a buzz-word/cliche walk-on as Bill Clinton, as well as another as a Secret Service Agent, and Vanessa Shaw plays a smarmy Betty Currie --- and both of them rush into other costumes as Woman Three, Man One --- but these turn out to be nearly irrelevent to the Title Bout that used both of them, but never ceases.
It's important to remember that, no matter what your politics, your memories of this national crisis, nor your interest in next year's presidential election, you will be surprised (repeatedly) by the playwright's store of detail, and her ability to make two shouting national icons into decidedly, passionately, believably human beings. I don't think I've ever watched two actresses work harder, or succeed more brilliantly.
The Huntington
Theatre Company's final production of their 25th
season is an excellent example of what this firmly
middle-brow theatre does best. Played on a sumptuous
Art Deco inspired set by Alexander Dodge, with
costumes by another longtime Huntington designer,
Mariann Verhegen, the show has a Broadway flair. The
casting is strong in most cases with a smattering of
locals, Nancy E. Carroll as the Swedish maid, Alice
Duffy as a matronly Lady Saltburn, and Richard Snee as
Henry Lypiatt, whose wife is pursuing the leading
man. That part is taken by Tony nominee Victor
Garber, whose more or less convincing as fading West
End star, Garry Essendine, if somewhat tame.
The women are
occasionally problematic. Sarah Hudnut, seen last
fall in "The Cherry Orchard" doesn't come across as
old enough to be Garry's private secretary. Lisa
Barnes is sufficient as Garry's former wife Liz and
Holly Fain is a good basic ingenue. As Joanna
Lypiatt's Pamela J. Gray's motivations are somewhat
unclear. Both Mark Victor and Brooks Ashmanskas seem
to equate volume with emotion, to which Ashmanskas
adds a level of physical comedy which doesn't suit the
show. James Joseph O'Nell makes the most of the
Cockney butler
But a good time is had by
all. "Present Laughter" sometimes feels like the
third act of "Design for Living" writ large and with
no agenda. HTC is doing a relatively complete script
of this three act "Bon Voyage" which was written on
the eve of WWII, with its opening delayed until 1942
after Coward his duties to Britain's propaganda
efforts. It toured along with "This Happy Breed" and
was joined in the canon by another evergreen, "Blithe
Spirit." The size of its cast has kept it mostly to
the community stage, so HTC's production is probably
the best chance to see a first-rate production of
Coward and his arch witticisms.
"Present Laughter" by Noel Coward, May 18 - June
17
Huntington Theatre Company at B.U. Theatre
264 Huntington Ave., (617) 266 - 0800-????
HTC
A suburban company of
young actors from the South Shore, the Gurnet Theatre
Project, has produced interesting several shows in the
last three years. This time, for a brief run at the
BCA, they've moved closer to the Fringe with a
production on Bert V. Royal's "Dog Sees God;
Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead" which brings the
Peanuts gang into high school. CB, played by Jonathan
Orsini, is still the same lost soul, his sister Sally,
played by Gillian Mackay-Smith, is trying to find
herself--this week she's a Wiccan, Linus, played by
Foster Johns, is now a stoner. You get the idea.
The script has seems to have been generated at least
partially from improvisation by its original cast of
young NY TV actors. The original production won an
award at the 2004 NY International Fringe
Festival.
Director Brian C. Fahey
pulls the show's rambling scenes together and the
result is a show with some of the heart of the
original. It could use some editing however. The
only actor seen much around town is busy Jonathan
Popp, who plays Matt. It may take a moment to figure
out which of the original characters he is. Lucy,
played by Danielle Baumann, is shows up briefly in a
rather peculiar situation. Gurnet is running the show
one more weekend, but it's liable to turn up on the
stages of local liberal highschools, especially those
with active GLTS support groups. If you can come in
out of the good weather--finally--this weekend, it's
worth a shot.
"Dog Sees God" by Bert V. Royal, May 18 - 26
Gurnet Theatre Project at BCA, Black Box
539 Tremont, (617) 933 - 8600
Gurnet
Hello Larry,
I wanted to tell you about an incredible theatrical experience that I had on
Saturday night in Gloucester.
Not many people know of the performances, the company have been very
specific and elusive ??
But I was so blown away that I am compelled to tell all.
I was invited by a close friend of mine to see The Maids, produced by The
Contemporary Theatre of Boston,
for those of you who might not know...it is an absurdist play by the
brilliant French playwright Jean Genet.
CTB from what I hear, is a new? edgy company who want to shake up our
rarely shaken Boston Theatre Scene.
And shake they did!
This was no ordinary performance in an ordinary
theater, this was 'site specific' and this specific site was a beautiful
home in Gloucester.
The audience were greeted at the door and served drinks and food for one
hour, pre performance. I LOVED this! There were about thirty guests, or
audience members
and almost all of them were dressed up in period clothing, or just dressed
up!
I recognized some Gloucester Stage veterans and some South End artists. A
truly eclectic group.
After about an hour of lovely drinks and munchies and period music from the 40's, we are ushered into a gorgeous room which for all intents and purposes is the living room of the "Madame" in which the story is based around.
The playing space and close proximity to the audience at first felt a bit too close, but within minutes we are transported back in time and I even found myself leaning in for some of the more intimate moments. The play itself is dark and I will get to the acting in a moment.
I first want to comment on the amazing level of detail, gothic candelabras, working period phones right down to a beautiful working victrola. Absolutely splendid.
The actresses were good almost bordering on brilliant at times.
British actress and Co- founder of CTB gave a terrific performance as
"Madame"
Nadia Delemeny gave a very pure absurdist performance and this character
suited her wonderfully
and her beauty and subtle humor made it even more of a pleasure to watch.
Molly Schreiber's portrayal of Claire was poetic and strong, and the
incredible transformation's that she makes
through the play actually gave me goose bumps!
Judith Kalora who played Solange ,well to put it plainly...SCARED THE CRAP
out of me!!
I have been a patron of the arts and a devoted theater go-er for more years than I can remember, and I have NEVER felt frightened by a stage play, but this actress actually made me flinch and I felt my stomach tighten up in to a ball for the duration of the show! Larry, this was one of the best productions I have ever seen.And I do not say this lightly.
The carefully crafted imagery, the poetry, intensity, etc. were breathtaking. I have seen The Maids in New York several years ago and I can promise you this, Chris Cavalier's vision and direction BLEW ME AWAY!!
SO PLEASE all of you who read this...
contact the CTB and book your tickets as soon as possible.They have been
touring for quite a few weeks so not sure how much longer they can go on.
I have no idea were they will go next, they do have a website, not easy to
find however.
And ACTORS...send your résumé's to this incredible company and lets hope
they stay in Boston for a very long time!!
Best Regards,
[S. L.]
PS...If at all possible, please do not publish my email address, I do not
have any way to contact the company
and do not want to be flooded with questions!
;-)
I hope your health is good.
Boston's senior
director, David Wheeler, one of the founders of the
seminal Theatre Company of Boston, is directing his
14th Pinter production, his third at the ART. Harold
Pinter's enigmatic 1975 "No Man's Land", an
exploration of the aging poet--among other things--is
a dense verbal structure, more lyrical than dramatic.
Wheeler has brought back TCB stalwart Paul Benedict
for the central role of Hirst, and set him opposite
veteran actor Max Wright as Spooner. The two spin
improbable histories for themselves in Hirst's
palatial sitting room, almost a temple to drink. Two
younger men, Hirst's flamboyant son Foster, played by
A.R.T./MXAT student Henry David Clarke and the
latter's rough companion, Briggs, played by Lewis D.
Wheeler take care of the old man and the house.
They're more recognizably "Pinteresque."
In the show's two acts, much
is said, little in fully illuminated. It's been
suggested that this piece is the author's response to
Eliot's "The Waste Land." Bleakness certainly
applies, J. Michael Grigg's elegant monumental set
emphasizes the fragility of the two old men and their
hermetic lives. But ultimately, the author has no
conclusion to draw. There's no play there for any of
the four. But they do it so well. And perhaps this
production signals the return of a favorite Boston
actor to our boards.
"No Man's Land" by Harold Pinter, May 12 - June
10
A.R.T at Loeb Drama Center
64 Brattle St. Harvard Sq., (617) 547 - 8300
A.R.T.
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Parade" by Alfred Uhry and
Jason Robert Brown
Date: Mon, May 14, 11:12 PM
Quicktake on PARADE
Speakeasy is ending
their season with Boston's first professional
production of Uhry and Brown's Tony winning "Parade",
a large cast music drama based on Uhry's book. He's
better remembered for another modern classic, "Driving
Miss Daisy." Jason Robert Brown is better known for
whose quasi-autobiographical reversed order romance,
"The Last Five Years" which Speakeasy also produced
plus his revue, "Songs for a New World." Director Paul
Daigneault has assembled a impressive cast of 29
musical actors to recount the fate of Leo Frank, a
Jewish factory superintendent from Brooklyn, who
managed his father-in-law's factory in Atlanta in
1913. He was falsely accused of raping one of his
young female employees, sentenced to hang. When the
governor commuted this sentence, citing faults with
his trial, a mob lynched Frank. The real murderer,
presumed in this retelling to be a black janitor who
testified against Frank at his trail, was never
tried.
Produced at Lincoln Center
by Hal Prince, "Parade" had a disappointing first run,
but has since found a place in the ongoing development
of American Musical theatre. The principal cast
members are two Speakeasy favorites, Brendan McNab,
seen in "Kiss of the Spider Woman," as well as last
fall's "See What I Wanna See," and Norton winner
Bridget Beirne, who played Queenie in their production
of La Chieusa's "The Wild Party." Also prominent is
Timothy John Smith, recent IRNE winner from Lyric's
"1776." as a local reporter who seizes on the case as
his chance at fame. Paul D. Farwell plays both the
through character of a Confederate veteran, and sickly
Judge Roan. Austin Lesch, seen regularly locally and
just in from the national tour of "Altar Boys: opens
the show as the young confederate soldier, singing
"The Old Red Hills of Home," something of a theme for
the piece. Edward M. Barker is the rascally janitor.
There are also first rate performances from local
music theatre regulars. David Krinnit is the suave and
unpricipled prosecutor,Dorsey, while Terrence
O'Malley is the "dancing governor", Slaton. Gerald
Slattery doubles as the local barkeep and Frank's
"good old boy" lawyer, Luther Rosser. Tom Watson is a
local firebrand preacher and anti-Semite, who joins
forces with the prosecution. Speakeasy veteran Kerry
A. Dowling, seen this fall in "The Women" is affecting
as the victim's mother, Mrs. Phagan.
The show's design by Eric
Levenson is an elegant unit set which efficiently
suggests the various locales required. Stacy
Stephen's period costumes, including numerous changes,
give a real sense of pre-WWI Atlanta, trying to make
its way into the 20th century, still very much "olde
South." IRNE winner Karen Perlow provides the
necessary flexible lighting design. Changes of set
pieces and furniture are handled a vista by the
ensemble with admirable dispatch. Jose Delgado
conducts a an ample pit orchestra with fellow IRNE
winner Paul S. Katz at the keyboard. Don't let this
"Parade" pass you by.
"Parade" by Alfred Uhry and Jason Robert Brown, May
12 - June 16
Speakeasy Stage Co. at Roberts Studio, Calderwood
BCA, 529 Tremont, (617) 933 - 8600
Speakeasy
The Stoneham Theatre
end its regular season with a revival of Agatha
Cristies' classic thriller "And Then There Where
None." They've become adept at staging such plays.
This time the director is Caitlin Lowans, working on
an elegant Art Deco set by Katheryn Monthei from
Brandeis with excellent costumery by Rachel
Padula-Shufelt. They've assembled an excellent
regional cast who form a coherent ensemble as they're
bumped off one by one.
They're Anastasia Barnes as
Vera Claythorne, the hostess' social secretary and
Robert Najarian, last seen as Eisnstein in URT's
"Einstein's Dreams," as Captain Lombard, the romantic
leads, more or less. The rest of the victims included
Steve Barkhimer, who was Also in "Einstein's Dreams"
as Blore, a former copper turned P.I., Stoneham
veteran Shelley Bolman as Dr. Armstrong, a nervous
neurologist, Gene Fleming as retired General
MacKenzie, Colin Kiley as brass speeder Anthony
Marsten, director/playwright Jack Neary as Rogers the
butler with Eve Passeltiner as his wife, the cook,
Stephen Russell up from the Cape as imposing Justice
Wargrave, and Ann Marie Shea as disapproving Miss
Brent. All strangers to one another, these ten have
been invited for the weekend by the Owens, owners of a
palatial house which sits alone on an isolated island.
They've been delayed, no one in the cast has met them
either.
As the play winds through a
labyrinth of character revelations to a multiple
surprise ending, the ensemble draws the audience in to
their plight over its three acts, afternoon, evening,
and the next morn, as they're marooned with nine
companions, one of whom is killing them off. Even if
you remember who-dunnit, this production is worth the
short ride out to Stoneham.
"And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie, May 11
- 27
Stoneham Theatre
395 Main St. Stoneham, (782) 279 - 2200
Stoneham
Theatre
Add one more recently
formed company to the active Boston Fringe Theatre
scene. Darrren Evans' "Theatre On Fire" is finishing
their season over at Charlestown Working Theatre with
prolific playwright Lee Blessings' "Two Rooms." This
1980 play centers around the hostage crises in
Lebanon, but clearly shows how little the West has
learned about the situation in more than 25 years..
Presented with an elegiac air, this full-length work
concentrates on the wife of an American University
teacher waiting at home near Washington for her
husbands release. Jason Beals, seen in Molasses Tank's "Conquest of the South Pole" is the
blindfolded hostage. Kate Donnelly, seen in ToF's
last project, Jamie Pachino "Race," is his young wife
mourning for news. IRNE winner Michelle Dowd is Kate's
State Department liaison, clearly unable to do or say
much. And Craig Houk gets back into the theatre
scene to play a reporter seeking an exclusive to
Kate's story.
Director Evans maintains
the relentless pace of impending tragedy, which is a
valid interpretation of Blessing's uncomfortable
script. Even the impatient will be swept up in its
careful development. The set, designed by Prav
Menon-Johansson, the office in Kate's house, is
indicated by strip curtains and minimal furniture,
she's emptied it otherwise. It also functions as the
cell. Simple lighting and the director's ominous sound
design complete the technical support. Check out
Theatre on Fire's next season when it's announced.
They're yet another reason to find your way over to
CWT, which is only three blacks from the Sullivan Sq.
stop on the Orange Line, with sufficient street
parking.
"Two Rooms" by Lee Blessing, May 4 - 19
Theatre on Fire at Charlestown Working Theater
442 Bunker Hill Ave. Charlestown, 866 - 811 - 4111
Theatre On
Fire
Shaw’s “Arms and the
Man.” his first major play has been much produced
during the last 100 years. An enduring farce about the
excesses of romantic love and patriotism, the play is
closing out the Lyric’s season. Director Spiro
Veloudous has done the play with a light touch,
allowing his excellent cast to shape their stock
characters into recognizable human beings. There’s
still some fine tuning to do. Barlow Adamson as
Bruntschili, the Swiss professional soldier and
unlikely hero of the piece needs to play more of the
leading man while James Ryen, as Sergius, his apparent
rival for the heroine could use even more hauteur, for
example.
As Raina, Sergius’ fiance in
love with his dashing romantic image, Ellen Adair
plays the ingenue to the hilt, until the final
revelations, of course. The role of her mother is
another plum part for Bobbie Steinbach, And Ken
Baltin’s Major Petkoff, her father, is funny without
becoming ridiculous. The family's main servants,
Louka, played by Sarah Abrams, and Nikola, the butler,
played by Peter Carey, have much more realistic
attitudes than their employers—this is of course Shaw.
Their place in the finale presages later turnabouts
in his plays.
The whole show is handsomely
done on an airy Art Deco inspired set by Cristana
Tedesco with appropriate uniforms and Balkan dress by
Molly Trainer. John Cuff’s lighting helps keep things
light and airy. The production has original music
scored and recorded by Jonathan Goldberg. The whole
affair reveals how entertaining GBS could be even as
he tweaked the nose of the British Empire, which would
shortly be bloodied by WW1. Shavians will have a
chance to see this master much harder at work this
summer, when the Publick Theatre presents
“Misalliance” in repertory with “Romeo and Juliet.”
"Arms and the Man" by Bernard Shaw, May 4 - June
2
Lyric Stage at Copley YWCA
140 Clarendon, Copely Sq. (617) 585 - 5678
Lyric Stage
Those with fond
memories of Speakeasy's production of Michael John
LaChiusa's version of "The Wild Party" a few season's
back are liable to be slightly disappointed in Andrew
Lippa's approach to the same material. Not the New
Rep's current production just could be the sharpest
and most energetic small music theatre presentation of
the season, but that Lippa's one-man show (book,
music, and lyrics) seems something of a pastiche.
He's tried to meld the jazz and music theatre sounds
of the Roaring '20s with contemporary styles with
mixed results. He's also concentrated on four
principal characters, leaving the rest of Moncure's
menagerie mostly as background. None of the four are
particularly well motivated.
First there's Queenie,
the archetypical blonde nightclub dancer, played Marla
Mindelle, the center of most of the numbers, bored
after three years living with Burrs, a vaudeville
clown with a dark side. Burrs gives Todd Alan
Johnson, seen as Mac the Knife previously at the New
Rep a chance to play full-throttle. The other woman,
who shows up for the party is Kate, a nightclub singer
and old friend, played by Sarah Corey, who appeared in
"Caroline or Change" as Mother, with an agenda to
break things up. She's accompanied by Black, played
by Maurice E. Parent, seen last season as Coalhouse in
"Ragtime." He and Queenie hit it off, Sarah vamps
Burrs, and tragedy ensues. But the major motivation
behind it all seems to be terminal boredom, not a
particularly dramatic emotion.
The rest of the
characters are given somewhat short shrift, though
Leigh Barrett as Madeline True, Lesbian, has the
show's most memorable number, the solo "An Old
Fashioned Love Story." Jake Mosser and Ilyse Robbins
as Eddie the Prizefighter and Mae, his diminutive
partner, have their own musical hall number, "Two of a
Kind" but no plot, and Phil the Broadway producer,
played by Brian De Lorenzo, is really just part of the
ensemble. Director Rick Lombardo has assembled a fine
ensemble and choreographer Kelli Edwards generates a
lot of erotic heat from them, with the help of Betsy
Adkins and Ilyse Robbins as Dance Captains. One could
only wish that all this talent had stronger material
to work with, It's a show certainly worth watching,
there are effective and challenging musical moments,
masterfully handled by music director Todd C. Gordon,
but the aftermath isn't a hangover, but rather like a
large dinner of Chinese takeout where everyone ordered
their favorites, a lot got sampled, but the result
wasn't particularly satisfying. The ending is
typical. When Queenie, whose world has crashed around
her, should be waiting for the cops, she sings a
rather moralizing power ballad and exits into the
night. End of show.
The design for "The Wild
Party" is uniformly superb with a mirror filled set by
IRNE winner Janie E. Howland, spot-on period costumes
by IRNE winner Frances Nelson McSherry, and effective
contemporary lighting by Franklin Meissner, Jr.
Properties by Erik D. Diaz and a number of small
movable pieces, notably the brass bed and the bathroom
give a sense of Queenie and Burrs' hermetic world. All
that's lacking is the author's dramatic focus, despite
the best efforts of all involved. Sometimes you can't
have everything. Incidentally, the New Rep is adding a
summer show this year. Leigh Barrett, Andrew Giordano,
and Maryann Zschau are doing "Side by Side by
Sondheim" July 7 - 22 on the Arsenal Mainstage.
That'll be something.
"The Wild Party" by Andrew Lippa, April 25 - May
20
New Repertory Theatre at Arsenal Center for the
Arts
321 Arsenal St. Watertown MA, (617) 923 - 8487
New Rep
Whistler in the Dark,
which has performed previously at the Charlestown
Working Theater--and no doubt will do so again--is
currently presenting the Boston premiere of
post-modern playwright Will Eno's "The Flu Season."
over in Watertown. The Black Box space opened
officially last fall with the New Rep's production
of Eno's more recent "Thom Pain (based on nothing), a
monodrama performed by Diego Arciniegas. Eno's earlier
play has a cast of six, two omnipresent as the
Prologue and the Epilogue, whose commentary frames the
action. Prologue is Ed Hoopman, who recently completed
a run as Hamlet for the New Rep's school tour, while
the acerbic Epilogue is Jennifer O'Connor, one of
Whistler's Artistic Associates and Company Manager of
the Imaginary Beasts from Lynn for which she last
played a Dromio.
The storyline concerns the
Man, played by Nael Nacer and the Woman, done by
Meghan Newsmith. Both are newcomers at a residential
mental health facility, where they interact, barely,
with the Doctor, done by David LeBahn, and the Nurse,
Shelley Brown, two rather superficial professionals.
There's an air of autobiography about the situation,
which may simply be Eno's way with words and fervid
imagination. A somewhat predictable plot takes a
little too long to unfurl, but director Ben Fainstein
and the cast hold the audience's attention.
The various locales
around the sanitarium are indicated by a few movable
pieces of furniture and Andrew Dickey's area lighting.
The tragedy of the Woman is largely due to the lack
of affect on the part of the Man. No one's past is
really much explored; this is very much a play in the
present. Whistler in the Dark has previous presented
works from the world stage. With this effort by Eno
they come to these shores (Brooklyn), but will open
next fall with another Howard Barker enigma "A Hard
Heart." Before then we may see some local writing at
the second "Fever Fest," this time to be presented at
the Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center Aug. 23 - 25.
Imaginary Beasts will be doing a show based Lorca's
puppet pieces about "Don Cristobal and Sena Rosita,"
Aug 9 through 18 at the Arsenal Black Box. Both
companies are outstanding examples of the new wave of
Boston's theatre Fringe. By the way, the title of
this piece may refer to the winter season during which
the action unfolds. Or it may not. With Will Eno you
never know.
"The Flu Season" by Will Eno, Apr. 27 - May 5
Whistler in the Dark at Downstage Black Box, Arsenal
Center for the Arts
321 Arsenal St. Watertown MA, (617) 923 - THTR
Whistler in
the Dark
Larry, I don't review the Concord Players because I am a longtime member,
and I feel like it's a conflict of interest. But I would like to say (with
that caveat) that I thought the current production of "She Loves Me,"
running for two more weekends, was just great--Sarah Consentino especially.
Barbara Cook better watch out. Her laurels are in danger.
Caroline Burlingham Ellis
Turtle Lane is
closing their season with one of the best shows the
company has done in a while. Director Michelle M.
Aguillon has assembled an ensemble of voices which can
handle Simon’s harmonies and Norman’s lyrics, and act
as well. Music director Wayne Ward gets the best out
of this well-trained group. The design team of
Michelle Boll and John MacKenzie has met the show’s
scenic requirements with a combination of well-painted
scenery and effective projected backgrounds. Robert
Itzcak’s costumes suit the period and mood, giving a
final touch to this Victorian Gothic romance.
While not a children’s show
“The Secret Garden” is family friendly, as the plucky
orphan, Mary Lennox peserveres against her uncle’s
depression and his brother’s frustration. Hannah Grace
Horsely captures the role and has enough of a voice
for the music. Likewise Benjamin Hirsh as her
supposedly sickly cousin, Colin. James Fitzpatrick is
convincing as his father, as is Michael Goodwin as his
doctor uncle. Elizabeth Robinson is luminous as his
mother Lily, who died bearing, while Anne Velthouse is
in good form as her sister, Mary’s mother, who died,
along with her father, in India. It should be noted
that more than half the cast are ghosts or “dreamers”
as the program has it. Among the living, Michelle
Mount makes a fine perky housemaid and Gary Ryan does
well as her fey brother. Both were coached in their
Yorkshire accents by James Tallach, who plays the old
gardener, Ben Weatherstaff.
Turtle Lane in Newton near
the pike has once again proved its worth to the local
music theatre community. The show runs through Jun.
3rd with some cast rotations.
"Secret Garden" by Marsha Norman & Lucy Simon Apr
27-June 3
Turtle Lane Playhouse
263 Melrose St. Auburndale MA, (617) 244 - 0169
Turtle Lane
Date: Fri, 27 Apr 2007 14:13:30 -0400
From: "Jeff Poulos" jpoulos@stagesource.org
Subject: The Flu Season
Hi:
I try to keep these appeals to a minimum, as I know you probably hear from many people about “must sees” all the time. However, occasionally I feel compelled to call your attention to a theatre production that I think is worthy. Whistler in the Dark’s “The Flu Season” by Will Eno is one of those occasions for me, and I encourage you and your friends to see it.
Written by Will Eno (author of “Thom Pain (based on nothing)”, produced earlier this season by New Rep), FLU SEASON is filled with beautiful language, dark humor and complex characters. A man and woman, each working thru complex emotional issues while institutionalized, develop a relationship, one which is somewhat mirrored by older characters Doctor and Nurse in the play (who themselves are in a much different point in their lives). The action of the play receives context and commentary from two narrator characters (Prologue and Epilogue), among the smartly written dialogue. Love, heartbreak, loneliness, humor, nuance and poetry permeate throughout. I loved the way characters articulate thought and action so very literally and make one think. I found it incredibly complicated and simple at the same time. And did I mention how much humor is written into the play?
Whistler in the Dark is a young company on the rise (in Whistler’s first year, we were impressed enough to invite them to participate in the Boston Theatre Conference last summer). The production is bare bones, with simple furniture, lighting, costumes and sound, don’t expect a lot of bells and whistles – but what is most impressive is the strength of this non-union cast and crisp direction. The performances all strong, tackling challenging language and issues with fully realized characters. Kudos to Whistler and the company for working hard and accomplishing much with such little resources.
The show runs Thursday-Sunday, through May 5, at Arsenal Center for the Arts, in the Black Box Theatre, in Watertown. You can buy tickets at 617-923-THTR or www.arsenalarts.org.
GO to see a new theatre company, and GO to see strong actors in a well-written, complicated play that honors language, love and humor.
If you haven’t been to a Whistler show yet, I suggest you try now. I’m all about encouraging promising new companies, and I hope you’ll do the same. Thanks.
Jeff
PS. Please feel free to forward this to your theatre-going co-workers, friends and family.
There's nothing like
a dose of Gershwin to start a season. North Shore's
opener this year is "Crazy for You," the revamped
version of "Girl Crazy" done by Ken Ludwig with
additional songs from the brother's canon. They've
assembled a sparkling cast headed by Broadway song
and dance man, Jeffry Denham, as Bobby Child. Opposite
him there's Amanda Watkins, just in from the "Sweet
Charity" tour, as Polly Baker, whose father (John
O'Creagh) owns the abandoned theatre in the defunct
gold rush town of Deadrock, Nevada. Bobby, a
erstwhile banker who wants to tap his way onto
Broadway, has been sent to foreclose. The rest is
predictable, as the two warble and dance from Gershwin
standard to standard.
NSMT favorite David Coffee
has the plum role of impresario Bela Zangler, with
hilarious drunken number, "What Causes That" near the
beginning of the second act. North Shore regular
Maureen Brennan plays Bobbie's domineering mother--she
owns the bank. Notable in the talented ensemble are
Dan Amboyer as Lank Hawkins, local saloon keeper, who
is sweet on Polly, Lyn Philistine, who starts out as
Bobbie's pushy fiance and winds up with Lank, Jayson
Eliot plays Moose and a mean bass while Kristen Beth
Williams is Tess the dance captain pursued by Bela.
This production was directed and choreographed by
Richard Stafford, who's redone the 1992 Tony winner
for NSMT's arena. He manages to combine song and
dance traditions, the look of the big revues of the
'30, are a gentle parody of the good old fashioned
musical comedy. Costumes are based on William Ivey
Long's original's. The settings were done by Campbell
Baird. "Crazy for You" is another fine start to a
North Shore season, which will end in November with
their production of "Les Miserables."
"Crazy For You" by Geo. & Ira Gershwin, new book by
Ken Ludwig, Apr.24 - May 13
North Shore Music Theatre at Dunham Woods
Beverly MA, (978) 232 -7200
NSMT
Paul Rudnick is perhaps
best known to the general theatre-goer as the author
of "I Hate Hamlet". Several of his more overtly
gay-themed plays has attracted notice. But
"Valhalla", a sprawling attempt to weave the tale of
mad Ludwig of Bavaria, whose monuments to history
(late 19th Century) are the fairty-tale castle which
inspired the one at Disneyland and funding Wagner's
Opera House at Bayreuth with the career of a
ne'er-do-well, James Avery from East Texas during the
'30s, is a misshapen farce burdened with a two and
one-half hour script with about one hour's too many
"laugh-riot" one-liners
The play doesn't create much
sympathy for any of its characters, who number almost
two dozen leaving the two leads, Ludwig (Brian Quint)
and James (Jon Ferreria) focused on themelves and
their pursuit of ineffable "beauty." The only
semi-rounded character is IRNE winner Christopher
Michael Brophy, as Henry Lee Stafford, James' sexually
confused friend. The rest of the six actor ensemble
includes Theater Coop veteran Maureen Adduci, who
plays mostly Ludwig's mother but ends the show as tour
leader, Natalie Kippelbaum, Elisa MacDonald who plays
most of the princesses and Henry's wife whom James
seduces (of course) and co-director Rick Park who
plays Ludwig's various functionaries.
The cast tries hard--often
to little avail--but when a character is onstage for
only a few minutes and the actor has to exit swiftly
to make the next costume change, there's no much hope
for more than a superficial sketch. Seth Bodie's
costume assembly does the job but has a certain
dress-up quality. Ci-director David J. Miller's set
is a bland unit with one end of the Black Box
indicating Bavarie, the other Texas, neither
particularly distinguished. The action thus has a lot
in common with a tennis match. Jeff Adelberg's
lighting helps and Walter Eduardo provides all the
cuts from Wagner selected by Reinhold Mahler. But a
play never really emerges.
"Valhalla" by Paul Rudnick, Apr.
Zeitgeist Stage Co. at BCA Black Box
539 Tremont, (617) 933 - 8600
Zeitgeist
As part of the
Cambridge Science Festival, MIT’s Catalyst
Collaborative and the Underground Railway Theatre are
presenting a new adaptation of Alan Lightman’s 1993
novel, “Einstein’s Dreams.” The script is newly
adapted by director Wesley Savick from a previous
effort by David Radford and Brian Niece. The title
role goes to Robert Najarian who gives the role of a
Chaplinesque quality as the young patent clerk
wrestles with his new concept of Time. The other two
actors, Debra Wise, artistic director of URT, and
Steven Barkhimer play colleagues in his office plus
all the rest of the characters in his “dreams.”
Savick has taken his three experienced professionals
and helped them create a tight physical ensemble
around the script’s various abstractions. He’s also
avoided incorporating recent gossip about Albert in
favor of trying to understand his philosphical
dilemmas.
Live music is provided by
world-music composer Evan Harlan, using themes from
which he improvises on the accordian. The simple set
concept of movable units was conceived by Cambridge
artist Wen Ti Tsen. The show’s being presented in the
round floor auditorium of the new museum of the Broad
Institute, part of Cambridge Center in Kendall Sq., on
Main St. next to the Whitehead Institute near Ames
St. There are six more performances next week as part
of the Festival. URT has announced the ground
breaking for their new Central Sq. Theatre for May 1,
5:15 - 7:30pm. The public is invited.
"Einstein’s Dreams" adapted from Alan Lightman by
Wesley Savick, Apr. 19 - Apr. 29
Underground Railway/Catalyst Collaborative at Broad
Museum & Institute, MIT/Harvard
321 Main St. Kendall Sq., tickets at door
Underground
Railway
TheatreZone is
finishing their season at Chelsea Theatre Works with a
production of Kathleen Tolan's naturalistic
mother/daughter play, "Memory House." The variation on
the predictable conflict is that Katia, played by
Becca A. Lewis was adopted from Russia as a child, and
is having trouble writing her college essay about her
memories. Add to that her mother, Maggie, is divorced
from her father, an liberal academic. Mother, an
orderly midwesterner, is played by Suzanne Ramcyck,
who manages to bake a blueberry pie onstage during the
show's taut 90 minutes. Director Danielle Fauteux
Jacques has concentrated on small details and everyday
behavior and the relationship between mother who's
coasting into middle age and daughter in an emotional
crisis is effective. Tolan's dialogue is
well-constructed, allowing the cast to build complex
characters. The play doesn't aim for any great
dramatic heights but resolves quite satisfactorily,
even though it raises far more questions than it
answers. Julia Noulin-Merat's realistic set
contributes a great deal to the believability of the
show.
"Memory House wraps up
next weekend. It's certainly worth the trip to
Chelsea, where street parking is not difficult. And
the Theatre Works has finally gotten their elevator
installed, so there's no more climb up to the third
floor lodge hall that serves as their rather elegant
theatre. Watch for their shows next fall, and keep an
eye out for their free outdoor production this summer.
"Memory House" by Kathleen Tolan", Mar. 30 -
Apr. 29
TheatreZone at Chelsea Theatre Works
189 Winnisimmet St, Chelsea Sq., (???) ???-????
TheatreZone
"Surviving the Nian"
(Chinese New Years), the winner in the 2007 Jonathan
Larson Award to facilitate its development. The
result, having its world premiere for Theatre
Offensive at the BCA, is very much a contemporary
piece of music theatre in the style of Larson ("Rent")
and other current practitioners. Much of the first
half is sung-through and informational. The music is
generally pleasant and relatively undemanding. None
of the six performers has what would be described as a
musical comedy voice, which adds their performances as
characters.
"Surviving the Nian" is
more of a domestic drama, along the lines of the
family-based TV serials popular in China, definitely
in the soap opera tradition. Director Patrick Wang
has paid careful attention of small details. Two
actresses, Megumi Haggerty and Abria Smith, play a
lesbian couple from Boston, Kaylin a Chinese exchange
student now working in real estate, Asha, a black
lawyer, her business and life partner. They've come
back to visit Kaylin's family; her mother played by
Judy Tan, her Uncle Tony, played by WFT regular Gary
Ng, her brother Vincent, played by Hyunsoo Moon, and
his fiance, Jessie, played by Mariko Kanto. Her mother
expects her to rejoin the family in Hong Kong and
contribute to its finances. The resulting conflicts
are predictable, but the denouement is pleasantly
appropriate for all concerned. Musical support in the
second act is still needs development. As a whole the
show is an impressive first outing, in need of pruning
and more thematic concentration.
Erik Diaz' set and
Nathaniel Packard's lighting provide attractive
support for the show, through Uncle Wu's acupuncture
office somewhat overwhelms the second half scenically.
It somehow should be retractable to make room for the
end of the show. Music director Juri Panda Jones gets
a professional sound from her ensemble, supporting
Li's lyrics and theme quite nicely. While there's
about half an hour too much of a good thing, this
premiere is worth the effort.
"Surviving the Nian" by Melissa Li & Abe Rybeck,
Apr.14 -
Theatre Offensive in Roberts Studio
BCA, 527 Tremont, (617) 933 - 8600
Theatre Offensive
The Wheelock Family
Theatre is taking children of all ages back to the
Hundred Aker Wood for Spring break. Harold Withee,
last seen as George W. in Zeitgeist effective "Stuff
Happens," has the title role. Several other regulars,
including Ricardo Engermann as Rabbit, Mansur as
Eyore, marina Re as Owl, and Grace Napier as Kanga
complete the adult cast. Young Grace Brakeman is an
energetic Piglet and Sirena Abalian hops along as Roo.
A.Minh-Anh Day is Christopher Robin, who's the leader
of a group of Narrators who lead into the story. The
script is acceptable, but doesn't quite capture the
charm of A.A.Milne's work.
The stuffed animal costumes
by Charles Baldwin come closer but a very much
old-school children's theatre, as is Harwich's James
P. Byrne's direction. The large ensemble and the
leading players come together on his set and the show
is satisfatory for the younger set as an introduction
to live theatre. Incidentally, Tigger, [;ayed byW.
Yvonne Murphy bounced in the the finale.
"Winnie the Pooh" adapted from A.A.Milne by Kristin
Seigel, Apr. 13 - May 13
Wheelock Family Theatre
200 The Riverway , (617) 879 - 2300
WFT
The world premiere of
Noah Haidle's "Persephone", read last spring as part
of the HTC's Breaking Ground series owes its success
as much to the author's cleverness and Nicholas
Martin's apt direction as to a stunning performance by
Melinda Lopez as the statue of Demeter, the main
character in the piece. Through voice and very
limited movement, Lopez creates a witty and believAble
Earth-mother, mightily dismayed by the world from
which she cannot look away. The second half of the
play, set in a Manhattan park circa 2007, is full of
Durang-like non-sequitor and urban violence, the first
in a sculptors studio in 1507 Florence; both handsome
designs by David Korins.
All the various parts in
the piece are played by a trio of actors, led off by
Jeremiah Kissel, who appears as the sculptor's patron
in Act 1, plus a laid-back harpist and a starving
mouse. The sculptor, Guiseppe, is done by Seth
Fisher; his model is Mimi Lieber. Each actor then
plays innumerable walkons with Kissel memorable as a
art-loving Rat in Act 2. Their reappearence in
various guises underscores human--and
animal--transience against Demeter eternal marble
form. The play is full of surprizes, many of them
unpleasant, but overall, it comes off as a rather
dystopian and fantastic tragicomedy. Haidle has
revived a species of drama not seen much since
immediately after WWII and previously in the '20s.
Let's hope he doesn't become "the next big thing."
This summer, Company One will be mounting his "Mr.
Marmalade" which made quite a splash for Roundabout in
2005.
"Persephone" by Noah Haidle, Mar. 30 - May 6
Huntington Theatre Co. at BCA Wimberley
527 Tremont, (617) 266 - 0800
HTC
The full title of
Sonia Linden’s compelling documentary play, "I Have
Before Me a Remarkable Document Given to Me By a Young
Lady From Rwanda " is far too long to fit on a marque,
but does capture the special essence of her piece.
For while the subject of the story, Juliette, is a
survivor of the genocide, what’s staged is her
recovery from the ordeal by writing about her life as
a middle-class Rwandan, played by Dorcas Evelene Davis
from New York. This process is facilitated by Simon.
a British poet working with clients at a refugee
center, played by the ever-dependable Owen Doyle. His
life as a minor poet and frustrated novelist serves as
a foil for her larger tragedy.
Director Weylin Symes
presents the play with notable economy on a simple but
strong black and white set by Richard Chambers.
Stoneham has resisted adding multi-media details,
using sound by David Wilson to enhance some key
scenes. The play is easy to watch if not to listen to
as we are reminded of the horrific violence wrecked on
the Tutsi by their Hutu neighbors. But it’s a
lesson not to be forgotten even as the world watches
the barbarity currently savaging Darfur on the
opposite side of Africa. The small hope this play
offers for salvation somehow seems too little. Linden
approach to the subject, using only two actors whose
personal stories are revealed in a series of
monologues and simple scenes is a unique way to deal
with such a subject, however. This show is well worth
the short trip out to Stoneham.
"...Young Lady from Rwanda" by Sonja Linden, April 5
- 22
Stoneham Theatre
395 Main Street Stoneham, (781) 279-2200
Stoneham
Theatre
Molasses Tank, one of
CWT's resident Theatre's, has mounted a darkly comic
version of German filmmaker/playwright Manfred Karge's
"The Conquest of the South Pole," an allegorical romp
in the Brechtian tradition. This 90 minute play has a
small group of unemployed men, who all feel like
losers, reenacting Admundsen's epic journey in an
attic. Written before the fall of the Berlin Wall,
the play centers around one Slupianek, who's desperate
to release them from their round of pinball, snaps,
and trips to the unemployment office. This pivotal
role is played by versatile Jason Beals, last seen
playing Prospero in 11:11's under-rehearsed "Tempest."
He's also canoodling with the wife of his friend
Braukmann, played by George Saulnier III, the only one
of the group to have a job, albeit an unsatisfactory
one. La Braukman is done by Janelle Mills with
admirable energy. The rest of the motley crew
includes William McGregor as gruff Buscher, who
emigrates at he end of the play, and suicidal
Seiffert, played by quirky Bob Musset. There's also
Frankieboy (Mike Budwey) who thinks he's a dog.
The play is an excellent
example of contemporary Continental writing, which
blends heightened language, mixed metaphor, and
bravura style in an adventurous manner not practiced
much in the U.S. Director Steve Rotolo, who's also
doing a cameo opposite Ashley Kelly, gives it a
staccato interpretation on an interesting set by
Christopher Allison. Matt Breton's lighting is
appropriately non-realistic.
Molasses Tank has mastered this style, which is
worth the trip over to Charlestown. CWT is only three
blocks from the Sullivan Sq. T stop, with
street-parking a short ways down the hill.
"The Conquest of the South Pole" by Manfred Karge,
Mar. 29 - Apr. 14
Molasses Tank at Charlestown Working Theater
442 Bunker Hill St., Charlestown, (866) 811 - 4111
Molasses
Tank
Dear Larry,
The production of "Dancing at Lughnasa" at the BCA was a revelation to me. Having seen a
previous production in a much less intimate setting, I had an impression of an
uninteresting and unmoving play. This production was well-designed, well-cast,
well-directed, and both absorbing and moving. The cast uniformly impressed me
as real human beings with ranges of strengths and weaknesses of their
characters. A very rewarding theatrical experience. I highly recommend it.
Edwin
Edwin F. Beschler
The Bard’s first
credited tragedy, “Titus Andronicus”, a Senecan
gore-fest may have been reworked from a script by one
of the lesser University Wits, Geo. Peele. The play is
seldom done and appreciated mainly for some of its
verse. Peele is credited mainly with helping to
regularize the iambic pentameter mastered by his
compatriot, Christopher Marlowe. The storyline of the
play is probably his invention. Director/designer
David R. Gammons makes it as clear as possible with a
clean theatre-of-cruelty staging.
The ASPs production stylizes
much of the action. Gore is eliminated and symbolic
stones provide most of the props. Actor/director
Robert Walsh pulls out all the stops to play the title
role, while guest artist Joel Colodner anchors the
rest of the family as his older brother Marcus, a
senator. Dmetrius Conley-Williams plays the
arch-villain, Aaron the Moor, with real relish. The
main villain, Tamora, Queen of the Goths, is assayed
by John Kuntz as a mannered interpretation which
doesn’t rise to the level of energy needed. Likewise,
Paul Melendy as the much-brutalized Lavina, Titus’
daughter, doesn’t engage the audiences sympathy. The
concept of using an all-male cast founders slightly
with these two roles. The rest of the large ensemble
is generally up to the challenge of playing Titus’
remaining sons, assorted Romans, Goths, etc. Those
who don’t know the play should probably read a good
synopsis to keep track of who’s doing what horrible
deed to who and why. The revenge theme is sadly all
to familiar on the nightly news, in Iraq, and on the
streets of Dorchester.
"Titus Andronicus" by Wm. Shakespeare, Mar.29 - Apr.
22
Actors’ Shakespeare Project at The Garage, 38 JFK
Harvard Sq., (866) 111 -4111
ASP
Since "Sister Mary
Ignatius..." in 1981,Christopher Durang's fantastical
excursions , some more successful than others, have
incorporated religious satire. His recent Pulitzer
nominated whirlwind consideration of reincarnation,
"Miss Witherspoon," now running at the Lyric Stage,
harks back stylistically to "The Actor's Nightmare",
with a single character careening through a
metaphysical adventure. Director Scott Edmiston,
whose Fall production of "The Women" for Speakeasy
just won IRNEs for Best Play and Best Director,
couldn't have found a more ideal title player than
Paula Plum, who just picked up another Best Actress
award at this year's IRNEs for Lyric's "...The Goat."
Plum, who's created seven one woman shows as well as
appearing for the ART, the Huntington, the Gloucester
Stage, and the Lyric among other companies, easily
draws her audience into this fantasy which carries her
from suicide into Bardo, the Buddhist
equivalent of Purgatory, for a series of unwilling
reincarnations.
Attempting to guide her is
perfectly cast Mala Bhattacharya, a true diva.
Marianna Bassham, last seen as Ymma in "Silence" over
at the New Rep, plays two entirely different mothers,
while Larry Coen, who just did Laura in "The Plexiglas
Menagerie" for Goldust, is the fathers, as well as
Gandalf in the finale. Fellow IRNE winner Jacqui
Parker (Best Play and Best Musical Actress) shows up
as a guidance counselor but steals the finale as a
really cool Jesus. The result, on a whimsical set by
Janie E. Howland, this year's Best Scenic Design IRNE
winner with a soundscape by Dewey Dellay, who got the
Sound Design IRNE, is something to behold, enjoy, and
possibly think about. Durang has zeroed in on
questions not normally raised in secular everyday
theatre, especially the big one; "What's next?" The
epiphany he ends on seems less pat and satirical than
more downbeat conclusions to his other works.
"Miss Witherspoon" by Christopher Durang, Mar. 23 -
April 21
Lyric Stage at Copley YWCA
140 Clarendon St., (617) 585 - 5678
Lyric Stage
By putting the
primary insult in his latest dyspeptic play "Fat
Pig," in the title, Neil LaBute opens the door for the
audience having sympathy with at least one of his
characters. The actress playing Helen, Lilane Klein,
builds on that possibility right up to the play's
potentially maudlin finish. As Tom, James Ryen, a
tall leading man with an interesting face last seen as
the prince in ASP's "Winter's Tale", has the opposite
problem. His character clearly doesn't live up to his
looks. In fact, if these parts were played by
different actors, say a more imposing Helen and a
shorter Tom, the heartache might be the same, but the
impact would be diminished.
Once again, LaBute focuses
on appearances in his story telling, while maintaining
has basic theme that essentially people are no damn
good. Even the best have unconquerable weaknesses,
the author included, who doesn't seem to be able to
get beyond his Calvinist worldview. The two other
people in this play, Jeanine, Tom's former girlfriend
who works in Accounting, and Carter, his buddy, the
office slacker, are much more one-dimensional
examples. Award-winning actress Laura Latreille makes
much more of Jeanine, as much through her physical
presentation as her staccato delivery, than Michael
Daniel Anderson does of Carter. He's underwritten to
the point of being a sitcom escapee. Neither of Tom's
office mates has much back story, and Carter's
complaint about having a fat mother seems imposed. Our
hero's background is also too much inferred, though
Ryen makes him likably plausible. Only Helen has
enough of a past to suggest a possible future after
the inevitable breakup. The play's end seems a bit
abrupt, but the performances and a lot of sharp
writing make this 100 some minute romance worth
watching.
"Fat Pig" by Neil LaBute, Mar.16 - April 7
Speakeasy Stage in Roberts' Studio
BCA Calderwoood, 529 Tremont, (617) 933 - 8600
Speakeasy
The New Rep’s smaller
space opened last Fall with Diego Arciniegas
performing “Thom Paine (based on nothing)”, an avant
garde monodrama. Their last Downstage offering of the
season is a trio of interlocked monodramas by
J.T.Rogers entitled “White People” directed by
Arciniegas. This intense piece has three “white”
Americans, a corporate lawyer originally from Brooklyn
but now managing a branch office in St. Louis, an
idealistic young college instructor in lower
Manhattan. and a former highschool beauty queen in
North Carolina. The lawyer, Martin, played by Stephen
Russell, has a teenage son who’s become a sullen
skinhead, the teacher, Alan, done by Robert Knopf, is
struggling to relate to his student’s slang, and
Georgia Lyman’s Mara Lynn has an epileptic son.
The misery behind their lives
unfolds through direct address woven together on a
composite set by Harvard’s J. Michael Griggs. Stage
right is an office being packed up where Michael’s
tale unfolds. It stretches across to upstage left.
The center is a pigeon-spattered bench in Stuyvesant
Park where Alan describes his frustrations. Mara Lynn
is mostly stage left or down center, except when she
uses the office to remember visiting a Hindu doctor at
the hospital. Upstage right a row of chair indicates
a waiting room which unfortunately figures in each
story. The question remains, why “white people?”
It boils down to language,
most evidently for the teacher, but a stumbling block
for all concerned. Martin has lost all contact with
his son, Alan and his wife fall prey to street
violence, and Mara Lynn feels that everyone from her
husband to the doctor talks right through her. And
behind each character are unresolved issues concerning
race and class. It’s an unsettling show acted with
admirable intensity. No solutions are offered and
audience reaction could well depend on whether or not
they identify with the three characters. The technical
support, Charles Schoonmaker's well-chosen costumes,
David Kahn’s careful lighting, and Scott G. Nason's
sound design all contribute to the effect.
"White People" by J.T.Rogers, Mar. 9 - Apr. 1
Downstage at New Repertory Theatre
321 Arsenal St. Watertown, (617) 923 - 8487
New Rep
The distinction
between true allergic reaction and psychosomatic
response is as hard to pin down as the real nature of
Lisa Kron's Obie-winning Tony-nominated
quasi-autobiographical “theatrical exploration,”
Currently being recreated at the Huntington, at first
“Well” seems to be a one woman show starring Kron with
five extra characters, chief of which is her mother
played by theatre veteran Mary Pat Gleason. The other
four play multiple roles as the author attempts to
define wellness. In the course of two intermissionless
hours however this purpose becomes muddied and the
show becomes personalized and ultimately inconclusive,
more a commentary on itself.
The process of creating
a solo piece from elements of one’s own life is
certainly relevant to today’s theatre, but is not in
itself necessarily interesting, at least not for two
hours. The show has a pastiche quality, attempting to
correlate race relations in 1960s Lansing Michigan to
the minutia of a residential allergy clinic in
Chicago, combined with memories of growing up with a
mother whose life was limited by illness. The author
challenges her own veracity in the process which
leaves additional questions unanswered.
All of which is sporadically
amusing; Kron’s standup timing is impressive,
regularly garnering laughs at her own expense. Tony
Walton’s set, done for Broadway looms over the action
but seems more decorative than appropriate. The
conceit that all this is somehow an exploration with
no clear course, except on some notecards in the
author’s pocket, seems hollow and unfortunately true,
the sporadic effort of a skilled performance artist to
deal personal concerns working from contradictory
premises. The results are maudlin at best, and
probably much more compelling in Off-Broadway confines
than displayed on the Huntington’s vintage proscenium.
"Well" by Lisa Kron, mar. 9 - Apr.8
presented by Huntington Theatre Co. at BU Theatre
264 Huntington Ave., (617) 266 - 0800
HTC
The Stoneham Theatre
has produced several shows based on works of
literature, including John Steinbeck's “Of Mice and
Men” which the author adapted himself. His
masterwork. “The Grapes of Wrath” was however turned
into a film starring Henry Fonda, which is how most
audiences remember the story. Frank Galati's
adaptation of this epic for Steppenwolf won a Tony
award and introduced Gary Sinese to the Broadway
stage, but is a much more challenging piece. Director
Weylin Symes and his staff have made an honest effort
to
deal with this tale of the Joad's journey from the
Oklahoma dustbowl to California’s fruitlands.
With a large cast of
professional and local actors, an effective if
somewhat monochromatic unit set by Gianni Downs, and
live fiddle and banjo music chosen by Jim Warner, the
show does justice to the original, but doesn’t come to
life often enough. It’s hard to come up to the level
that a practiced ensemble can achieve. Susan Bigger
and Ed Peed inhabit the roles of Ma and Pa Joad, and
Jonathan Popp is believable as Tom Joad. Derek Stone
Nelson doesn’t rise to the mythic figure of Preacher
Jim Casey often enough. Richard Arum and Darius Omar
Williams turn in effective cameo roles as does Jim
Wryna as Grandpa. In the end, the production doesn’t
balance the grimness of Steinbeck’s tale with the
novels theme of the indominability of human spirit.
Galati’s adaptation does preserve his parable and
poetic ending unlike Hollywood’s effort.
"Grapes of Wrath" adapted from John Steinbeck by
Frank Galati, Dates, Mar.1 - 18
Stoneham Theatre
395 Main St. Stoneham, (781) 279 - 2200
Stoneham
Theatre
The season of
one-person shows continues. Behan’s back, or rather
Shay Duffin’s resurrected the man again, and his show
seems as fresh as ever. Duffin, who was last here in
Boston as part of the ensemble for “The Departed”,
first put his fellow South Dubliner onstage here at
the Charles Theatre about 20 years ago. He’s now older
than the writer was at his death aged 41, and brings a
depth to the sadness behind the banter. Material for
this piece comes from Behan’s various published
writing, including “The Borstal Boy”, but most of the
songs are traditional barroom tunes heard in his
best-known play, “The Hostage.” The intimate confines
of JTOB, with Guinness available in the lobby, make
this show seem like a homecoming. Maybe it’s time some
of our local theatres took a second look at his plays,
and the social criticism behind their antics.
"Brendan Behan" adapted by Shay Duffin, MAR.7 -
31
JIMMY TINGLES’ OFF-BROADWAY
255 Elm St. Davis Sq., (1-866) 811 - 4111
J T O B
The Imaginary Beasts,
a physical theatre resident at the Lynn Center for the
Arts, has opened their latest effort at the
Charlestown Working Theatre. “The Comedy of Errors”,
largely borrowed from Plautus’ Roman farce, “The Twin
Menachmi” is an early Shakespearean with a
complicated Italianate plot and various passages
intended to show off the author’s rhetorical skill,
including a solemn opening which sets for the
circumstances. Matthew Woods’ the group director
starts off with this static scene but quickly moves
into a commedia mode which suits the varied skills of
his company. Unfortunately these don’t include
consistent verse speaking and enunciation on the part
of all these young actors. He’s also emphasized the
confusion of identities in the plot by a lot of
cross-gender casting. Of the identical twin brothers,
Antipholus of Syracuse is played by Debra Mein, while
Antipholus of Ephesus is played by Daniel Balkin. The
latter’s wife is played by Rocky Graziano while her
sister is played by Elizabeth Olson. The two Dromios,
slaves both. are played by Jennifer O’Connor and
Caitlin Stewart-Swift, dressed in clown suits made
from over-sized long underwear.
The costumery in general much
of which is changed onstage behind a pair of rolling
racks which constitute the show’s only scenery, is an
imaginative hodgepodge with a period feel. The rest
of the ensemble. all women, play a variety of
characters with energy if some tendency to indicate.
The pace of the show would be improved by cutting some
of the obscure humor and an attempt to identify
locations. Better music choices would also help or
even an original score with identifiable themes.
Woods might do well to put this concept on the shelf
and revisit it when he had a stronger company. The
present production is however worth the short trip
over to Charlestown. The Working Theatre is after all
only two and a half blocks from the Sullivan Sq. stop
on the Orange Line and street parking is available.
The Imaginary Beasts will also be running the show at
the Lynn Center for the Arts.
"Comedy of Errors" by Wm. Shakespeare, Mar.1 -
10
The Imaginary Beasts at Charlestown Working Theatre
422 Bunker Hill St., Charlestown / (978) 500-5533
ImaginaryBeasts
At the center of this
faithful adaptation of Dickens best known novel is
Ned Eisenberg's scenery chewing performance as Fagin,
the mastermind of the gang of juvenile thieves. This
role, played as a version of Shylock, was a favorite
of Victorian actor/managers. Michael Wartella as the
title character, young Oliver, is convincing as the
eternal victim, good but very naive. ART regulars,
Remo Airaldi as the Beadle Mr. Bumble, Karen MacDonald
as the harridan who keeps the workhouse and marries
Mr. Bumble, Will LeBow as Mr. Brownlow, Oliver's
grandfather, and Thomas Derrah as Mr. Sowerberry, the
undertaker as well as Mr. Grimwig, Brownlow's cynical
friend perform up to their usual standard, and also
take a number of minor roles.
Notable visiting artists
include glowering Gregory Derelian as Bill Sykes (sans
dog) and Mrs. Sowerberry, Jennifer Ikea as doomed
Nancy, and Carson Elrod as the Artful Dodger, who
narrates the story up until his fateful meeting with
Oliver on the road to London. The rest of the cast
are uniformly convincing as they morph from character
to character, form a street band to play Gerald
McBurney's original score and join the ensemble in
musical interludes in which the cast sings short
setting of the author's prose commentary.
Rae Smith's set is a
unique combination of early Victorian popular
theatricals, penny dreadful tableaus, toy theatre, and
stylized grand guignol. Her costumes are drawn from
crude illustrations from the time. Neil Barrett's
direction is marvelously choreographed with moments of
mock solemnity and frozen violence. Lighting by
Scott Zielinski, who recently did Three Sisters and
Dido for the ART, and David Remedios' usual first-rate
sound design complete this revival of "Oliver Twist"
which will next move to NYC's Theatre for a New
Audience.
"Oliver Twist" by adapted from Charles Dickens by
Neil Barrett, Feb.17 - Mar. 24
A.R.T at Loeb Auditorium
64 Brattle St. Harvard SQL,, (617) 547 - 8300
A.R.T
This legendary tone-deaf soprano sold out her
last concert, at Carnegie Hall no less, in two hours
no less. The Boston premiere of Stephen Temperley�s
�Souvenir: A Fantasia on the Life of Florence Foster
Jenkins� might just be as fortunate. Starring
multiple-award winner Leigh Barrett as the diva and
IRNE winner Will McGarrahan as her faithful
accompanist Cosme McMoon, this bio fantasia weaves
their lives together from the time they meet. He�s
an aspiring composer and song-writer in the life;
Madame Jenkins is a socialite who lives at the
Ritz.
Despite her obvious musical failings, which are
skillfully demonstrated by Barrett, so well that one
might fear for her vocal chords, the audience finds
Madame Jenkins� obsession as endearing as Cosme
does. McGarrahan�s wry delivery and comic timing
match his role perfectly. David Costa-Cabral�s
period couture is impeccable, and his mock opera
getups for the final concert are a hoot. Skip
Curtis� elegant unit set and Robert Cordetta�s
effective lightimg show their familiarity with the
space. Well produced as usual, this engaging comedy
makes an interesting comment about artistic obsession.
or as FFJ once put it, �Some may say I couldn�t
sing. but no one can say that I didn�t sing.�
�Souvenir� by Stephen Temperley, Feb.16 -
Mar.17
Lyric Stage Co. at Copley YMCA
140 Clarendon, (617) 585 -5678
Company
John Patrick
Shanley's "Doubt" starts out with a homily on "doubt,"
preached by Father Flynn, the pastor of Saint
Nicholas, here played by actor/director Chris McGarry
in his fifth collaboration with the author. In a
sense, the play is Shanley's explication of the
conflict between doubt and faith, between faith and
"rules." The latter is personified by Sister
Aloysius, the principal of the convent school
associated with the parish, played by Cherry Jones,
who received a Tony for her performance in the role on
Broadway. The former is personified by Lisa Joyce as
Sister James, a young 8th grade teacher who becomes
Sister Aloysius's informant. The matter of the play
is a possible improper relationship between the
school's only black student and the pastor, who's also
the basketball coach. In the course of Sister
Aloysius' relentless pursuit of Father Flynn, whose
liberal ways she does not approve of, the fourth
member of the cast, the boy's mother, played by
Caroline Stefanie Clay, who appeared in the original
off-Broadway Manhattan Theatre Club production
Shanley's emotional and
intellectual puzzle involves various unseen characters
as well; the elderly monsignor who Sister Aloysius
avoids since she's sure he'd side with the pastor, the
boy himself, and in a sense, the world outside the
Church which she seeks to fend off by a firm
application of rules. This ninety minute piece is
very tightly constructed with measured revelations,
always leaving room for multiple interpretations,
which Doug Hughes Tony-winning direction evenhandedly
maintains. With scenes moving across on John Lee
Beatty's set, costumes by Catherine Zuber, and
effective lighting by Pat Collins, this is probably
the best mounted touring show the grace the Colonial's
venerable boards in a long time.
"Doubt" by John Patrick Shanley, Feb. 6 - 18
MTC, Jon B. Platt, etc at the Colonial
106 Boylston, (6i7) 931 - 2787
Colonial
For their annual
musical, the Wheelock Family Theatre has added to the
current crop of "Beauty and the Beast" productions.
The cast is made up from a number of returning
professionals, a variety of local theatre students,
and a few WFT participants, plus guest artist Douglas
Jabara as the Beast. Angela Williams, seen previously
in "The Sound of Music" plays Belle, while Christopher
Chew who sang Von Trapp gets to be comic as Gaston.
Mansur plays Belle's Father while Gary Ng gets knocked
about as LeFou. The magical inhabitants of the
Beast's castle include Robert Saoud as Lumiere the
Candlestick, Chip Phillips as Cogsworth the Clock,
Lisa Korak as Babette the Featherduster, Jeanine
Belcastro as the opera singing Wardrobe, and Gamalia
Pharms as Mrs. Potts, who gets to sing the title
song.
Director Jane Staab relies
on her professionals to develop the drama, while she
manages a large ensemble who play the villagers, the
magical dishes and tableware, etc. IRNE winning
choreographer Laurel Stachowicz puts them through
their paces for the Act I finale, "Be Our Guest,"
which might be more impressive with a bit of food.
She does pull off the final battle with plenty of
slapstick. Conductor Steven Bergman and a professional
ensemble provide strong support from the pit. Anita
Fuch's multilevel set on wagons is solves the complex
staging for the castle with three wagons but seems a
trifle under-decorated. Stony Cook's lighting creates
all the necessary moods. The production is definitely
a first-rate introduction to live music theatre, if a
mite too long for some of the younger set.
"Beauty and the Beast" by Woolverton, Menken, Ashman
& Rice, Feb. 2 - Mar, 4
Wheelock Family Theatre, 200 The Riverway
Boston, (617) 879 - 2300
Wheelock Family
Theatre
One of the Bard's
most produced comedies, "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is
almost actor and concept proof. Even the ART's aerial
version had its moments, thanks to a strong group of
rude mechanicals. Director Daniel Elihu Kramer's
approach has had some less than intriguing publicity
concerning the gender-switching between Paula Plum and
Timothy John Smith. Plum plays Hippolyta and Oberon
while Smith plays Theseus and Titania. The conceit
works not because of insight but because of the skill
of these principals, but an impressive ensemble of
local Shakespeareans and fast paced direction.
The remaining six actors
double their way through the action. Robert Pemberton
is a stentorious Bottom assaying "Pyramus" and a
powerful Egeus. Shelley Bolman is Lysander, in love
with Egeus' daughter Hermia, and Peter Quince, the
author "Pyramus and Theseus." Angie Jepson is petite
Hermia, claimed by Risher Reddick's Demetrius, who
also does Francis Flute, who of course plays "Thisbe."
Jepson is a cute "Lion" as Snug the Joiner. Elizabeth
Hayes is taller Helena, desperately in love with
Demetrius, also plays Snout the tinker aka "Wall."
Finally Ben Lambert is lithe Puck, as well as
Starveling ("Moonshine"), and Philostrate. The four
young lovers become Titania's fairies. Very basic
costumes facilitate these character changes on a bare
set, covered with red flowers, which might suggest
field of poppies from Oz.
"A Midsummer Nights' Dream" by Wm.Shakespeare, Feb.
2 - Mar.3
Boston Theatre Works at BCA Plaza
539 Tremont, (617) 933 - 8600
BTW
__
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "States of Grace"
After more than two years of development, Underground Railway's Debra Wise and various collaborators are presenting the world premiere of "States of Grace," a monodrama featuring Wise as Faith, a stand-in for activist author Grace Paley. The rest of the cast includes versatile Owen Doyle in his first stint as a puppeteer/actor, UConn MFA Fay Dupras who fabricated most of the puppets, and Khalil Fleming a young actor seen at Boston Children's Theatre, Wheelock Family Theatre, and Stoneham as well as on PBS. The script combines several of Paley's unique stories with her political concerns and her frustrations as a writer, mother, and public citizen. The puppetry is incorporated into the realistic kitchen set designed by David Fichter and constructed by Will Cabell, who won IRNEs for their previous work on "Alice Underground", URT's last adult drama created in 1997-1998. "States of Grace" was directed by Greg Smucker, a longtime collaborator and lit by M.I.T.'s Karen Perlow, both of whom worked on "Alice..." The original score was created by world-music composer Evan Harlan, currently on the faculty of the New England Conservatory. Debra's performance is convincing and heartfelt, whether arguing with her father, a puppet who rises from a kitchen cabinet, talking with her spouse who appears from the refrigerator as a humanette, or dealing with a young black neighbor played by Khalil. At one point she morphs into a disgruntled retired druggist, conflicted over his black neighbors. Wise will next be seen at the New Rep in Austin Pendleton's "Orson's Shadow." "States of Grace" will have a special performance at Tufts on Mar. 5 before the show becomes part of URT's touring repertory. For tickets call the Underground Railway at (781) 643 - 6916 or go to their website, www.underground railway.org. This premiere runs through February 10th at the Boston Playwrights' Theatre, 949 Commonwealth Ave. near B.U.'s Aganniss Arena.
The ASP's second offering of the season
is a brisk production of Shakespeare's late romance
"The Winter's Tale" played in the round. Veteran
actor/director Ricardo Pitts-Wiley from Rhode Island
makes a forceful Leontes, the King of Sicilia consumed
by jealousy. B.U.’s Paula Langton is a forceful and
extremely pregnant Hermione, his adoring wife.
Visiting artist Joel Colodner plays Polixenes, King
of Bohemia and Leontes boyhood friend who Leontes
imagines has cuckolded him. Veteran Boston actor
Richard Snee is Antigonus, Leontes loyal advisor,
forced to spirit away Hermione's newborn daughter.
IRNE winner Bobbie Steinbach is his strong willed wife
Paulena, who later saves the day. Almost all the
actors play at least two roles. Thus when exiting,
pursued by a bear, after depositing the child on the
coast of Bohemia Snee reappears moments later as the
Shepherd, herding members of the company who moments
before played the bear as a group mime. This is the
moment when the first sign is given that the play
isn’t merely a domestic tragedy.
In the second half, things lighten even further
when John Kuntz, noodling on his sax, appears as
Autolycus and demonstrates his roguish ways by
relieving Doug Lockwood who’s now playing the
Shepherd’s clownish son of his possessions by
pretending to be an Irish clergyman recently set upon
by robbers. The young lovers, played by James Ryen and
Cristi Miles, of contrasting heights but well-matched
playing Florizel and Perdita, recall couples from the
Bard's earlier romances. He's the Prince and she
doesn't know she's really Hermione's daughter. At the
festival which follows, just as they're about to be
engaged by her father, Polixenes, who's there in
disguise, halts the happy occasion and troubles loom.
The young lovers abscond with the help of Camillo,
Leontes' former adviser played by Doublas Theodore,
who previously helped Polixenes flee from Sicilia and
has been advising him these 16 years. The three
return to Leontes' court.
It's now up to visiting director, Curt L.
Tofteland from the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival, to
sort out the finale. Through happy accident, the
Shepherd brings proofs left with Perdita when she was
abandoned. Autolycus has duped the two bumpkins into
bringing them to Polixenes who's pursuing his son--and
future daughter-in-law--to Sicilia. This goes
smoothly enough but the real challenge is when Paulena
leads Leontes et al to a supposed statue of Hermione
and brings it "to life." As with most of the show
this is accomplished with few frills. The acting area
is plain with an abstract motif suggesting a bare tree
on the floor, a design echoed on banners hung from the
balcony in the tall hall at CMAC. Costumes suggest
period garb but are largely utilitarian. It takes a
dozen adults and one child to carry off this show, but
ASP has added a fourth to their season, in which
director Ben Evett will use just six actors to mount
"Love's Labours' Lost". That should be worth seeing.
"The Winter's Tale" by Wm. Shakespeare, Jan. 25 -
Feb. 17
Actors' Shakespeare Project at Camb. Multicultural
Bullfinch Courthouse, 41 2nd St, E. Camb. (866) 811 -
4111 (TM)
ASP
Robert Woodruff's
final exercise for the ART as its Artistic Director is
a surprisingly coherent modern dress production of
Jean Racine's seldom seen "Britannicus"--if you
basically ignore the titillating dumbshow in the
shadows stage left and right and finally upstage.
While the text provides all the information needed for
the drama, the director seems to feel the audience
won't get understand how decadent things are unless
they see Nero taking a shower before the action while
two minor characters have a quickie on the set center
stage and his mother finishes dressing on the other
side of the set ignored by a man in a robe on the bed
nearby. C.H,Sisson's servicable prose translation is
well-acted in prime-time drama style by an experienced
New York and rep theatre cast, which includes Adrianne
Krstansky from the Brandeis faculty as Albina,
Agrippina's confidant. The poetic cast of the
original--which is in rhymed couplets--is large
missing but not essential to the drama
Joan McIntosh acts up a
storm as Agrippina, Nero's manipulative mother, the
center of the drama from first to last. Alfredo
Narisco is her dissolute son, ready to live up to the
huge motto at the back of the stage; "Empire creates
its own reality," the clearest expression of the
director's intent. The title character is played
rather monochromatically by Emerson grad Kevin
O'Donnell, while his fiance Junia, the focus of the
rivalry between him and his step half-brother the
emperor, is done by boyish Merritt Janson from the
Institute, who has the better part and deserves at
least one decent costume. John Serrios plays Burrhus,
Nero's Praetorian military adviser supplied by
Agrippina, who's ultimately unable to control his
Emperor while David Wilson Barnes is the duplicitous
Narcissus, who pretends to befriend Britannicus while
working for all the more powerful members of the
court. He and Krstansky have a thing going. The man on
the bed, who's never heard from, is Pallas, Nero's
tutor, played by Douglas Cochrane.
The historically minded
will note that Seneca, Nero's chief political advisor
is missing from the cast, though he is mentioned.
Racine probably thought that the recent death of
Mazarin, Louis XIV's eminence gris, made any attempt
to include such a role politically unwise.
"Britannicus" was intended as a morality play for the
Sun King; on today's stage it becomes a dynastic
thriller, a taut drama--the script of course maintains
the unities--which doesn't need the multimedia
signposts which clutter this production. Incidentally,
Nero's current wife, Octavia, Britannicus' sister,
done by Megan Roth, doesn't say a word, but does get
to sing a couple of arias--in French probably.
The entire show is miked
since the stage is cleared to the walls, the set is
predictably techno, and the lighting grid looms
overhead and out over the orchestra. Video projection
plays a peripheral and only occasionally distracting
role in the show. The costume plot is modern and
indicative, and would be appropriate for any daytime
soap. The result is more coherent that most recent ART
efforts and the cast manages to do the play quite
professionally despite the technical distractions.
"Britannicus" by Jean Racine, Jan. 20 - Feb. 11
American Repertory Theatre in Loeb Auditorium
64 Brattle, Harvard Sq. (617) 547 - 8300
A R T
When London
playwright Moira Buffini penned "Silence" in 1999,
she probably didn't consider that this dark comedy
about medieval times, roughly based on historical
personages and events, would have even more resonance
only eight years later. The script, which won the
Washburn Prize, was inspired by the unease over the
approaching millennium, but its freewheeling
gender-politics, odd anachronistic attitudes,
religious and political unrest now seems prophetic.
Rendered as a chase and set in the mythic Dark Ages, a
small cast of six raises some big questions about
power, religion, and loyalty.
The heroine of this
mini-saga is Ymma of Normandy, played by luminous
Marianna Bassham, seen last fall as Ophelia for the
ASP. Her nemesis is Lewis Wheeler's Anglo-Saxon king,
Ethelred, labeled by history as the Unready, whose
bullying petulance and religious mania turns lethal as
the action progresses. The King marries this
princess, exiled from Normandy by her brother, to his
ally, Silence of Cumbria, a small northwestern
kingdom, created by the dissolution of Northumbria
around 866 AD. Lord Silence, played by Emily Sproch,
is not the boy he seems to be, and therein hangs the
tale. Silence and Ymma flee north towards his homeland
after Ethelred decides to marry the lady himself for
his own salvation -- her mother was a saint. Ymma
also has a powerful effect on the King's enforcer,
Eadric Longshaft, a rough warrior played by IRNE
winner Christopher Michael Brophy, who played the
Thane for the New Rep's educational tour last spring.
The ensemble is rounded out by IRNE winner Anne
Gottlieb, seen this fall as the lead in "The Women" at
Speakeasy, as Ymma's companion, Agnes, and B.U.'s
Michael Hayes as Roger, a conflicted Catholic priest
who attempts to instruct Silence in the faith despite
his own urges.
This three-act drama takes
the cast from Dover to Kent through the midlands to
the north, through a mythic landscape played on an
impressive unit set by Cristina Todesco, constructed
by Wooden Kiwi, expertly lit by Christopher Ostrom.
IRNE winner Frances Nelson McSherry's period costumes
complete the picture, while providing a subtle
commentary on the action. Director Rick Lombardo, at
the top of his form, has also provided an impressive
original sound design. The play, which raises such
universal questions as Father Roger's "Is God going to
destroy us? And if he is, is he wrong?" could stand on
its own, but the New Rep's impressive production
values help sweep the audience along to the evening's
ironic conclusion.
"Silence" by Moira Buffini, Jan. 17 - Feb. 11
New Repertory Theatre at Arsenal Center for the
Arts
321 Arsenal, Watertown / 617 - 923 - 8487
New Rep
The Equity Members Project at Boston
Playwrights', which runs for one more week there,
before moving up for a weekend in Gloucester at the
West End, features senior actor June Lewin in two
compelling performances in two long one-acts. In
Rosanna Yamagiwa Alfaro's "Sailing Down the Amazon"
she holds the stage alone as Rima, a retired actress
recently diagnosed with Alzheimers, who decided to
take a exotic trip rather than have an MRI. It's the
turn of the Millennium after all.
In Kate Snodgrass' "Haiku" Lewin plays Nell,
the mother of an adult autistic woman, Louise, played
Emily Singara. She's become sure that her daughter
comprehends more than most people realize. Her older
daughter, Billie, played by Kippy Goldfarb, gave up on
that possibility long ago. But Nell, a writer, has
published two short books of haiku poetry which she
believes comes from Lulu and a crisis is looming as
she's slowly growing blind.
These two pieces paint effective and
contrasting portraits of mental illness with the help
of a simple but effective set by Lisa Pegnato and
careful lighting by Marc Olivere. Matt Otto did the
sound design, most important in "...Amazon." The
economy and elegance of the writing in each play is a
reminder of the serious work being done by Boston's
local playwrights.
"Amazon/Haiku" by Alfaro/Snodgrass, Jan.11-21, Jan.
26-28
JRV at Boston Playwrights & West End Theatre
949 Comm. Ave. Allston, 1 Wash.St, Gloucester (617)
661 - 7930
Company Website
The closest we're
liable to get to ice-fishing hereabouts this winter is
currently running at the Stoneham Theatre. The duo who
adapted "The Spitfire Grill" for the American Folklore
Theatre in Wisconsin, Fred Alley and James Kaplan,
turned their imaginations to this sedentary winter
sport to create an engaging show, light on plot and
folksy in demeanor. "Guys on Ice" is a day spent
fishing for working men Marvin and Lloyd, played by
Cory Scott and Bill Stambaugh, snug in a shanty out on
the lake, drinking Leinenkugel (Linie beer) and
singing about things like their snowmobile suits or
"Fish is de Miracle Food." They're waiting for the
arrival of Cubby from the cable TV fishing show, their
shot at local fame, and hiding their beer from Ernie
the Moocher, played by William Gardiner. He starts
the second half with a bit of audience participation
and a paean to "Linie" accompanied by the spoons.
"Guys on Ice" is an homage
to the homegrown musical shows which had their roots
in the Grange and the brief heyday of regional
playwriting which began after WWI and faded after
WWII. Its tunes echo lightweight country comedy with a
touch of the polka. The creative team, IRNE winners
director Jason Southerland from BTW, Jose Delgado, one
of Boston's busier music directors, and Ilyse Robbins,
eclectic choreographer, have let the material speak
for itself, moreso than more frantic treatment of
small town working class life seen in TV sit-coms.
Jenna MacFarland Lord's set is a revolving fishing hut
against a slanted drop of ice and sky, with an amazing
collection of props and decor assembled by Karla Sund.
Molly Trainer has dressed the cast in appropriately
well-worn winter gear. The show is an affectionate
portrait of small town Wisconsin which the American
Folklore Theatre has played since its creation in
1998, complete with regional accent ( vaguely
Scandanavian) and local slang and no particular
political message. See you on the ice.
"Guys on Ice" by Fred Alley and James Kaplan, Jan.
12 -28
Stoneham Theatre
395 Main St., (781) 279 - 2200
Stoneham
Theatre
Stephen Mallarat's adaptation of Susan
Hill's story, a long-running London favorite, has
once again surfaced hereabouts, this time as a "winter
tale" down in the Hovey Players' basement digs. "The
Woman in Black" is a Wilke Collins inspired thriller,
set at the beginning of the 20th century, which
involves a solicitor enlisting the aid of an actor to
tell the story of a haunting which changed his life.
Introverted Kipps, played by Randy Marquis, is coached
to become all the people in the recounting while Chuck
Swager who plays the bumptious actor takes over the
narration. Director Kristin Hughes has used the whole
small space to surround the audience with the
show.
The storytelling is enhanced by "the miracle
of recorded sound," a novelty on stage in pre-WWI
London. The show takes place in a shuttered theatre
as the pair rehearse the tale. A mysterious silent
woman in black joins in, played by Eden Land. Lighting
designer John MacKenzie does his best giving the
limitations of the Hovey's system and the spread of
the show. The script, which follows the format of the
original tale, seems a bit forced and could be
condensed into a long one-act for more dramatic
effect, but holds up well enough. The challenge of
using two actors to accomplish a journey to the bleak
shore of Northern England and the mysterious situation
which unfolds there is interesting in itself.
"The Woman in Black" by Stephen Mallarat, Jan. 12 -
27
Hovey Players in Abbott Theatre
9 Spring St. Waltham / (781) 983 - 9171
Hovey
Players
Wellesley Summer
Theatre is currently presenting the American premiere
of the third part of British playwright Polly Teale's
trilogy. This award winning ensemble has previously
presented her "Jane Eyre" and "After Mrs. Rochester,"
also directed by Nora Hussey. "Bronte" focuses on the
author Charlotte Bronte, the author of "Jane Eyre", as
well as her younger sisters; Emily, whose only
published novel was the controversial "Wuthering
Heights," and Anne who wrote "Agnes Grey" and "The
Tenant of Wildfell Hall," two somewhat sentimental
efforts. Alicia Kahn, one of WST founders, is back to
play Charlotte, while Wellesley grad Catherine
LeClair, who's been working in Maine but has relocated
to New York, has returned to play Emily. Wellesley
senior Kelly Galvin, with several WST credits, plays
Anne. WST veteran Melina McGrew, who appeared in both
of the earlier Teale productions recreates her role as
Rochester's first wife, Bertha, and also becomes
Heathcliff's Cathy. In several scenes, Kahn once
again plays Jane Eyre.
The men in this production
are John Gavin as Rev. Patrick Bronte (nee Brunty),
Dan Bolton as his curate, Arthur Bell Nichols, who
married Charlotte, and Derek Stone Nelson, who plays
the French schoolmaster who inspired Charlotte to
develop her innate writing skills and also recreates
his role as Rochester. Davin and Nelson also appeared
in "After Mrs. Rochester." The important part of
Branwell Bronte, the pampered son of the family, who
lead a dissolute life of failure, falls to Greg
Raposa, who also appears as Heathcliff. Branwell was
probably Emily's inspiration for that unfortunate free
spirit.
As in past productions, the
set and lights are in the expert hands of Ken Loewit,
while Nancy Stevens does another fine job of effective
period costuming. George Cook from BC's Robesham
Center has supplied an effective sound design of music
and sound effects. WST's production is up to their
usual standard. The author has supplied a timeline of
events in the lives of the Brontes which should be
scanned before the show for a fuller understanding of
their unique situation and achievements.
"Bronte" by Polly Teale, Jan. 10 - Feb. 3
Wellesley Summer Theatre in Ruth Nagel Jones
Theater
Alumni Hall, Wellesley, (781) 283 - 2000
Wellesley
Summer Theatre
Versatile Aimee
Doherty has had an interesting collection of roles in
recent seasons, starting with "Into the Woods" at the
New Rep's old Newton digs, one of Bobby's girlfriends
in Speakeasy's "Company" then onto the plain heroine
of Amimus' "Promises, Promises" opposite her husband,
Jeff Mahoney, followed by Evelyn Nesbit in the New
Rep's "Ragtime" over in Watertown. This fall she
played the youngest member of the "set" in Speakeasy's
"The Women" followed by strong ensemble work in their
"Bubbly Black Girl..." Now she's front and center as
the female lead for Michael John LaChiusa's twin music
theatre pieces in "See What I Wanna See" for the
Lyric, a show adapted from three short stories by
early 20th century Japanese writer, Ryonosuke
Akutagawa. Doherty plays the role of the role of Kesa,
created by Idina Menzel in the New York production,
opposite tenor Andrew Giordano as Morita. A BosCon
alum, he's back in town in a leading role this time.
The duo play a pair of lethal
lovers in Noh-like vignettes set in medieval Japan
used as preludes for the two longer sections, where
they play related roles. The first, more operatic
piece, is "R Shamon", another retelling of "In the
Grove", set in 1951 New York when Kurosawa's classic
version was bursting on the film scene. The second
more conventional music drama, a post 9/11 fable about
the endtime, is "Gloryday" based on "The Dragon".
The two halves are subtly connected, primarily through
Brendan McNab's movie theatre janitor who morphs into
disillusioned Catholic priest. The other two players
are June Babolan as the Medium who becomes the
priest's atheist Aunt Monica and Emerson grad Andrew
Schufman who first plays a knife-carrying hoodlum
named Mako, then a young television reporter. The
cast becomes a seamless ensemble under director
Stephen Terrell, with Doherty as the central focus in
"R Shamon" and McNab as the force behind "Gloryday."
in which she plays a rather wasted actress.
Music director Jonathan
Goldberg makes the most of his talented vocalists,
with himself at the keyboard, two reeds, and three
percussionists. The unit set is an architectural
creation reminiscent of origami by Brynna C. Bloomfied
backed by the suggestion of the famous gate, expertly
lit by Karen Perlow. Costumes were created by Rafael
Jaen and capture the three periods of the show.
LaChiusa's music, which has touches of Japanese
tradition, hovers somewhere between modern chamber
opera in the world of Weill, Sondheim, and other more
contemporary composers who're expanding the horizon of
the musical theatre..
"See What I Wanna See" by Michael John LaChiusa,
Jan. 5 - Feb. 3
Lyric Stage Co. at Copley YWCA
140 Clarendon, (617) 585 - 5678
Lyric Stage
Co.
Publick Theatre's
indoor debut at the BCA Plaza, Noel Coward's 1932
"Design for Living," is a stylish affair. Having
previously tackled "Private Lives", director Spiro
Veloudos, leaving Stephen Terrell to helm
LaChiusa's"See What I Wanna See" over at the Lyric,
has taken on shepherding Susanne Nitter and Diego
Arciniegas, the Directors of the Publick, along with
Gabriel Kuttner, last summer's Wil Shakspur, through
the comic emotional minefield of this Coward classic.
The complicated menage a trois of Gilda, Leo and Otto
is complimented by Nigel Gore as Gilda's friend then
husband Ernest, an essential part of this frothy mix.
Beth Gotha as Hodges her housekeeper, Richard Arum,
Janelle Mills, Jocelyn Parrrish, a trio of her New
York friends, and Paul Melendy complete their world of
art and hedonism. The three leads, in parts originally
written for the Lunts and the author, slip into their
high-class Bohemian roles as if born to play Coward.
Nitter is especially impressive in one of Lynn
Fontaine's signature roles.
Costumer Raphael Jaen from
Emerson, assisted by Stephanie Cluggish, gives the
cast truly elegant tailoring which Harvard's J.Michael
Griggs sets off perfectly on a Matisee-inspired set.
Upgrades in the furniture mark each act, from a Paris
studio, to a comfortable London flat, to an elegant
New York penthouse. Both artists use effective
palettes, bolstered by Scott Clyve's careful lighting.
The BCA's oldest theatre has seldom looked better. And
Sir Noel hasn't been better served.
“Design for Living” by Noel Coward, Jan 4 - Jan. 27
Publick Theatre. in Plaza Theatre, BCA
539 Tremont, (617) 933 - 8600
Publick
Theatre
Seen in part at last
Spring's "FeverFest 2006," this dramatic monologue,
addressed to the audience in the style of "Thom
Pain..." is coming along but still needs a meaningful
conclusion or at least a stronger crescendo. Steve
Johnson as "BB"does yeoman duty getting through "Bombs
& Manifestos" , an hour long piece broken into about
half a dozen episodes. Brian Polak, the author, gets
a bit of the sense of last year's group piece "PS Page
Me Later" which was constructed from "found" texts.
Daniel Bourque directs the piece cleanly and makes the
most of Johnson's slightly crazed appearance. The
actions is also segmented by Jeff Stern's videos which
are mostly abstracted shots taken in the subway. Kelly
Fitzpatricks's set provides a similarly abstracted
sense of being "down under" bolstered by John Tibbetts
sound design. Anyone who sees this piece over the next
several weeks won't look at the less talented subway
musicians the same way again.
"Bombs & Manifestos" by Brian Polak, Jan.5 - 20
Alarm Clock at BCA Black Box
539 Tremont, (617) 933 - 8600
Alarm Clock
Theatre
After all the
build-up, this example of Park’s recent year-long
playwriting effort was rather underwhelming.
TheatreZone’s diverse cadre was enthusiastic and
interesting to watch in an hour-long effort that
preceded their pre-New Years party. The nine pieces
done had echoes of Beckett and Shepard, with a touch
of Wilson in “The Key.” The show was engaging if
rather trivial as 20 some actors danced their way
through scene changes. Perhaps when the cross country
presentations of these "weeks" is over, the author and
one of her directors can get together and extract at
least one coherent evening of theatre from these rough
notes.
Other companies will be
trying other “weeks” worth of writing later in 2007
and Parks herself will be at MIT during the Spring
semester. The best news of the evening was that
construction of an elevator to reach TheatreZone’s
third-floor hall is under way. Now if something could
be done about public transportation and parking they’d
be all set.
"Xmas Week/365" by Suzan-Lori Parksr, Sat. Dec.30,
2006
TheatreZone at Chelsea Theatre Works
189 Winnisimmet St. Chelsea, (617) 887 - 2366
< A Href=”http://www.theatrezone.org/”>TheatreZone
The easiest
description of Ridiculusmus' "The Importance of Being
Earnest," a slight reduction of Oscar Wilde's most
popular play, is too clever by half. The comic
duo of David Woods and Jon Haynes play all nine
characters in the farce, using costume and voice
changes which become fragmented as the play picks up
pace and the farce heads for its coincidence-filled
conclusion. The most obvious laughs result from
costume incongruities though Wilde's famous epigrams
win their share. Audience members familiar with the
play will get the most out of this bravura
performance, but probably won't see it as the social
satire director Jude Kelly, OBE, and Ridiculusmus
hoped to create for their British audience. Americans
have always found the antics of Ernest Worthing and
Algernon Moncrief risible but distant.
The production is however a
solid entertainment even though the joke wears thin
from time to time given the necessary hiatuses created
by costume and scenery changes. The set has a jumble
shop air with props kept on shelves at the back and
anachronistic touches like a fridge hidden in the
credenza and a music system which the actors
ostensibly control using a remote to provide dramatic
background. The acting is generally broad, on par
with Monty Python, which keeps the focus on the
trivial, certainly the author's original intent. The
play has survived for more than a century not because
of its deep analysis of Victorian mores, but its
universal silliness. "The Importance of Being Earnest"
is first and foremost farce, focusing on human
fallibility, which comic writers have been puncturing
for at least 2500 years.
"The Importance of Being Earnest" by Oscar Wilde,
Dec.21 - Jan.14
Ridiculusmus at ART, Loeb Stage
64 Brattle St, Harvard Sq. (617) 547 - 8300
American Repertory
Theatre
When Dan Sullivan and
the Seattle Rep created "Inspecting Carol" back before
the turn of this century from a collision between an
annual production of the Dickens' classic and Gogol's
political farce "The Inspector General," the
resulting satire had personal meaning to the company
and their audience. Productions since have had
varying success; the Lyric Stage ran it a few seasons
ago for the holidays and got a lot of laughs but made
little impact. The show's since moved onto the
community theatre stage where it will no doubt last a
few years longer. Zero Point's current revival,
running this weekend and next at Durrell Hall is in
that class, and unfortunately not near the top.
The enthusiastic cast fills
the roles unevenly, with Michael Aveller coming
closest to the mark as Wayne, the computer geek who
wanders in for an audition and is mistaken for a
dreaded NEA inspector. Michael Di Loreto as MJ the
put-upon stage manager is also well-cast. The rest of
Emil Kreymer's motley crew are only fitfully
believable and occasionally unintelligible. The show
isn't helped by a sparse setting and uncoordinated
costumery. Zero Point previous revivals have included
"The Dinner Party" and "Moonchildren" with some of the
same actors, but these experiences haven't yet
generated the sense of ensemble needed for this
complicated comedy. "Inspecting Carol" operates on
several levels and styles of humor. The show's more of
a challenge than it may first appear.
"Inspecting Carol" by Dan Sullivan & Seattle Rep,
Dec. 21 - Dec.30
Zero Point at Durrell Hall
Camb YMCA, 820 Mass. Ave, Central Sq. /
www.theatremania.com
Zero Point
Theatre
Channeling his inner
elf once again, John Kuntz has returned to "The
Santaland Diaries" by David Sedaris, heard now and
again on NPR. Wesley Savick directed this current run
of Joe Mantello's adaptation in the New Rep's
Downstage black box theatre. The program starts with
two short pieces by Kuntz, first a riff on the
presents from the "12 Days"--in a two room flat,
followed by an interpretive "dance" audition-piece
based on Dickens' three ghosts requiring audience
participation. The action is backed by a large mural
of St. Nick's whiskers, the centerpiece of Cristina
Tedesco's design. Molly Trainer supplied John's elf
uniform.
Kuntz's approach to the piece
employs his range of quick characterizations, but
develops a strong central voice for the aspiring soap
opera actor at the center of it all. "The Santaland
Diaries" skewers the commercial excess of season
while retaining a whiff of nostalgia for its essential
charm. Extra late night shows have been added due to
demand for tickets. Contact the New Rep for details.
The next program in the company's second space will be
a series of New Voices play readings at the end of
January into February.
"Santaland Diaries" by David Sedaris, Dec. 20 -
Dec.31
New Repertory Theatre at Arsenal Center for the Arts,
Black Box
321 Arsenal, Watertown, (617) 921 - 8487
New Repertory
Theatre
With a title inspired
by a mention in chapter 42 of 1999 Nobel Prize winner
Gunter Grass' fable "The Tin Drum" and some creative
differences during its creation, the American
Repertory Theatre opened Amanda Palmer's "The Onion
Cellar" in their flexible space at Zero Arrow St.
This time this large black box space is set up as a
cabaret with tables and a bar along the side serving
beer and wine at the usual prices. A large circular
array of lights hangs over stage against one wall.
Opposite the stage the wall above the audience is
covered with memorabilia. The conceit is that
"Shmuh's Onion Cellar" is an establishment where
patrons chop onions for themselves to release tears
they've been holding back. Several interlocking
family tales, created with the help of a cast made up
from ART veterans and Institute students, are revealed
between songs written and musical numbers written and
performed by Palmer and her partner, Brian Viglione.
The musicians play themselves with younger doubles
from the ensemble.
Both Karen MacDonald and
Thomas Derrah appear in dual roles. MacDonald is the
Mother of the Girl in Blue, who died in a car crash
after her prom. Derrah is a probable Lunatic in a gray
suit bound in wide white tape with a phone handset
taped to his head. The pair also play the Louvers, a
childless older couple from Wisconsin who've driven
their RV to Cambridge to visit their nephew who
attends Harvard. Jeremy Geidt is the Father quietly
drinking himself into oblivion. Remo Airaldi is the
MC for the cabaret who tells of his childhood and
mimes to an aria sung by Caruso near the end of the
show. The program doesn't identify individual roles,
but two students appear as both Onion Boy and Mute
Girl, two peculiar lovers, as well as the Girl in the
Bear Suit and her friend, both of whom tend bar.
Kristen Frazier is the daughter. The ensemble includes
Claire Elizabeth Davies, Brian Farish, Merrit Janson,
and Neil P. Stewart. The final show was directed by
Marcus Stern, Associate Director at the ART, who
teaches at Harvard, the Institute, and Harvard
Extension.
The 90 minute show is
somewhere between a club concert, a theatrical
collage, and an incipient rock album. The Dresden
Dolls are frequently billed as Brechtian Punk Cabaret,
and their often loud alternative rock sound can
definitely alienate members of the audience from each
other. Earplugs are available on request. Palmer's
"Onion Cellar" performed at the opening sets out a
premise, but the piece which best catches their
essence is "Coin Operated Boy". Her lyrics when
audible show flashes of wit. Viglione gets an
impressive drum solo late in the show which lasts a
bit too long. Of the various routines in the collage,
MacDonald and Derrah's "Louvers" are the audience
favorites. The show's theme of love and loss, which is
of course universal, is only obliquely explored and
hardly revelatory. Of the ART's two shows adapted
from other mediums currently playing ("Wings of
Desire" closes this Sunday), the earnestness of "The
Onion Cellar" seems preferable.
"The Onion Cellar" by Amanda Palmer, Jonathan Marc
Sherman, Marcus Stern et al, Dec.9 - Jan. 13
ART in Zero Arrow St.
Arrow & Mass. Ave, Harvard Sq. (617) 547 - 8300
ART
The latest reading of
from MIT's Catalyst Collaborative was a drama based on
an intriguing question. "How does meat become mind?"
How does the complex collection of neurons which make
up the brain and the nervous system develop a sense of
awareness? The science fiction premise of the play and
the relationship between its characters moves it well
beyond dry theory. A neurologist who firmly believes
that the ego is merely a fiction is participating in
teleportation experiments with his physicist
father-in-law. During a demonstration, something goes
wrong. Instead of his original body being vaporized
in the process, a duplicate is created on the other
end where he's meeting his wife for an anniversary.
To complicate matters, his wife has just been
diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor which is
robbing her of portions of her memory. Protocol
demands that the original, which is indistinguishable
from the new copy, be destroyed.
The cast was two founders of
the Underground Railway Theater, Alice the wife,
played by their artistic director, Debra Wise, and
Derek, Alice's father, played by former artistic
director, Wes Sanders. The neurologist was played by
Stephen Russell, seen with various local companies
including WHAT where he produces WHAT for Kids! The
production was directed by Jon Lipsky, artistic
associate at the Vineyard Playhouse and professor of
theatre at BU. The script, called a "theatrical
essay" by London playwright, Mick Gordon, was written
in conjunction British neurologist Paul Broks, whose
nonfiction work "Into the Silent Land" was the play's
starting point. A complex multimedia piece as well,
the play is still in development.
"On Ego" by Mike Gordon & Paul Broks, Dec. 4-5
MITA & Underground Railway at Rm 10-250 & Durrell
Hall, Camb YMCA
(781) 643 - 6916 URT
MIT Office of the
Arts
This adaptation by
Carl Rossi of Victorian humorist Douglass William
Jerrold's popular series, what Mrs. Caudle, a
middleclass London housewife, said to her husband
before they went to sleep at night, is an effective
monodrama. He has edited some 20 of them, shortening
them effectively, providing a comic arc for the
incessant concerns of the title character. Joseph Zampereli,
Jr. directed a one-night only staged reading of
the piece at Boston Playwrights' for the Delvena
Theatre.
Lynne Moulton was a
redoubtable Mrs. Caudle, taking a taciturn Mr. Caudle,
played by a silent Rick Park, to task for everything
from loaning a friend his umbrella to the prospect of
her mother moving in with them. Narration identifying
each lecture was supplied by Hugh Metzler with stage
directions given by Justine Curley. These two figures
could well have more to say as the script develops. At
present it provides a short pleasant glance at a
bygone era, not all that different from more
conservative aspects of our own. In the right
setting, "Mrs. Caudle's Curtain Lectures" could play
very well for the historical crowd.
"Mrs. Caudle's Curtain Lectures" by Carl Rossi,
Dec.3
Delvena Theatre Co. at Boston Playwrights Theatre
949 Comm. Ave. Allston
Boston
Playwrights'
When this
dramatization played at Trinity in 2003 it was
questioned as being to focussed on the travails of the
author of the original book. Susan Lombardi -
Verticelli plays Barbara very matter of factly, which
helps shift attention to the workers who are of more
interest. Director Megan Orwig has assembled an
ensemble of five versatile actors to play the staff of
a “Kenny’s” Restaurant in Key West FL, a team of
“Magic Maids” in Portland ME, and associates at
MallMart in Minneapolis. Ehrenreich's conclusion is
remains true; you can’t make a living on minimum
wage., especially when Social services are less than
adequate, especially for women. These “workers” in
alphabetical order are Jordan Harrison—the only
guy—Jackie Heath, Ellen Lokos, Danielle Muehlenbein,
and Donna Spurlock.
South City has as part of its
mission to provoke the intellect and inspire change in
the human condition. Joan Holden’s adaptation, which
was done for the San Francisco Mime Troupe, has the
same goal. Unfortunately, there’s no prescription in
either the original book or this staging to suggest
how the working poor, subjected to “repetitive stress
of the spirit,” can really effect change. And even if
the new Congress raises the minimum wage, too little
too late, very little will change , particularly as
the cost of the situation in the Middle East comes
due. But maybe “Nickel & Dimed” will make a few
people better tippers and refold merchandise at
Target.
"Nickel and Dimed" by Joan Holden, Dec. 1 - Dec.
17
South City Theatre at Devanaughn
back of Piano Factory, (781) 874 - 9831
South City
Philip Grecian's
stage adaptation in 2000 of radio humorist Jean
Sheperd's 1983 film, "A Christmas Story" has become a
community theatre staple in the last few years. The
Stoneham Theatre's second professional production,
directed this year by veteran Massachusetts director
and playwright Jack Neary, has a depth and timing that
can be difficult to achieve. It also boasts a
different cast from last year, headed by Robert D.
Murphy who's been widely seen around the area as The
Old Man with Derek Santos, from Stoneham's Young
Company Summer Program, as his son, Ralphie, the third
grader who wants a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas.
Lisa Tucker, a founding member of Beau Jest who was
seen last season in "A Prayer for Owen Meany", is
Mother. Seven year old Evan Robinson-Johnson
completes the Parker family as Randy, the little
brother who likes to hide.
All the other adults in
the show are played by Penny Benson, who appears as
Miss Shields and the Department Store Elf, and Michael
G. Dell'Orto who plays Santa, the Xmas tree salesman,
the Prize Deliveryman, and Black Bart. The narration
is handled by Mark S. Cartier, who brings a mature
quality to the role of Ralph, the grownup writer. The
rest of the kids include Zach Camenker as Scut the
bully, Adam Fisher as Flick whose tongue gets frozen,
Khalil Fleming as Schwartz, Ralphie friend, Gillian
Gordon as Helen the smart girl and Rebecca Stevens as
Esther Jane who likes Ralphie. Neary puts this
talented crew through their paces and myriad costume
changes on a two level set by Audra Avery. The
forties period clothes were collected by Molly
Trainer. Sheperd's functional if slightly eccentric
family still resonates as real, even half a century
past the period of the play. Parents and kids will
enjoy it will enjoy it.
"A Christmas Story" by Philip Grecian, Nov. 25 -
Dec. 23
Stoneham Theatre
395 Main St. Stoneham, (781) 279 - 2200
Stoneham
Theatre
Practice makes
perfect. Sometimes going back to an original concept
does too. This year, North Shore Music Theatre's
Artistic Director, Jon Kimbell, has taken the helm of
their perennial seasonal show he helped create
eighteen years ago. He's carefully reduced some of
the extras added to "A Christmas Carol - A Musical
Ghost Story" in recent years, and retained some old
favorites. IRNE winner David Coffee returns as the
area's most lovable Scrooge, IRNE winner Cheryl
McMahon is once again his Cockney housekeeper, and Tom
Staggs still soars overhead as the ghost of Jacob
Marley.
The score based on
traditional carols and songs has been tightened by
music director Brian Cimmet, and only drops the "Pig"
song from the final Stave. There's less DayGlo and a
somber scary Ghost of Christmas Future played by
Richard Gallagher, who also plays Young Scrooge.
Robert Jason Jackson seen at the Huntington last
season as Holofernes and on Broadway in "Aida" is a
new towering Ghost of Christmas Present--still on
stilts--and Teri Dale Hansen is a new Ghost of
Christmas Past and Mrs, Cratchit. The show is
narrated by Erik Grafton as grown up Timothy Cratchit,
in shirtsleeves, and Australian Benjamin Howes, seen
Off-Broadway in [title of the show] is Bob Cratchit.
Mark Aldrich is back for a second year as Scrooge's
nephew Fred and Briga Heelan, who started with NSMT's
Youth Academy, plays both Fred's new wife Meg and
young Scrooge's lost love Belle.
There's a bit more fog in
old London Town, but the setting is much the same as
previous productions.. The musician are again spread
between two raised platforms and a visible pit. The
ensemble is strong and the opening number includes the
children of the company playing handbells. All in all
the production emphasizes the humanity of the people
in Dicken's story and gets the audience singing along
with the curtain call's "We Wish You a Merry
Christmas."
"A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens, Dates
North Shore Music Theatre at Dunham Woods
Beverly, MA , (978) 232-7200
North Shore Music
Theatre
Regular patrons of
the ART won't be surprised to be sitting through
another theatrical collage,again an effort with
international overtones. In 100 minutes the ART and
Toneelgroep Amsterdam wrestle with a disjointed
adaptaion of the filmscript for Wim Wenders' 1987 film
classic "Der Himmel uber Berlin" (released
internationAlly as "Wings of Desire"). The show opens
with two immortal beings aka "angels" atop a canteen
trailer at an outdoor cafe, somewhere. Fine sand
drifts down from the flies in thin streams, indicating
the passage of eternity. Mam Smith, a fine aerilaist,
periodically soars above the scene, much more angelic
than the show's two angels dressed in black and white
formal wear. Periodically, actors playing characters
address the audience. The only one who really makes
contact is Stephen Payne, playing the role of a former
angel done by Peter Falk in the original film. Loud
rock music played live by Jesse Lenat and Hadewych
Minis adds to the mix, especially as the action winds
up. (Ear plugs might be a good idea.)
The production is an
interesting set of glosses on the subject, but as live
theatre, "Wings of Desire" just doesn't add up. There
are a few memorable moments, but the text might as
well have been done in Dutch most of the time, perhaps
with the odd surtitle. Robin Young's presence as The
Newsreader adds little except brief local recognition.
The ideas behind the adaptation have potential but
lack of follow-through, of any real attempt to deal
with the diviseness in today's world, make for sterile
theatrical experimentalism. It's as if every "why
don't we?" though of during its creation was tossed
in, like the colorful furniture in the finale, without
ever asking "Why?"
"Wings of Desire" by Wenders & Handke, Nov. 25 -
Dec. 17
American Repertory Theatre & Toneelgroep Amsterdam at
the Loeb
64 Brattle St, Harvard Sq. (617) 547 - 8300
American Repertory
Theatre
As a critique of the
Church of Scientology, Kyle Jarrow's parody of a
children's holiday pageant is relatively mild and
probably funnier to those who've had a brush with this
20th Century attempt to emulate a 19th century
predecessor, Christian Science. "A Very Merry
Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant", which
got an Obie in 2003, is a rather weak brew compared
to the overwrought accusations found on various
websites. But as an hour long amusement performed by
nine local youngsters, AVMUSCSP does suggest how
contemporary religion continues to indoctrinate the
young or alternatively turns its practitioners into
children, sometimes with disastrous results.
The set for the show by
Jenna MacFarland-Lord uses cardboard cutouts like
those kids produce for middle-school productions with
a set of hired risers suggesting the same sort of
atmosphere. Costumes by Laura Perrault are very basic,
mostly choir robes, but include a cardboard box robot.
Music director Jose Delgado, who's next door doing
Speakeasy's "Bubbly Brown Girl..." has gotten the
young cast to sing out along with a taped score with
the same sort of synthetic pop quality as those
operations like Disney distribute for their "kids"
shows. Nathan Leigh did the orchestrations and sound
design. At worst, AVMUSCSP is a piece of offbeat
silliness for the holidays.
"A Very Merry Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant" by Kyle Jarrow, Nov. 24 - Dec. 16
Boston Theatre Works in Plaza Theatre
BCA , 539 Tremont (617) 933 - 8600
Boston
Theatre Works
If there’s any show
for the holiday season that can be described as pure
entertainment, the current edition of Avner the
Eccentric’s collection of timeless comic routines
fills that bill. Suitable for all ages, combining
slapstick humor, mime, audience interaction,
disceptively simple magic, and an unique attitude,
this 90 minute perambulation is an interesting
contrast to the intense one woman show which just
closed at the Lyric. Predictably unpredictable, every
new stunt seems to grow organically from Avner’s
persona, a serious clown, not so much sad as put upon
by reality. What’s coming next is unclear, but it
will be funny. See it soon, then take some friends
and see it again.
"Exceptions to Gravity" by Avner Eisenberg, Nov.
24 - Dec.23
Lyric Stage Co. at Copley YWCA
140 Clarendon (617) 585 -5678
Lyric Stage
Dear Larry,
You probably ( I hope) have heard about the extension of this play at the BCA and the great
reception it has had. Let me add my voice of encouragement to get out as many people as
possible to see it. Required attendance in anticipation oof the 2008 elections!!
Regards,
Edwin
Edwin F. Beschler
Oftentimes I wonder whether theater has any real power to shape the world or even a society. Even great works, I think, generally just provide us with escape from our present world and maybe a little reflection on the side.
David Hare's Stuff Happens, on the other hand, drags us kicking and screaming into our present world, sits us down and makes us listen. Which may be one of the reasons there aren't many productions of it currently playing. Boston can be that proud Zeitgeist Stage (www.zeitgeiststage.com) is among the first handful of companies in the world to mount it. This is relevant theater, and the fact that it's masterfully crafted and hugely entertaining (great design, great cast) is almost incidental. If you're fuzzy on how we got into Iraq (which many of us are), this is a stunning chronicle. And even if you know all the facts, seeing them lived out before you will kill stone dead any world-weariness or apathy you may have understandably developed.
Real people are presented on stage making real decisions. And at the end of the play, the real people in the audience have some real decisions of their own to make.
The show has been extended through December 2nd. It plays at the BCA Black Box. Go see it and make history.
Nathaniel Gundy
Kirsten Child’s
semi-autobiographical show, "The Bubbly Brown Girl
Sheds Her Chameleon Skin," is successful 100 minute
entertainment. In tracing how one ambitious black
girl from LA makes it in NY, the script doesn’t break
much new ground, but it does provide suggest that be
yourself requires admitting who you are. Under Jacqui
Parker’s steadying hand, Boscon Junior Stephanie Umoh,
who appeared in “Ragtime” at the new Rep carries the
show quite convincingly. from its slow start to a
somewhat sentimental conclusion. The ensemble, which
includes Anich D'Jae seen in "Caroline...", Aimee
Doherty seen in Animus' "Promises, ...", IRNE winner
Brian Richard Robinson, John King from "Kiss of..."
and peripetatic Jackie Comisar, sings and dances
through some thirty numbers which makes for a fast
paced show with a lot of costume changes. Eric
Levenson’s set is simple and effective. Seth Bodie’s
costumes catch the show’s periods from the early ‘60s
through the ‘80s. Music director Jose Delgado does
justice to Childs’ workmanlike tunes. The show’s
message should be appropriate to the approaching
season.
"The Bubbly Brown Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin",
Nov. 17 - Dec. 9
Speakeasy Stage Co. in Roberts Studio
BCA Calderwood (617) 933-8600
Speakeasy
The recent extension of Zeitgeist's "Stuff Happens" gives everyone who hasn't yet seen it the opportunity to go to one of the best shows running in town. In turns maddening, frustrating, hilarious and moving, it's a masterful marshalling of some wonderful talent. Breaking the rules (white set, some lights on the audience), the tight direction of this nearly 3 hour piece flies by in what seems like half that time. As angry and dumbfounded as the subject matter often made me, that Miller touch left me in tears at the end. GO SEE IT!
The Obie winning
troupe, Great Small Works, is having a short run this
week at the Charlestown Working Theatre. Company
members, John Bell, Trudi Cohen, Stephen Kaplin and
Jenny Romaine, joined by Shane Baker, Andrea Lomato
and Jessica Lorence, with original music composed and
performed by Jessica Lurie, present "The Rapture
Project." This political satire/fantasy is performed
using Sicilian-style marionettes made by the members
and Marsha Gildin with interludes by the troupe in
costume. As usual, Great Small Works material is drawn
from the current political situation set in its
historical context. The storyline follows
fundamentalist Christians pursued by Beelezbub and a
prominent feminist critic as they journey the Middle
East, with a puppet version of the Final Battle with
traditional results. The show will run in NYC at the
HERE Arts Center in Manhattan for three weeks in
January.
This production's not a
kids show. But John Bell and Trudi Cohen, and their
son Isacc, will perform "Lyzer the Miser", seen at
last June's Cambridge River Festival, and "Our
Kitchen", a toy theatre piece which results in
pancakes at 2pm on the 18th & the 19th for younger
audiences. "The Rapture Project" mixes humor,
mysticism, and the continuing disaster of the crusader
mentality in an oblique look at today's religious
strife. It has a folk art feel combined with
sophisticated 20th century graphics. Ir's
effectively bizarre.
"The Rapture Project" by Great Small Works, Nov.16
-18
Great Small Works at Charlestown Working Theater
442 Bunker Hill Ave, Charlestown (617) 242 - 8285
CWT
He's back. Paul
Zaloom, aka Beakman, or the Ringmaster from Bread &
Puppets legendary summer Circus, is also back to his
roots, using the traditional Karagoz shadow puppet
show for his latest political satire. Those who
caught his last touring extravaganza "Velvetville", an
attack on junk culture, may find this fable in the
folk tradition easier to take in. With direction from
Randee Trabitz and puppets made by Lynn Jefferies,
Zaloom uses his sarcastic insights to creat a
whirlwind tour of today's turbulent world. Definitely
not for kids, (he's did two Beakman shows for them
last weekend), his hero sets off to find a place where
he can marry has friend, Henry, and adopt some kids.
The show, which premiered at the Orlando Puppet
Festival in 2004, is quite tourable, and will no doubt
evolve as social concerns continue to stew. It was
interesting to watch the day after The Election, at
the same time the marriage debate was being "recessed"
up at the State House. The performer's breezy style
is definitely on a roll. Watch for an independent
"puppet" film of "Faust" he's got coming out.
"Mother of All Enemies" by Paul Zaloom, Nov.8 -
11
Out on the Edge, Theatre Offensive at Roberts
Studio
BCA Calderwood, 529 Tremont, (617) 933 - 8600
Theatre
Offensive
There's no White
Rabbit in David Lindsay-Abaire's "Rabbit Hole" or any
of the fantasy audiences have come to expect from the
author of "Fuddy Meers,", "Wonder of the World," or
"Kimberly Akimbo." There is, however, the same
insightful view of human nature, this time at a
suburban housewife and her stock broker husband try to
come to grips with the loss of their four-year old
son. Of course, her younger sister, Izzy (short for
Isabel) opens the play by telling her that she's
pregnant by a "real" musician, her tipsy mother can't
forget her brother who died of a heroine overdose, and
her husband misses the dog. The setting is
realistic, all their actions are predictable, though
Becca, the heroine, played by Donna Bullock, does
punch a woman in the supermarket. That unfortunate was
ignoring her own child. Geneva Carr's Izzy is not as
flighty as her wardrobe would suggest, and Maureen
Anderman as their Natalie has unexpected depths. Even
Howie, the husband, played by Jordan Lage, starts to
relate to his wife on a more hopeful level by the end
of the evening. It's a play, like most of the
author's work,that works up slowly to its point, this time
with far fewer mirrors and almost no smoke.
Predictably, the setting
by James Noone is a monument to stagecraft, with three
meticulous interiors that roll on and off. A two
level unit set would have been less distracting and
possibly more evocative. John Tillinger's low-key
directing, and the cast's contemporary ensemble style
are sufficient to establish the characters and their
situation. The interior decoration is extraneous.
Costumes, props, lighting, and sound are firstrate and
more appropriate. Bullock leads the show with the
same kind of detailed work that won Cynthia Nixon a
Tony for her role. We know her and the rest of the
cast quite well by the end of the play; where they've
been, what they are, and where they might be going.
Lindsay-Abaire's used everyday elements to tell a
simple and moving tale, ending not with "happily ever
after," but "they lived."
"Rabbit Hole" by David Lindsay-Abaire, Nov.3 -
Dec.3
Huntington Theatre Co. at B.U.Theatre
264 Huntington Ave, (617) 266 - 0800
HTC
If you've avoided
this musical satire for one reason or another, the
current production at Beatrice Hereford's Vokes
Playhouse out in Wayland on Rt. 20 would be a good
place to catch what's become one of the most produced
musicals across the country--if you can get a ticket.
The Newton Country Player's just had a success with
Tony winner "Urinetown" over at Lasell, the Lyric
opened last year's season with it, and Newton South
High's doing the show in the spring.
Directed by Donnie
Baillargeon, the show gets off to a good start with
Vokes' stalwart David Berti as Officer Lockstock the
narrator and his sidekick Little Sally the urchin,
done by Peri Chouteau. The ensemble is in fine voice,
the story which centers around a public revolt against
having to pay to pee rings ludicrously true. The music
and lyrics by Mark Hollman start off with echoes of
Brecht and Weill and evolve into a sendup of
contemporary musical theatre. The love story between
Bobby Strong public facility attendant, sung by
Kendall Hodder, and Hope Cladwell daughter of the
urinal magnate, sung by Sarah Consentino, pushes all
the right buttons. Supporting roles such as
Lockstock's partner, Officer Barrel and Penelope
Pennywise, Bobby's boss, done by Bill Stambaugh and
Janet Ferreri are edgy. Ferreri's opening number,
"It's a Privilege to Pee" sets the tone for the
evening. The energetic ensemble, who play both the
downtrodden masses and Cladwell's flunkies, have
moments to shine, like Mark Soucy's demented thug, Hot
Blades Harry.
Steven McGonagle has done
another outstanding set for the company with echoes of
the original, Mario Cruz conducts the small musical
ensemble--out of sight in this production--with the
required flair, and Jennifer Condon's choreography
sends up all the usual suspects, from Robbins to Fosse
to Twarp. It's a goodtime show with serious digs at
the potential disaster of overpopulation, depletion of
resources, and public indifference. Or as author Greg
Kotis, trained in political economy, ends the show,
"Hail Malthus."
"Urinetown" by Mark Hollman & Greg Kotis, Oct. 26 -
Nov. 17(shows added)
Vokes Players at Vokes Theater
RT.20, Wayland (508) 358 - 4034
Vokes Players
Works by Nobel
Laureate Dario Fo have been scarce on the American
Stage since his injudicious remarks made after 9/11.
Whistler in the Dark, who've previously been seen
mostly at the Charlestown Working Theatre, have
prepared four monodramas by the old clown and his
wife/partner, Franca Rame, and taken them on the road.
They're performing in various venues in Boston and
Cambridge. The translations are by Gillian Hanna and
Amy Nora Long. Meg Taintor directs three actors, two
seen previously with Whistler in the Dark, Lorna
McKenzie and Jennifer O'Connor, and Nikki Carroll, an
Aussie who toured last year for Shakespeare & Co.
Each woman does one solo piece, the trio combines for
the final piece, "All Women Have the Same Story," a
surrealistic fairy tale.
The first monodrama,
"Rise and Shine" features O'Carroll as a woman so
frazzled by work, an infant, and an inconsiderate
husband that she feels she's going mad as she hurries
to get ready for work. The second, "A Woman Alone" is
an entire domestic melodrama with Lorna McKenzie,
really going mad cooped up in her apartment with a
crying baby and an invalid brother-in-law, being
stared at by a pervert with binoculars, badgered by
obscene phone calls, and pursued by an unwanted lover.
Jennifer O'Connor is "Alice in Wonderless Land"
succumbing to temptations and the modern world in ways
which have made Lewis Carroll faint. Costumes are
mainly lingerie and few accouterments chosen by Kelly
Leigh David, the set is two translucent screen which
can be used for shadows, and the interlude sounds are
a danceable mixtrack. The show works surprisingly
well in the informal atmosphere of a nightspot. Fo
would approve. Be sure to check the group's website
for directions to venues and any schedule changes.
The tour wraps up Friday the 10th at the Charlestown
Working Theatre.
"All This Flying, All This Tumbling Down" by Dario
Fo & Franca Rame, Oct.24 - Nov. 9
Whistler in the Dark at Charles Playhouse Lounge,
Midway Cafe (JP), Zeigeist (Camb), Art&Soul (Camb.),
The Vault(Lynn Arts), and Charlestown WT
check website for directions; (866) 811- 4111
Whistler In
The Dark
I just saw the Zeitgeist production of "Stuff Happens" at the Boston Center for the Arts. It is an extremely timely production and an excellent play.
The play is a historical account of how we got ourselves into the Iraq mess, using actual public statements (plus imaginary closed door conversations). In particular, it illustrates how people got drawn in whom you would think would know better. The heart of it is about the exercise of power, those seduced by the proximity of power, and those conditioned to defer to power. Unavoidably, you experience the danger of insularity in power. Both Colin Powell and Tony Blair are portrayed as sympathetic and somewhat tragic characters.
Various features stand out. The dialogue is sharp and fast, the power play subtle and transparent all at once. The play is staged in a very intimate theater, with a large ensemble cast. This intimacy gives the viewer a sense of immediacy, the feeling of viewing large events close up, and is very effective. It costs $30 but is definitely worth the money. I hope you all go see it as soon as possible.
More details at: www.zeitgeiststage.com
Eva Ng
Fans of Louis Sachar
popular juvenile adventure will enjoy seeing such
colorful characters as X-Ray, Armpit. ZigZag, and Zero
brought to life. Fan’s of the author’s movie
adaptation will recognize the script, which is largely
a sage adaptation of his screenplay. There in lies
some difficulty for those coming to the tale for the
first time. The action is fast and furious as it gets
the hero, Stanley Yelnats IV, wrongly accused of
theft, from juvenile court to Camp Green Lake, a
sinister private rehabiltation facility in the desert.
The program is to dig a large hole everyday for no
apparent reason. Armando-Carlos Gonzalez, seen last
year about this time of year in “The Lord of the
Flies.” His best friend, Hector Zeroni, aka Zero, is
played by Dan Reulbach, also in “...Flies.” The core
of the show is fellow WFT students, including Cyrus
Akeem Brooks, Nicholas Carter, Shauday Johnson-
Jones, David M. Kalm, and Tadesh Inagaki. The adult,
mostly Equity cast includes Whitney Avalon as Kissing
Kate Barlow, WST regular Shelley Bolman as Mr.
Pendanski. Neil Gustafson as Mr.Sir. Monique Nichole
McIntyre, Ed Peed as the Sheriff, Marina Re as the
mysterious Warden, Darius Omar Williams as Onion Sam,
and WST General Manager Jane Staab is madame Zeroni,
whose curse on Stanley’s pig-stealing great great
grandfather just may be the reason for his troubles.
Additional grown-ups include tall Kevin Ashworth as
nasty Trout Walker, Wheelock grad Chris Burcato as
Stanley’s dad (III) and Rydia Q. Vielehr as Zero’s
mom. Most double in other small roles as well. It’s
a really big show.
Director Susan Kosoff, WST’s
producer keeps the fragmented action moving, but the
result isn’t especially dramatic. Sachar’s dilemma
in creating this script was to continue an already
successful franchise. He might have been advised to
let a more skilled playwright adapt his work to make
it less linear, to make the melodrama more consistent,
getting all the plot elements better foreshadowed in
the first half. The result is still engaging most of
the time, though Danila Korogodsky’s modernist unit
set somewhat overdoes the “hole” motif and doesn’t
capture the feeling of the desert very well. It’s
still far better family entertainment than the
expensive arena shows which blow into the Wang or the
Paramount Opera House.
"Holes" by Louis Sachar, Oct.27 - November 26
Wheelock Family Theare
200 The Riverway, Boston, (617) 879 - 2300
Wheelock
Family Theatre
Hollywood veteran
David Rambo's "The Ice-Breaker", originally
commissioned for the Geffen in L.A. is having part of
its National New Play Network's "rolling national
premiere" at the New Rep over at the Arsenal Center
for the Arts. The piece has the feel of a treatment
intended for development in a small film being tried
out as a play. As a concept, comparing the immensity
of an incipient ice-age to a December/May (June)
relationship between an older male scientist in
seclusion and a brash young grad student is intriguing
if inconclusive. The resulting pedestrian script is
however isn't and ultimately banal with a weak
payoff.
Will Lyman, the voice of
Frontline and Boston's best underworked actor, seen
recently as Claudius on the Common, makes a convincing
senior scientist, driven to a desert hideaway by
academic politics over his controversial ideas and a
family tragedy. Amy Russ plays the perennial student
of indeterminate years, juvenile because of her lowly
academic position. Unfortunately her underwritten
role becomes monotonous, dependent on superficial
charm and bumptiousness. While Lyman has a deliberate
depth to his performance, her's becomes tedious and
not very believable. The two sometimes seem to be in
two different plays not written by the same author.
Too many of her actions are plot devices, from finding
his diary in Antartica while there on an punitive
Outward Bound visit to finally "getting" the
significance of his research. Director David Zoffoli
from Merrimack keeps the action going through some
fairly dubious passages but ultimately the climax is
unconvincing being delivered by mail with a final
spotlit scene.
The New Rep production is
good-looking with an effective realistic set by
architect Alan Joslin, well lit by David Parichy who's
worked with Zoffoli in Lowell. Molly Trainer's
costumes done for two people in one setting suggest
their academic lack of concern for fashion. David
Kahn's passing thunder storm and incidental
Southwestern local radio cuts add to the
verisimilitude. Supporting new scripts is an important
though risky part of today's regional theatre. This o's Magic Theatre and
at the Phoenix in Indianapolis. The New Rep presented
Philadelphian Thomas Gibbon's "Permanant Collection"
in 2004 also under the auspices of the same National
New Play initiative. They'll present Austin
Pendleton's "Orson's Shadow", which they read
successfully in 2003 later this season. It's been seen
in NYC and its suburbs.
"The Ice Breaker" by David Rambo, Oct. 25 - Nov.
19
New Repertory Theatre at Arsenal Center for the
Arts
321 Arsenal St. Watertown , (617) 923 - 8487
New Repertory
Theatre
Greetings:
I was told if I sent my few words on Stuff Happens to you, you could post them in the Theater Mirror.
Thanks.
Francis Conneely
Stuff Happens, currently playing at the BCA, is frightening play. Frightening because if one quarter of it is true, then it leaves you wondering what our current administration is doing or has done...The play is very well written and well performed. The actors that play both Bush and Powell put forth a convincing performance worth the price of admission alone, but the entire ensemble also gives a full and robust performance. SEE THIS PLAY.
See NSMT do the first
regional theatre production of "Hairspray", A Tony
Award winning musical based on John Waters' 1988 film.
Listen to an affectionate parody of a not so
affectionate parody, book by Mark O'Donnell & Thomas
Meehan, music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman
and Shaiman. Watch a large energetic cast in costumes
originally designed by William Ivey Long, on a set by
Howard C. Jones, who's done a dozen or more shows for
NSMT. Catch Boscon grad Bridie Carroll as Tracy
Turnblad, appropriately padded out and madTV
personality Paul C. Vogt as her mother Edna, augmented
for and aft. He did the role in the Las Vegas
production as well.
Joining them are Inga
Ballard as Motormouth Maybelle, the Black D.J. —once a
month—on the TV show based on American Bandstand. Todd
DuBail is Corny Collins the M.C. of 20 or so. North
Shore favorite . IRNE winner David Coffee plays the
show's sponsor, Tracy's high school principal, and Mr.
Pinky, who hires her—once she's become a local
celebrity—to be a spokesman for his boutique for large
women. Tracy's true love, a budding rock & roll
singer, Link Larkin is David Larsen, seen in NSMT's
"West Side Story" in 2003. The other pair of
lovebirds is Sarah Elizabeth Nischwitz as Penny
Pingleton, Tracy's best friend and Dashaun Young, as
Seaweed J. Stubbs, Maybelle's son.
The rest of
director/choreographer Barry Ivan's integrated
ensemble is equally talented and ready to dance the
night away. Music director Dale Reiling doesn't stop
the beat, except when a ballad is called for.
Lighting, sound support, and effects are as usual
top-drawer and really cool. The show's message "Can't
we all dance together?" is welcome as ever, given the
divisiveness in today's society, even when delivered
as a modern fairy tale with almost cartoon characters.
Welcome to the EARLY '60s.
"Hairspray" by O'Donnell & Meehan, Shaiman & Wittman,
Oct.24 - Nov. 19
Nortth Shore Music Theatre at Dunham Woods
Dunham Rd., Beverly MA, (978) - 232 -7200
North Shore Music Theatre
Ben Evett's Actors
Shakespeare Project continues to find new ways to look
at the canon, without resorting to adaptation or
techical trickery. This time they've put the play on
the stage of the Strand Theatre, the renovated silent
movie palace in Dorchester at Upham's Corner. Evett
himself takes the title role under the direction of
the New Rep's Rick Lombardo who he's worked with
before. The usually eclectic ASP cast is bolstered by
Johnny Lee Davenport, who's appeared with S&C and many
other Shakespeare companies, as Claudius. He's joined
by several other African Americans, including Willie
E. Teacher as Horatio and Edward O'Blenis as Laertes.
Marya Lowry as Gertrude, Robert Walsh as Polonius,
plus Ken Cheeseman as The Ghost, the Player King, and
the Gravedigger and Sara Newhouse as both Rosenkrantz
and Osric—the first played as a man, the second as a
woman—have all appeared previously with ASP. Marianna
Bassham, seen at the New Rep and the Lyric, is a
heart-wrenching Ophelia. Actors with other
Shakespeare credits fill out the 16 member ensemble,
including composer Bill Barclay, who performs onstage
during "The Mousetrap" and plays the steel cello under
it throughout.
In what may become a regular
part of their programme, the company hosted a
discussion moderated by Harvard's Steven Greenblatt,
with Tina Packer, her husband Dennis Krausnik, and son
Jason Asprey from the S&C "family" production of
"Hamlet" this summer and Bassham, Davenport, Lowry,
Walsh & Evett representing ASP's current effort.
Joining them was assistant director Per Jensen from
Trinity, where the play was done last season with an
"Upstairs/Downstairs" motif plus Steven Maler, who
helmed Commonwealth Shakespeare's version on the
Common two summer's ago. The points under discussion
were illustrated by short scenes performed by members
of S&C and ASP to appreciative applause. Maybe next
time, the Publick Theatre and Shakespeare Now! can
join the fray.
""Hamlet" by Wm. Shakespeare, Oct. 19 - Nov. 12
Actors Shakespeare Project at The Strand, Upham's
Corner
543 Columbia Rd. Dorchester, 1 (866) 811 - 4111
A.S.P
Go see STUFF HAPPENS. The acting is organic, the directing inspired, and the piece is mandatory for anyone who has thought about politics in the past three years.
Dr. Susan Corso
You must do the thing you think you cannot do.
Eleanor Roosevelt
Heather Raffo's "9
Parts of Desire" is a unique sole show based of
interviews with Iraqi women, composited down into 9
distinct characters. While Raffo performs her
award-winning piece in Washington DC, Lanna Joffrey
takes up the headscarf and burka on the Lyric Stage
in Copley Sq. Award-winning director Carmel O'Reilly
helps her conjure up these troubled women on a unique
thrust unit set created by her frequent collaborator,
J. Michael Griggs from Harvard, well lit by the
Lyric's own Rob Cordella. Rafael Jaen from Emerson
provides a range costume accessories to distinguish
between the several woman. There are definite elements
of tragedy in this theatrical collage, but these woman
forge on, seeking love, seeking security for their
families and their country. They range from a elderly
leftist exile in London to a Baghdad teenager confined
to her house. They all blend into a powerful
indictment of the foreign policy blunders which led to
the current endless occupation without getting into
politics, but concentrating on individual human
consequences.
"9 Parts of Desire" by Heather Raffo, Oct.20 - Nov.
8
Lyric Stage Co. at Copley YWCA
140 Clarendon, (617) 585 - 5678
Lyric Stage
Co.
Jules Verne's "Around
the World in 80 Days" was first adapted to the stage
by the author himself for a spectacular production in
Paris around the turn of the 19th century This breezy
novel is best remembered for Mike Todd's blockbuster
film done about 50 years ago. Mark Brown's recent
adaptation, seen around the country, is having its
first outing in the Boston area at the Stoneham
Theatre for the next three weeks. With only five cast
members, a lot of simple costume changes, and enough
props, it probably won't be the last time this amiable
adventure/farce is seen in these parts.
The story revolves around
an eccentrically orderly English gentleman, played
with his usual aplomb by IRNE winner Steven Barkhimer,
one Phileas Fogg, Esq., who makes a bet with members
of his club that he can circumnavigate the globe in 80
days. His main companion on this exciting journey is
his new valet, Passepartout, played by Christopher
Brophy, first seen locally at Stoneham. Brophy won his
IRNE for the role of Shane Muggitt in Speakeasy/BTW's
award-winning "Take Me Out." All the rest of the parts
are taken by three actors. Petite Eve Kagan, seen
last spring in Sugan's "Talking with Terrorists,"
plays various servants and supernumeraries, but by the
middle of the first act has taken on the role of
Aouda, the Indian beauty Passepartout and Fogg rescue
from suttee. Antic Victor Warren, who was seen last
seaon in the title role of Margulies "Brooklyn Boy"
for Speakeasy, is persistent Detective Fix, when he's
not playing everything from a member of the Reform
Club to the driver of a train in the Old West.
Veteran comedian Robert Saoud, seen in the season
opener "You Never Know," plays so many parts, from
ship captains, several pukka sahibs, various
authorities and even a U.S.Cavalry colonel, that he's
designated as Actor 1 in this story theatre ensemble.
Director Weylin Symes keeps his solid cast scurrying
up and down the complex levels or zipping offstage to
change into their next costume while Barkhimer forges
serenely on.
The effective unit set is
another architectural creation by Cristina Todesco,
backed by a projection screen which alternately
displays backgrounds or a world map. This changing
backdrop is flanked by signs for the major cities Fogg
passes through on his journey which are illuminated in
sequence. Rachel Padula Shufelt has provided an array
of costume pieces which allow the ensemble to create
about 40 characters during this two hour show. Sound
designer Nathan Leigh and lighting designer Mark Lanks
help keep the whirlwind trip going. Once again the
short trip out to Stoneham is worth taking.
"Around the World in 80 Days" by Mark Brown, Oct.19
- Nov. 8
Stoneham Theatre
395 Main St. Stoneham, (781) 279 - 2200
Stoneham
Theatre
Theresa Rebeck's new play
" Mauritius" is receiving a powerhouse world premiere
on the Huntington Theatre Co.s Wimberley stage at the
BCA. The script, which was developed at Lark in NYC
was read last spring during HTC's Breaking Ground
series. It's since under gone further rewrites and is
being directed by Woolly Mammoth's Rebecca Bayla
Taichman , who's also continuing her collaboration
with Rebeck in a remounting of "The Scene" at Second
Stage in NYC. That show ran at last year's Humana
Festival. Rebeck will also open another new play, "The
Water's Edge" at Second Stage later in the season.
"Mauritius" is a modern
melodrama with humorous overtones involving sibling
rivalry and stamp collecting. The latter obsession
allows for the plot complication, the former defines
the character development. The excellent five actor
ensemble centers around wild child Jackie played by
Obie winner Marin Ireland and prim Mary, her older
half-sister, played by Boston's favorite Canadian
actress, Norton winner and Brandeis MFA, Laura
Latreille. Their struggle is over Mary's
grandfather's stamp collection which has been in their
mother's possession since his death. Jackie wants to
sell, Mary claims sentimental attachment and rightful
ownership, even though she's not been around for a
long time. Jackie, who took care of their mother
during her long decline due to cancer has already
started trying to find out what the collection's
worth.
The album contains two legendary
very early "error" stamps from the British colony of
Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. She's met with seeming
indifference from seedy stamp dealer, Peter, played by
Robert Dorfman and been romanced by slick young
operator, Dennis, played by Michael Aronov, who she
meets at the stamp shop. Dennis ultimately makes a
deal for her with a wealthy collector, belligerent
Sterling, a shady Brit played by James Gale. And
that;s just the start of the plot.
While the show is predicated on
past relations between Jackie and Mary leading to
their present situation, between hanger-on Dennis and
Peter, which seems somehow paternal, and some sort of
prior incident between Peter and Sterling, the play,
like most melodramas is about present actions. The
ensemble does somehow seem like a tight dysfunctional
family however, given to extended monologues,
simultaneous arguments at crosspurposes, and devious
often farcical personal confrontations. Jackie is the
primary focus but Mary comes on strong in the pinch.
Dennis is less a villain than a trickster, looking for
excitement in the main chance. Further tweaking, when
and if the show finds a future production, will
heighten the intrigue.
HTC as usual hasn't stinted on
production values. Trinity's Eugene Lee, whose last
Obie was for "Wicked," who got an IRNE for "Top
Dog..." has created a very detailed shabby office as
the main scene, with wagons which come out of the
walls for alternate locations. Costumes chosen by
peripetatic Miranda Hoffman and jarring original music
by Martin Desjardins add unique touches. The script
may undergo further development to tie up loose ends
but is a crackling show at the moment.
" Mauritius" by Theresa Rebeck, Oct. 6 -
Nov.12
Huntington Theatre Co. in Wimberley Theatre
BCA Calderwood, 539 Tremont, Boston / (617) 933 -
8600
HTC
BU 2006 graduate
playwright Amy Adler's "First Blush", running at the
BPT in preparation for another foray to the ACTF at
the Kennedy Center, is a contemporary drama of the 20
somethings, sort of a "Sex in the City" for two
couples, with a hint of Margulies. It might be better
served by a slightly older, slightly more experienced
cast though the student actors do well enough. The
two women are better written and Meghan Bradley's Emma
is well-realized. Katy Rubin's Gwen grew up, to a
point, in college and shows only traces of character
beyond that period in her life.. But their future as
posited by playwright Adler is really more of the
same "living in the city" fantasy. The two men,
Katy's sometime husband Paul, played by Jared Craig,
and his feckless friend, Ian, played by Michael
Peterson, are college-boy cliches, whose solution to
life is to go back to school.. The fact that none of
these four really have last names is typical of this
sort of rather superficial drama, sufficient to the
times but not very satisfying. At least the author
hasn't tied her 80+ minute plus intermissionless work
to any specific events, so should Adler decide to find
some more significant relevance for these characters,
she could develop them into a full-length play.
Faculty director Eve Muson, BU BFA/MFA has given the
current script a fair outing.
The several scenes are
defined by ingenious sliding panels which with the
current light plot give the stage hands a chance to
appear in a shadow show. The backdrop is a black and
white abstract while the modern furniture is
sufficiently nondescript to serve the unit set. which
starts as an apartment, but must serve as an office, a
bar, etc. Downstage center is occupied by a coffee
table as per usual. The background sound is
suggestive but not distinctive as are the
contemporary costumes, which work well enough for the
women, but don't help the men gain any substance.
Still, this show is probably good enough to bring home
the bacon for BU once again.
"First Blush" by Amy Adler Oct.12 - 22
Playwrights' Theatre at B.U.
949 Comm. Ave. Allston, (866) 881 - 4111
Company Website
The mystical art of
the shannachie is alive and kicking at Jimmy Tingle's
Off-Broadway in Davis Sq. Somerville through
Thanksgiving. Award-winning actor Marty Maguire,
using a one-man comedy written by Marie Jones, brings
Kenneth Norman McAllister, a Belfast Protestant, and
some forty of his countrymen--and women--to uproarious
life. More than that, he and the author turn
Kenneth's mid-life crisis into what could be taken for
a religious conversion, from a thoughtless bigot into
a bona fide Irishman, in a show which swoops from
laughter to tears as a real story should.
Jones, whose "Stones in
His Pockets" was an instant classic, starts this tale,
once upon a time, on "A Night in November" when
Kenneth begins to realize how hollow his lower-middle
class existence as a dole-clerk has become when he
takes his nicotine-fiend father-in-law to a crucial
soccer match between Northern Ireland and the
Republic, and is ashamed at how completely prejudiced
the old hooligan is. His frustration mounts with his
wife, his job, his social friends and the dismal
political stalemate under which he lives. The comic
absurdity of it all becomes maddening. There's no way
out. But of course there is. Jones sends him on an
impulse off to New York the next April to be close to
the World Cup competition. The result is even more
hilarious and ultimately uplifting. Like any good
fable there's a chance McAllister might just live
happier when he goes back to Belfast.
This energetic one-man
show is perfectly suited for JTOB, which is set up
cabaret style. The only set is a stack of boxes, red
white and blue at first, representing McAllister's
Unionist background. A suit coat, a red cardigan, and
a football supporters T-shirt are Maguire's sole
costume changes/props. The backdrop is an
out-of-focus mural of soccer fans in the stands.
Minimal lighting effects help change the scene,
particularly for our man's inner monologues. Maguire
first appeared in one of Marie Jones plays in Ireland
in 1986 and this script could well have been written
with this versatile actor in mind. He first presented
"A Night in November" in L.A. , then at the 2002
Edinburgh Festival, followed by two soldout runs at
the Tricycle in London, two runs in Dublin, and back
to L.A. where it won two Ovation Awards in 2005.
Recently Maguire appeared at the Edinburgh Festival
in Jones latest play, "The Blind Fiddler."
Many impressive shows
from the contemporary Irish theatre have been seen in
Boston, and this comic jewel, directed by Tim Byron
Owen, is up with the best of them. JTOB in Davis Sq.
is easy to get to on the Red Line, there are dinner
packages available, and the Burren just next door
upstairs. Guiness and Harp are available at the
refreshment stand as well. Shows start at 7:30 pm
evenings, Sunday matinees at 3pm. Come early for the
best seats and something before the show.
"A Night In November" by Marie Jones, Oct.11 - Nov.
26
at Jimmy Tingle's Off-Broadway
255 Elm St. Davis Sq, Somerville (866) 811-4111
JTOB
Marina's Carr's
country tragedy, "By the Bog of Cats," owes a bit of
its inevitability to Euripides, but at least as much
to J.M.Synge. The violence in the show marks it as
contemporary while its poetic diction plus touches of
the supernatural make piece unmistakably Irish. The
Devanaughn Theatre, under Rose Carlson's direction,
manages to make a complex and ingrown plot come
together in the confines of their brick box in the
basement of the Piano Factory. More extensive scenic
background and less cumbersome changes would help
create a stronger air of magic realism, though the
full-sized "caravan" stage left is impressive.
The ensemble cast
revolves around Hester Swane, the daughter of the
Travelin' People, played by Abbey Theatre veteran Dani
Duggan, who's the current producing artistic director
of the company. Hester's been thrown over by Carthage
Kilbride, a local lad, played by Charles Hess. They
have a young daughter, Josie, named for her
grandmother, played on alternate nights by Holly
Payne-Strange and Sarah Smith. Carthage believes he
has bought Hester off and is marrying the daughter of
a rich neighbor, Xavier Cassidy, played by Phil
Thompson. His new love is Caroline, played by Ellen
Adair, The source of this basic tale is of course
"Medea". But Hester first appears carrying a dead
black swan, an old friend which she buries, but not
before being accosted by a mysterious Ghost Fancier,
played by Jordan Harrison, and engaging in gossipy
exposition with her oldest friend Monica, played by
Jean Sheikh. She also gets a visit from the Catwoman,
a blind seer, played quite spookily by Liz Robbins.
Jordan shows up in act two as a waiter and the ghost
of Hester's brother. Fred Robbins also appears
briefly in the second act as dotty old Father Willow,
the parish priest.
The cast manages
acceptable Irish accents, though Duggan's more
accurate Midlands brogue is not always immediately
comprehensible amidst the Americanized sound. Nothing
important gets lost however. Within scenes the action
makes good use of the limited space. The lighting is
servicable, though a more elaborate plot would support
the varied scenes more fully. The original music by
Katie McDonnell adds an appropriate touch. There's a
sense of commitment to the play which definitely helps
the show.
"By the Bog of Cats" by Marina Carr, Oct. 12 - 29
Devanaughn, back of the Piano Factory
791 Tremont, (617) 247 - 9777
Devanaughn
Theatre
The most important
character in Ashman And Menken's first hit show is
Audrey II, a "strange and unusual plant" usually done
with puppets, from a small sock type to a giant body
puppet. For their "Little Shop of Horrors", John
Ambrosino and his Animus Ensemble are trying something
different. Veteran Boston rocker Neil Chapman,
dressed in a green Capitol Records T-shirt is the
villainous talking and singing vegetable. He's first
rolled onstage in a little red wagon, but soon stands
tall and as A2 grows gets three dancers, Melissa
Ham-Ellis, Christin Fagone, and Maria Larossa as
tendrils. Choreographers Josie Bray, the group's other
Artistic Director, gets the whole cast dancing as part
of the plant by the end, except of course by the girl
group, Chiffon, Crystal, and Ronette aka Heather Fry,
Emilie Battle, and Sehri Wickliffe. The latter two
are both music theatre students at BosCon while
Princeton grad Fry will be directing Geo. C. Wolfe's
"The Colored Museum," Animus' show next April.
The show, as everyone will
remember, takes place in a Skid Row flower shop. The
owner, Mr. Mushnik is done by Eric Ruben, seen last
spring in the company's "Once Upon a Mattress" as the
King, and at the New Rep in "Into the Woods." the year
before. His clerk, Audrey (1) is Erin Tchoukaleff, who
was Lady Larkin last spring and Sylvia midseason in
"Promises, Promises," bringing her distinctive soprano
to the role. Audrey's boyfriend Orin, the evil
dentist, is Turtle Lane regular Jim Jordan, who was
also in Animus' "...Mattress" and "Promises..."
Jordan also essays a variety of walkons. His
counterpart, who does the rest of them and the
doorbell is Perri Lauren. And at the center of it all
as Seymour the orphan is Christian Kiley, who's done
shows with Reagle. His naive sound blends well with
the other voices in the show. Music director Robert
Mollicone at the keyboard, backed by electric bass and
drums keeps the score hopping along and is well served
by the ensemble. This show rocks! "Little Shop..."
has two more weekends to go. Real fans will also want
to catch Turtle Lane's version which plays from
mid-November through the holidays.
"Little Shop of Horrors", book & lyrics by Howard
Ashman, music - Alan Menken, Oct. 6-21
Animus Ensemble at BCA Plaza Theatre
539 Tremont, (617 933-8600)
Animus
Ensemble
One of the two
innovative companies producing at the old firehouse at
the base of Bunker Hill Ave. in Charlestown, a few
blocks from the Sullivan Sq. T-stop on the Orange Line
is Molasses Tank Productions. Their fall offering is
Julie Hebert's short but intense drama, "Almost
Asleep." This ensemble piece is essentially a
nightmare, as a woman's persona fragments into five
characters. Susan Gross plays The Chatterer, who
recounts a brutal encounter which an incident at work
earlier in the day has brought back to mind. Becca A.
Lewis is The Sleeper, who is able to repress this
past--much of the time. Wendy Nystrom is The Dreamer,
who tries to make sense of her fears. Kristin Shoop
is The Fool, who survives by childlike play. And
Loann West, who also did the set and costumes, is The
Warrior, a strong and bitter realist.
Artistic director Steve
Rotolo, one of the group's founders, has staged the
piece simply, allowing the poetic flow of words, which
occasionally overlap, to build a dense abstract of
this unnamed woman's mental turmoil, a mix of fear and
hope. "Almost Asleep" builds to a crescendo and fades
on an image. The show is less than an hour long, but
just long enough. The author had worked with various
contemporary theatre groups, several on the West
Coast, and is currently writing for the Scott brothers
T.V. hit, NUMB3RS.
The Charlestown Working
Theatre has a number of interesting shows scheduled
this year. Next up is a brief visit at the end of the
month by a mask and movement duo from Brelin, Theatre
Kranevit, perrforming a piece based on the Bros.
Grimm, followed in mid-November by the Obie-winning
Great Small Works performing their latest effort, "The
Rapture Project". This Greenwich Village/Cambridge
based tabletop puppet company continues to create
sharp political shows. CWT is only a short walk from
the Sullivan Sq. Station on the Orange Line. Park at
that lot or come abit bit earlier and find street
parking nearby.
"Almost Asleep" by Julie Hebert, Oct. 5 - 21
Molasses Tank Theatre at Charlestown Working
Theatre
442 Bunker Hill Ave., Charlestown, (617)242.3285
Molasses
Tank
As the inaugural
event for its "Downstage@New Rep series, using the
black box space on the ground floor at the Arsenal
Center for the Arts, the New Rep is presenting Diego
Arciniegas in Will Eno's Pulitzer-nominated "Thom Pain
(based on Nothing." The exercise in stand-up
existentialism shows another side to the Publick
Theatre's artistic director, know generally for his
Shakespearean roles, such as Friar Laurence in the New
Rep’s Watertown opener last fall. Arciniegas has of
course recently done Count Dracula in Stoneham, after
two years as their Marley, and will appear in Noel
Coward's "Design for Living", PT's January show
indoors at the BCA. He also has three IRNE acting
awards from past years.
Here Arciniegas takes on the
anonymous role of a self-described nobody created by
Eno collaborator, James Urbaniak, and make it his own.
It’s tempting to imagine just what this hour-long
monologue might be based on, beyond a disturbed
imagination. Each member of the audience will
probably have their own take. It’s open seating, all
84 of them. Get there early, sit on the center aisle
at your own peril if you want the full effect, but
don’t show up late. The piece was directed by
Brandeis faculty member, Adrienne Hewlett, who did
“Frozen” at the New Rep last season.
"Thom Pain" by Will Eno
Downstage@New Rep, Arsenal Center for for the Arts
Black Box
321 Arsenal St., Watertown (617) 923 - 8487
New Rep
Peripheral to the
Boston Jazz Festival,
saxiphonist/flautist/drummer/dancer Stan Strickland
presents a turning point in his 30 year career as a
jazzman. Written (edited?) and directed by Vineyard &
Boston playwright Jon Lipsky, this intense mono-drama,
two years (and a lifetime) in development, is built
around the musician's near-drowning seen as part of a
life-long spiritual quest. The 80 minute + show is
seamlessly interwoven with original live music,
culminating in an extended composition in which
Strickland plays both saxs, flute, percussion, etc.,
developing the piece against loops from the preceding
instrument. It's "far out and in deep," and not to be
missed. The low-ceiled BCA Black Box is acoustically
perfect for jazz; Eric Levinson's simple set and
expressive lighting complete the show. Seating is
limited. Get tickets now. PS. Check out his website
for his latest jazz vocal CD.
"Coming Up For Air: An AutoJazzography" by Lipsky &
Strickland, Sept. 28 - Oct. 14
Alliger Arts at BCA Black Box
539 Tremont, (617) 933 - 8600
Stan
Strickland
As the author of "I
Am MY Own Wife" points out, this bio-docudrama has two
focuses, Charlotte von Mahlsdorf and himself, Doug
Wright. His fascination with that unique person, a
German transvestite who survived the Nazi's and the
East Germans, helped him deal with his own sexuality,
though his self-exploration seen onstage is rather
perfunctory. Charlotte's however is as detailed as
the woodwork on her beloved furniture from the gay
'90s. Thomas Derrah plays both, and about 40 other
incidental characters, transforming in an instant into
figures from her past, tourists at her museum,
relatives, and of course Wright. The original script
was created with the assistance of Moises Kaufmann and
Jefferson Mays, who played the part of Charlotte.
Derrah brings his own physical acumen to this
interpretation, directed by Jason Southerland.
Wearing a version of
Charlotte's black "hausfrau" dress created by Rachel
Padula Schufeld, the actor conjures up Charlotte's
particular world. Eric Levenson's sparse 3/4 set is
largely black and white except for a highly polished
antique Edison phonograph on the upper level--reached
by a ramp and one small turn-of-the century desk
downstage left. John. R. Malinowski's fluid lighting
constantly redefines the acting area, while Nathan
Leigh's sound design includes vintage recordings from
Charlotte's special period. Those who saw Jefferson
Mays ethereal performance downtown will be especially
interested in Derrah's more robust approach.
Incidentally, Wright's previous work includes "Quills"
seen two seasons ago at the New Rep. His current show,
about to move onto Broadway is "Grey Gardens."
"I Am My Own Wife"" by Doug Wright, Sept.14 - Oct.
8
Boston Theatre Works at Zero Arrow St.
Arrow & Mass. Ave. Harvard Sq., (617) 728 - 4321
Boston
Theatre Works
When William Finn,
then best known for his "Falsettos" shows, came close
to dying from an inherited brain condition, his quirky
sensibilities naturally turned his experience into a
musical—with the help of sometime Sondheim
collaborator, director James Lapine. "A New Brain"
has had several Boston-area productions since its NY
run at Lincoln Center, but Metro Stage's current brief
run in Cambridge may come closest to realizing its
potential. Directed by Turtle Lane regular James
Tallach with music direction by IRNE winner Jennifer
Honen Galea, the show boasts an ensemble cast of
well-trained and experienced local singers, who've
been seen in various area productions recently.
Community theatre veteran Jim Fitzpatrick takes the
main role of Gordon Michael Schwinn. His mother Mimi
is played by another area veteran, Mary O'Donnell, who
was part of Metro's production of Jason Robert Brown's
"Songs for a New World" last spring. Brown did the
vocal arrangements for "A New Brain".
Kendra Kachadoorian, trained
in opera, here plays Lisa, the homeless woman whose
harsh worldview balances Schwinn's self-pity. Also in
"Songs..." she was last seen at TLP as the brash
gun-toting New Jerseyite in Ahrens & Flaherty's early
musical, "Lucky Stiff." Schwinn's other nemesis,
Mr.Bungee, the frogee star of the children's show for
which he writes songs, is Gary Ryan, TLP's "Pippin"
last season and Sr. Leo in Metro's "Nunsense A-Men"
last fall. On the more sympathetic side, another
community theatre veteran, Peri Chouteau, plays Rhoda,
Schwinn's agent, and gets to show her comic flair as
Gordon's ventriloquist dummy in a dream sequence.
She'll next play Little Sally in Vokes upcoming
"Urinetown."
Metro's artistic director,
versatile Robert Case, who with Tallach designed the
simple but effective set, plays the Doctor, while
conservatory-trained Anne Velthouse plays his nurse
Nancy. Her husband Aaron, an NEC opera student last
seen as Sky Masterson at TLP plays the hospital
chaplain. Nicholas Nunez, a senior music major at
BosCon, plays Roger Della-Bovi, a wealthy sailor and
Gordon's life partner. Recent BU grad Joe Lanza is
Richard, the nice nurse, who feels trapped in his
hospital career. This ensemble should be enough to
alert in-town music theatre fans to the wealth of
talent in various suburban producing groups. We can
only hope that Metro, whose work has steadily
improved, can somehow afford longer intown runs for
future efforts. "A New Brain" has four performances,
Thu -Sat at 8pm, Sun. at 2pm, next weekend, Sept.
21-23.
"A New Brain", music & lyrics - William Finn; Book -
Wm.Finn & James Lapine, Sept. 15-23
Metro Stage Co. at Durrell Hall, Camb YMCA
800 Mass. Ave. Central Sq, (617) 624 - 5023
Metro
Stage
Even though it's a
full-length play, "Radio Golf," the last of his 10
plays set in Pittsburgh's Hill District, one for each
decade of the 20th century, August Wilson's last
effort seems somehow unfinished. Despite director
Kenny Leon's best efforts, and a hardworking cast
experienced in the author's style, the play never
quite comes together. The main character, Harmond
Wilks, played by Hassim El-Amin, undergoes a reversal
of fortune, but his personal changes seem arbitrary.
The references to characters in others plays in the
cycle also seem gratuitous. The effect of the action
is melodramatic; the fortunes of Harmond and his
partner, Roosevelt Hicks, played by James A. Williams
never seem compelling. And Harmond's wife, Mame,
played by Michole Briana White, seems somehow
nonessential; more of a plot device.
The rest of the cast
includes two slightly mythic characters, Sterling
Johnson played by Eugene Lee, and Elder Joseph Barlow,
played by Anthony Chisholm, both typically Wilsonian.
Their speech is colorful, embellished by folk wisdom.
Their world views are unique if somewhat arbitrary.
Their scenes elevate the action beyond a comedy about
two ambitious black businessmen which ends in
unanticipated betrayal. As usual the set is impressive
and the rest of the technical support fully
professional, from David Gallo's detailed set design
to Donald Holder's lighting, Susan Hilfrey's costumes,
and sound design featuring Kathryn Bostic's
compositions.
Wilson's work is always
worth consideration, but "Radio Golf" lacks the impact
of his more important plays. With the help of friends
and longtime collaborators, its a satisfactory evening
of theatre even where the work seems embryonic.
"Radio Golf" by August Wilson, Sept. 8 - Oct.15
Huntington Theatre Co. at Mystic Theatre
264 Huntington Ave, (617) 266 - 0800
HTC
When Katurian, the
main character in this 2 1/2 hour play, is introduced
early on, his full name turns out to be Katurian
Katurian Katurian --his parents were "strange."-- a
fourth "K" immediately comes to mind. Unlike
McDonagh's earlier successes, "The Beauty Queen of
Leenane," "A Skull in Connemara" and "The Lonesome
West," all set in rural Ireland, "The Pillowman" takes
place in some totalitarian, possibly Slavic, state in
a nebulous present in a police interrogation cell.
But this isn't the neurotic world of Kafka's decaying
Austrio-Hungarian Europe, but the contemporary
paranoid universe born of the cold war, where the
President of the United States admits that his secret
police aka the CIA have been holding prisoners abroad
where they can be tortured. If you can stomach the
nightly news, the ghastly revelations that slowly
unwind in this play won't be altogether shocking.
Director Rick Lombardo has
assembled a tight ensemble cast of of three local
actors he's worked with before--all IRNE winners--and
an equally impressive newcomer, Bradley Thoennes.
Katurian, the hapless writer of "downbeat" fairytales,
gets a modulated performance from John Kuntz, starting
with his initial confusion. His two tormentors are
Steven Barkhimer as the "good" cop, Tupolski--self
described as a violent alcoholic--and Philip Patrone,
back onstage after a hiatus, as Ariel, the "bad
cop"--a sadistic torturer. Both characters are so
over the top as to be gruesomely funny, less so as the
play progresses. As good as these three are,
Thoennes, as Michal, Katurian's mentally damaged older
brother, creates a riveting portrait of the ultimate
victim. The rest of the cast appear in scenes which
illustrate several of Katurian's dark fables, full of
the menace which lurks behind most of the stories
collected by the Bros. Grimm.
The production is played
against an impressive set by John Howell Hood
suggesting steel and concrete, backed by tall mirrors
which reflect the action and the audience. These also
serve as a "scrim" for the pantomimes which illustrate
several stories. IRNE winner Frances Nelson McSherry
designed slightly fantastic garb for these scenes
while dressing the quartet from the "real" world in
appropriately work-a-day wear. Haddon Givens Kime,
now located in Atlanta, provides original aetherial
music for transitions while John R. Malinowski deals
with the mirrored background handily and lights the
interrogation scenes with a bright shadowless wash.
The violent actions were done by Robert Walsh, who
directed "True West" for the New Rep last fall as well
as two shows for the ASP. "The Pillowman" gets the
new Rep's second season in their new digs off to an
impressive start. The company is also adding three
special production which will be done in the Arsenal
Center's small black box theatre on the first floor.
These start off at the end of the month with Will
Eno's "Thom Pain(based on nothing)" performed by Diego
Arciniegas, followed in December by John Kuntz
reprising his award-winning performance of Sedaris'
"The Santaland Diaries," and a run of "White People"
by J.T.Rogers in March.
"The Pillowman" by Martin McDonagh, Sept. 6 - Oct.
1
New Rep at Arsenal Center for the Arts
321 Arsenal, Watertown, (617) 923 - 8487
New Repertory
Theatre
The Whistler in the
Dark company gathered the majority of the
“experimental” theatre groups together for an end of
summer event in spacious Durrell Hall at the Camb.
YMCA. There was some overlap in casting and something
of a general theme involving love and loss. Whistler
presented two short plays of their own, Deborah Levy’s
feminist exercise, “The B File”, directed by Meg
Taintor and Howard Barker’s “Don’t Exaggerate,
subtitled “A Political Statement in the Form of
Hysteria,” directed by Ben Fainstein. Taintor appeared
in the latter while Fainstein took part in Dangerous
Animal’s movement piece, “Seal Skin,” directed by
Caleb Hammond.
Mill6 resurrected two
memorable Theatre Marathon pieces, Larry Blamire’s
sketch about slow service, “My Name is Leslie”
directed by Antoine Gagnon and John Edward O’Brien’s
“10 Minute Clinic”, directed by Kathy Maloney, both
with the same cast including Rough & Tumble regulars.
Alarm Clock presented Brian Polak’s chilling
monodrama, “Bombs and Manifestos” directed by Daniel
Bourque, featuring Steve Johnson as a deranged street
musician—of sorts—down in the subway. Imaginary
Beasts—formerly the Iron-Rail Company from Lynn
Arts—did a scene from their recent “Good Witch/Bad
Witch” called the “Dream of a Good Witch” directed by
Cathy McLaurin featuring Lorna McKenzie using a mask
and a complex costume assisted by Jennifer
O’Connor.
All the pieces were
interesting in their own right, though several seem
too long for such a program. Tech was minimal as
befitted a one day event. If the cooperation between
these companies can be extended to promotion of their
efforts during the season, “Fringe” activities may
receive the attention they are coming to deserve once
again. Especially since the Theatre Coop is on hiatus
and the Rehearsal Hall at the BCA is becoming too
expensive for most companies.
"FeverFest06" hosted by Whistler in the Dark, Sat.
Aug. 26
Whistler in the Dark, Dangerous Animal, Alarm Clock,
Mill6, Imaginary Beasts at Durrell Hall
Camb YMCA, Mass. Ave. Central Sq.
Whistler in
the Dark
To close their 38th
season, the Reagle Players have mounted a full-scale
production of Disney's "Beauty and the Beast," which
has had several local productions in the past two
years, from North Shore's arena version to various
community and school attempts. As usual, Reagle's show
is an ambitious effort featuring a massive set with
full orchestra, an experienced cast, two level wagons
and impressive costumes, some hired from North Shore's
production. The effect is generally impressive,
though Michael Jarrett's lighting design, which
features a quartet of moving instruments seems too
dark at critical moments and would benefit from
integral lighting on the set wagons, which might be
too complicated.
As usual the voices and
talents are impressive. Reagle's "resident" Broadway
star, IRNE winner Sarah Pfisterer is a heartfelt
Belle, while Fred Inkley's signature Beast is
heartbreaking with a surprising comic side. Edward
Watts, seen last month in "Thoroughly Modern Millie"
gets a workout as Gaston with a voice to match his
biceps. Among the local favorites, Reagle stalwart
Harold Walker plays Belle's father Maurice while
newcomer Paul Giragos displays his abilities as a
physical comedian as Lefou, Gaston's much-abused
sidekick. Among the enchanted objects, Beth Gotha,
seen on various local professional stages is Mrs.
Potts with Sam Blumenfeld as her son Chip, the teacup.
Another Reagle veteran, Roy Earley is Cogsworth the
clock. Recent B.C. grad Zach Bubolo shows promise as the
candlestick Lumiere, while community theatre regular
Melissa Beauregard is Babette the feather duster. NEC
opera grad Rachelle Riehl is Madame de la Grande
Bouche, the operasinging vanity. Among the dancers,
Kia Chao is outstanding as the acrobatic Rug.
The creative staff is led
by director Kate Swan, a veteran of the original show
and associate choreographer for various tours. The
recreated choreography is managed by Reagle's new
associate producer Eileen Grace. Reagle's staff music
director Paul S. Katz is in charge with conductor
Jeffrey P. Leonard getting impressive sound as usual
from his full professional pit. The costumes are from
Terry Schwab at the Cumberland County Playhouse with
additional pieces from Miguel Angel Huidor at NSMT.
The set was hired from ZFX. "Beauty and the Beast" is
an impressive finale to this season. It runs for one
more weekend with a 7:30 curtain to accommodate
familes.
"Beauty and the Beast" by Woolverton, Menken, Rice &
Ashman, Aug. 10 - 19
Reagle Players at Robinson Theatre
Waltham High, Lexington St. / (781) 891 - 5600
Reagle
Players
At least it's free.
And since the stage has been set up parallel to
Charles St., the audience doesn't have to watch on a
slant unlike last summer's "Hamlet". VIP seating
doesn't obscure the view for the groundlings as much,
though inconsiderate people with tall chairs tend to.
As for this summer's production, a modern dress
version of "The Taming of the Shrew"--set in the North
End of "Bostonia" instead of Padua--it's more of the
same misplaced invention. The young lover, Lucentio,
played by Scott Barrow, lurches onstage on roller
blades. His man Tranio one.o, played by Nat DeWolf,
has a textbook "Bahstin" accent, less convincing than
Larry Coen's homegrown improv honed version as
Biondello. Petruchio, played by Darren Pettie rides
in on a Vespa scooter. After marrying Jennifer
Dundas' Kate, he takes her home to Revere Beach,
suggested by a backdrop of giant beach towels, beach
chairs, and a Weber grill. Baptista, Kate & Bianca's
father, played with an accent by Paul D. Farwell, runs
an italian restaurant called 'Tista's, spelled out in
illuminated letters which dominates the set. Younger
daughter Bianca, played by Angie Jepson, elopes also
on skates. And so it goes.
An experienced cast does
as well as can be expected jumping from situation to
situation, developing rather one-note
characterizations. This is least effective,
unfortunately, for the two leads who come off as
singleminded and loud, with no simpatico. Those with
clownish roles, like Remo Airaldi's Hortensio, one of
Bianca's official suitors, come off better. As
Petruchio's man Grumio, energetic Antonio Edwards
Suarez is too intent on physical comedy, however. The
tone of the show is set more by Clint E.B.Ramos' post
WWII costuming and J Hagenbuckle's selection of pop
tunes than by John Coyne's impressive but inflexible
realistic set. This large cast effort demonstrates
that throwing money at an idea doesn't help if there's
no core to the basic idea.
The Taming of the Shrew" by Wm. Shakespeare, July 22
- Aug.13 (weather permitting)
Commonwealth Shakespeare at the Parade Ground
Boston Common, (617) 532-1212
Commonwealth
Shakespeare
Mr. Stark,
I love your website and your reviews! I just want to make you aware of a fantastic production running now at the Black Box Theatre in Mansfield, MA. I just saw the show yesterday and these youngsters are fantastic!!! They are all between the ages of nine and twelve and what talent!!! If you get a chance you should try to get there. The remaining dates are 8/3 - 8/6. I look forward to reading your review (hopefully). Kyle Burke (Alligator) is my nephew (he's a star in the making, as are all these kids. Director Gary Poholek does a great job with them
.
Thanks, Alison Hopkins
The two long one acts
in the first half of the Hovey Players annual summer
festival, done basically as workshops, are both long
on interesting characters and situations fraught with
possibilities. Both however would be more effective
dramas if expanded into full-length two act dramas
with more attention paid to their structure. Kelly
Dumar's "What We Save" would get some real dramatic
tension if it broke leaving the audience wondering
whether Corri, played energetically by producer Leigh
Berry would go to California to confront her first
love Lance, played by Ted Batch. Moreover, there
would be time to flesh out the other two characters
including Lance's wife Sharon, played by Jeannie Lin
and Corri's wheelchair-bound husband Vic, played by J.
Mark Baumhardt. And possibly, since there is one
flashback scene already, the important character of
Lance's grandmother, Nana, a minister might join the
action "then" as well as now. Director Michelle M.
Aguillon gets good performance from her cast as it
is.
"The Halfway House Club",
whose title might be evocatively shortened to
"Halfway", written by recent Emerson grad Philana
Gnatoski brings four unlikely lost souls together in
an informal temporary rooming house, basically a place
to stay for those who've just broken up with someone
and lost their place to live. The central role,
Samantha, played by the author, is a 20ish bookstore
clerk who's been in and out of this residence, Anne,
her new roommate played by Penny Benson, on the other
hand, has just walked out on her philandering husband
of more than a few year. They're joined, by a stretch
of imagination by two guys, John Grenier-Ferris last
seen at Hovey in "Buried Child", as Paul, a banker,
and Jack, a photographer new in town, played by James
Tallach. Their various exchanges are interesting, but
there's a sense of the Absurd to the situation. The
staging needs to be rethought--perhaps move to a
common area and some sort of dramatic arc created.
Breaking just after the first man arrives would set up
a second half, and allow more time for development.
J. Mark Baumgarten directs the action with
understanding.
The second set of plays,
"Fin and Euba" by Audrey Cefaly and "Bob's Date" by
John Shanahan were done this Saturday, and will be
repeated next Friday. The two discussed above will be
seen again next Saturday. Both programs start with
showings of short dramatic or comic films by local
filmmakers. While the contrast is interesting, live
and recorded acting don't blend all that well. The
film showings really do deserve their own night.
"What We Save" by Kelly Dumar & "The Halfway House
Club" by Philana Gnatoski, July 28, Aug. 5
Hovey Players at Abbott Theatre
9 Spring St., Waltham MA (781) 893 - 9171
Hovey
Players
When Michael Frayn's
Tony winning drama "Copenhagen" toured through several
seasons ago it received respectful attention but not
much comment. With the nuclear issue once again in
the news, not to mention harbingers of WWW III--and
possible Armageddon-- in the Middle East, this
historical mystery/morality seems much more relevant.
With only three actors and a simple elegant setting by
Judy Stacier, Diego Arciniegas has once again done a
firstrate production, equal to anything seen by any
local theatre so far this season.
Barry Press plays the
father of modern atomic theory, Neil Bohr, trapped in
Nazi-occupied Denmark along with his wife Margrethe
played by Suzanne Nitter. It's 1941 and half-Jewish
Bohr can see the writing on the wall. His former
student, Werner Heisenberg played by Gabriel Kuttner,
now chair of Nuclear Physics at Leipzig, has come on a
formal visit.Bohr learns that Heisenberg, largely
responsible for quantum mechanics, whose name is
attached to its "Uncertainty Principle," is in charge
of Germany's program to exploit nuclear fission,
presumably to build a Bomb. Exactly what the two
spoke of during this brief visit has been the source
of much speculation, especially since each man gave
vague differing reports of the event after the war.
Frayn's weaves several conjectures into a two act text
which circles, like electrons in orbit around a
nucleus, around issues like scientific responsibility
and patriotism, in an attention grabbing script.
All three actors are
wearing discrete headmikes, which frees up the
blocking considerably, allowing Kuttner on occasion to
circle the audience, and the two men to be seen back
in the garden but still heard clearly. There's a
complex score prepared by Steven Barkhimer and Anthony
Phelps finds new uses for Publick's slowly improving
lighting. This may not be light summer entertainment
like "The Beard of Avon", it's partner in rep through
the first week in September, but "Copenhagen" is
perhaps the strongest and most intellectually
stimulating on this summer.
"Copenhagen" by Michael Frayn, July 26 - Sept.
10
Publick Theatre at Herter Park
Soldiers Field Rd. Brighton, (617) 782 - 4525
Publick
Theatre
Eleanor Holdridge,
the director of the first production of "Hamlet" this
esteemed company has presented has fallen prey to
concept, but fortunately that doesn't much get in the
way of a cast of experienced Shakespearean's doing the
play up brown. Her opinion that young Hamlet would
have made a terrible king does limit the possibilities
of Jason Asprey's development of the melancholy Dane,
however. The role is played with a bit too much teen
age angst and perhaps too little of the noble mind,
but is still affecting. Holdridge also suggests that
the whole evening is some sort of massive flashback,
the Prince's life flashing--literally--before his eyes
before he dies. The loud sounds and strobes which
accompany this concept do keep the audience on its
toes. Since the company for the play has been reduced
to 11, she's also made cuts and rearrangements. The
play starts in the court rather than on the
battlements--a not uncommon tactic when trying to
shorten this three hour plus work--but later on
reduces the players to the Player King alone, which
then requires Gertrude, played by Tina Packer, founder
of S&C and Jason's mother, and Claudius, played by
Nigel Gore, to read their parts in "The Mousetrap."
Hamlet also delivers his advice to the players to
them, something of an in-joke. This complex rewrite
is interesting to watch and works more or less, but
perhaps Polonius, played by Asprey's stepfather,
Dennis Krausnick, in the context of the action, might
more logically have done the murdering brother. Gore
plays the realization as well as can be expected but
the scene becomes muddled.
Fortinbras, played by
Stephen James Anderson, fortunately has been left in,
though in modern combat gear he's scruffier than need
be. The show is modern dress, though Hamlet shows up
for the play with a play in a doublet wearing an
Elizabethan ruff. Much of the rest of the time he's a
bit retro, suggesting Edwin Booth in street clothes.
The Prince's two main foils, Horatio and Laertes, are
done with style by Howard W. Overshown and Kevin
O'Donnell. Elizabeth Raetz's Ophelia is affecting but
not fully in tune with the ensemble, though her
relationship with Hamlet is touching. An excellent
English actor, John Windsor-Cunningham triples as the
Ghost, the Player King and the lone Gravedigger,
making each part memorable. Edward Check's minimal set
in the black box is functional if occasionally
indulgent. Ophelia doesn't have a gravetrap, but she
does get to open a manhole cover and dabble in some
water during the mad scene. And for some reason
Hamlet's favorite corner of the palace includes a
giant lighting globe. However, none of the show's
eccentricities get in the way of truly powerful
performance from all the principals, unlike the
pastiche presented last summer on the Boston Common.
"Hamlet" by Wm. Shakespeare, July 1 - Aug. 27
Shakespeare & Co. in Founders Theatre
70 Kemble St. (RT.7A) Lenox MA, (413) 637 - 3353
Shakespeare &
Co.
Stephen Adly
Guirgis's 2005 effort for LABrynth, his homebase in
NYC, is a sprawling meditation on despair, even more
grounded in the implications of morality, particularly
as seen by certain Catholic thinkers, than "Our Lady
of 121st St." Like the latter piece it is episodic,
with cameos for members of his company.
Unfortunately, since the setting is Purgatory and
both Jesus and Satan are represented, along with
quirky modern characters, and the action only loosely
linear, the script rambles and is currently at least
half an hour too long, without arc or conclusion.
Never the less, Company One's Summer L. Williams, the
group's education director, gets her cast through it
with eventually.
Most of the show is in a
courtroom setting with George Saulnier as the Judge, a
Confederate Army Officer who committed suicide.
Performances range from excellent to acceptable, with
standout efforts by Shawn La Count, Company One's
artistic director, as Satan, Noel Armstrong as
Cunningham, Judas' defense attorney, and Raymond
Ramirez as her client, who never appears in court.
Mason Sand, an original Company One member, plays the
prosecutor, an obsequious Middle Easterner named
El-Fayoumy with a florid vocabulary, a joke which
wears out too quickly. Saulnier is impressive
doubling as Caphias, the High Priest, one of the
scripts several intentional doubles.
Greg Maraio's Butch Honeywell, the foreman of a three
person jury, has an impressive monologue which serves
as the coda for the evening but comes rather out of
the blue. Juanita Rodrigues, a teacher at the Boston
Art's academy is effective as Judas' mother,
Henrietta, who opens the show and a scene stealer as
trash-talking St. Monica.
The author's freewheeling
imagination provides many interesting moments and
challenges to the actors, and he raises a lot of old
unanswered question about faith. But he and LABrynth
don't seem to have been able to winnow through this
collection to shape a coherent piece of theatre.
Scenes that might have been useful acting exercises
seem to have been retained, confrontations erupt but
don't conclude, and characters like Satan, Cunningham,
or El-Fayoumy, just fade without resolution. Company
One is to be congratulated, however, for attempting
this script and including such a range of local
actors, including Boston Arts Academy students, in the
effort. Not every piece of "fringe" theatre can be
successful.
"The Last Days of Judas Iscariot" by Stephen Adly
Guirgis", July 14 - Aug. 5
Company One at BCA Plaza Theatre
539 Tremont, (617) 933 - 8600
Company One
The Bankside Festival
at Shakespeare & Co.s new home--just down the road
from their old one--is still largely in the future,
but this summer, in the tent erected on the proposed
with of a recreation of The Rose, an early Elizabethan
playhouse, a group of young actors associated with
the Company in various capacities is staging Carlo
Goldoni's "The Servant of Two Masters." Derived from
the Italian playwright's published script, which was
created working with a latter-day Commedia Dell'Arte
troupe, this production uses a recent
translation/adaptation by Jeffrey Hatcher and Paolo
Emilio Landi, further massaged by director Dan
McCleary and his band of comedians.
The result is a two part
version of this farce, which has Truffaldino, a wily
servant in the Arlechinno mode, serving two masters,
who happen to be a young man on the run for having
killed his finance's brother in a duel, and said
fiance, disguised as her dead brother, following him.
In the meantime, the young lovers Silvio and Clarice,
the son of Dottore Lombardi and daughter of
Pantalone, have the usual travail, since Clarice was
formerly betrothed to the dead brother, who's
seemingly shown up to claim her--and the money
Pantalone owes "him." A period typical scenario, the
sort which via early romances with similar plots
supplied the Bard with material for his most famous
comedies.
Part One is performed on
Wed. at 6:15 pm, Part Two on Fri.; both are done Sat.
at 1:15 pm and 6:15 pm. The shorter second half begins
with a hilarious speed-through of first, followed by a
repeat of the script's most famous routine,
Truffaldino serving dinner to both masters, offstage
on either side, at the same time, while filling his
own mouth. The part is taken by versatile Michael
Burnet, whose day job is director of Bankside
Programming. He tackles the role in somewhat Buster
Keatonesque fashion, since this production is unmasked
commedia, derived from American slapstick and
burlesque, closer to tent shows and the traveling
circus. Rest of the company ranges from Jeffrey Kent,
who brings a touch of the Borscht circuit to Pantalone
and Sam Reiff-Pasarew who blusters melodramatically as
Il Dottore to graduates of S & C's Young Company about
to enter college, like Lydia Barnett-Mulligan(Clarice)
headed for Williams in the fall, and Grant
Heywood(Silvio). Brighella, the innkeeper is Karen
Lee, who among her various credits teaches at Jacob's
Pillow and has a Pilates Studio in Lenox. Beatrice,
the lover is disguise, is Catherine Taylor-Williams,
who's appeared in major S&C productions, works in
their Communications office, and will director for the
Young Company's Fall Festival. Her opposite number,
Florindo is David Joseph, who acts in NY and is in
real estate. In short, the group is a very mixed bag
of theater folk, brought together to create this show.
The result is frequently surprising and thoroughly
hilarious, mixing contemporary references with very
old jokes and routines. Definitely worth getting
there early for.
"The Servant of Two Masters" by Carlo Goldoni, June
23 - Aug. 26
Shakespeare & Co. "Traveling Tragedians" at Rose
Footprint Theatre
70 Kemble St. (RT.7A), Lenox Ma, (413) 637 - 3353
Shakespeare and
Co.
Lynn Ahrens and
Stephen Flaherty's musical farce, their first joint
effort, which won the 1988 Richard Rodgers Production
Award, has surfaced again at Turtle Lane. Written for
ten performers with doubling as part of joke, and
accompanied by a small keyboard focused ensemble, the
show is a harbinger of Ahrens & Flaherty;s later work,
with her lyrics the most interesting part. The book,
based on Michael Butterworth's "The Man Who Broke The
Bank at Monte Carlo," has two parallel and conjoined
comic plots which jostle their way to the climax
without developing a really satisfactory arc. Director
Elaina Vrattos gets her cast of comedians through it
with only minor problems.
In order to inherit six
million dollars, the main character, Harry
Witherspoon, an English shoe salesman, done by
engaging Wayne Fritsche, has the take the embalmed
body of his late uncle, from New Jersey, on a vacation
to Monte Carlo. Thomas Bourque is the "stiff," Uncle
Anthony, wheeled from situation to situation. They're
followed by Annabel Glick, played by petite Sarah
Ziegler, the representative of a dog shelter from
Brooklyn who will get the money if Harry fails to live
up to the terms of his uncle's bequest. Hot behind
them is larger than life--and very nearsighted Rita,
Anthony's adulterous girlfriend played at full
throttle by Kendra Kachadoorian. It seems that
Anthony purloined his millions from her husband. In
her wake is Vinnie, her optometrist brother, played by
Chris Moleske, who she implicated in the crime.
Moreover, Rita's the one who shot Anthony in a jealous
rage.
The rest of the cast includes Arjana Vizulis, who
plays a chanteuse who latches onto Vinnie in Monte
Carlo, Kirstin Kennedy and David W. Frank in a variety
of cameos,and Brad Fugate as the ubiquitous tip-greedy
bellhop or waiter. Ahren's adaptation perhaps
maintains too much of the work's original linear
comedy. But the performances are engaging and the
principals' voices fit their characters.
Like the cast, the setting
changes a lot to follow the story, which can get
tedious. The show needs more levels, wagons, and
multipurpose units though John MacKenzie as usual does
his best with the limitations of TLP for both set and
lights. The company has arrived at a minimalist style
which is sufficient but not very satisfying. Richard
Itczak's costumes capture the flavor of the show more
successfully. The result however is a perfectly
respectable production of this piece which marks the
start of a productive collaboration in today's
American musical theatre. And there's cabaret seating
and of course the bar is open..
"Lucky Stiff" by Lynn Ahrens & Stephen Flaherty, July
14 - Aug. 13
Turtle Lane Players at the Playhouse
283 Melrose, Auburndale MA, (617) 244 - 0169
Turtle Lane
Jay Johnson's solo
show "The Two and Only" is a rather unique exercise.
On the one hand, it's the basic small-town American
breaks into show-business success story. On the other
it's an almost Absurdist peek into the mindset of a
ventriloquist, that species of puppeteers whose
childhood imaginary friends grow up to be their
performing partners. Johnson, along with his
directors Murphy Cross and Paul Kreppel, has created a
script which includes the history of the art of
ventriloquism from its presumed roots in necromancy,
his career including the stint on T.V.'s "Soap" and
his relationship to his mentor Art Sieving, and a
strong sampling of routines with various puppets,
including Nethermore the Vulture, a sock puppet snake,
a rowdy monkey, and his original partner, Skippy.
Bob, from the TV show appears of course, but seems
much less relevant, less a partner than a
confrontation. As the pieces fall into place,
Johnson's life so far has a kind of completeness.
The show has an
interesting set design by Beowulf Boritt, whose work
was recently seen on Broadway for "The 25th Annual
Putman County Spelling Bee." It's various ingenious
features are only fully revealed by the end along with
Cliff Taylor's lighting design. Suffice it to say that
again seemingly incidental ideas achieve resonance as
the performance progresses. Johnson's voice
characterizations are subtle when need be, but it's
his careful puppetry that makes him, along with other
current performers such as Jeff Dunham and Ronn Lucas,
a master of this form. He's spent most of his career
on the nightclub and college circuit, so his rapport
with the audience is earnest and easy. He's there to
share. Behind the eternal kid with a dummy there's an
interesting worldview.
"Jay Johnson: The Two and Only" by Jay Johnson,
July 12 - Aug. 6
ART at Zero Arrow Theatre
Arrow St. & Mass. Ave., Harvard Sq.(617) 547 - 8300
A.R.T.
Those who missed this
pultizer Prize winner when it came through a few
seasons ago, or who haven't caught it otherwise, may
want to see it up close and personal in the Black Box
Space at the Arsenal Center for the Arts in Watertown.
I missed it Sunday, but reliable sources were
impressed. The cast features Theatre Onmibus's
founder and award-winning actor Richard McElvain as
the dead father and Lindsay Flathers, a recipient of
the Irene Ryan Competition(2004) at the Kennedy Center
as Catherine, the young--and troubled--mathematician.
For details go to
http://www.arsenalarts.org/specialevents.html.
It's a donation show and
there's plenty of free parking. There's a bus from
Central Sq. Cambridge to Watertown Sq. that passes
right by. There are two fancy restaurants near the
theatre, and a big food court at the Arsenal Mall just
down the street.
"Proof" by David Auburn,July 6 - 23
Theatre Omnibus in Black Box, Arsenal Center for the
Arts
Arsenal St. Watertown, (978) 468-5639
North Shore Music
Theatre will spend the month of July "Singin' in the
Rain" in a new production of an old favorite, the
stage version of the Gene Kelly/Stanley Donen classic
movie musical, adapted for the stage by Comden and
Green. As the Reagle Players proved a couple of
seasons ago with Kirby Ward's IRNE winning production,
it's a "can't miss" crowd pleaser, even with a
rather pedestrian book and songs from Brown & Freed's
catalog. It is sui generis even without the rain.
Richard Stafford's arena
production captures some of the signature dance
moments from the original with first-rate work by Matt
Loehr in the Gene Kelly role of Don Lockwood, silent
film star and Mark Ledbetter as his buddy, Cosmo
Brown, the Donald O'Connor role. Kelly D. Felthous is
a charmer as Kathy, the Debbie Reynolds role. The trio
rise to the occasion and topple the couch in "Good
Morning." Loehr sloshes his way through "Singin' in
the Rain" with glee, and Ledbetter tries to "Make 'em
Laugh," which lacks the zaniness of the original,. But
how do you run up the walls on an arena stage? In
the dream ballet, "Gotta Dance," Sae La Chin is the
Girl in the Green Dress, Cyd Charisse's role, the
centerpiece of this improbable number. And even
though she doesn't have a number, local diva Leigh
Barrett opens the show with thrilling tones as Dora
Bailey, Hollywood radio personality. Barrett also
doubles later on as Lina Lamont's diction coach. In
the role of that vocally challenged silent film star,
Beth Beyer is a bit one note--or perhaps screech. She
needs to generate a bit more sympathy for this
overwritten comic role.
North Shore hasn't
stinted for this production with a large ensemble, an
array of costumes from Kansas City coordinated by
Randall Klein, a flexible set by Howard C. Jones, and
impressive lighting by Martin E. Vreeland. Music
director Richard Hip-Flores conducts a strong pit with
keyboard backup. The various film sequences,
including artistic director Jon Kimball's introduction
in period style, are well-done, filmed at Endicott
College in Beverly. Within the limitations of the
form, a musical about show-biz, cliches intended,
"Singin' in the Rain" is a first rate entertainment,
tuneful and appealing.
"Singin' in the Rain", adapted by Betty Comden &
Adolf Green, songs by Nacio Herb Brown & Arthur Freed,
July 5 - 30
North Shore Music Circus at Dunham Woods
Brimbal Rd., Beverly MA, (978) 232 - 7200
North Shore Music
Theatre
For publication:
What does it mean to be Black? What does it mean to be Jewish? These questions
and more are examined thoughtfully and hilariously in THE BLACK JEW DIALOGUES
currently running through July 22 at the Puppet Showcase Theater in
preparation for the show's extended showing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival
in August. Larry Jay Tish (the Jew) and Ron Jones (the Black) have created an
entertaining and thought-provoking look at racial stereotypes as they portray
themselves and numerous historical archetypes ranging from Egyptian slaves to
gangster rappers to Jewish mothers. Aided by the effective use of audio-visual
backgrounds and inventive costuming, as well as the seamless direction of
Margaret Ann Brady, the production gently forces the audience to examine its
own feelings and prejudices. Intercut throughout the show are also filmed
vignettes featuring the performer's puppet alter-egos interviewing the
"typical" Black and Jewish passerbys on the streets of Cambridge and
Brookline. I left the theater entertained and, yet, thinking and, after all,
isn't that the goal of all good theatre. More information can be found at
www.theblackjewdialogues.com.
Amy Freed's comedy
"The Beard of Avon" is a somewhat show-biz take on the
"authorship" question which has engaged some
Shakespeare scholars--and not a few crackpots--over
the years. Originally commissioned by L.A.'s South
Coast Rep in 2001, this racy contemporary farce set in
Elizabethan England, plays with the Bard's life and
language. Its clever conclusions may offend some of
the Oxfordians and will certainly set local
Stratfordians quibbling. The rest of the audience gets
a good laugh at it all, aided Diego Arciniegas'
well-paced direction.
The central characters are
Edward DeVere, the dissolute Earl of Oxford, played by
local stalwart Bill Mootos, and Will Shakspere(sic)
played by Gabriel Kuttner, last seen in Sugan's
"Talking to Terrorists." Publick Theatre regular Eric
Hamel plays Henry Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton in
a Oscar/Bosey relationship to Devere, while Will is
attached to a put-upon Anne Hathaway played by
versatile Helen McElwain. The complications which
ensue are a mix of period and modern comedy, with
plenty of innuendo. The action includes Queen
Elizabeth, played in high style by M. Lynda Robinson
and the members of the vagabond company Will runs off
with. Richard Arum plays John Heminge and Gerald
Slattery is Henry Condol, the two actors named in
Shakespeare's last will and testament. Ellen Adair has
great fun playing Geoffrey Dunderhead, the boy who
plays female roles, while Risher Reddick is a
blustering Richard Burbage. Barry Press, new to the
Publick, who will play Neils Bohr in their
"Copenhagen" which opens later in the month, gets to
be Old Colin, a Stratford friend of the Shakspere's,
Lord Derby, and Walter Fitch, a mistreated playwright.
Others in the acting company double as members of
the Court; Bacon, Walsingham, Burleigh, and Lady
Lettice as well.
Emerson's Rafeal Jaen has
provided first class period costumes with contemporary
touches--Devere is in leather and McElwain gets to
show quite a bit of leg. The stage has been further
upgraded and allows Judy Stacier from Tufts to create
a variety of environs, well lit by production manager
Anthony Phelps, once the sun goes down. Steven
Barkhimer has contributed an original score which
suggests the period. The ensemble manages to be
convincingly Elizabethan while playing in contemporary
form. Freed's script doesn't really contribute that
much to the "question" but it does raise interesting
issues of inspiration. Given the choice between
exploring an idea and pulling a gag, "The Beard of
Avon"'s more liable to go for the laugh, which
results in a pleasant entertainment with a few
thoughtful moments.
"The Beard of Avon" by Amy Freed, June 29 - Sept.
3
Publick Theatre at Herter Park
Soldiers Field Rd., Brighton (617) 782 - 5425
Publick
Theatre
Anyone who's been put
off from Marivaux by the ART's last two autuerial
interpretations should get out to Topsfield to catch
Iron-Rail's lighthearted adaptation of the first show
this rival of Moliere created for the Theatre Italien
back in 1720. Matthew Woods has used his young
ensemble to present the work as a courtly comedy
based on the Commedia with no obvious subtext. The
company ran the show two weekends at LynnArts, a new
art center in downtown Lynn right across from the
commuter rail stop, and will do it again next weekend
at the Gould Barn of the Parson Capen House just off
the Common in Topsfield
Arlechino (Harlequin) was
played by the leader of the Italian troupe that
Marivaux worked for. Dan Balkin takes the part here
and finds the right blend of the old slapstick comedy
with the poise the king and court required. But
before he "wakes" up, Jill Rogati sets the tone of the
play as the Fairy Queen's major domo, Trivelin. Her
physical control is fully "Dell'Arte." Erin Cole as
the Monarch has an effective air of glamour, with an
imp, Papillon (Maggie Talbot-Minkin) to drive the
action assisted by Ramses King as her sidekick.
Besides this adult fairy-tale element, Marivaux has
added three pedants, Angelo Bosco as the Philosoph,
Jonathan Overby as the Dancing Master, and Ashley
Santor as the Music Mistress. Their task is to refine
Harlequin as a suitable consort for Her Majesty. It's
not hard to guess how that turns out. Rather it's a
duo from the pastoral romances that does the trick.
Meaghan Dutton is the charming Sylvia who throws aside
Damon Jespersen's doltish Dimas for Harlequin, which
of course arouses regal ire.
In other words, there's
actually a plot, which develops quite interestingly,
even though Merlin, the Queen's fiance never shows up.
(It was a small company.). The Neal Rantol Vault
Theatre at LynnArts is a black box studio with minimal
lighting, which is sufficient for a show written to be
lit by chandeliers. Meaghan Dutton did add a few
effects and the director supplied (and D.J.'d) a
period score. The show is further distinguished by
Cotton Talbot-Minkin's interpretation of traditional
costumes, which have the right element of whimsy. Only
Harlequin is masked; the rest are "made up." The
company is working on a show for later in the summer
"Good Witch / Bad Witch", which will run Aug. 3 - 12
in Lynn, and 17-19 again in Topsfield. The environment
and puppets will be created by Cathy McLaurin. They'll
also be participating in a Summer Fringe Festival
which Whistler In The Dark is organizing for
Sat, Aug. 26th at the Camb. YMCA which will also
include Alarm Clock, Dangerous Animal, Mill6, and
others. Save the date.
"Harlequin Refined By Love" by Pierre Marivaux,
Jun22 - July 1 (Lynn) July6 - 8 (Topsfield)
Iron-Rail Stage Co. at LynnArts
25 Exchange St. Lynn, (978 - 500 - 5553)
Iron-Rail at
LynnArts
"Moonlight" (1993) is
one of the last of Nobel Laureate Harold Pinter's 29
some plays. It revisits many of his earlier themes of
family, responsibility, and death in a poetic
framework where the drama is only implied. The QE2
Players, in their annual outing at the BCA have given
the work a careful journeyman like production.
Director Michael Halloran uses the particular
strengths of his diverse cast to let the language of
the piece speak for itself, however obliquely.
Central to the piece is
JIm Robinson as Andy, a retired civil servant raging
against fate from his deathbed. Gwen Sweet is his
patient and often acerbic wife. Their youngest,
Bridget played by Emma Stanton, functions as a minor
chorus to the action. Their two sons, who're
somewhere planning something, but doing very little,
are Rob Rota as Jake and Travor Thompson as Fred.
This duo is almost a parody of early Pinter by the
master; their dialogue is almost entirely constructed
from cliches. Jennifer Barton Jones and Edwin
Bescheler are Maria and Ralph, friends of the family,
who seem to be in contact with the boys, who are
somehow estranged from their father. The action
resists any definite interpretation.
The shows been kept
simple. Cara McCarthy's set has two acting areas on
levels with furniture, backed by a blue scrim overlaid
with a grid of pinkish rectangles. Kathy Maloney's
lights help define the show from moment to moment.
Andy Bergman has selected some trancy music to provide
transitions. All in all it's an effective use of the
oldest theatre space at the BCA. The whole effort has
the touch of the Absurd necessary to set off the
obscure dialogue, which provides clues to the action,
but little conclusion, just moonshine.
"Moonlight" by Harold Pinter, June 28 - July 1
QE2 Players at Plaza Theatre, BCA
539 Tremont, (617) 933 - 8600
QE2 Playersa
To open their season,
the Reagle Players have gone back to an earlier
success, "The Will Rogers Follies," which combines
Peter Stones fictional biography of the legendary
cowboy comedian with Cy Coleman, Betty Compton and
Adolf Green's tribute to the equally legendary
Ziegfield Follies, one of the pinnacles of the
Broadway revue. The production is again directed by
Robert Eagle, choreographed this time by Eileen
Grace, who's just become the company's Associate
Producer. She was the show's dance captain for its
Broadway run and recreates the work of its original
choreographer, Tommy Tune. Grace is currently a
director/choreographer at Radio City Music Hall, among
her several achievements. The spectacular numbers
which are the show's claim to fame are seen in all
their complexity on the touring version of Tony
Walton's set with Willa Kim's costumes. Music
direction for this production is handled with his
usual consummate skill by IRNE winner, Paul Katz.
This time, the title role
is taken by IRNE winner, Scott Wahle, seen on Channel
4 News, who captures the folksie essence of Rogers.
Fellow IRNE winner, Broadway light Sarah Pfisterer is
back as Betty Blake, Roger's wife, who has the show's
best ballads. Veteran Reagle character man Harold
Walker comes on strong as Rogers' outspoken father,
Clem. From the original cast, showgirl Dana Leigh
Jackson sings, vamps, and dances the central role of
Z's favorite, a foil for the leading man. The four
Rogers' kids are Sam Blumenfeld, Leo Hattabaugh, Ari
Shaps, and Zoe Varant.. The show also features two
touring veterans, Joanne Wilson's trained dogs--all
rescued from the pound--and Chris Daniel as The Roper,
who add to its showbiz air.
And behind all the glitz
is the timeless wisdom of Will Rogers, who "never met
a man he didn't like." A star of vaudeville, silent &
talking pictures, a radio pioneer, and a syndicated
newspaper columnist, the Cherokee Kid was a true
American hero for the common man through the '20s and
the early '30s. "Will Roger's Follies" keeps coming
back--the Company in Norwell will do the show (28 July -
20 August 20th) in a smaller
version--not because of its gaudy trimming and implied
naughtiness, but because the tradition of speaking
truth to power needs to be constantly renewed, now as
much as ever.
Reagle's next production
is "Throughly Modern Millie" in mid-July. Before then,
they're hosting a special preview of the latest
touring edition of "Cats" on July 7-8, at their
regular ticket prices--available on their website--
with free parking as always.
"Will Rogers' Follies" by Stone, Coleman, Comden &
Green, June 22 - July 1
Reagle Players at Robinson Theatre
Waltham HS, (781) 891 - 5600
Reagle
Players
Brian Tuttle's 11:11
Theatre has generally presented his new plays in the
intimate confines up the stairs at the Actor's
Workshop on Summer St. Their naturalistic style,
moved to the larger open space of Durrel Hall, works
well enough for this modern dress "Romeo and Juliet,"
but seems a bit more like a workshop. Some of the
cast need additional work on volume and
verse-speaking, and the whole production, which clocks
in at slightly over two hours even though edited.
Pace and consistency should improve as the show runs.
Director Tuttle takes a small role in the play and
probably should have had a strong assistant
director/verse coach to improve things.
As the star-crossed
lovers, Kerlee Nicholas and Melissa Baroni are
interesting choices. He's best when moody and street
smart, getting too close to yelling when emotional.
She's consistently childish and occasionally runs on,
playing against her physical presentation. However,
their relationship is more believable than the
brawling lovers seen earlier this season at the ART.
John Ferreira's Mercutio comes closest to a
Shakespearean presentation and his quite effective.
Various roles have been changed and reduced. Emily
Evans' Nurse is younger than usual and less humorous.
Peter played by Rebecca Maddalo is just the Capulet's
houseperson. The Montague street presence is coed;
Fran Betlyon plays Romeo's Page, Balthasar. The
director plays his father, which may be out of
necessity. As Juliet's parents, Curt Klump and Diana
Varco do well enough in these plot-essential roles.
James Smith and Adam Harper have the airs for Prince
Escalus and Count Paris. Jason Warner is more a plot
element as Friar Lawwrence. The 21 person ensemble for
this production is at least twice the size of many
recent barebones productions.
The show features live
music and songs by Lucas Carpenter backed by drummer
John A. Brewton. These definitely help define the
show as contemporary.
Lighting and set are rudimentary but appropriate,
though more of the action could be played closer to
the audience. The death scene is, but setting it up
is difficult. Bodies can be very inconvenient. The
ending thus becomes a bit sketchy, especially the
final discovery. Only Rick Lombardo's New Rep
production last fall made the whole confusion work.
"Romeo and Juliet" by Wm. Shakespeare, Jun. 23 - July
1
11:11 Theatre Co. at Durrell Hall, Camb. YMCA
820 Mass. Ave., (617) 549 - 7770
11:11 Theatre
Co.
Connoisseurs of
wordplay in the tradition of Ionesco and the Absurd
will be delighted with Whistler in the Dark's current
production of Eric Overmeyer's 1988 dark comedy "In
Perpetuity Throughout the Universe." This fragmented
after-dark peek into the purported world of
ghostwritten conspiracies, chain letters, and the
resurgence of Dr. Fu Manchu--aka the Yellow Peril--is
obliquely prophetic and potentially disquieting. The
second production of this new theatre group brings
back Lorna McKenzie and Jennifer O'Connor, who
appeared in their production of "The Possibilities"
earlier this season, along with Travis Boswell, Stacey
Kirk. Chuong Dinh Pham, and Alejandro Simoes to form
an interesting ensemble, all associated with the
publishing firm headed by Maria Montage. Simoes plays
Lyle Vial, who's getting chain-letter after
chain-letter. Pham plays Dennis Wu, an American of
Chinese extraction, and also appears as a sinister Far
Eastern merchant, Tranh Kirk plays his girlfriend,
Christine, who's been given a most important
assignment by editor-in -chief McKenzie. O'Connor is
her assistant, Buster, but also Mrs. Peterson, and the
Joculatrix, the Norman inventor of the chain letter.
And they all work for Boswell's Ampersand Qwerty. He
also plays Oscar Rang, a strange podiatrist.
If this doesn't all quite
make sense, the show somehow does. Co-Artistic
director Ben Fainstein has directed the piece
efficiently on a simple set with simply defined
areas, Andrew Dickies' lighting helps define these as
needed. Kelly Leigh David's basic '80s costuming
gives the cast a slight retro look. Overmeyer's
convoluted scripts haven't been seen much around these
parts lately. Perhaps this energetic production will
encourage consideration of his unique--albeit
twisted--talents.
"In Perpetuity Throughout the Universe" by Eric
Overmeyer, Jun.24 - July
Whistler in the Dark Theatre at Charlestown Working
Theatre
442 Bunker Hill St, Charlestown/ (866) 811 - 4111
Whistler in
the Dark
The 34th Annual
Playwrights' Platform Festival of New Plays opened
seven short plays for its second half. No musicals
this time, mostly short plays three in living rooms.
The subjects ranged from Andrew S. Burns leftist
playwright in a dilemma--"The Carpenter"-- Kelly
Dumar's teenagers trying to find a friend's
grave--"New Digs", or Scott Welty's frustrated couple
selling souvenirs--"An American Icon in Gatlinberg."
Phyllis Rittner pitted a Mormon copywriter against a
swinging L.A. executive and a gay waiter--"The
Offer"-- Peter M. Floyd came up with a couple
confronted with love and death personified--"The
Little Death"--while Christopher King imagined a
confrontation between as former political prisoner and
a reporter--"The Dark Retreat," played mostly with the
lights out. G.L.Horton finished the evening off with
two teenagers from a blended family resisting visiting
Grandma--"Christmas at Grandmas's." While there was an
excess of furniture, acting and directing was sharp,
even when the messages got a bit muddled. Audience
choice awards will be announced on Saturday night, and
posted at the website next week. The favorite plays
from this year's fest will be offered publishing
contracts from Heuer Publishing of Cedar Rapids,
www.hitplays.com. Watch for the 35th PPAFNP next
June.
"Playwrights' Platform, Series B" by Burns, DuMar,
Horton, Floyd, King, Rittner, Welty, June 15-17
Playwrights' Platform at Boston Playwrights'
Theatre
929 Comm. Ave. Allston,
Playwrights'
Platform
Every thing old is
new again--or something like that. Beau Jest, a
movement theatre back in Boston after seven years,
brings the experience of its varied members, who began
working together in 1984, to its latest project.
"Samurai 7.0" somewhat ruefully subtitled "under
construction" is a theatrical collage built around the
storyline of Kurosawa's epic tale of a village's
battle against bandits. Having been refused
permission to adapt the original, the group widened
their horizons to include the Hollywood blockbuster
"The Magnificent Seven," based of course on the
Japanese original, which itself had been inspired by
movie westerns, plus the unlikely movie musical,
"Seven Brides for...." But being Beau Jest,
additional cultural references to seven began to
intrude, such as Disney's Seven Dwarves, followed by
the six rude mechanicals, Shakespeare's Henry V, etc.
The result is "cinematic theatre," similar to that
practiced by Rough & Tumble or Pilgrim, but with BJ's
own particular comic sense, which in this case meshes
very well with Kurosawa's Zen impulses. The
existential tragedy of the farmers, the warriors, and
the bandits trapped in a static dysfunctional society
continues to resonate in the daily news, which doesn't
have to be directly referenced to be relevant.
The eight members of the
ensemble, Larry Coen, Robert Deveau, Elyse Garfinkel,
Jordan Harrison, Scott Raker, Davis Robinson, Robin
JaVonne Smith and Lisa Tucker play the seven, morphing
into the villagers, the marauders, and the scenery.
Five are past company members--four appeared in their
awardwinning "Krazy Kat" (1995)-- and the other three
are Bowdoin graduates who've studied with Robinson
there. His innovative direction creates a physical
framework for the action, which is supported by Judy
Gailen's scenic imagination, which used projected
surtitles, symbolic props such as bamboo screens,
giant fans, decorative fans, etc.--acquired at Crate &
Barrel--along with simple puppets, shadow, rod, and
toys provided by Libby Marcus. The cast wears simple
color-coded pajama style costumes created by Seth
Bodie, which range from Larry Coen's more traditional
deep orange garb as the leader to very plain white
wear for gangly Jordan Harrison who takes the Mifune
role, named "Dopey" in this production. M.I.T.'s
Karen Perlow puts the simple lighting available in
Calderwood Rehearsal A through its paces to great
effect. Composer Don Dinicola provides a soundscape
which mixes traditional percussion, played by Tamora
Gooding, with pop recordings and of course the
"Magnificent Seven" theme (best known from Marlboro
commercials). It's a whirlwind cultural stew with
theatre at its heart, whose agenda is aesthetic and
possibly philosophical, intended as stimulating
entertainment. Welcome back.
"Samurai 7.0 - under construction" by Beau Jest,
June 7 - 24
Beau Jest at Calderwood Rehearsal
BCA, 529 Tremont, (617) 933 - 8600
Beau Jest
The Metro Stage
Company's revival of Jason Robert Brown's 1995 revue,
"Songs for a New World" shows the continued
development of this company. At least on par with
their successful "Assassins" a little over a year ago,
this current effort, again directed by Janet Neely,
achieves much of the potential in this collection of
songs which vary from the universal to the personal.
Originally staged with only four singers, Metro is
using eight, which adds variety and offers more vocal
color in the group numbers, which are not the show's
strongest material.
The first real show
stopper is the third, "Just One Step" Tracy Nygard's
comic suicide attempt. Her last musical was "The Full
Monty" at Turtle Lane. Kristin Huberdeau, whose
various credits include NSMT, soon gets into "Stars
and the Moon," a song which has moved into the
repertoire of some well-known singers. She's also
affecting in the "Christmas Lullaby." The second part
starts with Grace Summer, who just played Helena in
"Midsummer..." for Hovey, doing a Kurt Weill parody.
"Surabaya-Santa". Mary 'ODonnell, the most
experienced cast member, repeats the "New World"
theme several times starting with the opening, but is
most impressive doing "The Flagmaker 1775," one of the
show's two historical numbers, an anti-war piece.
James Tallach, a Turle
Lane stalwart who was seen in Metro's "Assassins," has
a strong romantic duet with Nygard, "I'd Give It All
for You," one of several numbers foreshadowing Brown's
better known show, "The Last Five Years." Aaron
Velthouse, most recently Sky Masterson at Turtle Lane,
is most impressive doing "KIng of the World," about a
jailed dictator. Joshua Heggie, seen last winter at
Turtle Lane as Jim in "Big River" joins Chas Kircher
in "The River Don't Flow," followed soon after by
"She Cries". Kircher closes the first act as the lead
singer in "The World Was Dancing," a bittersweet
romance with Huberdeau. Velthouse leads the
penultimate number, "Flying Home."
The distinctive voices of
this ensemble are backed up by music director Karen
Gahagan at the keyboard, with Michael Joseph on a
second. Kimmerie Jones provided the cast with simple
black costumes suited to their personae; Andrew
Haserlat created an effective unit set, and John
MacKenzie gets effective lighting out of the limited
positions available. Choreography, necessarily brief,
is by Donald Ray Gregorio, another Turtle Lane hand.
Anyone interested in the continuing development of the
American Musical Theatre who hasn't heard this
collection of smart songs should take in this
production. Incidentally, all the lyrics are
available of the author's website.
"Songs for a New World" by Jason Robert Brown, June
10-17
Metro Stage Company at Durrell Hall, Camb. YMCA
850 Mass. Ave. Camb, (617) 524 - 5013
Metro Stage
Co.
"Fats" is back! The
musical legacy of stride piano player Thomas Walker is
getting a gold-plated revival at North Shore through
the 18th. IRNE winner Kent Gash, who staged a
memorable "Pacific Overtures" there, is reunited with
Trinity's Joe Wilson Jr. from last year's "Top Dog/
Under Dog" and a four other dynamic performers for a
high-energy upclose revival of this perennial. Wilson
displays singing and dancing abilities right up with
his award-winning acting skills. Natasha Yvette
Williams makes the role originally created by Nell
Carter her own, and as she proved in "Abysinnia," her
voice is better. World-traveler Monique L. Midgette
and bubbly Idara Victor show great range as well,
getting laughs and evoking heartbreak as required.
Bass baritone Ken Robinson came up from Atlanta with
director Gash and will be doing working on an M.F.A.
at Yale next year. He'd be welcome in any NSMT
production. The sixth member of the ensemble is music
director Darrell G. Ivey at the piano(s), who makes
Waller's compositions come alive, and gets full-toned
jazz and swing from a pit full of local jazz men.
This is a show to keep
coming back to. If anything Waller's music and his
treatment of lyrics, from those of his most notable
partner, Andy Razaf, to standards he recorded still
sound fresh and true. Gash's staging is
innovative--wait for Wilson's Act One exit, and his
spectacular entrance in Act Two. Emily Beck's setting
combined with William H. Grant III's lighting are
striking as is the sassy look of Austin K. Sanderson's
costumes. In NSMT's arena, one number flows into
another, with great audience contact. With today's
tendency to run certain shows forever, it's surprising
that this collation hasn't got a permanent home
somewhere. It's back here only too briefly.
Ain't Misbehavin'", music by Thomas "Fats" Waller,
concept Horowitz & Maltby, May 30 - June 18
North Shore Music Theatre at Dunham Woods
Beverly MA, (978) 232 - 7200
North Shore Music
Theatre
If you haven’t seen
Oscar Wilde’s dramatic comedy, “An Ideal Husband”,
written in 1895 at the same time as “The Importance of
Being Earnest,” the Wellesley Summer Theatre’s
current revival is a very good chance to see a
polished ensemble do all four acts with every epigram
lovingly in place. IRNE winning actress Alicia Kahn
is back as the dangerous and alluring Mrs. Cheveley,
with her usual partner, Derek Stone Nelson as the
author’s stand-in, Lord Arthur Goring. The lady’s
real target is Sir Robert Chiltern, an upright
politician with a secret. Cheverley. who’s just blown
in from Vienna, runs afoul of Goring’s unwillingness
to participate in the plot, even though they were once
engaged--for three days. She also meets sturdy
resistance from Angie Jepson as Gertrude Chiltern, his
highly moral wife. And Lord Arthur has been rather
diffidentally courting Robert’s younger sister, Mabel,
played by Wellesley student, Kelly Galvin.
The rest of the ensemble,
most of who were in WST’s stunning “Under Milk Wood”
earlier this spring, includes senior members of the
troupe, the Peeds and Lisa Foley as the fading Mrs.
Marchman. Ed Peed plays Lord Caversham, Lord Arthur’s
father, while Charlotte plays Mrs. Cheveley’s
talkative friend, Lady Markby. Wellesley grad
Victoria George is catty Lady Basildon. Marc Harpin
is the Chiltern’s stuffy butler Mason. John Davin,
who appeared with WST last season is Arther’s ironic
man Phipps. Luis Negron doubles as the Vicomte in Act
One, and Arthur’s footman, Harold, in Act Three, while
Dan Bolton is the perfect gentleman, Mr. Montford, at
the Act One party, and plays Mason assistant James, in
the rest of the play.
Director Andrea Kennedy pays attention to the
formality required to make this comedic drama work.
Nancy Stevenson’s Edwardian costumes help the cast,
who wear them well, get into the period. Ken Loewit’s
unit set of arches is suitably mauve, and well lit as
usual. A few pieces of fine furniture define each
location. It’s a performance to sit back and listen
to, and perhaps be surprised by its cogency, and the
intimations of Wilde’s own serious disgrace just two
years later.
”An Ideal Husband” by Oscar Wilde, May30 - June
24
Wellesley Summer theatre in Ruth Nagel Joanes
Theatre
Alumni Hall, Wellesley College / (781) 283 - 2000
Wellesley
Summer Thtr
An energetic young
ensemble is tackling this adaptation of Gilbert &
Sullivan's satirical "The Mikado" for the next two
weekends at the Footlight Club, American's oldest
continuous community theatre. The show has roots in
two productions from the late '30s; the "Swing Mikado"
which purportedly began as a WPA project and the "Hot
Mikado" which legendary showman Billy Rose created as
a vehicle for Bill Robinson in 1939, capitalizing on
the interest created by the earlier production. This
current adaptation surfaced in the mid-90s and may
contain some material from these earlier parodies,
which vanished almost completely during WWII. Bell &
Bowman make an acceptable attempt to work mostly in
the '30s musical styles of swing and N.Y. big-band
jazz, but they also get into late '50s early rock and
Broadway musicals of the same period, then mix in some
styles from even later. The result is a potpourri
that never quite gels.
Director Richard Repetta,
who also responsible for the set design and, with Dora
Cruz, the costumes, suggests that this show is a
parody of a parody. G & S fans will get the joke and
there's something for the rest of the audience.
However, his zoot-suited "gentleman of Japan" and
ladies in gaudy china-trade garb don't parody anything
currently relevant. The overall style is murky and
some of the comic garb is just ugly rather than
humorous. But the much of the show is well-sung and
music director Tim Evans makes Bowman's rearrangements
work, though some are rather pedestrian. The second
half is much closer to the original and hence works
better. For the whole idea to work, a greater attempt
to bring in present day Japan and the world needs to
be made. There are a few sly comments hidden inside
the chorus' voluminous jackets. Watch for them and
enjoy the rare chance to see this theatrical
curiosity.
"Hot Mikado" adapted by Bell & Bowman from G&S, June
2 - 17
Footlight Club in Eliot Hall
7A Eliot St. Jamaica Plain, (617) 524 - 3200
Footlight Club
"Fats" is back! The
musical legacy of stride piano player Thomas Walker is
getting a gold-plated revival at North Shore through
the 18th. IRNE winner Kent Gash, who staged a
memorable "Pacific Overtures" there, is reunited with
Trinity's Joe Wilson Jr. from last year's "Top Dog/
Under Dog" and a four other dynamic performers for a
high-energy upclose revival of this perennial. Wilson
displays singing and dancing abilities right up with
his award-winning acting skills. Natasha Yvette
Williams makes the role originally created by Nell
Carter her own, and as she proved in "Abysinnia," her
voice is better. World-traveler Monique L. Midgette
and bubbly Idara Victor show great range as well,
getting laughs and evoking heartbreak as required.
Bass baritone Ken Robinson came up from Atlanta with
director Gash and will be doing working on an M.F.A.
at Yale next year. He'd be welcome in any NSMT
production. The sixth member of the ensemble is music
director Darrell G. Ivey at the piano(s), who makes
Waller's compositions come alive, and gets full-toned
jazz and swing from a pit full of local jazz men.
This is a show to keep
coming back to. If anything Waller's music and his
treatment of lyrics, from those of his most notable
partner, Andy Razaf, to standards he recorded still
sound fresh and true. Gash's staging is
innovative--wait for Wilson's Act One exit, and his
spectacular entrance in Act Two. Emily Beck's setting
combined with William H. Grant III's lighting are
striking as is the sassy look of Austin K. Sanderson's
costumes. In NSMT's arena, one number flows into
another, with great audience contact. With today's
tendency to run certain shows forever, it's surprising
that this collation hasn't got a permanent home
somewhere. It's back here only too briefly.
Ain't Misbehavin'", music by Thomas "Fats" Waller,
concept Horowitz & Maltby, May 30 - June 18
North Shore Music Theatre at Dunham Woods
Beverly MA, (978) 232 - 7200
North Shore Music
Theatre
Prolific local
playwright George Sauer's full length satirical look
at the "traditional" American family (as seen on TV),
is being presented by CentAstage as a product of
their developmental program. The result, "Heading for
Eureka," directed by Darren Evans who runs
CentAstage's readings, is two acts of laughter, as
much from the efforts of a first rate cast as the
author's evident wit. The script does have a lot of
blackouts reminiscent of sketch comedy.
Leading the cast of
comedians are local theatre veterans Dale Place as
George and Maureen Keiller as Martha, the parents.
Place was last at the BCA as part of Sugan's
valedictory, "Talking with Terrorists," while IRNE
winner Keiller was in Boston Theatre Works' just closed
"The Sweetest Swing in Baseball." The kids, Dick and
Jane, are Michael Avellar, a Theatre Coop regular, and
Allison Colby, a recent Emerson grad. The quartet
develops the ensemble required for a convincing
family. The situation--yes, it's a sitcom--has the
four lost in the desert on a family vacation in the
SUV, heading for Eureka somewhere in the southwest.
There's also Toto the family dog, who's stuffed but
variously animated and voiced by the family members in
turn. Adam Soule, who was also in "The Sweetest
Swing..." is lurking about said painted desert
dressed as an Injun. His character later turns out to
be named Mork (You guessed it.), and morphs into an
Eminen type dude and then a Hassid before revealing
his true nature.
The fast paced show,
including the movable cactus, takes place on a
pleasantly cartoonish set by Ken Loewit and is
effectively costumed by Elizabeth Tustian, including
Dale Place's various costume changes. That versatile
comic also plays various minor characters including
Grandma. Grandpappy is played by Jeff Gill, a failed
cowboy actor reduced to running a motel in the desert,
the setting for the second act. Grandpappy also
reveals a taste for Shakespeare and during a sandstorm
convincingly handles Lear's "tempest" speech. Gill
gets to end this production with a parody of the end
of "Cherry Orchard" set up by Keiller's exit lines.
The show is full of such intellectual humor as
seasoning to some good jokes, a few bellylaughs, and
effective physical comedy. "Heading for Eureka" never
quite makes it. "Eureka!" is famously translated from
the Greek as "I Have Found It!" What Sauer set out to
find roaming in the wilds of popular culture isn't
really clear, but that doesn't matter. The trip is
pleasant enough and the cast's top-drawer.
"Heading for Eureka" by George Sauer, May 26 - June
17
Centastage in Plaza Black Box
BCA, 539 Tremont, (617) 933 - 8600
CentAstage
The Flying Lings' ambitious premiere production of
Tuft's grad Marc Frost's neo-Brechtian satire "The
Churchyard Motel" is an ambitious attempt to focus on
homelessness, politics and personal responsibility,
complete with an anti-heroine and songs. Perhaps
inspired by the author's sojourn with Rough & Tumble
in "Apocalypso" last winter, the result falls very
flat, partially over lack of talent, but mostly
because the script makes very little sense. R&T been
working in their style for quite a while; it's not
easily replicated in a short rehearsal period with too
many neophyte actors. The show's seven songs, with a
rudimentary score by Marie-France MacDonald, don't
advance what storyline Frost's got but rather attempt
to comment on it. Maybe if anyone of the principals
could really sing it would help.
The show starts with a
too-soon annoying Dan Balkin as Ivan, a wannabe
member of the cast/crew who attempts to explain the
magic of theatre, as one presumes the author sees it.
The rudimentary stagecraft of this production doesn't
support much sense of wonder. Not soon enough he's
hustled off by Jennifer Regan, a member of the
ensemble who's evidently the stage manager and the
rest of the group drags out props and platforms. As
the main character, Annette, a pickpocket who's
supporting a crew of homeless folks hanging out in a
churchyard, Ann Moffett has a certain charm but really
hasn't that much to work with as the script careens
from incident to incident. Christopher Babayan as her
eventual rich husband is unconvincing on several
levels. Claire McKeown as Trixie the Tramp, Annette's
protector who runs a popular bawdy house, has presence
but can't always be understood, a problem that
afflicts other members of the cast from time to time.
Eliza Brunette has considerable presence at "Big
Sher", the mayor of where ever this show happens, and
almost talks her way through a song or two. Her role
however has more than one too many cliches. Patrick
Dorion as Andre, the Mayor's political adviser and
protege tries his best with unclear material while
Vincent C. Morreale as his assistant, the Mayor's
gofer, just manages to get through his part.
New theatre generally
deserves encouragement, but this production just isn't
ready for general consumption. It's a classic example
of the pitfalls directing one's own work, particularly
on this scale, is generally discouraged. "The
Churchyard Motel" also suggests that writing workshops
may not be the best way to develop a finished drama.
Closer analysis and one-on-one work with an
experienced director/dramaturg might give such a piece
a better chance. Ambition and concept just aren't
enough. Social comment by way of melodrama is very
tricky.
"The Churchyard Motel" by Marc Frost, May 25- June
3
The Flying Lings at Durrell Hall, Camb. YMCA
829 Mass. Ave. Central Sq., 1 (866) 811 - 4111
Company Website
The final offering
for the season from the A.R.T. is another dismal
reconception of a minor classic, this time one of
Pierre Marivaux's philosophical comedies from
pre-Revolutionary France. While their joint
production with SITI of "La Dispute" had some
amusement value, this mangled version of "L'Ile des
Esclaves" is set in grungy theatrical locale, this
time by David Zinn, using ideas left over from
"Orpheus X." Instead of an island off Greece ruled by
escaped slaves, director Robert Woodruff has
designated the locale to be a rundown basement club
featuring drag queens, presided over by Thomas Darrah
in a blond wig as Trivelin, the one of the five
original speaking characters in Marivaux's 11 scene
dissertation on overbearing masters and long-suffering
servants.
The first pairing of
master and slave washed up on this mythical shore are
John Campion, whose most notable part at the ART in
the past few seasons was Oedipus, as irascible
Iphicrate and ART veteran, Remo Airaldi as Arlequin,
his downtrodden smart-aleck slave. Next comes ART
original Karen MacDonald as Euphrosine, a hard
taskmasters and her sullen maid, Cleanthis, played by
newcomer Fiona Gallagher. The premise of this comedy.
blown much out of proportion in this production, is
that under the rule of this island's inhabitants,
masters must become slaves and vice versa. The drag
queen chorus (Freddy Franklin, Ryan Carpenter, Adam
Shanahan Airline Inthyrath, and Santio C. Cupon) is
evidently supposed to highlight this reversal, but
instead becomes manages to overshadow the argument of
the play, try as the cast might to get through
versions of the original confrontations. By the time
the situation is reconciled, with mutual apologies,
the audience is just glad the 90 minutes of
high-volume antics are over.
While Campion and Airaldi
manage to set things up in scene one, the rest of the
show can be summed up by the scene of Euphrosine's
humiliation midway through, where MacDonald shows her
loyalty to the ART by being strapped to a revolving
target wearing a pig mask while paint is thrown at her
by the queens. The original show played 127 times in
the repertory of the Theatre-Italien, an evolved
commedia troupe, between 1725-1768 despite the French
court's lack of enthusiasm for its preaching against
the mistreatment of servants. The play was revived
for the repertory of the Comedie-Francaise in 1930
and has had success recently in English language
productions even here in the States. But ramping up
the stakes of "L'Ile des Esclaves" rather timid
morality to the level of this ART effort, as in the
ART's previous excursion with "La Dispute," results in
another exercise of theatricality, this time tinged
with the theatre of cruelty accomplishing little other
than titillation. If there's a lesson about man's
inhumanity to man being taught, it's more typified by
the artistic license exercised onstage than by
anything in this abortive text.
"Island of Slaves" by Pierre Marivaux, May 13 - June
11
A.R.T.at Loeb Drama Center
64 Brattle St. Harvard Sq., (617) 547 - 8300
A.R.T.
The eighth Boston
Theatre Marathon, running for the second year
in May rather than in connection with the actual
event, showed some general improvement in the writing
of its 10 minute pieces, if not in the diversity of
participation or the ambitions of the work. Many of
the more notable works, from Robert Bonotto's opening
piece, "Mal Canto," an opera burlesque featuring Sara
DeLima and Robert Saoud with Jeffrey Goldberg at the
piano to Jack Neary's closer, a character study of two
actresses written for and performed by IRNE winners
Ellen Coulson and Bobbie Steinbach were sketches
appropriate for revues. Very few pieces tried to
complete a dramatic arc in 10 minutes. But the
entertainments were varied, including Richard Snee's
"Black Irish" performed with his wife Paula Plum or
Ted Reinstein's "Fine!", a political satire featuring
Barlow Adamson, Sean McGuirk, and Ilyse Robbins.
There were notable solo performances such as Ellen
Peterson's tough wife in Janet Kenney's "Weight,"
Kevin Dunkleberg's tattooed man in John Kuntz'
"Oscar," or on a more serious note, Cristi Miles in
J.K.Walsh's "Huma's Loom."
Past marathon participants
included Eliza Rose Fichter and Debra Wise playing
mother and mother in Patrick Gabridge's unique family
drama, Vince Siders and Jeff Gill in Jon Shanahan's
"Brushstroke." a rumination on artistic impulse and
Will Lyman and Melinda Lopez in Jon Lipsky's intense
duet, ""Belly of the Whale." Andrea Kennedy's "Bobby
Came Home" with Nathaniel McIntyre as a returning Iraq
War vet was a searing comment on the consequences of
combat. And Robert Mattson's "Martinis, Dry & Bitter"
gave Jennifer Condon another plum role seated at the
bar.
The Boston Theatre
Marathon continues to fulfill its place in the local
theatre scene as a charity event and a chance for the
diversity of local theatre companies, from the
Wellesley Summer Theatre doing Megan Maile Green's
"Theology Class" using members of their soon-to-open
"Ideal Husband" to the Portland Stage having fun with
Jason Wilkin's "Kickass Librarian," a variously
political sketch. It remains a chance to see the
range of actors already mentioned, plus groups such as
Rough & Tumble, who did part of their current piece,
"Hinterlands" which closes this coming weekend to QE2
who did George Sauer's "Miss Marple..." with Charlotte
Ann Dore, Jennifer Barton Jones, and Helen McElwain.
Sauer's latest, "Heading for Eureka" opens this
coming weekend next door in the Plaza. McElwain,
another Marathon veteran, also appeared in Leslie
Harrell Dillen's "Brain Surgery" opposite Robert
Murphy, who also showed up in Ernest Thompson's
"American Terrorist," another oblique swipe at current
affairs. And the listing could go on. Quite simply,
you hadda be there. Next year, go.
"Boston Theatre Marathon '06" by 50+ Playwrights,
Sunday May 21
sponsored by Boston Playwrights' Theatre in the
Wimberley, Calderwood Pavilion
BCA, 529 Tremont, Boston
Boston Playwrights'
Theatre
For this productions,
Rough & Tumble has metamorphosed into "The Hinterlands
Revue," a traveling variety troupe sometime in the
late 1920s, wandering the byways of Pennsylvania,
perhaps. Company veterans, Kristin Baker, Irene
Daley, and George Saulnier III are joined by David
Krinitt, Harry LaCoste, and two members of the Snappy
Dance Co., Tim Gallagher and Bonnie Duncan. Bonnie
has been the company's costumer for the past couple of
years and continues in that capacity. Director Dan
Milstein is largely responsible for the scenario and
script, though one senses the usual company input.
The show has a sense of melancholy as the troupe
struggles to deal with various crises and changes, but
also has a good deal of fun. The pace is leisurely
but will probably pick up as they run. Fred
Harrington's live contributions from the keyboard
might hurry them along faster.
They've configured the
Calderwood rehearsal hall differently this time,
facing the three-quarter seating towards the entrances
which are canvassed arcades like entering an old time
circus. The acting area is three-quarter with vintage
folding seating. Bring a pillow. Designer Jeremy
Barrett has created a large false proscenium which
rest against the balcony behind the acting area,
serving as the entrance for a rolling wagon and
various furniture units. There's juggling, dance,
acrobatics, etc. as behooves such a show, but also
some heartbreak. That's show-biz. Longtime Rough &
Tumble fans will relate to this stage of the company's
search for "theatre that doesn't suck."
"Hinterlands" by Dan Milstein et al., May 12 -
27
Rough & Tumble Theatre at Calderwood Rehearsal
Studio
BCA, 527 Tremont, (617) 933 - 8600
Rough &
Tumble
Vokes Players'
spectacular winter production of "Amadeus" was a hard
act to follow, and while the acting in "Wonder of the
World", another of David Lindsay-Abaire's skewed takes
on modern society and women in it is worth the
admission--if you can get a ticket--the technical
support for this offering is merely sufficient.
There's no organizing theme to the variety of scenes,
starting with the opening, This is one of those
production where the crew needs to incorporated in the
show, probably be costumes changes, unless some sort
of complex unit set's been devised.
The central character,
Cass Harris, is played with full out by Kathleen
Dalton, with David Wood as Kip, her husband with a
guilty secret, and more importantly, Kimberly McClure
as Lois, the woman she meets on her pilgrimage to
Niagara Falls. McClure's deft underplaying as an
abandoned and alcoholic wife planning to commit
suicide by going over the falls in a barrel forms a
predictable support to Dalton's flights of fancy. The
rest of this cast of comedians includes stalwart Bill
Stambaugh, the captain of the Maid of the Mist who
Cass takes up with, Deanna Swan and Brad Walters as a
pair of would-be private eyes Kip hires to locate her,
and most impressively, Anne Damon, as everyone else,
starting with a woman Cass buys a blonde wig from, the
pilot of a sightseeing helicopter--trying to overcome
a fear of heights, three waitresses at three different
themed restaurants--all in the same scene, and
finally, a marriage counselor who shows up wearing a
clown costume because she's just been volunteering at
a children's hospital. Kip incidently is afraid of
clowns.
Like Abaire's other two
notable plays, the cockeyed world view of "Wonder of
the World" must become believable. This cast under
Doug Sanders make it work. For their summer time
show, John Barrett will direct the Vokes Players
production of Arthur Miller's "The Crucible," a
landmark play which continues to resonate in the
American political landscape.
"Wonder of the World" by David Lindsay-Abaire, May
4 - 20
Vokes Players at Vokes Theatre
RT#20, Wayland MA, (508) 358 - 4034
Vokes
Players
Previous scripts by Vladimir Zelevinsky,
playwright-in-residence at the Theatre Coop in
Somerville have required considerably more actors and
were set in fabled locations. "Manifest/Destiny" has
only four players, a few props and bits of furniture,
but has a boatload of characters from several
centuries and encompasses the entire United States,
the Atlantic and Europe. In some ways, it's a perfect
show for Theatre Coop's finale at the Peabody House on
Broadway, Somerville, about six blocks north of the
Sullivan Sq. T-station.
Zelevinsky has distilled the immigrant
experience with some emphasis on the experience of
Jewish and Irish emigres, and concentrating mostly on
the 19th century. The central motif of the first
part, "Manifest," has a mixed group of steerage
passengers crossing the Atlantic in a leaking steamer.
To pass the time they speak of their past lives and
their manner of going to the New World. The goals and
tragedies of their lives are well considered and make
an almost tragic arc. The second section is not as
polished while detailing the further travels of
newcomers from the East Coast into the West. This
material needs more focus and a more forceful
conclusion, but has several moving sections and a bit
more humor. Perhaps some reference to the current
immigration crisis would be appropriate as a coda.
For the last nine seasons, the Theatre
Cooperative has produced a variety of
thought-provoking plays, often as regional premieres.
Attendance and fundraising have been erratic, so the
company is going on hiatus, leaving its current home.
"Manifest/Destiny" featuring Robert Doris, Linda
Goetz, Korinne Hertz, and John McClain could however
be easily staged almost anywhere, so we might look for
its further development and reappearance next season.
But why take the chance? Parking isn't that difficult
along Broadway and public transportation is an option.
Help the Theatre Coop to a graceful exit.
"Manifest/Destiny" by Vladimir Zelevinsky, May 12 -
27
The Theatre Cooperative at Eliz.Peabody House
277 Broadway, Somerville (617) 625 -1300
Theatre
Cooperative
After a season of
shows with serious social comment of one sort or
another, the Lyric and Spiro Veloudos returns to their
other speciality--farce with no obvious redeeming
social value, except good-natured laughter. Jack
Neary's last original play on their stage was "Beyond
Belief," giving his bitter sweet comic take on the
tribulations of the Church, but in "Kong's Night Out"
it's competitive human nature and basic silliness to
the fore. The cast couldn't be more suitable.
To start with, Larry
Coen is Myron Segal, the hapless producer of "Foxy
Felicia," a frothy new 1933 musical set to open the
same night his arch-rival Carl Denham is showing his
new attraction, "the eighth wonder of the world." up
the street. Myron''s invested his mother Sally's life
savings in the show. She's a stripper played by IRNE
winner Ellen Coulton. He's also dependent on
M.J.J.Cashman's Siegfried Higginbottom, a foreign
investor with a yen for Sally. To add to Segal's
problems, his niece, Daisy, shows up from Buffalo. She
wants to get into show business, has an important
letter from his sister which Myron ignores, and is
played by Lordan Napoli, making a triumphant return to
the Lyric. Then there's Steve Gagliastro as Segal's
gun-toting henchman, Willie, who's improving his
vocabulary. Willie and Daisy hit it off right away.
Segal's wife, an actress named Bertille, played full
out by New Rep stalwart Rachel Harker, is secretly
carrying on an affair with Denham, played by
Redfeather's Timothy Smith. Myron didn't give her
the lead in "Foxy Felicia." To complete the
confusion, there's BU grad Sarah Abrams as blonde Ann
Darrow, the focus of Kong's desire and Gold Dust
Orphan Christopher Loftus as Jack, her heroic--but not
too bright--fiance.
Robert M. Russo's art deco
set has a back wall of doors with downstage entrances
left and right, so the toing and froing gets quite
frantic. Kong even puts in a partial appearance.
IRNE winner Gail Astrid Buckley as usual has a field
day with costumes for the ladies, from Harker's
backless wonder and Coulton's velvet creation to
Napoli's girlish get-ups. Neary's been working on
this script since 2001 and this world premiere marks
its final period of refinement. He's also about to
open a new musical "Ring a Ding Ding" at the Firehouse
in Newburyport, has a one-act in the Theatre Marathon
on May 21, and is opening an adaptation of "The Turn
of the Screw" at Smith College's New Century Theatre
on June 15th. See 'em all.
"Kong's Night Out" by Jack Neary, May 5 - June
3
Lyric Stage Co. at Copley YWCA
140 Clarendon, (617) 585-5678
Lyric Stage
Co.
Speakeasy's N.E.
premiere of Kuschner & Tesori's Tony nominated music
drama, "Caroline or Change"--in association with North
Shore Music Theatre--is a challenge for their
established expertise, the excellent cast of mostly
local singers, and the audience's attention. This
modern "folk opera", with Tesori's usual eclectic mix
of musical styles ranging from Motown to klezmer, from
classical to jazz is sung-through using Kushner's
heightened prose for most of the show. Award-winning
actress Jacqui Parker, the artistic director of Our
Place Theatre and the African-American Theatre
Festival plays the title character, a disappointed
but determined divorcee, supporting her three younger
children working as a maid for the Gellmans, a
well-off Jewish family in Port Charles, Louisiana.
Her oldest son is in the Army in Vietnam. Her oldest
daughter Emmie, sung by Shavanna Calder, is becoming
increasingly rebellious and Black. It's late fall
1963. The Gellman's young son, Noah, played by Jacob
Brandt, misses his mother terribly, especially since
his father Stuart, played by Michael Mendiola, has
just remarried one of the boy's late mother's friends,
Rose, played by Sarah Corey.
This might all sound like
a soup opera set against the background of JFK's
asassination and the rising turmoil of the '60s, but
Kuschner and Tesori start off the show with a comic
abstraction. Caroline's first scene is alone in the
basement, doing the daily laundry. Her companions are
the washer, the dryer, and the radio. These all
"sing"; this is an opera of sorts. The Washing Machine
is sung by A'lisa D. Miles, resplendent in white
wearing an elaborate head wrap. She also appears
later in the show as the Moon, a bit like something
out of "The Magic Flute." The almost satanic Dryer
wearing a pompadour and ruffles is sung down and dirty
by Brian Richard Robinson, Robinson also appears
twice later as the Bus, symbolized by its driver, with
a placard round his neck directing negro passengers to
the back of the vehicle. The Radio is sung by Emilie
Battle, Nikki Stephenson and Anich D'Jae Wright, in
pink party dresses complete with elbow length gloves,
with a MoTown sound and all the moves. The show's
choreography was done by Jackie Davis. Even though
the script has a basis in Kuschner's childhood in
Louisiana and some family traumas, almost everything
is stylized to some degree, so that moments of
realistic acting become all the more powerful. The
three grandparents, the Gellmans, played by Dorothy
and Dick Santos, and Rose's old radical father, played
by Sean McGuirk, form a base for this reality. Father
expresses himeslf as often on the clarinet as through
speech, while Rose, a transplanted New Yorker,
rejected by her stepson and unsatisfied by her new
husband, is in a quandary.
Caroline's interaction
outside of her place of employment is largely with
Dotty Moffet, played with sincerity by Merle Perkins.
Dotty is dressing in current styles and attending
night classes at the community college. The two grow
further apart as Caroline's frustration and suspicion
about change grows. She clings fiercely to her family
as Emmie tries to become her own person, and the
younger two, Jackie played by Breanna Bradlee, and
Joe, played by Dominic Gates, try to please their
mother. Throughout this complex story, Tesori's
eclectic music leads the way under music director Jose
Delgado's able control. Each character has an
effective and appropriate sound, with Davis' strong
alto at the center. Director Paul Daigneault has
assembled an experienced and committed ensemble
resulting in a unified show despite its at times
rarified styling. Eric Levenson's unit set with set
pieces on wagons, well-served by John R. Malinowwski's
area lighting keeps the focus of the characters. Gail
Astrid Buckley's costumes are of the period without
drawing attention to themselves, except for the
abstract characters. Once again, Speakeasy has
brought a complete and satisfying contemporary
production to the BCA.
"Caroline or Change" - Tony Kuschner & Jean Tesori,
May 5 - June 3
Speakeasy Stage Co. in Roberts Studio, Calderwood
BCA, 527 Tremont , (617) 933 - 8600
Speakeasy
Stage Co.
The New Rep is
finishing up their inaugural season at the Arsenal
Center for the Arts with an impressive mounting of
Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty's award-winning music
drama, "Ragtime". The book was adapted by
multiple-Tony winner Terrence McNally from
E.L.Doctrow's lauded panoramic historical novel. The
excellent cast, New Rep's largest to date, is
anchored by IRNE Award winner Leigh Barrett as Mother
in a role which uses all her best talents. She's
partnered by veteran music theatre performer Peter
Edmund Haydu as Father, last seen locally in the New
Rep's "Christmas Carol" as Marley et al. The more
romantic duo of Coalhouse Walker Jr., the ragtime
piano player from Harlem and his girl, Sarah, are
played by NYU Vocal performance grad Maurice
E. Parent, who's done the role in NYC, and Stephanie
Umoh, a BosCon BFA candidate. Both bring charm and
power to their roles. Representing the third element
in "Ragtime"'s melting pot, singer and comedian
Robert Saoud has his most fulfilling role in a long
time as Tateh, the Lativian emigre artist who starts
out ragged selling silhouettes on the street in front
of a tenement on the lower East Side and winds up in
California making silent movies for the nickolodeons,
all for his motherless daughter.
Primary casting for rest
of the ensemble has June Babolan as anarchist Emma
Goldman, Dee Crawford as the Gospel Singer, Aimee
Doherty as showgirl Evelyn Nesbit, Paul D. Farwell as
firechief Willie Conklin, Frank Gayton as Henry Ford,
Paul Giragos as Harry Houdini, Austin Lesch as
Mother's Younger Brother, big Bill Molnar as
financier J.P. Morgan, Sophie Rich as Tateh's
daughter, and Samuel A Wartenberg as Mother's young
son. All these singers, dancers, and scene shifters
join as many other members of cast in various large
numbers as director Rick Lombardo and choreographer
Kelli Edwards meld them into a seamless ensemble.
The entire company numbers more than thirty, not
counting appropriately attired music director Todd. C.
Gordon visibly conducting from a keyboard his seven
member orchestra on a bandstand hovering over
backstage left.
Audiences who've
experienced this classic American music drama downtown
in one of the barns, or even in one of several
community productions, such as Footlight's IRNE
winning effort, have a chance to get close-up and
involved in another excellent New Rep musical effort.
Most members of the ensemble plays several parts in
this panorama of turn of the century American in and
around New York, all are firmly in period and place
under Lombardo's skilled direction. Janie E.
Howland's movable set pieces form and reform the
playing areas, Francis Nelson McSherry and Molly
Trainer deserve their equal billing for a set of
superb costumes and many, many changes, and Dorian Des
Lauriers' black and white (mostly) projections expand
the scope of various scenes. "Ragtime" is a glorious
end to a very impressive first season in Watertown for
the new New Rep in its 21st year.
"Ragtime", lyrics & music - Ahrens & Flaherty; book by
McNally, Dates
New Repertory Theatre at Arsenal Center for the
Arts
123 Arsenal St. Watertown, (617) 923 - 8487
New Repertory
Theatre
The New Rep is
finishing up their inaugural season at the Arsenal
Center for the Arts with an impressive mounting of
Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty's award-winning music
drama, "Ragtime". The book was adapted by
multiple-Tony winner Terrence McNally from
E.L.Doctrow's lauded panoramic historical novel. The
excellent cast, New Rep's largest to date, is
anchored by IRNE Award winner Leigh Barrett as Mother
in a role which uses all her best talents. She's
partnered by veteran music theatre performer Peter
Edmund Haydu as Father, last seen locally in the New
Rep's "Christmas Carol" as Marley et al. The more
romantic duo of Coalhouse Walker Jr., the ragtime
piano player from Harlem and his girl, Sarah, are
played by NYU Vocal performance grad Michael E.
Parent, who's done the role in NYC, and Sarah Umoh, a
BosCon BFA candidate. Both bring charm and power to
their roles. Representing the third element in
"Ragtime"'s melting pot, singer and comedian Robert
Saoud has his most fulfilling role in a long time as
Tateh, the Lativian emigre artist who starts out
ragged selling silhouettes on the street in front of a
tenement on the lower East Side and winds up in
California making silent movies for the nickolodeons,
all for his motherless daughter.
Primary casting for rest
of the ensemble has June Babolan as anarchist Emma
Goldman, Dee Crawford as the Gospel Singer, Aimee
Doherty as showgirl Evelyn Nesbit, Paul D. Farwell as
firechief Willie Conklin, Frank Gayton as Henry Ford,
Paul Giragos as Harry Houdini, Austin Lesch as
Mother's Younger Brother, big Bill Molnar as
financier J.P. Morgan, Sophie Rich as Tateh's
daughter, and Samuel A Wartenberg as Mother's young
son. All these singers, dancers, and scene shifters
join as many other members of cast in various large
numbers as director Rick Lombardo and choreographer
Kelli Edwards meld them into a seamless ensemble.
The entire company numbers more than thirty, not
counting appropriately attired music director Todd. C.
Gordon visibly conducting from a keyboard his seven
member orchestra on a bandstand hovering over
backstage left.
Audiences who've
experienced this classic American music drama downtown
in one of the barns, or even in one of several
community productions, such as Footlight's IRNE
winning effort, have a chance to get close-up and
involved in another excellent New Rep musical effort.
Most members of the ensemble plays several parts in
this panorama of turn of the century American in and
around New York, all are firmly in period and place
under Lombardo's skilled direction. Janie E.
Howland's movable set pieces form and reform the
playing areas, Francis Nelson McSherry and Molly
Trainer deserve their equal billing for a set of
superb costumes and many, many changes, and Dorian Des
Lauriers' black and white (mostly) projections expand
the scope of various scenes. "Ragtime" is a glorious
end to a very impressive first season in Watertown for
the new New Rep in its 21st year.
"Ragtime", lyrics & music - Ahrens & Flaherty; book by
McNally, Dates
New Repertory Theatre at Arsenal Center for the
Arts
123 Arsenal St. Watertown, (617) 923 - 8487
New Repertory
Theatre
Brian Dykstra's
post-modern grande guignol, "Hiding Behind
Comets," just opening as Zeitgeist's final offering of
the season, is one of those contemporary theatre
pieces which pretend to explore hard-edged reality,
but which confuse the sensational with the
significant. If the script were subjected to the main
character's test whether it should live or die, "HBC"
would fail. But like a car wreck by the side of the
road, this four actor, one set show will probably
continue to lure in small theatres until the next
example of this depressing trend in current script
writing comes along.
Briefly, this brief
two-acter takes place in a roadside bar somewhere
boring in northern California. A thuggish stranger
has shown up. The young bartender, Troy, played by
Greg Raposa, seen in "The Fox" earlier this season, is
arguing with his fraternal twin sister, Honey, played
by Olivia Rizzo. She wants him to close early--it's
around midnight--and come with her and his slutty
girlfriend, Erin, played by Kelley Estes, to a party
down the road. The older man, Cole, is Rick Park,
veteran local actor. At the end of the first act,
after a good deal of sexual innuendo,involving a long
ambivalent scene between Cole and Honey, followed by a
long confessional monologue from Cole, the girl's
leave. Cole and Troy face off, the incipient mystery
rears its head,resulting in a "significant" curtain
line. There's a suspicion that a play might develop
in the second act, but the first has the air of a
padded one-act, and with editing, would play well as
such, though probably not in ten minutes.
What develops in the second
part, however, is a series of vaguely Absurdist
confrontations between Troy and Cole which become
increasingly violent. By the conclusion, the question
becomes who will kill who, with no clear reason why.
We're in Shepard country without a map. "Hiding
Behind Comets," which takes its title from an oblique
reference to the suicidal Heaven's Gate cult, trades
on the fading memory of Jonestown to create
melodramatic frisson with no real purpose other
than violence for its own sake. While "stuff happens"
may be the message of the evening news--and the
current political morass--more is expected of drama.
Zeitgeist's David J. Miller has once again found a
script with limited moral value, given it a realistic
production, and invited an audience. With the other
choices currently available around town, he shouldn't
be surprised if they don't come. Like the set, which
is very realistic, except for the main wall behind the
action, which has the entrances and a window, but is
merely one side of the black box, there's something
missing in this show which can't be salvaged by Park's
impressive acting skills. Raposa manages to keep up
most of the time, but the two recent theatre grads
playing the girls are left far behind. And the
audience is left wondering if they've just watched a
staged treatment for a low budget M or X rated film.
Or whatever.
Seen in Preview
"Hiding Behind Comets" by Brian Dykstra, April 30 -
May 20
Zeitgeist Stage Company in Plaza Black Box
BCA, 259 Tremont, (617) 933-8600
Zeitgeist
Recent revivals of
this vintage '50s musical have seemed a bit
irrelevant, but NSMT's Jon Kimbell hit upon the
perfect way to update the show without significantly
changing its basic period quality. Their current
version, doctored up by Joe DiPietro of "I Love You,
You're...etc." fame, replaces the defunct Washington
Senators with our hometown team, laboring under the
curse back in 1957. Red Sox marketing is on board, so
opening night featured a visit from Wally, the Green
Monster, to warm up the crowd. Director Barry Ivan
keeps his crack cast on track with the period. The
costumes include replica '50s uniforms on the team and
period dress for the women. Vintage performances are
turned in by Kay Walbye and Richard Pruitt as Meg
and Joe, with sturdy George Merrick as young Joe
Hardy, the baseball hero. The low comedy is supplied
by local talent, Becky Barta and Mary Callanan as
unabashed fans of the young hunk.
The show biz glitz comes from Jim Walton and
Shannon Lewis as Applegate, the demon agent, and
Lola, his devilishly attractive side-kick. Walton
brings the right air of delicious villainy to his role
while Lewis vamps her way through the part Gwen Verdon
made famous. And it's all basically PG with hearth and
home as the central values of the plot as Applegate
returns from whence he came at the end, continuing to
damn the Red Sox to frustration until the next
millennium. You see, the poor devil's a Yankee
fan.
"Damn Yankees" by Adler & Ross, Abbott & Wallop, Apr.
27 - May 14
North Shore Music Theatre at Dunham Woods
Dunham Rd., Beverly MA, (978) 232 - 7200
North Shore Music
Theatre
The Actors'
Shakespeare Project's final offering of the season,
the Bard's seldom done "All's Well That Ends Well",
directed by the company's Artistic Director and
founder, Benjamin Evett, displays their increasingly
tight ensemble work. Casting within the company ,
however, has resulted in two distinctive performers,
John Kuntz and Jennie Israel, taking the romantic
leads, rather against type. The duo, at odds for 95
percent of the action, is almost impossible to bring
together in the closing scene, and as in "Measure for
Measure," another dramatic comedy, the result isn't
very satisfying. Israel, the company's Associate
Artistic Director, played Lady Macbeth for CSC and
was effective last fall as Goneril in "King Lear,"
but, as Helena, comes across rather flat in this
lighter part. Kuntz, who played Rich. III in the
company's inaugural production, is a believably
spoiled young noble, Bertram Count Rossillion, but
doesn't project the romantic aura the role requires..
However, the play is rich enough that its array of
lesser characters, including LaVache, the family fool,
also played by Kuntz, make this a rewarding
production.
Two central characters are
particularly effective. As the Countess, Bertram's
widowed mother, Boston acting legend Paula Plum shows
her varied talents, adding more comedy than is usual
to the role in scenes with LaVache. Shakespeare &
Co.'s Allyn Burrows', who appeared in ASP's "Measure
for Measure" as The Duke, and was Kent in "Lear, "
makes the most of Capt. Parolles, Bertram's dishonest
associate. His comic downfall provides the play's
secondary complication, and serves as a foil to
Bertram's own dissembling. Award-winning actress
Bobbie Steinbach is also entertaining playing aged
Lord LaFeu, adviser to both the Countess and the King,
and doubling as a noble Widow in Florence, mother to
Ellen Adair's Diana, the object of Bertram's transient
affections and the key to the plot. David Gullette
from the Poet's Theatre is believable as the King, the
cause of the action, who must finally sort out the
result. The remaining three of the ensemble of ten
actors, who play named parts, members of the military,
and various servants, are Paula Langton and Greg
Steres, as the noble brothers Dumain and Risher
Reddick as the inept Duke of Florence and Rinaldo, the
Countess' steward. They keep the show rolling along,
manipulating Caleb Wertenbaker's ingenious formal set
with minimal furniture and three trunks on wheels
which form set pieces and hold many of the costume
changes.
This time, ASP has
arranged Durrell Hall so that seating is against and
on the permanent stage, with the acting area on a
painted map on the main floor and partially under the
balcony. Live music is provided by fiddler Oisin
Conway, who also speaks the epilogue, and pianist
Natty Smith who also gets to turn the signs which
indicate whether scenes are in Rossillion, Paris, or
Florence. Most of the cast sings a mixture of ballads,
madrigals, and folk tunes to help with transitions
between scenes. There's a particularly effective
choral piece before Bertram's assignation which is
played up in Durrell's actual balcony. Evett and
company have created an effective, entertaining, and
understandable production with much to offer. The
limitations of the principal characters are implicit
in the tale itself, which Shakespeare borrowed from
Boccacio, and which he may tried earlier in a lost
version entitled "Love's Labor Won."
"All's Well That Ends Well" by Shakespeare, Apr. 20 -
May 14
Actors' Shakespeare Project at Durrell Hall, Camb.
YMCA
800 Mass. Ave, Camb, 1 (866) 811 - 4111 (TM)
A.S.P.
The latest edition of
Dan Goggin's "Nunsense" saga takes the Little Sisters
of Hoboken to Las Vegas to present a revue in return
for a donation to their school, Mt. St. Helen. Still
a crowd-pleaser, the joke is wearing thin.
"Nunsensations" has little new to offer, musically or
lyrically. Several of the songs are clearly out of
the trunk and could be dropped into any previous
version unnoticed. Goggin's has found a successful
formula which perhaps makes the best use of his
talents for harmless parody.
nbsp; The cast of "Nunsensations"
features Bonnie Lee as Rev. Mother Mary Regina,
complete with Irish brogue with Bambi Jones as Sr.
Mary Hubert, her second in command, more in charge
than ever. Carolyn Drocoski, who's been involved with
the Nunsense for 18 years and who directed Lyric's
production of "Meshaggah-Nuns!" two seasons ago, is
Brooklyn born Sr. Robert Anne, tough as ever,
Emerson grad Jeanne Tinker plays Sr. Mary Paul aka
Amnesia, ditsy as ever. Her irrepressible sidekick
Sr. Mary Annette has only one appearance, however.
(She's just tried out for "Ave. Q".) Sr. Mary Leo, the
dancer, is Carrie Keskinen, who completes what's
billed as the world premiere cast of this show. All
five display considerable comedic talent and are in
fine voice. "Nunsense" fans--and there may be legions
of them--won't be disappointed or surprised.
nbsp; Stoneham will be following
this show with more visitors from Las Vegas, a
recreation of "The Rat Pack." They'll be opening
their fall season in Sept. with Cole Porter's vintage
show "You Never Know."
"Nunsensations" by Dan Googin, April 20 - 30
Stoneham Theatre
395 Main St. Stoneham MA, (781) 279 - 2200
Stoneham
Theatre
Those familiar with
Oliver Sacks' anecdotal study of neurological
anomalies, "The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat"
will find some of the more striking references from
that work embedded in this collage of interactions
between doctors and patients. Those familiar with the
recent work of Peter Brook will recognize the
transformations the four actors undergo in this short
effort. In the course of 75 minutes, each plays
doctors confronting men suffering from some
abberation of perception. These unique symptoms
suggest the malleability of reality, at least for the
individual. There are of course no conclusions or
judgements, and no patients with secondary clinical
diagnoses.
The cast, directed by
Wesley Savick consists of IRNE winner Steven
Barkhimer, Robert Bonotto, Owen Doyle, and Jim
Spencer. Barkhimer was last seen for the Nora in Van
Gogh in Japan, as was Robert Bonotto. Both were seen
this fall at the Lyric in Steve Martin's version of
"The Underpants." Owen Doyle appeared recently in "A
Prayer for Owen Meany" at Stoneham. Jim Spencer was
in Nora's "Antigone: last season and was nominated for
an IRNE for his role in ACT's "City Preacher" by Ed
Bullins. Director Savick recently directed "Theatre
District" for Speakeasy, and Zayd Dorhn's IRNE winning
"Permanent Whole Life'" at Boston Playwrights'. The
show has the polish one would expect from such an
ensemble.
In a piece of nonlinear
theatre like this, the arc of the action comes from
connections made between its disperate elements. As
the ensemble moves from the calming attitude of the
neurologists to the varying degrees of agitation shown
by their patients, the depth of the failure of
perception becomes painfully clear. And the common
dilemma shared by both classes is heightened as doctor
becomes patient and vice versa. There are a few
bravura moments, carried off by Barkhimer and Doyle,
while Bonotto and Spencer have quieter epiphanies.
The simple truth of the show however, is that there is
no cure for these problems, a very sobering thought.
Like the rest of life, they can only be dealt with.
"The Man Who", Apr.20 - May 7
Nora Theatre Co. at Boston Playwrights'
949 Comm. Ave. Allston, 1 (866) 811 - 4111
Nora Theatre Co.
As with other workss
by this author, Chicago playwright Rebecca Gilman's
"The Sweetest Swing in Baseball" takes a potentially
interesting question about the intersection of social
responsibility and personal life and oversimplifies
it. Her instincts trend toward melodrama and her
characters are essentially stereotypes which even
experienced actors may have trouble overcoming. This
play did well enough in London with Gillian Andersen
in the lead, but has run into criticismon this side of
the pond in San Francisco and in Chicago where it's
about to close.
The main character is
Dana, a contemporary painter, played with conviction
by Sarah Woodhouse, seen last fall at ASP as Cordelia.
Here she's possibly miscast, but seems to be enjoying
the role, with its range of misery and madness, real
and imagined. The author has provided her with a
reported troubled background and some snappy
responses, but there's not enough to make the audience
really care. The other four actors in the cast each
play two parts, not necessarily related. Two IRNE
winners, Chris Brophy and Maureen Keillor have
important, but ultimately not pivotal roles. Chris,
fresh from touring as Macbeth for the New Rep, plays
Dana's boyfriend, a frustrated artist who leaves her,
which may precipitate her suicide attempt and
a psychopathic thug in the institution where she's
checked in. The strongest scene is an agon between
the two of them in the occupational therapy room which
unfortunately doesn't really get anywhere. Keillor
plays the owner of the gallery where Dana's last show
is a failure and her psychologist, Dr. Gilbert.
The artist's had several therapists during the last
few years. Rhonda the gallery owner is practically a
stock character and Dr. Gilbert's one interesting
detail, that she trained to be a dancer, is never
explored. It's just another factoid.
Similarly, the characters
played by Eve Passeltiner and Adam Soule don't get
beyond the traits Gilman has assigned them.
Passeltiner is Rhonda's ambitious assistant and
briefly, Dr. Stanton, the head of the institution, an
old friend of Dana's former therapist--who died. As
the assistant, she's befriended Dana, and would really
like her to change allegiances when she starts her own
gallery. The conflict between her friendship and
self-interest is never really tested. Soule briefly
plays an up-and-coming young artist, almost a walkon,
and Michael, an alcoholic prone to binges.The
latter character is gay computer programmer, which
might be relevant but seems merely trendy. The real
problem is that in eighty minutes, even with a skilled
ensemble, there's not enough time to develop
relationships between these characters which might
lead to drama. Instead, the author seems almost be
writing a parody of a parable about her own recent
rise to transient fame. Gilman relies on one-liners
and blackout scenes rather than actual confrontations.
Moreover, the conceit that the leading character in
order to stay longer at this institution than her
cheap health insurance will allow, pretends to be
Darryl Strawberry and finds some kind of psychic
salvation thereby is a joke without a punchline, and
possibly exploitative. London audiences might have
accepted a Canadian playing an American artist
pretending--rather badly--to be a Black baseball
superstar with a checkered past and a drug habit, but
here, it strikes out, to employ an obvious metaphor,
as Gilman too often does.
BTW is also hosting a breif
late night run of "Gorilla Man", a definitely edgy
entertainment. Check their website for details.
The Sweetest Swing in Baseball", April 13 - May 6
Boston Theatre Works in Plaza Theatre, BCA
539 Tremont , (617) 933 - 8600
Boston
Theatre Works
After two fairly
serious show's aimed at older children, WFT's spring
offering is a technologically updated version of a
1976 adaptation of Roald Dahl's darkly comic classic,
"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." Richard C. George
script is fairly typical children's theatre fare, even
with director/designer James P. Byrne's showmanship.
Dahl's literary merit is quickly lost in the
toing-and-froing. Turning the narrator into a T.V.
news personality, Played by Dan Bolton, and using
video to separate the sections of the story doesn't
disguise the oversimplification of the tale and its
moral. But squads of kids get to participate, as stage
children, as Oompa-Loompas, and as Squirrels.
The role of the mysterious
chocolatier, Willy Wonka, is taken by WFT General
manager Jane Staab, who won't be mistaken for either
Gene Wilder or Johnny Depp. Charlie Bucket is played
by Khalil K. Fleming, seem this time last year as
Jack. His Grandpa Joe is done by WFT veteran Mansur,
while Grandma Josephine falls another regular, Ilyse
Robbins. Mr. Bucket is Harold Withee, currently
touring with the New Rep's Macbeth while Mrs. is done
by Jackie Davis from Our Place Theatre. Both were seen
last December in "Promises, Promises." The four other
holders of the wonderful Golden Ticket, which lets
lucky children tour the Chocolate Factory are Andrew
Schlager(gluttonous Augustus Gloop), Talia
Weingarten(demanding Veruca Salt), Laura
Morell(gum-chewing Violet Beauregarde). and, from
Stoneham--seen last fall in "Pal Joey, "--Andrew
Barbato as (TV addict Mike Teavee). Each meets their
appropriate fate with adequate theatrical effects.
Their parents are Susan Bigger (Mrs. Gloop), John
Davin and Lisa Korak( the wealthy Salts), Gamalia
Pharms (Mrs. Beaurergarde), and Darius Omar Williams
as Major TeaVee. Greg Nash is Grandpa George, and
Pharms doubles as Grandma Georgina,
The show takes place on a
simple set and in the house, lit by IRNE winner John
R. Malinowski. It was choreographed by IRNE winner
Laurel Stachowicz, with costumes by Lisa Simpson, who
also dresses the Gold Dust Orphans. Andy Aldous
handled the sound, Tim McCarthy produced the Comedy
Central style videos along with animator Michael
Duplessis. The electronic captioning from c2 fits
right into the rest of the effects. Fans of the book
may find a few things missing, and those who just saw
the most recent movie will notice some differences. If
there's no edgier script available for this first
book, perhaps someone should extract one from "Charlie
and the Great Glass Elevator," Dahl's sequel, a take
on the future and space travel--circa 1972.
"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (1976) adapted
by Rich. C. George, Apr. 7 - May 14
Wheelock Family Theatre at Wheelock College
200 The Riverway, Boston (617) 879 - 2300
Wheelock Family
Theatre
The Out of the Blue
Co. is currently presenting their annual Actors'
Equity Showcase production of a new play at the Boston
Playwrights' Theatre. This year it's "The Maternal
Instinct" by BPT alumna Monica Bauer. The script
began as a 10 minute script called "Ouch" and has
grown into a two act full-length play. Still
seemingly in development, not all of its scenes seem
quite fully grown. Moreover, it's hard to decide
whether this is a 21st century family drama with comic
moments, or a very dark comedy of contemporary
manners.
The principle characters
are a married lesbian couple--this being
Massachusetts. Alisha Jansky plays Sarah, a special
ed teacher, the wife of Lillian, an ambitious
professor of biochemistry at one of our universities,
played by Karen Woodward Massey. Sarah wants a baby,
Lillian is unalterably opposed. Lillian's sister,
Emma, who has two kids of her own, played by Rena
Baskin, has been conspiring with Sarah to find a
donor. Eventually this role falls to Lillian's friend
and mentor, Fred, the head of her department, played
by Stephen Cooper. Eachmember of this unlikely menage
a trois has an encounter in the Public Garden with an
incoherent drunken woman whose vocabulary consisted
mostly of the word "Ouch." Played by Elise
Manning,this homeless souse, who is also pregnant,
provides a catalyst for the final action, or so it
seems. Like many current scripts, things are left
rather up in the air as the lights fade out for the
last time.
Production values on a
set by Loann West are basic but sufficient. A
full-scale production for this 13 scene play might
require a revolve and a small side wagon, but this
version survives without them. The ensemble acquits
itself well under Melissa J. Wentworth's direction,
going for realistic rather than comic timing in most
cases. The viewpoint of the play does veer from
almost satirical to realistic emotions with no clear
line of action, however. Still, the social problems
it explores, and the deeper question of how family
background influences adult relationships, are
interestingly developed, worth attention--and further
rewrites.
"The Maternal Instinct" by Monica Bauer, March 30 -
April 16
Out of the Blue Theatre Co. at Boston Playwrights'
Theatre
949 Comm. Ave. Allston, (866) 811 - 4111
Out of the Blue
Sondheim fans who
missed the Vokes' production last fall, or who would
like to catch "Merrily WE Roll Along" again, can spend
an energetic evening with the Longwood Players, a
recent addition to community based production
companies in the city. Heading up the strong ensemble
cast for this revival of a 1981 show--revised and
revised again until it finally worked in 1994--are Don
Ringuette as Frank Shepard (Inc.), Michael Kripchak as
Charley Kringas, his best friend and lyricist, and
Katie Pickett as Mary Flynn, a novelist and their
longtime friend. They're joined by Shannon Muhs as
Frank's first wife Beth, Frances Betlyon as his second
wife, Broadway star Gussie Carnegie, plus Kevin
Ashworth as Gussie's first husband, Joe Josephson, a
producer and Clint Randell as Tyler, their friend who
invents the phone answering machine, and invests in
their shows.
Director Lisa Hackman makes
the show's backwards plot work as well as it can--the
first scene is in 1976 and the show ends in 1957, and
the ensemble with the help of costume designer Deborah
Hobson moves back through the periods. The set is
well conceived by Amy Vlastelica but the execution
could be refined. Music director Jeremy Lang gets a
good sound out of his eight piece ensemble while vocal
director Paul Mattal prepared the cast for some of
Sondheim's tricker passages quite sufficiently.
Casting a show where the actors must seem to be twenty
years older in the opening scene at a Hollywood party
than at the end where they're on a rooftop in the
Village watching Sputnik overhead is a feat in itself.
What this production lacks in polish, it makes up for
in energy. And it fits quite well into Durrell Hall.
"Merrily We Roll Along" by Stephen Sondheim & Geo.
Furth, Mar 31 - Apr. 8
Longwood Players in Durrell Hall, Camb. YMCA
820 Mass. Ave., Central Sq. (1-800) 595 -4TIX
Longwood
Players
Rinde Eckert's second
effort at post-modern opera for the A.R.T is even more
self-referential than his first sojourn, "Highway
Ulysses," two seasons ago. This time the author
composer's front and center himself as Orpheus,
modernized into a popstar singer/songwriter. Euridyce
isn't his wife in this version, she's a poetess
accidentally killed by the cab X's riding in one
night. The part's sung by Suzan Hanson, last heard at
the ART in Philip Glass' "Sound of a Voice." This
time she's also seen nude in the video loops by
Brookline's Denise Marika which form an integral part
of the spectacle. The remaining two roles are done by
John Kelly, seen last season as Cupid in "Dido, Queen
of Carthage". He plays Orpheus' business manager and
then Persephone, Queen of the Dead, without changing
costume however.
This 90 minute project,
directed by Robert Woodruff, has interesting moments,
and as a gloss on the legend, thematic potential.
Writing on the walls is once again prominent, and
possibly more meaningful for this story. David Zinn's
abstract set revisits the reflective qualities of
plexiglas and features two faux steel beams as
projection surfaces for Marika's contribution. IRNE
winner Christopher Akerlind's lighting compliments the
scenery. The show has occasional flashes of
brilliance, but somehow seems very indulgent.
Artistic self-absorbtion as a theme is limiting,
especially when production effects overshadow the
music. There's an impression that the author,
composer, and main actor would play all the parts if
he could.
"Orpheus X"" by Rinde Eckert,
ART at Zero Arrow St.
Corner Mass. Ave & Arrow, Harvard Sq., (617) 547 -
8300
ART
The last time he was
in town, OBIE winner Marc Wolfe got an IRNE award as
Best Solo performer for "Another American; Asking and
Telling." This time his patriotism has led him to
consider 9/11/02, by way of a 7,000 mile journey from
Seattle back to New York. "The Road Home;
Re-membering America" is made of his interpretations,
without costume changes or special props, of
conversations he recorded along the way. Through
Wolfe we meet West Coast radicals, a Native American,
a raucous German hitchhiker, a Muslim Public Health
Service dentist in Mississippi, a Maylaysian mystic at
an ashram, and a New York architectural critic, among
others. At end Wolfe still has some magic beans given
him by Eartha, the daughter of a hippie from Redwood
California. He hasn't planted them yet, but this show
is perhaps preparing the soil.
The HTC production was directed by David
Schweizer, best known for radical opera productions.
Working with Wolfe must be almost a vacation. Scene
designer Andrew Lieberman whose also done a few operas
takes advantage of the Wimberley's facilities to
create a deceptively simple set and together with
Peter West's lighting provides projected backdrops and
signage to move things along. Robert Kaplowitz
provides an effective soundscape and original score.
"The Road Home..." , like Soans' "Talking to
Terrorists" which Sugan is playing next door in the
Plaza, is yet another example of how verbatim material
from real-life situations is being transformed for
today's theatre, using the particular skills of the
artists involved.
"The Road Home; Re-membering America" by Marc
Wolfe, Mar.24 - April 30
HTC at BCA Wimberley
527 Tremont, (617) 266 - 0800
HTC
Some Pulitzer Prize
dramas age better than others. Lanford Wilson's
"Talley's Folly," the second play in his hometown
trilogy resonates just as deeply as it did in 1979 --
post- Vietnam. In this long one act with only two
characters. Wilson evokes all the history which
bedevils the Talley clan in "The Fifth of July" and
"Talley & Son"
Marianna Bassham is luminous
as Sally Talley, thirty and unmarried, stuck living
with her difficult family, the richest people in this
rural town. WHAT's Steven Russell gets beyond the
ghost of Judd Hirsch to create his own appealing Matt
Friedman, an accountant from St. Louis, shipped to
this county to escape WWI, come to claim Sally in
marriage in the midst of WWII. Director Adam Zahler,
in his usual economical style, brings the two
together, eventually.
Janie Howland's fragmented
"folly" of a ruined boathouse floats on the Lyric
stage, well lit by John Cuff. Dewey Dellay's
soundscape evokes the riverside and distant band music
across water nicely. Lanford Wilson's ouevre hasn't
been seen here often enough recently. This fine Lyric
production may reminds other producers of his mastery
of language and almost Chekovian characterization.
"Talley's Folly" by Lanford Wilson, Mar. 24 - Apr.
22
Lyric Stage Company at Copley YWCA
140 Clarendon, (617) 585 - 5678
Lyric Stage
Company One's current
show, "A More Perfect Union" written by Kirsten
Greenidge, is theatrical collage in the style they've
developed. This show's in conjunction with the Boston
Arts Academy, directed by Juanita A. Rodriguez from
that high school's faculty., and funded in part by the
Surdna Foundation. About half of the cast are Boston
Academy students playing various young people. The
script weaves together several contemporary
storylines; a lost twelve-year old Katrina refugee, a
Moldovan mother searching for her daughter who's been
forced into prostitution, a CNN stringer sent to jail
for leading a protest, an angry half-Hispanic cop and
his idealistic half-Irish sister, and of special
interest to the students, the case of Obain
Ottouoman, a Boston math teacher from Ivory Coast
being deported over an immigration technicality.
The first act, complete
with multimedia projections, is somewhat muddled, but
everything becomes clearer by the end of the show--and
a trifle preachy. However, the action is continually
interesting, the acting is energetic and believable.
Doublas Theodore is very creditable as Obain, Our
Place stalwart David Curtis is Coop the CNN reporter,
and Mary Driscoll is convincing as the distraught
Moldovan mother. Tina Do and Damean Hollis show up
between scenes as typical teenagers, a kind of comic
chorus. Eladio Banks, who participated in the
demonstrations supporting Obain, is the luckless prep
school guy who runs afoul of Raymond Ramirez's angry
cop.
Technical support is
impressive, with an multilevel unit set by Mark
Buchanan, responsible for the lighting as well. Video
projections by Joseph Doullette and abstracted
costumes by Jennifer Varekamp give the show a unique
look. The end of the script seems a bit abrupt, as if
development weren't quite complete. If Company One
does indeed take this show to the Edinburgh Festival,
perhaps that can be remedied.
"A More Perfect Union" by Kirsten Greenidge, March 9
- April 1
Company One at Plaza Black Box
BCA, 539 Tremont, (617) 933 - 8600
Company One
Anyone bemoaning the
lack of international political awareness on the
Boston stage should get down to the BCA for the
American premiere of Robin Soans' "Talking with
Terrorists" presented by Sugan. This verbatim
docu-drama juxtaposes IRA and Loyalists, African child
soldiers, the Palestinian intafada, Kurdish
nationalism and Iraq plus a few British politicians.
Eight talented actors shift between the former and the
latter, playing overlapping scenes against an
emblematic set created by J. Michael Griggs. Carmel
O'Reilly has once again created a strong theatrical
statement from a script hot off the London stage.
It may be too much to hope
that some playwright in this country will adopt the
same technique to chastise our government for its
gross shortcomings so far this millennium. "Stuff
Happens" will open soon in New York. A play by
Elizabeth Wyatt based on Rachel Corrie ran in January
at Boston Playwrights. The Theatre Coop has Barbara
Jordan recreated on its stage at the moment, and
Company One is once again taking on current issues in
the Black Box next door. But where's the response to
the soon to be 3000 servicemen and women killed in
Iraq, not to mention ten times as many Iraqis, and the
continued bumbling and fraud in the aftermath of the
Gulf Coast hurricanes. Plus out of control oil
prices, etc., etc., etc. Jimmy Tingle can't do it all
by himself, and much of it isn't really a laughing
matter. Boston Playwrights, it's your job now.
"Talking with Terrorists" by Robin Soans, Mar. 17 -
April 8
Sugan Theatre Company in Plaza Theatre, BCA
539 Tremont, (617) 933 - 8600
Sugan Theatre
Company
If any of you are wondering how SPAM-A-LOT in Boston compares to the Broadway Production... WELL, wonder no more! The show was great! Some performers were better... some were not as good... but if you had nothing to compare, I don't think you would notice or care! This cast seemed to have much more energy than the Broadway cast. The set was exactly the same as far I could tell. One major difference was... the Boston Audience seemed to REALLY get the jokes that came from the Monty Python films. The laughter in Boston was exuberant, while the laughter in New York was scattered and unpredictable. Lost on the Boston audience however, were the theatre references... such as when one character breaks into "Another Hundred People Just Got Off of the Train." The show is quite fun and enjoyable. I would say, "Don't Miss It" if you are able to get a ticket.
Perhaps of most
interest to those committed to the 12 step process,
"Bill W. and Dr. Bob" is a very American piece of
theatre, in the tradition of temperance melodramas.
There's even Todd Gordon at the upright providing a
musical background to somewhat excessive scene
changes. The pace of the show is intentionally
deliberate. The cast, led by consumate pros Robert
Krakovski and Patrick Husted in the title roles, is
solid, humanizing their characters as much as
possible. Rachel Harker and Kathleen Doyle play the
wives without descending into soap opera, while Marc
Carver and Deanna Dunmyer play all the other roles,
perhaps too many of them. Carver and Harker have been
seen before at the New Rep, any of the others would be
welcome again.
"Bill W. and Dr. Bob" may be
seen off-Broadway next year. It will be interesting
to see if the piece attracts the same committed
audiences that have led the New Rep to add shows to
the current run. Fine tuning the script and a
slightly less cumbersome scene change approach might
help pick up the pace. And some sort of social
counterpoint might make things less simplistic.
"Bill W. and Dr. Bob" by Stephen Bergman and Janet
Surrey, Mar. 5 - 26
New Repertory Theatre at Arsenal Center for the
Arts
Watertown Arsenal, (617) 923 - 8487
New Repertory
Theatre
The second of John
Picardi's proposed ten plays exploring
Italian-Americans in Massachusetts during the decades
of the last century is having its New England premiere
at Stoneham. The evening is long on plot and somewhat
stereotypical as far as character goes, but director
Robert Jay Cronin guides his skilled cast through the
storyline for a satisfying if somewhat melodramatic
show. The most notable performances are by the
ladies, IRNE-winner Cheryl McMahon and Stoneham
regular Robyn Eizabeth Lee. McMahon uses her comic
skills gently to humanize the WASP neighbor of this
Italian farm family growing vegetables near Wollaston
beach. Lee, who's been seen mostly as an ingenue,
stands out playing the "simple" daughter, Julia, an
autistic young woman yearning for love. The men of the
family, Barry M. Press as patriarch Enio, sturdy older
brother Peter, and Robert Antonelli as
college-educated Lawrence are far more stereotyped,
limited by expository writing and predictable action
from developing unique characters. Timothy J. Smith,
seen as the Narrator in "A Prayer for Owen Meany" has
the much more interesting part of Q. Turner, a Detroit
area autoworker who's left his family back on the farm
to come East looking for work. He arrives peddling
rabbits he's caught in the Blue Hills. He stays
because he might be able to fix the tractor.
This full length drama,
which might be more comfortably divided into three
acts instead of two, is presented with Stoneham's
usual flair, including a striking selective realism
farmyard designd by Charlie Wilson and careful period
costuming by Rachel Kurland-Foxglove. One can only
hope that Picardi's next play(s) are better
structured, and perhaps that this one, already
published might be reworked.
"Seven Rabbits on a Pole" by John C. Picardi, Mar.
2 - 19
Stoneham Theatre
539 Main St. Stoneham, (781) 279 - 2200
Stoneham
Theatre
This season?s effort
by Lila Levitina's Basement on the Hill Stage is the
local premiere of Allan Miller?s adaptation of D. H.
Lawrence?s novella ?The Fox?, another tale of lust and
death in the ?Lady Chatterley? mode, without the class
implications. As usual, Levitina has drawn on her
Russian theatre background to employ effective
symbolic elements which are quite in keeping with
Lawrence?s underlying psychological methods. The cast
for this long one-act are all young local actors,
quite at home with the production?s physically
expressive style. The only caveat is that the two
women, Robin Rapport as frail Jill and Grace Summers
as sturdy Nellie may be a bit too young for their
roles. Greg Raposa is more or less the right age and
type for Harry, a soldier on leave.
None the less the cast does a
good job at this rather timeless interpretation.
Levitina and her design team--Masha Lifshin and Leonid
Osseny, setting; Emily Romm, music; Olga Ivanov and
Irina Romm, costumes and props; Felix Ivanov,
choreography--bring a common expressionist sensibility
to this production which set more recently than its
WWI rural English background. A period production
might make Jill and Nelly's retreat to the countryside
to further their closeted relationship easier to
understand, and Henry?s appearance which takes on the
aura of a fox spirit from the mythic past clearer.
However, the symbolism which breaks through the
realistic action at intervals is however clear
enough.
The set is appropriate for
the informal nature of Hall A, which is a big
improvement over cramped Leland , and effectively lit
by Matthew Breton. Overhanging branches suggest the
looming wood outside. The production is a reminder of
the expressionist tradition which is still strong
throughout the former U.S.S.R. and not seen here
enough.
?The Fox" by Allan Miller, Mar.2-18
Basement on the Hill at Calderwood, Hall A
527 Tremont, (617) 933 - 8600
Basement
on the Hill Stage
It's been a good year
for Sam Shepard here in Boston. And Hovey Players'
ambitious season continues with a respectable
production of his Pulitzer prize winning gothic family
drama, "Buried Child"--the reworked 1995 version which
incidentally just had a run in NYC.
IRNE winning director
Bill Doscher has crafted a solid show with a cast of
experienced actors from varying backgrounds. Mike
Lydon is the crippled father Dodge, with a unique
vocabulary, unable to move far from the couch center
stage. Sandi McDonald is mother Halie, out of touch,
either upstairs with her pictures or gallivanting with
her pastor Father Dewis, played by Mark Bourbeau. John
Greiner-Ferris is an eerie Tilden, the eldest son,
back home from his troubles in New Mexico, finding
corn--and more--out back where none's been planted for
years. Jason Beals is brutal one-legged Bradley, the
younger surviving son, even more out of control. Joe
Coffey is Tilden's son, Vince, back for an unannounced
visit, along with his prescient girlfriend Shelley,
played by Stephanie Romano. These seemingly mismatched
band of players pull Shepard's unique dramatic vision
together while hurtling through three short acts.
"Buried Child" is a lurching piece of modern Absurdist
drama, with roots in O'Neill and Beckett, and maybe
Vhekov, and even deeper roots in the original tragic
vision of family tragedy and madness.
"Buried Child" by Sam Shepard, Mar.4 - 18
Hovey Players at Abbott Theatre
9 Spring St., (781) 647 - 1211
Hovey
Players
The award-winning
Wellesley Summer Theatre jump starts the season with
an ensemble production of Dylan Thomas' evocation of
one spring day in a small Welsh fishing village much
like his hometown. For "Under Milk Wood", director
Nora Hussey has once again combined her veteran
professionals with top student actresses in the
company's unique style to evoke some fifty odd--often
very odd--characters.
The cast is headed up by
Ed and Charlotte Peed, Lisa Foley, and Jackson Royal.
Ed is memorable as the poetical Rev. Jenkins , Willy
Nilly Postman and Mr. Pugh, the would-be poisoner and
schoolmaster. Charlotte plays a collection of wives,
from Mrs. Willy Nilly, who steams open the mail to
Mrs. Pugh, the target of her husband's obsession.
Lisa Foley is notable as Mrs. Ogmore Pritchard living
with the ghosts of her two henpecked husbands and
Rosie Probert, blind Capt. Cat's lost love. The old
sailor is played by Jackson Royal, who hears the town
from dawn to dusk from his window at the Sailors'
Arms, which is home to Maryann Sailors, the oldest
woman in town, also played by Foley. Spencer Christie
is her son, Sinbad Sailors, the publican, supply
bitter black ale to Derek Stone Nelson as Mr. Waldo,
the town drunk. Stone is also the town's offical
madman, Lord Cut Glass, who lives in a small house
full of clocks. Sinbad is secretly in love with
student company member Sarah Barton's Gossamer Beynon.
the schoolmarm, daughter of the butcher. The Peeds
play her parents. Newcomer student Rebecca Floyd
plays Lily Smalls, dreaming of being "wicked" while
herding goats. Gossamer is one of the object's of
Spencer's Nogood Boyo's lust. Recent grad Victoria
George is wayward Polly Garter, nursing another
bastard and dreaming of "Little Willy Wee, who is
dead, dead, dead" as well as Myfanwy Price, who keeps
the sweet shop and carries on a postal romance with
Mog Edwards, the draper at the other end of town,
who's played by Marc Harpin. Haprin also plays the
music-mad organist, Organ Morgan, the trial of his
wife, played by Sarah Barton. And that's just a
sampling of the inhabitants which the ensemble
switches between effortlessly.
"Under Milk Wood" was
originally written for a radio presentation, but has
been produced onstage for the last half century--not
often enough-- by companies brave enough to attempt
it. The Burtons made a flawed but interesting movie
of the piece in Wales, using mostly local actors.
Production manager and lighting designer Ken Loewit,
with set designer Tim. S. Hanna, have arranged the
R.N.Jones Studio in the round with atmospheric
lighting behind the seating, illuminating walls hung
with netting an scraps of sails. Loewit's lighting
effectively defines acting areas and the time of day.
The unit set is a dock-like raised central platform
with mooring posts conveniently placed for seating.
The ensemble accessorizes their basic early
20th-century rural costumes, designed by Nancy
Stevenson, with hats, shoes, and hand props to help
change character, Two young women fiddlers, who
didn't make it into the program, provide live music
and effects. WST's next production is Oscar Wilde's
least produced and most serious comedy, "An Ideal
Husband" coming along May 30th. "Under Milk Wood" has
only eleven more performances. It's worth the short
drive to Wellesley.
"Under Milk Wood" by Dylan Thomas, Mar.1 - 19
Wellesley Summer Theatre in Ruth Nagel Jones Studio
Alumni Hall, Wellesley College (781) 283 - 2000
Wellesley
Summer Theatre
If you didn't spend a
fortune to see "The Full Monty" when it blew through
on natonal tour, or get out to NSMT's version back in
their own theater, this production at Turtle Lane is
quite respectable. In a way it's more convincing to
see the folks who give their time and talent to this
venue doing this particular show than to watch a
slicker professional cast pretending to be blue
collar. The six guys who decide to become male
strippers all have strong voices and make a good show
of dancing badly. This motley ensemble is lead by
James casey as Jerry who's divorced and Harold, played
by James Tallach, whose marriage is on the rocks.
Among the woman, Tracy Nygard is good as the wife of a
laid-off manager, while Katie Ford’s s convincing as
Harold's loving spouse. Thgis is an ensemble show,
with everyone doing their share, including Turle
Lane’s favorite bartender as a retired vaudevillean at
the piano.
The quality of the cast
makes one wish that this adaptation of a British Indie
film weren't so formulaic. Terence McNally has done
better But it works well enough. The orchestra under
Wayne Ward is guite up to par, John McKenzie and
Michelle Boll's set is efficient with a central
revolveal, and Robert Itzak's costumes are believable.
There show’s on through March 12. And yes the do end
with the title exposure. "Guys and Dolls" is next.
"The Full Monty" by, Feb.16 - Mar.12
Turtle Lane Playhouse in Auburndale
283 Melrose St. Newton, (617) 244 - 0169
Turtle Lane
"The Goat" (or Who
is Sylvia?) by Edward Albee is either the darkest
comedy the dean of American Absurdist has ever
written, or the first postmodern tragedy. Indeed, as
director Spiro Veloudos mentions, the additional
subtitle is ''Notes toward a definition of tragedy."
Whatever this provocative drama is, the Lyric's
production is at the highest level. Multiple award
winner Paula Plum plays Stevie, the wronged wife, with
range and brilliance. Stephen Schnetzer, who was
brought in to replace the original male lead, brings
his experience in the role on Broadway and in
Washington to Martin, the bedeviled husband. He
meshes perfectly with Plum. Richard Snee as Martin's
best friend Ross, who knowingly precipitates disaster
for his friends, plays the superficiality of that role
perfectly. And young Tasso Feldman is convincingly
callow as Stevie and Martin's gay teenage son Billy.
Albee isn't shy about
including everything from classical references to
passing references to some of his own plays in the
dialogue, constantly providing a supertext to the
evolving family catastrophe caused by hapless Martin
falling in love with a goat. Since the audience is
aware of this incredible premise from the first, the
ostensibly realistic start to the first scene of the
play is already fraught with Absurd double meanings.
By the second, when Stevie starts breaking various
object d'arte around the set, a stunning modern
living room by Brynna C. Bloomfield, there's a feeling
that things really might get out of control. And in
the brief third scene, the final moments are
shattering as in an ancient tragedy. Considerably
shorter than many of his notable works, the play packs
every bit as much punch.
This script ranks with
Albee's Pulitzer prize winners; "A Delicate Balance",
"Seascape", and "Three Tall Women". "The Goat" won
the Tony, but like his first important play, "Who's
Afraid of Virginia Woolf" was passed over for the more
prestigious literary award. Like most of his work, the
play centers around family relationships and the
potential destructive power of love, whatever form it
takes. Whether or not any of the action refers to the
playwright's own life story is immaterial.
"The Goat" by Edward Albee, FEB. 24 - MAR. 18
Lyric Stage Co.
140 Clarendon St., Copley Sq. (617) 585 - 5678
Lyric Stage
Co.
"Under the Lintel" is
an intriguing one man show, given an intense reading
by Jason Lambert. His indeterminate age and lack of
accent immediately raises some questions, none of
which are really answered. Barlow Adamson, who also
did Shakespeare's "R&J" for this company, has
directed the piece economically, without forcing any
particular interpretation on Glen Berger's complex
monodrama. The set has a somewhat improvised air
which only adds to concerns whether Lambert's
Librarian is merely obsessive, or involved in some
deeper mystery concerning the obscure myth this
archetypical functionary is pursuing. Mill 6
continues to find and produce challenging plays of
literary interest using some of the best talent
available. Now if they could only find a slightly
larger and equally affordable venue, so more people
could see them.
"Underneath The Lintel" by Glen Berger
791 Tremont Street (Rear), (866) 811 - 4111
Mill6
With "Othello",
Boston Theatre Works has achieved a level of
Shakespearean production beyond their past efforts.
The show is bolstered by a cast lead by Jonathan
Epstein and Tony Molina, two Shakespeare and Company
veterans who played this piece in Lenox, as Iago and
the title role. In addition, Susanna Apgar, who
trained and acted with S&C plays Desdemona, while
Iago's wife is played by Elizabeth Aspenlieder, a ten
year member of the company. The remainder of the
reduced cast includes ART grad and filmmaker Trey
Burvant as Michael Cassio, local actor Michael McKeogh
as Iago's pigeon Roderigo, while Publick Theatre and
Shakespeare Now! hand Gerard Slattery takes on both
the Doge of Venice and a functionary on Cyprus where
the action happens. Actor and retired teacher Ray
Jenness, now with the Gloucester Stage Company, plays
Desdemona's father, the Governor of Cyprus, and the
Venetian emissary at the end of the play, while Claire
Shinkman, whose last Shakespearean role was Laertes in
last summer's Theatre in the Raw "Hamlet" at the
Theatre Coop, is a Venetian senator and Cassio's bawdy
playmate Bianca. These nine form a tight ensemble
more than capable of illuminating this play.
The show is performed on
a plain abstract set by Zeynep Bakkal, with a distant
strip of sky seen behind large revolving doors at the
back and no furniture, just a low central platform.
John R. Malinowski has designed simple but effective
lighting which changes with the mood of the play as
much as the action. Rachel Padula Shufelt's costumes
are modern, minimal, and very effective. Cam
Willard's soundscape, with wind, storm, alarums, and
musical backgrounds moves the action along. Jason
Slavick has directed the show with an economy that
matches the production, relying on his experienced
cast and the words of the Bard to carry the action.
Compared to the ART's mirror backed extravaganza
several seasons ago, or the touring version the
Guthrie recently brought in, this production digs
deeper into the conundrum of Othello's tragedy,
leaving the audience with more to think about, and
Epstein and Molina's artful performances to remember.
"Othello" by Wm. Shakespeare, Feb. 16 - Mar 11
Boston Theatre Works in Plaza Theatre
BCA, 539 Tremont, (617) 933 - 8600
Boston
Theatre Works
He's Back. The
latest version of Needham native Gerard Alessandrini's
satirical view of Broadway, the 2005 edition, is
running for a month in larger new theatre at the BCA.
A decade ago, an earlier edition of this parodic
formula played for six and one/half years in Boston
at the Terrace Room. The concept transfers well
enough to a conventional proscenium stage, the kind of
stage where most of its targets appear.
The talented ensemble,
Janet Dickinson, Valerie Fagan, Kevin McGlynn, and
Nick Verina, with music director Catherine Stornetta
at the piano takes on Broadway past and present. This
includes "Wicked" due here shortly and the
interminable "Les Mis..." on its way out, though next
season's edition will probably find a way to attack
the fact that MacIntosh is reopening his cash cow on
Broadway. Most of the humor is broad and basic, but
the pace is breakneck as usual. It helps to have seen
the shows and the Annual Tony Awards on television, to
know vaguely what was hot in 2005 (and what flopped),
but the absurdity of the current production milieu on
Broadway, which Alessandrini considers "a crime" is
obvious. Media stars like Christina Applegate take
their knocks, "Avenue Q" and Julie Taymor's "Lion
King" take their lumps, and will no doubt get a few
more in years to come.
While the level of satire
hardly approached Culture Clash's visit last spring
under HTC auspices. this spoof will probably due
better, helping to keep the lights bright down on its
end of Tremont. The performers have voices and charm
to match any who've toured into town in "legitimate"
vehicles, and would be welcome as leads for NSMT or
Reagle, or in fact, on HTC's mainstage.
Alessandrini's contribution to the American Musical
Theatre may not be soley as is fondest critic, but for
keeping the revue format alive and kicking.
"Forbidden Broadway: Special Victims Unit" by Gerard
Alessandrini, Feb.14-Mar.12
Wimberley Theatre in Calderwood Pavilion
BCA, 527 Tremont, (617) 933 - 8600
presented by H.T.C.
The A.R.T.'s
reputation for making Shakespeare tedious remains
unblemished with this latest production. There was
some hope that when Hungarian Janos Szasz defected to
do a movie, a new director, Israeli Gadi Roll, might
avoid some of the excesses usually perpetrated,
especially when the black actor playing Romeo left
over "creative differences" to be replaced by
ART/MXART graduate Mickey Solis, who'd been originally
cast as Benvolio. No such luck; the auteur strikes
again. The current production is Shakespeare played
at full bellow in eccentric modern dress on a stage, a
rectangle covered with dark sand, placed between two
halves of the audience,. The acoustics of the Loeb
are made worse by this arrangement, so much so that
some of the cast. even seasoned ART members, seem to
be getting hoarse. Or it could be the particles
floating in the air from the powdery stage
covering.
The show is made longer
by incessant scenery rearrangement, which has
stagehands in black in the darkness unrolling and
rerolling carpets, removing and resetting chairs and
stand lights. Almost all humor has been squelched
along with almost every trace of romance. The biggest
laugh is unintentional as Juliet clambers down a
ladder from the steel "balcony" which extends from the
rear to over the house stage right. Her cowboy boots,
worn on alll occasions, are the final touch. Romeo
and his friends are upper class hoodlums given to
wielding knives, obviouysly fake and wooden, which
makes the fight scenes athletic exercises. There have
been a number of productions hereabouts featuring the
star-crossed lovers, including the New Rep's inaugural
effort last fall, which used modern dress and
contemporary metaphors to reinvigorate the play. This
attempt in international style is the least
successful. Fortunately, Shakespeare fans have BTW's
"Othello" starring Jonathan Epstein opening this
weekend at the BCA or Trinity's idiosyncratic "Hamlet"
as options.
"Romeo & Juliet" by Wm. Shakespeare, Feb.4 -
Mar.16
A.R.T. at Loeb Drama Center
64 Brattle St. Harvard Sq., (617) 547 - 8300
A.R.T.
Social conscious
theatre continues at CWT with a new company, Whistler
In The Dark, presenting English poet and playwright
Howard Barker's series of moral fables, "The
Possibilities", an ensemble show originally created by
The Wrestling School, an experimental theatre group in
London. These hard edged intellectual pieces, the
bloody-minded British equivalent of Brecht's
Lehrstuck, resonate with current worldwide unrest even
more than they did in the '90s when they were written.
The name of the group, incidentally, comes from an
admonition in one of the two poems used to introduce
the show.
An ensemble, four women and
three men, mostly recent theatre grads, present these
pieces briskly under the direction of Meg Taintor, the
group's Co-Artistic Director. The cast includes
Timothy F. Hoover, seen at TheatreZone last season as
Tom Joad, Brian Quint who just did "Romance 101" with
Lowell's new Image Theatre, and very tall Andrew
Winson who was in the Theatre Coop's "Our Country's
Good" last fall. Sarah Huling most recently appeared
with the Czech-American Marionette Theatre in "The
Book of Esther", Lorna McKenzie has worked with
Footlight, Walpole, Medway, and Destruction, Jennifer
O'Connor was also seen in TheatreZone's "Grapes of
Wrath" while Sarah Pauline Robinson graduated from
Brandeis/Theatre Arts last May. WITD has assembled a
good ensemble of physical actors for their first
effort. Their next one will be Eric Overmeyer's "In
Perpetuity Throughout the Universe."
"The Possibilities" by Howard Barker, Feb.11 - Mar.
4
Whistler in the Dark at Charlestown Working
Theatre
442 Bunker Hill Ave., Charlestown (617) 945 - 9033
Whistler In
The Dark
Peter Gaiten's
reduction of Pulitizer Prize winning novelist Michael
Cunningham's novel "Flesh and Blood" for the stage is
only sporadically successful. Try as they might,
David J. Miller and his cast of eleven actors rarely
get beyond the soap opera nature of this family saga,
filled with cliche situations and contemporary hot
button issues. The playwright's first error was to
stick largely to the serial nature of the novel, which
traces three generation of an American family which
sprung from a poor Greek immigrant and a working class
girl from New Jersey. While the scene does expand to
include New York, its suburbs, and Boston, it doesn't
capture any specific locale. Miller's unit set, as
usual well-done and allowing for a fluid presentation
given the limitation of the BCA Black Box, is more
decorative than necessary and rather than becoming a
symbol of the father's aspirations, is more of an
interesting obstacle course.
The father of the Stassos
family, Constantine, who came here as a young man, is
played by veteran local actor, Robert D. Murphy, who
develops a believable character from rather thin soil.
Maureen Aducci, as Mary, the mother of the three
children whose overlapping fates provide much of the
action, has more chance to develop a complex role, and
does so with grace, as she's done in past seasons at
the Theatre Coop. The showiest part is Cassandra,
taken beyond stereotype by Dan Minkle, who finds in
this drag-queen/shoplifter with a heart of gold
perhaps the production's most intriguing, if still
sparse, character. Seen at the Publick in past seasons
in roles such as Ajax and often at Ren Faires,
Minkle's burly presence combined with bitchy dialogue
is a bright spot in the production.
The children are Susan
(Angela Rose), the oldest, with complex sexual issues
concerning her father, Mason Sand as Will, aka Billy,
who comes out while studying at Harvard, and Zoe
(Melissa Baroni), who never grows up and runs off to
the Village where she eventually contracts AIDS after
fathering an illegitimate black child. Each has
enough plot complications and psychological baggage to
have a play of their own. This excess results in a
long show with very little resolution. Some novels
just aren't suitable to transfer to the stage. While
"the sins of the father(s)" is a venerable device, in
this case it becomes an embarrassment of cliches. The
cast, which also includes Claude Del (Jamal), Andrew
Dufresne(Todd, Susan’s husband), Eliza Lay(Magda),
Gregory Maraio(Ben, her son Both the), and Achilles
Vatrikas(Harry) tries hard and does achieve a number
of effective moments as they play themselves--and
additional characters--from 1935 to 2035. However,
the mixture of partial realism, pop culture
sensationalism, and poetic symbolism--as witness the
character names--never gels. Still, Zeitgeist makes
its usual brave effort at producing a show not likely
to get done otherwise hereabouts. Various members of
the audience may take home a range of viewpoints from
this disjointed family saga, which barely touches on
the poltical and social changes during the periods it
covers.
"Flesh & Blood" by Peter Gaiten, Feb. 10 - Mar.
4
Zeitgeist Stage Co. at BCA Plaza Black Box
539 Tremont , (617) 933 - 8600
Zeitgeist
Stage Co.
The revival of Kosoff
& Staab’s adaptation of Mrs. Burnett’s famous
novel—right behind “The Secret Garden”— is first rate
musical theatre for anyone old enough—and still
unjaded— to appreciate its romantic moral. The trials
and tribulations of a young girl losing her station
and being demoted from a proveleged “princess”
princess to a menial still resonates. Andrea Ross in
the title role is supported by some of the best
musical theatre performers in town and a believable
cast of other young actors, all tightly directed by
Jane Staab. Music director Jonathan Goldberg has
improved the orchestrations. Janie Howland has
created a two level revolving set right up to her
usual standard, as currently on display in Speakeasy’s
“Five by Tenn” and Marian Piro's period costumes are a
finishing touch. WFT’s 25th anniversary season
continues with another sterling show. Suspend your
belief in the ungoodness of humanity and go back to
the pre-WWI optimism for a spell. It might do you and
any young people you take along some good.
“Sara Crewe” book & lyrics - Susan Kosoff, music Jane
Staab, Feb.3 - 26 (matinees school vacation week)
Wheelock Family Theatre at Wheelock College Auditorium
200 The Riverway / (617 )879-2147
Wheelock Family
Theatre
The second play in
the Theatre Coop's annual developmental series,
Patrick Brennan's "No Politics" had a workshop
production this Friday and Saturday. It's a promising
family comedy with more than a little touch of
sit-com. Jack (Christopher Mack), who runs the Website
for a local PBS station and his wife Amy(Elizabeth
Brunette), who also works have just found out she's
pregnant after eight years of marriage. Her father,
Arthur Riley(Peter Brown), who manages a McDonald's
and his second wife, Carol(Katheryne Holland) are
coming over to dinner. They're Reagan Republicans,
Jack and Amy are vegetarian Democrats. Amy's mother,
Arthur's first wife Diane (Debbie Friedlander) is also
coming over. She's also a Republican. It's the eve of
the Iraq War. Both Amy and Carol have made their
husbands promise "No Politics."
At present Brennan's play
has a good start on character and tone, an interesting
premise which pits family relationships against
political viewpoints, and a lot of plot potential. As
a one act it's bursting at the seams and needs to
expand into a two act comedy with an occasional moment
for reflection. The experienced cast under Daniel
Bourque's direction did a respectable job with the
material in its current form.
This year's series began
with Linda Carmichael's drama, "Life's Morsel" last
month, and on Feb. 17 & 18, George Matry Masselem's
"Beating Death" gets its chance. The Coop's regular
season continues in March with Katherine Thatcher's
"Voices of Good Hope", about Congresswoman Barbara
Jordan with Michelle Dowd taking that role. The
season will finish with another play by Vladimir
Zelevinsky, the premiere of "Manifest Destiny", a play
about immigration. Zelevinsky's earlier plays at the
Coop were developed in the same process that the three
this year are undergoing.
"No Politics!" by Patrick Brennan, Feb.3-4
Theatre Cooperative at Peabody House,
277 Broadway, Somerville, (617) 625 - 1300
Theatre
Cooperative
Hi Larry,
Wasn’t the continuity of, “Five by Tenn” impressive? I’ve seen two act plays that seem to be two different shows, yet here we have five different plays that blend together as one great show. This show has the total package of excellence in directing, staging, lighting, music and acting. Definitely, one of the finest casts I’ve ever seen.
Don Werner
Fans of Sam Shepard
who've never seen this American Master's 1994
psychological puzzle may want to catch the last
weekend of its run at the
Devenaughn. The play's not Shepard at his best, and
indeed worked better as a movie. The scenes and
situations, especially the central conflict between
Vinnie and Carter, two old friends whose lives have
been intertwined since childhood, have a familiar ring
to them.
The show would work better
with really strong actors in these parts, but the
whole cast of this production is acceptable at best,
and generally too young. The women, Susan
Gross(Cecilia) and Lisa Caron Driscoll(Rosie), are
generally more effective, and Phil Thompson's
enigmatic Simms has the right creepiness. Joe O'Connor
and Angelo Athanasopoulus as Vinne and Carter have
trouble finding effective line readings together in
the all-important opening scene but warm to their
roles by the end. Director Jeannie-Marie Brown makes
interesting use of the limited theatre space to set a
variety of scenes, but hasn't helped the cast pull
together into an ensemble. Remember to get there
early even with reservations.
The theatre is in the back
of the large Piano Factory Building reached from the
middle of the parking lot. By T, get off at Mass. Ave.
on the Orange Line, walk one block down to Columbus,
and one block away from downtown to Bob the Chef's
Bistro. Go down the side street by the restaurant
half a block to the parking lot. The theatre entrance
is below the big air duct going overhead to the large
chimney in the middle of the lot.
There are only about 50 seats. Again, get there
early.
"Simpatico" by Sam Shepard, Jan. 26 - Feb. 12
Devanaughn Theatre in the Piano Factory
791 Tremont Rear, 1 (866) 811- 4111 (TM)
Devanaughn
Theatre
Speakeasy’s latest
production, “Five By Tenn” is more than just a
collection of some of the Pulitzer Prize winning
playwright’s lesser writing. The order and structure
of the piece suggests Tennessee Williams’ life and
works. Beginning with a 1948 piece, “These Are the
Stairs You Got to Watch”, a large cast one act which
could have functioned as the first act of a longer
play, there’s a focus on a dreamy young man, a poet
lost in the rough and material world. Eric Rubbe,
who was last seen here in “Jacques Brel...” fills this
reoccurring role. The part is much expanded in an even
earlier work, “Summer at the Lake,” which foreshadows
themes central to Williams’ best known work, “The
Glass Menagerie.” In this one act, the poet’s mother
is played to perfection by Trinity stalwart, Anne
Scurria, who just finished the rerun of “Ruby Sunrise”
at the Public in NY. Another veteran actress, Mary
Klug, is her put-upon maid, and the voice of doom.
The second scene from “Vieux Carre”(1977) plays next,
based on an autobiographical short story. It
chronicles the poet’s coming out enabled by an older
jaded artist, played by Will McGarrahan as only he
can.
The center of the collection
is a short two scene play “And Tell Sad Stories of the
Death of Queens”. An intermission occurs between the
scenes. Allyn Burrows plays Candy Darling, a
transvestite trying to have a relationship with Karl,
a straight rough sailor willing to put up with her
“friendship”--and nothing else-- for cash.
Christopher Brophy, seen as the villain last spring in
“Take Me Out,” who plays an equally frustrated fellow
in the first piece, is the object of Candy’s
attention, Burrows carries off his role with the same
panache that made his King John brilliant for
Shakespeare & Co. this summer, and his Kent unique in
“King Lear” for ASP this fall. The rest of the second
half is an Absurdist piece “I Can’t Imagine
Tomorrow”--originally written for television--
followed by “Mr. Paradise,” a coda of sorts. In these
two short plays, William Young, seen last fall in "Red
Elm," who might by the author in his decline, is first
confronted by a younger self, again played by Rubbe,
and then by starry-eyed college student, played by
Ellen Adair, who appears in the first playlet as a
promiscuous teenager. The quality of the acting by
all and sundry brings out the best in the
material.
Scott Edmiston has directed the show fluidly on a
two-level unit set by Janie E. Howland. This airy
creation suggests the Vieux Carre, Williams’ spiritual
home. Gail Astrid Buckley costumed the ensemble with
her usual sure touch and sense of place. Karen
Perlow's lighting provides a range of atmospheres,
with musical touches by Dewey Dellay completing the
show. This sampler of Williams’ work from his
earliest up through his later less successful years
suggests that more producing companies should delve
into the treasure trove of his writing.
"Five by Tenn" by Tennessee Williams, Jan. 27 -
Feb. 25
Speakeasy Stage Co. in Roberts Studio at Calderwood
Pavilion
BCA, 527 Tremont / (617) 933 -8600
Speakeasy
Stage
"They Named Us Mary",
which ran in 2004 with its author, Lyralen Kaye, in
the lead, is back again with Kaye again playing the
oldest of five sisters named Mary, Mary Clare. The
play still attempts to combine a bitter domestic drama
with fantasy elements. Whether these moments should
be described as expressionist or symbolist or even
surreal is debatable. In any case, the script is
still an uneasy mix of the main character's dream
images and rather trite scenes with her dysfunctional
siblings and their domineering mother shortly after
the death of their father. The acting, which aspires
to Meisner's interpretation of the Method made
infamous by Actor's Studio, is uneven at best. The
cast, Diane DeCoste (Maria, the mother), Emily Evans
(Mary Grace, the good one), Steve Falcone (the
father's ghost, etc), Angela Gunn (Mary Margaret, the
party girl), Bertie Payne-Strange Mary Anne, the kid),
and Christina Wolfskehl (Mary Teresa, the rebel),
never finds a common ground. Moreover, there's never
really as sense of place--Pittsburgh--or the
period--the 1980's??.
While the situation is
potentially interesting, the drawn out revelations are
more like a soap opera than a drama. The material
needs to be tightened into a forty or fifty minute--or
shorter-- one-act played on a unit set without tedious
scene changes. It will probably be made into a low
budget independent film instead, which actually might
bring the circumstances into better focus. The
unfortunate situation of abused children has become a
dramatic commonplace. When combined with substance
abuse and religious hypocrisy the play quickly turns
melodramatic. Director Courtney O'Connor has tried to
integrate the elements of the show, but minimal
funding and problems of pace make for a tedious time.
"They Named Us Mary" by Lyralen Kaye, Jan.26 -
Feb.12
Another Country Productions at Boston Playwrights'
Theatre
949 Comm. Ave. Allston, (866) 411 - 8111
Another
Country
Aidan Doyle's rousing
performance of his one-man docudrama, "Tom Crean -
Antartic Explorer" will remind anyone complaining
about the cold of a New England winter how easy we
have here. Crean, an Irishman bosun in the Royal Navy,
accompanied both Scott and Shackleton on their
attempts to reach the South Pole. The two act tale of
his experiences draws his audience in as only a
first-class storyteller can. The facts of Crean's
adventures are astounding enough, but Galwayman
Doyle's genial Irish style, in the grand tradition of
the sennachie, makes these almost unbelievable
journeys real once again.
The voyages of Scott's
"Discovery" and "Terra Nova", as well as Shackleton's
"Endurance" have been the subject of PBS documentaries
as well as several touring museum exhibitions, but a
closeup view based on the experiences of one of the
crew provides a truer window into that time only a
hundred years ago when Antartica was truly Terra
Incognita. Doyle employs his considerable skill as a
raconteur, clown, and writer to make "Tom Crean", who
ends his days keeping the "South Pole", the pub he
built in his hometown of Annascaul in Kerry, an
admirable everyman, forging ahead into adversity,
deserving of the four Royal medals the seaman won.
Performed on a square of canvas with a few homey props
to make the period more real, A long wooden sled of
the type which the intrepid explorers of the Antartic
towed across the ice, in some places four miles thick,
at other times perilously thin over the polar seas
hangs behind him against the black backdrop. "Tom
Crean - Antartic Explorer", which won Best Solo
Performance at the New York International Fringe
Festival in NYC in 2003, is a mesmerizing tribute to
indomitable human spirit and the survival value of a
sense of humor.
Doyle's show, which had its
second successful run at Burlington's Northern Stage
this past fall, is only part of a busy career
centering around his company, "Play on Words" which
tours schools and small theatres throughout the U.K.
from a home base in Rochester, England. A return
visit to Boston would be welcomed sooner rather than
later.
"Tom Crean - Antartic Explorer" by Aidan Doyle, Jan
25 - Feb. 11
Sugan Theatre Co. in Plaza Theatre, BCA
529 Tremont, Boston /(617) 933 - 8600
Sugan
There's one more
weekend to see Eliza Wyatt's latest play, which had
its first run this summer at the Edinburgh Festival
Fringe, and is getting further development at BTW this
month. Wyatt, who makes her home in Brighton England
as well as here, is no stranger to crosscultural
conflict. Her take on the meeting between a
Palestinean woman and a young American peace activist
the same age has real resonance. Krista D'Agostino as
Samia and Caryn Andrea Lindsey as Roberta embody these
two, and throughout the play almost seem to be living
in two separate worlds, even though they're both in
Raffa in the Gaza strip waiting for Isreali bulldozers
to wreck the place. Director Marco Zarattini has set
the two on separate tracks which can be disconcerting,
but which is ultimately successful. Jonathon Myers
plays a shady young man pretending to be another
activist, a Buddhist even, but who is apparently
working for the CIA--a fact known to the audience from
the first.
The production is a bit
rough and ready, but both the set, props and costumes
are sufficient to the task. The play, which is now
being presented with a brief intermission might
benefit from several internal breaks, but has an
interesting line of development, and nice toches.
There is indeed room for expansion on several points
and Wyatt should be encouraged to continue working on
this piece. The play was inspired by the death of
Rachel Corrie, who was run down by a bulldozer at
Raffa trying to prevent the punitive destruction of
Palestinean homes several years ago. Despite recent
developments, neither side has really advanced much
closer to a peaceful resolution to the dilemma in
which both populations are trapped.
"Flowers of Red" by Eliza Wyatt, Thurs.-Sun. thru
Jan. 22
Boston Theatrics at BTW
949 Comm. Ave. Allston, (866) 411-8111 (TM)
Eliza Wyatt
The Stoneham Theatre
has developed a reputation for strong full-scale
presentations of provocative recent plays. Their New
England premiere of Simon Bent's adaptation of John
Irving's semi-autobiographical 1988 novel, "A Prayer
for Owen Meany" is another such success. Irving's
complex novel, which deals with religious and moral
issues against the background of a hidebound New
England town in the late '50s and '60s , comes to a
climax during the Vietnam era. The issues this work
raises have a prescience today, making "...Owen Meany"
one of the most significant productions this company
has offered.
Multitalented New Yorker
Ken Schatz is riveting in the title role of the boy
with the wrecked voice, described by his friend John
as the smallest person he ever knew. John Wheelwright,
the narrator of the piece and the author's stand-in,
is played with conviction by Timothy Smith, a faculty
member at the College of the Holy Cross and Artistic
director of Worcester's Redfeather Theatre. John's
grandmother, from old and rich New England stock, is
played by Ann Marie Shea, seen recently at BPT in Dan
Hunter's "Red Elm". Bobbie Steinbach, fresh from Maria
in ASP's "Twelfth Night" gets a few more laughs as
Mrs. Wheelwright's wheelchair-bound cook. Owen's
Irish parents are played by Owen Doyle, seen last fall
as Dr. Seward in "Dracula" at Stoneham, and Sharon
Mason who like Doyle has acted for a number of local
companies. John's singer mother, Tabitha, is played
by Caitlin Lowans, Stoneham's Education director, who
just directed their "A Christmas Story". His
stepfather, Dan, is peripetatic local character lead
Richard Arum.
The rest of the talented
ensemble includes Jon L. Egging as a traditional
Episcopal priest and Stephen Russell doubling as
Rector Wiggins, a breezy modern minister, and as Dr.
Dolder, the school psychiatrist. Lisa Tucker from
Beau Jest is Wiggin's Sunday school teacher wife.
Floyd Richardson, last seen in TheatreZone's
"Firebugs," plays an eccentric local, Mr. Fish, as
well as the police chief, and Owen's superior officer.
Cory Scott plays several generally menacing younger
characters crucial to Owen's fate. The rest of the
ensemble doubles as Owen's schoolmates and later as
adults, particularly Gerald Slattery, who goes from a
fat bully to the headmaster of the school. Christine
Hamel, a local teacher and actress, and Cristi Miles,
last seen at the New Rep in their "Christmas Carol",
play little girls, various wives and mothers, and
nuns. Director Weylin Symes has pulled this diverse
cast together to create a fast paced condensation of
Irving's sprawling epic. He's helped by Audra Avery's
plain and efficient abstract unit set, realized with
the help of scenic artist Jenna McFarland. Seth Bodie
comes up with an array of costumes that help define a
broad range of characters. David Wilson's soundscape
and Gianni Downs' lighting complete the show. The
first three shows in Stoneham's season were
interesting, if somewhat uneven, but this engaging
drama is simply a must-see, for Schatz' and Smith's
performances, and the ensemble which supports them, as
well as Bent's reduction of Irving's moving tale.
"A Prayer for Owen Meany" by Simon Bent, Jan. 12 -
29
Stoneham Theatre
395 Main St. Stoneham MA, (781) 279-2200
Stoneham
Theatre
Unlikely as might
seem, mostly to those who've not ventured out to
Waltham to see them, the Hovey Players production of
Christopher Hampton's 1985 adaptation of Choderlos de
Laclos epistolatory novel "Les Liaisons
Dangereuse"(1782) does a better job of illuminating
the play in Abbott's intimate confines than a much
more visually impressive large-scale proscenium
version now running downtown. This is due largely to
a fine ensemble cast led by Melissa Sine as the
schemer Marquise Merteuil and Jason Beals as her
former lover and co-conspirator Vicomte Valmont. As
the center of the action, these two skilled performers
generate the kind of electricity sadly missing at the
Huntington. Sine, with a number of past leading roles
for the Hovey, is every inch the lady and always in
charge. Beals, who was impressive in Molasses Tank's
last two Absurdist productions, is a beardless,
redheaded charmer, believably dangerous without being
obvious--except to the audience. Sara Jones, as his
victim Marianne de Tourvel, is willowly and
attractive, a believable target for Valmont's passion
and the opposite of his usual choices, embodied--but
fully dressed--as Anne Freud's juvenile Cecile.
The rest of the ensemble
under Kristin Hughes careful direction includes Andy
O'Kane as Chevalier Danceny, Cecile's earnest young
man and Valmont's nemesis, Kristin Shoop --seen last
season in the lead of "Violet" at Footlight opposite
Beals--as Valmont's courtesan Emelie. Chris Wagner
plays Azolan, Valmont's valet, with appropriate airs,
Sandi McDonald, a veteran actress and producer for
Footlight lends real dignity to Valmont's knowing
aunt, Mme. de Rosemonde, and Leslie Wagner is nicely
unknowing as Cecile's mother. All are properly
costumed in elegant gowns and coats done by Kimmerie
H. O. Jones and wigged by Judy Disbrow.
Seating in Hovey's small
basement theater is limited so order tickets now; many
of their shows sell out. It's also open seating, so
come early and meet friends in the upstairs lobby.
There's easy parking behind the library next door. And
Waltham has plenty of interesting small eateries,
including the company's favorite, Baan Thai, just
around the corner down the main drag across from City
Hall.
"Les Liaisons Dangereuse" by Christopher Hampton,
Jan 13 - 28
Hovey Players at Abbott Memorial Theatre
9 Spring St. Waltham, (781) 893 - 9171
Hovey
Players
The major question to
answer about this current production of Jean-Paul
Sarte's landmark one act "Huis Clos" (No Exit) is
whether Imago's director/designer Jerry Mouawad's
ingenious tilting stage adds that much to the show.
His cast of ART veterans, Remo Airaldi, Will LeBow,
Paula Plum, and Karen MacDonald have some 250 roles
for the company among them. They could probably
present the play effectively on a flat stage with the
requisite furniture and plain lighting. There are
effective moments, but the choreography and balance
required to make theis conceit work may have gotten in
the way of fully developed interpretations. As it is,
Plum as Inez shows the greatest range, but MacDonald
as Estelle has the greater emotional impact. LeBow
very recognizable voice sometimes seem too strong for
his conflicted character. Airaldi adds another weird
comic creation to his portfolio. Those familiar with
the play, which is widely read though not so often
produced these days will probably find Mouawad's
constructivist approach enlightening, though not
essential.
For once, everything
about this ART production is fully in service of the
play. Sartre's grim view of the human condition comes
through loud and clear. Rafael Jaen's late '40s
costumes give MacDonald and Plum additional interest.
Jeff Forbes lighting does more than the script
requires but helps guide the audience through the maze
of reversals in the script. The three-quarter seating
effectively encloses the action which barrels through
an hour and a half with no let-up. Anyone of the
principals could and has carried a show. Together
their ensemble is compelling and should get even
better as the month progresses.
"No Exit" by Jean Paul Sartre, Jan. 7 - 29
A.R.T. at Loeb MainStage, Harvard Sq.
64 Brattle St, (617) 547 -8300
American Repertory
Theatre
The Huntington's
latest effort is a lavish but unsatisfying attempt to
reenergize Christopher Hampton's 1985 retelling of a
scandalous proto-novel from pre-Revolutionary France.
It fails largely because the two actors cast in the
leading roles are don't catch fire with either the
audience or each other. La Marquise de Tourvel, the
schemer behind the various plots, has been played on
screen by luminaries such as Jeanne Moreau (1959),
Glenn Close (1988), and Catherine Deneuve(2003 TV).
N.Y. actress Tasha Lawrence has neither the presence
or the vocal range to carry off the role, and is
betrayed by her costumes more than once. Mr.
Blackwell would have a field day. Her partner in
intrigue, Le Vicomte de Valmont, done by Gerard
Phillipe(1959), John Malkovich (1988), Rupert
Everett(2003), and in the original RSC stage version
by Alan Rickman (1985-89 London & NY) falls to film &
TV personality Michael T. Weiss who is generally
unconvincing. The third important role, Marianne, La
Presidente de Tourvel, a young very religious married
woman, whom Valmont inexplicably sets out to seduce,
was done by Annette Vadim in 1959 (her father
directed), Michelle Pfieffer (1988), and Natasia Kin
ski in 2003. At the Huntington, young Yvonne Woods
has the look and bearing, is a convincing actress, but
is too limited vocally. The director, Daniel
Goldstein seems to have intended make the piece more
contemporary by avoiding any sense of upperclass
speech. It's only when Valmont's aunt, IRNE winner
Alice Duffy, is dominating a scene that the vocal
drama matches the pseudo-aristocratic costumery. Much
of the cast simply babbles.
James Noone's set is
impressive from the orchestra, if a little too tall,
but has the usual sightline problems from the
balcony--and it twinkles. Mark Stanley's light plot
has holes so that actors are sometimes out-of-focus at
key moments. The original music by Loren Toolajian,
period-like with intrusive modern beats, doesn't
accomplish very much. It's the concept driven
costuming by Erin Chainani--modern touches and
references-- that proves the least effective, except
when most in period. Why is Valmont wearing
pinstripes?
If you want to experience
this expose of decadence with the inevitable
titillation, rent the Oscar-winning 1988
movie--screenplay by Hampton--to get the story (but
don't laugh too hard at Keanu Reeves as the young
dandy) then find Vadim's 1959 version to get the
picture. If you're a movie buff, search out Milos
Forman's 1989 "Valmont" with Annette Being and Colin
Firth. The original epistolatory two volume text is a
bit of a slog in either French or English.
One could argue that
this script should more fairly be labeled as "based"
on rather than "adapted" from German Expressionist
author Carl Sternheim's most remembered work. Steve
Martin has reduced the cast, eliminated most of the
philosophical implications, but fortunately improved
the farce. This style of comedy is one of the Lyric's
strong points, and under Daniel Gidron's sophisticated
direction and with a cast of seasoned local
professionals, the result is thoroughly entertaining
if somewhat intellectually bland. Gail Astrid
Buckley's costume are ideal as ever and Cristina
Todesco's set has simple elegance.
Caroline Lawton is the young
wife, Louise, whose bloomers accidentally fall as
she's watching a royal parade. IRNE winner Steven
Barkhimer is overbearingly Germanic as her government
clerk husband, Theo, an older man. Lewis D. Wheeler,
a rich poet, and Neil A. Casey, a Jewish barber, are
the couple's two new lodgers, who each witnessed
Louise's mishap and find her suddenly attractive.
She's encouraged to accept the poet's advances by her
nosey neighbor, Gertrude, played wryly by Stephanie
Clayman. Casey, in his inimitable fashion, keeps
getting in the way. For variety, Robert Bonotto shows
up in the second act as Klinglehoff, a sober
scientist, who's also seeking a room and gets an
eyeful. Martin's take on this classic is fast and
funny if rather inconclusive, aimed at crowd-pleasing
more than examining the ramifications of a rigid
society and bourgeois complacency. It's played across
the country in both red and blue states incidentally.
"The Underpants" by Carl Sternheim, Jan. 6 - Feb. 4,
2006
Lyric Stage at Copley YWCA
140 Clarendon, Boston, (617) 585 - 5678 new
number
Lyric Stage
Co.
There's a new Scrooge
in town, just across the Charles. In association with the Arsenal Center for the Arts and the Watertown Children's Theatre, who also now perform there, the
New Rep has mounted a fully staged, very musical
version of this holiday classic, which director Rick
Lombardo has been working on for about twelve years.
Scrooge is played by local favorite Paul D, Farwell,
who makes a formidable curmudgeon. The tale unfolds
in story theatre fashion with various members of the
ensemble picking up the narration using the author's
original text. The ensemble also provides live
accompaniment on a variety of instruments. NSMT's longest
running show, "a musical ghost story", is back as
engaging as ever in their reclaimed digs. Long time
fans will notice a few changes, to take advantage of
the current cast of veterans like David Coffee back as
Scrooge and George Dvorsky, Christmas Present and a
charitable gentleman. There's also IRNE winner Cheryl
McMahon as Scrooge's comic housekeeper and Mrs.
Fezziwig and jovial Wayne Pretlow as Mr. Fezziwig and
the other charitable gentleman. The show as usual is
narrated in the context of inspiring a group of
Victorian players who then proceed to enact the tale,
by a grown Timothy Crachit, this year by Bill English
who did so very effectively last year, . Marley, done
again by Tom Staggs, flies higher than even, under the
guidance of the show's general factotums AKA the
Pearlies. Scrooge sails away just before the
intermission as usual. This year's Pearlies, tumbling
and dancing all over the place are veteran Tabb and
newcomer Jessie Lee Goldwyn. The Ghost of Christmas
Future is done by newcomer Perry Ojeda who also plays
the younger Scrooge in affecting scenes with Belle,
played by Carrie Specksgoor in her third year with the
show. Once again
TheatreZone has come up with a first-rate
interpretation of a modern classic. Max Frish's absurd
tragicomedy "Herr Biedermann und die Brandshifter",
known in English as "The Firebugs", was taken in 1958
as an allegory about the rise of fascism. It's
continued relevance suggests that Frisch's insight
into the relationship between middle-class capitalism,
government oppression, and terrorism (in this play,
arson) is as true today. Last summer,
"Arcadia", one of Tom Stoppard's landmark plays,
recived a strong outdoor production at the Publick
Theatre. Longwood Players' current presentation of
this historical puzzle is quite a respectable chance
for those who missed this summer's long run to wonder
at Sir Tom's time-spanning play. Central to the cast
is versatile Owen Doyle who play erstwhile poet and
cuckold Ezra Chater for the Publick and essays the
role of Bernard Nightingale, ambitious academic. His
opposite number, Hannah Jar vis is played by education
specialist Kaitlyn Chantry. The young romantic leads,
math genius Thomisina and her tutor Septimus are ably
taken by Zofia Goszczynska, seen earlier this season
in "Our Country's Good" and Adam Friedman, a Princeton
grad in his first Boston appearance. Thomisina's
pleasure-seeking mother, Lady Croom, is Jennifer
Bubriski, whose brother, Capt. Brice is John Brice.
Andrew Moore is Chater in this production, while Cahal
Stephens is the "picturesque" landscape gardener,
Rich. Noakes. As the final new play
in BPT's fall season, Dan Hunter's "Red Elm" shares
the theme of growing old and leaving a legacy with
"The Red Lion" and "Permanent Whole Life". This script
may be the best written, but it's the most incomplete.
The play's 90 minutes would make a good first two
acts--with a bit more tweaking. Like too many current
scripts, which seem to be written with an eye to the
TV movie market however, the hard work of completing
the drama has been left up to the audience--or some
future producer's wishes. There are at least three
dramatic conclusions implied by the action, some of
which is brilliant. The author needs to pick one and
go for it. Rough & Tumble's
revival of William Donnelly's "Apocalypso!", first
done by the industrial theatre three years ago, has a
cinematic feel like their most successful
collaboration with Donnelly, "Backwater" It wouldn't
take much to film this millenial comedy as a
low-budget independent romance. But then the audience
would lose the personal touch that Rough & Tumble
regulars, Kristin Baker, George Saulnier III, Irene
Daly, and Jason Myatt bring to their roles. These
stalwarts play Dora, who's got a message about the end
of days, Gus, who's less than honest, Cal, who reads
self-help books, and Dwight, her husband, with a big
secret. They're joined by IRNE winner Kortney Adams as
Gin, Cal's sister who's thrown Boone, her husband
played by Henry LaCoste, out of the house. He's moved
in with Mark Frost's Walt, a friend with a secret. And
Gus is shacked up with Sherry, the bartender, played
tough by Judith Austin. There are a lot of good
two-scenes and thoughtful acting. The opening,
between Gus and Boone would play as a ten minute
piece itself. But the production as a whole would
benefit from generally faster pacing and the newcomers
to Rough & Tumble, with the exception of Austin, need
to discover the lost art of picking up cues. Adam's
character, Gin, is probably the only one where
Pineteresque pauses are really appropriate. There's another
option for family holiday entertainment besides "The
Nutcracker(s)" or various visits with Scrooge
including NSMT's resurrected production and the a
version about to open at the New Rep at the Arsenal
in association with the Watertown Children's Theatre.
Stoneham Theatre has perhaps started another holiday
tradition by reviving the stage version of Jean
Shepherd's 1983 movie, "A Christmas Story," the
humorists's nostalgic look at growing up during the
end of the depression in northern Indiana. Philip
Grecian's adaptation uses a grownup Ralph Parker,
played by Shelley Bolman, to narrate the saga of
Christmas, the Old Man, and the 200 shot Red Ryder air
rifle. Bolman, who's worked with Wheelock Family
Theatre and teaches there, is the perfect host for
this fast-paced account as a cast of ten, two other
adults plus seven youngsters, under Caitlin Lownes
direction, whisks us through the month of December in
frigid Indiana. If you've read "Three
Sisters, understand the relationships between the
characters --the program is no help--and can sit
through 3 1/2 hours of Paul Schmidt's workmanlike
translation punctuated by at least an hour's worth of
pauses and dumbshow, then here's your chance. Krystian
Lupa, a renowned Polish director, has had 10 weeks to
build this interpretation of what Chekov always
maintained was a comedy. There aren't many laughs in
his version, but you'll be able to improve your seat
after the intermission. Set and costumes are
interesting if rather arbitrary, and the original
score includes monotonous drumming by the director.
Opinions will vary. Read the ARTicles afterwards, but
find a synopsis before you decide to brave yet another
auteur show committed in the name of a world famous
author at the ART. When a show has a
cast headlined by Michelle Dowd, Fulani Haynes,
Jacqui Parker, and Merle Perkins, and is directed by
Lois Roach, its material only has to be interesting to
provide satisfying entertainment, and probably a bit
of enlightenment.. Regina Taylor's adaptation of
"Crowns", based on Cunningham and Marberry oral
history of "church hats", though a bit thin as a
narrative deals honestly with the real-life stories of
Black Southern women and their Sunday "crowns." The
cast, which also includes Mikelyn Roderick, Heather
Fry, and Darius Omar Williams, makes the most of the
material and sings from the bottom of their souls,
Perkin's, as might be expected. has the showiest
number, but Williams, Haynes, Dowd, and Parker get to
into the spirit when called upon.
Hi, Larry! First of all, congratulations on your recent, much deserved award! It's about time Theatermirror got recognized for the incredible impact you have had on the theatrical community.
I am just writing this little blurb because Sharon and I just got back from Speakeasy's "Kiss Of The Spider Woman". No matter what anyone thought of the show (and we liked it a lot!), I can't help but notice that so little mention is ever made of the orchestra. Paul Katz once again has done a sensational job with amazing musicians (kudos to the trumpet player, Paul Perfitti, who has incredible chops!). The sound technician Briand Parenteau had such a sensational mix. This is really hard shit to do right, and wow, did they ever crank! (sorry, I was in a band for years and I just love to hear a band at the top of their game!) I just want people out there to notice the orchestra any time they can... when they are that good, it makes everything else work so well!
That's about it... have a great Holiday season! See you at "Promises, Promises"! Music theatre buffs got their chance last weekend to take
in a rare concert performance of Cole Porter's early Broadway show,
"50 Million Freshman" (1929) performed by American Classics. If you
didn't know about it, go to their website and get on their mailing
list. Many of their regulars were in fine voice and ready to take on
the broad, and sometimes racy lyrics and vintage jokes of this period
piece with a workmanlike book by Herbert Fields. Caryl Churchill's
recent exploration of an alternative reality, "A
Number", which played New York last season starring
Sam Shepherd, is a puzzle involving cloning and family
responsibility. The latter is most important. IRNE
winner Steve McConnell is Salter, the British father
of all three of the identical young men whose stories
make up the play. All three, Bernard, Bernard, and
Michael, are played by Lewis D. Wheeler, who subtley
distinguishes between the three by accent, minor
costume changes, and physical presentation. It seems
that twenty or so years before, Salter had his young
son cloned, under circumstances which seem to change
depending on which Bernard he's interacting with. The
first scene involves sets up a seemingly plausible
situation as Salter rants about the news that the firm
which cloned Bernard has made as many at twenty
additional copies. But the next scene introduces
another more frightening Bernard, who Salter seems
also to have commissioned. The worlds of the two
brothers interacts eventually with alarming
consequences. Hovering in the background is the
possibility that they are both copies of Salter
himself. Those familiar with
the 1920's Balderston version of this story, often
done by community theatres, will find Weylin Symes
version an improvement. Stoneham's artistic director,
along with director Greg Smucker, have fashioned a
contemporary thriller from Stoker's Victorian Gothic
novel, hewing close to the original story line, which
is not always dramatically effective. Perhaps they'll
be able to workshop this script over the next year or
so and bring it back in a future season. Stoneham's
kept the cast down to six without sacrificing any
important plot elements, and Susan Zeeman Rogers,
aided by Jenna McFarland's able stagecraft, has come
up with a flexible expressionist set with hints of
the silent film classic "Caligari" and touches of
Edward Gorey. The complex scene changes are carried
out by the cast, perhaps f
or budgetary reasons. This can be distracting. A
couple of supernumeraries might be speed things
up. The English-lanuage
version of Columbian screenwriter Huberto Dorado's
"Con el Corazon Abierto" (With an Open Heart),
retitled "The Keening" now playing at the ART's Zero
Arrow St. facility is one of the strongest pieces of
theatre seen in these parts in a long time. This
monodrama, acted with precision by Marissa Chibas,
currently the Head of Acting at Cal Arts, is an epic
narrative of the life of one anonymous Columbian
woman, whose interesting life but not extraordinary
life reflects more than a half century of bloody
political turmoil in that South American country.
Director Nicholas Montero, who developed the original
production for a 2004 festival in Bogota, has
carefully orchestrated Dorado's storyline as a solemn
ritual, past tragedy, not offering catharsis in the
traditional sense. "The Keening" leaves the audience
with an understanding of outrage without relief,
mirroring the circumstance in his homeland. The
evening is acted out on a formal thrust setting,
where realistic detail combines with modern sterility,
by Mexican designer Alejandro Luna, reinforcing the
starkness of the tale and its Brechtian style.
Chibas' powerful contained performance shows a
survivor, not a victim, living the best she can in a
devastating reality. "The Boy Friend"'s
back, some fifty years after this homage to the fun
of frivolous musical theatre brought Julie Andrews
across the pond to the States. Dame Julie's in charge
this time, and her vision of Sandy Wilson's bijou
isless a revival and more a fond memory of a time when
musicals weren't supposed to be significant. The tunes
are actually hummable, the lyrics recall the kind of
romance Rodgers & Hart and Irving Berlin were putting
out over here, and West End theatres were laying on
with regularity in the '20s. The cast captures the
bright young things of the period, with a few older
folks thrown in for comic relief. The snappy patter
is predictable, but the laughs ring true, and the
coincidences of the plot go back to the roots of
romantic comedy. Choreographer John DeLuca has
obvious watched a lot of early movie musicals while
paying close attention to current styles, with an
emphasis on froth. This is the kind of show where the
audience walks out with a grin, not worrying whether
the chirubes accents were consistent or whether it all
makes sense. The Hovey Players'
season opener is the first play in Martin McDonagh's
Connemara trilogy, "The Beauty Queen of Leenane."
Under Michael Tonner's careful direction, the four
members of the ensemble create a spellbinding domestic
tragedy. Mikki Lipsey is the doddering old mother,
Mag Folan, demanding and abrasive; Mary O'Donnell her
long-suffering daughter Maureen who's been caring
forthe old biddy these twenty years, with no help from
her two married sisters. There's something sinister
about the situation in this isolated farmhouse, to be
sure. Their neighbors are the Dooleys, feckless Ray,
who functions as the messenger in this tragedy, and
his older brother Pato. A brief and belated
relationship between Pato and Maureen is the crux of
the action. If you haven't seen the piece, the
outcome will be disturbing. If you have, this
production in Hovey's intimate basement has the
inevitability of tragedy. This was the play which
established McDonagh in the current ranks of important
new Irish writers. It was his the most harrowing
until his recent "The Pillowman" which is closing on
Broadway. Those with more than
a nodding acquaintance with George Farquahar's "The
Recruiting Officer" may find interesting parallels in
"Our Country's Good". However, to appreciate British
playwright, Timberlake Wertenbaker's historical drama,
it isn't necessary to know more than that Farquahar,
an Irish playwright who was a former British officer,
wrote several late Restoration Comedies which like
Sheridan's "The Rivals" had amorous young officers as
principle romantic characters. And that the British
penal system transported thousands of minor criminals
away to the colonies as convict labor, many as far as
Australia, but even here to Georgia. This play would
seem an unlikely script to be presented bu a group of
prisoners, given its critical look at the Army, but
"Our Country's Good" is in fact adapted from Thomas
Keneally's novel, The Playmaker, which was based on
just such a performance. The drama won an Olivier in
England, a Drama Critic's Circle Award here, and was
nominated for 6 Tonies. The Huntington Theatre
Company's opener, Tom Stoppard's "The Real Thing"
confirms the author's place as a master of English
language drama. This production's interpretation,
directed by Evan Yionoulis, achieves a commendable
balance between Stoppard's linguistic fireworks and
the marital conundrums that beset the main character,
not coincidentally a playwright. Indeed the first
scene of the play turns out to be the first scene of
this character's latest play, entitled "House of Cards" which is
ostensibly about adultery, featuring his current wife
and one of their friends. "The Real Thing" does
concern itself about marital fidelity, but is also
about truth and complex relationships. The author has
agreed that material in the play is
"self-referential", but it would be a mistake to think
that this meditation of marriage, friendship, and even
politics is more autobiographical than any writer's
work. At some point, a play
in development needs to get in front of an audience.
Donna Sorbello's "The Educated", a long one act
focussing on two Middle Eastern grad students and
their somewhat mysterious relationship tackles a
serious contemporary situation, but might have been
workshopped longer. Less superfiial direction would
also help develop the characters along with the
argument.. Amar Strivastava, as Sandahar the central
character, is convincingly torn between East and West.
Alan White, his more religious compatriot Hadji, has
a more internalized role. Susan Gross, as Sandahar's
fAmerican freshman girl Sonia back after five years
or more doesn't get beyond her rather stereotyped
part. A confrontation between her and Hadji might
help. Director Kevin Mark Kline manages the numerous
scenes efficiently, but hasn't taken his cast much
beyond the page. Fans of the American
Musical Theatre can't help being amused by this show,
which began as an Off-Off-Broadway lark in a garage as
part of a summer fringe festival and wound up on
Broadway winning Tony awards. A few are still
appalled at its title, and "Urinetown" probably would
have seemed more of a political fantasy if we hadn't
had the aftermath of Katrina and a monumental display
of governmental incompetence 24/7 on the media this
month. The audacity of political scientist Greg Kotis'
view of society and Mark Hollman's ability to echo
landmarks of the musical from Weill to Les Miz are the
heart of this satire, which has all the hallmarks of a
classic. Only opera fanatics
will find much fault with the ART’s guest production
of “Carmen.” This romantic fable suits Theatre de la
Jeune Lune’s physical theatre style much better than
their previous effort seen here, Moliere’s “The
Miser.” The lead singers are uniformly excellent,
capable of dealing with TJL’s energetic use of stage
space while singing with clarity and feeling. The
first half of the evening, Acts 1 & 2 is more
effective than Acts 3 & 4, perhaps because the
director’s industrial unit set doesn’t conjure up the
Pyrenees very well, and is not used particularly well
for the finale. Two sisters, Christina Baldwin and
Jennifer Baldwin Peden are Carmen the seductive gypsy
and Micaela the virtuous orphan respectively. Bradley
Greenwald is a sold and convincing Don Jose, the
basque country boy with a quick temper turned soldier.
Bill Murray is vocally suited to Escamillio the
bullfighter, moves well, but hasn’t been well served
by the costumer. In 2003, these four were
instrumental in developing the production with
Dominique Serrand, the director, who originally played
Zuniga, the police commander, the villain in the first
half. Thomas Derrah, the only member of the ART
regular company appearing in the show replaces him,
coming up with another invidious characterization,
reminiscent of Eric Von Stroheim. He doesn’t get to
sing however. Tracy Scott Wilson 's
script for "The Story" starts with the media scandals
concerning Black reporters, most recently Jason Blair
at the NYTimes. The author then permeates the action
with her own observations starting with growing up as
a middle-class African American in suburban Newark.
All this freight may be too much for a 90 minute
theatre piece to fully digest, but the suburb cast
Zeitgeist's David Miller has assembled for this
exhilarating production gives all the ideas swirling
around the central topic of racial identification a
sound airing. It's a superb start to the fall
season.
I was VERY pleasantly surprised by Abyssinia! Definitlely a must see! The performances were outstanding... Picture a young Patti Labelle and Stephanie Mills in the lead roles. That is what they sounded like. The show was moving, had a great message... was very often funny! The music is memorable. You would leave humming a few of the songs... if the next song didn't knock the previous song right out of your head. Many of the songs would stand on their own in a musical revue type show. I enjoyed it very much. I would actually see it again. The audience was quiet. Mostly older people... BUT they all stood up before the curtain call even began. I feel like the show was missing the excitement it could have if there was a celebrity in it. But, the cast is very talented. Other than Abyssinia's mother... who seemed to be fishing for her notes...(acting was great) and Sally... a great actor, but I wonder if her voice will withstand what she is doing with it... went slightly flat occasionally. The men were all strong as well. The preacher has a great number and sounds like Darius De Haus. The entire cast is African American. (Tracy... bring your entire church group!) The set is somewhat stationary and doesn't change much... but they light it beautifully! See it! You will be in for a nice surprise. I might go back! It was only the 3rd night... I am sure it will get even better! Be warned... it does get a little heavy at times... but no worse than Ragtime (which it really DIDN'T resemble... other than one song) In "the show must go
on" tradition, North Shore Music Theatre's revival of
"Abyssinia", which they first presented in 1995, is a
rousing start to Boston's downtown season. The cast,
with Shannon Antalan in the title role, forms a tight
musical ensemble, under the able musical direction of
Goodspeed's Michael O'Flaherty at the keyboard. This
production moves down to Connecticut next, with hopes
for a Broadway opening later in the season. Fans of
North Shore's in-the-round space may miss the
intimacy, but director Stafford Arima, who did "Aida"
for NSMT last season, keeps the action flowing on a
simple platform stage, well-suited to the show's
narrative form. Costumes, set pieces, and lighting,
blend into a powerful drama.
"Abyssinia" is a rather
straight-forward adaptation of Joyce Carol Thomas'
"Marked by Fire", a novel of sharecropping life in
rural Oklahoma early in the last century. BJ Crosby as
Mother Vera, the local midwife and the heroine's
mentor moves the action along, vocally and
dramatically. The show, which verges on "folk opera"
in the tradition of Scott Joplin's "Treemonisha",
would not have been out of place in the regional drama
period of the '30s. It's had a number of
distinguished performances around the country in the
last decade. The ensemble rises to the challenges of
its rousing gospel, ragtime, and jazz score, which is
often sung through. The cast of fourteen, with
extensive credits in music theatre and the concert
stage, produces a mighty sound. This is a show which
should become part of the American Musical Theatre
tradition. It used to be said
that performing “Hamlet” was the true test of a
leading man. These days the Scottish king or Richard
Crookback are probably more of a challenge, as Hamlet
has turned into an alienated Everyman. Local
character actor, George Saulnier III, does a down to
earth job of playing the doleful prince, with good
jobs from a cast of Theatre Coop regulars. The text
approximates the first printing of the play, the
so-called “bad” quarto and runs les than 2 1/2 hours.
A few more judicious cuts might have kept things
moving faster in spots.
Josh Pritchard, normally seen
as a low comic does an admirable job as Claudius,
Cheryl Singleton is a mature and believable Gertrude.
Peter Brown doubles as the Ghost and the Player King,
while Kevin Groppe revels in Polonius and the
Gravedigger. SerahRose Roth is touching as Ophelia,
and Claire Shinkman does her best as a gender switched
Laertes, a conceit that doesn’t quite work. Dan
Liston’s Horatio beats the anemic conception seen last
month on the Common. Director Lesley Chapman’s direct
approach delivers sound Hamlet--minus Fortinbras--who
was more politically important then than now. A few
more props, particularly weapons for the guard, would
have been welcome. This in-the-round production with
acting areas contiguous to sections of the audience
makes the play very accessible. Less sauna-like
weather would make it more enjoyable. Dress
lightly--like the cast--and bring extra water, Refill
at the concession stand during intermission. Reagle's definitely
got themselves a leading lady in Sarah Pfisterer, back
for her third season, and the second show this summer.
“The Sound of Music” (1958) let Oscar Hammerstein
approach his roots in the operetta while once again
finding a way for decency to respond to tyranny.
Pfisterer's Maria and co-star John Davidson as Baron
Von Trapp anchor a solid production of this classic,
combining her fresh fully-trained voice with his forty
years of show-biz experience. Davidson is not only a
believable, but not especially threatening military
man, but also enough of a mature aristocrat to project
an attractive touch of nobility and manners, making
their May and December romance seem inevitable. Those who caught
"Breathe of Kings" during its brief run in 2003 may
want to catch it this weekend in the larger space of
the Roberts Studio at the BCA, under its new title,
"Hal Harry Henry." Noel Joseph Allain is once again
in the role of Hal aka Henry V, while Eric Lochtefeld
who has appeared in several of Mary Zimmerman's
production, including the Tony-nominated
"Metamorphoses" play his father, Henry IV, aka Henry
Bolingbroke, Sir John Falstaff, Exeter, and other
roles. The author and head director, Shawn Cody, also
plays Hotspur among other roles. He does well enough
acting, but might have concentrated more on the
direction and found another Henry Percy, or better
still, further honed his complex script and engaged a
more subtle director. Of all Shakespeare's
plays, "The Comedy of Errors" derives its humor most
from the action rather than its characters. Based
loosely of the ancient Roman comedy by Plautus, "The
Twin Maenechmi," the play follows one day's
adventures of identical twins Antipholus of Syracuse
and Antipholus of Ephesus, and their equally identical
servants, the Dromios. The former played by Lewis
Wheeler has come to town seeking his long-lost
brother. The Ephesian is played by Bill Mootos, and
with a little costume help from Rafael Jean and some
cool shades, they look quite alike. The long-winded
Dromios, Steven Libby and Hary LaCoste are more
indistinguishable. To add to the plot, their father,
Egeon, played to Nigel Gore, has also arrived in
Ephesus and been arrested, since this city in Asia
Minor and Syracuse, off the "boot" of Italy are
enemies. If he can't make bail by sundown, he'll be
executed. The Vokes Players summer
classic this year is Richard Wilburs’
translation/adaptation of Moliere’s 1672 domestic
comedy, “Les Precieuses riducles.” Wilbur’s approach
is more sympathetic than the original, which is rarely
produced even at the Comedie Francais. Director John
Barrett has fielded a strong ensemble cast, many
of whom were in last summer’s Shaw classic, “The
Devil’s Disciple.” His set is square and realistic and
the collection of costumes Elizabeth Tustian has come
up with are appropriate to the period. Wilbur’s
couplets prove very playable and the comic
observation, while not especially contemporary, still
resonates.
Kimberly Schaffer and Evan
Bernstein are charming as the almost thwarted young
lovers, Deanna Swann, Melissa Sine and Mickie Lipsey
are the over-educated title characters. Dan Kelly is
back at Vokes, this time to channel his innner poet as
the pedantic villain, the ladies' idol. James Ewell
Brown is the henpacked father of the girls. Kate
Mahoney plays Martine, the cook, one of Moliere’s
favorite recurring servant roles. Robert Mackie, Kent
Miller, and David Dobson round out the able cast.
Another fine production at Vokes worth the drive
to Wayland, only a few minutes west on Rt. 20 off
128. Those who missed Pamela
Gien's remarkable solo show this last January can
catch it at the Loeb until the end of the first week
in August. Perhaps the best current example of the
monodrama Russian theatre theorist Evreinov proposed
during the 1920s, this piece probably provides its
author/actress more catharsis than an audience could
hope to get, at least in one sitting. Indeed much of
the action would be recognized by Freud's student J.
L. Moreno, whose controversial psycho-drama became a
basis for modern therapeutic techniques. This
rewarding if occasionally uncomfortable theatre piece
starts somewhat cryptically as this former ART company
member regresses to a four year old on a swing in her
back yard in urban Johannesburg. By the end of the
show, she, as the main character Elizabeth (named
after the Queen?), is able to come home from America,
where she fled just after the Soweto riots and begin
to come to terms with her inner turmoil. There’s a
lot of hidden artifice in the construction of the one
hour forty minute continuous piece, directed by Gien’s
acting guru, Larry Moss. It’s certainly the best
serous theatrical effort onstage in town at the
moment. Turtle Lane’s first
show ever, in 1982, was Stephen Schwartz's “Godspell”
and a few years later this spinoff from Wayland's
Vokes Theatre first tried “Pippin”, their summer
offering this year. TLP recently did Schwartz’s “Rags”
in 2003. His music, with its ever-present touch of the
popular, is well suited to those who generally perform
there. The show however , written in the early '70s,
no longer has echoes the youth culture of the period
it originally spoke for. "Pippin"'s first act seems
overlong; its second rather arbirtrary. While some
anti-war themes still resonate, Schwartz's continuing
preoccupation with "growing up", evident even in his
current Broadway success "Wicked", comes across as
self-indulgence. Tom Stoppard may
well be the current successor to Bernard Shaw,
producing plays which combine fine writing, witty
situations, and provoking ideas. His 1993 "Arcadia"
may be less well-known than "Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern are Dead", but this play is more
ambitious, for it uses the mathematical mysteries of
the universe as its poetic springboard. The drama
shifts from the past to the present and back again,
combining a country-house comedy with an academic
puzzle involving Byron, while touching on the
paradoxes of time. This year's "Double
Play" program at the Theatre Coop featured two
vignettes by Vladimir Zelevinsky, whose adaptation of
"Forget Herostratus!" ended their regular season, and
a dialogue by Shadow Boxing Theatre's Lisa Burdick.
Each piece was done twice with different actors and
directors. Zelevinsky's "Last Scene", a final
confrontation between the astronomer Bruno and an
Inquisitor was directed in period by Jason Myatt, and
as an abstract modern dress scene by Lisa Burdick.
The first version pitted Randy Farias as the priest
against Korinne Hertz as Bruno, then in the second
half Louisa Richards represented authority and Eva
Passeltiner was the heretic. The scene might be an
interesting beginning or end to a longer effort. In place of the
annual repeat performance of "The Island of Anywhere",
the ART's perennial show for youngsters, this June
they've imported Oregon's Imago Theatre for a run of
"Frogz", subtitled " a theatrical menagerie." This
variety mask/mime show, which has changed as they've
played around the world, opens with a trio of said
creatures being simply themselves. They're followed
by some pretty scary double sided alligators with red
LED eyes. Families with skittish kids are advised to
sit up a few rows safely in the center of the house.
Anyone in the front row may get up close and personal
with these and other more abstract entities. There
are solos, like an amazingly animated paper bag, some
concertina beasts, and penguins playing musical
chairs. "Frogz"' eleven pieces using five performers
take about two hours including intermission. Everyone
will have their own favorites, all are memorable. The parting shot of
the ART's season is based on an unfinished juvenile
novel by Prague's master of macabre fantasy Franz
Kafka. It
follows the strange adventures of young Karl Rossman,
exiled from Germany to Amerika before WWI. ART
regulars combine with members of director Dominic
Serrand's company from Minneapolis, Theatre de la
Jeune Lune, which got a Tony award this year, to
create an interesting ensemble. Both Serrand, and
Gideon Lester, the ART's associate artistic director
and the script's author, have their own experiences
coming to this country which inform the production.
The result is interesting if rather inconclusive,
running about three hours with intermission since a
lot of the incidents from the original novel have been
worked into this adaptation. There are several
currently available stage adaptations of Jane Austen's
first and most popular novel, "Pride & Prejudice."
Wellesley Summer Theatre company member Andrea Kennedy
has taken a fresh look at this archtypical Regency
Romance with an ear toward catching the author’s
proto-feminist observations, beginning of course with
ironic “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a
single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in
want of a wife,” the novel’s opening line. She’s
directed the show in the company’s style, and has the
services of Alicia Kahn as Elizabeth Bennet, the
heroine and Kahn’s regular stage partner, Derek Stone
Nelson, as dour Mr. Darcy, her opposite number Their
Beatrice and Benedick relationship is kept at the
center of the action, though perhaps too much of the
rest of Austen’s two volume chronicle is retained.
There is a lot of dialogue in the original work, and
the cast handles it expiditiously. The structure of
the gentry during the Regency is made quite clear,
though it does take three hours with intermission.
The story theatre approach to the narration could be
strengthened, however Ironically, the major
moral of Patrick Gabridge's "Pieces of Whitey", Rough
& Tumble's spring offering, is that there's very
little new to say about race relations in today's
America. White America ignores Black America; it's
more comfortable that way. So the company, under Dan
Milstein's measured direction, instead of playing the
comedy in antic style, adopts a reflective pace. This
strategy can be annoying, but it may be the only way
to make the point using this material. As in
"Blinders", which Out of the Blue did this spring at
Boston Playwright's, Gabridge's imagination runs on,
with more scenes and situations than are really
necessary to make his point. Rough & Tumbles'
company,old hands Kristin Baker, Irene Daly, George
Salunier III, recent addition Jason Myatt, and new
comers Josh Pritchard and Karen "Mal" Malme; all
seasoned improvisors and sketch comedians, could
probably create tighter scenes for some situations
from scenarios rather than prepared dialogue.
Gabridge's interwoven plot lines, perhaps intended to
suggest real life, instead become overly
self-referential. The conceit that the audience needs
to be cued as to whether characters, all of whom are
played by white actors, are black or white by having
them wear appropriately "colored" shirts might be even
more pointed if there were a "person of color" in the
ensemble. Anyone interested in the questions posed by
this show, which should be the entire local theatre
going crowd, might want to take in this show,
regardless of their own personal racial
identification. As the second of the
two works scheduled by the Huntington Theatre Company
to coincide Pride Month, Christopher Durang's drama
for two, "Laughing Wild", seems even more dated than
"Falsettos". Not that its concerns aren't relevant,
but the specific cultural referents, some conveniently
annotated in the latest newsletter, add a touch of
Trivial Pursuit to the evening. The author, who's
half the cast, seems content to let his words speak
for themselves. Some just aren't as funny as they
were when he started creating this "cult comedy" in
the '80s. His co-star, Emmy winning Debra Monk, who
also has a Tony and several nominations works harder
at her part.
One wishes she had more to work with; less
stereotype, more substance.
I had the opportunity to see "Forget Herostratus" last night at the
Theatre Cooperative. Unfortunately, there were very few audience members
there to see this fine production so following is a little publicity for
this excellent cast.
The story is about a young man named Herostratus who in 356 BC burned
down the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus. The temple was considered one of
the seven wonders of the Ancient World and the narcissistic Herostratus
was motivated by the desire to secure immortal fame. The title refers to
the fact that the authorities tried to thwart his notoriety by
threatening to execute anyone who spoke his name. The story is
intriguing and has many levels to ponder in this age of the "cult of
celebrity".
Dan Cozzens in the title role is absolutely riveting. Peter Brown is
alternately both touching and fierce as the governor in love with his
young wife and is at his best during a confrontation scene with
Herostratus close to the end. The rest of the ensemble does a good job
and the play held the audience's interest throughout.
I was at one of the larger venues on Friday night which was packed with
theatergoers for what I and my companions considered an inferior
product. This small theater and this production in particular are worth
the time and money. Go see it. Through June 11.
It's not the 198?
movie, with its one-hit wonder Academy Award winning
song. It's not the "teenage angst in Manhattan
show-biz" TV series remembered for Debbie Allen's
choreography.. It's a musical begun back then, and
premiered in Sweden in 1993, a box-office success
abroad, and less than impressive off-Broadway (but
close) in NY. Not quite a juke box musical. though
that song works its way in, "FAME" has an unremarkable
pop score with rather pedestrian lyrics. The
cleverest is "Mabel's Prayer" about being an
over-weight dancer nicely done here by Krystal N.
Pyram. The anthem this time is "Bring on Tomorrow,"
which is forgettable at best. Audiences used to
finding new music theatre work sponsored by the New
Opera and Musical Theatre Initiative (NOMTI) this time
of year won't have as many choices as in the past.
They can however take a chance on Peter Fernandez'
"Duplex", an ambitious effort by Alarm Clock which
just opened in the BCA Black Box. The book which
began life as a screenplay has too many dialogue
scenes and too many locations. The cast's limited
singing abilities handle the unchallenging lyrics
adequately and the overall effect is earnest but not
pretentious. It's a likable enough first effort with
a hint of sophistication about pop music. After this
brief run, serious playdoctoring and more attention to
music theatre fundamentals might result in a nice
little show with popular appeal. The whole thing could
be boiled down to a long one act piece, but it might
be more fruitful to tighten up the main action while
giving the ensemble more stories of their own. Luke
Griffen of ACTC does a good job of getting his four
principles and four ensemble players, each of whom has
at least two roles, through the two acts with only a
few overlong scene changes. Technical support is a bit
rough amd ready but adequate. Perhaps if this
short production had played downtown, the cogniscenti
might notice more. Havel's two one acts, which focus
on the semi-autobiographical character of Ferdinand
Vanek, a hapless playwright in a repressive society,
are probably more relevant in 2005 than these
Absurdist gems were when MTP presented them in 1999.
"Unveiling" shows Vanek, nicely underplayed by Jason
Beals, visiting his two oldest friends, a couple
whose lives have become completely focussed on their
home and new baby, who now insist that he and his wife
must do the same. Their material concerns, presented
in classic Absurdist terms, make Lyralen Kaye and Sean
Stanco totally blind to their friend's real problems.
He's no longer employable as a writer, but is rolling
barrels in a brewery. While groundbreaking,
Wm. Finn's "Falsettos"(1992), the condensation of
three one act sung-through music dramas into two
related acts, is more a harbinger of the future for
one part of the American Musical Theatre than an
enduring classic in its own right. Though many of the
individual scenes are brilliant, the action is a bit
anti-climactic and slightly bathetic. The evening
feels more like a song cycle than a drama, which given
the intensity of the emotions invoked, with individual
actions complete in themselves, is no cause for
complaint. A cast of Broadway regulars, plus young
Jacob Brandt from Newton, fleshes out Finn and
Lapine's somewhat sketchy characterizations and
handles the musical complications with ease and
clarity. Linda Muggleston, as wife and mother Trina,
at the center of this family
drama, gives the strongest performance of the
evening, including the show stopping "I'm Breaking
Down." Steve Routman, as her husband's psychiatrist
who falls for Trina after the divorce provides a
strong through-line, and has a few big moments of his
own. Each cast member has their own chance to shine
as well. The ART's approach to
Eugene O'Neill's "Desire Under the Elms" is best
summed up by the set. The elm trees of the title,
which loomed over the original production in 1924 on
Robert Edmund Jones's set based on O'Neill's sketches,
are felled or dead and limbless. There's a rusting
wreck of a pickup truck upstage left and a lot of real
stones. The actors spend too much time moving these
about. The raked stage is covered with dirt and
gravel, so much that the female lead wears kneepads
for the entire play. There's no hint of green
anywhere on this "purty" farm. And while much of the
author's language is there, O'Neill's attempt to find
tragedy in the lives of his Yankee neighbors has been
"Grotowskized" by Hungarian film and stage director
Janos Szasz into a modern dress relative of Sam
Shepard's "Curse of the Starving Class. "
Since I won't be able to
see Molasses Tank's revival of this program they did
in 1998 until next week, this note is alert for a rare
chance to see two interesting pieces by the only
modern playwright to be elected President of his
country. The company is doing ''Unveiling" and
''Audience," two one-acts connected by a typically
Czech character. MTP's previous piece at the
Charlestown Working Theatre, an underused venue, was a
bill of Ionesco plays. By all reports, this effort is
equally well-done and intellectually stimulating.
Hi Larry--
I had the opportunity to see Bay Colony's "Guys & Dolls" on Saturday night (5/14) and I have to tell you that, hands-down, it was one of the best shows I have seen in a long time, community or professional theatre. Bill Cunningham, Rob Goldman and Dori Bryant have assembled an all-star cast of actors from all over to stage the BEST version of "G&D" I have ever seen, and have provided them with a show that is worthy of any of the houses in the Theatre District.
I know from talking with the cast and the crew after the show that everyone is immensely proud of the show and are equally as awed at the level of talent of all players involved, both on- and back-stage. I feel like I've been in enough shows as an actor and crew member to know what a great show and cast looks like, and these guys are it, no question.
They have one weekend of shows left (May 20-22/ Fri & Sat shows @ 8 p.m. and a Sun matinee @ 3 p.m.), and I would encourage everyone who can to run to the Orpheum to see the show. It may be a 30-minute ride from Boston, but it is well worth it, believe me.
Thanks for the space-- Historic Durrell Hall
at Cambridge's Central Sq. YMCA has seen some
interesting shows since its recent renovation. But
none have been as complete and professional as the
Actors' Shakespeare Project's ensemble production of
"Julius Caesar". They've taken down the temporary
thrust leaving the small original proscenium stage.
Seating has been set in a wide arc under the edge of
the horseshoe balcony, with the back rows raised
sufficiently for better sightlines. The center of the
hall becomes the main acting area, with platforms
reaching up to the stage which is reserved mostly for
the title character. The acoustics of the room are
much improved by this arrangement. Ken Ludwig's
"Shakespeare in Hollywood" was originally commissioned
by the Royal Shakespeare Co. but never produced in
England. That's unfortunate because the piece might be
funnier if worked over by a few British comedians.
The show was premiered in Washington DC at the Arena
Stage, where its farcical too-ing and fro-ing seems to
have worked quite well in the round. Farce is a
delicate balance between premise, character and comic
writing. This script doesn't quite develop its
premise(s), may have too many characters based on
Hollywood legends, and depends on out of context
quotes from the Bard instead of jokes for much of its
humor. Still, now that Culture Clash has folded their
tent down at the BCA, it's the funniest show in town,
even with Dick Van Patton's revival of "The Sunshine
Boys" opening out at the Stoneham Theatre. Director
Spiro Veloudous keeps the action humming along on
Janie E. Howland's minimalist set and Gail Astrid
Buckley of course gets the costumes just right. In recent seasons,
Waltham's Hovey Players have presented a number of
contemporary plays exploring family dynamics. Jane
Anderson's "Looking for Normal", directed by Hovey's
president Michelle M. Aguillon, is their latest
effort. This time the focus is gender identification
across several generations of a midwestern farm
family. A crisis is precipitated by the main
character's desire, in his late forties, to undergo a
sex change operation. John Tierney's portrayal of Roy
Applewood, the father, is solid, but Kate Tonner, as
his wife Irma, really shines as the center of the
play. Daria da Silviera is Patty Ann, their daughter
just becoming a woman, while Steve Travierso is their
son, Wayne, off on his own as a rock'n'roll roadie.
Both the youngster's parts are less substantially
written, as are Grandpa Roy played by area theatre
veteran Bill Doscher, and peripatetic community
theatre actress Sandi McNeal as Grandma Em. The
sprawling family saga was probably more digestible as
the HBO movie it became in 2002, after its 2001 run in
L.A. The single most interesting part is the shade of
Roy Sr's mother Ruth, played by Renee Tyzbir. A free
spirit, she escaped her new son and midwestern roots
to run off to become a nurse in WWI, then stayed in
Europe, abandoning her family. Ruth appears as
commentary to the action, as do both children from
time to time. The kids explain human sexual functions
using diagrams and also detail moments in their
lives. Believable jobs are also done by John
Grenier-Ferris as Rev. Muncie, their family's pastor,
and Jere Babst as Frank, Roy Jr.'s boss. "Damn Yankees" is one
of those '50s musicals created by the legendary Geo.
Abbott. It clings to the Brill Building canon, with
several songs aimed squarely at the Billboard charts.
The show won eight Tony's; for Bob Fosse's innovative
choreography, for Gwen Verdon's unique dancing, and
for Ray Walston's wickedly comic portrayal of Mr.
Applegate aka Old Nick, for its book, adapted from
Wallop's popular novel, and for Adler & Ross' slick
score & lyrics. It didn't have much competition
however. Villanova professor
Michael Hollinger, whose plays get their start at the
Arden Theatre Company in suburban Philadelphia, in the
last year has gotten on hereabouts at the Vokes
Theatre (Incorruptible, a medieval ecclesiastical
farce) and at the Lyric Stage (Red Herring, a film
noir parody). Now Zeitgeist's doing "Tooth & Claw", a
docu-comedy about tensions between ecologists and the
inhabitants of the Galopogos Islands.
This is perhaps Hollinger's most thoughful work to
date, combining fact and fiction, comedy and drama
into a play which explores the conflict between the
scientific world's desire to preserve the rare fauna
of these remote islands for posterity and the
immediate needs of local fisherman. The complex moral
questions raised in this vintage Sondheim musical
based on traditional fairy tales have been somewhat
obscured by the number of juvenile productions the
show had in the '90s. The New Rep's current
production of "Into the Woods" is definitely not a
kid's show. Featuring a cast of some of the best
music theatre actors in the area, the evening first
revolves around the story of Rapunzel, with IRNE
winner Nancy E. Carroll as the Witch, complicated by
the quest of fellow IRNE awardee, Leigh Barrett, as
the Baker's Wife, and Evan Harrington as The Baker.
They strive to lift her curse that's left them
childless. At the same time, simpleton Jack, played by
IRNE winner Miguel Cervantes, is sent by his mother,
IRNE winner Kerry A. Dowling, to sell his cow, "Mily
White." Meanwhile, Cinderella, played by Aimee
Dougherty, seen last fall in Speakeasy's "Company"
pines to go to the Festival, greedy Little Red Riding
Hood played byBosCon vocalist Veronica J. Kuehn is
filling her basket and herself at the bakery prior to
heading for the woods, and veteran performer, Paul J,
Farwell, is telling the stories, while also appearing
as a Mysterious Stranger, who will turn out to be
someone's father. For all it's
mindlessness, "Thoroughly Modern Millie" , which began
as a Julie Andrews film written by Richard Morris
parodying the movie musicals of the '30s, is firmly
grounded in the traditions of the American musical
theatre. North Shore's arena adaptation of this
Broadway hit is predictably better than most road
company versions of such shows, even if the quick
change costumes, courtesy of Kansas City Costume Co.,
are definitely touring models. Jeanine Tesori's
music, as in Footlight's recent production of
"Violet", reveals her mastery of yet another part of
the American songbook. Scanlan's lyrics are
predictable but entirely suitable to the Roaring
Twenties style. Those who missed
Speakeasy's darker production of this unique piece
with music by Jeanine Tesori, who did "Caroline" with
Tony Kuschner, have one last weekend to make it over
to the Footlight Club. IRNE winner Bill Doscher's at
the wheel of this bus trip through the South in the
early '60's. "Violet" is based on Doris Bett's
Southern Gothic tale, "The Ugliest Pilgrim", which
finds the heroine, played by Kristin Shoop, journeying
from rural North Carolina to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to see a
television evangelist. Violet was scarred by an
accident with an ax as a child, a condition the
audience has to imagine. Talene Monahan plays her as
a youngster from 10 to 14; Ian Flynn is the TV
preacher. Steven Littlehale, who played Tateh in last
season's "Ragtime" is Violet's father, seen in
flashbacks. The show incidentally was the first
Off-Broadway musical to win the Drama Critics Circle
Award(1998) in NY. The Wheelock Family
Theatre's offering for their younger audience this
spring is a revival of a rather PC slapstick fable
"The Beanstalk, the Giant and Jack" written a while
back by two of WST's founders, with music by Jane
Staub, which she plays live. It's in a typical
children's theatre mode with less drawbacks than
usual. While they'd like to be inspired by the
traditions of the commedia, this show seems closer to
that tradition as filtered through the British
Panto--without the Dame, and the hero is played by a
real kid, Khalil Flemming. The Beanstalk is topped by
a dancer, the Cow has two actors inside in classic
style, the Giant is a baby who throws tantrums, and
veteran Boston actor John Davin gets to play Baby
Willy. Davin's also the traveling "wizard" who cons
Master Jack and his Uncle Bill, played by Bill Mootos,
into buying the beans. For added action, Sir Lancelot
and Lady Elaine are riding about the countryside. The
same two actors, Grace Napier and Dan Boulton, also
play two commedia lovers running away from Pantaloon,
her father, played by Matt Lazure and the Magic Harp
and its Harpist. It's silly enough for early grades,
though some toddlers might get confused by the
doubling. There could be more edge for older kids and
adults, without changing the basic script. Edward Bond's 1993
teleplay "Olly's Prison" translates into about three
hours of mostly monologues, with intermission. Part
one is not quite two hours long. The first half hour
or so is brilliant British Absurd, dynamically played
by Bill Camp as Mike the central character. Most of
the play's point about workingclass despair is
effectively made in this "talking heads" type scene.
Little else in the script comes up to it, though Karen
McDonald's anguish as Ellen, the mother of a boy who
hanged himself, played practically as monologue, comes
close. Angela Reed as Vera, who pursues Mike
throughout the play is effective, but as a woman who's
constantly commenting on herself doesn't get much
further into the role. Thomas Derrah has a nice turn
as a nicotine fiend who, for a change, may just be
the sanest character in the show. Olly played by
Mickey Solis doesn't show up until the middle of the
second part and barely survives the ending. David
Wilson Barnes plays Frank, the villain of the piece as
written, which is to say opaquely. The Sugan Theatre
Company has played out moments of violence embedded
in modern Celtic drama on the Boston stage before.
They've also displayed humor and a love of language,
while exploring powerful social ideas. The collision
of all three is the basis of Scotsman Gregory Burke's
humorous and appalling "Gagarin Way". This
award-winning play which started at the Edinburgh
Fringe is in the Edward Bond tradition, with just a
touch on Monty Python in the ineptness of its
characters One of Guirgis'
earlier works for the LABrynth Theatre (1996) of which
he's a member, this script has all the hallmarks of
his more recent efforts, such as "Jesus Hopped the A
Train", which got Company One a Norton last year or
"Our Lady of 121st St.", for which Vincent E, Siders
got a Supporting Actor nod from the IRNEs for his
Speakeasy appearance. Quirky characters face unlikely
moral questions in odd situations somewhere deep in
the city. There are only ambiguous solutions to
insoluble problems. If you missed this
Sondheim show a few seasons ago at the Lyric, and
didn't spend a fortune to see the Tony-winning revival
in NY, here's a chance to catch a solid 90 minute
performance of "Assassins" by local musical theatre
folk. Janet Neely directs this musical fantasy,
which features BosCon grad Robert Case as actor John
Wilkes Booth, Turtle Lane's James Tallach as immigrant
Leon Czolgosz, and regional player Bob DeVivo as
Charles Giteau the disappointed office seeker. If
your history's a little rusty, check the program
notes. Case is also responsible for a well-conceived
if not quite polished set. Michael Kreutz does
justice to Sondheim's quirky score conducting a six
piece ensemble from the keyboard. Too few contemporary plays concern
themselves with the consequences of every-day
decisions that well-intentioned people make. The only
villain in Lisa Loomer's "Living Out", commissioned by
the Mark Taper Forum in L.A., performed there a year
ago, is the economic situation that bedevils the
complicated intertwined lives of professional couples
and the immigrant women they hire to care for their
children. Since "Living Out" is set in L.A., these
nannies are mostly Latino, usually illegal, and
underpaid under the table. Often mothers themselves,
they must put the needs, desires, and preferences of
their employers ahead of their own families. Mariela
Lopez-Ponce plays Ana Hernandez, a refugee from El
Salvador who's joined her husband Bobby, played by
Luis Negron, in L.A. Their youngest son lives with
them; the older was left behind with his grandmother.
She decides that she must lie about having a child of
her own to raise in order to get a job tending Nancy
Robin's newborn. Rachel Harker shows her usual finesse
playing this ambitious young mother, conflicted
between her promising entertainment law career and her
child. Dale Place does a fine job as her
happy-go-lucky lawyer husband, a dedicated--and
therefore underpaid--public defender. The lives of
these two couples intertwine literally onstage as the
action under Lois Roach's skilled direction flows
across Brynna Bloomfield's unit set. The scene triples
as the Robin?s new "fixer-upper" home in Santa Monica,
the Hernandez apartment on the edge of the barrio, and
a nearby park where the nannies congregate with the
charges in strollers. After twenty years
creating shows across the country starting in their
native California, the trio of Richard Montoya, Ric
Salinas, and Herbert Siguenza, aka Culture Clash, has
finally made it to Boston. They should be invited
back yearly. Combining the instincts of sacred clowns,
the acumen of Dario Fo, and the worldview of Chicanos
from the Left Coast, CC parades a rainbow of
extraordinary Americans across the stage. The show
opens in Washington DC with a cab driver in white and
ricochets around the country from Frisco and L.A. to
NY to Miami, bringing Americans of all colors,
genders, and religions to life. The troupe created
new material for about half the show during a trip to
Boston earlier this year, using interviews and
observation with an eye towards everyday truths and
absurdity. Beantown has plenty. The only one not in
the show yet is the Big Dig. Naomi Iizuka's "36 Views" is billed
as an éexpos of the international art and antique scene but it's
really a well-done character-driven drama with an exotic premise and a
unique structure. In fact, paying too much attention to questions of
truth and beauty which decorate the action may result in missing some
of the plot, which involves good old fashioned payback. Not that it's
all that significant, because interesting characters and strong
portrayals are the primary reason for seeing the Huntington's current
elegant production, even without a really satisfying ending. Prolific
Massachusetts playwright Jack Neary has histake on
Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher", first done in
2000 at Mt. Holyoke's Summer Theatre, running this
month in Waltham down in the Hovey Players basement
theatre next to the Library. Reconceived as a 1930's
noir thriller, Poe's anonymous narrator has become a
successful pulp mystery writer, played by Eric
Houghton, returning to Boston to visit his childhood
friends, the Usher twins. After the conflagration
which consumed their ancient estate, the author's
being interrogated by a Boston cop played by Ted
Batch.The detective's also questioning the Usher's
sole remaining servant, Fiona, played by Tracy Nygard,
who supplies interesting "suppositions" concerning the
household. The central character, sickly Roderick
Usher, is done by Timothy Dargon, while Christine
Ellen Frydenburg is his sister Madeline, who has quite
a bit to say this time. The unnatural relationship
between these two siblings is still central here, but
the Victorian fascination with entombing the living,
Poe's central metaphor, becomes more Freudian and
incestuous in the complicated plot Neary's
devised. Neil Bartlett, the
British director of the ART's latest reimagined
classic, Christopher Marlowe's first official play,
"Dido, Queen of Carthage", possibly doctored by Thomas
Nashe, suggests that it comes from an imagination
where "desire, danger, eroticism, vulgarity and
transgression are always inexplicably linked."
Unfortunately, Bartlett's realization of this vision
onstage at the Loeb offers very little that regular
attendees haven't seen other auteur directors try.
The high points of the text receive due attention, and
Marlowe's invented climax, which has Karen McDonald
as Anna, Dido's sister, commit suicide after the
equally estimable Gregory Simmons as Iarbus, her
kingly suitor has killed himself, is surprisingly
effective. But a little more thought could have gotten
the bodies offstage before the start of the curtain
call. Returning to the ART from Straford, Canada,
Diana D'Aquila carries off the title character with
aplomb, regal all the way. Colin Lane's Aeneas is a
bit of a cypher but handles Marlowe's "mighty line"
with skill. Pulitzer Prize
winning plays are often character-driven with more
attention to language than to storyline. Nilo Cruz's
"Anna in the Tropics" balances these elements better
than most, then adds Tolstoy's monumental romance
"Anna Karenina" to the mix. His tale of Cuban cigar
makers in 1920's Florida doesn't completely parallel
the novel. Speakeasy has brought back ART Institute
directing grad Daniel Jaques and gotten a sterling
cast capable of making Cruz's words sing. Melinda
Lopez is Conchita, the factory owner's older daughter
whose husband Palomo, played by Diego Arciniegas, has
been unfaithful. Her mother, Ofelia, is Bobbie
Steinbach; her father Santiago, Dick Santos. Robert
Saoud plays her uncle. Cheche, who's a potential
problem. BosCon grad Angela Sperazza is her bright
eyed younger sister. The catalyst for the action, the
new lector, Juan Julian, brought in to read to the
cigar makers while they work, is played by Liam
Torres, a New York actor whose credits include his one
man show "Spanish White Person". The work of prolific
playwright, Lee Blessing, best known for his Pulitzer
nominated "A Walk in the Woods", hasn't been seen
much in these parts recently. He's currently
professor of playwrighting at Rutgers, and
"Fortinbras", his 1992 commission for the Mark Taper's
graduate program shows up quite regularly on campuses
across the country. A dark farce written just after
the start the first Gulf War, the production out at
the Vokes Theatre concentrates on the play's comic
virtues with a fine ensemble cast who've played with
various groups around the area. Bill Stambaugh plays
the title role as a modern everyman with John Joyce as
his overeager aide-de-camp. The rest of the cast, who
are mostly ghosts, have fun with the campier aspects
of their parts; Melissa Sine as Ophelia in leather,
Vokes veteran Robert Zawistowski as a speechless
Polonius, peripetatic Gordon Ellis as a baby-faced
Hamlet appearing first of a TV screen. Projected 3D
CGI scenery created by Dean O'Donnell almost becomes
the star of the show. David Hansen's Horatio and
Chris Wagner's Osric, who spend most of the show among
the living, provide most of the commentary on the
action. The author has a bit of fun with the idea of
the soliloquy as well. It's an entertaining enough
piece to wish Blessing would revisit the script given
what's happened since and make the comedy even more
relevant. The old mole himself could even show
up. The current version of Tony Kushner’s
rumination on Afghanistan, set in 1998 and first
written pre9/11, runs just under 3 hours with
intermissions. The author has tightened up several
sequences, and reduced the cast slightly from its 2002
run at Trinity. BTW artistic director Jason
Southerland has staged the show briskly on a set by
Zeynep Bakkal from Northeastern which has Nancy
Carroll’s Homebody sitting in a small raised kitchen
between the two pillars upstage. The rest of the show
takes place using bits of furniture and props out on
the floor of the thrust, which is partially covered by
a textured groundsheet. Carroll is engaging but
appropriately detached during the opening, so that
Helen McElvain as her daughter Priscilla, around whom
the reaction revolves, seems believably rejected and
clinging to her absent mother. Whichever of the two
version of Topdog/Underdog you get to see at the New
Rep (there’s a reduced price if you see both) you’ll
get a compelling reading of Parks’ Pulitzer Prize
winning text, tightly directed by Kent Gash from the
Alliance. Both actors, Kes Khemnu or Joe Wilson Jr.
excel in either role, though Wilson’s performances are
more memorable. Khemnu’s will grow on you however.
Eugene Lee’s set is a powerful metaphor introduced
into the play, and it helps. Even if you caught the
show in Providence, the intimacy of the New Rep makes
it less easy to sit back from the action, though it
may get you thinking about certain unanswered dramatic
questions ibefore the action implodes in the final
Cain and Abel moment. Lyric's current
production of Michael Hollinger's parody "Red
Herring", a hard-boiled thriller set in 1950's Boston
is a comedy which would do better in summer stock.
Joe McCarthy is conducting hearings in Washington, an
unlikely spy is preparing to pass H-Bombs secrets to
the Russian's, and Boston's only female police
detective, Maggie Pelletier, played by Sara Newhouse
with an accent honed in "Sweepers" last year in
Stoneham , is having an affair with Barlow Adamson,
playing Frank Keller, a G-Man after atomic spies.
Newhouse is the only member of the cast who doesn't
play more than one character. The prize goes to
veteran Boston actor Richard Snee who plays the body
discovered in scene two, Adamson's partner, Andrei the
Russian fisherman, an atomic scientist, and a
hen-pecked husband. The pace of the show would be a
lot snappier if scene changes were as fast as his
costume and character switches. Andrew Lippa and Tom
Greenwald's 1995 chamber music theatre piece "John and
Jen" is getting a first rate production at the
Stoneham Theatre. Director Scott Edmiston has reunited
two members of the original cast of his revival of
"Jacques Brel..." in Gloucester; IRNE winner Leigh
Barrett and erstwhile Blue Man Eric Rubbe, to play
Jen who goes from being a child in the '50s to a
mother of a grown son in 1990 and John, her brother in
the first act, her son named for him in the second.
Janie E. Howland has created a set that suggests kids
rooms and/or an attic, backed by enlarged photos of
John and Jen, with a large screen above the musicians
upstage which provides continually changing pictures,
historical references, and mood setting projections.
Karen Perlow's lighting, her first effort for
Stoneham, is expressive as ever, while Gail Astrid
Buckley's costumes fit the action and the changing
years to a tee. Music director Timothy Evans at the
keyboard joined by cello and percussion gives Lippa's
score a polished rendition. The revival of Edward
Albee's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolff", now having
its pre-Broadway tryout at the Wilbur, is surprisingly
relevant, but hardly revelatory. The original
production which famously didn't get the Pulitzer in
1962--nobody did--and the revival about ten years
after were largely Method acting exercises, but this
cast, chosen by the author, brings a variety of styles
which mesh with his words, and create friction by
contrast. Movie star Kathleen Turner in her third
Broadway effort plays Martha in recognizable blowzy
style, even more effective here than it was for
Tallulah or Mrs. Robinson, and even funnier.
Certified genius Bill Irwin brings his meticulous
stagework to George, creating an insidious portrait of
disappointment with many carefuly crafted moments.
Mireille Enos walks a fine line between caricature and
madness as brandy swilling Honey, mousey wife of a
new faculty member. David Harbour plays Nick, her
husband, with a swagger that doesn't get much beyond
this somewhat underwritten part as the object of
Martha's lust. The ensemble clicks most of the time
and show works as well as ever, though the evening
coasts a bit during a three hour two intermission
running time. Zeitgeist Stage
Company's present production of Joe Penhall's 2001
award winning "Blue/Orange" is the best effort
director David Miller and his associates have conjured
up in a while. This intense three-handed mind game,
featuring IRNE winners Dorian Christian Baucum and
Steven Barkhimer with Eric Hamel caught in the middle,
is at once an indictment of bureaucratic psychiatry
and an exploration of the meaning of madness. Played
out in the round under diffuse atmospheric lighting on
another well-designed set by Miller, the script also
touches none too gently in racism and differential
diagnosis.
Baucum is convincing as
tormented street-wise Christopher who may be jiving
with his white medicos, but is at least troubled,
Penhall, who's had some practical experience with
schizophrenics, has captured the social dilemma this
variation of human consciousness presents. Barkhimer
once again plays the conformist, a doctor who goes
along to get along, full of ambition and only
professionally concerned with others. Hamel, who
appeared in minor roles at the Publick this summer, is
an earnest young psychiatrist in training, eager to do
good but essentially clueless. His Dr. Flaherty is
convinced that the diagnostic indicators he's learned
will lead him to a treatment for Christopher.
Barkhimer's more flexible approach as his supervisor,
Dr. Smith, however self-serving, may actually be more
appropriate. Anyone who's experienced psychiatry from
either side of the couch will be intrigued by this two
act play, which ends with more questions than it began
with. Christopher Trumbo's
tribute to his father, the late screenwriter Dalton
Trumbo, could easily have turned maudlin. It is saved
by the old man's legendary acerbic personality and the
acknowledged brilliance of Trumbo's writing, even when
composing a letter to a member of his family. The
present interest in this show, which has been done in
NYC by luminaries such as F. Murray Abraham, Nathan
Lane, Richard Dreyfuss, Tim Robbins, Alec Baldwin,
and its present star, Brian Dennehy, lies in the
uneasiness many in the creative community feel
confronting the current administration. Witness the
recent PBS flap over "Postcards from Buster" and
increasing self-censorship throughout the media. Robert Lepage's two
hour multimedia confrontation with the cosmos, first
presented in Quebec, Feb. 2000, is bolstered by
award-winning actor Yves Jacques' spellbinding
performance as the only visible actor--except for the
set. The content and structure of "The Far Side of
the Moon" owes more to the contemporary novel than to
traditional drama. Like many such efforts, detail can
overcome the action, which is a somewhat pedestrian
study of sibling rivalry metaphorically entwined with
the USA/USSR "space race", seen from a
French-Canadian viewpoint. The show is visually and
technically stunning, with a mechanized set, projected
effects, an effective use of puppetry by a mostly
unseen Eric LeBlanc, and more transformations of an
ironing board than one might imagine. At first the
show seems to be straining towards cinema, but after a
while, the fact that one actor is telling this family
story in real time becomes a tour de force. There's an
economy to Lepage's narrative that belies the
technical complexity of the production. It's possible
that fewer tricks could strengthen the author's point.
His philosophical arguments tend to get buried in
theatrical bravura. However, "The Far Side of the
Moon" is certainly the most successful display of
current international theatre style seen at the Loeb
in quite a while. Sugan's celebration
of their move next door to expansive Robert's "black
box" Studio is a stunning revival of one of Tom
Murphy's great plays, "The Sanctuary Lamp" (1975).
This anti-clerical bellwether of Irish existentialism
has a fine cast under Carmel O'Reilly's sharp
direction on an impressive set by J. Michael Griggs.
Nigel Gore, seen several seasons ago here in "A
Child's Christmas in Wales", is Harry, the tormented
circus strong man. Stacy Fischer, seen in Stoneham's
"The Violet Hour" this fall, is Maudie, the runaway
waif. Aidan Parkinson, now keeper of the flame for
the Poet's Theatre, is the enigmatic Francisco,
Harry's estranged partner. Jackson Royal, seen
regularly at the Wellesley Summer Theatre, is the
Monsignor, in whose church this unlikely trio has
sought refuge. Fans of musical
theatre have two sturdy revivals at very reasonable
prices this month. Turtle Lane has mounted an
economical production of the Cameron MacIntosh
blockbuster, "Miss Saigon" with the same youthful
energy and ingenuity they brought to "Evita". Shorn
of excess, weaknesses in the book--derived after all
from a Belasco exotic potboiler turned into a Puccini
opera--and middle-brow music with operatic pretensions
are more evident. But TLP gets a good show out of it
all as they usually do, thanks to sound direction by
Michelle Auguillon and a hard working orchestra under
the stage conducted by Wayne Ward at the keyboard.
Jeff Gardiner's settings and lights do the job, though
a bit more would be welcome. Richard Itczak's costumes
are on the mark as usual, with help from Val Verge.
And yes, they do the helicopter. John Kani's busy
schedule probably won't bring him back to Boston in
the near future. His play "Nothing But The Truth", a
three-person family drama which encapsulates the
decades long struggle against apartheid from the
viewpoint of one elderly civil servant and his
"daughters", told in the context of preparing to bury
his activist brother who died in exile, is destined to
become a theatre classic. As one of the world's great
actors, he brings his own personal history to the
performance, making this a must-see theatrical event,
here through Sunday. The tabloid tale of
Leopold and Loeb transfigured into Stephen Dolginoff's
"Thrill Me" showed up at the Midtown Theatre Festival
in NYC in 2003.This two man music drama gets a second
outing as part of Stoneham Theatre's Emerging Stages
series this weekend and next, backed by a solo piano
score. Although there is dialogue this 80 minute
recounting of the murder of Booby Franks feels like
it's being sung through."Thrill Me"'s musical
ambitions are high, but Dolginoff's score has very
little distinction, at least in this presentation.
There are balance problems to be solved so that tenor
Jonathan Reid Galt, playing Nathan Leopold can be
heard more. Baritone Jonathan Colby as Richard Loeb,
the simpler role, comes across more clearly. Boston Theatre Works,
out of necessity, has opened "The Tempest" in the vast
brave new world of the BCA Cyclorama. As usual under
its dome, acoustics are the problem. But if you know
the play at all, Shakespeare & Co.s Jonathan Epstein's
performance as Prospero is worth the earstrain. He's
joined by S&C regulars Allyn Burrows as drunken
Stephano, seen in town this fall as Clarence in ASC's
"Richard III", and pixieish Susannah Millonzi as
Ariel. The relationship between Prospero and his
aetherial servant is touching and complex. Sarah
Hickler, from both S&C and the Los Angeles Women's
Shakespeare Co. makes an interesting but rather tame
Caliban. Miranda has a sturdy tomboy attitude as
played by Elizabeth Hayes, seen in BTW's "Antony &
Cleopatra" and this fall in Lyric's "A Little Night
Music". Neil Casey, last seen in Stoneham's "The
Violet Hour,"is Trinculo, the putupon clown here
dressed as a baker, fond of RediWhip as well as the
bottle. Laura Harrington's
new play, "The Book of Hours", which runs one more
weekend out in Wellesley, is far more interesting--and
potentially disturbing--than some reviews have
suggested. While the script definitely still seems in
development, the piece has the makings of strong
drama. The strong cast of six WST regulars does a
good job with what they're given under Nora Hussey's
efficient often understated direction, which sometimes
plays against the material Set and sound effects are
up to Ken Loewit's usual standard; costumer Kelsey
Peterson captures the period and WST ensembles know
how to wear older clothing. After almost a year
of reading and workshops, Ann Continelli's latest
outrageous farce, "The Last Little Porn Shop in
Manhattan", is on the boards. With a company of 12
playing twice as many characters and enough plot
twists for half a sit-com season, this energetic
production--complete with choreographed half-time
show--clocks in at under two hours. Continelli's
writing and direction is broad and to the point,
resulting in a show which is risque but not offensive.
The play takes its premise from Mayor Guiliani's
much-publicized cleanup of Times Square, mostly by
uprooting small businesses to make way for Disney and
the like. More could be made of the economic situation
underlying the spurious morality of his crusade,
especially given the denouement of the play. There?s an abundance
of solo shows in town to start the second half of the
season, but the two highly personal accounts of
relationships between mothers and daughters playing
briefly at Boston Playwrights might be the most
effective. Pamela Gien's much-touted ?Syringa Tree?
running on the ART Mainstage has legs as much for its
reflection of the shameful era of apartheid as for her
fluid performance, and may become a film and be
published as a novel. Leslie Dillen's and Paula
Plum?s much less exotic efforts, slices of Americana
may turn up again, but why take the chance? Audiences will
probably be divided in their appreciation or rejection
of the New Rep's current offering, Douglas Wright's
"Quills". But they're liable to want to discuss not
only its Guignol style but the significance, if any,
of its message. Just as since its publication the
literate world has been evaluating the work of the
monstrous Marquis De Sade which this difficult script
once again brings to the stage. The original NYC
production had a limited run of 26 perfomances but won
the author one of four Playwrighting Obies for 1995.
The show had a similiar run at the Berkshire Theatre
Festival in the summer of '97. Not much has been seen
of the play since, though the film with Jefferey Rush
in 2000 made a bit of a stir. Audiences will
probably be divided in their appreciation or rejection
of the New Rep's current offering, Douglass Wright's
"Quills". But they're liable to want to discuss not
only its Guignol style but the significance, if any,
of its message. Just as since its publication, the
literate world has been evaluating the work of the
monstrous Marquis De Sade which this difficult script
once again brings to the stage. The original NYC
production had a limited run of 26 perfomances but won
the author one of four Playwrighting Obies for 1995.
It had a slightly longer and somewhat controversial
run at the Berkshire Theatre Festival shortly
thereafter. Not much has been seen of the play since,
though the film with Jefferey Rush in 200 made a bit
of a stir. As the technical
Director of the Puppet Showplace, just had a chance to
see a quick dress rehearsal of the award-winning Mum
Puppet Theatre's show "Seance" which the Showplace is
presenting at Mass College of Art, Tower Auditorium,
Thurs. - Sat., Jan. 6-8 this weekend. The show has
quite a range of visual effects and some unique
physical acting. The subject matter, late 19th
century spiritualism, is still with us; witness just
opened "Medium" on TV and "White Noise" at the movies.
It'll be well worth the trip up Huntington Ave. for a
performance unlike anything seen in Boston recently.
Author/director Smythe who founded Mum has a very
particular worldview. And the show's original music
by Adam Wernick won a Barrymore (Philadelphia's
Norton) Get there early for the best seats;
reservations are strongly recommended. Ginger Lazarus'
"Matter Familias" is an extreme modern farce, with a
strong cast and sharp direction by Wesley Savick.
Once again, BPT has created a production which would
benefit from a longer run, though this high-powered
cast wouldn't be available for an extended engagement.
The play is an Absurdist farce based on parent/child
relationships, skillfully acted by a skilled ensemble.
Helen McElwain is instantly likable as usual, while
Nancy E. Carroll brings an almost demonic quality to
the role of her manipulative mother. Barlow Adamson
unleashes his comic potential to be annoying as her
unwanted boyfriend. Kortney Adams and Karen "Mal"
Malme make believable partners. As the two straight
men, Robert D, Murphy finds nuances to Dad, trying to
hide in front of the TV, while Gus Kelley brings a
pleasant naivete to the role of a forty year old man
being adopted by a 33 year old woman. You'll have to
see this show to find out that turns out. The ensemble doing
Rough & Tumble's fall farrago, "I'm away from my desk
right now..."--Kristin Baker, Matt Chapuran, Irene
Daly, Jason Myatt, George Saulnier III-- bring their
own work experiences to this collection of nine
sketches. Which may be why an unexpected air of
seriousness creeps into the hijinks from time to time.
The four pieces Bill Donnelly has written for them
certainly have a wry sense of reality, even his parody
of a socialist drama, "Blut/Werker" which ends the
program. More of the whimsy shown in "Fire Drill",
created by director Dan Milstein, co-founder Kristen
Baker, and veteran comedienne Irene Daly, might leaven
the rest of the show. Still, for their first time out
of the confines of the Leland, the company has
retained their homey style, with Fred Harrington at
the Roland providing live musical continuity. It's a
money-back guaranteed bargain in more comfortable
surroundings, with a lot of nice touches, running one
more weekend. North Shore's version
of the Dicken's classic, created by Jon Kimball et al
continues to evolve as this musical ghost story turns
15 while NSMT heads into its golden anniversary year.
The opening, including the obligatory announcement,
has been smartened up. Many old hands, headed by
David Coffee, and the new bright young faces proceed
once more to make this perhaps the best "Christmas
Carol" around. No need to travel to Trinity, doing its
usual double bill of the Adrian Hall script, or
Hartford, which has its own elegant production. The
Eustis/Dehnert version that played the Emerson
Majestic last year seems to have gone back into the
drawer. Sitting through Mark
Wing-Davies interpretation of a Restoration "comedy of
(bad) manners" in the Loeb is somewhat better than
watching the usual academic production in this
country of such a work, often performed by earnest
acting students. But his attempts to modulate this
seldom-done "classic" and to find creative hooks to
engage a contemporary audience is only fitfully
successful. The uncompromisingly square set, for
example, generally rejects the forced perspective of
the period but does find anything evocative to replace
it with, instead falling into post-modernist cliche.
The show suffers from the usual ART mix of clever
ideas and contemporary tropes, starting with the some
of cast affecting a genteel Southern accent, which the
program suggests has at least remnants of aristocratic
speech from the 1600's. The only character for whom
this choice works particularly well is Effie
Johnson's Lady Fanciful. Some use dialect very little,
like Adam Dannheisser playing Heartfree, and most
drop the affectation by the end of the evening.
Thomas Derrah as Razor, the valet, and Karen MacDonald
as Mademoiselle, Fanciful's waiting gentlewoman don't
need to, though Derrah slips into it for effect at
times. These ART stalwarts pump much needed life
into the evening halfway through the second half of
this three hour evening, and Derrrah's surprizing
costume change near the very end signals a change in
tone heralding the climax. Gabriel Barry's costumes
in general suggest period style and indicate
character, but don't work together very often.
The weakest part of the show is the music, both
recorded background and live performance, especially
the parody interpolated into a scene with Lady
Fanciful at the end of the original second act, where
bad verses are accompanied by guitar and accordion.
Concerning that accordion; just because there's a
student who can play one, doesn't mean it has to be
inflicted on the audience. But at least Wing-Davies
didn't try to add an "actual" aroma to the show, as he
has in the past.
"The Provok'd Wife" by John Vanburgh, Nov. 27 - Dec. 26 Even those familiar
with John Kuntz's solo shows, such as his Norton award
winning St*rf*ckers, will be intrigued by the ease
with which last month's Richard the Third shifts
between Sam, the harried reservation clerk at a
trendy New York restaurant and forty some people on
the other end of the line. Helped by a cluttered
realistic set designed by Skip Curtis, the Lyric's
production manager and artistic director Spiro
Veloudos' unobtrusive direction, Kuntz gets to display
the range of his acting talents, from broad caricature
to pleasant realism. The somewhat frantic 1999 New
York version of "Fully Committed", originally directed
by Nicholas Martin, and starring Matt Setlock, who
created many of the characters along with author Becky
Mode, didn't quite catch the holiday spirit the way
Lyric's production does. There really is a play
hiding behind all the comic schtick. Kuntz manages to
suggest how Sam the actor "at liberty" might play the
often unpleasant people he talks to, from demanding
patrons to the upstairs staff. And his small triumphs
are relished just as much upon seeing the play
again. Given the unlikely
subjects of some recent Off-Broadway attempts at
musical theatre, Nicholas van Hoogstraten's reworking
of Nicholas Ray's cult western into a sendup of the
horse opera seems almost obvious. Especially since the
original film featured gender reversals with two
pistol-packing women in a showdown and political
undertones comparing frontier justice to the
blacklist. Paul Daigneault and Speakeasy have been
lucky enough to get IRNE winner Kathy St. George, on
leave from "Menopause-the Musical" around the corner,
to take on the Joan Crawford role of roadhouse keeper
Vienna, and comedienne Margaret Ann Brady for Emma
Small, the cattle baroness originally played by
Mercedes MacCambridge. Both have eyes of The Dancing
Kid, played by newcomer Timothy J. Smith, currently
Foothill's education director. But Vienna's secret
weapon is her old flame, a gunslinger who rides into
town calling himself "Johnny Guitar"--supposedly as an
entertainer for her saloon--played by local leading
man, Christopher Chew, fresh from "A Little Night
Music." This is its first production since this
parody won the 2004 Outer Critics Circle Award for
Best Musical for a run at the New Century last spring.
Joel Higgins' clever lyrics were especially praised
. These versatile players are supported by an
ensemble of five who play citizens, outlaws, and the
posse, singing backup for various numbers, shifting
Caleb Wertenbaker's ingenious set, and brandishing a
lot of hardware. J.T.Turner is the sheriff--and the
show's armorer-- while Luke Hawkins, currently going
for a BFA at Boston Conservatory, is the kid in The
Kid's gang. Chris Cook from Rough & Tumble plays
various rube's and rhythm guitar, Drew Poling, last
seen along with Chew in Lyric's opener plays a number
of big guys, adding his strong baritone to the backup,
while John Pocaro, seen in a number of Speakeasy
shows, plays the bartender, the bank teller, and
other civilians. Music director Jose Delgado makes
the most of Mark Silvestri's country pop sound with
these excellent singers and a four piece ensemble.
Everyone's obviously had a great time overdoing this
show, including Gail Astrid Buckley, whose costumes
capture the Crawford style and the look of the
Hollywood Western, played against the garish
chromatics of Wertenbaker's set. Catch it early while
everyone's consumed with Thanksgiving and early
shopping. Those who missed this
absurdist mystery several seasons ago when the New Rep
did it have one more weekend to try and get their
imaginations around one of Jeffrey Hatcher's more
popular plays. The cast, Leigh Berry, Rachel Kline,
Wayne Vargas, and Phyllis Weaver, is first rate and
John MacKenzie's spare set is the best in several
seasons, especially the slide sequence which serves as
a prologue. His soundscape and lighting are also
quite effective. Director Lissi Engvall has gotten
strong performances from the ensemble, with each actor
getting a chance to shine. This short intellectual
thriller, written before either the film or the
musical, has some surprising resonances for today,
especially since another section of the famous wreck
has just been discovered. There are political
implications as well, beyond the usual questions. Not quite a revival,
though the original starring John Malkovich was done
in 1987, "Burn This" seems just a little dated.
Various elements of its story-telling and
characterization have been used in more recent
scripts. Despite Wilson's updates for a production in
2002, the drama doesn't quite make it into the 21st
century. The problem may be that the character whose
death is the catalyst for the action seems merely a
device, and never comes alive, even in the person of
his older brother, the starring role.
Film and T.V. star Michael T. Weiss is initially
aceptable as the violent and implusive Pale, who takes
his knickname from V.S.O."Pale" brandy, but never
quite becomes fully believable. The center of the
story, Anna, is another collection of cliches, which
Anne Torsiglieri, last seen as the love interest in
"Marty", doesn't get much beyond. The script, a
series of scenes for actors, doesn't provide her much
opportunity, however As the dead gay dancer Robbie's
partner and roomate, she's never given a chance to
show her stuff--or even his. As Anna's rich straight
boyfriend, a science fiction writer, Brian Hutchinson,
is practically a cypher, even after recounting his one
homosexual encounter years ago as a student. The most
developed character, though also well short of an
epiphany, is Nat Wolf's Larry, the third roomate, a
gay ad-man who has almost all the good lines and who
comes closest to suggesting the possibility of
change. This exercise in applied navel gazing might be more
compelling in a small studio theatre, such as last
spring's production at the Piano Factory. On James
Noone's oversized evocation of a loft apartment/dance
studio, complete with a real firesecape in the
background, the action gets lost. Costumes and set
direction don't add much, though everything looks very
professional, and a bit too clean. The choice of
music only adds to the air of a soap opera; an
effective citynoise soundscape might be more
effective. Too many scenes seem directed from pose
to pose with very few surprises. The opening night
audience filled with StageSource members found laughs
that added very little to the drama, but amused
theatrical insiders. The production in 2002 at
Signature starring Edward Norton seems to have taken a
similar approach. The Theatre
Cooperative moves from 18th century France and Cyrano
to 1980's Hollywood for Jeffrey Sweets'drama (with a
few jokes) about the effect of the infamous Blacklist
which resulted from HUAC investigations thirty years
earlier. Specifically,"The Value of Names" is the
story of Benny Silverman, who recovered his career by
appearing on a pointless but profitable sit-com, his
actress daughter Norma, who's decided to change her
billing name to her mother's, Seidl, to move out of
his shadow, and a former best friend who "named
names", including Benny's, to protect his own
directing career. Leo has just taken over the helm of
the play Benny's daughter is about to appear in. The
dialogue rings true, thanks to some intense
characterization by Harold Withee as Benny, Nelleke
Morse as Norma, and the ever-dependable Fred Robbins
as Leo, the successful director.
All three cast members have given their characters
distinctive and believable habits of
self-dramatization, each dealing with the touchy
situation in their own way. Continuity is maintained
by occasional asides from Norma, which need to be
better differentiated from the action, perhaps by
lighting. Moreover, the information these
interjections impart could easily have been included
in the script. But at worst this convention is a minor
nuisance. Overall, the quality of this well-done 90
minute production, another fine job by Lesley Chapman,
makes this interesting drama well worth seeing. A
well-finished California patio Set by Gino Ng,
costumes by Tracy Campbell, and considerable work by
the rest of Doc Madison's crew make "The Value of
Names" a more developed production than usual.
Reservations are advised since seating is limited.
Meet the playwright at the Nov. 20 & 21
performances. Another concert
revival of a seldom-heard work from canon of
memorable shows has come and gone. This time American
Classics assembled the usual stellar crew of topnotch
local singers tackle the Gershwin's blend of Gilbert &
Sullivan with jazz and the increasingly sophisticated
musical idiom of Broadway shows in the '20s. The
show's title song has become a perennial, owing to
the success of the rewritten version of this musical
which folded in Philadelphia in 1927, only to find
favor a few years later during the Depression. Of
course few remember that its intent and lyrics were
satirical. "Strike Up..."'s biggest hit "The Man I
Love", was cut from "Lady Be Good"(1924), but was
already popular in England before being placed in this
show. The most interesting musical sequences however,
are the extended openings and closing of the two acts
which approach operetta, only they're funnier. Habitues of the ART
will recognize the forces at work in the Abbey
Theatre's production of one of their first
international successes. "The Playboy..." played
Boston in 1911. The Continental auteur approach is
rampant. There's a boring square set, a very minor
character (The Bellman) elevated to sort of an M.C.,
rudimentary blocking, interpolated dumbshow done in
silhouette, physical acting, and worst of all, very
little joy. In his brief preface, which director Ben
Barnes has The Bellman quote at the beginning of the
show, Synge makes one simple demand of theatre; "On
the stage one must have reality, and one must have
joy". What the Abbey is doing at the Wilbur is
severely lacking in both qualities, despite the
efforts of some fine Irish actors, who can be
understood enough of the time, and who have moments of
reality However, the fitful clarity has been achieved
by slowing the pace of most of the show to leisurely
amble when it really should race along, and the
stylized moments mitigate against reality. Sugan's
"The Well of Saints", playing down the street, is
more coherent if also lacking in enough joy. There are only eight
more scheduled performances of what may just be the
best new play put up this year. An earlier version of
Kate Snodgrass' "The Glider" was part of the Women on
Top Festival in 2002. The current production, an
intense ninety minutes, features Laura Latreille,
Birgit Huppuch, and Kimberley Parker Green as three
sisters gathered on the porch of their family's
boathouse overlooking a lake in Michigan. Their
mother has just died, and family secrets, past and
present come boiling to the surface. Wesley Savich
has directed this superb cast as a tight ensemble,
including intense confrontations with overlapping
dialogue. Richard Chambers, now teaching at Suffolk,
has once again come up with an architectural set full
of intriguing detail. Rachel Padula-Shefelt has
costumed each of the three with care, enhancing their
characters. Haddon Kime has provided atmospheric sound
which enhances the selective realism of the
production. But these three performers could probably
have the show work on a bare stage with a few
essential props and some chairs, though the porch
glider of the title would be missed. You don't have to be
a kid to enjoy WFT's latest offering, though taking
one or two to this unsentimental production would be a
very good idea. Andrea Ross is charming and unaffected
in the title role. Helen McElvain as her big sister
Beezus is a delightful narrator, and throughly
believable as a middle-schooler to boot. The pair
bring Cleary's dueling sisters to life. The rest of
the professional cast includes Ken Baltin and Monique
Nicole McIntyre as their parents, with Sonya Raye and
Ricardo Engermann as Aunt Bea and her beau, Uncle
Hobart. Jane Staab is hilarious as Mrs. Kemp, their
elderly neighbor addicted to soap operas, but Maureen
Keiller takes the prize as the scourge of the third
grade, Mrs. Griggs. Gary Thomas Ng shows up in a
variety of parts including the Cub Scout leader.
Other experienced local actors include Vindy Vatanavan
as Susan, Ramona's goodie-goodie rival, Sarah Guyer
Brown as the Brownie leader, a waitress, and Selma
from the wedding shoppe, plus Wesley Lawrence Taylor
as the minister and the man with the dog. High
schooler Jacob Liberman, a old WFT hand seen at other
theatres as well is Ramona's friend, Howie. There is of course a
ensemble of students from the children's theatre
program choreographed into various interludes by IRNE
winner Laurel Stachowicz. Russian trained designer
Danila Korogodsky has come up with a striking set with
suggests Mondrian and Albers, expertly lit by John
Malinowski. Marian Piro's costumes capture the
realism of the original books. Director Susan Kosoff
has pulled together an entertaining show from Len
Jenkins' script which deftly interweaves themes of
growing up, family crisis, sibling rivalry, and
surviving the third grade. This is contemporary
children's theatre done right. WFT is also introducing
an electronic open captioning system in partnership
with "c2" at all performances. Electronic signs on
either side of the stage provide description and
dialogue. For more information on this system, go to
Caption Coalition.
”Company”s back in town, having previewed here
in 1970. Speakeasy’s director Paul Daigneault has
gathered a first rate cast, including last year’s IRNE
awardees for Best Musical Performances, Sean McGirk
and Nancy E. Carroll, plus “BatBoy” veterans, Kerry
Dowling, Sarah Chase, and Michael Mendiola as Bobby at
the center of it all. From previous Speakeasy musical
productions, there’s Jerry Bisantz, Julie Jirousek,
and Merle Perkins, plus Elaine Theodore from last
season’s “...121st St.”, who makes it threw the
fastest song in the show without hyperventilating.
Most of the songs in this show are ensemble numbers.
The experience and training of this cast pays off,
under Paul Katz’s sure hand as music director. If
you’ve never caught this landmark Sondheim show, you
probably won’t see a better production anytime soon.
And it’s worth revisiting, the 1995 modifications and
the addition of “Marry Me a Little” as the first act
closer are improvements, balancing the conflicts
within the main character. And there’s Carroll’s
eleven o’clock number, “The Ladies who Lunch”, which
the originator is playing in her one woman show down
the street at much higher prices. The new space is
impressive to say the least; just watch your step.
Director Ben Evett’s choice of John Kuntz as
“Richard III” pays off in surprising ways. For once
the role is not quite a star turn. We get a deformed
Richard, withered are and spidery fingers at war with
the world, up against seasoned campaigners from both
his own family, York, and their War of Roses
opponents, Lancaster. The all-star local cast gives
as good as they get, even though of course Richard
Crookback does a significant number of them in; at
least in Shakespeare’s version, based on Thomas More’s
histography told to him by the future saint’s patron,
Thomas Morton, one of the actual Richard’s enemies.
For the record, More’s calumny was never published in
his lifetime, but completed and brought forth by his
relatives after his execution in their on-going
struggle with Henry VIII. There might be a play in
that too.
Run don't walk to the latest Theatre Zone production "Cooking With
Elvis" in Chelsea at the Chelsea Theatre Works. Cooking With Elvis was a
hit at the 2000 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and is very rarely done in the
Boston area.This Theatre Zone production is hilarious, touching , and
extremely well-acted. Last night's opening night crowd laughed and
hooted raucously throughout the show and kept applauding long after the
curtain call. The dysfunctional family in this show includes an anorexic
mother, a teenage daughter obsessed with cooking, an Elvis impersonator
dad who is paralyzed from a car accident and mom's live-in lover who has
issues of his own. Stephen Libby's Elvis numbers are worth the price of
admission alone but all the performances are top-notch. Susan Paino's
costume designs especially her Elvis costumes are very well done and
deliciously flashy. I know...I know.. Chelsea??Where's Chelsea?? It's
too far!! Guess What? From Boston it's the first exit over the Bridge.
Closer than the Stoneham Theatre. Closer than Hovey. Closer than Company
Theatre or New Rep or Turtle Lane. And it's housed in a beautifully
restored historic building with an art gallery in the lobby!! For more
information go to www.theatrezone.org or call 617 8872336. This production is definitely one to put at the top of your list.
While there's plenty
of time to catch Melinda Lopez' "Sonia Flew", au
courant theatre goers will want to fly down to the new
Wimberley proscenium stage at the BCA to catch this
intriguing and emotional drama. The first rate cast
of six (playing twelve characters) is headed by Carmen
Roman, a veteran of the New York and Chicago scene,
in the title role (at first). Jeremiah Kissel and Will
Lebow do their usual outstanding jobs. Zabryna
Guevera, who appeared as the heroine's vivacious Latin
friend in "Breathe Boom" is equally strong as young
Sonia's mother. Amelia Alvarez is develops depth as
young Sonia and is convincing as her American teenage
daughter. Jose Quintanilla is equally believable as
Sonia's college age son. The play begins shortly
after 9/11/2001 and flashes back forty years to
Havana, 5/1961, and lays out the situation with
remarkable economy. The script is short enough at
present that the playwright could add a bit more
breathing room without sacrificing the intensity. The
show is as completely produced as anything on the
Huntington mainstage (which perhaps should be given
back its original name, the Mystic). The season has
had several interesting openings so far, but this is
probably the first must-see production. With a run of
six weeks, there's no excuse to miss it. Boston Theatre Works'
presentation of Marc Wolf's interview based solo show
is an interesting counterbalance to the freewheeling
offerings in Theatre Offensive's annual festival. This
Obie winning indictment of the American military's
hypocritical "don't ask; don't tell" policy is perhaps
the best civic's lesson in today's theatre. Wolf's
performance, originally directed by Joe Mantello, as
he morphs from soldier to soldier, from lesbian nurse
to decorated Marine, with no costume changes, takes
Anna Deveare Smith's documentary style to a new level.
It's unfortunate that political theatre of this
quality won't be seen by those in power. Such drama
certainly needs to be seen by everyone else,
regardless of their political or sexual orientation.
This show is a reminder that the power of reality
theatre, even when done by a lone performer on a bare
stage, far exceeds the dross on reality TV. There's a lot going
on under the surface of "Jasper Lake", John Kuntz's
disturbing comedy premiering at Boston Playwrights'
for one more week. It's not clear that the author,
the director, or the cast knows exactly what's
happening in a Landford Wilsonesque look into the
lives of the inhabitants of this exclusive community.
The action has a life of its own, making this
definitely a developmental production, somewhat
puzzling but generally rewarding. A first rate cast
includes B.U. students of various ages and experience
plus Jennifer Burke as Deb, Bill Molnar as Mitch, and
Sharon Mason as his wife, Nora. Bill Gardiner is
Deb's long-suffering husband, Edouard Tournier is
their moody son, Caleb. At the center of the action
are two young women with a psychic connection, Amanda
Sywak as Jennifer, Nora's daughter, and Sarah Abrams
as Liz, who's somehow drawn to the lake. Eric Gould
is Drake, Liz's traveling companion, perhaps the most
stable one of the lot. And he's a roadie. Richard McElvain read Newton, forcefully as
expected, developing a fascinating character in the
process. Veteran actor Jim Bodge was a genial Robert
Hooke, the mathematician's elder rival in the field
of optics. Nat McIntyre played Nicholas Fatio de
Dullers, a young mathematician from the Continent
enamored of Isaac, who was unable to return his
passion. Debra Wise, Artistic Director of URT played
Catherine Barton, Newton's cousin, a woman of the
world, eager to use him to enter London society.
Kathleen Donahue read his mother, Michael Ouellette
his long suffering friend, the astronomer Edmund
Halley, and Dale Place, the Greenwich astronomer John
Flamsteed. Robert Murphy had a brief comic turn as a
counterfeiter. One of Newton's less-celebrated
achievements was when as Master of the Mint he
reformed its operations and provided much needed
stable currency. The Catalyst Collaborative plans to fully produce
one such play a year at the new Central Square
Theatre, a facility which will be shared by
Underground and Nora. The next URT reading of Debra
Wise's latest project, "A State of Grace", based on
the short stories and poems of writer and activist
Grace Paley, will be held at Durrell Hall in the
Cambridge YMCA on Mass. Ave across from City Hall on
Nov. 16.
Leave your critical
analysis of the Bard behind and heigh thee out to
Waltham for the last weekend of Hovey Players informal
production of "The Taming of the Shrew". Michelle
Aguillon in the lead makes an effective Kate the shrew
and Josh Bartok, returning to acting, is a not so
antic Petruchio. Stephen Falcone could steal the show
as Christopher Sly and later Vincentio, but somehow
the Induction and the main play haven't quite melded
in this production. Brian Busch and Emily Evans make
a nice pair as Lucentio and Bianca, while the rest of
the ensemble, Stephen Falcone, Mike Haddad, Eric
Houghton, A.J. LaDuke, Neal Leaheey, Jim Muzzi, Andy
O'Kane, and Christopher Wrenn get their licks in
whenever director Wayne Vargas let's them, and
probably a few times he didn't count on. The
production doesn't solve feminist objections to the
play's premise, but the generally comic tone balances
things out nicely. Now which local theatre group'll
be the first to stage John Fletcher's sequel to "The
Shrew", "A Woman's Prize or the Tamer Tamed", which
recently ran in rep with the original in D.C.?
This "fairy tale for
adults" does eventually get to "Happily ever after",
though the route is a bit tortuous. Still in
development, this latest response to the national
malaise stemming from 9/11/2001, is worth seeing for
all its current foibles. Weller has let his
imagination loose, and the result is often realistic
scenes full of insight and quirky dream sequences.
Rick Lombardo, given the usual short rehearsal period,
with the help of a superb ensemble, has crafted an
darkly humorous production. Robert Prescott in from
LA is a compelling leading man as Walker Dance/ Sir
Robert, while Thomas Derrah from the ART constructs
two related but unique types as Wylie Dancer/Sufi Sid
with his usual flair. The whole cast plays dual roles
in the domestic drama set uptown in Manhattan and in
the computer induced fantasy. Anyone anticipating
stately cadences and the overblown poetry often
associated with Greek Tragedy, or perhaps a chorus on
stilts, will find Nora Theatre's current offering much
more direct. Daniel Gidron, working from a text
adapted by Richard McElvain, has directed a modern
dress version that is both contemporary and timeless.
McElvain as Creon, Jocasta's brother and the
effective ruler of mythical Thebes, a modern city in
revolt, is the archetypical bureaucratic ruler. But
his tragedy becomes personal as he collides with the
will of Antigone, Oedipus' older daughter by Jocasta,
who disobeys her uncle's decree and buries her younger
brother, killed by her older brother during the
rebellion. The personal and the political are
inevitably intertwined as Marianna Bassham playing the
title role drives the action to her death. The production this
summer at Barrington was grander, but not necessarily
more heartfelt, and certainly not cast as diversely.
Lesley Chapman and her ensemble have achieved a
sincere slightly over two hour long rendition of this
classic, to kick off a season of Heroes. Peter Brown
is a creditable Cyrano, the young lovers, played by
Marc Harpin and Janelle Mills are in fact young, and
just a bit foolish. Luis Negron is appropriately
aristocratic as Comte DeGuiche, and Theatre Coop
veteran Tony Dangerfield is his usual self as Ragneau,
man of all work and friend of all poets. Rostand's
timeless magic works, especially when reduced to a
reasonable size. Most of the ensemble has been seen
either at the Coop or in other adventurous local
venues. All in all, the show is worth the trip over
to Broadway, Somerville.
Whether or not it
qualifies as an opera, the current revival of "Tommy"
at Stoneham is high-energy musical theatre with an
engaging proto-star in the lead. "Star Search" winner
Jake Simpson has the charisma required for the lead,
and could easily move onto a career in musical
theater, except that he'll probably get rich first as
a pop star. At times his acting is better than his
singing, but maybe that's the music, which has it's
weak points. And the ensemble backing him is a
powerhouse comprised of first rate local and regional
talent, plus some very good teens from Stoneham's own
Youth Theatre. Not to mention tiny Emily Sheeran as
four year old Tommy who could steal the show if she
wasn't so professional. Unless you absolutely can't
stand R&R, don't miss this production with a solid
band under Angelyn Fullerton, directed and
choreographed by Robert Jay Cronin, on a constantly
changing set devised by Charlie Morgan. It's not that
hard to get to Stoneham. And don’t believe everything
you read in the papers. Sondheim's "A Little
Night Music" may be even more convoluted than
Bergman's classic film. If you haven't seen either,
briefly the show follows the romantic misadventures of
a fiftyish lawyer, Fredrik Egerman in early 1900th
century Sweden.
He's just remarried to a very young second wife,
Anne, who's younger than his grown son Henrik. The
boy's a sombre sort studying to become a minister and
madly in love with his new step-mother. And his
father's still in love with his former mistress, a
well-known leading lady, Desiree Armfeldt. This
woman of the world is currently dallying with Count
Carl-Magnus, a doltish dragoon, who's wife Charlotte
tolerates his endless affairs. When Anne senses
Fredrik's affection for Desiree one night at the
theatre, after which Fredrik goes to visit her for the
first time in years, and is discovered by the Count,
the farce gets rolling. Carl-Magnus sends Charlotte
to spill the beans about Fredrik and Desiree. Desiree
gets her mother, a former courtesan, to invite the
Egerman's including Henrik for a weekend in the
country. The Count finds out about it and plans to
crash the party with Charlotte in tow. And that's the
first act. Under the midnight sun of
a Scandinavian summer, everything is sorted out after
a fashion, under the watchful eyes of a chorus of five
Liebsleiders who provide a running musical commentary
on events from the beginning, as well as expressing
the principals inner thoughts. Maryann Zschau as
Desiree winds up with Chris Chew as Fredrik, Lianne
Grasso as Anne runs off with Billy Piscopo's Henrik,
and even Leigh Barrett's Countess Charlotte is briefly
reconciled with Drew Poling's Carl-Magnus. And Bobbie
Steinbach's Mme. Armfelt watches it all, together with
young Andrea C. Ross as Fredrika, Desiree's daughter.
"A Little Night Music" is probably Sondheim's most
durable show and amply repays revisiting every few
years. Don't be put off by the scaffolding and
netting around the Copley YWCA. The Lyric Stage
Company's production inside is one of the finest
they've ever done. And the building renovation
includes new bathrooms! And better dressingrooms.
Their 31st season is off to a great start.
"A Little Night Music" by Steven Sondheim, Sept. 10
- Oct. 16 North Shore's current
production of "Nine", the Fratti/Kopit/Yeston musical
version of Fellini's psychologically autobiographical
masterpiece "8 1/2" is not quite their best work, but
a worthwhile attempt nevertheless. Daytime drama star
Robert Newman as Guido Contini doesn't charm the
audience enough to gain sympathy, which makes the
whole evening rather flat. His strong Broadway female
co-stars, who deserve more publicity that they've
gotten, are also much more musically interesting,
though not entirely believable either. Josie de Guzman
turns in a solid performance as Luisa, the wife,
somewhat blunted by her stature and funerial costume.
Milena Govich makes the most of Carla, the vamp, in
spite of some weak staging and an unattractive black
wig. Blonde Amanda Serkasevich, Guido's muse, is
appropriately charming as Claudia and carries Newman
in the duet that opens the short second act. Other
first-rate performances are Inga Ballard as Saraghina,
the woman on the beach (but tamborine-less), Melissa
Hart as Guido's mother, and local Beth McVey as
Lilliane La Fleur, his producer and former Folies
Bergeres headliner. The Reagle players
end their 36th season with their best show since their
IRNE winning "Singin' in the Rain" Once again, local
anchorman Scott Wahle plays the lead, one that suits
him. Opposite his Prof. Harold Hill is last year's
stunning Eliza Doolittle, Sarah Pfisterer, as Marion
the Libarian. Cheryl MacMahon, who did her first
Reagle show last month as Miss Lynch in "Grease",
almost gets away with as much scene stealing playing
Eulalie MacKechnie Shinn, the mayor's wife. But
there's kids in the show, Emily Paley as Amaryllis and
Sam Blumenfeld as Winthrop, so no mere grown-up has a
chance, though voice actor Robert Lydriad comes close
at Marcellus. Emerson student Jenny Sinerate has
risen through the Youth Theatre ranks to score in her
third role this summer, the mayor's daughter Zaneeta.
The mayor is a veteran of 26 Reagle seasons, "Jerry"
Walker and Darcy Pullam is wonderfully Irish as
Marion's mother. New England
Shakespeare Festival's "Richard III" has a large
ensemble, an impressive collection of costumes, and is
doing Shakespeare's second longest text virtually
uncut. How they're doing it is somewhat debatable and
just a bit off-putting. There's a bookholder
prompting up left, actors carry cue scripts, and the
acting ranges from melodramatic to downright campy.
Some of the players are skillful and have their
moments; Kim. H. Carrell in the title role doesn't get
much beyond the basics most of the time however.
Still, if you want to reconnect with the Histories,
and haven't seen the fourth part of the Bard's epic
treatment of the War of the Roses for a while, the
company of around 20 playing over 50 roles will be at
the Crane Estate in Ipswich next weekend. Check their
website for details. Director Diego
Arciniegas, who takes the title role in this
production, has tried to broaden the usual focus of
this sometimes controversial play. The unfortunate
tale of Shylock is only part of the action, after all.
IRNE winner Steven Barkhimer plays the part in a
determined manner without resorting to histrionics.
Antonio's passion for his friend Bassanio gets equal
time. Nathaniel McIntyre does his best Shakespearean
role to date in that part, playing opposite his wife
Tracy Fischer who's a free-spirited Portia. She still
needs to soften her vocal quality at times to support
the verse, but will probably improve as she did last
summer playing Olivia. Benjamin Lambert gets a lot of
energy into Gratiano, while Kortney Adams plays
Portia's companion Nerissa, his sweetheart, with
flair. Ozzie Carnan Jr. makes what he can of
Launcelot Gobbo, particularly when playing with Wm.
Gardiner as Old Gobbo, his blind father. Carnan also
carries off the Prince of Morroco with style. The
ensemble is generally proficient playing the various
subplots, and effective in period costuming with a
Turkish touch by Rafael Jean. All in all the best
production of this difficult script that the Publick
has done in its 35 year run. And an interesting
contrast to their production of "Troilus..." with many
of the same actors which will return next week and
alternate with "Merchant..." through Sept. 12. There?s a play
somewhere in Anthony Burgess? dystopian potboiler, ?A
Clockwork Orange?. Company One hasn?t quite found it
yet, but they have found a superb Alex in Raymond
Ramirez. They?ve also worked hard on the violent
physical action, with three people involved in the
fight direction. Their efforts at dealing with
Burgess? contrived ?droog? slang aren?t anywhere as
successful. The rest of the cast of 15 tries hard to
work with some 50 roles, and would be helped by strong
rather than adequate costuming. Character development
seems to have been left too much to the cast, with
only Brian Fahey sufficiently over the top as the
Chaplain, with Brian Quint coming close as both
Deltoid the social worker and ther Minister of the
Inferior--er Interior. Claire Shinkman, a WST regular
does what she can with a series of minor characters,
most of which could be taken much further. The same
goes for Claire Carmichael. Joyeux Noel has a few
interesting moments, going from the exotic dancer
tormenting our hero to the researcher who breaks his
conditioning and severalmore distinct personae. Mason
Sand unfortunately doesn?t make much of Dr. Brodsky,
whose treatment Alex falls victim to. From
"Incorruptible"'s capsule description, one might
assume that Vokes Players' latest production, set in a
13th century monastery, is a satirical critique of the
venality of the Roman church. While that element is
implied, like most good farces the play's real focus
is on human failings. Headed by Dan Kelley, the Scribe
and David Berti, the Abbot, with Jeff Mahoney as
high-born Brother Felix and Andy Brown as simple
Brother Olf , plus reluctant recruit, the one-eyed
Nobert nee Jack the minstrel, a seasoned cast plays
the humor of the occasionally gruesome situation with
aplomb. Add Mikki Lipsey as a hardnosed peasant
worried about her cow, Aimee Doherty as her
freespirited daughter--Jack's "sort of" wife--and Anne
Damon as the Abbot's sister, the termegant Abbess of a
convent one town away, and the action comes fast and
furious. The show's as much about how these sinners
got that way and ends with predictable but satisfying
redemption. Timing is all, and director John Barrett
leads his antic crew on a merry romp in less than two
hours with intermission. Indeed, author Michael
Hollinger might have taken a little more time to
round out the play by developing his collection of
characters more. But there's enough for everyone to
think about after the laughter. The whole thing is
after all driven by a desire to do good. The first time Turtle
Lane did "Grease" it was 1981, which was also the last
time until this summer's revival. There are
performers in this 1971 parody of early R&R whose
parents did it. There were old hands in the audience
groovin' along with the music while the younger set
cheered their friends on. It's got a good long run a
good long run, the already respectable pace will
probably pick up. Some microphone support would help
balance singers with the band, which is visible
through the giant juke box which forms the back of
Jeff Gardiner's set. The Publick Theatre
has fielded a cast of 21 sturdy Shakespeareans for a
straighforward production of the Bard's version of a
New Tragedy, a story from the middle of the Iliad.
The two young people in the title, Priam's youngest
son and
the daughter of a Trojan priest who defects to the
Greeks are played by Kawa Ada, a young
Canadian/Afghani who studied at Boston Conservatory
and Angie Jepson who's in the graduate acting program
at Brandeis. Both are welcome additions to the local
scene. The show's director, IRNE winning actor Steven
Barkhimer, playing Ulysses delivers the famous speech
on Time with real impact, as he attempts to rouse
Douglass Brown Flynn's Achilles. The relationship
between the latter and his companion Patroclus played
by Eric Hamel is quite open with only the slightest
hint of camp. Hamel also doubles as Priam's priestly
son Helenus The busiest doubler is stalwart Richard
LaFrance who plays Helen's Greek husband, Menelaus,
Priam's son Magarelon (briefly) and the Trojan general
Antenor exchanged for Cressida. The cast is proficient
at switching between the Attic dress of the Greeks and
the more Oriental attire of the Trojans, all designed
by Troy Siegfried. North Shore Music
Theatre's crowd-pleasing new production of Disney's
"Beauty and the Beast" is an interesting reworking of
the Broadway franchise. Unlike the touring show
displayed downtown in past seasons, scenery doesn't
dominate the action, and the fantastic costumes are
more performance oriented. Youngsters addicted to the
video will notice differences in the storyline more
than adults. Both will recognize the the theme song
and palette. And "Be Our Guest" is the big
showstopper, with 3/4 of the 31 person cast onstage
just before intermission. The rest of the Menken's
movie-music operetta is merely pleasant, and most of
Ashman and Rice's lyrics remain eminently forgettable,
though workmanlike in context. Reagle's farm-team,
their Youth Theatre, under the direction of Deborah
Peros-Finnell and Joanne Peros Sinerate put on a
lively version of Ahren's and Flaherty's Broadway
effort last week. The show, which was the last major
musical to tryout in Boston --if you don't count
"Marty", which seems to be on terminal hold--still has
storyline problems. Add to this an overstuffed cast,
and the production was not quite as polished as
previous YT efforts. They also had to move to a new
venue, since the old one's been demolished. The
sightlines are better, the acoustics are typical of
school architecture, including a noisy air-handling
system, and the lighting rudimentary. There really is
no excuse for the bad architecture and mediocre
equipment foisted on American schools. The Town Cow Company
started presenting free outdoor Shakespeare around the
summer solstice three years ago. Their first
production was a "transcendental" version of "Timon of
Athens", with director Thomas Caron in the title role.
Last summer he played Hamlet, and this summer the
company is tackling the seldom-seen "King John". An
offshoot of the venerable Concord Players, some
members of the Town Cow--see their website for an
explanation of the name as well as directions--have
been workshopping Shakespeare for some time. Their
stage is the lawn of a small park next to a large
church, backed this year by rented black and purple
drapes. There's a free standing staircase and a small
platform for the wooden armchair which serves as a
throne. It's all natural light and sound, which means
the actors occasionally have to compete with commuter
jets from nearby Hanscom Field. Still the play works
and the fiberglass chairs are comfortable. It was mostly
overcast, but any showers held off from dampening the
Commonwealth Shakespeare's Parks Tour opening on the
Common today. If only the sound system was as
cooperative. Everyone soldiered on the several times
that mikes cut out. This collegiate company of twelve
is well cast and energetic, giving their all for this
ninety minute version of the play. Director Douglas
Mercer, with Shakespeare experience in Minneapolis and
New York, starts the play with his company asleep on
stage, then wakes them for a 1950's modern dress
interpretation of the play done in contemporary
fashion, which means a lot of physical comedy and
undressing by the young lovers, stoogeryx5 from the
rude mechanicals, and poetry in passing from Theseus &
Hippolyta/Oberon&Titania who are of course double
cast. The clever costuming is by Jessica Curtright.
Teenagers should enjoy it. The ART's 2003-2004
season ends much as it began, with an overlong
evening. Dominic Serrand's "tragic" interpretation of
Moliere's satire, freely adapted by Daniel Ball--who
interpolated dialect comedy and scatalogical humor
into the text-- at least has an intermission. Once
again, however, an opening night audience was
funneled out a single side door after the obligatory
standing O with no access to the amenities. Those
familiar with this classic and the circumstances
surrounding its origins may find the Theatre de la
Jeune Lune's approach interesting though slight. Most
audiences will probably be alternatively bored,
slightly confused, and only occasionally amused. An extensive schedule
of Shakespearean productions, which will
beupdated whenever new information becomes
available is posted ON
THE AISLE. Send additions and corrections to
the adress above. See you there. "West Side Story",
one of the landmarks in the development of American
musical theatre opened on Broadway almost half a
century ago. Jerome Robbins' choreography added
immensely to the vocabulary of stage dance, Leonard
Bernstein's music moved the form closer to Carnegie
Hall than Tin Pan Alley, and Stephen Sondheim's lyrics
marked him for future greatness. As the opening to
Reagle Players 36th summer season, this production,
which successfully recreates Robbins' efforts, is well
worth the trip to Waltham. The bright young cast
under Ken Leigh Rogers, senior dance lecturer at
Carnegie Mellon, forms a tight ensemble with all the
right moves, and voices when needed.
Those who missed
"After Mrs. Rochester" last January have another
chance to see this intriguing show, based on the life
of author Jean Rhys, whose novel, "The Wide Sargasso
Sea" is a semiautobiographical "prequel" to Charlotte
Bronte's classic novel. And those who didn't catch
the production of Polly Teale's adaptation of "Jane
Eyre" in 2001, or who have fond memories of that
excellent production, can see it in repertory with
"After..." all this month at the Wellesley Summer
Theatre. For the next two Saturdays , "...Eyre" is
running in the afternoon at 3, with "After..." on at
8. Or there are plenty of chances to catch either on
different nights. The two parts of this
show, both derived from real life situations, while
factually and thematically related don't come together
in a dramatic whole. The first half, set in India,
has an anthropological feel. While the purpose may be
to allow the audience to feel removed from the
problem, then bring them face to face with similar
problems in this country, the result is a bit of
compassion fatigue. Direct juxtaposition of scenes
here and abroad might be more effective. This year's
Playwrights' Platform 32nd Annual Festival, one of the
longest running new works series in the area,
workshopped seventeen new short works by its members
at Boston Playwrights' the past two weekends. Most
pieces had been read at regular meetings over the past
year. Several playwrights appeared in each others' or
their own work, including Jerry Bisantz, G.L.Horton ,
Gail Phaneuf, and Rebecca Saunders. Most of the
support staff were also regular participants in the
Platform, though by in large directors for each
project were drawn from various other theatre groups.
Over the years the Platform has concentrated on unique
character development and quirky situations. This
year topics ranged from a comic rewrite of Sophocles'
"Philoctetes" and a punny murder set in ancient Rome
to contemporary issues, both comic and serious,
reflecting the concerns and life experiences of their
authors. It's hard to live up
to the hype, let alone a fondly remembered Academy
Award winning movie, but the award winning North Shore
Music Theatre lives up to their own high standards in
what amounts to a world premiere of this new version
of Henry Fielding's rowdy 900 page novel. Director
Gabriel Barre's whirlwind approach, Stiles' eclectic
and informed musical theatre score, Leigh's witty
lyrics, and a hardworking ensemble of consumate
professionals, ten of whom play multiple roles makes
for an unforgettable show. David Burnham grows on the
audience as the title character, Angela Gaylor is a
Broadway star in the making as Tom's true love,
Sophia. Jeremy Webb, with some of the most
interesting music in the show, is a consumate villain
as the evil half brother. Sarah Gettlefinger, bound
back to Broadway next season, is elegant as the amoral
Lady Bellaston, Tom's entree in society's bedroom,
while Michele Ragusa is a consummate comedienne as
Mrs. Fitzpatrick, unsuccessfully lusting after our
hero while fleeing her mad Irish husband played by
Stephen Bienskie. A more complete review is posted ON THE AISLE.
Musical theatre fans
are becoming increasingly aware that NSMT regularly
presents shows which rival anything seen on the big
stages in downtown Boston. Their next presentation,
the American premiere of a revamped version of Paul
Leigh and George Stiles "Tom Jones", its American
premiere, may just up the ante. There hasn't been a
new show with such promise since Flaherty and Ahrens
"Seussical" lumbered into town almost four years ago.
Stiles' most noted work is "Honk!" with Anthony Drew
seen at NSMT in 2000, with whom he also did "Just So"
seen there in 2001. With Paul Leigh he's also done
the award-winning "Moll Flanders" and "The Three
Musketeers" and the composer' s just provided new
songs for Cameron McIntosh's "Mary Poppins" opening in
London in December. Jayk Gallagher, seen
last fall in the Poet's Theatre production of Dario
Fo's "Accidental Death of an Anarchist" may have
picked up something from the only official clown to
win a Nobel prize. Of course, having John Kuntz as
script advisor on this piece which Jayk began as an
Emerson theatre student probably also helped. But the
antic core of the show is all his own. Many comedians
make chameleon-like switches from character to
character, but in this show, his characters literally
take over the comedian, with their own idea of what
"Flesh Eating Leftists", a sociopolitical exegesis
should be about. The satirical
target(s) in Ben Elton's "Popcorn" are no more hard
to shoot than fish in a barrel, but that should be
part of the fun in this black farce, which depends on
several well-setup shootings. That there's not more
fun, though former TV writer Elton does know how to
get quick laughs, is due to a rather realistic
production of this almost surreal British take on
Hollywood excess and Oliver Stone's "Natural Born
Killers" in particular. There's an aura of sit-com
about it. Andrea Martin can't
quite carry this dinosaur from Tennessee William's
ouevre the way she did as Mrs. Siezemagraff in
Durang's "Betty's Summer Vacation." several seasons
ago. But Ms. Martin makes a brave attempt in this
much more difficult role and is quite convincing as
Serafina despite the embarrassing stereotypes rampant
in this play. These aren't ameliorated by director
Nicholas Martin's predilection for portraying the
obvious. The surprisingly large and largely
irrelevant cast includes the return of Dominic Fumusa
last seen in as the gangster in "Dead End" as the
romantic interest Alvaro, aka the grandson of the
village idiot in Ravenna, plus local talent that also
last appeared at the Huntington in "Dead End". These
include Diego Arciniegas as Fr. De Leo, Nancy E.
Carroll --leading a goat-- as the Strega, plus Cheryl
McMahon and Bobbie Steinbach as nosey neighbors,
Guiseppina and Peppina. Melinda Lopez, seen in "A
Month in the Country", and whose full-length play,
"Sonia Flew", will premiere at the new BCA theatre
space next season, has the supportive role of Assunta,
the herbalist/midwife. Everyone does their best with
this over-long, underwritten script and Ms. Martin's
masterful comic timing mercifully keeps things light
in some of the murkier moments.
In a word, it's a hit. This play, which received an Excellence in
Playwriting (or Playwrighting) Award at the 2003 New York International
Fringe Festival last year, may have gotten that recognition because it
confirms for New York fans the almost psychotic desperation of the Red Sox
faithful. Actually its pedigree traces back to barroom sagas, the sort
Eugene O'Neill made famous. Author and cast member Brendan Bates might
indeed write a significant American play someday; he's got an ear for
banter, though his monologues do go on. What he's written here is two hour
long acts of boozy neo-realistic soap opera set in the context of the last
two games of the 2003 ALCS playoffs, which once again, Boston lost. Just as
there are "chick flicks", this is a "guy play." And the guys who frequent
neighborhood watering holes to watch the Sox on TV don't seem to be coming
out for live theatre. Natick-born William
Finn's "Elegies" is a series of story songs about loss
and the reaffirmation of life, beginning with the
closing of a small corner grocery, ending with a
tribute to 9 /11/2001. In the eighteen or so pieces
in between Finn remembers friends, relations, and his
dogs. All on an empty stage significantly decorated
by Caleb Wertenbaker using a montage of photoblowups,
sung by five Speakeasy veterans, some of the strongest
musical theatre performers in Boston, with the
company's musical director, Paul S. Katz at the
keyboard. 2003 IRNE winner Leigh Barrett and
Speakeasy diva Kerry Dowling have lush voices which
make the show's ballads soar and sing a lighter piece
or two as well. Michael Mendiola has two wonderful
comic turns and then turns serious for Finn's paean to
Natick and his mother, before going onto "When the
World Stopped Turning." Jose Delgado gets to start
things off and shortly has a ball leading "Joe Papp"
who "don't take crap!" And reliable Will McGarrahan
stands in for the author several times remembering
lost friends and fellow musical eccentrics, with the
recurring "Mark's All-Male Thanksgiving." One can
assume that William Alan Finn, a " 3 named composer"
himself will be pleased when he shows up for the
performance on the 16th, as part of NOMTI's annual
"Birth of a Musical" festival. Despite the sombre
implications of much of the material, this 90 minute
show soars along with the voices and makes a strong
end to this year's season for the company.
Hi Larry,
Frank Rich once pointed out that Shepard's plays seem to play more effectively in your mind after you leave the theatre than they do while you are actually watching them. Curse is a perfect piece of evidence for his argument. The great monologues are done with such care by the cast that you find you remember the incidents relayed by them as vividly as if you had seen them in amovie, or in real life: A young girl riding a horse through a bar, a man castrating sheep as an eagle keeps swooping down on him, an invasion of zombies taking over a rural community, a father crashing through a door in drunken stupor. We see none of these take place on stage, but we feel as if they are a part of what we have physically experienced.
With computer programmers and white collar service workers being displaced the way Shepard was witnessing farmers being pushed out, this play has an eerie resonance.
See it also to check out the best and most accessible small theatre in Boston. Streets upon streets of available parking spots surround a nicely restored hall with plush seats and, (Gasp!) enough leg room for Twentieth Century Man. It is one of the easiest theatres to drive to in the Metro Boston area. Once again, last weekend is coming up.
It probably seemed
stranger to folks in L.A. where this play was
commissioned in 2002 that the show opens with snow in
April in New Jersey. Here in the author's hometown,
that's just weather. Those whose only experience of
Lindsay-Abaire is his other masterpiece, "Fuddy Meers"
will find "Kimberly Akimbo", the final production of
Boston Theatre Works season, closer to reality. This
time the parallel universe is right next door. Moliere probably
would have liked it, if only because the spirited cast
of the New Rep's homegrown original musical is having
so much fun doing it. John Kuntz wearing a BoSox cap
with his red and blue diamonds uses his entire
repertoire of theatrical tricks as the title character
and even gets to play the sax. Steven Barkhimer and
Ken Baltin dive right into the silliness as the two
fathers. Bret Carr and Miguel Cervantes use their
voices and their comic talents as the two heroes. The
aptly named Jennifer LaFleur is one ditsy heroine;
Bonita J. Hamilton, with the best pipes in the crowd,
is feisty as the other. Bates Wilder is an Ur-clown
as the put-upon servant Sylvester, and Matthew J.
Nichols steals the show whenever he can as the
nameless Messenger, the Nurse with a costume
malfunction, a Government purity agent, and a boorish
patron with a cell phone. Haddon is upstage center at
the keyboards dress in Mozart attire along his
bassplayer and drummer, while Rick's in the back row
hoping nobody puts in something that was cut or puts
in something they just thought of. It's burlesque
musical theatre post-Urinetown, full of topical
references and low humor. A good end to a great
season. Michael Frayn's
deconstruction of farce, "Noises Off" may not be the
premiere comedy of the last century, but it's in the
running. The talented crew at the Lyric is running to
catch up with it. Opening night they kept up with it,
despite a bit of a slow start. When the cast has
Jeremiah Kissel with Barlow Adamson, Neil A. Casey,
Sarah deLima, Jessica Healy, Bob Jolly, David Krinitt,
Kristen Sergeant, and Maryann Zschau all charging
fearlessly into the fray under Spiro Veloudos' sure
hand they're bound to get it right most of the time.
If you've seen this play before, you'll probably
understand it better the second time. Newcomers
should get there on time and take a peek at both
programs - the Lyric's and the one for "Nothing On",
the sex comedy this hapless lot is taking on the road
from Weston-Super-Mare to Stockton-on-Tees through the
counties. It helps to sort out who's who beforehand,
because you'll have to figure out who's doing what
with whom backstage as the show goes on. Frayn goes
from the absurd to the Absurd in three acts full of
physical comedy and unexpected humor. You may want to
visit the bar during each intermission to get in the
spirit of the play.
There was an error in the
program. J. Michael Grigg?s designed the set; Tess
James once again did the lights. They both deserved
praise. The archives for last
year's reviews are much more substantial, the graphic
situation with the ISP has improved, and the first
relevant review from NYC is posted. Dramaturg Colette
Boudreau reviews John C. Picardi's "Seven Rabbits on a
Pole", the second play in a series. "The Sweepers",
his first, just closed at Stoneham. The list of
links to local theatre websites has expanded;
additions and corrections would be appreciated. The 6th annual Boston
Theatre Marathon, the last at Boston Playwrights'
Theatre if the schedule for the new theatre space at
the BCA holds, had the usual mix of new and old faces.
The 45 ten minute pieces were long on comic sketches,
had more parts for women, but fewer surprises than
previous events. There were a few more female
playwrights, not quite as many celebrity authors, and
a host of the usual suspects from various parts of the
greater local theatre community. "Who are these
guys?" Well, they're Sugan regulars, Colin Hamell and
Billy Meleady recounting the tale of Mojo and Mickybo,
two kids from the streets of Belfast. Mojo's
Protestant, Mickybo's Catholic, but they briefly
become mates one hot summer. It's Butch Cassidy and
the Sundance Kid who supplant comic book characters in
their imagination; but like their heros, there's no
escape to Bolivia from the divided streets and the
real violence which scars their lives. And they?re
only running one weekend more at the BCA. Sam Shepard's
satirical family tragedy "The Curse of the Starving
Class" might be more relevant today than it was more
than 25 years ago. Under Paul Melone's crisp
direction, a first-rate seasoned cast brings out the
raw emotion in this three act drama. Eliza Rose
Fichter is unsettling as Emma, the teenage daughter,
Floyd Richardson finds real depth in Weston, her
drunken father, Danielle Fauteux Jacques is
unrelenting as Ella. the mom, while Michael McKeogh
eventually gets into Wesley, the son who's not all
there. The supporting cast is up to par as well.
This is vintage Shepard well done, played from the
heart and aimed at the gut. The main characters
handle the author's signature extended speeches with
real flair.
Of the smaller companies, Boston Theatre Works has
made major attempts, doing "Macbeth" and most
recently, "Antony and Cleopatra", which got Anne
Gottlieb her Best Actress IRNE. New Rep went out on a
limb with Austin Pendleton as "King Lear"; he was
better suited for "Waiting for Godot", and peripatetic
Mill6 just "Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet", an
adaptation for four men over in the bowels of the
Piano Factory at Devanaughn, directed by Barlow
Adamson, who works with CSC's school project in
Charlestown. Shakespeare Now!, who just held the
annual Sonnethon at BPL, strives mightily to bring
their barebones productions to schools in the area,
and did a creditable job of "Julius Caesar" for school
audiences last fall in Ellsworth Auditorium at Pine
Manor with S&C's Jason Asprey as Cassius. Shakespeare
& Co. toured a "Romeo & Juliet" in the area using
seven players, then doubled the number for a weeklong
school presentation at North Shore Music Theatre last
month. North Shore hasn't done their own school
Shakespeare productions recently, though they're
opening "Kiss Me Kate" later this month. What's lacking in these various efforts is a
permanent year-round company like Boston Shakespeare
which imploded finally with Peter Sellars at the helm.
Perhaps Ben Evett, who seems to have ben dropped from
the ART roster, will be able to get something going
with his actor based project. It will probably be a
long time until Boston sees something like the Chicago
Shakespeare venue completed recently on their
Waterfront. There's nothing of the like in all the
reconstruction promised for Boston apres BigDig. The
two additional spaces being added to the BCA have one
old problem; limited parking and less than convenient
access. Though permanent signage from, and in, Back
Bay Station would help. So what about the NEA's "Shakespeare in American
Communities", administered by ArtsMidwest, a
consortium of generally conservative heartland state
arts agencies. Is this effort, presented as an
attempt to revive touring theatre, which delivers
approved productions of a dead white playwright to
small and middle-sized cities, an attempt to encourage
more politically correct, less liberal live theatre,
to bribe established groups to clean up their act and
take it on the road at a time when funding is getting
ever tighter? There's certainly no evidence that
recent tax breaks for the wealthy have trickled down
to the arts, except perhaps to art dealers vending
investment grade works. Was the Guthrie's visit to
Amherst and Boston a nod to the Romney Republicans,
who don't seem to have noticed? NYU's Aquila
production, more modern and more integrated, would
have been a lot more economical to present hereabouts,
and would have fit into less well appointed venues,
but might have sparked reaction, as intended, from
political commentators left and right. And if a
regime change occurs in Washington, what will the
future of all this NEA puffery be? Will conservative
politicians go back to trying to eliminate the agency?
Will necessary fiscal changes limit available
funding? How will such parsimony make any difference
for the array of Shakespearean production already
going on in here ( as noted above) --and in other
parts of the country for that matter? Stay tuned.
H4>
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com The current Wheelock Family Theatre production
lives up to the company's usual high production
standards. The set is flexible if not especially
imaginative, the costumes have fairy-tale appeal,
sound and lights are professional. The script,
however, their "first traditional fairy-tale" is
definitely not up to the standard of WFT's previous
work. It's a humdrum, dated adaptation written for an
expandable cast, including forest animals and a squad
of juvenile ladies in waiting. The text borrows a bit
from Cinderella (which helps explain why SW is so good
at keeping house), gives cutesy barely non-Disney
names for the Seven and employs stereotyped
characterizations which went out of style decades
ago--or so we hoped. The effect is compounded at WFT
by having the Dwarfs(sic) played by small adults--four
Equity members-- who try mightily to cope with
dialogue written for prepubescent boys and ostensibly
comic situations. The potentially clever idea of
having the Queen (Robin V. Allison) have a witchy
godmother(Robert Saoud), who's keeping her beautiful,
is wasted through weak sightgags and doggerel magic
spells. Yahanna Faith in the title role stays cool
throughout it all while Shelley Bolman as the Prince
doesn't even get to kiss her. That would be too ickey
perhaps, but the lack of contact suits the boring
nature of their characters as written. There?s a
general waste of good actors, but the less said about
Doug Lockwood's Dandipat Bombas the Court Chamberlain,
the better. Tickets are liable to be in
short supply for a satisfying production of "Ragtime:
the Musical" which opened at the Footlight Club this
weekend. The large cast and substantial orchestra
give a first-class rendition of Flaherty and Ahren's
songs.
Justin A.L.Waithe gives a strong and convincing
performance as Coalhouse Walker, while Marshalee
Ducille as Sarah and Maria Wardwell as the well-to-do
matron from New Rochelle are both moving. Other fine
vocal characterizations come from Brian Ott as Father
and Stephen Littlehale as Tateh. Christina Pizzo
Buxton is stirring as Emma Goldman, while Kristin
Shoop and Ian Flynn are amusing as Evelyn Nesbit and
Harry Houdini. Steven Key is a dignified Booker T.
Washington. Set and lighting are sufficient given
Footlight's resources, and the costumes are first
rate. McNally's book catches the flavor of Doctorow's
epic novel and director Bill Doscher gets the cast
through it's 31 scenes and even more songs with
dispatch. And the show's probably more relevant today
than when it won several Tony awards in 1998. Call
now. Starting with another
impressive set by award-winning Richard Chambers and
three outstanding performances by Sarah Newhouse,
Marina Re, and M. Lynda Robinson, Stoneham's New
England premiere of John C. Picardi's "The Sweepers"
has a lot going for it. His script is
well-constructed with engaging if predictable moments,
which generated appreciative comment and laughter for
the opening night audience. Set at the very end of
WWII on a back street in Boston's North End, "The
Sweepers' is an affectionate and somewhat
melodramatic look at the lives of three Italian
mothers, two (Newhouse and Robinson) with husbands and
sons in the Army, one (Re) who lost her older brother
in WWI and whose 4F son, a fledgling lawyer is getting
married. There?s local resonance with a lot of
effective touches through the efforts of director
Robert Jay Cronin and costumer Jane Alois Stein giving
the show a realistic texture. There's still a lot to
be explored in the second (and third) generation
experience which underlies much of the development of
the American character in the latter half of the 20th
century. This play does its share with a mixture of
drama and humor, with trials and tragedy balanced by
the simple tasks of everyday living, lightened by
stereotypical characterization at times. It will be
interesting to see part two of Picardi's ten play
cycle, now running in New York, when it arrives here
sooner or later--preferably sooner. Rough & Tumble's
latest group creation, again with text from playwright
Bill Donnelly, combines their collective talent for
quick characterization and physical comedy with more
complex storyline than usual. It's in English rather
than "blah-blah", their unique brand of gibberish.
Founding member Irene Daly, who can perform "b-b" with
an Irish brogue, gets to create a complex person, Lea
Boyle, this time. She's the only member of the cast
who plays only one part. George Saulnier III is back
after being George in "...Virginia Wolff" last fall,
playing a range of real people from Lea's father, the
boyfriend she breaks up with, her old English teacher
Mr. Clark, and others. Chris Cook, who's joined the
group more recently, is primarily Neville, a young
playwright with a crush on Lea, as well as Todd, an
obnoxious former classmate, and others. Those who found
Durang's "Betty's Summer Vacation" illuminating at the
Huntington last season will find similar edification
in Orton's "What the Butler Saw." Only instead of
Andrea Martin, they'll have to settle for Paxton
Whitehead's patented upper-class twit. Martin will be
back in May for "The Rose Tattoo" playing the Anna
Magnani part, which should be an interesting stretch.
She'll be joined by Diego Arciniegas, Nancy E,
Carroll, and Cheryl McMahon. Until then, Darko
Tresnjak's attempt to breathe life in this 40 year old
parody of British farce will wheeze harmlessly on,
followed by BU Fine Arts "Romeo & Juliet." Orton may
have understood the artful construction of cheap
comedy, but this measured production lets every seam
show. That it's considered a classic English comedy
of its time merely shows how far that genre had
fallen. Company One's "Lost
City" can't quite decide what sort of show it wants to
be, but the ride its cast takes their audience on is
nearly as interesting as the one going on next door at
Speakeasy. Perhaps it's the premise, passengers
stranded in Rochester waiting for a connection to
Boston, that's a mite too pat. The cast, which
participated in creating the show, has come up with
memorable characters, from Mason Sands' weird Henry,
with a satchel of crude paper sculptures, to Shawn
Lecount's dual characterization of Ezra, the gay bank
officer and his tough Irish partner, who he's trying
to rejoin in Boston. Hilary Fabre gives a bravura
performance as Angie, returning from California to
visit her dying Russian mother, with capsules of
courage in her purse. Michelle Baxter's Wilma,
coming from Chicago to help her third son now in jail
and Summer L. Williams, hoping for in vitro
fertilization at a famous Boston hospital, are truly
convincing. Then there's Mark Abby Vanderzee's
fireman, slated to receive a medfal for bravery he's
not sure he deserves and Naya Chang's Viola, not
quite ready to join the BSO but sure she will some
day. If Pinter's still
your cuppa, Joanne Akalaitis' production of "The
Birthday Party" will satisfy your thirst. With a
veteran A.R.T cast headed by Thomas Derrah as the
hapless Stanley, with Karen MacDonald as Meg the
landlady, and Will LeBow and Remo Airaldi as Goldberg
and McCann, the hit men, joined by Terence Rigby as
Petey, Meg's husband, and Elizabeth Laidlaw as
partygirl Lulu, the playwright's opaque text is about
as clear as it can be. Paul Steinberg's looming
symbolic set, an almost subliminal soundscape by Bruce
Odland engineered by David Remedios, and Jennifer
Tipton's atmospheric lighting are up to the usual ART
standard without becoming distracting. Lulu's Carnaby
St, ensembles set the period, otherwise Gabriel
Berry's costumes are vintage Empire in decay,
including Stanley's pajamas. This early Pinter script
is still a somewhat undigested mix of angry young
kitchen-sink realism, Kafkaesque situations, and
Orwellian dialogue, but Akalaitis has concentrated on
making the original play work, rather than imposing a
contemporary interpretation. The paranoid viewpoint
underneath may or may not be relevant to current
political developments, but the timeless spectre of
faceless fate remains intriguing, if distant. Dael Orlandersmith's
poetic narrative lifts the fate of her star-crossed
lovers, Alma and Eugene, above the petty domestic
drama of their story. She's a poor darker-skinned
farm girl; he's a lighter-skinned townie. They meet
in grade school and are drawn into a love which defies
the internal color line that separates
African-Americans in their South Carolina community.
Adrienne D. Williams from NY and IRNE winner Dorian
Christian Baucum embody these two, as well as their
parents, their playmates, and their kin. Using story
theatre techniques on a simple stage, two folding
chairs, and excellent lighting by John R. Malinowski,
the actors unfold the complex details of their simple
story. Award-winning director Lois Roach deftly
orchestrates the passage of time and scenes where one
actor must play two characters in conflict.
Orlandersmith's language is mesmerizing at times,
sometimes too much so. But there's so much in this
script that too much at times is forgivable. A more
subtle plot ending might have gotten this
Pulitzer-nominee the brass ring; what she does achieve
is often astounding. The Theatre Coop's
latest offering is a mismatched pair of short modern
pieces. Joyce Carol Oates' "Tone Clusters" is a
disturbing T.V. interview by a faceless interrogator
of the parents of an alleged murderer. Their 20 year
old son appears to have abused and murdered a 14
year old neighbor, but they're sticking by him. The
questioning veers from the philosophical to the
mundane, as the parents let slip enough information to
suggest the young man's guilt. It's Dostoevsky Grand
Inquisitor rewritten for the New Yorker. Harold
Withee and Christine Hamel give convincing
performances as the luckless Gulick'l;/s, Frank and
Emily, nailed in the spotlight. Peter Brown is the
unseen voice Larry Lane's "Van
Gogh in Japan" has a first rate cast, an interesting
set concept, some strong scenes, and a sprawling
bioplay script not really ready for this level of
production. Told in serial fashion, the play traces
Van Gogh's life from when the artist first descended
on his brother Theo in Paris through his tortured time
in Arles to his eventual suicide, Seth Kanor embodies
the artist convincingly, without much textual support.
Robert Bonoto brings the first half to life with his
portrayal of manic Degas; Scott Serverance gives a
strong performance in the second half as the
self-involved Gauguin. Mara Sidmore is good as the
coquettish figure model, Lisette, and believable
later as Theo's wife, Jo. Joe Pacheo provides a good
anchor as the long suffering Theo, while Steve
Barkhimer has three cameos, culminating as a blind
accordianist serenading Gauguin in a bistro after Van
Gogh's death. Faith Justice, Seth Compton, and
Michaela Lipsey play an interesting variety of smaller
parts. The author's direction with Anne Gottlieb's
assistance is efficient. If you've never seen
this thriller and have only vague memories of the 1967
Arthur Penn film starring Audrey Hepburn, a trip out
to Stoneham might be in order. Regional theatre maven
Kent Paul and a competent cast hew close to the
standard production, and there's more than a touch of
Hepburn in Victoria Arbiter's performance as Susy in
the lead. The pace will hopefully pick up during the
run. Fredrick Knott's penchant for complex plotting
over character gives the evening a retro feel. Dan
Domingues plays the villainous Roat without the tics
that Quentin Tarentino gave to the part when he and
Marisa Tomei brought the show through Boston on the
way to New York in 1998. However Domingues doesn't
project a real sense of menace, as when Robert Duvall
went after Lee Remick in the original stage success.
And Roat's certainly different from his role in "A
Girl's War" last fall. Joe MacDougall manages to
humanize Mike, the more sympathetic con man, but could
use more physical presence. A small musical
that doesn't take place in Manhattan or any other
city, with no show biz characters. A book where
peoples troubles are real and they're worried about
survival, not the state of their neuroses. What a
concept! While the 1996 movie "Care of the Spitfire
Grill" by Lee David Zlotoff, which won the Sundance
audience award, counter-balanced its sentimentality
with a rather edgy ending and took place in Maine, the
musical "The Spitfire Grill" , moved to the authors'
home state of Wisconsin, is a bit more redemptive.
Music theatre tends to do that. And the town's still
Gilead. Steven Bogart's
"Conspiracy of Memory" began, to use the author's
description, as a "weird screenplay." Elements of
that effort still exist in an episodic scene structure
and melodramatic twists. Its current world premiere
by Boston Theatre Works is however well-acted
throughout and competently directed by BTW managing
director, Nancy Curran Willis. The notion of an
elderly Jewish Alzheimer's sufferer reliving
concentration camp experiences would be interesting in
itself, but the overlay of family drama, Nazi hunting,
and inevitably guilt, turn the show into a collage of
cliched images played out by overly simplified
characters. The tragedy becomes muddied by too much
of a bad thing.
"Conspiracy of Memory" by Steven Bogart, Feb. 6 -
22 Of the various
competitions in the history of science, the arcane
astronomical arguments between the wealthy Danish
aristocrat Tycho Brahe and the dour German scholar
Johannes Kepler over the Copernican modifications to
orthodox Ptolemaic theory in the days before the
telescope might not seem especially dramatic. The
industrial theatre begs to differ. Head writer Bill
Donnelly and the cast, company members Kevin LaVelle
and Timothy Barney as Tycho and Kepler respectively,
plus Luke Dennis as The Expert and James Henderson as
The Assistant (playing a myriad of small roles) have
assembled a text from Kepler's voluminous and often
personal writings, known meetings, and imagined
confrontations between the two, plus official records.
Using a fluid chronology triggered by The Voice, Sally
Dennis, intoning "Start again," the cast, under
Chris Scully's energetic direction, weaves a
compelling hour of theatre. Katherine Pearson's
clever play, a series of sketch-like scenes, ends with
"Have I got a story to tell you." When was the last
time you saw a new play where the heroine, faced by a
mid-life crisis, found a viable solution, developed a
better relationship with her spouse, and had fun doing
so? Pearson, who was out-of-work a while herself,
brings considerable charm the lead character, Livia
Peacock. Hopefully her current position at New
Hampshire Public Television won't keep her from more
challenging roles around here soon.. Producer Anne
Continelli, the "A" in T & A displays various comedic
talents as Merry Peacock, a buxom ballet teacher and
other cameos. Michael LaChance is believable as
Livia's workaholic husband and Guiseppi Raucci is
believable as an eager young Harvard MBA, even though
he actually went to Bentley and St.John's for such
studies before trying acting. Both men have several
effective cameos. It was probably
inevitable that after weddings, divorces, and even a
bar mitzvah, the premise show would get around to
holding a wake. Actually this show which began in
Chicago a decade ago--and is still running there-- has
been kicking around the midwest ever since, with a
side trip to L.A. Boston is overdue. Jimmy Tingle's
Off-Broadway in Somerville is the ideal venue for such
an improv-driven audience participation evening. All
it needs is a few more of local touches and more
songs. Audiences headed out
to the New England premiere of Tony-winner Richard
Greenberg's "The Dazzle" are more likely to be
bemused than bedazzled by his Absurdist take on the
lives of the Collyer brothers of urban legend. But
they're not liable to forget three great performances
in the play's elusive roles. Neil A. Casey brings
extreme vulnerability to the role of neurotic Langley
Collyer, imagined as a concert pianist who takes a
half hour to play "The Minute Waltz." Bill Mootos as
Homer Collyer indeed becomes his brother's keeper, for
want of anything more compelling in his life-and
eventual death. As Milly the woman in their life,
luminous Anne Gottlieb, seen this fall as Cleopatra
and last spring in "Betrayal", creates another
complex and subtle character. She however joins the
brothers in their descent.
Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2004 17:29:36 -0500
I got this in the mail today:
From: Name Withheld
Dear Larry,
From: Name Withheld
Dear Larry,
The acting in the numbers is impressive; it creates a gallery of characters' snap shots, but where is character development? They
all (except for probably Jenny) exist as still caricatures. Even when the numbers are brilliantly executed, we categorize the characters immediately as certain types or archetypes. What else is there for us to do? What change to follow? What pain or joy to feel for? What intellectual idea to grasp? The parade of stick figures no matter how well they move, sing, or dress could only be amusing for a short while.
I don't think it's the actors' fault -- it's director's lack of the so called "throughout" vision.
We are forcefully made aware of the cabaret nature of the set and
consequently the setting. We witness the make-up at the beginning, and the make-up table and the lights are a part of the set.
There are a lot of similar inconsistencies. I will stop before I sound mean. I just feel that the director's choices were not subordinated to any idea or concept.
Name Withheld
Hi Larry
However, the reviews from London and New York were great, so I was eagerly looking forward to Zeitgeist's production. David Miller has done a good job putting this play into the Black Box, and Loann West has done such a fantastic job of costuming that it set me to praying that critics remember her work all the way into next year's awards lists.
My frustrations with the play are not with Zeitgeist's production, but with the last scene of this play. I think I will now have to see another production, (if one ever comes around here,) to see if the scene can be effective on anything more than an intellectual level. I guess I just want it to work because I think the rest of the play is so damn good. Bravo to Caryl Churchill, who I think is in her sixties. Sophocles wrote the macabre and terrifying Women of Trachis in his sixties, and both these examples help to show that experienced playwrights are not dated, or boring, but they can in fact contribute intense "fringe" pieces to the theatrical landscape.
When I was living the Seattle area, plays in the school of Far Away, (only far better,) made consistent appearances in a vibrant theatre scene. I would love to see smaller companies in this area take more risks and try to produce works like this. However, a passion for new storytelling and working to expand the boundaries of what theatre can be run smack up against the consumerism of most entertainment these days. A recent interview in the New York Times with Wallace Shawn, whose edgy play Aunt Dan and Lemon is being revived in New York, was very enlightening. When asked about his acting experience he said that he was fortunate because acting payed the bills. "I certainly couldn't make even a lowly bourgeois living writing play," Shawn says. "My plays have been strange from the beginning, and they never got unstrange." The Wellesley Summer
Theatre's director, Nora Hussey, has quietly achieved
a theatrical coup with what amounts to the North
American premiere of Polly Teale's "After Mrs.
Rochester." This examination of the life of author
Jean Rhys which Teale's London company, Shared
Experiences, just closed in November 2003. The script
looks at Rhys' life in the context of her acclaimed
novel, "The Wide Sargasso Sea", a prequel to "Jane
Eyre" about the first Mrs. Rochester, by depicting her
girlhood in the West Indies , her tumultuous bohemian
life, and lifelong fascination with the mysterious
woman in the attic. Three characters are almost
constantly onstage; Jean, played by Boston theatre
veteran Lisa Foley in her twelfth WST production, Ella
(the author in her younger years, before her nom de
plume) played by Alicia Kahn, a founding member of the
WST, and Bertha Mason (the first Mrs. R.) by Melinda
McGrew, a recent grad back for her fifth season, now
studying at the Actor's Studio. The drama rebounds
between modern times, with the author locked in her
room, the past as her life unfolds, and the fictional
as Bertha howls and pleads intruding into both. The
transitions are seamless and powerful. Kahn continues
to mature with each leading role, backed here by a
strong ensemble. There's more to
Brandeis grad Teresa Rebeck's "Bad Dates", having a
triumphal revival at the Huntington this month, than
the advance publicity would suggest. Pay attention to
the details, this is a cannily written script by a
seasoned professional, which makes use of her most
recent T.V.credits. Whether or not this 90 minute
multiscene monologue would work as well without Julie
White, the solo performer with whose input the piece
was conceived, remains to be seen. She definitely
lives up to her New York notices from the Playwrights'
Horizons production last summer. But in the best of
all possible worlds, we'd also get to see Melinda
Lopez who's understudying the role and currently one
of this year's four Huntington Playwrighting Fellows,
tackle the part of Haley later in the season. In any
case, this is a script that's liable to be around for
a while; costume shops (and actresses aspiring to the
role) had better stockpile "cute" shoes, though it
wouldn't be surprising to see some name actress take
it on the road next. Ms. White, with an impressive
stage, screen, and television resume doesn't need to.
Boston can be thankful that "Butley" go moved to
earlier in the season. This show is a good antidote
and part of a great start for the winter season. It’s a parody, it’s a satire, it’s a burlesque;
no it’s a musical. Whatever “Urinetown - the musical”
is, this production which started on the west coast
has washed up downtown, bright-eyed and bushy tailed.
If this farrago’s about anything, it’s about the
world-view of the American musical theatre--and by
extension, what that peculiar institution says about
this society. The energetic cast, the cheesy special
effects, the parodies of everything from Les Mis to B
Movies, the tongue-in-cheek choreography which skewers
Fosse, Strouman, et al, and constant reference to the
lousy title make for a hilarious evening, even for the
unititiated. “ThreePenny” which open this week at the
New Rep keeps being mentioned, but “Johnny Johnson”,
“The Cradle Will Rock”, and “Street Scene” might also
be noted. This self-referential show’s garage roots
at the Off-Off Broadway Fringe Fest are gleefully
maintained however. The big stages are off to a good
start this new year with a most unlikely show.
Just want to say that MONTICEL, at the Playwrights Theatre, is just about the best new play I've seen in many years. What a great pleasure it is to hear and see such gorgeous writing - if there were any justice in this world, this play would win every award for which it is eligible, and the small theatre in which it is playing would be selling standing-room. The cast is luminous - they give deeply moving, brilliantly conceived performances. Birgit Huppich is wonderful. The direction, set design and lighting are all of the very highest category. There are only a few performances left, including an added Saturday Matinee, but MONTICEL is slated to close on Sunday. Too bad - some local company should pick it up and schedule it for next season - the playwright will be heard from many times in the future and it wouldn't hurt to be first in the "encouraging" line. NSMT uses the subtitle “A
Musical Ghost Story” for their evolving adaptation of
this holiday classic. This special effects filled
production certainly has an otherworldly air. After
fififteen years of development, NSMT manages to use
every technical trick in their repertoire to bolster
the equally well developed performances of a veteran
cast. Each of the four ghosts, Marley and the three
Christmases, has unique attributes which will surprise
the uninitiated. Moreover, music director Janet Roma
manages to conduct her nine piece ensemble from
position over the stage with players seated in three
separate locations as well as participating in the
action, while singers enter the stage from all
directions. The third play in
BPT's fall season of new plays exploring moments in
American political history where politics, race, and
personality combine to illuminate some aspect of the
national psyche is possibly the most problematic.
Russell Lees "Monticel'" tackles the enigma of Thomas
Jefferson, cash-strapped Virginia slaveholder and
aristocrat, author of the Declaration, national
politician, and very private intellectual. The author
has combined recent speculation and discoveries
concerning Jefferson's relations with Sally Hemmings,
a slave inherited from his deceased wife, with the
politics of the disputed election which made him
President, with his closest rival , New York's Aaron
Burr, Vice President. The catalyst for the action in
Lees play, however, is the shadowy figure of James
Hemmings, Sally's older brother whom Jefferson freed,
for reasons unspecified. This pleasant production based on adaptations of two Capote autobiographical short stories--"The Thanksgiving Visitor" and "A Christmas Memory" is a welcome addition to this holiday season. Once again, the Huntington's rehearsal hall, Studio 210 has been turned into an impressive venue. Director Jim Petosa's cast, headed by Helen-Jean Arthur as "Aunt" Sook, is uniformly excellent without falling into Southern stereotypes. Arthur has worked with Petosa, director of B.U.'s Theatre Arts, at the Olney Theatre Center in Washington DC, , his other venue, during her extensive career. It's snowing plastic
on stage at the Loeb when the audience arrives. It
stops snowing occasionally during the action, but the
chorus has to dig the principles out for their curtain
calls. Director Chen Shi-Zheng's recasting of a
Kunju musical play or "Chines Opera" from the Yuan
Dynasty into contemporary vernacular, with a Country
and Western flavor supplied by Paul Drescher's score,
is rather rudimentary. Charles Mee provides a few
whiffs of Brecht in the text. The vengeful ghost
ending is a modernization of the ancient text. Nostalgia is a big
part of the holidays, but a trip to an alternate
universe where Santa Claus rules in Kringletown, right
next door to the realm of the Tooth Fairy, is a new
sort of holiday adventure. Those who caught
Centastage's "Spiced Eggnog" last year about this time
will be more prepared for John Kuntz's extended
fantasy playing for two more weeks. This time Kuntz
is Karl Kringle, Head Elf while Laura Napoli is
Twinkle Kringle, a sweet young elfette in charge of
new arrivals at Santa's workshop aka the audience.
The villain of the piece is Baroness Tinsel aka Page
Turner and ultimately Mitzi, all played by Rick Park.
Jenna McFarland's set is tackily festive with
appropriate special effects. Kuntz is currently
enrolled at BU in the graduate Playwrighting program,
where his compatriots will probably have a field day
with this script. Meanwhile, if you want something
wickeder than "Messugah-Nuns" and less camp than
"Who's Afraid of the Virgin Mary", Landry's latest at
the Machine, these three comic virtuoso's will
brighten up your holiday. Just watch out for the
brussel sprouts. Nunsense #5, the
Ecumenical (sic) addition to this popular franchise is
the Lyric's holiday offering. Fans of the Nuns will
recognize their old friends, Sr, Robert Anne from
Brooklyn, played this time by Maryann Zschau, the
Reverend Mother done with a fine brogue by Chamber
Repertory veteran, Delina Christie, her second in
command Sr. Hubert, played by Maureen Keiller, seen
last year as the Queen of the Nile in "Epic
Proportions", and the unpredictable Sr. Amnesia taken
by newcomer Sara Corey, with her sidekick Sr. Mary
Annette. The quartet is joined this time by Howard
Liszt, who was supposed to play Tevye in that nights
show. As the only man in the company, Frank Gayton,
last seen as Buddy in "Follies(in concert)" manages
to hold his own. The annual
Christmas Carol derby is underway with Stoneham's
entry, for the fourth year, off to a solid start.
Elegant Dale Place is once again portraying Mr.
Scrooge, with stalwarts Christopher Chew and Kathy St.
George as the Cratchits. The Publick Theatre's Diego
Arciniegas is dramatically scarey as the Ghost of
Marley, while 10 year old Katherine Lucas from
Tewksbury debuts impressively as a tiny Christmas
Past, Thomas M. Reiff reprises Christmas Present (and
Fezziwig), while Tony Rossi, a Melrose sophomore
operates the giant Christmas Future. Peter Edmund
Haydu, fresh from "Haymarket" at BPT, returns as the
chief narrator, Timothy. Shawn Sturnik is back as
Fred, Scrooge's breezy nephew, while Julie Jirousek,
seen last month as "The Girl in the Frame," once again
plays Mille, his lovely wife, as well as Scrooge's
cockney charwoman. Shelley Bolman debuts as young
Ebenezer with charming Laura DeGiacomo reprising
Belle, his lost sweetheart. And Deidre Shaw's strong
voice again soars out as Mrs. Fezziwig. Janie
Howland's picture postcard set is charming as
ever. The Teen was absorbed
too, and abandoned his cynical pre-show opinion that
“A Christmas Carol” was likely to be less exciting
than an action film. He joined a discussion of the
stagecraft involved in the vanishing of the Ghost of
Christmas Future, and gave high makes to all the
acting and singing. When the Teen arrived home (after
10:30 pm), he got out his trumpet and began to
practice the carols he’d just heard-- an action that
speaks louder than words.
The adult professional
musician in our family group was lavish with praise
for all the singing, solo and ensemble. Everyone
agreed that the quality of the music was so high that
we could have closed our eyes and simply appreciated
the Stoneham performance as a concert-- though no one
would have wanted to give up the sight of the lavish
costumes, charming sets, or energetic dancing. They
gave the whole experience high marks for holiday
cheer, saying that they would reccommend the cozy
Stoneham Theatre’s “A Christmas Carol” to all their
friends -- and that I should pass the
Horton-Williams-Cook-Meyer family approval along to
The Mirror.
As for me: I laughed, I cried, and Diego’s Marley
made my hair stand on end. My critical mind did note
that this production’s use of music is peculiar in
that its songs and carols seem to be a kind of
parallel structure rather than integrated into and
expressing the narrative. But that’s all right-- the
music is beautifully traditional, I wouldn’t want to
miss a measure of it; and the narrative features
Dickens straight up. I am sentimental about such
things. I love the story, and I know that the depth
of my enjoyment is based on having had Dickens read to
me by my grandmother when I was so young I sat on her
lap while hearing it; and on being taken to various
stage and film versions as I grew up, and then on
taking my own daughter and stepkids and now my
grandchildren-- and imagining as I experience it for
the umpteenth time that there is a ghostly Christmas
Future in which its comfort and joy reaches the hearts
of generations to come. The cast seems to have these
feelings too. They look as if they know that they are
performing something more than just a good show full
of holiday cheer. They are making memories, creating
the blessed ties that bind.
It is difficult to
argue with God, but if any living dramatist can take a
shot at it, Arthur Miller can, and did, about three
decades ago. It may be easier to follow his logic on
the page, but Fred Robbins and his cast at the Coop
bring much of this work to life. Forrest Walter plays
the Deity while Naaemah White-Peppers plays the
Adversary in this dark manachean comedy, which after
all ends in the world's first murder. The role of
Lucifer was written to be played by a man, and while
White-Peppers is striking in her leathers and bustier,
the temptations she represents may confuse the
issue. One wants to like
this effort and its execution, now into its second
incarnation. Chris Calloway is a charming presence
with her share of the family's talent and a wicked
sense of mimicry. But this script, celebrating the
life of her aunt, Blanche, her father's older sister,
still needs development. This current version
derives from one which Sheryl Bailey Heath and Chris
Calloway workshopped at the Barrington Stage Company
last summer, directed by Juliane Boyd. The current
rewrite is credited to Mark St Germain, who did the
book for "Moby Dick" which climaxed the New Rep's
season two years ago. All the elements are there but
there's still work to be done. Although told as an
extended flashback, the storyline is too linear and
tends to plod, especially in the first half. Memory
plays can jump around more, allowing various strands
of the action to be woven more tightly. The irony of
the title could be played more as well.
Follies in Concert
Musical performance in two acts. Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Book by James Goldman. Directed by Spiro Veloudos. Musical director, Michael Joseph. Choreography, Ilyse Robbins. Lights, Ellen Moore. Sound, E.L. Copeland. Produced by Overture Productions.
The "Follies in Concert" that Deb Poppel's Overture Productions has mounted at John Hancock Hall is glorious, not to be missed. There were some empty seats at last Friday's opening--- don't let this happen again! It isn't just that Boston's splendid home team singers put their individual stamp on the brilliant and moving star-turn songs that stud this show: Kathy St. George's "Ah, Paris"; Mary Callanan's "Broadway Baby"; Bobbie Steinbach's "I'm Still Here"; Maryann Zschau's "Could I Leave You?" and "The Ballad of Lucy and Jessie" ; Frank Gayton's "Buddy's Blues": and Leigh Barrett's "Don't Look at Me" "In Buddy's Eyes," "Losing My Mind," and "Too Many Mornings." It isn't just the difference a full orchestra free of the pit and in intimate collaboration with the performers makes. It's that director Spiro Veloudos and conductor Michael Joseph and the Overtures company has captured the tragic transcendence latent in musical theatre, which "Follies" mines by claim-jumping the field from Minsky's to Mozart.
It is true that "In Concert" presents "Follies" interlocking set of metaphors with only a nod towards those-- like "Beautiful Girls" "Mirror, Mirror" or "Loveland"-- that are dependent on Spectacle, but you can close your eyes as the gorgeous sound embraces you and picture a production to match. You may never have another chance to hear Sondheim's "Follies" ensembles and choruses with this degree of clarity and balance and expressivity. Beginning and coming full circle with "Waiting for the Girls Upstairs", the ensembles are woven from longing and loss: banal patterns, easy ironies, clever quips and second hand fantasies individualized and harmonized so beautifully that they break your heart, time after time. Love vs lust, ripening vs decay, art vs manipulation-- the lines are so fine that they may be visible only to the eyes of innocent folly or of enlightenment. Most of us stumble around in ignorance, chasing rainbows, falling through the cracks, most of the time-- though our desperation is quieter than the cruel eloquence James Goldman's book and Stephen Sondheim's lyrics give their characters. The eloquence of the first act "The Road You Didn't Take" is parodied and purged through the razz-matazz of Show Biz psychoanalysis finale in "You're Gonna Love Tomorrow" "Love Will See Us Through" and "Live, Laugh, Love", and then we're back to "The Girls Upstairs"-- but it's not the same. We've been on a purgatorial journey, to arrive at wisdom, and wisdom's broken but open heart.
Follies in Concert You probably won't
get the chance to see this many of Boston's finest
musical theatre performers in one show for some time
to come. Nor is it likely that anyone in town will be
able to do as musically sound (full orchestra and
ensemble) a production of this ground-breaking (1971)
Sondheim classic given current costs. There were
unfilled seats (towards the back) at last Friday's
opening, but seats for this coming weekend may well be
gone by showtime. If you need a blast
from the past and some hope for the future, get over
to the renovated hall at the Cambridge YMCA for Bread
& Puppets sortof-annual fall spectacular, complete
with brass band and lots of political jibes. The
shows in two parts; a sort of potpourri at the start
featuring The Really Bad Idea Theatre Troup among
other favorites, Intermission is proceeded by the
company’s founder and director, Peter Schumann as
Uncle Sam on the tallest stilts you’ll see outside of
Barnum and Bailey. The “Oratorio” is far more serious
with edgier humor and some really striking images. In
any other country, these folks would be a designated
National Treasure. There’s also a “Symposium on
Subversive Papier-Mache” on Monday Nov. 17th at 7 pm.
which includes Howard Zinn and Robbie McCauley.
Should be a rouser.
Believe the hype. The Theatre Royal Bath's As You Like It playing at the Wilbur is the real deal. It is refreshing to see a touring British production of Shakespeare that is not all dependent on a star or two's central performances, and the discouragements that I felt when watching Ian McKellan's Richard III, Simon Russel Beale's Hamlet and the Donmar Warehouse Twelfth Night have been replaced with a regenerated respect for British mastery of the bard.
A wise director like Peter Hall can see that Shakepeare's plays are ENSEMBLE pieces, and does he ever deliver an ensemble. It would take to long to list the moments and performances, but special mention must be made, (even in a quick take,) of Rebecca Hall's Rosalind. That's right, "Hall," as in Peter Hall's 19 year old daughter. Part of the magic of the evening for me was watching my cynical feelings of nepotism melt away within minutes of her taking the stage. And by the time Rosalind and Orlando start their chemistry, you have long forgotten Ms. Hall's pedigree, or even her name for that matter. Hers is not a perfect performance, but it is as winning as I have ever seen, and I don't think there is a single line of Shakespeare's verse that she rendered unitelligible or vague.
Any actors or directors out there who wish to see inspiring Shakespeare should beg, borrow, steal or pay for a ticket, (A Christmas Gift to yourself,) to see this production before it leaves. It may interest fans of the Bard to
reacquaint themselves with the prequel to "Antony and
Cleopatra" which BTW staged earlier in the fall.
Shakespeare Now! is performing a two hour version of
this tragedy, which is not produced as often as it
used to be, in the large three-quarter hall at Pine
Manor. All performances but one are weekdays at 10 am
for school audiences brought in. Rough & Tumble's fall
edition of "theatre that doesn't suck" is a revival of
their earlier blah-blahless "Silent Movie Play",
informed by eight years of experience. With Sean
Barney as the humble shopboy--industrial seemingly on
hiatus this fall--the cast includes Kristin Baker
reprising her original role as the shopkeeper's
daughter. Jason Myatt joins R&T as her father , along
with Ron Rittinger as the dastardly villain. Irene
Daly completes the ensemble as Sarge, the lovable
neighbor hood cop. Per usual, everyone except the hero
doubles as all the incidental characters as well. R&T
regulars George Saulnier III and Tori Low are
appearing elsewhere this fall; Tori in California at
the Del Arte School. Who knows who'll be doing what
in R&T's surprise show in March & April.
"The Silent Movie Play" directed by Dan Milstein,
Oct. 31 - Nov. 22 Company One's Boston
Fringe Project fits the definition of such events
rather loosely. Everything's taking place in the BCA
Black Box and has been programmed. by the producers.
There's little of the anything can happen, show up and
perform spirit. Still the juxtaposition of various
companies, some of whom weren't seem at the BCA last
year for economic reasons, all with some sort of
social viewpoint, has potential. Company One's own
piece, the two part "Before My Eyes" ,which is
probably intended to grow into a full-length offering,
bookends each performance. Based on published
interviews with failed Palestinian suicide bombers,
and similarly with Israeli soldiers, it is a serious
attempt to dramatize the impossible situation these
ordinary people find themselves in.
I wanted to send in a brief review of "Haymarket" at Boston Playwrights' Theatre, but after reading Beverly Creasey's review there's no need. I can't add anything to what she said. The show is excellent and the performances truly marvelous. So I will simply say this - Get tickets. GO. SEE IT NOW.
That I assumed it might be borrowed from Emerson is a testament to her work, as her solo efforts seemed up to the standards of their shop. Others looking for such quality work might want to contact Leila through
swanstage.com Chicago's equivalent
of the Sacco and Vanzetti case, an earlier and perhaps
even more egregious miscarriage of justice, gets a
stunning retelling with a superb cast in Zayd Dorn's
new play "Haymarket." Barlow Adamson, Ken Baltin,
Peter Edmund Haydu and Birgit Huppuch each play two
contrasted roles drawn from various levels of society
and the city government. Jacqui Parker and Wesley
Savick play Lucy and Albert Parsons, the editors of
the radical newspaper "The Alarm." The play goes far
beyond the damning fact that Albert Parsons was tried
and executed for the deaths caused by a bomb thrown at
a rally after he finished speaking to examine the
impact of the event. Current parallels are clear but
the drama focuses on the effect on persons, large and
small, of the time.
This is a really big
show, with a large energetic cast of professionals,
college students, and children in the Wheelock Family
Theatre style, There's action in the aisles, fanciful
characters broadly acted, and a safe familiar story.
Fans of Juster's book won't be disappointed, those
unfamiliar with this modern classic may find its
linguistic games a bit precious. The late Arnold
Black's score seems to have been constructed for
student players and supports Harnick's semi-clever
lyrics. If paying over a
hundred dollars for a pair of tickets to an
old-fashioned musical seems absurd not to mention the
cost of parking in downtown Boston, look west to
Wayland and the exquisite little Vokes Theatre on Rt.
20 where "On the 20th Century", one of Comden &
Green's legendary shows is celebrating its 25th
anniversary. Based of a screwball comedy film which
starred John Barrymore and Carole Lombard, this show
business show takes sly digs at the movies and the
theatre, with able assistance from Coleman's score,
which send up--among others--Richard Rogers, Kurt
Weill, Jacques Brel, and C&G's old collaborator,
Leonard Bernstein, all in good fun. The voices are
good, the lyrics impeccable, the script improbable,
and the performances hilarious. And designer Stephen
McGonagle and his crew have produced a set you have to
see to believe, especially given the size of the stage
in miniature hall. The Stoneham
Theatre's latest Emerging Stages project, the world
premiere of Jeremy Desmon's "The Girl in the Frame"
may be the world's first metrosexual musical. Smartly
written with witty lyrics and an acceptable if sketchy
score, this four character bijou chronicles the quirky
beginnings of the marriage of two twenty-something
professionals Alex and Laney, played by Josef Hansen
and Ceit McCaleb. Hansen appeared at Stoneham in
"Little Shop" and "Man of La Mancha." Into their
frenetic four year engagement comes the girl in the
frame - a picture frame - Julie Jirousek, whom Alex
calls Evelyn and Laney calls Casey. But after their
marriage --and Evelyn's departure -- Christopher Chew
shows up as the even more fantastic Tomas. To say
more would be giving away secrets from a show filled
with delightful surprises and hilarious moments. The house was packed
last night (it was the press opening), Alexander
Dodge's set got applause (the BU shop does standard
Broadway realism quite well), and of course the star
(Nathan Lane) was cheered on his entrance. He also
got the obligatory standing O at the end. What
happened in between wasn't as spirited. Everyone did
their best in this revival. Simon Gray's 1971 comedy
of bad manners got the requisite laughs, mostly from
Lane's physical comedy and the academic in-jokes (no
surprise in Boston). Benedick Bates as Ben Butley's
former student (and on-again off-again lover/office
mate) plays his opaque part as written, without adding
much. The script itself seems like old news; it's
subject and structure as contrived as reference to the
unities near the end (which can't be called a climax).
Rent the 1974 movie with Alan Bates if you want to
see what all the fuss was about, without so many
parentheses. If you want a really
scary Halloween, take in Vaclav Havel's "Temptation"
performed by HRDC on the mainstage at the Loeb next
weekend. Former Czech President Havel's retelling of
the Faust legend, his most recent full-length script
(1999) is predictably compelling and cautionary, even
performed by undergraduates. The play concerns one
Dr. Foustka, ably played by Greg Gagnon, a skilled
physical comedian, whose life as a researcher at a
scientific institute is totally disrupted when his
delving into mystical matters calls up Fistula, played
with demonic relish by John Dewis, who claims to be a
sorcerer-on a disability pension.
In the past two weeks I have had the pleasure of seeing two excellent
shows that apparently flew under the Theater Mirror radar. I realize
that Boston has a very active scene at this point and it's not possible
to be everywhere so here's my two cents. The first show that I saw was
"Dinner With Friends" at the brand new Chelsea TheatreWorks space
presented by Theatre Zone. Theatre Zone used to perform at the old
Actor's Workshop and attracted full houses with their excellent
productions. This was again a top-notch production with experienced
actors directed with professionalism. The small audience enjoyed itself
immensely.
Last night I saw "Side Show" at Riverside TheatreWorks and along with
the rest of the small audience was moved to reward the cast with a
standing ovation. I see a lot of theater including musicals at many of
Boston's leading local houses and Rebekah and Sarah Turner as the Hilton
twins could perform on any of these stages. The rest of the cast was
excellent also. So why the small audiences for these two shows? One
thing they have in common is location..location..location. Both theaters
are in out-of the -way urban neighborhoods that an audience may hesitate
to go to. My advice is to take the risk and seek out these theaters. You
will not be disappointed. Both shows run through Nov.1. Riverside's
phone number is 617-361-7024 and TheatreZone can be reached at
617-887-2336.
----- This year's entry
from B.U. in the Kennedy Center American College
Theatre Festival competition is Bill Lattanzi's
"Pictures of Patty Hearst" a docu-drama reexamination
of the 1974 kidnapping of heiress Patty Hearst, before
any of its present cast members were born. Kimberley
Parker Green plays the title role; five other BU
acting students play all the other parts, primarily
the members of the SLA, but also reporters, Patty's
parents and relatives, and citizens. There's also live
percussion, mostly for effect, ably handled by Mora
Townsend. Students and faculty from this production
may become eligible for additional programs including
scholarships. Incidentally, the year before's entry,
Ronan Noone's "The Lepers of Baile Baiste" won him top
honors.
seen in preview The Poet's Theatre,
whose name and activities date back to the 1950s, is
back in the basement in Davis Sq. for the first time
in four years. This time they're producing Nobel
Laureate Dario Fo's 1970’s political farce, "The
Accidental Death of an Anarchist", a play's whose time
has come round again, unfortunately. Artistic director
Aidan Parkinson takes Fo's own part, The Maniac. His
distinctive Irish accent suits the role. His foils are
Emerson acting teacher Richard Gilman as the
Superintendent of Police with Andrew Sullivan and Jayk
Gallagher as the two Inspectors. These guys may be a
bit young for the parts, but they get the laughs.
Gaetan Bonhomme, a scientist/actor new in town, is
the Sergeant, on loan from France. Evelyn Seijido -
the stage manager - will also play that part,
presumably on loan from elsewhere. London actress
Nadia de Lemeny is the enquiring journalist. It's
potentially a fine ensemble working at top frantic
form. This year's entry
from B.U. in the Kennedy Center American College
Theatre Festival competition is Bill Lattanzi's
"Pictures of Patty Hearst" a docu-drama reexamination
of the 1974 kidnapping of heiress Patty Hearst, before
any of its present cast members were born. Kimberley
Parker Green plays the title role; five other BU
acting students play all the other parts, primarily
the members of the SLA, but also reporters, Patty's
parents and relatives, and citizens. There's also live
percussion, mostly for effect, ably handled by Mora
Townsend. Students and faculty from this production
may become eligible for additional programs including
scholarships. Incidentally, the year before's entry,
Ronan Noone's "The Lepers of Baile Baiste" won him top
honors.
seen in preview There's truth in
advertising on Zeitgeist's latest postcard. Two of the
three young actors in the show play what a Chicago
reviewer described last spring as "the least
gratuitous nude scene in recent memory." Naaemah A.
White-Peppers as Amelia and Joshua Rollins as Winston
carry it off very well. If only the first scene of
this two year old script were as interesting, and all
its exposition added up to more than soap opera. Keith
Bunin, like a number of current up-and-coming New York
playwrights has the knack for positing interesting
complex characters, a good ear for dialogue (if a bit
long-winded when it comes to self explanation), and a
rather pedestrian sense of drama.
"The Credeaux Canvas" by Keith Bunin, Oct 3 - 25 Boston Theatre Works has
streamlined this unwieldy classic down to a company of
14 (including the strolling cello player who provides
all the music). As in Shakespeare’s day, the company
wears contemporary dress, with appropriate
accessories. The action is continuous, in the round on
two oriental rugs, with three white blocks serving as
all the furniture. A few props and some pieces of
cloth complete the scene. Most of the players, with
the exception of Antony, Cleopatra, and her two
ladies, and Caesar play a several parts. Even James
Barton’s Enobarbus comes back as the countryman with
the basket of asps, while Mara Sidmore, who appears as
Octavia, Antony’s second Roman wife, the sister of the
emperor, also plays Eros, Antony’s squire, and
Procelius, Caesar’s administrator.
The production of "Dublin Carol" at the Nora Theatre is a miniature masterpiece. Don't let its short run at the B.U. Playwrights Theatre pass without seeing it. People who saw the London or NYC productions have told me that neither were as good as the Nora's, and I can well believe it. I read Conor McPherson's script last year, and I was disappointed in it-- I could not find it in me to care about the callous old drunk of an undertaker who is "Dubin Carol''s central character. It seemed to me that in this script the material to open hearts and enlarge lives that makes Mc P's other plays the great gifts to actors and audience they are just wasn't there. But seeing it in Nora's production I discovered how wrong I was. Richard McElvaine,
whose work I have watched with pleasure for something like thirty years, turned the words of "Dublin Carol" into just that kind of greatness. The more opportunity I've have to compare McEIvaine's work to that of the celebrated actors whose names are household words to theatre lovers, the Tony and Olivier winners, the more I've come to appreciate what a treasure Boston has in him. Merryl Streep says that the actor's job is " to make the character's case", and that's what McElvaine does, in spades. I understood just how well -- and how little-- John understands himself, and the desperate rigidities he has adopted to limit the damage he can do to anyone who cares for him. I understood the small painful ways he tries to stretch those limits to accommodate and support and encourage others, and how his fear and guilt snap him back like a rubber band, into drunken oblivion or cruelty. McElvaine presents a wealth of physical and vocal detail, a complete non-verbal vocabulary for expressing everything unspoken that impinges on John's soul-- perceptions, memories, waves of panic or tender impulses damped down or cut off before they could emerge as more than a gasp or a tic or an expletive. His scene partners-- Bryce Pinkham as a fresh faced young hireling on the brink of the primrose path, Devon Jencks as John's long- abandoned daughter--- could not help but pay this luminous figure the rapt attention that is a form of love, and the rhythms of rapport within the ensemble reach out to embrace the audience. About ten or fifteen minutes before the end of the 90 minute one act, cathartic tears began to flow down my cheeks, and I left the theatre feeling that glorious mixture of humility and exaltation that is the hallmark of tragedy. The spirits haunting
Richard McElvain, once again courtesy of Conor
McPherson in Nora Theatre's season opener, "Dublin
Carol", are first those out of the bottle. He plays
John Plunkett, a boozy undertaker; his boss is in the
hospital and it's Christmas Eve. John and his
temporary assistant, Mark, played smartly by Bryce
Pinkham, come in at the opening from an interment in
the rain. After a cup pa and biscuits (and his
bottle) he lets the boy go on his way. If you missed the workshop production of Joyce Van Dyke's award-winning script at Boston Playwright a while back, here's your chance to see Bobbie Steinbach repeat her most serious role to date, Arshaluis Sarkisian. Katarina Morhacova is stunning as Anahid Sarkisian, the "girl" in question, a fashion model who returns home to wartorn Nagorno-Karabakh. Benjamin Evett plays her former flame, an English-sounding photographer, with his usual flair. Dan Domingues, whose Malcolm for Commonwealth Shakespeare this summer was just acceptable, digs deep into the conflicted character of a former Azeri neighbor, her dead little brother's best friend, now on the other side. Mason Sand from Company One doubles as the ghostly presence of that brother, and the photographer's gay New York/Italian assistant. As usual, the New Rep has found the talent for every part. There’s no dog in this show, which given it’s
two hour + intermissionless timing may be a good
thing. There are four clowns, two of whom get to act.
Most of the acting is done by Stephen Pelinski from
the Guthrie, who’s pretty good at it. Be nice to see
him in a play. Elizabeth Waterston, recently out of
Yale, has less opportunity (and no dog). The frieze
set gives them lots of exercise, though the two bowler
topped clowns in blue-striped bathing suits who run
all over the auditorium get a lot more.
There are obstructed views of some part of the show
from most seats, except high up in the center, which
is closer to the overly-load sound system (This can be
fixed.) Theatre in Russia and its empire has been
trying these sorts of experiments since just after the
Revolution. So have people elsewhere. Dario Fo comes
to mind, though his shows have some political purpose.
But since 9-11 he won’t be back soon. The usefulness
of such efforts has probably over. Except in studio
productions. Lilia Levitina’s recent effort "The
Language of Kisses" was more justifiable in that
respect.
Costume designer Howard Crabtree's last show, finished a few days before his death, doesn't try to be much more than inspired silliness. "When Pigs Fly" has a childlike joy in entertaining, however, that lifts it beyond parody to gently urge tolerance. This collection of sketches it not so much a drag show - the cast, except for their shoes, probably dons as much men's wear as showgirl costumery - but rather that rare theatrical commodity, a burlesque. As the finale suggests, Crabtree and Waldrop's intent was to take things "Over the Top". The cast, with four out of the five members of Lyric's 1998 outing, does just that. It's fluffy, it's silly, it's the opposite of "Man of LaMancha" which closed Stoneham's regular season last spring. This confection about a television special, stars Chris Chew and Kathy St.George, as a divorced pair of somewhat insufferable singers, having a ball sending up show biz marriage, live TV, and tabloid pop culture. If you remember live television variety - sham dance and all - and have a taste for light entertainment, "Pete 'n' Keeley" is a good way to start the season. St. George's show stopping "Black Coffee" is just short of over the top, and Chew's Vegas-inspired "Fever" is way beyond. They are after all two of our best local musical theatre people. And being a "musical," the ending is pure schmaltz. "Old soldiers never die"; old plays can always be revived. This dark comedy about WWI vets set in 1962 may feel a bit dated, but it deserved its recognition from the American College Theatre Festival decades ago. It's still worth attention. The show is solidly acted by a reliable quartet; Tony Dangerfield, Chuck Galle, Fred C, Marden, and Lida McGirr. It's relevance of a reminder of the lasting effects of war is obvious. The author could easily update the context to WWII and 'Nam - it could even stay on Armistice Day, Nov. 11 - without changing the strong human drama behind the details. Leslie Chapman and the Coop have found another script worth re-examining.
Get out to Beverley one way or another before Sept. 14. Otherwise, you’ll miss one of the best musical theatre performances so far this millenium. “Pacific Overtures” in the round works wonderfully. The cast of 14--playing 100+? parts--is superb. This may not be Sondheim’s best, but it’s mature, daring, and effective. And relevant.
But the concentrated dose of Much Ado About Nothing at 3 pm and King Lear at 8 pm, both in the new Founder's Theatre, demonstrated once again the peculiar strengths and the endless fascination of the work of a real actor-centered Rep company-- which is, after all, the sort of company Will S. wrote his plays to accommodate.
I was a bit worried about my probable reaction to the Much Ado, directed by Daniela Varon and described as set in 1950's Sicily. Not that I had any reason to distrust the director or her choices-- I've seen nothing but excellent work from Varon in the past. But the "Much Ado" S&C's AD Tina Parker did some seasons back on the old outdoor Mainstage at the Mount, with Jonathan Epstein as Benedict and Ariel Bock as Beatrice and what seemed to be a cast of thousands peopling a world so beautiful and vivid it almost hurt to look at at, is at the very top of the list of excellent productions I've seen in my half century of avid Shakespeare-seeing. I wasn't sure I could avoid odorous comparisons. But not to worry: Varon's is utterly different, and excellent in its own more modest 16 actor way. It could serve as a model for the effective and tasteful use of period pop culture references, a practice which when ill done (as it most often is) sets my teeth on edge and brings out the scolding Puritan in me.
I did miss a few of my favorite lines, trimmed to make room for '50's music and business-- but the music and business were delightful. I'll praise the individual performances and discuss the staging and interpretation when I have more time, but for now I just want to urge everyone who possibly can to get thee to Lenox MA and see these wonderful shows. Back to back and with nearly the same cast playing Lear in nearly the same set as Much Ado, the experience is a celebration of the depth and range of ensemble acting not likely to be paralleled anywhere. I've been looking forward to seeing what Jonathan Epstein would do when he first tackled Lear for at least a decade-- but I never expected to be blown away by his Dogberry on the very same day! The Shakespeare mailing list I follow recently had a long discussion about the rarity of actors who excel in both comic and tragic roles. Here, about half the Shakespeare & Co. cast makes that huge leap in a mere matter of hours, triumphantly.
If you want the Bard straight-up with no concepts and very few cuts, the Swan Stage Company’s “Othello” is a workmanlike effort dressed in borrowed Elizabethean garb. The leads are acceptable, even moving on occassion. Chi Wright is an interesting somewhat lightweight leading man, Seth Reich’s Iago is Old Vice with very little character otherwise, Emily Strong’s Desdemona is convincing, and Chuck O’Toole’s Michael Cassio for once is actually part of the play, not just a piece of the plot. Mare Freed’s Emelia rises to the occasion at the end of the play, and Rachel Werkman has a nice turn as Bianca, Cassio’s courtesan. The rest of the ensemble tries their best but needs a lot of seasoning plus practice speaking verse and projecting. Courtney O’Connor, who teaches acting and directing at Emerson, and did a good job on last summer’s CSC park show “Much Ado...”, keeps the play moving along, but with too many blackouts. Her staging at the end is problematic. But for the most part, it all works. If you go - there are directions on the Website - sit up front. The necessary and antique air-conditioning is too hard for most of these studio actors to overcome.
Next season, the company might do better to tackle one of the comedies.
My 11 y.o. daughter, her grandmother, and I (her father) attended "Secret Garden" at TBTS. ”Circles...” is a nice play with an uplifting ending and unshamed of its worldview. It will be interesting to see what the critical community, who were there in some force on Sunday, makes of it. Kudos to June Lewin for a luminous performance as the central character. And to director Daniel Gidron for finding the center of the play, which began life in Homer,
Alaska, where octagenarian Timmereck currently lives as a musical. The script could use further development and some more humor, but it’s sound and engaging. with a sense of the South. Brynna Bloomfield’s set is simple and subtle. It’s general seating so get there early for a good seat, Go; the short first act is a bit thin, but the second is rich.
Had to write about this wonderful company of women who made me laugh for a solid 90 minutes tonight at Jimmy Tingle's Off Broadway Theater. I must confess that I have long respected the comic abilities of Margaret Ann Brady -- having been fortunate enough to have performed with her back in the late 80s early 90s -- and I hurt from the laughs she compelled out of me (and the other audience members) by her sheer comic force. The other comediennes of the company -- Jan Davidson, Dorothy Dwyer, Lucy Holstedt, and Julie Perkins under the guiding hand of Larry Coen -- are equally guilty of causing my sides to split repeatedly throughout the evening.
This funny troupe only has one performance left this week at Jimmy Tingle's (Friday Aug. 8 at 8pm) before they are off to the NYC Fringe Festival (those lucky Gotham-ers!). They do have some additional shows in the area in September. I would encourage everyone to see this wonderful and uniquely funny comedy troupe whenever they play a venue near you. If you want to check out more about the group or their upcoming performances, check out their website www.planetgirl.info Should you make the time and join the throngs on the Common for CSC’s production of the Scottish Play? Of course! As a wise old friend of mine once put it, time spent with Shakespeare is never wasted. This summer’s effort has some of director Steven Maler’s same old problems. Various good ideas don’t quite mesh. Jay O. Sanders, though prone to oratory, makes a fine Thane, all power with inner doubt. He probably realizes the role better than anyone else seen around here recently. Jennie Israel is competent as the Lady, but doesn’t project the erotic force the part requires. Her sleepwalking scene is all business, due partly to distant blocking. Ben Evett is a nice counterbalance as Banquo, and might do better if Fleance hadn’t been cast as a cute little kid. The three witches are a continuous and not particularly effective presence, neither mysterious or frightening. They spend a lot of time as stagehands moving three small wagons which clutter the stage at times. The set adds to the problem. These castles has no upstairs, everything comes from below. And having the witches smear blood-red paint on translucent portions at the rear is a tedious metaphor. But the cast speaks the verse well and can be heard. J Hagenbuckle’s sound effects are effective. The modern dress in Peronist style makes the military aspects of the play easy to fathom. Baron Kelly, seen in the “NO” play at the New Rep is a convincing Duncan. Why he has two white sons may be irrelevant, although there are black actors in town who would do as good a job as Dan Domingues. Other notable supporting players include Robert Walsh as Macduff, who’s also the fight director. This means he and Sanders are liable to survive their final brawl, which is one of the show’s highlights. Julia Jirousek is strong as Lady Macduff. John Porell’s bloody Sergeant has the energy the role often lacks, and his cigar-sucking Siward, the English general, is throughly military as well. Jeff Gill’s old priest is touching, Adam Soule is good as the cream-faced loon, and Christopher Hagberg gets a few laughs as the Porter in a serape. As the action hurtles along, the ensemble is right on top of the play, in spite of a South American dictatorship concept which is supposed to make things relevant. What more do you want for free? Here they go again! This scenario has a strong plot device, and a well-balanced cast with strong characterizations. Cat Crow gets to play Isabella as a frustrated bride-to-be, Abby Weiner is her gossipy bawdy maid, Olivetta. Tanina Carrabotta is a demure Flaminia until the street fight, and Aaron Santos is getting more believable as Oratio, her suitor. Mike Bergman, maskmaker and troupe member since 1991 is a genial Pantalone, keeping an inn this time, Jay Cross, another veteran masker, gets to do a Danny Kaye routine as Gratiano. Alex Newman, the capocomico of this merry band, switches jerkins and his posture to play the twin captains. Carl West is a buck-toothed Arlecchino, servant to the good Spavento, while Mike Yoder lurks about as Brighella, attached to the evil twin. The Greatest Commedia Dell’Arte Troupe in the Entire World, at least in this vicinity, is developing as an ensemble. Their show this winter in Cambridge had its moments but didn’t quite hang together. The next show, also in the Leland, made better use of the ladies of the company. But in this one, all rise to the occasion. If you’ve only heard of this traditional source for comedy, including some of Shakespeare and Moliere, get on down to the B.C.A. There’s life in the old form yet.
Hi Larry, Publick's production of "Twelfth Night", one of the best of the Bard's courtly comedies sets the play in the Renaissance and sticks to it.
Susan Nitter makes a convincing Viola/Cesario; Shakespeare’s intelligent heroines are her forte. Stacy Fischer rises to Olivia, though not always vocally. Steven Barkhimer's Sir Toby has some depth, Devon Jencks is a spirited Maria, and Richard LaFrance is a silly but likable Aguecheek. Bill Gardiner's Feste plays a range of folk instruments and actually makes most of the wordplay funny in its own right. Director Diego Arciniegas is both puritanical and totally gullible as Malvolio. Ben Lambert plays a Sebastian that might just be mistaken for his sister. And George Saulnier III has a lot more to say in this play plus shifting a lot of plants. The traps are used, rather oddly for Viola's first entrance, a bit too much during the letter scene, and quite well for Malvolio's torment. Susan Zeeman Rogers set consists mainly of hanging Oriental carpets and proliferating potted trees. Neither improves the acoustics. Amanda Montieros has collected a muted set of costumes that add a lot to the show's period richness. Hats for the gentlemen would be nice on occasion. < BR>
Barkhimer's period music is fine as usual, includind a full-cast version of "The Wind and the Rain" at the finale. All-in-all, a more satisfactory and consistent rendition than CSC's extrasravaganza on the Common two years ago. Is it a BritCom? Is this play an exercise in the Absurd? Is it an expose on how deeply Victorian sexual mores permeate English society ? And why is that man wearing a dress? Whatever Carol Churchill's 1978 farce is, the Harvard-Radcliffe Summer Theatre is doing a bang-up job of it in the Loeb EX. Undergraduate actors seem particularly well suited for this gender & mind-bending script, written before some of them were born. Graham Sack, with the most professional credits, is rather good as Betty in Act One in darkest Africa, and Edward in Act Two. Dan Cozzens makes a better four year old in Act Two than a colonial administrator, but brats are easier to play.
Sasha Weiss as ten year old Edward in Act One, and widowed Betty in Act Two shows the greatest range, while Bonnie-Kathleen Discepolo has real flair as man-hungry widow Saunders in Act One and Lin, the lesbian single mother in Act Two. John Dewis is a cipher as Joshua the black houseboy but is charismatic as Gerry, a predatory homosexual in Act Two, a part preferably played by a Black actor. And that's only half the cast. HRST seems to be focusing on the vagaries of love this summer, having begun with "The Fantastiks" and finishing in a few weeks with Wilde's "An Ideal Husband". The set for this show, which mutates somewhat noisily during the interval from the veranda of an African estate to a London Park is quite interesting. The costumes are appropriate and changeable. This play, which seems to show up on a number of women's studies reading lists,
hasn't been done locally that recently. It's worth a look-see if you haven't before.Tickets are cheaper if you buy them in person. If you're thinking about taking in a large cast (40+) musical with a full orchestra (including a harp), impressive sets, memorable music with witty lyrics, there's one more weekend of Reagle's lavishly produced Lerner and Loewe classic. Sarah Pfisterer, one of Broadway's Christine's in "Phantom...", not to mention three years as Magnolia in "Showboat",
creates a memorable Eliza, definitely a strong woman. John Hillner, last seen at Reagle as Lank in "Crazy for You", the role he created on Broadway, captures the infuriating Henry Higgins, though his English accent is hard to place. There are other notable performances from Darcy Pulliam, also from "Showboat" as Henry's aristocratic mother, Wellesley Player veteran Peter West as Colonel Pickering, and Reagle favorite Harold Walker reprising Alfred Doolittle. Dominic Sahagan turns in an appropriately sappy Freddy. At Reagle, good performances aren't enough. Director Frank Roberts has choreographer Randall Diehl, the show's original dance captain to recreate Hanya Holm's innovative dances and musical staging. Richard Schreiber's original set designs, built and painted locally had the services of Brandeis's master painter, Bob Moody, who created a show drop with a huge portrait of the leading lady in record time. Costumes are recreations of the originals hired for the occasion. Jeffrey P. Leonard's orchestra is as good as any you'll hear downtown and probably bigger. Make reservations ASAP; the best seats go fast. The Publick Theatre is all Shakespeare this summer, with A ...Dream>/b> running in rep with 12th Night (starting July 10) .
After a soggy start last week the Summer show is beginning to gel, though getting its mix of visual metaphors together may take a while. The Athenians are traditionally costumed in outfits which must be more comfortable than last year's Hamlet gear, but the world of faerie is more "international", or perhaps inter-genre. The mechanicals ,like their betters are Greek, but their accents suggest pure Charlestown. The level of projection is adequate, but sitting close and center is still recommended. The company under Diego Arciniegas' direction keeps up a vigorous pace, as much as possible. Diego's costume as Oberon (he also doubles as Theseus) limits his speed onstage. The young lovers, following the current mode, get in plenty of physical comedy, if not enough sympathy. Pyramus & Thisbe at the end has some big laughs, beginning with Wall, but several recent local attempts have been better conceived. The insubstantial fabric set gets most of its magic from the plethora of traps used by designer, Susan Rogers.
It'll be interesting to compare PT's approach to the low-budget touring version Commonwealth is sending around to the parks this summer. The Publick Theatre, which uses the refurbished outdoor site of the Boston Shakespeare Festival--whose tent blew away in a hurricane during the '50s--is on the Charles River in Brighton, across from WBZ. It's about a mile hike along the river from Harvard Square but the Western Avenue bus from Central Square comes within three blocks at Brighton Mills. There's plenty of parking; bikes welcome. Lots of picnic space. Go for a Night out (but bring the mosquito repellent.)
Rediscover one of the seminal influences in contemporary drama in three of Ionesco’s short works written around 50 years ago, early in his career as a playwright. Molasses Tank Productions revival of “Improvisation”, “Salutations”, and “The Painter” all take place on a somewhat pataphysical set by Duncan McCullough, performed by a company of five; Jason Beals, Lara B. Krepps, Jane Martin, John Morton, and Michael F. Walker. For this Sunday’s matinee, Jeff Boardman took over the part of Ionesco in “Improvisation” while Morton played the Painter during Walker’s scheduled absence. The acting is broad and energetic, though Boardman got some sympathy as the put-upon playwright and Beals, as the rich man in “The Painter”, reaches a sort of epiphany. This ensemble of experienced young actors makes the shows work. The literary conundrum behind them is all too apparent in this media-inundated age. Briefly, "Improvisation" involves a character named Ionesco being "schooled" by three critics, in a play with recursive overtones. "Salutations" is a pure word-game, and might have been more effective as a curtain warmer, but is quite amusing. The longer one-act after the interval, "The Painter", turns from how the rich swindle the artist to a surreal hijacking of art itself. If you haven’t yet discovered the Charlestown Working Theater, it’s in the old Firehouse at the base of Bunker Hill St., on the other side of Sullivan Square from the stop on the Orange Line, a four block walk. Just be careful negotiating the traffic at the circle. When driving, approach Bunker Hill St. from the circle but turn left at the base of the hill and find parking along Medford St., just past the new firehouse. Go a little early; all this rain has produced a bonanza of flowers in the community garden next to the firehouse, which even has a few places to sit and commune. There are only three more chances to catch another luminous performance by Alicia Kahn in another multi-scene, multi-character literary drama, which is the speciality of the Wellesley Summer Theatre under Nora Hussey. Kahn, as Brigid Mary Mangan in one of Costigan's romances involving the "troubles", is once again teamed with dependable Derek Stone Nelson, here playing a British officer. Ken Flott, recently seen in industrial's "Fool for Love", as Patch Keegan the IRA man plus the Peed's, Charlotte and Ed, each in dual roles, provide substantial support. Returning actor Joshua Martin isn't quite right as Brigid Mary's doomed fiance, a role which was one of Robert Redford's T.V. triumphs in this Emmy-winning Hallmark Hal of Fame show from 1958 starring Julie Harris. Though the script flopped on Broadway, "Little Moon of Alban", a metaphor from Yeats "Deidre of the Sorrows", was redone by Hallmark in 1964, this time with Harris and George Peppard. The rest of the WST cast, including
regulars such as Lauren Balmer, Berne Budd, and John Boller, is quite believable, though some new student members in cameo roles could use seasoning, especially in gender-switched roles. Everyone's Irish is sufficiently musical. The set, also used for a production of Brecht's "Antigone" may be better suited for that tragedy, but Hussey makes it work, and the implications are appropriate. Another show worth a trip to Wellesley, but be prepared to park down behind Alumnae Hall where the RNJones black box theatre is located. Then hike up a somewhat gravely driveway to the basement entrance. The college is building something big out front. The first weekend of the 31st Annual Playwrights’ Platform Annual Summer Festival of New Plays put five recent works on the boards, performed with brio by a variety of local professional and community actors, directed by a similar range of talent. Monica Raymond’s “Hijab”, seen earlier in the month at the Boston Directors Lab series in Cambridge, led off the evening. Directed by Chris Connaire, founder of the People’s Theatre in Inman Square
years ago, not to mention the Cambridge Arts Council, this brief excursion into the complexity of mother/daughter relationships against the current geopolitical scene, was the most intriguing and serious piece of the evening. Wendy Golden as the mother and Jennifer Makholm found its lighter side however, with Connaire’s help. Bill Doncaster’s “This is Wilco” was an interesting if not wholly successful journey into the imagination of a bullied child. Jerry Bisantz’s ironically titled “What I Did On My Summer Vacation” had Rick Parks as Robert explaining a homicidal moment, with Kerry Bryers as an exotic dancer and Giusseppi Rauddi as her man playing silent characters in the story he's recounting to his shrink. The piece was compelling if over just a bit too quickly. Patrick Brennan’s “dog_eat_dog.com”, energetically acted by Jerry Bisantz from the Hovey, Jim Jordan from Turtle Lane, and newcomer Randy Farais as Norm the Geek was entertaining but predictable. This sketch needs to take its premise further. Robert Mattson’s “Designer Disaster” with the largest cast and the most scenes has some entertaining acting, particularly from Margaret McCarty as Laura and Glen Victor Doyle, but didn’t get anywhere. This somewhat mean-spirited parody of reality TV home makeover wasn’t any funnier than the real thing. Next weekend's Series B will have seven short plays; Joyce Flynn's "Faraway", set in Galway, Geo. Sauer's "Outside the Tent" directed by Nancy Curran Willis, Karla Sorenson's "Sweet Home Chicago" which takes place in a pickup truck, Sandy Burns "Eternal Bliss", Susan Leonard's "The Thing About Ballast" directed by Joe Antoun, Geralyn Horton's "Snakes and Ladders" seen at Acme's Short Play Fest, and "Practicing Peace" by Kelly DuMar set in a suburban meditation room. There's something here for everyone's fancy, including belly-dancing this time. The preview of Jack Gallagher's autobiographical "Letters to Declan", written starting in 1993, was a perfect example of the courage required to do contemporary stand-up. This two-act piece by this Boston-born master comic is in turn sentimental, hard-nosed, heartwarming, and truthfully funny. The fifty-year old comedian-actor-writer mines his own experiences as the father of two young boys to create a series of sketches based around letters written to them, for their eventual perusal. The life-lessons expounded have the ring of truth and the clarity of fiction, Not a bad way to spend two hours in the theatre, where most current scripts are simply pretense with few redeeming moments. Gallagher knows his subject and the audience. OFF BROADWAY's basement venue is just right for this intimate show, directed to the audience, from somewhere in Gallagher's psyche. And the Burren is nect door, where you might run into either Gallagher or Tingle apres show. Next Stages' third production, "Rapist James", another small cast premiere of contemporary drama exploring sexual tensions, has moments of compelling dialogue, characters full of secrets, and a course of action masquerading as a plot familiar to viewers of daytime drama, aka soap opera. The title, which refers to one of two, or perhaps three, offstage characters essential to the story line, sets up one apparent plotline, which eventually mutates, somewhat dishonestly, into another. The three onstage actors, Nathaniel McIntyre (Sam), Amy French (Katie), and Julie Jirousek (Ellen), are convincing, and consistent as circumstances evolve and the play unwinds. But the drama, which revolves around the oncoming wedding of Katie and Sam, and various impediments thereto, including the title character and of course her sister Ellen, never really takes off. Still director Daniel Goldstein keeps things humming along in the round on Christina Todesco's set of apartment furniture with photo-collages marking the entrances. Jeff Carnavais' lighting includes toning color coming in from beneath the seating, and the director's music choices are effective. The result is a tight and believable show, skillfully performed but not particularly satisfying. Sam is the only character who seems to develop, however unsurely.
Katie and her sister may be victims of their family circumstances and possibly can't move beyond them. And why the audience should care about any of them is rather unclear. But daytime drama has a huge fan-base, so there's probably a place for such a play. The show must go on, and it is in Stoneham, even after Pat Morita, one of the co-stars in this revival, had to withdraw after our wet weather got to his arthritis and "Mr. Miyagi" had to get back to sunny California. Winner of the 1993 Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, the comic take on the eternal brat, movie divas, and a lot more has been playing somewhere on and off ever since, and is headed for the West End next season directed by the author. Speakeasy’s production, which tries out a new song or two is another winner under Larry Coen’s inventitive direction. Kathy St. George gets to pull out the stops parodying Judy and Liza (and Lorna) almost simultaneously, not to mention Marlena, etc. Will McGarrahan is in rare form as the mysterious Sylvia St. Croix. Margaret Ann Brady has a show stopper in “I Hate Musicals” as Lita Encore, a theatre critic. BU BFA grad Michelle Damigella (Louise, Eve) and Bos Con grad, Andrea Lyman (Miss Thorn, Miss Block), seen locally in “Walker” at BPT, are fine comic foils for St. George and Walnut Hill student Kristin Parker, who is devilishly cute as “Tina”, the young talented murderess. There’s plenty of talent throughout this production, including Gail Astrid Buckley’s matchless costumes and Janie Howland’s clever set. This one could run longer, but see it soon; campy pleasures shouldn’t be denied.
I went to the Walnut Hill School in Natick to see Blood Brothers. At the end of the show I was totally in shock. The performance I witnessed was on a par with a professional tour. The acting, voices, lighting, directing and choreographing amazed me. Since the show is only a one weekend shot, I didn't write a review, but I just had to pass a comment about it. The fellow that accompanied me to the show was in total agreement. He is a singer, dancer, director, so his opinion is a bit more learned than mine. This will not be a one time shot, I am going to take in more plays at this school.
You see, the show went through a major cast change at the last minute. The actor originally cast as Noah was unable to perform and with only 5 days notice, Jim Fitzpatrick stepped in to play a role in a show he had only seen once 10 years ago. If you know the show, you know how daunting a challenge this could be -- to give a reference point the part of Noah is larger than the role of Tevya in Fiddler. For a production to succeed as well as this one has with such an obstacle is truly the stuff of legends. I would have recommended this charming production to anyone without having known this backstage story, but knowing it (because you couldn't tell that Jim hadn't been cast from the beginning) makes it even that more impressive. The entire cast, crew, production team, and the staff of NCP have all pulled together and pulled off something, well, magical.
The production has only 2 or 3 performances left and the seating is limited. But if you want to see a real theater success story, and a heckuva good show to boot, get thee to TWO BY TWO.
In the past few months, devotees of mask theatre have been able to enjoy Behind the Mask Theatre's latest fantasy, first at the Coolidge Corner Theatre; then at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education, their home base, evenings last weekend at the Puppet Showplace, and upcoming, their final performance at Central Congregational in J.P. on Sat. May 17th at 2pm.
“Cat Mountain” combines impressive mask s derived from the Japanese Noh tradition with authentic costumes to tell an imaginative original folktale in the Cinderella mode. Mask-maker/performers Eric Bornstein (Storyteller) and Deborah Coconnis (Mistress Hatemori & Secret, the Cat) are joined by Kelly Cutler as Sho, the heroine, dancers Leda Elliot & Rachel Fouts, plus David Kessler as the traditional Oriental stagehand (Kuroko) in black. Kessler, along with Paul Rehm and Cutler, is responsible for the shadow show which describes Sho’s journey to "Cat Mountain." The setting was designed by Moriah Tumbleston. Another solid stage piece from the troupe which performed "The Monkey King" last year. This year's live music is performed by singer/songwriter, Patricia Vlieg . You have one more chance to see this show. Central Congregational has a parking lot and is a short walk from the Green St. stop on the Orange Line.
The Coop's season closer is an amusing, somewhat leisurely romp through the end of the Roman Empire as imagined by Durenmatt(1949 - Four Acts- after WWII) and refurbished a while back by Gore Vidal (1963 - Two Acts - Vietnam heating up). The play's take on empire and "Civilization" might be relevant today. Jason Myatt makes a fine Emperor/chicken breeder, Eve Passeltiner a strong Empress, Mare Bayard their histrionic daughter Rea, and IRNE winner Forrest Walter a striking "ghost" as Aemelian, her P.O.W. fiance. Rodney Raftery is Romulus' nemesis, Ottaker the Goth, who's a bit of a surprise. Gerald Slattery plays Otto Rupf, millionaire, who'll save the empire, providing everyone switches from togas to pants. This textile mogul also wants Rea. Mostly farce, with a touch of philosophy, the show takes place an open thrust backed by bright "outsider art" scene painting with quite respectable costumes. Take a short trip to Broadway (Somerville) before the end of the month for a bit of speculative history and some wry laughs.
I have no other live productions to compare it to: much as I admire
Sondheim, the story is so cruel that I've only listened to the cd and
watched the video productions that were carried by PBS. It is
certainly better than those. But comparisons aside, Rick's New Rep
staging is a marvel! Seamless and confident and brilliant, it will
make your hair stand on end. Not to be missed!
And it makes one proud to be part of a community that can achieve work
of such quality.
Those who caught "VV,V" in last year's BTW Unbound New Play series will want to take a look at it reworked and in full production. Others with a taste for somewhat uneven adventurous playwrighting in the Fornes/Kopit/Durang mode may have a good time at this peculiar and ultimately moving show. With a two-level set by J.Michael Griggs draped in red, and high-energy performances by Jenny Israel in the title role, Chris Brophy as her former boyfriend, Jonathan Silver as an extremely troubled teen, Ann Barry as a bit of everything, and IRNE winning actress Maureen Keiller in a dual role as the boy's over-the-top mother, and Veronika's as well, this production rocks. Actually, it's the Motown soundscape complete with choreography interspersed with ominous rumblings, but ... Check it out for the next two weekends, then take at look at this year's BTW Unbound 2003 at the very end of May.
The Turtle Lane Playhouse uses a sort of "two-platoon system" that plugs excellent "understudies" into several roles at odd times during their runs. That means you may Not see Susan Walsh play the logorheic Queen or Jennifer Condon play Princess "Fred" nor Aimee Doherty play Lady Larkin in the Mary Rodgers/Marshall Barer comedy "Once Upon A Mattress" as I did.
So what?
"Fool for Love" is at The Industrial Theatre, a few blocks from Harvard Square, and it is the kind of carefully crafted production for which my tired cliche "riveting" was originally invented. The pace is deliberate and engrossing, the pauses and the "comic relief" lines perfectly placed, the games with theatrical reality astonishing, the set as garishly tawdry as any motel-room, the cast physically flawless, and the sound and lighting effects so subtle and so effective I will, again, need a full review to try to do them justice.
If you think you like good theater, go first to "Fool For Love" (it won't last more than one more week-end, damn it!) and then
to "Once Upon A Mattress". Want to take the family to a musical, but have some reservations about the subject matter of "Sweeney Todd", "Side Show", or even "Man of La Mancha" ? Turtle Lane Playhouse's current offering, Mary Rodger's fairytale "Once Upon a Mattress" might be just the ticket. Ron Dion's set is charming, Robert Itzak's costumes are colorful and comic, the cast is in fine voice, and director Jerry Bisantz gets all the laughs in the right place. Marshal Barer's lyrics have just a hint of Mary's famous father's first partner, Lorenz Hart, and music director Wayne Ward's tight ensemble is careful not to drown out the words. Perri Chouteau or Jennifer Condon are adorable as princess Fred --Winifred-- and Jim Jordan plays Prince Dauntless the Drab as a lovable nebbish. Chuck Walsh is a delightfully dotty Wizard, Eric Rubin an energetic King, especially when chasing after the female chorus, and Susan Walsh or Abigale Cordell wonderful nags as Queen Aggravain. So go take another look at the show which made Carol Burnett famous, and will make almost anyone smile. You won't have to think about it.
It’s an old-fashioned penny-dreadful melodrama brought to seething life by one of the best musical theatre ensembles assembled hereabouts in a longtime. As usual, Rick Lombardo works directorial magic in the New Rep’s intimate hall, aided and abetted by Peter Colao’s intricate protean set.
Todd Alan Johnson plays Sweeney with relish, while Nancy E. Carroll as Mrs. Lovett reminds all just how good a musical performer she can be. Music director Janet Roma keeps cast and musicians under total control. Speakeasy veteran Leigh Barrett makes the Beggar Woman into a role worth watching.
Brent Reno and Lianne Grasso play the young lovers with engaging awakwardness. Paul D. Farwell and Bob Zolli make Judge Turpin and Beadle Banford villians worth hissing, while being musically impeccable. BosCon student Austin Lesch is appealing an Tobias the crippled boy and Even Harrington as Pirelli the Italian Barber has just the right phony operatic sound. Frances Nelson McSherry and Christine Alger costume one and all through myriad changes with believable Dickensian wear.
And Production stage manager Greg Nashe’s crew manages to stay almost invisble as the cast appears to change sets through more than two dozen scenes. Don’t miss this one; advance sales are already quite substantial.
Hi Larry,
6 Women and 1 Man in a tiny, low-ceilinged black box, with nothing but simple costumes take you on a journey that is riveting, emotional and in the end has the heartbreaking, bold truth bearing down on you with the weight of our current world situation.
Even though the play is taken from a book of interviews, and faces the danger of falling into docudrama, this playwright is operating on a level above even most of our leading dramatists. She is brave in her themes and conclusion. For all the hell these women went through, both before and after the war, their participation had an objective and inherent good that overshadows all of their individual problems, pains, demons, and horrible memories. A tough pill to swallow for anybody, most of all those whose lives were ruined. The final offering in Theatre Cooperative's New Play Series was Robert Mattson's "Life Works', a somewhat opaque title for a one act thriller which probably should be developed into a two-act play. The cast, Michael Athas, Mark Cafazzo, Frank Ridley, and Amy Strack carried the action successfully under Joseph Zamparelli Jr.'s direction, but the material didn't offer enough depth for real character development, though there were intriguing hints. The climax seemed a bit rushed. Jito Lee's set tucked into one corner of the Peabody House space was convincingly grungy.. It will be interesting to see if this script goes anywhere.
If you'd like to compare Lippa's solo effort to the Tony-nominated version by Chiusa (with G,Wolfe's help) which Speakeasy did last year, trek on down to Hyde Park to RTW's renovated second-floor hall (no elevator yet). An energetic group of local singers, including a bevy of BosCon students, tackle this Lloyd-Webber inspired opus based on J.M.March's racy poem, which began development at the O'Neill and ran briefly at the Manhattan Theatre Club. The acoustics in this old ballroom, "French's Opera House", even with miking, make sound balance with their lively jazz ensemble chancy at times but everyone's in good voice. Try to get a table on house right. This productions a good try and RTW will be giving Turtle Lane a run for the money (providing patrons and sponsors continue supporting both with the same) Incidentally, each theatre is now enrolling youngsters for their respective summer programs. This piece, which has also played as “American Gothic”, is a far more political effort that Ping Chong’s cerebral peepshow presented last year at the Market Theater. The director, the BCA’s Michelle A. Baxter, rightly suggests that it is particularly relevant at this time with its themes
connecting commerce and violence. Company founders Shawn La Count and Mark VanDerzee take the two central roles labeled “S” and “M”, while Mason Sand and Joshua McCarey serve as visible stage hands in white lab coats on either side. Karim Badwan’s stark set with active lighting is effective with a few surprizes; the video component is relevant if not entirely necessary. Sound by Ken Porter generally enhances the action. This production continues this Brookline-based groups experimentation with multimedia, and in that respect is their most successful effort so far. Well-acted too.
Walking back from Davis Sq. after seeing an extended Sat. Nite Live sketch known as "A New War", I wondered whether these impersonations deserved any more of my time. Then I turned on the tube to get the early news and saw someone off the cover of Mad Magazine explaining why he'd gone off prematurely (sort of) followed by on-air blather almost as skewed but not as comical as WHAT's show. If you found anything funny in the previous remark, you're ready for "A New War."
I was at Jimmy Tingle's Off Broadway tonight, where The Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater has remounted Gip Hoppe's "A New War" which Boston critics apparently loved last October when it had its premiere on Cape Cod.
It is a pallid parody of television's 24-hour news programs. Set, lighting, costumes, and an excellent cast two of whom (Michael Dorval & Stephen Russell) appear doing a whole series of talking heads, with repeated character-changes, inside a big t-v set . I do hope all these theater artists were well paid for what they do.
I guess the bad news is that there wasn't so much uproarious laughter from the sparse crowd to keep me awake, but the good news is I didn't snore. And if you go, you'll be out in Davis Square by quarter to ten and the bars will still be open. A core group of the usual suspects, including Chris Cook the new guy, is up to a variety of things in this latest Rough & Tumble exercise in physical fun. Kristin Baker started last Saturday’s show off with a madcap dash to the office accompanied by Fred Harrington at the keyboard. He provided backup for a number of sketches, though there was some recorded music. Tori Low was her usual enigmatic self in several wordless pieces, plus a marvelous Ionesco send-up. George Saulnier III was chameleon-like as usual as he and Chris fought over a chair, drowve around in a car a few times, and had confrontations over Kristin in the longest piece of the evening, scripted by William Donnelly. Irene Daly was in the thick of it, once even playing a self-satisfied disembodied head. Starting this weekend, another NAPA group, Mill6, will be presenting two one-acts after the weekend performances. See either or both, you’ll be glad you did.
Dear Larry, The Nora Theatre Company's latest stylish revival is one of Pinter's timeless displays of the fallibility of human memory and personal relationships. A close relation to his earlier "Old Times" (1970), "Betrayal", a nine scene short play chronicles a seven year affair between the wife of one man and his best friend, not by recounting its aftereffects, but by beginning at the end--now--and taking the three characters--and the audience--step by step back to its beginning. Director Scott Edmiston gets effective performances from his trio of Anne Gottlieb, Joe Pacheco, and Jason Asprey on a stark white set by Janie Howland, impeccably costumed by Gail Astrid Buckley. As usual, attention to the dialogue and a tolerance for pauses is necessary when listening to a Pinter play. The structure of the piece is more musical or poetic than dramatic, since the tension between the characters is one of ambiguous revelation than conflict. Best seen with intimate friends and discussed afterward. (Pause) But it should be seen. In any case. Soon.
IRNE nominated director Leslie Chapman, the Artistic Director of the Theatre Cooperative has found another interesting script, especially relevant to these increasingly political times. The Cooperative has also assembled a sound cast of actors with Asian and Southeast Asian backgrounds. These focal actors form a tight ensemble to move through various scenes of eloquent docu-drama. Actually, that label doesn't quite fit, since though the action of the piece covers the decade preceding the massacre in Tianimen Square in 1989, the play is really a comparison between lives of two young Chinese women, Bibi from California, played by Linda Tsang, and "Karen", an bookkeeper in Beijing who has adopted a secret Western name to signify her desire to get to America. Their decade long correspondence, which began with a chance encounter on the street and which presumably ends with the massacre. The difficulties each encounters as they struggle to deal with traditional Chinese family values, societal expectations, and the force of events around them makes for an interesting evening. Set, costume changes, lighting, sound, and projections under Doc Madision's technical direction show the steady improvement of the company's ingenuity if not resources.
It's often easier to park on the other side of Broadway; just be careful crossing this busy four lane street.
The "NO" play may be the most important show touching on the inter-racial problem that the New Rep has presented over the past few seasons. John Henry Redwood's latest effort is powerful not simply because of the very real human struggles it depicts, but because the play confronts a more fundemental dilemma. How do we deal with the harsh truths of life?
Is a lie of omission sometimes the only way out? And what will the consequences be?
Director Adam Zahler together with an excellent cast pulls together a tight ensemble around this backwoods family drama, with its moments of comedy and tragedy, its air of mystery and potentially explosive conclusion. Classically-trained Jacqueline Gregg brings real authority to the lead, Mattie Cheeks, opposite Baron Kelly, currently on a Fulbright at Harvard,
as her ebullient husband.The two create a couple worth rooting for. Ted Kazanoff, as a Jewish sociologist doing research in their part of North Carolina, is comic when necessary, and moving at the end. Natanjah Driscoll from Brookline, as the younger daughter, and Giselle Jones from Canada as the older are believable siblings and convincing throughout. Brandeis M.F.A. Candidate, Celli LaShell Pitt, is a strong presence as the mysterious Aunt Cora.
While the climax of the play may seem momentarily satisfying, Redwood has left enough unanswered questions hanging over the Cheeks family to make this play the potential start of at least a trilogy. These people are engaging enough that audiences may want more of them.
This show, which might have been simply a concert of
lyricist/composer Edward Kleban’s previously unheard work, turns out to be an absorbing musical, a long, loving look at a Broadway original. The first rate cast, headed by Jon Blackstone as Ed, with Leigh Barrett and Kerry Dowling as the most significant women in his life. All are in great voice.
Joe Siriani as the legendary Lehman Engel--who too should be better known--Gretchen Goldsworthy as the go-getting Felicia, his sometime boss at Columbia records, and Will MacGarrahan as Michael Bennett and Ed’s friend Bobby, the drummer all have their shining moments. Two Boston Conservatory students, Emily Swanson, who seduces Ed as the delicious Mona, and Andrew Miramontes, who gets to play Marvin Hamlisch, also come through. It’s musically complex and the lyrics are all they’re cracked up to be. The judgement that Kleban was better at the latter is true, but his tunes were better than most in Speakeasy’s recurring hit, “Bat Boy”. It’ll be back; you only have this month to see “A Class Act.”
The Drama Deptpartment in NYC, started by the author of this piece, labels "As Bees in Honey Drown" an "instant classic". It seems to be becoming one around here as well. M.Lynda Robinson, the new Managing Director of the Gloucester Stage Company, reprises her role as "Alexa Vere de Vere" performed for the Nora Theatre Company a few seasons ago in this larger scale production in Stoneham. I Sebastiani, more usually seen around the SCA, have their version of 17th century commedia dell’Arte improvised farce up at Durrell Hall, Camb. YMCA through this Saturday. It’s a mildly bawdy romp with a lot of zany activities played just a bit leisurely. Jay Cross and Alex Newman who got this version together appear as master and servant. The latter naturally comes off better. Cat Crow is outstanding as a woman of easy virtue. Abby Weiner and Aaron Santos are appriately ditzy lovers, while Carl West stands out as Pantalone. If you’ve never seen a show in this fashion, complete with live period music, this wouldn’t be a bad place to start.
Just don’t throw vegatables, Durrell Hall just been renovated.
This backstage tale of the legendary “opening” of Marc Blitzstein’s labor opera “The Cradle Will Rock” may be most interesting to theatre buffs, but Spiros Veloudos’ agile direction of this six character piece (where the women each play multiple roles) should engage the more casual theatre goer.
The cast, headed by Geoffery P. Burns as “Orson Welles”, who was directing Federal Theatre Project #891 at the time (while playing the Shadow on radio), with Robert Saoud as “John Housemann”, who produced TCWR, and Neil A. Casey as “Howard DaSilva” who had the lead are all solid. Christopher Chew is compelling as the neurotic composer, Julie Jirousek shines as his recently-deceased wife “Eva”as well as the WPA actress “Olive” struggling with the lead in his show, and Jennifer Valentine as stage manager “Jean Rosenthal” and Welles’ first wife “Virginia” adds some comic irony. The cast would be worth seeing even if the play wasn’t as interesting as it is.
Marivaux remains as trivial as ever in the current production of one of his lesser works at the ART this month. All the technical virtuosity and brio surrounding the piece still doesn't overcome its central misanthropy.
The script was after all played once in 1744 and not revived until 1938, with its current "popularity" dating from 1973. It's fun to watch, after an overlong mime/dance opening, interestingly costumed in modern high style (as seen in fashion photos), and set against a Serra-inspired set suggesting a maze. The S.I.T.I. cast members have a unique controlled style, which can be very engaging. The lighting is Continental with interesting angles, while the sound attempts to comment on the action but gets a bit banal. As an example of the guest company's work, the show has some addtional interest, though ultimately it seems like business as usual at the A.R.T.
When Evelyn, played by foxy Laurie Latreille, appears at the very beginning of Neil LaBute's "The Shape of Things", the audience knows she's up to something. They won't find out what for almost two hours (there's no intermission). The wait is worth it, even if the end of the play doesn't quite satisfy. What "Evilyn" does with Tommy Day Carey's Adam is the crux of the play. (Their names are significant.) Her incidental effect on Jenny and Phillip, two of Adam's friends played by ever-delightful Stacy Fisher and newcomer Walter Belenky is just collateral damage in the war between the sexes - or is this art?
In a cool fast-paced style, director Paul Melone speeds all four actors through numerous changes in Paul Theriault's evocative set. The cast sets and removes all their furniture on an abstract stained glass floor pattern.
This production lives up to Speakeasy's reputation for high-class cutting edge production, including expressive costumes by Gail Buckley and compelling sound plus original music by Rick Brenner. Go for it.
For a mini-saga set in the slums of Dublin, Sugan's latest is curiously exhilerating. Blly Meleady (the Rookie) plays yet another Irish original to perfection, Kevin Steinberg's thug (the Howie) is compelling.
The show is two 45 minute monologues detailing the lives and deaths affecting this neighborhood in a day or two. J/ Michael Grigg's set is part playground, part dungeon, offering director Carmel O'Reilly and her actors an amazing variety of spaces to inhabit. Tune up your ears; these guys talk inner-city. Get tickets now, this two-man marvel is only on 'til Feb.15
Those who were amazed watching a cast of runners jog for ten minutes in Israel Horowitz's ten-minute play about the Gloucester road race at the Theatre Narathon two years ago will be astounded to see two actors do the same for almost an hour in the Stoneham Theatre's presentation of Italian playwright, Edoardo Erba's "Marathon", "running" through Jan. 26th.
Actually, Horowitz has been working on his own version of this script, but it wasn't ready for production, so a version by Colin Teevan from England is on the boards. Both actor/runners,, buff Eric Laurits and lanky Adam Paltrowitz, turn in strong and affecting performances under Weylin Symes tight direction. The play is more than just a novel feat of endurance for the cast, even when you can see the end coming. Set and lighting are economical and quite effective.
If you missed last night's reading of Austin Pendleton's "Orson's Shadow" presented FREE at the New Rep, you missed an exciting evening of theatre.
This play, which has been a success across the country (except in Westport CT), revolves around Orson Welles' attempt to direct Laurence Olivier in Ionesco's "Rhinocerous" (a play both men despised) in the early days of Britain's National Theatre. The cast, directed by Adam Zahler, featured (in order of appearence) John Kuntz (Kenneth Tynan, critic terrible), Colin Hammell (Sean, Orson's gopher), Jeremiah Kissel (Orson), Thomas Derrah (Olivier), Brigit Huppuch (Joan Plowright, the future Mrs. Olivier), and Paula Plum (Vivian Leigh, his wife at the time). The script is witty, comic, with the kind of absurdity only the recounting of real lives can achieve. The best literary adaptaion this company has staged in its six year history, "Anna Karenina" pares down this 850 page opus to a fluid 2 hours, 20 minutes. The script focuses on Anna, played by Alicia Kahn, who may be getting typecast as a period heroine, but continues to develop along that line, and Levin, Tolstoy's alter-ego in the work, played with reserve by Bern Budd. He was seen opposite Kahn in "Little Women" and as an embattled farmer in the Moss Hart Award-winning, "The Clearing". The play is staged in the round with only six neutral benches as furniture. The two leading constantly ask each other, "Where are you?" which moves then right into the next arena under Nora Hussey's innovayive direction. Darko Tresnjak's 90 minute "The Blue Demon" at the Huntington is big, self-consciously beautiful, and not particularly insightful. No cliche's suffer any damage in this production, which is great fun to watch, well-presented (even if the acting is rather basic), and moves right along. The three stories told never quite achieve their potential, though the Jewish "Tailor's Story" comes closest. The framing tale of the Sultan's jester's demise is the least well-developed, with an undistinguished conclusion, but the costumes are gorgeous. The title refers to disturbing thoughts which keep one up at night. This show won't. As the three tradesmen say in their final exit line, "Did you hear the one about the Muslim, the Christian, and the Jew..."
GERALYN HORTON: I have to admit upfront: What I most love about theatre is not so much the acting as the reacting--the way that a play can capture the complex permutations within an interlocking sets of relationships over time. I prefer large cast plays to small ones, and I do not like one-person shows, period. Yes, I’ve performed two of Rosanna Alfaro’s monodramas, enjoying them tremendously, and written six of the seductive things myself. But as an audience member I find them unsatisfying. The solo character is shown off or shown up, the actor likewise; as spectator I feel conned, or complicit. WILL STACKMAN: Yes, Annette Miller is exceptional at presenting William Gibson’s interpretation of a possible view of Golda Meir’s life, as seen from her own viewpoint on “Golda’s Balcony”. Director Daniel Gidron and the actress have crafted a tight and interesting performance from Gibson’s reduction of his 1977 script, which might not come off so well without their seasoned efforts.
"GOLDA'S BALCONY" by William Gibson, Jan. 3 - Feb. 22
While this is a “world premiere” of this title, Theatre Marathon regulars will recognize several Jack Neary sketches which were higghlights previous years and have already been published by Bakers. Not to worry, they’re worth a second look placed in the context of this show. Neary has done a tight job of directing Bobbie Steinbach, Ellen Colton, and Cheryl McMahon in the key roles of the three widows on the porch reading the paper. Bob Saoud does a fine comic turn as Santa, and a quick music hall parody of “Love & Marriage” as “Sex & Catholics”. Lindsay Joy and Christopher Loftus have a hilarious sketch as “Catholic Man” and “horny woman”, then get more serious in the second half.
And since “Catholics are people too” members of the Roman Church will probably enjoy the hilarity in the first half and understand the ending to the show better than most.
One way to get a new play on is to do it yourself. Larry Weinstein, under Spiros Veloudos direction, does a commendable job of premiereing his long one-act monodrama as “Mack Finer”, frustrated second-rate actor. Next time around, and there should be one, the play will benefit if the author could step back from this possibly autobiographical material and concentrate on words and structure. But it’s an interesting evening, and if you go see “Beyond Belief”, there’s a discount coupon off the already low price.
Rough and Tumble is up to their old tricks in the intimate confines of the Leland Center this month. Four of the usual suspects, Sean Barney, Irene Daly, Tori Low, and George Saulnier III are joined by two new hands, Kimberly Conzo and Brian Platt to "blah, blah" their way through a spoof on spy movies.
There's no point to it all, as anyone who's seen the latest Bond installment should know. Fred Harrington accompanies the action at the keyboard and Bonnie Duncan's costume scrounging is superb as usual. Dan Milstein and company continue to develop their skills at physical comedy and observational humor. What's more, the Mill 6 collaborative is doing a bill of three one-acts in the same space at 10:30 pm after their show for the next three weekends. Marty Barrett, William Donnelly, and Chris Walsh were each given the same picture of a donkey, and have come up with three short plays billed as "Three Pieces of Ass." David Dowling directs.
The second of Ronan Noone’s plays about his native Connemara has just as many secrets as his award-winning “The Lepers of Baile Baiste” and a few more surprises. A first rate Irish cast, headed by 2002 IRNE winner Billy Meleady, includes Ciaran Crawford, Derry Woodhouse, and Susan B. McConnell.
Go See
EPIC PROPORTIONS
Starring
Call 617-437-7172 for tickets or go to www.lyricstage.com
Seasons Greetings (with more to come):
Last night I attended a performance of The Our Place Theatre Project's production of BLUES FOR AN ALABAMA SKY, and there were only eight of us in the audience! It's a good play, a good production - so where are the crowds? I fear this may go the route of the excellent BEE-LUTHER-HATCHEE so here I am, banging the drum again. BLUES is an engrossing drama, but it needs the current provided by a full house to really take off.
If you cannot attend, please pass the word on to others (why not give tickets to the show as Christmas gifts?):
The Our Place Theatre Project, Inc.
by Pearl Cleage
with:
Jacqui Parker
December 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19 @ 7:30 p.m.
Tickets:
Boston Center for the Arts
Box Office Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 12:00 non - 5:00 p.m. (thru curtain)
The Theatre Cooperative's current offering, "Morning Star", a 1940 potboiler which brought Yiddish cabaret star Molly Picon to the Broadway stage, is an engaging piece of period drama. The fact that the play has never really been off the boards - somewhere - for the last sixty years; that Steppenwolf put it in their season in 1999; or that the Folksbiene in NYC had a hit in 2000 when it was performed translationed into Yiddish, should encourage anyone with an interest in the scope of the American theatre to check out their performance.
Under Suzanne Bixby's uncomplicated direction, a solid cast of local actors, headed by Maureen Adduci and Fred Robbins , lets this story of "An American Family" (that was its recent Yiddish title) unfold, using all the familiar tropes of domestic drama and comedy. They manage a believable collection of accents without slipping into parody. The message isn't profound, but it rings true. No one should be surprised that the same questions about impending war, economic justice, and personal sacrifice are still relevant today, and not just on the Lower East Side. TC's Artistic Director Leslie Chapman has found another good one.
Maybe I went in with my expectations set too high. I had, after all, seen the Concord Players do "Little Women" last year. It was so well done that, upon moving to Boston (since then), I immediately set out to see the Concord Players do more theater! But The Bad Seed is missing something, something crucial.
I had seen and enjoyed the 1950s thriller movie about a little girl predisposed to remorseless acts of murder. It was spine-tingling precisely because the girl WAS little - AND young. This is where director Rik Pierce missed the mark. Susanna Ronalds-Hannon, clearly a teenager, as Rhoda is an o.k. actress, but her age is a distraction to the plot. Because of her age, the whole story line failed. It wasn't all that unbelievable the she kills people. The idea in the Bad Seed is that Rhoda is already killing (in this case a classmate, and an old woman) at the tender age of 7 or 8, 9 at the most. A teenager who kills? So what! Apparently, they were mindful of the fact because it seemed as though they were trying to make her appear younger, judging by the rediculous costumes they put her in.
So disstracted was I, by this major casting faux pas, I almost missed the fact that there were many fine individual performances. Thomas Caron as Leroy, the bumbling janitor who's on to Rhoda was so stunning, I could sense the other actors' performance rise whenever he was on stage. Peter Yensen as Emory was an absolute delight and provided many a good laugh. Kerrie Miller as Christine Penmark captured the agony of the killer's mother so well, the audience most literally could feel the pain. Brenda Walsh, in a difficult role as Mrs. Daigle (the mother of the dead classmate) was the most compelling portrayal of a drunk I've seen!
If you're a fan of the Concord Players, go see the show. There are many (more than I mentioned here) oustanding performances. But if you're a fan of thrillers, skip this show, it ain't thrilling. (Dustin Weild can be reached at dustinweild@yahoo.com
Take five smart comic actors, an off-beat farce by Mike Leigh, best known for his films, Daniel Gidron’s tight direction, and the Nora Theatre Company’s usual attention to production detail, and it’s a potential hit.
Chiller Theatre
Larry,
Here is a QuickTake on BATBOY THE MUSICAL.
Paul Daigneault and the production team at Speakeasy have cornered the market on local premieres, especially of smaller cast musicals from NYC. They outdo themselves in this production.
Batboy relates the tale (found at any supermarket checkout line), of a half man/half bat found in a cave down south. It shows his struggle to become human, and to be accepted by the redneck locals. Taken in by the wife of the local Veterinarian, taught how to act, behave and speak (from BBC language tapes no less), our Batboy goes on to try and conquer the towns prejudice against him. But what about all those cows that have mysteriously died......
What makes the musical great is that Daigneault and the cast "get it". This is a campy, melodramatic, schlock-horror piece that's humor comes from all involved playing it with earnestness and honesty. Kerry Dowling as the wife of the Vet delivers a performance that could easily go wrong in the hands of a lesser actress, but Kerry gets it just right. Miguel Cervantes is wonderful as the Batboy, winning and keeping the audience throughout the show. Michael Mendiola plays the Veterinarian with something to hide, lending his considerable acting talent and great voice to the role. Sara Chase serves up the doctors daughter with wonderful stage presence.
The rest of the ensemble play multiple roles, and it is worth the price of admission just to see the instant character changes that go on in this show. Each and every one of them is solid, and makes this ensemble one of the best you will see in Boston this season.
The show runs at the BCA through 10/26. ,
QUICK TAKE
However, I can see why see why people - black, white, or "other" - might be unsure of being welcome, and hesitate to attend the play. It deals with 2 likable people who long for recognition, but their situation is such that they can only get what they want by betraying what they are. Their confrontation exposes injuries that go back generations and yet are still so raw and painful that most people would prefer to let them fester rather than be in the room when the pain and anger are let loose.
The youthful part of the
ensemble is quite convincing and will probably grow in
future productions. Peter Colao's set is rather
architectural with door units that track in, two small
side wagon stages, a large window in the rear, and a
number of surprises. John R. Malinowski provides a
flexible light plot which helps speed the action
along. Music director Anna Lackaff has arranged the
shows traditional music, composed additional material,
and used tunes and lyrics from the director to make
the best use of the cast's musical talents. Lombardo
has also created as soundscape and special audio
effects to add to the magic of the evening. And of
course there's snow and fog as the story requires,
plus some
special effect surprises. This will be another
production of "A Christmas Carol" to return to year
after year, to initiate all members of the family to
the wonder of live theatre, and to enjoy a
unique interpretation of an important part of American
Christmas tradition, which was introduced over here
when the author himself read the story at the Parker
House back in the 19th century.
"Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol", Dec. 10 -24
New Repertory Theatre at Arsenal Center for the
Arts
32` Arsenal St. Watertown, (617) 923 -84487
New Repertory
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "A Christmas Carol" by
Charles Dickens, adapted by NSMT
Date: Sun, Dec 11, 11:53 PM
Quicktake on A CHRISTMAS CAROL
The Cratchit kids are
locals from a variety of programs including NSMT's
Youth Theatre, with Maureen Brennan again doubling as
their mother and the Ghost of Christmas Past, gliding
about on her float. Newcomer Bill Carmichael is a very
appealing BobCratchit. The complex set is back out of
storage and spiffed up as usual, with the musicians
spilt between a raised loft where music director Brian
Cimmet reigns, a pit for the brass and strings across
the stage, from which they move to various positions
throughout the house or onstage as needed, while the
harpist is on the balcony over the vomitorium. The
costumes under Joanna C. Murphy's supervision capture
the several eras of the show, lighting and special
effects, including snow, confetti, and pyro add to the
magic of the season. NSMT "A Christmas Carol" remains
the gold standard for interpretation of this classic
in these parts,
"A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens at al, Dec. 2
- 24
North Shore Music Theatre at Dunham Woods
Beverly MA, (978) 232 - 7200
North Shore Music
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "The Firebugs" by Max
Frisch
Date: Sat., Dec. 10, 10:33 PM
Quicktake on THE FIREBUGS
Gottlieb Biederman
(God-loved Anyman), a hair tonic manufacturer is a
perfect role for veteran comic actor Bill Doscher.
His wife Babette is played by Danielle Fauteux
Jacques, co-director of this production with Atissa
Banuazizi, and TheatreZone's Artistic Director. The
two "firebugs", Sepp Schmitz and Willi Eisenring, are
an ominously bald Floyd Richardson, a TheatreZone
veteran, and tuxedoed Stephen Libby, seen as a Dromio
at Publick Theatre this summer. The remaining parts
are a delightfully accented Flavia Steiner as Anna the
maid, silent Elizabeth Kurtz as widowed Mrs.
Knechtling, Rick Carpenter briefly as the ambiguous
Ph.D, and Anna Waldron as leader of the chorus of
firepeople. She starts the show in an outrageous
sequined dress singing--what else--a torch song. The
eight chanting and dancing actors in the diverse
chorus harken back to those in the ancient Greek
comedy, giving this absurdist comedy a unique
timelessness.
This 90 minute show features
live contemporary music and sound effects from Mark
Warhol's ensemble. Matthew Kossack worked out the
footstomping street-wise choreography. The set of red
painted levels was created by Julia Noulin-Merat in
her 9th show for TheatreZone. She’s completing her MFA
in Scenic Design at BU. Debbi Hobson's costumes, from
Biederman's continental suit to Sepp's carnival
wrestler's garb to the effective fireman's outfits
give the show a finished look. This "morality play,
without a moral" is well worth the short trip out to
Chelsea. Carpooling is best; go a little early.
.Parking around the triangle in Chelsea Sq. is
generally easy to find.Suggest driving in through tank
farm and the wholesale vegetable market from Rt. 99 in
Everett, thenturn left at the second set of lights
after driving under the Tobin Bridge. There's a good
map on TheatreZone's site. The Chelsea Theatre Works
theatre space is a marvelous old Oddfellow’s Hall up
three flights of stairs.
"The Firebugs" by Max Frisch, Dec.9 - 23
TheatreZone at Chelsea Theatre Works
189 Winnisimmet, Chelsea Sq. / (617 ) 887 - 2336
TheatreZone
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Arcadia" by Tom
Stoppard
Date: Thur, Dec 9, 11:37 PM
Quicktake on ARCADIA
The play swings between
1809-1912 and the present, where Hannah and Bernard
are both researching the history of the Coverly estate
for different reasons. In the present they meet the
sexually forthright Chloe Coverly played by Allison
LInker, seen earlier this fall in "N(as in Bonaparte)"
with Pilgrim and repressed Valentine Coverly, a
mathematical biologist. There's also their silent
brother Gus, a intuitive musician played by Zach
Adler, who also appears towards the end of the play as
Thomasina's younger brother, Augustus, who does speak.
These dozen actors must also invoke other unseen
characters important to the action, including George
Gordon Lord Byron, Mrs. Chater, and Lord Croom. Marc
S. Miller has shaped this cast into a working ensemble
with acceptable English accents. They managed to
navigate the complex time-defying plot to make the
various mysteries clear. Stronger attention to diction
would help with some of the more abstruse moments, but
all-in-all it's a solid rendition of the play.
Longwood's next project will be Sondheim's early
effort, "Merrily We Roll Along" for two weekends March
31 - April 8.
"Arcadia" by Tom Stoppard, Dec. 2 -10
Longwood Players in Durrell Hall
820 Mass. Ave, Camb. YMCA, Central Sq. 1 (800) 595 -
4TTX
Longwood Players
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Red Elm" by Dan Hunter
Date: Sun, Dec 4, 6:20 PM
Quicktake on RED ELM
The cast of "Red Elm" is
superb. Veteran actor William Young is patriarch Jack
Butler, a modern Iowa farmer. His long-suffering
wife, Margaret, is played by Worcester actress,
teacher and playwright, Anne Marie Shea. Their
remaining son, Ezra, is Mark Peckham, new to Boston
with credits in Providence and elsewhere. Jack's
secretary and Ezra's love interest is Julia Jirousek
in another appealing performance. Their acting as
much as the author's storytelling makes one want to
know what happened to these people.
The set is another effective
exercise in abstracted realism by Susan Zeeman Rogers
with believable costumes by Gail Astrid Buckley. The
show, which was announced for Wesley Savick was
directed quite smartly by newcomer Karl Michaelis;
Savick is listed as the dramaturg for all the
preparatory work he did with Hunter. Lights and
sound, plus other technical details are well-handled
by a largely B.U. crew. It's a good close to a fall
season of interesting work. Look for 11:11 and Brian
Tuttle;e to come down from their fourth floor perch at
the Actor's Workshop in January. Also in January,
playwright Elizabeth Wyatt, who works both here and in
Brighton England is bringing "Flowers of Red", a show
based on the life and death of Rachel Corrie which she
premiered this summer at the Edinburgh Fringe.
"Red Elm" by Dan Hunter, Dec. 1 - 18
Boston Playwrights' Theatre in Studio B
949 Comm. Ave, Allston, (617) 358 - PLAY
Boston Playwrights'
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Apocalypso!" by Bill
Donnelly
Date: Sat, Dec. 3, 11:07 AM
Quicktake on APOCALYPSO!
Still, director Dan
Milstein. has given the show a nice arc, even when it
seems to bog down in trivia. Ron DeMarco's abstract
cityscape backed by an equally abstract "sky",
surrounding the bits of furniture which defines scenes
sets the mood. Perhaps Fred Harrington's live
accompaniment gets a bit too meditative, and might try
contrasting with the action more, but it's never
inappropriate. Bonnie Duncan's costumes are a bit
more subdued than usual, but entirely suited to the
characters. The result is the best bargain in holiday
shows. Unfortunately "Apocalypso!" doesn't run through
New Year's. But then who knows when the end will
come?
Apocalypso!" by Bill Donnelly, Dec. 2 - 17
Rough & Tumble Theatre at Calderwood Pavilion,
Rehearsal Room
527 Tremont, (617) 933 - 8600
Rough &
Tumble
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "A Christmas Story" adapted
by Philip Grecian from Jean Shepherd's movie
Date: Fri, December 2, 11:19 AM
Quicktake on A CHRISTMAS STORY
Mother, first to utter the
famous line "You'll shoot your eye out" is deftly
handled by Bates and Emerson grad Meagan Hawkes, who's
taken time out from documentary film-making to deal
with Ralphie, Randy--hiding under the table--and of
course the Old Man. Dale Place, Stoneham's favorite
Scrooge, takes on the mantle of Father, hanging on
as a low-level manager, driving his "new" used
Oldsmobile, and of course proud of his "major award."
While Bolman and Hawkes take alternate roles as the
mythical Red Ryder or Miss Fields, Ralphie's teacher,
the Old Man is more than enough from Place to handle,
pursued by the neighbor's dogs, dreaming of turkey
instead of meatloaf and red cabbage, with the firm
goal of keeping his family housed, clothed and fed,
battling the coal furnace daily.
The seven youngsters in "A
Christmas Story"--plus two alternates--come partly
from Stoneham's own Youth Theatre. But Ari Shaps, a
Gloucester six-grader, is a product of NSMT's youth
program, as is Henry McClean who as kindergartener
Randy, spends most of the show hidden somewhere on the
set or encased in his snow suit. Ralphie's friends,
Flick and Schwartz, John-Michael Breen and Nick
McGrath, come from NSMT and Stoneham respectively.
Scut Farkas, the playground bully, is played by
Stoneham's Danny Marchant. The two girls, Helen, the
class brain--who's also reputed to have beaten up
Farkas--and Esther Jane who's sweet on Ralphie, are
done by diminutive Emily Pinto and tall Sarah Reed,
both from Stoneham's program. All are good at being
kids and quite on par with the three seasoned
professionals who move the show along. Bolman,
Hawkes, and Place show that taking the risk of acting
with youngsters can pay off. Animals are another
matter, but the destructive hounds next door are only
heard, not seen.
The show takes place on
Jenna McFarland's colorful changeable set, which looks
like an illustration from the Saturday Evening Post.
It also folds and shifts so that the kitchen stage
left becomes Ralphie's classroom, and the livingroom
becomes Goldblatt's Dept. Store, among other things.
Fans of the film won't be disappointed, families
discovering the Parker's for the first time will find
a lot to recognize. So be careful with BB guns, and
don't lick the flagpole, but do take a short ride out
the Stoneham for this shiny new production, a definite
addition to the holiday season.
"A Christmas Story" by Philip Grecian, Nov. 25 -
Dec. 23
Stoneham Theatre
395 Main St. Stoneham, (781) 279 - 2200
Stoneham
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Three Sisters" adapted from
Anton Chekov
Date: Thurs, Dec 1, 11:47 PM
Quicktake on THREE SISTERS
"Three Sisters" adapted from Anton Chekov, NOV. 26 -
JAN. 1
A.R.T at Loeb Drama Center
64 Brattle, Harvard Sq., (617) 547 - 8300
A.R.T.
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Crowns" by Regina
Taylor
Date: Sunday, Nov 27,
Quicktake on CROWNS
Not as seasonal as some of
Lyric's past December offerings, "Crowns" makes a fine
holiday entertainment nevertheless. Its Pentecostal
roots are traced back to their West African
counterparts, and are clearly part of the survival
strategy of African-Americans before and after
slavery. The cast is in sympathy with the material
and with the support of music director Evelyn
Lee-Jones at the keyboard ready to testify.
"Crowns" by Regina Taylor, Nov. 25 - Dec. 23
Lyric Stage at Copley Sq. YWCA
140 Clarendon, Boston, (617) 437 - 7172
Lyric Stage
Company
Date: Sat, 26 Nov 2005 23:01:38 -0500
From: "Jerry Bisantz" jbisantz@comcast.net
Subject: Hello from Jerry Bisantz
Jerry
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "50 Million Frenchmen" by Cole Porter &
Herbert Fields
Date: Sun, Nov 13, 11:18 PM
Quicktake on 50 MILLION FRENCHMEN
Brent Reno once again proved his worth as a leading man, and got
to sing the show's only standard "You Do Something to Me." Opposite
him was the youngest of the De Lima clan, Kate. Her mother, Sarah, as
Violet, a character part got two Bea Lillie type numbers. Peter
Carey, as the owner of the Parisian Hotel where everyone is staying
functioned almost as the M.C. Shows like this were closer to reviews
loosely connected by a disposable plot. Our hero, Peter Forbes (of
"the street") has two playboy friends ready to relieve him of part of
his fortune; Michael, sung with panache by one of the group's
founders, Benjamin Sears, and Billy, sung by Eric Bronner, who got to
tenor away at a parody ballad "I Worship You (I Don't Love You)."
Since this is a romantic farce in the Gilbertian mode, Michael winds
up with the heroine's friend, Joyce whose motto was "Don't Make Me Be
Good", sung by Joei Marshall Perry. The heroines parents, the
Carrolls from Terra Haute, were ably handled by Peter Miller, clearly
the senior comic since he was wearing plaid Bermuda shorts with his
tux jacket, and Kerry Dowling, tired of being "The Queen of Terra
Haute." Her answer is to marry of her daughter to a Russian Count
played by Turtle Lane stalwart, JIm Jordan. The Count unfortunately
escapes the final party with two racy entertainers, The American
Sister Act, sung by co-founder Mary Ann Lanier and La 'Tarsha Long.
Which leaves Valarie Anastasio as May, a cabaret singer friend of the
hero, to match up with Billy, having given up trying to "Find Me a
Primitive Man," the only other number with a life beyond this show.
Then Msr. Pernase the hotel manager takes up with the not so shrinking
Violet. Or at least, that's the line up for the finale.
Staging director David Frieze applied his usual light touch to
come up with enough action to make situations clear--if not logical.
Margaret Bulmer did her usual virtuoso job at the Steinway, and
co-founder Bradford Conner had several walkons and directed the rest
of this large cast when they morphed into the Chorus. The remainder
of the American Classics season will include a Chamber Music program
for Valentines day, on Feb 10 & 12, and for the second year, a Ragtime
Festival featuring two different concerts on April 21, 22, & 23. Last
year's Ragtime Concerts sold out to an overflow audience. Get you
tickets early.
"50 Million Frenchmen" by Cole Porter , Nov 11- 13
American Classics in Pickman Hall, Longy
27 Garden St, Camb,
American Classics
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "A Number" by Caryl
Churchill
Date: Sun, Oct 23, 11:13 PM
Quicktake on A NUMBER
As a coda to this 65 minute
piece, MIchael, one of the unauthorized clones shows
up from America. He's a far different seemingly
well-adjusted person than the first two. As usual,
this show first seen at London's Royal Court,
Churchill's home base, leaves more questioned
unanswered than resolved. The simple set was done by
Lyric's Skip Curtis, with lighting by house
electrician, Robert Cordella. The soundscape and
original music is again the work of Dewey Dellay.
There will be discussions after every Sunday matinee,
and no doubt more than a few on the way home. Part
science fiction in the British sense, part Pinteresque
theatre of menace, "A Number" is another successful
Boston premiere of the Lyric--and will probably join
the local repertory next season.
"A Number" by Caryl Churchill, Oct. 21 - Nov.
19
Lyric Stage Company at Copley Sq. YWCA
140 Clarendon St., (617) 437 - 7172
Company Website
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Dracula" by Weylin Symes,
after Bram Stoker's novel
Date: Sun, Oct 23, 2005 8:07 PM
Quicktake on DRACULA
The title role is played by
Publick Theatre's Diego Arciniegas with a nod to
Dryer's "Nosferatu" and no hint of Bela Lugosi.
Nathaniel McIntyre plays Jonathan Harker, the
unfortunate young realtor sent to Transylvania to deal
with the Count. IRNE winner Richard McElvain is Dutch
scientist Van Helsing. He should somehow appear
earlier in the action. The two heroines, Jonathan's
wife Mina and her cousin, Lucy Westenra are played by
Joy Lamberton, seen this summer at the Publick in
"Arcadia" and "Comedy of Errors", and Angie Jepson,
seen last summer in "Troilus and Cressida" in a title
role. Their parts are convincing Victorian but could
be more substantial to take advantage of these fine
young talents. Lucy's fiance, Dr. Seward, is played
by Owen Doyle, also seen in "Arcadia" as well as ASP's
"Julius Caesar." He also plays the Romanian
innkeeper. These experienced actors form a tight
ensemble which lifts the production over a few rough
patches in the storytelling.
This production combines
Stoneham's committment to new work aimed at a
mainstream audience. Period costumes by Rachel Padula
Shufelt and expert lighting by IRNE winner Karen
Perlow catch the melodrama of the piece while giving
the evening a contemporary air. The show is certainly
appropriate to the season.
"Dracula" by Weylin Symes, Oct. 20 - Nov. 6
Stoneham Theatre
395 Main St. Stoneham MA, (781) 279 - 2000
Stoneham
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "The Keening" by Humberto
Dorado
Date: Thur, Oct 20, 10:53 AM
Quicktake on THE KEENING
"The Keening" by Humberto Dorado, Oct. 14 - Nov.
12
A.R.T. at Zero Arrow
Arrow & Mass. Ave, Harvard Sq. (617) 547 - 8300
A.R.T.
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "The Boy Friend" by Sandy
Wilson
Date: Weds, Oct 12, 11:04 PM
Quicktake on THE BOY FRIEND
Almost the brightest part of
the evening, however, is Tony Walton's production
design, done as a kind of giant toy theatre in
illustration style with Kelly Hanson's help. He was
assisted on the costumes, which at times steal the
show, by Rachel Navarro.When this Goodspeed production
is done in New York, which could take a while, expect
local musical theatre producers to take a second look
at its charms. In the mean time, they might want to
search out its sequel, a Noel Cowardish sea-going
romp, "Divorce Me, Darling"
"The Boy Friend" by Sandy Wilson, Oct. 12-23
Goodspeed Musicals at the Shubert
265 Tremont St. , (800) 477- 7400 (TC)
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "The Beauty Queen of Leenane"
by Martin McDonagh
Date: Sat, Sept 24, 11:23 PM
Quicktake on THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE
As usual, Hovey has
achieved a functional and realistic set for this show
with believable costumes and effective lighting.
Irish music over the onstage radio completes the
picture. The cast with the help of dialect coach Mark
Usher sounds appropriately Irish in a contemporary
way. Hovey's next show is Craig Lucas' "Prelude to a
Kiss" in November.
"The Beauty Queen of Leenane" by Martin McDonagh,
Sept. 23 - Oct. 8
Hovey Players at Abbott Hall
9 Spring St. Waltham, (781) 893 -9171
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Our Country's Good" by
Timberlake Wertenbaker
Date: Sun, Sept 18, 11:08 PM
Quicktake on OUR COUNTRY'S GOOD (1988)
This current revival may
suggest some contemporary prisoner situations, but the
drama is primarily and grimly historical. The
ensemble at the Coop which features Seth Holbrook as
Lt. Clark who decides to direct this play, Austin de
Besche as Capt. Phillip, the Governor of this prison
colony in New South Wales who encourages him, and Nate
Connors as brutal Major Ross, who'd hang the lot of
them. Connors also doubles as Lt. Brewer a Marine who
is forced in fact conduct hangings and goes mad.
Zofia Goszczynska plays his doxie, Duckling Smith and
doubles briefly as a stargazing officer.
Two woman who have no
doubled roles are SerahRose Roth, who plays Liz
Morden, a petty thief liable to be hanged who gets one
of the female leads in the play and Erin Scanlon, who
gets the other, the breeches part, falls in love with
the director, who winds up having to play Lt. Plume,
the hero of the piece. Nancy Hoffman doubles as both
Dabby Bryant and Meg Long, two whores. The remaining
men in the ensemble all double as both officers and
prisoners. Michael Avellar is moving as an Irishman,
Freeman, who's forced to become the hangman. Kevin
Ashworth is both second in command and the pickpocket
Robert Sideway. Andrew Winson plays both the Chaplain
and the writer who plays Capt. Brazen, John
Wisehammer a Jew falsely transported. Ian G. Byrd
plays the recruiting officer,a severely beaten
prisoner, and the ghost of the first man hanged in the
colony. Needless to say, the cast is busy changing
costumes when they're not also moving a few bits of
furniture to set a large number of scenes in the
play's brief two hours, This is not a show for the
squeamish, but a sobering modern classic, and another
unique offering from the Coop.
Note: An earlier version of this misidentified
Seth Holbrook. We apologize.
"Our Country's Good" by Timberlake Wertenbaker, Sept.
16 - Oct. 1
Theatre Cooperative at Peabody House
277 Broadway, Somerville, (617) 625 - 1300
Theatre
Cooperative
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "The Real Thing" by Tom
Stoppard
Date: Thurs, Sept 15 8:13 AM
Quicktake on THE REAL THING
HTC eschews "star power" for
this production and instead fields a sound
professional cast of NY and regional actors, led by
Rufus Collins as Henry and luminous Kate Nowlin as
Annie, his second wife If Henry is the glib but
somewhat befuddled brains of the piece, Annie is its
rather conflicted heart. The rest of the cast are
strong, but their characters in a sense are pawns in
the central drama. The handsome set, like that for
"39 Views" which Yionoulis directed at HTC last
season, is an abstract expanse by Kris Stone in the
moderne mode currently favored at Yale SoD. While the
open stage suggests a kind of universality, the vista
leaves the action adrift at times. It also doesn't
help the antique acoustics of the Mystic aka the
B.U.Theatre, and the odd line gets lost in all that
space. There is however so much vintage Stoppard to
listen to that most of the audience won't feel
deprived. Real Stoppard fans will have heard it
before and look forward to hearing it again, perhaps
after a reread. "The Real Thing" will never become a
staple but it will keep coming back as a rare dish,
worth seeing each time to discover new tidbits. It
will be interesting so see what LOngwood does with
"Arcadia" after its successful outing at the Publick
this summer, and later in the season when the B.U.
Drama program tackles the same script. Who's for
"Jumpers" or "Travesties", or (one can hope) "The
Invention of Love."
"The Real Thing" by Tom Stoppard, Sept. 9 - Oct.
9
Huntington Theatre Company at the B.U.Theatre
264 Huntington Ave, (617) 266 - 0800
HTC
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "The Educated" by Donna
Sorbello
Date: Sat, Sept 10, 11:09 PM
Quicktake on THE EDUCATED
Technical support for
this production is basic. Michael Clark Monson's set
has a sterile unlived-in quality but functions well
enough. However, his lighting could use a little more
definition, perhaps a gobo or two, but no one's left
in the dark. Tracy Campbell's costumes are acceptable.
A few more changes might be help, especially for
Sandahar, to mark the passage of time. Jamieson
Alcorn's soundscape, mostly Middle-Eastern popular
music, is evocative. A playlist for Western audiences
unfamiliar with these recordings would be appropriate.
"The Educated" is an interesting start to the new
play season, worth seeing for the questions raised,
even though the action isn’t fully realized yet. It
could well develop into an important contribution to
the current dialogue about East and West. A lower
ticket price for a work still needing work might
attract a bigger audience, however.
"The Educated" by Donna Sorbello, Sept. 9-25
A&P+D atBoston Playwrights' Theatre
949 Comm. Ave. Allston, (617) 661-1387
BPT
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Urinetown" by Greg Kotis &
Mark Hollman
Date: Sun , Sept 11, 11:05 AM
Quicktake on URINETOWN
nbsp; Of course it helps IRNE
winning director Spiro Veloudous to be able to build
his show around such IRNE winning stalwarts as
Christopher Chew as Officer Lockstock the narrator and
Marianne Zschau in full voice as Ms. Pennywise, not
mention having IRNE winner Sean McGuirk as the
villain, Caldwell B. Cladwell. Then there's favorites
such as Peter A. Carey, Peter Edmund Haydu, and Robert
Saoud in supporting roles, along with IRNE winning
choreographer Ilyse Robbins in the cast leading her
own hilarious efforts. The show also introduces two
recent local grads, veterans of college musicals, Rob
Morrison as Bobby, and Jennifer Ellis as Hope, as the
unlikely--except in musicals--love interest between an
assistant at a Public Amenity and the millionaires
daughter. The pair bring a freshness to these roles,
not to mention real musical theatre voices. Let's
hope they don't run off to NYC too soon.
Support includes IRNE
winner Jonathan Goldberg as music director conducting
from the keyboard, an effective grungy set by Norton
awardee Janie E. Howland, expert lighting by IRNE
winner Karen Perlow, and appropriately Brechtian
costumes from Rafael Jean. As usual, the Lyric is
overflowing with topnotch local talent including an
engaging ensemble singing and dancing up a storm, and
changing costumes every few minutes as they switch
between the distressed lower classes and the
Cladwell's associates at Urine GoodHands Co. So "Hail
Malthus", "Don't Be The Bunny", and don't miss this
unique start to the small theatre musical season.
There's a special student performance on Tuesday,
Sept. 20 at rush prices, which are $10 for all shows
anyway.
"Urinetown" by Greg Kotis & Mark Hollman by Greg
Kotis & Mark Hollman, Sept 9 - Oct. 11
Lyric Stage Company at Copley Sq. YMCA
140 Clarendon, (617) 437 - 7172
Lyric Stage
Co.
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Carmen" by Georges Bizet
after Merimee’s novella
Quicktake on CARMEN
The show is accompanied by two grand pianos which
actually makes Bizet’s musical ideas clearer than the
re-orchestration which was done after his untimely
death only three months after Carmen’s disastrous
premiere. Most of the recitative has been replaced by
dialogue, all in clearly enunciated French sparingly
surtitled by Steven Epps, the company’s associate
director. The result is a show probably closer to
Bizet’s original inspiration than what’s normally
heard at opera houses. It’s a good start to the large
theatre season in town, close to but not over the top
in its inventiveness.
"Carmen" by Georges Bizet, libretto by Meilhac & Halevy
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "The Story" by Tracy Scott
Wilson
Date Mon, Sept 5, 11:01 AM
Quicktake on THE STORY
The center of the action
turns around the conflict between Nydia Calon's
Yvonne, a brash young reporter just hired at a major
urban newspaper, The Daily, and Pat, her boss, the
paper's veteran Black reporter, now in charge of
community news aka Outlook. Nydia Calon, first seen
here last spring in "Tooth & Claw" and Michelle Dowd,
seen in Zeitgeist's "Bee-Luther-Hatchee" and last
season in "Homebody/Kabul" play these parts to the
hilt and could be the whole play. Dowd's role,
incidentally, was originated at NYC's Public Theatre
by Phylicia Raschad. "The Story" however, adopts a
more cinematic approach, bringing in Yvonne's white
lover, Gabriel Field as Jeff, a rich young White
assistant editor on the Metro desk.For balance there's
Pat's protege, Neil, a sharp young Black reporter,
played by IRNE winner, Keedar Whittle. Field also
briefly plays Jeff Dunn, another rich White guy
teaching in an outreach program at an inner-city
school. The play's action is triggered when he's shot
driving at night not far from his school. His pregnant
wife, Jessica, played by Caryn Andrea Lindsey, says
the shooter was a black man.
The plot of course becomes
complicated. Neil immediately thinks "Charles Stuart"
and starts investigating the wife. Pat is worried
about her community's image and assigns Yvonne to
cover the positive activities at local community
centers. Yvonne, who really wants to work on "real
news" for Metro or preferably the National desk, finds
this boring. But she meets Latisha, a bright
youngster, perhaps an image of her earlier self, who
tells her that the killing was done by a member of a
previously unknown girl gang. "Latisha", played by a
Junior at Boston Arts Academy, Chantel Nicole Bibb,
is Yvonne's ticket to promotion as the story becomes
front page news. Predictably, thing unravel, given
the complex personalities involved and the internal
politics, personal and racist, at the paper, resulting
in a dramatic final moment 90 minutes into the play.
Unfortunately, it's not a real conclusion to the
drama. Like too many contemporary scripts, which seem
to be conceived to work for film or TV, "The Story" is
a good first and second act, leaving the audience to
finish the play on the way home.
.
However, Zeitgeist does an
impressive job getting to this moment with simple but
effective in-the-round staging. The cast handles
scenes of overlapping and intercut dialogue with
precision. A three woman ensemble, IRNE winner Kortney
Adams, IRNE nominee, W.Yvonne Murphy, and busy Kaili
Turner, switch between half a dozen minor roles
apiece, once by simple costume changes even
metamorphosing from three community center directors
into three of their teen-age charges onstage. They
could easily step into either of the major roles.
Wilson's cinematic script plays quite well under
Miller's careful direction and tight technical
support. Even without a dramatic conclusion, this
show is well worth seeing.
"The Story" by Tracy Scott Wilson,Sept. 2 - 24
Zeitgeist Stage Co. in BCA Black Box
539 Tremont St., (617) 933- 8600 (BTS)
Zeitgeist Stage
Co.
Date: Sat, 27 Aug 2005 02:20:10 -0400 (EDT)
From: MikeyHammond@aol.com
Subject: Abyssinia - Shubert Theatre
- Michael -
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Abyssinia" by Kociolek &
Racheff
Date:Friday, Aug 26, 12:23 AM
Quicktake on ABYSSINIA
NSMT second "away" show
will be Lerner and Loewe's "Camelot", Sept 20 -Oct. 9,
just before Julie Andrew's production of "The
Boyfriend", the show which brought her to the States,
having its pre-Broadway tryout, Oct.11-23. The old
Schubert, which is looking quite spiffy these days,
hasn't seen this much music in years. NSMT is still
hopeful that they can be back on their own stage by
the first of November for "The Full Monty", in the
buff and in the round. Maybe some new friends from
downtown will be willing to head up to the North Shore
for a grand re-opening.
"Abyssinia" by Ted Kociolek & James Racheff, music, lyrics, and book, Aug 23 - Sept. 11
North Shore Music Theatre at Schubert Theatre
265 Tremont St., Boston / (800) 477-7400
North Shore Music
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Hamlet" by Wm.
Shakespeare
Date: Insert date and time
Quicktake on HAMLET
"Hamlet" by Wm. Shakespeare,Aug. 12 - 21
Theatre Cooperative at Peabody House
277 Broadway, Somerville (617) 625 - 1300
Theatre Coop
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "The Sound of Music" by
Rodgers & Hammerstein
Date: Sat, Aug 13, 12:02 AM
Quicktake on THE SOUND OF MUSIC
It’s the music however that
makes “The Sound of Music.” Jenny Lynn Stewart, a
professional singer with a strong operatic background,
has toured internationally in the role of the Mother
Abbess. Her strong presence lifts the scenes in the
Abbey. She’s ably backed up by Marian Rambelle,
Rachelle Riehl, and Margie Quinlan as Srs. Berthe,
Margaretta, and Sophia, all trained and experienced
singers, who lead an ensemble totalling eighteen in
Rodgers Latin “Preludium” and the wedding
“Processional”. On the musical comedy side, Bob
Freschi, seen here last year in “The Music Man” and
Sylvia Ryne bring an urbane touch to Max and Elsa and
a depth of performance credits. Their sophistication
provides an essential contrast to Maria, especially
along with Davidson in Hammerstein's most Lorenz
Hart-like ditty, “How Can Love Survive?” And to round
out the Von Trapp household, Stan and Aurlie Alger,
Reagle stalwarts play Franz from Captain’s naval days
and Frau Schmidt the housekeeper. Everything’s
well-blended together in the effective revival under
Frank Roberts’ careful direction.
Of course, it’s the kids who
are the center of this show, and Reagle’s rounded up a
charming septet. Tisch student Molly O'Neal is Liesl,
and has a nice moment in the reprise of “Sixteen Going
on Seventeen” singing with Pfisterer. Steven Krueger
and Christian Johansen are the two brothers, Friedrich
and Kurt. Deanna Michelle Foltz is mischievous
Louisa, Charlotte Horan shines as truth-telling
Brigitta, while Claire Dickson and Ashley Learned
Kamal are the two youngest. And under Jennifer Honen's
tutelage, they do become the Trapp Family Singers.
It’s the best family show so
far this summer--the possible exception being NSMT’s
burned-out “Cinderella”--with an effective hired set
spruced up considerably by Matt Rudman, and classic
costumes from Kansas City. Jeffrey P. Leonard gets a
full professional sound out of the pit. Speakeasy’s
Paul S. Katz has the able assistance with the music
direction from Dan Rodriguez, currently completing his
degree at Oberlin College and Conservatory. Fans of
the Hollywood classic should remember not to sing
along, however. Reagle regulars should also plan to
restrain themselves when Kirby and Beverly Ward bring
their Irving Berlin “Say It With Music” revue back the
weekend of Oct. 7-9.
"The Sound of Music" by Rodgers & Hammerstein, Aug
10 - 25
Reagle Players at Robinson Theatre
Waltham HIgh, (781) 891-5600
Reagle
Players
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Hal Harry Henry" adapted
from Wm. Shakespeare
Date: Thursday, July 28, 11:41 PM
Quicktake on HAL HARRY HENRY
This production is headed
for New York, and while the ensemble is energetic,
half the student actors simply aren't ready for prime
time. There's also the conceptual difficulty of having
Angela Aliki Basset play the boy Henry VI. She also
serves a narrative thread, quoting from various texts,
including "Hamlet", "Richard II", and "Midsummer...",
serving as the French Herald, as well as playing
Katherine of France, Henry VI's mother. She's most
successful in the last brief role. The double is too
pat. Cody needs to find a strong youth to play this
role, and could of course have him play Katherine
after the Elizabethan tradition. The reverse really
doesn't work. Richard II, as played by Sheila
Bandyopadhyay, one of the producers, is only slightly
successful. Most of the rest of the cast would be
perfectly fine in a collegiate production, providing
more rigorous attention was paid to their verse
speaking, which is far too colloquial. Only Julia
Niven as Hotspur's wife comes near the mark, as well
as Curt Klump when playing his father.
This historical pastiche
has some merit, but needs some dramaturgical scrutiny.
Since the second half is half the length of the first,
Cody might well want to intimate that the War of Roses
and snarling Dick is what comes next. The conceit that
what the audience is watching is an acting troupe
recounting Henry VI's family's history for the young
prince just isn't well-enough established to frame the
action. As long as "Hamlet" is being stirred into the
mix, Polonius' introduction for the players might be
used, and more Brechtian moments employed as the show
progresses. Right now, the staging is about on the
level of the best of the Globe High School Finals, and
the characterizations would generally get only a
passing grade. Klump might even get a B for
Northumberland, Percy's father, and Ancient Pistol.
"Hal Harry Henry" adapted from Wm. Shakespeare's
histories by Shawn Cody, July 27 - 31
Shakespeare East in Roberts Studio, Calderwood
Pavilion
BCA, 527 Tremont, (617) 933- 8600
Shakespeare
East
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Comedy of Errors" by Wm.
Shakespeare
Date: Thursday, July 28, 2005 8:34 AM
Quicktake on THE COMEDY OF ERRORS
Of course the twins are
instantly mistaken for one another, and indeed, can't
tell their own servants apart Hint: audience members
who might get confused should note their footwear.
The real mixups start when Carolyn Lawton, as Adriana
the wife of Antipholus of Ephesus, drags his brother
into the house because he's late for supper--and
something more. Of course her husband shows up.
Dromio of Syracuse, having been told not to admit
anyone, bars the door, and gets into a shouting match
with his counterpart. The husband storms off, and the
audience soon discovers that the foreign Antipholus is
smitten with Adriana's sister, Luciana, played by Joy
Lamberton. The latter is not about to start fooling
around with her sister's husband, though she's
intrigued. But it's a comedy, everything works out at
the last minute. Egeon gets all his family back--and
his life--his sons each get a sister, and the Dromios
get the last laugh. Director Diego Arciniegas puts the
company through their paces in a sprightly manner.
Half of this cast is also in "Arcadia", which will now
play in weekly rotation with "Comedy of Errors" until
early September. Also the Young Company will be
presenting their version in early August.
"Comedy of Errors" by Wm. Shakespeare, July 21 -
Sept. 10
Publick Theatre in Herter Park
1400 Soldiers Field Rd. Brighton, (617) 782- 5425
Publick
Theatre
From: “will stackman” profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject:
Quicktake - “The Learned Ladies” by Moliere,
translator - Richard Wilbur
Date: Sat, July 23,
9:59 AM
Quicktake on THE LEARNED LADIES
__________________
“The Learned Ladies” by Moliere, July 21 - Aug. 6
Vokes Players at Beatrice Hereford’s Vokes
Theatre
Rt. 20, Wayland, (508) 358 - 2011
Vokes
Players
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "The Syringa Tree" by
Pamela Gien
Date: Thurs, July 21,
Quicktake on THE SYRINGA TREE
"The Syringa Tree" by Pamela Gien, July 15 - Aug.
7
presented by ART at Loeb Theatre
64 Brattle St. Harvard Sq., (617) 547 - 8300
American Repertory
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Pippin " by Stephen
Schwartz & Roger O. Hirson
Date: Thur, July 7, 2005 12:01 AM
Quicktake on PIPPIN - seen in preview
While director James
Tallach has pulled together an effective, mostly
young, ensemble, the two principal's seen in the
preview, Shanna McEachern as the MC of this morality
play, and Russell Peck as its title character, didn't
make enough audience contact to make the action
compelling. Patricia Strauss' choreography, which
echoes the novel moves of the show's original director
Bob Fosse, matches the capabilities of her dancers.
However, this style has become so ingrained in
American Musical Theatre that their use today, even
in a show where they were first showcased, becomes
something of a parody. Perhaps what "Pippin" needs is
not revival, but renovation. TLP's current
production will satisfy those nostalgic for its
period, who remember numbers like "Magic to Do" or
even "Extra-Ordinary." Wayne Ward has done his usual
solid job as music director. Jeff Gardiner's set is
sufficient, if not displayed to its best under TLP's
meager lighting capabilities. Robert Itszack's
costume plot echoes the original medieval circus motif
but doesn't quite come together; some of the painted
clowns seem overdone while the story characters seem
unfinished. All-in-all, a pleasant enough
presentation of a show whose juvenile concerns have
lost much of their relevance, unless sold by extremely
compelling performances.
"Pippin" by Stephen Schwartz & Roger O. Hirson, July
8 - Aug. 14
Turtle Lane Playhouse a
283 Melrose St. Auburndale, (617) 244 - 0169
Turtle Lane
Playhouse
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Arcadia" by Tom
Stoppard
Date: Wed, July 6, 2005 11:26 PM
Quicktake on ARCADIA
Publick Theatre's fine
ensemble casts includes Susanne Nitter as Hannah and
Nigel Gore as Bernard, two feuding academics in the
present. In the past there's Kelly Adair as Thomasina
Coverly, a naive genius, and Lewis Wheeler as Septimus
Hodge, her tutor, a rakish young University man. The
action takes place on her father, Lord Cooms' estate,
where Lady Cooms (Caroline Lawton) has her eye on
Septimus, Septimus is dallying with Mrs. Chater, the
wife of a local poet, who's also of interest to
Milady's brother, dashing Captain Brice (Bill Mootos).
The erstwhile poet, Ezra Chater(Owen Doyle), is
determined to call Septimus out, but is continually
dissuaded by his charm, even though the young rascal
has published a scathing review of Chater's first
book. Meanwhile, eager Rich. Noakes(Gerard Slattery),
a very up-to-date--for 1812--landscape architect, is
busy turning the Arcadian Cooms' landscape into a
Romantic wilderness--complete with a hermitage.
Now back in the present,
Valentine Coverley(Eric Hamel), a University
mathematician has taken to referring to Hannah, some
20 years his senior as his "fiance." Val's hoydenish
sister Chloe(Joy Lamberton) has fallen for Prof.
Bernard, and their pathologically shy younger brother
Gus(Will Ford) won't speak but knows everything that's
going on, and where to find the proof. Will also
plays Augustus, Thomasina's haughty brother, as the
past and the present come together at the end of the
action, where the mysteries of what probably
happened to who become clear, and the audience
finds out what Jellaby the butler (Bill Gardiner) knew
all along. Some characters in the plot never appear
onstage, but the dozen who do are vividly drawn in the
production under Diego Arciniegas' expert
direction.
"Arcadia" runs through Sept.
4th and will be joined in repertory by "The Comedy of
Errors" on July 21st. The unit set for both is an
impressive set of pillars and the great outdoors.
There's plenty of free parking and picnic space right
on the Charles. A bus from Central Sq. stops two
blocks away on Western Ave. Check the website for
details and a schedule of performances.
"Arcadia" by Tom Stoppard", July 1 - Sept. 4 (in
rep starting July 21)
Publick Theatre in Herter Park
1400 Soldiers Field Road, Brighton MA / (617) PUBLICK
Publick
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "DoublePlay" by Lisa Burdick
& Vladimir Zelevinsky
Date: Sat, July 2, 11:05 PM
Quicktake on LAST SCENE, SUIT YOURSELF, SILENCE
Burdick's dialogue "Suit
Yourself" was first directed by Lesley Chapman, who
had John Joyce and Robin Rapoport defusing a bomb. In
the second half, Marc S. Miller had himself observing
Sara Peterson sculpting invisible clay. Equally
inventive directors could have done other versions of
this amusing exercise. Finally, Zelevinsky's
"Silence", a ten minute play, was directed by Wendy
Nystrom with Kevin Groppe and Janelle Mills playing to
actors having the world's briefest backstage romance.
Lisa Burdick had Susan Gross and Dan Liston play the
same brief encounter. Each couple presented the same
action with subtle differences, based as much on their
individual acting styles as the direction.
The next mind-stretching
efforts at the Theatre Coop will be "Theatre
Diversified"--a festival by and about people of
color--on July 22nd and 23rd, followed by Theatre in
the Raw's production of "Hamlet", Aug. 12 - 21, which
will be interesting to compare to the CSC's big show
downtown on the Common which ends earlier in the
month.
And go to the Coop's website to checkout their
interesting offerings for the coming season.
"Double Play" by Lisa Burdick & Vladimir Zelevinsky,
July 1st & 2nd
Theatre Coop at Peabody House Theatre
277 Broadway, Somerville (617) 625 - 1300
Theatre
Cooperative
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Frogz" created by Carol
Triffle & Jerry Mouawad
Date: Thurs, June 23, 9:48 PM
Quicktake on FROGZ
Imago, led by Triffle and
Mouawad, has become a leading physical theatre company
in the past decade. They combine excellent theatrical
dance skills with Le Coq based mime, using unique
costume ideas. Check their website: http://www.imagotheatre.com/frogz.shtml for pictures. There's a video clip
of the Frogz on ART's site listed below. Members of
the company will be back next January to perform
Mouawad's treatment of Sarte's "No Exit", which is
performed on a tilting stage. Their current
production may be easier to fathom, though it's not
without profound moments. So round up some kid and
get on over to the new Zero Arrow St, Theatre, which
is set up as a simple auditorium for this show.
"Frogz" created by Carol Triffle & Jerry Mouawad,
June 21 - July 10
Imago Theatre at Zero Arrow Theatre for the ART
Zero Arrow St., Harvard Sq. (617) 547 - 8300
A.R.T.
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "AMERIKA or The
Disappearance" adapted from an unfinished novel by
Franz Kafka
Date: Wed, June 22, 11:39 PM
Quicktake on AMERIKA
Nathan Keepers, seen last
year in Moliere's"The Miser", ART's first
collaboration with TJL,displays a mastery of physical
comedy as Karl, though the character shows very little
development. TJL co-artistic director, Stephen Epps
has three impressive roles, does the ART's Will Lebow.
Thomas Derrah gets two major shots as does Remo
Airaldi. Most members of the ensemble in fact have
three named roles, and fill in walkons as needed. TJL
stalwart Sarah Agnew serves as Fanny, the narrator,
Karl's almost constant shadow,doing yeoman work in an
unevenly written part, winding up as a singing angel.
Deborah Knox, a ART/MXAT student seen last fall in
"The Provok'd Wife" gets to vamp the hero up to and
including a gratuitous nude scene which should amuse
Harvard's alumni. One senses that this combined
company, given a lot more time to work on the
material, might be able to find some epiphany in its
obscure fantasy. As it stands, the script is longer
than it needs to be, embellished with theatrical
effects that don't really get anywhere. The
constructivist set and video effects credited to the
director are effective from time to time but don't
achieve a coherent design. Sonya Berlovitz' costumes
are just that. Whether or not the production is more
than a gloss for the complex and tormented writing the
script is based on is an obvious question.
"AMERIKA" by Gideon Lester, adapted from Franz
Kafka,Jun.18 - July 10
A.R.T. in Loeb Auditorium
64 Brattle St., Harvard Sq., (617) 547 - 8300
American Repertory
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Pride & Prejudice" by Jane
Austen, adapted by Andrea Kennedy
Date: Tues, June 14, 9:28 AM
Quicktake on PRIDE & PREJUDICE
Ken Loewit’s unit set created more for “Pride’s
Crossing”, which closes this weekend, is perfectly
adequate for this second production. Lucy Dean has
caught the period in the costumes, including those
which must do double and even triple duty as the cast
switches roles. Senior company members Charlotte and
Ed Peed play all the older couples with just enough
distinction between father and mother, aunt and uncle,
and neighbors. Gladys Mattesoian returns as the
formidable Lady Catherine De Brough. Marc Harpin gets
good comic mileage out of the insufferable Reverend
Mr. Collins, who will probably get straightened out
eventually by Angie Jepson’s quiet Charlotte Lucas
Kelly Galvin adds a touch of bravado to the wayward
Lydia, who may also be able to manage her dodgey
catch, the reprobate Lieutenant Geo. Wickham, played
by David Shaw. Melina McGrew is appealing as Jane,
the oldest of the five daughters, who eventually gets
to marry their new rich neighbor, Mr. Bingley, done
with admirable openess by Spencer Christie, despite
Claire George as his haughtty sister, Caroline. Claire
Davis is the third sister Kitty and Lady Caroline
ill-flavored daughter Anne,while Bethany Winkels gets
to be all the servants and a few of the neighbors. So
forget Sir Larry’s version or the Masterpiece Theatre
series, and settle back to get a glimpse of what
Austen had to say about the eternal dance of the sexes
200 years ago.
"Pride & Prejudice" by Jane Austen, adapted by
Andrea Kennedy, June 6 - 25
Wellesley Summer Theatre in Ruth Nagel Jones
Theatre
Alumnae Hall, Wellesley (781) 891 - 1158
Wellesley
Summer Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Pieces of Whitey" by
Patrick Gabridge
Date: Thur, Jun 9, 11:38 PM
Quicktake on PIECES OF WHITEY
"Pieces of Whitey" by Patrick Gabridge,
Rough & Tumble in Rehearsal Hall
BCA Calderwood, 527 Tremont St. (617) 933 - 8600
Rough &
Tumble
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Laughing Wild" by
Christopher Durang
Date:
Quicktake on LAUGHING WILD
Monk's on first with a
monologue which sets up the situation and establishes
that her character's actually certifiably insane.
Durang, in his monologue parodies New Age
quasi-religious activities, notably the Harmonic
Convergence in Central Park. After the intermission,
the two, who've figured in each others monologues, now
enter a shared dream in which she becomes Sally Jessie
Rafael (sic) and he is her interviewee, the Infant of
Prague. Which leads to a discussion of AIDS and the
Catholic Church. Etc.
Durang fans will no doubt
appreciate seeing the man do his own material, which
is clever in small doses.
Those who watched his start at Harvard will have to
make do with remembering "Sister Mary Ignatius..." and
waiting for the current co-chair of the Playwrighting
Program at the Julliard to grow up. Or they can join
the obligatory and occassionally inappropriate
laughter at the Wimberley.
"Laughing Wild" by Christopher Durang, June 3 -
26
Huntington Theatre Co. in Wimberley Theatre
BCA Calderwood, 527 Tremont, (617) 255 - 0800
Huntington
Theatre Co.
Date: Sun, 05 Jun 2005 12:27:19 -0400
From: Ann Carpenter
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "FAME - the Musical" by De
Silva, Fernandez, Levy & Margoshes et al.
Date: Fri, June 3, 8 :53 AM
Quicktake on FAME
On the upside, NSMT's
hardworking young ensemble, which includes a dozen
local kids as unnamed students, really enjoys putting
on a fast-paced show with director/choreographer
Richard Stafford at the helm. Andrew Graham gets
first rate sound from his pit, and several of the
performers, notably Dennis Moench as Schlomo, from
the original NY cast, actually play instruments very
well onstage as part of their roles. Everyone's
enthusiasm is infectious; the result is enjoyable, if
bland. The plot varies from the movie, which indeed
gets scornfully mentioned at times, but the show's is
still a bit of a soap-opera. None of the characters
gets much beyond their stereotypes; all their passion
goes into singing, dancing, and more-or-less acting,
which makes the romance a bit perfunctory. But the
result is a show which stage-struck teens and their
families can take in without trepidation. Being gay
is a casual joke (it's still the '80s), none of the
characters are out, and Lynette Marrero as Carmen
Diaz, the poster child for over-ambition and reckless
living, slips away before the end, only to show up
after the first curtain call for a grande finale
outside the story. She even finally gets to dance on
top of a tiny Yellow Cab. The show is sure to show up
at a high school near you in the next few years.
"FAME" by De Silva, Fernandez, Levy & Margoshes, May
31 - June 19
North Shore Music Theatre
Dunham Woods, Beverly MA / (978 ) 232 - 7200
North Shore Music
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Duplex" by Peter
Fernandez
Date: Sun, May 29, 7:39 PM
Quicktake on DUPLEX
Those who want more new music theatre should
plan to catch "Hollywood Insider" from Bisantz and
Gilbane, the duo who musicalized "Romance 101" for the
"Summer Shorts" at Turtle Lane last year. This 1/2
hour opus concerning the trials of "little" Tommy
Pulsifer, child star, will be part of the Playwrights'
Platform June 9 - 18 Festival at Boston Playwrights',
playing June 16,17 &18. This year's summer new works
program will be back at the Hovey in Waltham in July,
15 thru 23, featuring longer works and a film or two.
Go to the appropriate websites for information;
http://www.playwrightsplatform.org/festival.html OR
http://www.hoveyplayers.com/shows/shorts05.html
"Duplex" by Peter Fernandez, May 27 - June 11
Alarm Clock Theatre in BCA Black Box
539 Tremont, (617) 933 - 8600
Alarm Clock
Theatre Co.
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Unveiling & Audience" by
Václav Havel
Date: Thur, May 26, 11:15 PM
Quicktake on UNVEILING & AUDIENCE
In "Audience", Vanek
meets with his boozy foreman, who insists on pouring a
continuous on-the-job tipple. Tom Moreira skillfully
shows this disappointed low-level manager working up
to the point of this meeting. After offering Vanek a
better job as the warehouse manager, he sloshes around
to the point. The foreman, well into his cups,
offers the playwright the chance to fill out the
weekly reports on the employees, including Vanek
himself, which go to the authorities. Vanek
indignantly refuses as the foreman, but in the coda,
the audience must decide what's next for our hero.
Havel was of course originally referring to the
oppressive secret police in his homeland under the
Soviet occupation, but anyone filled out a CORI form
lately?? Does Homeland Security make you feel
any safer?? The relevant quote on Bunker Hill Avenue
might be, "The price of liberty is eternal vigilance."
Note:The founding fathers didn't mean the government
watching the people, but vice versa.
MTP production values were
neat and clean as usual, with slides used to present
the material possessions of Vanek's friends while the
actors simply sit facing the audience. The brewery
was seen as backlit shadows on the screens used for
the first play. Technical director Duncan McCulloch
has done his job well as usual. Director Steve Rotolo
lets the words and the situation carry the action,
letting his actors find and develop characters,
avoiding showy blocking and excess physicalization.
This sort of honest theatrical effort is another good
reason for finding a way to employ Chicago's
Bailiwick model somewhere here in Boston. One or two
shows a week, running in repertory spread over at
least six weeks, would allow interesting productions
a chance to find an audience.
And just as a reminder,
Charlestown Working Theatre is at the bottom of Bunker
Hill St close to the Somerville line. The building,
an old firehouse complete with cupola is actually only
a short walk from the Sullivan Sq. stop on the Orange
line. Head towards the old Shrafft's building, cross
the highway below the traffic circle, turn right and
head uphill. Wait for the lights! There's a nice
community garden with benches next door if you get
there early. Drivers can find parking by turning left
at the new firehouse before going uphill, reversing
direction carefully a few blocks down, and finding a
spot near the Stove Foundry building about two blocks
from the theatre.
"Unveiling & Audience" by Václav Havel, May 12 -
28
Molasses Tank Productions at Charlestown Working
Theatre
442 Bunker Hill St., Charlestown (617) 242-3285
Molasses Tank
Productions
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Falsettos by William
Finn
Date:Thurs, May 26, 9:01 AM
Quicktake on FALSETTOS
David Korin's simple set
with an adjustable background and a few pieces of
white furniture keeps the focus on the small company;
only five in Act I; two added in Act II. Donald
Holder's lighting adds to the effect for an almost
seamless show. The four piece ensemble in the pit,
with music director Michael Friedman at the piano,
does full justice to Finn's unpretentious score. The
rest of the technical support is equally effective,
keeping the effect of a simple family drama in the
midst of a whirlwind of emotion. This show is easily
the best production at the Huntington this season and
perhaps last as well.
"Falsettos by William Finn, May 20 - June 26
Huntington Theatre Co. at BU Theatre
264 Huntington Ave, (617) 266 - 0800
HTC
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Desire Under The Elms" by
Eugene O'Neill
Date:Thur, May 19, 10:40 PM
Quicktake on DESIRE UNDER THE ELMS
The original production was
set in 1850's Vertmont, though it probably should have
been placed on the colonial shore of Connecticut,
where the Puritan tradition was more firmly embedded.
The patriarch of the Cabot family, Ephraim, is played
by Off-Broadway veteran Raymond Barry. He rises to the
occasion, as did Walter Huston, whose serious New York
career began with this part. His three sons are all
capable A.R.T./MXAT students. Mickey Solis, who had
the title role on "Olly's Prison", plays the youngest,
Eben, whose conflict with his father is the core of
the drama. The action revolves around 76 year old
Ephraim's third wife, Abby Putnam, played somewhat
shrilly by another New York actress, Amelia Campbell,
whose shiny blue dress and modern accent --not to
mention the kneepads above her fashionable boots--set
her too far apart from the rest of the cast. The
prototype for O'Neill's family dramas, most of which
mirrored aspects of his own troubled life, is evident
in this play, but this production, by physicalizing
the action, reduces much of plot to blatant
melodrama.
That glaring interpretation
is reinforced by another extreme Riccardo Hernandez
set. The farmhouse, which O'Neill used to confine the
action, is a flat construct floating over the gravelly
acting area down center on the thrust. Its windows are
illuminated to indicate the room where a scene is
supposed to occur, courtesy of Christopher Akerlind.
And at the end of about two hours non-stop, the
language of the author is reduced to key lines
repeated by the three central members of the cast.
Ephraim proclaims upstage while he works on a stone
wall, Eben down center builds a totemic stone marker
over the grave of his smothered son, and Abby creates
a miniature stone wall around herself to one side. The
auteur director's symbols hold precedence over
O'Neill's rough poetry. This voice became far more
impressive in his later plays, but is deserving of
better here, especially since he began at Harvard
under George Pierce Baker's tutelage.
"Desire Under The Elms" by Eugene O'Neill, May 14 -
June 12
American Repertory Theatre in Loeb Drama Cntr
64 Brattle, Harvard Sq. (617) 547 - 8300
A.R.T.
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "An Evening with Havel" by
Václav Havel
Date: Wed, May 18
PRE take on AN EVENING WITH HAVEL
The evening is directed
by Steve Rotolo; the company consist of Jason Beals,
Lyralen Kaye, Tony Moreira , and Sean Stanco.
Conneiseurs of modern European playwrighting, the sort
with an Absurdist tinge, will want to make their way
over to the bottom of Bunker Hill St. The theatre, in
the first block, is actually a short walk from the
Sullivan Sq. stop on the Orange line. Head for the
old Shrafft's building, walk under the highway, and
head uphill. Wait for the lights! There's a nice
community garden next to the old firehouse if you get
there early.
"Unveiling" & "Audience" by Václav Havel, May 12 -
28
Molasses Tank Productions atCharlestown Working
Theater
Bunker Hill St, Charlestown (???) ???-????
Company Website
Date: Tue, 17 May 2005 13:03:44 -0500
From: "Christian Potts" CPotts@fitzgerald.com
Subject: Quick-take review: "Guys & Dolls" @ Bay Colony Productions, Foxboro Orpheum
Just wanted to write you in hopes you can post this in the "Quick Takes" section…
Christian T. Potts
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Julius Caesar" by Wm.
Shakespeare
Date: Sun, May 15, 10:06 AM
Quicktake on JULIUS CAESAR
The director for ASP this
time is Richard Scanlan, former MIT professor, past
president of the Poet's Theatre, one time literary
manager for the ART and its Institute, currently a
member of the Harvard English Department. Brutus is ction "Measure for Measure". Benjamin Evett, the
company's founder takes on Cassius. These two
experienced players, who survived playing MacDuff and
Banquo respectively for CSC on the Common, are the
core of this ensemble production. The title role is
taken by Greg Steres who played sickly Edw. IV in last
fall's inaugural effort, "Rich. III" directed by
Evett, while Calpurnia is done by Jennie Israel who
was Lady M. on the Common. The pivotal role of Marc
Antony is interestingly interpreted by IRNE winner
Dorian Christian Baucum who trained with Shakespeare &
Co. Marya Lowry, who appeared last fall as Buckingham
and was the Chorus in "Henry V" on the Common plays
Brutus' wife Portia. Lowry doubles as well a tribune
in the opening scene and as a general in Acts IV and
V. Israel also doubles as various roles, including
Pindarus, the Greek slave who helps Cassius commit
suicide. Bobbie Steinbach, who played the Queen Mother
last fall, is the other tribune in the first scene
then morphs into a slightly comic interpretation of
old Casca, one of the conspirators. She also doubles
in various smaller roles.
Gus Kelley, who's been busy
for Shakespeare Now!, is part of the crowd until he
shows up as Octavius Caesar at the very end of the
first half. The ensemble includes David Evett, back to
do cameos as senators Cicero and Publius, the
Triumvir Lepidus, and several soldiers in the end.
Owen Doyle, with a slight resemblance to the Bard
backchats with the tribunes in the opening, is ominous
as the Soothsayer and Artemidorus, and has other named
roles. Young Khalil Fleming, done playing Jack for the
Wheelock Family Theatre, is Brutus' boy servant
Lucius. Bill Barclay, Tony Berg, and Andrew Winson
are conspirators, tradesman, soldiers, do various live
sound effects, and help keep the show flowing up and
down the aisles. The action is well-paced and energy
is maintained. Incidentally, Scanlan's next project is
directing Claire Bloom and John Neville in a staged
reading of ''Venus and Adonis" at N.Y's famous 92d
Street Y. His revival of the Roman Play here takes
slightly over two hours. Shows begin at 7:30
evenings, Wed. through Sun. (no show May 18th) with a
Sun. matinee at 3.
"Julius Caesar" by Wm. Shakespeare, May 12 - June
5
Actors' Shakespeare Project at Durrell Hall
Ca mb YMCA, 820 Mass. Ave. Ca mb, (866) 811 - 4111
(TheatreMania)
Actors'
Shakespeare Project
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Shakespeare in Hollywood"
by Ken Ludwig
Date: Sun, May 8, 9:08 PM
Quicktake on SHAKESPEARE IN HOLLYWOOD
Lyric's first rate cast is
very likable, with Christopher Chew revealing his
Shakespearean side as Oberon and Ilyse Robbins
joyfully cavorting as Puck. These two spirits have
somehow wound up on the set of Max Reinhardt's 1935
Hollywood production of "A Midsummer Nights' Dream"
Ken Baltin plays that famous regisseur, who's written
as a likable Austiran emigre instead of the theatrical
tyrant MR is reported to have been. Actor/director
Peter Carey is everyone's nemisis as censor Will Hays
and predictably hilarious, while Robert Saoud slips
easily into lowbrow movie mogul Jack Warner.
Caroline deLimavamps away as Jack's dumb blonde
mistress Lydia Lansing, a talentless starlet who was
actually cast in the film as Helena. Elizabeth Hayes
plays her opposite, Olivia Darnell--read
DeHavilland--whose simple charm attracts Oberon.
Olivia however winds up with the films titular star,
Dick Powell, played by Ben Lambert, whose major
credits are Shakespearean. As Pyramus and Thisbe--aka
Bottom and Flute--former vaudevillians Jimmy Cagney
and Joe E. Brown are sketched with ease by Bob De
Vivo, last seen in Metro's "Assassins" and David
Kriniit from last season's "Noises Off". Gabriel
Field, from BCM's Kidstage, is Warner's yes man
Darryl, while sketch comedienne Margaret Ann Brady
gets into Louella Parsons with relish and some great
outfits. Most of the cast have appeared for the Lyric
before; all seem to be having a great time doing
farce. Unlike "Moon Over Buffalo", this Ludwig may
move on the college productions--it's been on some
regional stages--but is unlikely to make to Broadway.
New Jersey or Connecticut are possible. Ludwig's
biggest hit, the reworked musical "Crazy for You", is
opening Reagle's season this summer in Waltham, though
"Lend Me a Tenor" continues to be his signature farce.
With a touch of screwball comedy, "Shakespeare in
Hollywood" makes a pleasant enough two hours in
Tinseltown.
"Shakespeare in Hollywood" by Ken Ludwig, May
Lyric Stage Co. at Copley Sq. YWCA
140 Clarendon St., Boston (617) 437 - 7172
Lyric Stage
Co.
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Looking for Normal" by Jane
Anderson
Date: Sat, May 7, 9:48 AM
Quicktake on LOOKING FOR NORMAL
This script, as well written
as individual scenes are, gives the slight impression
of having been assembled from a list of specific
themes the author wished to include in her exploration
of the conflict between what responsibilities people
have to their children versus those to themselves.
"Looking for Normal" probably should have been a
novel. But Hovey does a good job of presenting the
material, even when things become melodramatic.
Director Aguillon has tried to achieve a dramatic arc
for material which is essentially discursive, which
makes the show interesting if not ultimately
compelling. The play does suit the talents employed
and just fits into Abbott theatre's basic set. It has
more substance that many youth-oriented navel-gazing
shows passing across stages these days. Incidentally,
Hovey's winter success "Five Women Wearing the Same
Dress", Alan Ball's wedding comedy about the
bridesmaids, is being remounted for the EMACT
competition, Sat. May 28 on the Babson College stage
in Wellesley.
"Looking for Normal" by Jane Anderson, May 6 - 21
Hovey Players in Abbott Theatre
9 Spring St.
Waltham, (781) 893 - 9171
Hovey
Players
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Damn Yankees" by Abbott &
Wallop, Adler & Ross
Date: Sun, May 1, 9:26 AM
Quicktake on DAMN YANKEES
No doubt the Turtle Lane
company has fond memories of their earlier production,
and this time round at least one of the casts is
headed by Chuck Walsh as Joe Boyd, the middle-aged
realtor who gets to by young Joe Hardy, played by
Charlie Walsh, Chuck's son. Mrs. Boyd is played by
his mother, Susan Walsh. Unfortunately, the show
hasn't aged as well as the Walshes. The sentimental
plot doesn't get leavened by the presence of Applegate
and Lola, the witch he brings in to seduce young Joe,
who's pining for his old girl. Walston and Vernon
were originals; Eric Gordinas and Margo Pyne are
talented, but hardly in the same league. The music is
full of Tin Pan Alley clatter, and sometimes just
hung on the story. "You Gotta Have Heart", "A LIttle
Brains, A Little Talent", "Whatever Lola Wants", and
"Two Lost Souls" are still memorable, but only the
first really plays as part of the show. A fifth
number, a mambo parody, "Who's Got the Pain" has
mercifully been almost forgotten. The second dancer
in the show, Gloria the intrepid girl sports reporter,
played by Carla Van Meter who did Charity several
seasons ago, gets "Shoeless Joe from Hannibal Mo" in
the middle of the first act, then has to get through
the rest of the show helping to keep the plot, what
there is of it, afloat.
The tempo of this
production is a bit leisurely, which doesn't work for
anything but the baseball players' choral numbers.
Jeff Gardiner's sets and lights are acceptable, but
don't have enough pizazz to pick things up. Similarly
Robert Itczak's costumes vaguely recall the '50s, but
only Applegate's approach the snazziness such weak
material requires. Turtle Lane fans won't be
disappointed, but director Elaina Vrattos needed to
find something new to bring this warhorse back out of
the barn to compete with current musical theatre.
"Damn Yankees" by Abbott & Wallop, Adler & Ross,
Apr. 29 - June 5
Turtle Lane Playhouse
283 Melrose St. Auburndale MA, (617) 244 - 0169
Turtle Lane
Playhouse
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Tooth and Claw" by Michael
Hollinger
Date:Mon, May 2, 9:18 AM
Quicktake on TOOTH AND CLAW
The scientific concerns of the play center around
retired naturalist Malcolm Neary, played by Ed Peed
with a touch of Attenborough, and young tortoise
specialist "Doctora" Schuyler Baines, the daughter of
an old friend of his, played by newcomer Lisa Morse.
She's had extensive regional and NY experience and
will be featured in Stoneham's June revival of
Christie's "The Mousetrap." Peed was seen in
Zeitgeist's "Bee Luther Hachee" by another
Philadelphia playwright, and is a regular with the
Wellesley Summer Theatre. Each of these scientists
has their own worldview based on the traditions of
Darwin and something more.
The staff of the research station where the action
occurs is led by Dr. Carlos Zavata, played by Luis
Negron who just finished "Living Out" at the Lyric and
was seen last season in "Our Lady of 121st St." Nydia
Calon has returned to Boston to play Ana Ortega, the
staff secretary as has Juan Luis Acevedo. a Brandeis
MFA has who plays Gonzalo Reyes, chief technician at
the Darwin Research Station. The script mixes English
and Spanish dialogue, including Schuyler's attempts
to learn the language on the job. The chorus of
fisherman includes Christopher Barnard, Diego Estevan
Ribeiro, Alejandro Simoes, Amar Srivastava, and Xavier
Torres. Torres also plays a park ranger while Ribeiro
doubles as Mendoza, a local firebrand politician. The
others play tour guides and locals.
While this script is a lot wider than it's deep and
occasionally drifts toward melodrama,"Tooth and Claw"
does offer a range of perspectives, from Dr. Seuss's
"One Fish, Two Fish..." as a simple description of
evolution to questions of parenthood and touches of
classical poetry. The title after all comes from
Tennyson's "In Memoriam". Director/designer David
Miller has set the show's numerous scenes abstractly
in the round, featuring a map of the islands painted
by Jenna Howland on the floor and entrances
ingeniously created on all four sides. Jeff Adelberg's
effective lighting and costumes from Tracy Campbell,
who recently evoked the '30s in the Dustbowl for
TheatreZone's "Grapes of Wrath",add to the tropical
setting. There's live music from the cast and good
sound effects by Walter Eduardo. All in all, a solid
presentation of an interesting drama with an earnest
mix of sentiment and scientific concern.
"Tooth and Claw" by Michael Hollinger,Apr 29 - May
21
Zeitgeist Stage Company in Plaza Black Box
BCA, 539 Tremont (617) 933-8600
Zeitgeist
Stage Co.
Date: Sun, 01 May 2005 14:37:37 -0500
From: Susan Daniels susandaniels@earthlink.com
Subject: THIS IS A WINNER!
Hi IRNE people,
Saw the new musical "You Never Know" at Trinity Rep in Providence
last night, and it was wonderful. I sat with a smile on my face for 2
1/2 hours. It's there till 5/22. Go, go . . . and bring your friends.
Cheers,
Susan
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Into the Woods" by Stephen
Sondheim & James Lapine
Date: Sat, Apr 30, 12:18 AM
Quicktake on INTO THE WOODS
Everyone sets of "into the
woods". By a tree she planted, Cinderella magically
receives a ball gown and golden slippers from her
mother's spirit, sung by reliable Naomi Gurt Lind. The
Baker and his wife search for "the cow as white as
mild, the cloak as red as blood, the hair as yellow as
corn, the slipper as pure as gold" which the Witch has
demanded to lift the curse. Jack sells Milky White for
five of the six beans the Baker has in the pocket of
the coat he inherited from his long lost father.
Little Red meets up with the Wolf, played by Todd Alan
Johnson in his third New Rep show, and after her
inevitable ingestion is rescued by the Baker who
eviscerates the Wolf, releasing her Granny doubled by
Lind as well. Journeying to the tower in the woods,
the Witch visits Rapunzel, sung by NEC grad Hayley
Thompson-King, and doesn't notice tenor Andrew
Giordano, her princely suitor, lurking nearby. Just
before the first of three midnights, Cinderella in her
new clothes races home through the woods pursued by
Prince Charming, doubled by versatile Johnson. And
we're only halfway through the first act. The second
act concentrates on the consequences of the
resolution of these various tales, particularly the
death of the Giant.
While there are two dozen
numbers in the program, "Into the Woods" is actually a
complicated set of recurring motifs and reprises, with
only a few unrepeated songs, all woven into a lush
musical tapestry. A crack ensemble, prepared by Todd
C. Gordon, who was unable to conduct the opening, was
deftly handled by associate music director, Steven
Bergman at the main keyboard, with Timothy Evans or
Josh Finstein taking his place on the second. The
various locales for the intertwined stories were
ingeniously achieved by Peter Colao on the New Rep's
intimate stage by three storybooks which open to
reveal various pop-up settings, plus some sliding
profile trees and a woodland scrim. IRNE winner
Franklin Meissner Jr. does his usual lighting magic
under limiting conditions, and Nancy Leary from the
B.U.Theatre Department provides detailed fairy tale
garb for the sixteen member ensemble. The New Rep's
production of this complex music drama is a fitting
climax to their tenure in Newton Highlands, and
perhaps a promise of things to come next season at
their new home at the Arsenal Center for the Arts.
They open with "Romeo and Juliet" in September, and
close with "Ragtime" in May 2006. "Bon voyage"
"Into the Woods" by Stephen Sondheim & James Lapine,
Apr. 27 - May 29
New Repertory Theatre
54 Lincoln St, Newton Highlands, (617) 332 - 1646
New Repertory
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Thoroughly Modern Millie"
by Richard Morris, Dick Scanlan, & Jeanine Tesori
Date:Thurs, Apr 28,11:52 PM
Quicktake on THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE
Barry Ivan, an old NSMT hand
gets the choreography and stage direction just right
most of the time, though the window ledge scene could
work better if the setting were reconceived for this
important number. Energetic Milena Govich in the
title role, and tenor Ryan Silverman as her true love
Jimmy are definitely bright young things, while local
favorites, Beth McVey as the villain Mrs, Meers and
Becky Barta as Miss Flanagan, the office manager, make
the most of their comic roles. The most successful
parody however is when Amanda Serkasevich, seen as
Guido's "Muse" in NSMT's "Nine" and Richard Roland, as
Miss Dorothy and Trevor, Millie's boss, burst into a
Victor Herbert number to indicate love at first sight.
This is a show that celebrates the inane pleasures of
musical comedy, where the plot doesn't really have to
make sense as long as the lead couple winds up
together and musical numbers make up for shortcomings
in the dialogue, less than plausible portions of the
story line, or potentially embarrassing stereotypes.
It would be hard to rewrite to inject any sort of
significance into these goings on, which are also
suitable for all ages, but not the cynical.
"Thoroughly Modern Millie" by Richard Morris, Dick
Scanlan, & Jeanine Tesori, Apr. 26 - May 15
North Shore Music Theatre at Dunham Woods
Beverley MA, (978) 232 - 7200
North Shore Music
Theatre
Date: Fri, 15 Apr 2005 21:09:53 +0000
From: "Carl Rossi" carossi54@hotmail.com
Subject: My review of MY PRICE POINT (Theatre Offensive, Boston, MA)
If you are a thirtysomething, Mike Albo’s performance-piece MY PRICE POINT may well have you in stitches; others may find Mr. Albo’s take on pop culture, materialism and trendsetting to be little more than safe, predictable cattiness (what is fresh to the young is stale to their elders) --- if Mr. Albo means to satirize America’s trashiness, he ends up celebrating it, instead. MY PRICE POINT dissolves instantly on contact --- as with last season’s LAST SUNDAY IN JUNE, I cannot quote a single line for you --- and what remains is Mr. Albo himself, good-looking in a scruffy sort of way, and hyper as a child craving attention and doing everything he can to get it; Jeremy Chernick’s setting, which consists of numerous pairs of footwear attached to strands of red yarn stretching up into the flies, is as arresting as Mr. Albo’s humor is arrested.
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Violet", book & lyrics Brian
Crawley, music Jeanine Tesori
Date:Sun, Apr10, 9:34 PM
Quicktake on VIOLET
On her quest for physical
salvation, Violet meets two soldiers, Flick a black
career sergeant, played by Samuel Martinborough, and
Monty, a green corporal played by Jason Beals. A
complicated relationship ensues as the trio journeys
together, played out in song. Musically, the show is
an interesting blend of period pop, country, and
gospel, well handled by Markus Hauck and his ensemble,
with Dee Crawford at the head of the choir. The
setting by Catherine Helmansky et al. involves a bit
too much shifting of furniture but is generally
effective, with photographic scenography on rotating
back elements. Historic Eliot Hall presents minor
acoustic problems which might be compensated for by
some discrete area miking and suppressing the drumkit.
The cast of 19 puts on a moving and poignant show,
however, which gets into the soul of the period.
"Violet", book & lyrics Brian Crawley, music Jeanine
Tesori , Apr. 1 - 16
Footlight Club in Eliot Hall
7A Eliot, Jamaica Plain, (617) 524 - 6506
Footlight Club
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "The Beanstalk, the Giant and
Jack" by Anthony Hancock & Susan Kosoff
Date: Sat, Apr 9, 8:18 PM
Quicktake on THE BEANSTALK, THE GIANT AND JACK
This isn't "barebones" kids
theatre, of course, with veteran director James P.
Bryne at the helm and designing the set, and John. R.
Malinowski doing the lighting, which of course
includes the aisles. Bright costumes by Marian Piro,
masks by Janet Meyers except for the Giant Heads which
were created by the late Tony Hancock, and sound
effects either live by Jane and her cohort or from
Andy Aldous' sound design round out the show, which
includes several original songs choreographed hither
thither and yon by Laurel Stachowicz. And there's no
product placement as can be found in the over-priced
traveling shows that zip into downtown. Even the
refreshments are reasonable.
"The Beanstalk, the Giant and Jack" by Anthony
Hancock & Susan Kosoff, Apr. 8 - May 8
Wheelock Family Theatre
200 The Riverway Boston, (617) 879 - 2300
Wheelock Family
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Olly's Prison" by Edward
Bond
Date: Wed, Apr 6, 11:29 PM
Quicktake on OLLY'S PRISON
Like "Gagarin Way" which
Sugan is presenting down at the BCA, this show is not
for the faint-hearted. And since it's not anywhere as
funny and about an hour longer, it's not for the
easily bored either. Perhaps British audiences can
still revel in workingclass angst, especially those
who still believe in socialism. Bond seems to have
turned from an angry young man with an ear for poetry
to a sour old sod with little belief in character
development. Fortunately, this experienced cast
supplies enough to bring their roles to life. For
someone interested in social change, the nihilism Bond
presents here makes anything short of bloody
revolution seem unlikely, especially since his plot
seems to have been inspired by Buchner, informed by
Ionesco, and infiltrated by Pinter. Only a few
Beckett-like moments provide any clarity for these
poor souls trying to communicate with themselves by
endlessly talking.
"Olly's Prison" by Edward Bond, Apr. 1 - 24
A.R.T at Zero Arrow
Mass. Ave & Arrow St. Harvard Sq., (617) 547 - 8300
A.R.T.
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Gagarin Way" by Gregory
Burke
Date: Sat, Apr 2, 11:30 PM
Quicktake on GAGARIN WAY
Sugan veteran Ciaran
Crawford is compelling as Eddie, a loose cannon with
an interesting take on Sarte and Genet and crime.
Comedian Rick Park is a looming presence as Gary, a
radical worker with anarchist tendencies, and
relatives who run drugs. Rodney Rafferty, seen last as
a Xmas elf at TheatreZone, is their comic foil as a
hapless University educated security guard, caught up
in their violent political action. Newcomer Dafydd
Rees is the salaryman from Surrey, whose kidnapping is
the center of the action. Stooge-like farce
degenerates into ultra-violence as Burke mixes modern
philosophy, political theory, and obscene slang to
suggest the deterioration of all four lives. Not a
show for the faint-hearted or the lazy listener, but
another serious addition to the spectrum of Sugan's
firsts in Boston. It also marks the return of Brendan
Hughes from his MFA sojourn to Yale with rigorous
direction on a realistic set by fellow Yalie Sandra
Goldmark. The clock even works.
"Gagarin Way" by Gregory Burke , Apr. 1 - 23
Sugan Theatre Co. in Roberts Studio
BCA Calderwood, 527 Tremont - (617) 933 - 8600
Sugan Theatre Co.
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Den of Thieves" by Stephen
Adly Guirgis
Date: Fri, Apr 1, 10:59 PM
Quicktake on DEN OF THIEVES
This time however the
plot is more complicated and the roles more
stereotyped, with quirks piled upon quirks. There's a
cartoon-like quality to the whole affair. Company
One's cast, while each sufficient in their own
efforts, doesn't seem to be all in the same strip.
Nicole Parker as Maggie, the heroine, has the
additional problem of playing a depressed kleptomaniac
while Mason Sand as her ex-boyfriend Flaco is a hyper
coke-head. The two never really get a chance to
connect. Keith Mascoll as Paul, who's addicted to
recovery programs for all his addictions, has too much
on his plate to find a center or Maggie. And Molly
Kimmerling is Flaco's current girlfriend, Boochie, a
stripper who's completely into her own caricature.
These roles seem to have been created as specific
acting problems, then pasted into a farcical thriller
involving three equally improbable mobsters. Tony Berg
is Sal, a stone killer who cooks. James Milord is
Little Tuna, the confused son of the Big Tuna,
Kenneth McFadden, who shows up as in a classic farce
at the end.
The results are
sporadically entertaining, but the characters and
their situations are less believable than average TV
fare. The high point of the production is sound
designer Mike Feld's live percussion solos on junk
instruments used to cover the scene change in the
middle of this 90 minute comedy. Company One works
hard to find a center for the conflicts dumped into
this script, but there's no through line of action.
Guirgis' latest, a joint production of LABrynth and
the NY Public Theatre, "The Last Days of Judas
Iscariot" is currently running in NY. "Den of Thieves"
will probably show up as a HRST project in the next
few years.
"Den of Thieves" by Stephen Adly Guirgis, Mar 31 -
Apr. 23
Company One in Plaza Black Box
BCA, 539 Tremont St., (617) 933 - 8600
Company One
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Assassins" by Stephen
Sondheim & John Weidman
Date:Wed. Mar 30, 11:32 PM
Quicktake on ASSASSINS (Press Preview)
Historical Durrell Hall on
the Cambridge YMCA's second floor makes an interesting
venue for this alarmingly funny look at the American
president as a target. The cast also includes Corey
Jackson as dispeptic Guiseppe Zangara who shot at
F.D.R. and Chris Moleski as schizophrenic Samuel Byck
who planned to crash into the Nixon White House. Erin
Tchoukeff and Jaclyn Campbell are Lynette "Squeaky"
Fromme and Sara Jane Moore, Charles Manson's two
followers who shot at Gerald Ford.. John Dupuis is a
sad-sack John Hinckley who almost got Reagan. In the
sombre conclusion David Janett ends the show as Lee
Harvey Oswald. The two structural characters, the
Proprietor of the shooting gallery, played by Ari
Vigoda who recently played Einstein in "Picasso" at
the Lapin Agile" and the Balladeer, done by David
Sharrocks, are well cast. The ensemble includes Deb
Poppel, who has a brief cameo as Emma Goldman, plus
Kristen Huberdeau, Will Morningstar, and Natasha
Warloe. If nothing else, this show is a reminder of
just how gun-crazy American society has been.
"Assassins" by Stephen Sondheim & John Weidman,Apr.
1 - 9
Metro Stage Co. at Durrell Hall, Camb. YMCA
820 Mass. Ave. Central Sq., (617) 524 - 5013
Metro Stage
Co.
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - ?Living Out" by Lisa
Loomer
Date: Sun, Mar 27, 6:34 PM
Quicktake on LIVING OUT
The rest of the cast, Jen Alison Lewis and Lisa
Tucker as two mothers Ana seeks work from first, plus
Nelida Torres-Colon and Elaine D. Theodore as the
women they hired instead, round out the play and
provide comic relief when needed. The play is fraught
with drama as Ana's life unfolds, and a handkerechief
or two may be called for by the end. Jane
Hillier-Walkowiak's costumes are realistic with nice
touches. Eleanor Moore's lighting is fluid enough to
follow the action. Dewey Dellay provides a soundscape
with appropriate baby sounds, atmospherics, and music.
The only thing missing is the jets which add to the
uproar almost anywhere in the L.A. While the play is
set there, working couples across the country in any
city with a population of recent immigrants will
relate. Basically, this is a play about something
worth thinking about.
"Living Out" by Lisa Loomer, Mar. 25 - April 23
Lyric Stage Co. at Copley Sq. YWCA
140 Clarendon St. , Boston (617) 437 - 7172
Lyric Stage
Co.
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Culture Clash in AmeriCCa"
by Richard Montoya, Ric Salinas, and Herbert
Siguenza
Date: Wed, Mar 23, 11:08 AM
Quicktake on CULTURE CLASH IN AMERICCA
As they say,"Culture Clash
in Americca" run started before St. Patrick's Day and
goes through Cinqo de Mayo, so there should be some
tickets sometime. CC is alternately
though-provoking, moving, but mostly hilarious. Be
there or be square.
"Culture Clash in AmeriCCa" by Richard Montoya, Ric
Salinas, and Herbert Siguenza by,Mar. 18 - May 8
presented by Huntington Theatre Co. at Wimberly Thtr,
Calderwood Pavilion,
BCA, 527 Tremont, (617) 266 - 0800
HTC
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "39 Views" by Naomi Iizuka
Date: Thurs, March 17, 12:15 AM
Quicktake on 39 VIEWS
V Craig Heidenreich seems born to play the
charming and unscrupulous oriental art dealer, Darius Wheeler, from
the first words of his opening monologue while Christina Toy Johnson
is being unburdened from layer after layer of kimino upstage behind
one of the handsome transparent sliding screens in Adam Stockhausen's
efficient and handsome set. Johnson, seen at the Huntington in
"Sisters Matsumoto", plays Sersuko Hearn, a young Japanese art expert
who fall briefly for Wheeler. One wonders if the outcome of the play
has some personal significance for the author. However, Jane Cho, who
plays Claire Tsong, an art restorer with a secret employed by
Wheeler, is the pivotal character of the piece, responsible for more
than one plot twist. Cho was seen at the Huntington in "Journey to
the West". All three keep the show interesting even through a few
daytime TV moments.
Only occasionally is the play swamped by all
the first-rate production accouterments, including three kurogo in
traditional Kabuki stagehand garb complete with hoods. Some set
changes seem to be merely for effect as in the climax. So does the
use of the wooden clapper to emphasize dramatic moments. The
difference between this Western interpretation and the traditional
Japanese stage is that the musicians are visible and integral to the
action. When the bamboo flute plays to heighten the drama, the
musician is accompanying the performer. It would be interesting to
take this script a step further and perform"39 Views" using the Kabuki
runways into the audience as well. The action currently sometimes get
lost in Stockhausen's spacious decor on the Huntington's proscenium
stage.
"39 Views" by Naomi Iizuka, March 11 - April 10
Huntington Theatre Co. at BU Theatre
264 Huntington Ave. (617) 266 - 0800
HTC
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "The Fall of the House of
Usher" by Jack Neary
Date: Sat, Mar. 12, 2005 11:00 AM
Quicktake on THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER
Hovey, as usual, does a
thorough jobfor this production, given their theatre's
limitations. Director John MacKenzie uses the space
effectively, particularly in situations where the
playwright has characters move directly from the
decaying Usher mansion to the police station and back
again. Michelle Boll has supplied a well-finished set
which IRNE winner MacKenzie lights as well as
possible. The young ensemble performs smartly, though
most are a bit young for their parts. The show would
benefit from some gravitas and a stronger sense of the
fantastic. As one of the inventors of the detective
thriller, Poe might be amused by what's been made of
his Hawthornean mood piece. Neary's script is about to
be published by Baker's. It will be interesting to
see what other groups in different venues do with it.
Hovey would well to find additional performance space
for such future efforts, though earlier in the season,
"Scotland Road" and "Five Women Wearing the Same
Dress", did well enough in this cramped space.
"The Fall of the House of Usher" by Jack Neary, Mar.
11 -26
Hovey Players at Abbott Theatre
9 Spring St. Waltham, MA (781) 893 - 9171
Hovey
Players
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Dido, Queen of Carthage" by
Christopher Marlowe
Date: Wed, March 9, 11:02 PM
Quicktake on DIDO, QUEEN OF CARTHAGE (1585)
On the negative side, Remo
Airaldi and Thomas Derrah in drag give overly
entertaining performances as Dido's Nurse and Juno,
Queen of the Gods. Whatever point these characters
might have made is dissipated, though Derrah's movie
star impersonation is a hoot, however irrelevant.
Saundra McLain's Venus makes the goddess a streetwise
black beauty, whose attitudes don't always jibe with
the author's intent. The star of the show is Venus'
son Cupid, played by John Kelly, "the New York
performance artist, singer, dancer, and drag queen",
functioning as something of a stage manager to the
action. His almost constant and quite striking
presence, standing in for the author and the director,
makes the somewhat arbitrary narrative derived from
the first third of Vergil's "Aeneid" more acceptable.
Indeed this production would be more consistent if
there was a physical presence of the rest of the gods
throughout, even if these deities were silent. This
would at least give Will LeBow as Jupiter something
more to do after the first scene, and possibly make
Juno's scheming plausible, especially if Sam Chase's
hunky Hermes had more than two brief appearances.
It's not likely that this
classic will be done again by so vocally competent a
company hereabouts any time soon. Rae Smith's design
concepts, modern dress with classical trimming and
lots of negative space, are effective though hardly
surprising, but Laura Jeppesen's consort of viols
playing music adapted from the period is a real bonus.
Caveat emptor and the show runs over two hours with
no intermission, even though the production plan has
an obvious break after Act III.
"Dido, Queen of Carthage" by Christopher Marlowe,
Mar. 5 - 26
American Repertory Theatre on Loeb Mainstage
64 Brattle, Harvard Sq., (617) 547 - 8300
American Repertory
Theatre
----
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Anna in the Tropics" by
Nilo Cruz
Date: Sun, Mar 6, 8:49 PM
Quicktake on ANNA IN THE TROPICS
Jaques, director of INTAR New
Works Lab in NYC, moves the show along briskly,
getting solid performances from the ensemble, which
adopts Cruz's cadences without much of an accent.
They are after all actually supposed to be speaking
Spanish. Susan Zeeman Rogers has created a wide
frieze set allowing the action to flow naturally.
Amanda Mujica's costumes catch the period and J.
Hagenbuckle has assembled authentic music to move from
scene to scene. As usual Speakeasy gives the show a
first class production, retaining the intimacy of
previous profuctions next door in the BCA Plaza, while
taking advantage of tighter focus which the more
spacious Roberts Studio allows. The audience needs to
be drawn into this show, which may explain its short
run in a big Broadway house last season.
"Anna in the Tropics" by Nilo Cruz, Mar.4 - 26
Speakeasy Stage in Roberts Studio, Calderwood
Pavilion
BCA, 527 Tremont, (617) 933 - 8600
Speakeasy
Stage
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Fortinbras" by Lee
Blessing
Date: Sat, March 5,12:43 PM
Quicktake on FORTINBRAS
For those who've not yet
discoverd the Vokes Theatre, this historical gem is
right on US #20 in Wayland, a short drive off RT #128
west of Waltham. There's plenty of well-plowed
parking for this jewel box theatre. Reservations are
more or less mandatory as most nights sell out.
"Fortinbras" by Lee Blessing, Mar. 3 - 19
Vokes Players at Beatrice Hereford's Vokes
Theatre
US #20 Wayland MA, (508) 358-4034
Vokes
Players
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Homebody/Kabul" by Tony
Kushner
Date: Sun. Feb. 27, 6:50 pm
Quicktake on HOMEBODY/KABUL
Bill Molnar gives a sufficiently complex
performance as her communication engineer father,
Milton. Both are seduced in different ways by
Nathaniel McIntyre’s drug-using expat Chango
Twistleton. PBS fans of Wodehouse will get the joke
there faster. Michele Dowd is imposing as Mahala
(which means woman and implies tenderness), an
upper-class Afghani who used to be a librarian. John
Sarrouf truly looks and sounds the part of
multilingual Afghani guide as he plays a central role
in Pricilla’s discovery of what might have happened to
her mother in Kabul. Sujoy De, Paul Giragos, and Amar
Srivastava all handle their lines in several Afghan
languages with aplomb, and act their parts with
conviction.Nancy Lynn Leary’s costumes, with Amy
Wright’s assistance help make it all believable. BTW
has once again demonstrated their ability to turn out
a first class productions using local talent and
energy. The work Kushner has done on the script has
reduced the amount of indulgent language and made the
storyline a bit clearer, even if it still has a slight
Arabian Nights flavor, and no real conclusion. And at
the current political juncture it still seems
prescient and not a little frightening.
"Homebody/Kabul" by Tony Kushner, Feb 24 - Mar 19
Boston Theatre Works at BCA Plaza Theatre
527 Tremont, (617) 933-8600
Boston
Theatre Works
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Topdog/Underdog" by
Suzan-Lori Parks
Date: Sat, Feb 27, 8:33 PM
Quicktake on TOPDOG/UNDERDOG
"Topdog/Underdog" by Suzan-Lori Parks, Feb. 23 - Mar.
27
Alliance Theatre, Atlanta & Trinity Rep at New
Repertory Theatre
64 Lincoln St., Newton Highlands (617) 332 - 1646
New Repertory
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Red Herring" by Michael
Hollinger
Date: Sun, Feb 20, 10:52 PM
Quicktake on RED HERRING
The rest of this experienced
cast is almost as versatile, wringing most of the
humor out of this rather pointless script. Hollinger
spends too much time exploiting the tropes of the
genre and complicating the plot to do much else.
Allison Clear as Joe McCarthy's daughter, a Radcliffe
girl engaged to a young Harvard physicist, and Marc
Harpin as Jewish All-American boy spying for the
Soviets (so that neither side will have a monopoly on
the big one), make a appealing naive couple.
Comedienne Leslie Dillen is the widow of the corpse
and having affair with one of her tenants, Andrei the
fisherman. She and Snee play well off each other, but
are funniest in alternate roles as the dominating
owner of a wedding dress boutique and her mousy third
husband. The whole effort however is as
inconsequential as a pulp novel found in a library
book exchange, read on a long flight, and left behind
next to the barf bag. Director Courtney A. O'Connor
can't get the comedy to build much, impeded by scenes
which can't flow into each other because there is too
much furniture to shift. Byrnna Bloomfield's set is
not a good solution to the problem of reproducing a
cinematic setting. Also the show would be funnier if
Philadelphian Hollinger really knew Boston as well as
he knows B-pictures and Rodgers & Hammerstein.
"Red Herring" by Michael Hollinger, Feb. 18 - Mar.
19
Lyric Stage Co. at Boston YWCA Auditorium
140 Clarendon, Copley Sq., (617) 437 - 7172
Lyric Stage
Co.
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "John and Jen" by Andrew
Lippa & Tom Greenwald
Date:Sat, Feb 19, 5 10:41 PM
Quicktake on JOHN & JEN
This is a show that good
enough, especially given such a rich production by
practiced professionals, that one wishes it were
better. Lippa and Greenwald should revisit this work,
which grew from a ten minute sketch to one act to its
current short two act form. The first act could use
more development of brother John and just a bit more
presence for their parents, the abusive WWII vet
father, and the mother who probably left him--and
them. The sung-through music becomes repetitive so
that reprises lose their impact. Adding a second
keyboard and using the possibilities of sampled sound
would emphasize changes in music styles over the time
period that are currently merely suggested. The
lyrics are quite clever though only a few phrases
stand out. Barrett and Rubbe sing with clarity;
their voices blend well and carry over the
accompaniment for a rich natural sound. Their
chemistry as brother and sister then mother and son is
quite appealing, as they range from comic moments to
the depths of family crisis. The fact that they've
worked together before allows them to start at a level
which the show's three week run couldn't achieve from
a standing start.
"John and Jen" by Andrew Lippa & Tom Greenwald, Feb.
17 - Mar. 6
Stoneham Theatre
395 Main St. Stoneham MA , (781) 279 - 2200
Stoneham
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Who's Afraid of Virginia
Wolff" by Edw. Albee
Date: Fri, Feb18, 12:02 AM
Quicktake on WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOLFF
Albee's dialogue, every
scabrous bit of it, is insightful and
well-constructed, but possibly no longer necessary.
Playwrights and the theatre in general have gone
beyond this ground-breaking script from forty years
ago. Its careful build toward "Bringing up Baby" takes
too long, though this does give one time to admire all
the detail in John Lee Beatty's execution of what
legendary designer Robert Edmund Jones called an ADBLR
(another damn Broadway living room). Director Anthony
Page, who's done a number of well-received Albee shows
in London, rings all the changes the set provides but
its linear layout mirrors the predictable development
of the action too neatly. The Boston audience will
probably fill the Wilbur while the show's here
briefly, but how"...Virginia Wolff" will fare in the
Big Apple remains to be seen. It should make it to
the end of the season.
"Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolff" by Edward Albee,
Feb. 15 - Mar. 6 (pre-Broadway)
Broadway in Boston at The Wilbur Theatre
246 Tremont St., (617) 931-ARTS
Broadway in
Boston
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Blue/Orange" by Joe
Penhall
Date:Sunday, Feb 13, 10:59 PM
Quicktake on BLUE/ORANGE
"Blue/Orange" by Joe Penhall, Feb. 11 - Mar. 5
Zeitgeist Stage Co. in BCA Black Box
529 Tremont, Boston, (617) 933-8600
Zeitgeist
Stage Co.
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Trumbo: Red, White &
Blacklisted" by Christopher Trumbo
Date: Thurs, Feb 10 11:44 PM
Quicktake on TRUMBO
Brian Dennehy's impressive
performance as Dalton brings an all-American sincerity
to the role. He's fully believable as a Colorado
native who knocked about doing menial jobs during the
depression, eventually becoming a newsman and
screenwriter who served as a war correspondent in the
Pacific. Understanding the nuances of the Hollywood
blacklist requires details passed over very quickly
in this 90 minute show, though observant members of
the audience will spot first-term California
congressman Richard M. Nixon sitting next to the
chairman at the HUAC hearings, for example. Multimedia
sequences add depth to the story, but it would have
been nice to see or hear some examples from Trumbo's
award-winning screenplays. Copyright and other
considerations probably make this impossible, however.
A passage or two from Trumbo's most important novel,
"Johhny Got His Gun" would also be instructive.
There's enough to ponder in the less public material
presented. Tickets are going fast if you plan too.
You might want to compare Trumbo's real soul-searching
to Tom Murphy's exploration in "The Sanctuary Lamo"
which Sugan is presenting next door in the
Roberts.
"Trumbo: Red, White & Blacklisted" by Christopher
Trumbo, Feb.8 - Mar. 6
presented at Wimberley
BCA, 527 Tremont, (617) 933 - 8500
Huntington Theatre
Co.
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "The Far Side of the Moon"
by Robert Lepage
Date: Wed, Feb 9, 10:51 PM
Quicktake on THE FAR SIDE OF THE MOON
"The Far Side of the Moon" by Robert Lepage, Feb. 4
- 27
presented by American Repertory Theatre on Loeb
Mainstage
62 Brattle St. Camb. , (617) 547 - 8300
A.R.T.
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "The Sanctuary Lamp" by Tom
Murphy
Date: Sat, Feb 5, 11:35 PM
Quicktake on THE SANCTUARY LAMP
"The Sanctuary Lamp" was
included in the Abbey Theatre's retrospective of
Murphy's work in 2000, but is not as well known on
this side of the pond as "Famine", "The Gigli
Concert", or "Bailegangaire" which Sugan has done
previously. Like much of his work, there are layers
and resonances, symbols and surprizes, requiring some
attention on the part of the audience. And no simple
conclusions. But as Harry says, "You know"
"The Sanctuary Lamp" by Tom Murphy, Feb. 4 - 25
Sugan Theatre Co. at Roberts Studio, Calderwood
Pavilion
BCA, 537 Tremont, Boston (617) 933 - 8600
Sugan Theatre Co.
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Miss Saigon" - Boubil &
Schoenberg; "The Sound of Music" - Rodgers &
Hammerstein
Date:Sun, Feb 6, 6:30 PM
Quicktake on MISS SAIGON & SOUND OF MUSIC
Wheelock Family Theatre has
revived the multi-cultural version of "The Sound of
Music" which Jane Staab first did over a decade ago.
African-American soprano, Angela Williams, is a
vibrant Maria, with Leigh Barrett as the Abbess--Lisa
Korak will sing some performances--and rising young
singer/actress Andrea Ross as Liesl, the oldest of the
Trapp children. Christopher Chew gets his first
chance at the Captain, and since this is the original
R&H score, sings "An Ordinary Couple", omitted from
the movie, with Williams. Other songs often cut or
shortened are also included, with maestro Jonathan
Goldberg making sure the music is first class. Brian
Richard Robinson makes a unique effete Max while
Eileen Nugent brings her rich voice to Elsa, the other
woman. This first-rate production is an excellent
introduction to the best of the American Musical
theatre, though some of the “love stuff”, not to
mention the Anschluss, will have to be explained to
the small fry. The text displayed on either side of
the stage is particularly useful during the several
liturgical pieces in Latin, as well as for some of
Hammerstein’s lesser known lyrics.
"Miss Saigon", Feb. 3 - Mar. 13, TLP
"Sound of Music", Feb. 4 - 27, WFT
-------
Turtle Lane Playhouse in Newton
Melrose St. Auburndale, (617) 244 - 0169
Turtle Lane
Playhouse
--------
Wheelock Family Theatre in Boston
200 The Riverway. Fenway, (617) 879 - 2300
Wheelock Family
Thtr
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Nothing But The Truth" by
John Kani
Date: Wed, Jan 26, 11:12 PM
Quicktake on NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH
Tickets are scarce, especially since subscribers had
to rebook due to the weather. Don't delay. This
Tont-winner's two co-stars, Warona Seane and
Esmeralda Bihl, are actresses of stature as well,
supporting Kani's epic performance. The simple
realistic set, thrust into a 2/3 seating arrangement,
is a reminder that the Loeb doesn't always have to be
used to present circuses. But this drama would work
on an almost bare stage. Don't miss it.
"Nothing But The Truth" by John Kani, Jan 21 - 30
South African Festival at ART
Loeb, 64 Brattle St. Camb, (617) 547 - 8300
American Repertory
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Thrill Me" by Stephen
Dolginoff
Date: Thur, Jan 20, 11:45 PM
Quicktake on THRILL ME
The framing device, Leopold's
final parole hearing 35 years after their conviction,
helps clarify what little plot there actually is. The
potential drama of the death penalty, and Clarence
Darrow's famous plea which saved the pair from it, is
mentioned in passing. This show's reputation as
serious musical theatre rests more on its potential
than what's actually in the script in terms of
characterization and drama. And while Jenna
McFarland's looming black courtroom docks which back
the action are impressive, the show would probably be
more compelling in a more intimate theatre. NOMTI
fans will appreciate this attempt but the general
musical comedy crowd may be disappointed.
"Thrill Me" by Stephen Dolginoff, Jan 20 - 28
Emerging Stages at Stoneham Theatre
395 Main St. Stoneham, (781) 279 -2200
Stoneham
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "The Tempest" by Wm.
Shakespeare
Date: Mon, Jan 17, 10:12 AM
Quicktake on THE TEMPEST
This production is very
close to the "barebones style" of S&C, being played on
white marley taped to the floor with no furniture. An
indeterminate sit-upon or two might help, however.
Some of the cast have worked outdoors at the Publick
Theatre, like Bill Molnar as King Alonso, Gerald
Slattery as his old councilor Gonzalo, and Richard
LaFrance as assistant villain, Sebastian. All are
capable of being heard, but reverberation muffles
their lines from certain locations. The complex and
expensive technical solutions to performing in this
space are beyond the budget of most small theatres,
and tend to restrict the use of all that glorious
space. So go for the acting, try to sit front and
center, and enjoy some theatrical magic as a balm for
winter's chill.
"The Tempest" by Wm. Shakespeare, Jan. 13 - Feb. 13
(17 performances)
Boston Theatre Works in the BCA Cyclorama
529 Tremont St., (617) 931 - ARTS
Boston
Theatre Works
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "The Book of Hours" by Laura
Harrington
Date: Sat, Jan 15, 10:05 PM
Quicktake on THE BOOK OF HOURS
Even though the script seems
sketchy in spots, its overall scope and language has
substance. Harrington's "The Book of Hours" was
ready for a first audience, if not the level of
attention it has received. Now it's time for the
author to plow her stronger points made in the second
half back into the first. It might also help to split
the narrative viewpoint between the two sisters. Kelly
Galvin's teenage coolness as Sophie somehow works
against the action. Unlike many current scripts about
entirely self-absorbed metrosexuals, however, these
six live--and die--during a real and all too relevant
crisis. The questions raised, sometimes a bit baldly,
about patriotism and family are worth thinking about.
"The Book of Hours" by Laura Harrington, Jan. 7 -
22
Wellesley Summer Theatre in Ruth Nagel Jones
Alumni Hall, Wellesley, (781) 283 - 2000
Wellesley
Summer Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "The Last Little Porn Shop in
Manhattan" by Ann Continelli
Date: Fri, Jan 14, 8:29 AM
Quicktake on THE LAST LITTLE PORN SHOP IN
MANHATTAN
The acting is rather basic,
with honors going to Jonathan Barron and Katie Graycar
as the stalwart employees of this corner porn store.
Julia Propp and Will Keary are endearing as the
octogenarian owners of the place. A slightly longer
version with an intermission might allow for more
character development. Costuming is imaginative, and
Heather Balcunas' simplified multi-unit set works
well in the space.
It will be interesting to see
how the company works with the material when the show
finishes next weekend at the BCA and moves for the
month of February to the very different space of
Durrell Hall at the Cambridge YMCA. It takes time to
refine low comedy and to sharpen satire, to move
beyond broad acting to social commentary.
It will then be time to refine the script and give the
characters more depth before plotting future
productions. The current version is an amusing romp,
well worth sitting through.
"The Last Little Porn Shop in Manhattan" by Ann
Continelli, Jan. 6 - 22; Feb. 3 - 26
T&A Productions at BCA, Plaza Theatre
539 Tremont St., (617) 933 - 8600
Todd & Ann
Productions
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Dressed Up!" - Leslie
Dillen; "Wigged Out!"- Paula Plum
Date: Sat, Jan 8, 6:14 PM
Quicktake on DRESSED UP! WIGGED OUT!
Without judging between their efforts, both of which
involve their mother?s obsession with dressing right.
it should be noted that Dillen?s is much more about
her, while Plum?s barefoot remembrance centered around
the night her mother died doesn?t place herself as the
narrator as much in the foreground. Both actress draw
on their own performance experience and strengths, as
modulated by Karen MacDonald's unobtrusive direction,
to make the audience comfortable and attentive to
their reminiscences. The amount of skill required to
pull off such personal pieces is obvious only in
hindsight. They?re helped by Susan Zeeman Rogers set,
a boudoir suggestive of the inside of a hatbox, Karen
Perlow's careful lighting, and two unique soundscapes
prepared by David Remedios. And the plethora of
clothes needs, chosen and modified by Anna-Alisa
Belous are the final touch.
"Dressed Up!" - Leslie Dillen; "Wigged Out!"- Paula
Plum, Jan. 6 - 17
DUWO Sister partnership at Boston Playwrights?
Theatre
949 Comm Ave. Allston, 617-358-7529
Boston Playwrights?
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Quills" by Douglas
Wright
Date: Sat. Jan. 8, 1:30 PM
Quicktake on QUILLS
Director Rick Lombardo is correct in his assessment
that various themes in play have a great deal of
immediate contemporary reference, both political and
social, but his hard-working cast of seasoned pros
headed by Austin Pendleton hasn’t quite found the
tone to pull off a somewhat ungainly mix of sexual
innuendo and Grand Guignol. The whole thing is just
too distancing; the implications too diffuse. Still
audiences may find the mix of comedy and horror
intriguing. And one can only hope that its star
doesn’t catch cold playing about half the show nude
in the New Rep’s drafty hall.
"Quills" by Douglas Wright, Jan. 5 - Feb. 6
New Repertory Theatre in Newton Highlands
54 Lincoln St., 617-332-1646
New Repertory
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Quills" by Douglas
Wright
Date: Sat. Jan. 8, 1:30 PM
Quicktake on QUILLS
Director Rick Lombardo is correct in his assessment
that various themes in play have a great deal of
immediate contemporary reference, both political and
social, but his hard-working cast of seasoned pros
headed by Austin Pendleton hasn’t quite found the tone
to pull of a somewhat ungainly mix of sexual innuendo
and Grand Guignol. The whole thing is just too
distancing; the implications too diffuse. Still
audiences may find the mix of comedy and horror
intriguing. And one can only hope that its star
doesn’t catch cold playing about half the show nude
in the New Rep’s drafty hall.
"Quills" by Douglas Wright, Jan. 5 - Feb. 6
New Repertory Theatrein Newton Highlands
54 Lincoln St., 617-332-1646
New Repertory
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Seance" by Robert
Smythe
Date: Wed, Jan 5, 3:19 PM
Quicktake on SEANCE
"Seance" by Robert Smythe,Jan. 6 - 8, 8pm
Puppets at Night at Mass Art/Tower Auditorium
Huntington Ave., (617) 731 - 6400
Puppet
Showplace
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Matter Familias" by Ginger
Lazarus
Date: Thurs, Dec 9, 12:09 PM
Quicktake on MATTER FAMILIAS
There's only one more weekend of the last of the
three new plays presented by Boston Playwrights' this
fall. The holidays are all about family, try getting
to know this clan.
"Matter Familias" by Ginger Lazarus, Dec. 2 - 19
Boston Playwrights Theatre, Studio B
949 Comm. Ave. Allston / (617) 358 - PLAY
Boston Playwrights
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "I'm away from my desk right
now..." by R&T
Date: Sat, Dec 11, 11:47 AM
Quicktake on I'M AWAY FROM MY DESK RIGHT NOW...
"I'm away from my desk right now...,Dec. 3 - 18
Rough & Tumble Theatre in Rehearsal Hall, Calderwood
Pavilion
BCA, 527 Tremont (617) 933 - 8300
Rough &
Tumble
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "A Christmas Carol" based on
Charles Dickens
Date:Sun, Dec 5 9:56 PM
Quicktake on A CHRISTMAS CAROL X 2
It's a shorter trip to Stoneham, where a script
director Robert Jay Cronin tried out at Vermont's
Northern Stage a couple of years ago gets its local
premiere. With music by Angelyn Fullarton and lyrics
by both of them, plus some traditional carols, Cronin
tries to fit Dicken's tale into a more conventional
music theatre format. Some of his ideas are
interesting, and none of his rewrites are
objectionable, but the piece is still in need of
development. The framing story, which has four
younger siblings reading the original novella under
pressure from their college age older sister, seems
too contrived. But Dale Place is still an excellent
Scrooge, as he has been for five years, and the cast
makes a rather eclectic score work fairly well. Some
workshopping with NOMTI might sharpen things up if
Stoneham does this adaptation again next year.
South Shore residents can to Norwell get to the
Company Theatre's version; it's advertised here on the
Mirror. And Public Radio listeners know about the
celebrity reading coming up at B.U. to benefit
Rosie's Place. Remember, a Scrooge-free holiday is
not necessarily a good thing.
North Shore Music Theatre at Dunham Woods
Beverly MA, (978) 232 - 7200
North Shore Music
Theatre
--------------
"A Christmas Carol" adapted by Robert Jay Cronin,
Dec. 2 -23
Stoneham Theatre
395 Main St. Stoneham MA , (781) 279 - 2200
Stoneham
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "The Provok'd Wife" by John
Vanburgh
Date: Wed, Dec.1,11:49 PM
Quicktake on THE PROVOK'D WIFE
American Repertory Theatre at Loeb Drama Cntr
64 Brattle St. Harvard Sq., (617) 547 - 8300
A.R.T.
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Fully Committed" by Becky
Mode
Date:Sun, Nov 28, 8:39 PM
Quicktake on FULLY COMMITTED
"Fully Committed" by Becky Mode, Nov. 26 - Dec.
23
Lyric Stage Co. at Copley Sq. YWCA
140 Clarendon St., (617) 437 - 7172
Lyric Stage
Company
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Johnny Guitar" by van
Hoogstraten, Silvestri & Higgins
Date: Sun, Nov 21, 8:30 PM
Quicktake on JOHNNY GUITAR
"Johnny Guitar" by van Hoogstraten, Silvestri &
Higgins,Nov. 19 - Dec. 18
Speakeasy Stage Co. in Roberts Studio at Calderwood
Pavilion
BCA, 527 Tremont, (617) 933 - 8600
Speakeasy
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Scotland Road" by Jeffrey
Hatcher
Date: Sat, Nov 20, 10:41 PM
Quicktake on SCOTLAND ROAD
"Scotland Road" by Jeffrey Hatcher" through Nov.
27
Hovey Players at Abbott Memorial Theater
9 Spring St. (next to the Library) Waltham, (781) 647
- 1211
Hovey
Players
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Burn This" by Landford
Wilson
Date: Thursday, Nov 18, 10:24 PM
Quicktake on BURN THIS
"Burn This" by Landford Wilson, Nov. 12 - Dec.
12
Huntington Theatre Co. at the Mystic Theatre
264 Huntington Ave. , (617) 266 - 0800
Huntington
Theatre Company
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "The Value of Names" by
Jeffrey Sweet
Date: Sat, Nov 13, 10:52 PM
Quicktake on THE VALUE OF NAMES
"The Value of Names" by Jeffrey Sweet, Nov. 12 -
Dec. 11
Theatre Cooperative at Peabody House
277 Broadway, Somerville, (617) 625 - 1300
Theatre
Cooperative
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Strike Up the Band" (1927)
by Geo. S. Kaufman and the Gershwins
Date:Sun, Nov 7, 10:40 PM
Quicktake on STRIKE UP THE BAND
Kudos go as usual to music director, accompanist and
co-producer, Longy's Margaret Ulmer who makes the
grand piano stand in for an orchestra. Valeria
Anastasio and Brian Robinson were in top form as the
love interest, with Brent Reno and Caroline De Lima as
the second duo. Bob Jolly once again was in the fore
as Horace J. Fletcher, cheese tycoon who finances the
war with Switzerland at the heart of the plot. Sara
De Lima got to spend the show pursuing Jolly while
Ben Sears and Brad Connor, both part of the driving
force behind American Classics, had substantial comic
roles as a confidential presidential adviser and the
mean factory manager who turns out to be an enemy
agent. As in Kaufman's more famous satire, "Of Thee I
Sing", the political observations still resonate. All
the minor roless were filled by one actor labeled as
George Spelvin. Today that part was played with
panache by Peter Miller, who amused the audience, his
wife Leigh Barrett and their two boys to no end, and
even got to parody Cohan in "Yankee Doodle Rhythm",
which deserves to be wider known, as do several other
songs from this clever show.
American Classics next foray into the archives of the
American Musical Theatre is a selection of songs and
sketches from Irving Berlin's legendary Music Box
Revues (1921 - 1924), scheduled for April 8th and 10,
2005. Mark your calendars now. The hall was almost
full today.
"Strike Up the Band" by Geo. S. Kaufman, music - Geo.
Gershwin, lyrics - Ira Gershwin , Nov. 5 & Nov. 7
American Classics at Pickman Hall, Longy
27 Garden St. Camb., (617) 244 -1125
American Classics
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "The Playboy of the Western
World" by J. Millington Synge
Date: Wed, Nov 3, 11:10 PM
Quicktake on THE PLAYBOY OF THE WESTERN WORLD
"The Playboy of the Western World" by J. Millington
Synge, Nov. 2 -21
Abbey Theatre of Dublin at the Wilbur Theater
246 Tremont St. Boston, (617) 931 - 2787
Broadway in
Boston
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "The Glider" by Kate
Snodgrass
Date: Sun, Oct 31, 5:45 PM
Quicktake on THE GLIDER
"The Glider" by Kate Snodgrass, Oct. 29 - Nov.
14
Boston Playwrights' Theatre, Studio A
,949 Comm. Ave. Allston (617) 358 - 7529
Boston Playwrights
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Ramona Quimby" by Len
Jenkins from Beverly Cleary's novels
Date: Sat, Oct 30, 11:06 pM
Quicktake on RAMONA QUIMBY
Wheelock Family Theatre
200 The Riverway, (617) 879 - 2147
Wheelock Family
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - ”COMPANY" music by Sondheim,
Book by Furth
Date: Mon. Oct. 16, 12:30 am
Quicktake on COMPANY
"Company " by Stephen Sondheim and Geo, Furth, Oct.
14 - Nov. 12
Speakeasy Stage Co.at Roberts Studio Thtr, BCA
Calderwood, 537 Tremont, (617) 933 - 8600
Speakeasy
Stage Company
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - ”Richard III" by Wm.
Shakespeare
Date: Sun. Oct. 17, 12:05 am
Quicktake on THE TRAGEDIE OF KING RICHARD III
”Richard III" by Wm. Shakespeare, Oct. 12 - Nov.
7
Actors’ Shakespeare Project at Old South Meeting
House
310 Washington St. Downtown Crossing, (866) 811 - 4111
(Theatre Mania)
Actors’
Shakespeare Co.
Date: Sat, 16 Oct 2004 09:11:31 -0400
From: Ann Carpenter anncarpenter@comcast.ne
Subject: Hi Larry--no reviewers there last night so here's my Quick Take
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Sonia Flew" by Melinda
Lopez
Date: Thurs, Oct 14, 2004 12:05 AM
Quicktake on SONIA FLEW
"Sonia Flew" by Melinda Lopez, Oct. 12 - Nov. 28
Huntington Theatre Company in the Wimberley at the
Calderwood Pavilion
BCA, 537 Tremont St, (617) 933 - 8600
Huntington
Theatre Co.
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Another American: Asking and
Telling" by Marc Wolf
Date: Sun, Oct 10, 10:33 PM
Quicktake on ANOTHER AMERICAN : ASKING AND TELLING
"Another American: Asking and Telling" by Marc Wolf,
Oct. 7 - 23
presented by Boston Theatre Works at BCA Black
Box
539 Tremont St. South End, (617) 933 - 8600
Boston
Theatre Works
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Jasper Lake" by John
Kuntz
Date: Sat, Oct 9, 11:19 PM
Quicktake on JASPER LAKE
The simple set centers around a movable empty
bathtub, serving as a multipurpose metaphor. Director
Douglas Mercer keeps the action flowing from scene to
scene between two neighboring houses and the lake,
abetted by Eric Larson's economical lighting and a
spare sound design by Haddon Kime. The 95-minute
production is entered in this year's Kennedy Center
American College Theatre Festival. Future productions
are definitely called for, by independent repertory
theatres looking for a challenge or perhaps even
community theatre groups. See it now and watch for it
later.
"Jasper Lake" by John Kuntz, Oct. 7 - 17
Boston Playwrights' Theatre
949 Comm. Ave., Allston MA (617) 358 - 7529
Boston Playwrights'
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Small Infinities" by Alan
Brody
Date: Wed, Oct 6,
Quicktake on SMALL INFINITIES
This staged
reading of Alan Brody's play examining the mind of
Isaac Newton was a preliminary effort of the Catalyst
Collaborative. This project combines the Underground
Railway Theatre, the M.I.T. Office for the Arts, and
Massachusetts playwright Jon Lipsky to brings
playwrights and scientists together to create new
works whichexplore themes in science and technology.
Brody's play, a short two act biodrama which Lipsky
directed, explores various paradoxes in Newton's
personality , particularly his belief in mathematical
proof while at the same time practicing illicit
alchemy. Audience reaction was positive, due largely
to strong performances. The discussion afterwards
suggested that more historical context might more
fully ground the drama. There's certainly room for
expansion and complication.
"Small Infinities" by Alan Brody, Oct. 6
Underground Railway Theatre & M.I.T. Office for the
Arts at 10 - 250
Halfway down the Infinite Corridor
Underground
Railway
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "The Taming of the Shrew" by
Wm. Shakespeare
Date:Sat, Sept 25, 8:40 AM
Quicktake on THE TAMING OF THE SHREW
"The Taming of the Shrew" by Wm. Shakespeare, Sept.
17 - Oct. 2
Hovey Players at Abbott Theatre
Waltham, (781) 893 -9171
Hovey
Players
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Approaching Moomtaj" by
Michael Weller
Date: Sat, Sept 18, 11:11 AM
Quicktake on APPROACHING MOOMTAJ
Walker's wife Kelly is played by an extremely
self-assured Rachel Harker, a New Rep regular who's
graced other local stages. Harker gets to cut loose
as Queen Aunt Noor in Moomtaj, the scene of Walker's
dream. Lordan Napoli, seen last winter with John
Kuntz in "The Kringle Cult" is charming as Walker's
recent fling Madeline the cellist and comically
inventive as Mawan, the court musician. Natalie Brown
from Hartford Stage, seen last at New Rep in "The Real
Thing"
as Faith, Walker's therapist, has some unique
moments trying to question him with a mouth full of
Novacaine from a root canal, and is reduced to the
palace maid-of-all work in the fantasy. Rounding out
the cast is local student Jacob Brandt who plays
Walker's young son and the presumably deaf/blind
Prince in the fantasy and Liberian body builder, Kevin
Topka, as A Bahkt, a video game assailant brought to
life. Weller couldn't ask for a better ensemble for
this world premiere.
There have been recent calls for more world
premiere's in the area. Here's one by a noted
American playwright with a great deal of current
resonance, warts and all. The technical support with
a set by Janie E. Howland, executed by Wooden Kiwi,
multi-media by Dorian Des Lauriers, original music by
Haddon Kime, and costumes by Frances Nelson McSherry,
award-winners all, is equal to just about anything
you're liable to see in town or even in the Big Apple.
Go decide what Weller's saying; there's a lot worth
thinking about in this script.
"Approaching Moomtaj" by Michael Weller, Sept. 15 -
Oct. 17
New Repertory Theatre in Newton Highlands
54 Lincoln St. Newton, (617) 332 - 1646
New Repertory
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Antigone" by Sophocles,
adapted by Richard McElvain
Date:Sun, Sept 19, 8:03 PM
Quicktake on ANTIGONE
This first of Sophocles' three explorations
concerning the doom of the house of Cadmus, which
tells the end of the story, is supported in this tight
production by a six person chorus, who also fill other
roles in the plot. Jessica Burke plays Ismene
Antigone's younger sister, while Donna Sorbello plays
both Cassie, Creon's personal assistant and his doomed
wife, Eurydice. Jim Spencer is Haemon, Creon's son,
Antigone's fiance, while Ed Peed plays the almost
comic guard, and Sylvia Ann Soares predicts Creon's
ultimate downfall as Tiresias, the blind prophet.
Eric Mello is both final messengers, as well as
appearing to Antigone as the shade of her dead
brother, the rebel Polynices, one of the few additions
to this classic tale. As chorus, the group functions
mostly as Creon's staff and ultimately witness to his
downfall. The connection between ancient fable and
modern political circumstances is subtle but clear.
An abstract and sterile architectural backscene with a
graffiti scrawled cementblock wall to one side,
designed by Brynna Bloomfield serves as the setting.
Dewey Dellay's musical soundscape helps drive the
action as does Kathy Peter's lighting, which includes
a sweeping searchlight. Jacqueline Dalley's modern
dress interpretation is economical and effective,
allowing the chorus to assume their separate roles
without confusion. Of all the productions of an
ancient tragedy seen here recently, this effort is
most consistent and effective, with no intruding
political or aesthetic agendas, allowing the original
to have its say, and appropriately borrowing lines
from a later poet, such as "What a piece of work is
man?" to reinforce the message.
"Antigone" by Sophocles,Sept. 16 - Oct. 3
Nora Theatre at Boston Playwrights' Theatre
949 Comm. Ave. Allston, (617) 491 - 2026
Boston Playwrights
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Cyrano de Bergerac" by
Edmond Rostand
Date:Sat, Sept 18,
Quicktake on CYRANO DE BERGERAC
"Cyrano de Bergerac" by Edmond Rostand, Sept. 17 -
0ct. 9
Theatre Cooperative at Peabody House Theatre
277 Broadway, Somerville, (617) 625 - 1300
Theatre
Cooperative
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - the Who's "TOMMY" by Pete
Townsend et al.
Date: Sun, Sep 12, 9:42 AM
Quicktake on TOMMY
"Tommy" by Peter Townsend, Sept. 9 - Oct. 3
Stoneham Theatre
125 Main St. Stoneham MA, (781) 291 - 2200
Stoneham
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "A Little Night Music" by
Steven Sondheim
book by Hugh Wheeler after Ingmar Bergman's
"Smiles of a Summer Night"
Date: Mon, Sept 13, 10:33 AM
Quicktake on A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC
Lyric Stage Company in Copley Sq.
140 Clarendon St., (617) 437 - 7172
Lyric Stage
Company.
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "NINE" by Kopit & Yeston
Date: Fri, Aug 27, 11:29 PM
Quicktake on NINE
The show would be less somber if costumer Alan Michael
Smith hadn't tried to suggest a black and white movie
by using basically black and white costumes, with very
few changes. This worked in '82 on Broadway, but
doesn't work in the round. Set designer Russell
Parkman hasn't made maximum use of NSMT technical
facilities, striving for a simplicity that doesn't
illuminate the show. Nor did director Barry Ivan,
who's done a number of shows at NSMT including last
season's "West Side Story", make full use of
in-the-round staging, perhaps reflecting the
simplicity of the set. The cast of 19 echoes the
recent Broadway version, giving an almost a concert
feel to the show. Unfortunately the Yeston songs
aren't concert quality. But if you didn't get to see
the Banderas version in NYC or weren't lucky enough to
catch Vokes Players stunning version in 2001, NSMT's
current effort might be worth the trip to Beverly. Any
touring version passing through downtown probably
won't be as good.
"NINE", book; Arthur Kopit based on Mario Fratti's
play, music & lyrics; Maury Yeston, Aug. 24 -
Sept.12
North Shore Music Theatre at Dunham Woods
Beverley MA , (978) 323 - 7200
North Shore Music
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "The Music Man" by Meredith
Wilson
Date: Sat, Aug 144 1:02 AM
Quicktake on THE MUSIC MAN
The music's fine under Jeffrey P. Leonard's baton in
the pit, with Karen Gahagan guiding the chorus.
Robert Eagle does this kind of show with sure hand,
abley assisted by
Eileen Grace, Reagle's Radio City Music Hall
connection and resident choreographer Susan M.
Chebookjian, who captures Onna White's original
choreography with an impressive group of young
dancers. Plus this year's set, designed by James
Fouchard and master scenic artist Robert Moody is a
shared effort done specifically for this production
and one at the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera. Get out
to Waltham--there's free parking--and wipe the memory
of Disney's recent dismal television version from your
memory. Wilson's tunes are as good as ever, the large
cast is rock solid, and the parking's free.
"The Music Man" by Meredith Wilson, Aug. 12 -
21
Reagle Players at Robinson Theatre
Waltham High, (781) 891 - 5600
Reagle
Players
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Richard III" by Wm.
Shakespeare
Date: Mon, Aug 9, 9:56 AM
Quicktake on THE LIFE AND DEATH OF RICHARD III
"Richard III" by Shakespeare, tour ends Aug 14 &
15
New England Shakespeare Festival at MIT; Crane Estate
final weekend
NESF
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "The Merchant of Venice" by
Wm. Shakespeare
Date:Fri, Aug 6, 9:12 AM
Quicktake on THE MERCHANT OF VENICE
"The Merchant of Venice" by Shakespeare, in rep.
weekly through Sept. 5
Publick Theatre at Herter Park,
Soldiers Field Rd. Brighton, (617) 782 - 5425
Publick
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "A Clockwork Orange" adapted
from his novel by Anthony Burgess
Date:Thurs, July 29, 11:16 PM
Quicktake on A CLOCKWORK ORANGE
It almost seems like this show is a workshop in the
early stages of development, with some clumsy
scene-changes and marginal multi-media efffects. In
the best of all possible worlds this effort would go
back into the studio, get a character reduction and
lose or shrink a few scenes, voice work, and some more
rewrite. Maybe too the New York Dolls, whose
participation has been the PR focus would have time to
get creative with the score. At the present their
music just does the job. Ramirez opening and closing
narration is quite effective. More would help move
Alex?s saga along.
But go see this effort for the leading role and to
support a theatre who?s efforts have been improving
exponentially. Which seems to have led to
unreasonable critical expectations. Just don?t expect
Kubrick?s cool irony or Burgess? intellectual puzzle.
"A Clockwork Orange" byAnthony Burgess, July 22 -
Aug. 14
Company One at BCA Theatre
539 Tremont, (617) 426 - 2787
Company One
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Incorruptible" by Michael
Hollinger
Date: Fri, July 16, 11:25 PM
Quicktake on INCORRUPTIBLE
The Vokes is small, their
subscription list is large; reserve early for a chance
to catch is entertainment before the end of the month.
And watch for their Hundredth Anniversary celebration
coming up in September.
"Incorruptible" by Michael Hollinger, July 15 - 31
Vokes Players at Beatrice Hereford's Vokes Theatre
Rt.20, Wayland MA, (509) 358 - 4034
Vokes
Players
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Grease" by Jim Jacobs &
Warren Casey
Date:Sat, July 10, 9:37 AM
Quicktake on GREASE
This productions, directed
by Jennifer Condon, is worth a visit. It might even
be interesting to compare the efforts of these earnest
young performers who really fit their parts with the
Reagle Players' more professional effort which opens
for a three week run next weekend. In either case,
the infectious nostalgia of this evocation of
rock'n'roll high school movies is suitable summer fare
for parents and teenagers alike. And anyone who's
"Born to Hand-Jive."
"Grease " by Jacobs & Casey, July 9 - Aug 15
Turtle Lane Playhouse
283 Melrose St, Newton (Auburndale) MA (617) 244 -
0169
Turtle Lane
Playhouse
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Troilus and Cressida" (1602)
by Wm. Shakespeare
Date: Thurs, July 15, 11:03 pM
Quicktake on TROILUS & CRESSIDA
Last season's Audrey,
Elizabeth Wightman, is Helen resplendent in white
drapery while associate artistic director Susanne
Nitter, Viola last year, takes the small but
significant role of Cassandra, Priam prophetic
daughter. Bill Gardiner, who did Puck and Feste last
year, turns in another interesting performance as
Pandarus, Cressida's uncle who brings the lovers
together. Gerard Slattery really hits his stride as
Thersites, the scurrilous Greek clown knocked about by
all and sundery. Nathaniel McIntyre plays a stalwart
Hector, whose slaughter by the Myrmidons, Achilles'
special troops, is the climax of the action. The
series of vigorous and stylized battles leading up to
this were staged by Kim H. Carrell, a seasoned fight
director with the touring N.E. Shakespeare Festival.
Seth Ridge's Paris is impressive as a two-handed
fighter. There are solid performances by Daniel
Minkle as the blustery Ajax and James Bodge as the
elder Nestor.
Not only is this production
a chance to see one of the Bard's less popular pieces
but the company has done a solid and inventive show
which makes clear the futility and frustration of war.
The whole question of allegiance and interest which
has been part of the Drama since the Greeks invented
the form 2500 years ago is clearly on the table. The
doubts Shakespeare raised about politics and the
reasons for war 404 years ago are with us today.
"Troilus & Cressida" by Wm. Shakespeare, June 10 -
Sept 12 (in rep w/ "Merchant" starting July 29)
Publick Theatre on Soldier's Field Rd
Herter Park, Brighton (617) 782 - 5425
Publick
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - Disney's "Beauty and the
Beast"; book by Linda Wolverton
Music by Alan Menken, Lyrics by Howard Ashman &
Tim Rice
Date: Fri., July 9, 11:47 PM
Quicktake on BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
But the fairy tale still
works. Nikki Renee Daniels, last seen at NSMT as
Sarah, the tragic heroine in "Ragtime", is a plucky
petite Belle. Brad Little, seen on the road as the
"Phantom" plays the tormented human side of the Beast
from the start. It's satisfying to watch the romance
all work out, even with the Hollywood imposed
distraction of Brian Noonan's Gaston. The book doesn't
take that melodramatic blowhard much beyond the
original cartoon, so his put-upon sidekick, Lefou,
played by Jeff Skowron is actually more interesting.
It's the humans turning into objects who ultimately
make the show however.
Their costumes, created by
Miguel Angel Huidor, do reflect the period of the
classic French fairytale as promised. Ron Wisniski's
Lumiere is more the gent than a candlestick, Jessica
Leigh Brown, his main interest Babette, is an amusing
french maid turned featherduster. Jeanne Lehman, Mrs.
Potts the housekeeper, handles the title song with
grace and only incidentally resembles a teapot. Her
son Chip, young Ari Shaps, remains perky while being
wheeled around in a teacart and spinning around on a
stool inside. Dick DeCareau as Cogsworth the Butler
is appropriately precise, while Gina Ferrall, as
Madame Bouche the erstwhile opera singer turning into
a chest of drawers is imposing. This strong ensemble,
quite musically gifted as well, forms the core of the
show and the actual catalyst for the romance.
Fans of contemporary hard-edged music drama, full of
angst, sexual ambiguity, and social problems won't
even think of seeing this one, which will leave more
seats for families and those seeking a good
old-fashioned entertainment. The former can wait for
"Nine", NSMT's next offering, the latter should
reserve seats now. The projected scenes over the
audience provide context, NSMT mechanical lifts,
turntable and sliding set pieces provide variety,
lights and sound are impeccable as usual, and Bill
Stanley's orchestra provides a rich and lively sound.
The show would be a better introduction to live
theatre than balcony seats for the upcoming "Lion
King" at the same price. And there's free parking and
no DNC traffic problems at the end of the month.
"Beauty and the Beast" by Wolverton, Menken, Ashman
& Rice, July 6 - Aug. 1
North Shore Music Theatre at Dunham Woods
Beverly MA , (978) 232 - 7200
North Shore Music
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Afterthought - "Seussical" by AUTHOR
Date: Thur, July , 8:45 AM
Afterthought on SEUSSICAL
But the kids did their best
and miking helped. Angela Richardson as The Cat in
the Hat has real stage presence, Peter Romagna was an
endearing Horton, and Jen Sokoliski shone as Gertrude
McFuzz. Sabrina Ruffin had the sound power for the
Sour Kangaroo, though the role still doesn't make a
lot of sense. Others did well enough with their
parts, even the big kid in the rented Grinch suit (not
really a good idea.) The several musical theatre
organizations around the area who run youth programs
are all to be commended for providing opportunities
for musical theatre often sadly lacking in local
schools. The two director/choreographers and Brian J.
Paulsen didn't stint in their efforts to make this a
strong experience for the cast.
"Seussical", like "Honk"
risks being dismissed as a children's musical, as one
snide newspaper scribe did. It would be interesting
to see what a small producing company like Turtle
Lane, Vokes, or even Stoneham could do with the show,
given sixteen or so experienced performers and four or
more hardworking puppeteers. There are various minor
characters, events, and variations in scale in the
show which could be better done using a variety of
contemporary puppetry techniques than the scurrying
about written into the current book.
"Seussical - the Musical" by Lynn Ahrens & Stephen
Flaherty, June 30 & July 1
Reagle Players Youth Theatre at McDivitt Middle
School
Church St. Waltham Cntr,
Reagle
Players
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "King John" by Wm.
Shakespeare
Date: June 18 - July 4
Quicktake on KING JOHN
Caron is effective as King
John, though the most dynamic character in the play is
Philip Faulconbridge, who's known as the Bastard of
Richard Lionheart, John's brother, the previous King.
Jay Newlon plays this part with relish. The strong
female part of Constance, the widow of Lionheart's
middle son Geoffrey, and mother to Prince Arthur, who
the King of France is willing to support as the
rightful king, is vividly played by Lida McGirr. John
McAullife does yeoman service as Phillip of France,
and Kevin Shoemaker is a dashing Dauphin. Myron Feld
is appropriately servile as Hubert, a politician from
Angiers who sides with John and is prepared to do in
Arthur, well-played by Alexander Brako Sayde. This is
one of those histories where a list of relationships
and/or politically affiliations helps sort out the
action. Tony Dangerfield, as Cardinal Pandulph, is the
only one whose loyalties aren't in question. Find a
synopsis before heading off to Concord for the last
weekend of performances. You're not likely to see a
better two hour production of this piece around here
otherwise.
"The Life & Death of King John" by Wm. Shakespeare,
Jun 18 - July 4
Town Cow Theatre Company in Ann Cunningham Park
Monument Sq. Concord MA,
Town Cow Theatre
Co.
P.S. The Publick Theatre starts their summer
repertory June 8 with ?Troilus & Cressida? which runs
through the DNC, then to be joined by July 29 by ?The
Merchant of Venice? which plays in rep with
?Troilus...? through Sept. 12. Check their Website;
Publick
Theatre; for schedule and directions.
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Midsummer Night's Dream" by
Will Shakespeare
Date: Sat, Jun 26, 5:17 PM
Quicktake on A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM
The next chance to catch this
effective and unpretentious production, with an
effective touring unit set by Christine Todesco, is
Tues and Wed., 2pm June 29-30 at the Elma Lewis
Theatre at the Playstead in Franklin Park. It'll tour
around the city, skipping East Boston and
Allston/Brighton this summer and have a final outing
August 1 near the Parkman Bandstand, again on the
Common. All shows are 2pm and of course free; watch
for a review later in the week.
"Midsummer Night's Dream" by Will Shakespeare, June
26 - Aug 1
Commonwealth Shakespeare on Parade Ground, Boston
Common
off Charles Street, (617) 532 - 1221
Commonwealth
Shakespeare
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "The Miser (L'Avare)"
adapted from Moliere
Date:Thurs, Jun 24, 12:03 AM
Quicktake on THE MISER
The cast, drawn largely from Serrand's Minneapolis
based company, is very skilled at physical comedy but
without much joy. Its co-founder, Stephen Epps,
radiates obsession in the title role of Harpagon,
which an ailing Moliere wrote for himself. ART
veterans Karen McDonald as Frosine the matchmaker and
Remo Airaldi as the schizophrenic Master Jacques--both
cook and coachman--get the most satisfied laughs.
Will LeBow, as the older romantic lead, Valere, has
been given an overly serious characterization plus an
accent which logically has touches of Italian and
Spanish. Neither helps clarify his role. Wellesley
Summer Theatre company member Bern Budd brings a
sturdy dignity to Anselme, the outside character who
solves the family's dilemma in the climax.
The female members of the company have the most
radically reinterpreted roles. Sarah Agnew's Elise is
played very skillfully as a frizzy-haired ninny
emotionally crippled by despair. This doesn't leave
much room for character development. Mariane, the
ingenue, played by Natalie Moore, has had her dialogue
"translated" into a kind of pidgin which is supposed
to suggest her mysterious origins. Her convuluted
speech provides opportunity for malaprop comedy, but
does little for the play. Both women, as well as
Frosine, are victims of post-modern indicative
costume design, a quirky blending of period style
with rummage sale oddities. As Cleante, the miser's
son, Stephen Cartmell has the atrocity of the evening,
a purple Mohawk wig and a bustle of ribands. Neither
helps his overly bombastic acting.
Clearly the director means to suggest some sort of
mass folie caused by Harpagon's stinginess and
obsession with his gold. But the point is driven home
over and over again, without much insight, including a
somewhat baffling coda which includes a choral number.
Once again, the ART has presented directorial excess
as "Art", displaying a continuing distrust of original
authors and contemporary actors abilities to interpret
them for today's audiences without an imposed
context.
"The Miser" adapted by Daniel Ball from Moliere, June
19 - July 18
ART in association with Theatre de la Jeune Lune at
the Loeb
64 Brattle St. Harvard Square, (617) 547 - 8300
American Repertory
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Advanced Notice - Summer
Shakespeare
Date: June thru Sept.
"King John", ?Troilus and Cressida?, ?Two Gentlemen
from Verona?, Measure for Measure?, etc. by Will
Shakespeare, June thru Sept.
Various companies, frequently outdoors
from dowtown Boston to the suburbs to the Berkshires
ON THE
AISLE
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "West Side Story" , book by
Laurents, music by Bernstein, lyrics by Sondheim
Date: Sat, Jun 19, 12:21 AM
Quicktake on WEST SIDE STORY
Stephen Brockway and Mary Tucker are satisfying as
the star-crossed lovers, Tony and Maria. Stacey
Harris generates Latin heat as Anita, while David F.
M. Vaughn and Adam Jacobs are menacingly real as rival
gang leaders, Riff and Bernardo. Amy Shure is a ball
of comic relief as Anybodys, in this case anybody's
obnoxious kid sister. As Det. Schrank, New York actor
Robert Ieardi looks and sounds the part, while Reagle
veterans , Dan Kiley and Charley Borden, with local
musical performer Craig Downs bring a sense of adult
futility to the streetcorner world of the Sharks and
the Jets. There's an especially competent orchestra
under the baton of Jeffery P. Leonard from the music
department at Lexington High. The choreography was
recreated with exceptional style by Lori Leschner, a
dance instructor at NYU with extensive professional
experience, including tours of this show.
Reagle's season, which continues with July with
"Grease" with some of the same performers and ends
with Scott Wahle returning perfectly cast as "The
Music Man", is off to a good start in their spacious
home. Check the website for driving directions;
there's always plenty of parking. And their Young
Company is doing "Seussical" at the end of this month
at a new location, the John W. McDivitt Middle School
in Watham Center, much closer to the
several buses and the commuter rail.
"West Side Story" book by Arthur Laurents, music by
Leonard Bernstein,
lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Reagle Players in Robinson Theatre, Waltham
Lexington St., (781) 891 - 5600
Reagle
Players
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - Revivals of "Jane Eyre" and
"After Mrs. Rochester " by Polly Teale
Date: Sun, Jun 13, 11:06 AM
Quicktake on JANE EYRE & AFTER MRS. ROCHESTER
"Jane Eyre" reunites Alicia
Kahn in the title role and Derek Stone Nelson as the
tragic Edward Rochester, in performances which benefit
from other shows they've done together. Kahn also
plays Ella, Rhys as a girl in "After...", with Lisa
Foley as the older author, and Melina McGrew as the
omnipresent mad Bertha Mason, the first Mrs.
Rochester. Kortney Adams, Ella's black playmate adds a
new twist to the same part in "...Eyre". The large
cast, most playing in both shows, is up to the
increasingly professional standards of the company,
and includes John Boller, Jim Butterfield, Steven
Cooper, John Davin, Ken Flott, Richard LaFrance,
Gladdy Matteosian, Charlotte Peed and Jackson Royal.
Wellesley grads and students Sarah Barton, Heather
Boas, Kelly Galvin, and Claire Shinkman along with
Molly Weston from the Wellesley Summer Theatre for
Children complete the company. For the original
reviews and current casting , go to ON THE
AISLE. Then get out to Wellesley, there are
directions on their website. And the new parking
garage adjacent to the theatre is open. It'll be
worth the trip.
"Jane Eyre" and "After Mrs. Rochester " by Polly
Teale, June 10 - 26
Wellesley Summer Theatre, Ruth Nagel Theatre, Alumnae
Hall
Wellesley MA, (781) 283 - 2000
Wellesley
Summer Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Body and Sold" by Deborah
Lake Fortson
Date:Sun, June 13, 7:22 PM
Quicktake on BODY AND SOLD
However, the multiracial,
almost multigenerational cast is effective in
presenting the melodrama of country girls being lured
into prostitution, an age old tale, despite the slow
pace of the action at times. These are real stories.
And in the second half, which takes to the mean
streets all over this country, the ensemble becomes
quite engaging, with many more overlapping situations.
Everyone has their moments. The action is worth
waiting for. Both sections a helped immensely by
Vessela Stoyonova's live performance of her original
music.
Director/author Deborah Lake
Fortson is trying to present a difficult continuing
social problem. However, given the level of
sensationalism in all the media, one's immediate
reaction is unfortunately, "what else is new?" The
decline in social services in this country has
effected generations of youngsters across this
country. Another exegesis on the subject seems almost
exploitative. One might say that it is unlikely that
we'll be able to do anything about the sexual
exploitation of youngsters abroad, as in Central
Europe, until we get our own house in order. But even
preaching to the converted can't hurt. This developing
show deserves support, and is a welcome counterweight
to the endless narcissism which pervades many current
works. The powers that be are unfortunately unlikely
to see it, however.
"Body and Sold" by Deborah Lake Forston, June 10
-26
Tempest Productions at BCA Black Box
539 Tremont, (617) 425 - 2787
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Afterthought - Seventeen Plays from
Playwrights' Platform
Date: Sat, June 12, 2004 10:45 AM
Quicktake on PLAYWRIGHTS' PLATFORM ANNUAL FESTIVAL
The second week's series was by and large the more
successful, but both weekends had their highpoints.
There were notable performances by Rocky Graziano in
Alan Fowler's "Bliss", Jerry Bisantz in G.L.Horton's
"Speed Dating with a Divorce Lawyer", Edward Sorell in
Sean David Bennett's "Fall Out", and Ken Gottleib in
Patrick Brennan's "Hack the Vote". For a complete
list of authors and the Favorite awards from audiences
and the participants, check out the Platform's
website. Then finish that play. sign up for a reading,
and perhaps see the results next year about this time.
"Playwrights' Platform Festival" , June 3 - 5, 10 -
12
Playwrights' Platform at Boston Playwrights' Theatre,
Studio A
949 Comm. Ave. Allston, Playwrights'
Platform
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Tom Jones" by George Stiles
and Paul Leigh, etc.
Date: Fri, Jun 4, 9:55 AM
Quicktake on TOM JONES - the Musical
"Tom Jones" by Stiles & Leigh, w/ Dan Brambilla, Vera
Guerin, Gabe Barre, et al; Jun 1 - 20
North Shore Music Festival at Dunham Woods
Beverly MA, (978) 921 - 7874
North Shore Music
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Advance Notice - "Tom Jones " by Paul
Leigh and George Stiles
Date:,Tues May 25 5:52 PM,,
Advance notice for Tom Jones: the Musical, based
on Fielding's novel
Directing this improved show is Gabriel Barre, who
helmed last fall's "Memphis" premiere for NSMT. Barre
directed Lippa's "The Wild Party" in New York for MTC,
among his notable credits, and currently directing
Frank Wildhorn's "Camille Claudel" and Kander and
Ebb's musical adaptation of "Skin of Our Teeth".
Producer Daniel D. Brambilla, CEO of the Hummingbird
Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto, Canada's
largest theatre is being credited as a co-collaborator
on this production. He'd been interested in bringing
this classic to the stage for several years, and
convinced lyricist Leigh to write his own book to
replace John Doyle's used for the first production in
York, England.
The cast of thirteen, brings David Burnham, who
appeared in "Letters from 'Nam" at NSMT back for the
title role with Angela Gaylor, seen there in
"Carousel" and "A Little Night Music", as his true
love, Sophie. Both have extensive touring experience.
The rest of the ensemble, who play a myriad of
characters have appeared in major musicals in New
York and around the country. The show will be done in
epic style, as befits a novel the size and scope of
"The Curious History of Tom Jones - a Foundling". The
cast will change costumes a vista in the moat around
the stage, handle most of the props and scenery, and
supply live sound effects as needed. A thirteen piece
pit orchestra with music director Lynne Shankel
conducting will
play a rich newly orchestrated score, with period
touches blending with a very modern sound.
As usual there are satellite stages, scenic decoration
around the arena, and once again projections. The
show seems especially well suited for NSMT's
in-the-round staging. There are only three weeks to
this run, and while all seats in this arena provide a
good view, prime seats go fast. If you missed out on
"Pacific Overtures" the end of last summer, get a head
start this season.
"Tom Jones" by Paul Leigh and George Stiles, June 1 -
20
North Shore Music Theatre in association w/
Hummingbird Centre (Toronto)
Dunham Woods, Beverly MA, (978) 232 - 7200
North Shore Music
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Flesh Eating Leftists" by
Jayk Gallagher
Date:Monday, May 24, 2004 10:26 PM
Quicktake on FLESH EATING LEFTISTS
In the course of this one
hour safari through Jayk's various selves, the show
touches upon some very real social problems from a
wonderfully skewed viewpoint. There are moments of
Bogossian-like intensity and riffs reminiscent of
William's on a roll. Jayk can be seen melting down at
the Black Box around 10:30 pm Thurs. through Sat.
after performances of Zeitgeist's "Popcorn" and on
Monday nights at 8pm. Definitely worth the price--or
more.
"Flesh Eating Leftists" by Jayk Gallagher, through Jun 4
Jayk Gallagher w/Zeitgeist Stage at BCA Black
Box
539 Tremont St.; suggested donation $5 at the door
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "POPCORN" by Ben Elton
Date: Thur, May 20 11:15 PM
Quicktake on POPCORN
Zeitgeist has once again found
a script which displays social malfunction and
mistakes that act for relevant criticism. The play in
fact participates in the very phenomenon it
castigates, which sends very mixed signals to its
audience. The cast is competent and sometimes
brilliant, with Susan Gross just barely edging out
her partner in crime, Jesse Soursourian, for top
honors. Stephen Epstein's Hollywood director is
believably obsessive, while Jennifer Huth and Caryn
Andrea Lindsey are just a bit too commonplace as his
soon-to-be ex and their teenage daughter, even in
their wardrobe. Naeemah A. White Peppers, in her last
Zeitgeist role for a while, doesn't fit the part of a
Playboy centerfold/now actress and hasn't found a way
to make being African-American add anything to the
piece.
George Saulnier III, who is capable of being more
outrageous is too laid-back as the producer.
The show seems more like an episode from a soap opera
than biting social commentary; it's satire is old-hat,
though at least it's not boring.
"POPCORN" by Ben Elton,May 14 - June 5
Zeitgeist Stage Co. at BCA Black Box
539 Tremont, South End, (617) 426 -ARTS
Zeitgeist
Stage Company
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "The Rose Tattoo" by
Tennessee Williams
Date:
Quicktake on THE ROSE TATTOO
Two young actors new to the Huntington, Greta Storace
and Ryan Spyek, do credible jobs as Rosa, the
daughter and her sailor boyfriend. Storace is quite
convincing as a thirteen year old, then at sixteen.
The final scene of his departure is as good as any of
William's one-acts which helps. Colleen Quinlan, seen
as Mrs. Siezemagraff's daughter in "Betty's...", is
joined by Dara Fisher, making a pair of comically
erotic local belles off to frolic with the American
Legion in New Orleans. Fisher also doubles at an
uptight Anglo school teacher, which is one less role
than her three in "The Blue Demon". The entire evening
would be more tolerable by serious editing of
irrelevant interludes that don't move the action along
plus finding a way to take one intermission rather
than two. A set including a revolve, lights with
projections, and original music by Mark Bennett all
contribute to a finished production.
"The Rose Tattoo" by Tennessee Williams, May 14 -
June 13
Huntington Theatre Company at the Mystic Theatre,
B.U.
264 Huntington Ave, Boston (617) 266 -0800
Huntington
Theatre Company
Date: Thu, 20 May 2004 00:28:22 -0400
From: Larry Stark larry@theatermirror.com
Subject: Re: rose tattoo with andrea martin
It's as close to a sex-farce as Williams could come, full of no-nonsense laugh-lines that Andrea Martin belts like Ted Williams swatting fungoes. The Sicilian eagerness of the four central figures to jump into the sheets salts even the widow's demands of the statue of Our Lady for "A Sign!" because she'd prefer to be uncertain that her beloved (and apparently continually horny) husband was unfaithful --- and later the sign she demands is that She can now be "unfaithful" to her dead husband's memory with a like-a-look "Grandson of the village idiot of [Limone?] ."
This glibly goofy "gentleman caller" knows a good thing when he sees it, and convinces the lady she "has been a widow too long." Dominic Fumusa plays the comedy of this sex-minded bumbler smitten with a woman (only about 30) with a fifteen-year-old daughter.
That daughter (Greta Storace) is busy being smitten by a hunk in a sailor-suit (Ryan Sypek) who probably IS the virgin (so far) his girl's mother wants him to remain --- but you know how tight those sailor-suit pants can get....
Melinda Lopez is a staunch friend, Diego Arciniegas a scandalized family priest, Nancy E. Carroll a rhyming bag-lady playing Chorus-leader with Cheryl McMahon and Bobbie Steinbach as Sicilian neighbors --- and all of these home-team citizens are fine.
Designer James Noone has solved the problem of the immensity of the Huntington stage by putting huge rough-wooden lattices on each side that have focus-lines, and they point to a house-on-wheels that can present an outside and then --- occasionally as someone enters through its door --- spin it to reveal a cozy living-room with work-room attached, hardly losing an instant in the change. It might not look so good from balcony seats, however.
At one point a beautiful moon (created completely by Kevin Adams' lights) lights up a background of dramatic cloud-shapes while the two kids do a balcony-scene, to a smatter of appreciative applause.
This is something to take the awful taste of (GagPtui!) BUTLEY out of my mouth. The entire cast seems a little hyper, a touch over the top, but that only means they understand the hearty lusts and solid comedy of the play. Maybe Nickie Martin CAN direct after all...
Love,
===Anon.
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "The Saviour of Fenway" by Brendan Bates
Date: Fri, May 14, 11:19 PM
Quicktake on THE SAVIOUR OF FENWAY
Not that there isn’t a plot, or at least some action, here. The daily
frustration of the four working stiffs in the piece is heightened by their
disappointment with the home team. Each has his own personal problems.
But these are laid out in rather laborious detail, usually between two
characters at a time. The relevant action would be far more interesting
condensed into two shorter acts half the length. But that wouldn't allow
these four performers associated with the New Actors Workshop in NYC equal
time to show their chops, which are at times impressive. But less would
indeed be more in the case of this script. Neither the obsession of the
true fan nor the failed lives of these four working guys from Quincy, Nate
Meyer as Walshie the bartender included, is truly explored. Instead they're
displayed as sort of a South Shore version of an existential nightmare,
from which only one, Patty the young barman (John Highsmith), has a chance
to escape, partly because he's willing to think his way out of the box.
Certainly Sweeney (John Burch) or Shane (Bates) won't be able to.
"The Saviour of Fenway" by Brendan Bates, May 5 -
30
Nate Meyer Productions at Durrell Hall, Camb YMCA
820 Mass Ave. Camb, (877) 238 - 5596
Savior of
Fenway Website
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Elegies" by William
Finn
Date: Sun, May 9, 11:14 PM
Quicktake on ELEGIES - a song cycle
"Elegies" by William Finn, May 7 - 29
Speakeasy Stage Company at BCA Theatre
539 Tremont St., South End, (617) 426 - ARTS
Speakeasy
Stage Co.
From: "Arthur Hennessey" norfolk1a@hotmail.com
Subject: Really Quick Take on Curse of the Starving Class
Date: Fri, 07 May 2004 15:28:09 -0400
Shepard devotees, it is your last weekend to get your fix at Theatrezone.
Curse of the Starving Class is chock full of great characters and is handled well by a first rate cast. Remember, this is one that is not done that often, so if you are one those who have only experienced it on the pages of your dog-eared copy of Seven Plays by Sam Shepard, please make the effort.
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Kimberly Akimbo" by David
Lindsay-Abaire
Date: Mon, May 3, 11:20 PM
Quicktake on KIMBERLY AKIMBO
Judith McIntyre as the
title character, a prematurely aged 16 year old,
creates another memorable role for herself with
characteristic directness. Ann Barry as Kimberly's
pregnant hypochondriac mother, Pattie, and Marc Carver
as her boozy dad, Buddy, play all the facets of their
fractured roles. Jacob Liberman is perfect as Jeff,
Kimberly's incipient boy friend, another outsider.
The most reminiscent character is Debra, Kim's
homeless aunt, played by Elizabeth Anne Quincy, who
makes the most of this schemer whose major purpose is
to move the plot along and reveal most of the
background. The role could use some quiet time, but
Lindsay-Abaire doesn't provide much.
The play's quirky
worldview is heightened by Caleb Wertenbaker
multipurpose set featuring multipurpose furniture
changed by the cast, ingenious flip units in the walls
similar to those he designed for the Market two
seasons ago, and interesting atmospheric lighting.
Gail Astrid Buckley's costumes and accessories place
the characters in their milieu perfectly. Fay Gerbes'
soundscape is fine as far as it goes; there could be
more earlier in the piece. Artistic Director Jason
Southerland assisted by his line producer Jennifer
Nario has let the playwright speak for himself through
a first rate cast and a sound production for a fitting
finale to BTW's season. There are only 8 more
performances and one's all ready sold-out. Don't
delay.
"Kimberly Akimbo" by David Lindsay-Abaire, April 30 -
May 16
Boston Theatre Works at Boston Playwrights Theatre
949 Comm. Ave, Allston, (617) 939 - 9939)
Boston
Theatre Works
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "SCAPIN" based on "The
Fouberies of Scapin" by Moliere
Date: Sat, May 1 1:04 AM
Quicktake on SCAPIN - A NEW MUSICAL
"Scapin", book & lyrics by Rick Lombardo; music &
lyrics by Haddon Kime, thru May 30
New Repertory Theatre
54 Lincoln St. Newton Highlands, (617) 332 -1646
New Repertory
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Noises Off" by Michael
Frayn(1982)
Date:Mon, May 3, 11:25 PM
Quicktake on NOISES OFF
"Noises Off" by Michael Frayn, April 30 - June 5
Lyric Stage Company in Copley Sq.
140 Clarendon St., Boston (617) 437 - 7172
Lyric Stage
Company
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject:Correction to Quicktake on ?Mojo
Mickybo?
Date:Wed, April 21, 2:54 PM
Correction on MOJO MICKYBO
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: "ON THE AISLE - Boston & beyond"
update
Date:Thurs, April 22, 10:12 AM
ON THE AISLE
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Boston Theatre Marathon" by
Date: Mon, Apr 19 12:31 AM
Quicktake on 6th BOSTON THEATRE MARATHON
IRNE winners Nancy E, Carroll, Maureen Keiller, and
Bobbie Steinbach each had splendid solo moments.
Carroll's was a monologue by Israel Horowitz, "Cat
Lady", Keiller got in touch with her inner chicken in
Joe Byer's "Chickenworks", and Steinbach sat enthroned
in Tom Grady's "I Love You Virus." Susan Thompson
from Pilgrim was also outstanding in IRNE winner Laura
Harrington's "The Life You Save." Kippy Goldfarb
along with Maureen Keiller did well in Alan Brody's
"Annie and Issie", which might be part of a longer
play, while Goldfarb along with Helen McElwain played
a touching mother and daughter scene in Janet Kenney's
"Ma in Her Kerchief". Stacy Fischer and Bill Gardiner
has some good moments as estranged father and daughter
in Kathyrn Zamboni's " What Else Should I Bring?" Ed
Peed got to let his Shakespeare hang out in Carl
Rossi's farce "Sir and the A.S.M." along with Colin
Hamell and Susan McConnell. Richard McElvain played
yet another dissipated soul in Jon Lipsky's "The
Drum", along with Ava Eisenson as his daughter. Ben
Evett played a conflicted father in Michael Murray's
"Home" while Jerry Bisantz was on the boards this time
as a hapless traveler shanghaied by the policies of
airport security. The Curse of the Bambino and other
sports obsessions had their innings--Andrew Dolan was
the archetypical Red Sox fanatic--but there was little
or no mention of Iraq. The less said about Brustein's
"Terrorist Sketch" the better.
Just what the move down to the BCA and the more
significant shift to the end of May will do to this
event which has become a highpoint of the theatre
season remains to be seen. The Boston theatre
community can only hope that it's a change for the
better. Of course, it might just mean that more
groups will do their own short play events, giving
even more new works some exposure.
"Boston Theatre Marathon" April 18, 2004
The Theatre Community at Boston Playwrights'
Theatre
949 Comm. Ave. Allston MA,
Boston Theatre
Marathon
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Mojo Mickybo" by Owen
McCaffery
Date:Sun, Apr 4, 4:56 PM DST
Quicktake and more on MOJO MICKYBO
Hamell and Meleady easily
switch between their grown up selves and some dozen or
so characters in these two kids' lives, with no props
and versatile physical acting on a simple but
effective set by Tess James (who lit Howie the Rookie)
last year. J.Michael Griggs who designed Howie it this
one. Director Carmel O'Reilly pulls it all together,
bringing Owen McCaffery's award winning script to
life, with all its humor and heartbreak. If the
iconic images of Butch and Sundance don't immediately
come to mind, they will after seeing this show. It's
wheeker, even if talkin' isn't everyways clear. What
in life is?
At least there's a glossary in Sugan's program. The
show?s a brisk ninety minutes; the conflicy between
neighbors for whatever reason has to be a source of
comedy to keep it from becoming permenant tragedy,
This show created in the heart of Belfast had five
good years for the Kabosh. troupe. It?s a fitting end
to one of Sugan?s best seasons and shouldn?t be
missed.
"Mojo Mickybo" by Owen McCaffery, closes April 24
Sugan Theatre Co. at BCA Theatre
539 Tremont St., (617) 426 - 2787
Sugan Theatre Co.
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Curse of the Starving Class"
by Sam Shepard (1977)
Date: Thurs, Apr 15,10:54 PM
Quicktake on CURSE OF THE STARVING CLASS
TheatreZone's new Chelsea
Theatre Works space is comfortable and spacious, once
you climb the two flights to it, with good sightlines.
The production is simple but sufficient, with a
working stove and the all important refrigerator. A
more complete soundscape would help, but the lighting
is effective . There are good directions on their
website to their location in the shadow of the Tobin
Bridge. If you know how to drive in through Chelsea
Market, there's sufficient street parking around the
square. The company even raised a real live lamb aka
Hamlet for the show.
""Curse of the Starving Class" by Sam Shepard, April
15 - May 8
TheatreZone at Chelsea Theatre Works
189 Winnisimmet St., Chelsea (617) 661 - 9622
TheatreZone
Subject: Quicktake - "Snow White and the Seven
Dwarfs"" by Jessie Braham White
Date:Fri, April 9, 11:32 PM
Quicktake on SNOW WHITE
The problem of doing a show with a title that adults
will recognize and bring the kids to, compounded by
needing to get students from after-school programs
onstage doesn't need to come to this. Some sort of
Story Theatre presentation based on series of related
fairy tales would be a far better introduction to the
form than this sprawling dinosaur, which has little or
no real drama and encourages many of its young
participants to pretend to Act. Some of the older
members of the cast aren?t much better.
"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" by Jesse Braham
White, based on a tale by the Brothers Grimm, April2
- May 2
Wheelock Family Theatre at Wheelock College
200 The Riverway, Boston (617) 879 - 2300
Wheelock Family
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Ragtime: the Musical" by
Terence McNally, music by Stephen Flaherty, lyrics by
Lynn Ahrens
Date:Fri, April 2,11:34 PM
Quicktake on RAGTIME
"Ragtime" by Terence McNally, based on the novel by
E.L.Doctorow, Apr. 2 - 17
Footlight Club at Eliot Hall
7a Eliot St., Jamaica Plain (617) 524 - 3200
Footlight Club
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "The Sweepers" by John C.
Picardi
Date:Sun, April 4, 12.04 AM
Quicktake on THE SWEEPERS
"The Sweepers" by John C. Picardi, April 1 - 18
Stoneham Theatre
395 Main St, Stoneham MA , (617) 279 - 2200
Stoneham
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Backwater" from a
screenplay by Bill Donnelly
Date:Sun, Mar 28, 10:09 PM
Quicktake on BACKWATER
Newcomer Paul Garigos is
mostly old flame Wes, the guy you know Lea will
probably end up with, while Claire Shinkman gets juicy
cameos as a video store manager, a community theatre
diva, and a jealous teenager. Zabeth Russell's roles
range from Lea's mother to a third grader who catches
Lea and Mr. Clark in the closet, with various
intersting personas in between. The show's charming,
with interesting moments of dialogue and some insight
into what going back home unsuccessful might mean.
What plot there is, is a bit predictable and
potentially tedious. That;s more than made up for by
Dan Milstein's ingenious direction, which simulates
crossfades and closeups, plus the cast's infectious
spirit. A little of the goofy fantasy which enlivened
previous shows wouldn't be amiss, however.
"Backwater" adapted for the stage by Rough & Tumble
Theatre, thru Apr. 10
Rough & Tumble Theatre at BCA Leland Center
539 Tremont, Boston, (617) 426 - 2787
Rough &
Tumble
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "What the Butler Saw" by Joe
Orton
Date: Fri, Mar 12, 11:10 PM
Quicktake on WHAT THE BUTLER SAW
David P. Gordon's set once
again symmetrical set is ever so spiffy with Barcelona
and Eames chairs, designer accouterments, but not
enough doors. Linda Cho's swinging '60s costumery is
easy to take off, and lights and sound do their job.
However, inspired tackiness might have been more
suitable. It's all so safe, filled with random
chortles and the whole repertoire of
nudge-nudge-wink-wink. The Huntington might have done
better to go back to its old playbook and revive a
vrai farce from Feydeau like "The Lady from Maxims'"
rather than this dated sendup of a British imitation
written by a professional badboy.. The able
comedians in this ensemble would have had a better
time, especially Susan O'Connor, the primary victim,
who's too often reduced to mugging. This show's not
even as funny as "Springtime for Henry."
"What the Butler Saw" by Joe Orton, March 5 - April
5
Huntington Theatre Company at the Mystic Theatre
264 Huntington Ave, (617) 266 - 0800
Huntington
Theatre Company
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Lost City"
Date: Thurs, Mar 11 and time
Quicktake on LOST CITY
And just possibly, all
these characters with rich inner stories are figments
percolating in the imagination of Keith Mascoll's
Kareem, a young African American playwright heading
home from a disastrous reading in Chicago of a play
about the ancient Maya. Since he no doubt heard once
again the old cliche, "write what you know", Kareen
could just be creating a narrative involving his
fellow stranded passengers. The moments where the
entire cast participates in poetic fantasies, possibly
connected to his earlier work, are the least
successful, though interestingly staged by director,
Victoria Marsh. Sarah Shampnois' set, three orange
back-to-back benches sitting on a floorpattern made
from glued down maps provides quite a variety of
movement opportunities. Krista McCann's lighting is
varied and effective, as is Elizabeth Fuller's
soundscape. While not as powerful as last season's
"Truth & Beauty", "Lost City" is a strong effort,
worthy of further development. Company One's vision of
theatre once again adds to the diversity of the Boston
scene.
"Lost City" by Conrad Bishop & Elizabeth Fuller with
Company One, Mar. 4 - 27
Company One in BCA Black Box
539 Tremont St., (617) 426 - 2787
Company One
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "The Birthday Party" by
Harold Pinter (1958)
Date:Wed, Mar 10, 10:53 PM
Quicktake on THE BIRTHDAY PARTY
"The Birthday Party" by Harold Pinter, Mar. 6 - 27
American Repertory Theatre at Loeb Drama Center
64 Brattle St. Harvard Sq. Camb, (617) 547 - 8300
American Repertory
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Yellowman" by Dael
Orlandersmith
Date: Insert date and time
Quicktake on YELLOWMAN
"Yellowman" by Dael Orlandersmith, Mar. 3 - April
4
New Repertory Theatre
54 Lincoln St. Newton MA, (617) 332 - 1646
New Repertory
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Tone Clusters" and
"Middle-Aged White Guys"
Date: Sat, Mar 6, 10:45 PM
Quicktake on TONE CLUSTERS & MIDDLE-AGED WHITE
GUYS
The sombre mood of this first
50 minute piece is broken after intermission by the
elusive Jane Martin's "Middle-Aged White Guys", a
surreal farce set in a toxic waste dump on the site of
a former baseball field. The guys in question are
three small-town brothers, Roy, Clem and Moon
Mannering, played by Harold Withee, Robert Doris and
John McClain. They're gathered there just before Roy,
the mayor, dressed as Abraham Lincoln, is supposed to
officiate at the annual fireworks. It's the 20th
anniversary of the death of their high-school
sweetheart, R.V., a lounge singer played by Summer
Doyle, who shows up from the afterlife. But that's
after Mona, Roy's second wife, played by Christine
Hamel, arrives in her slip with a gun and starts
shooting at him. She leaves after Moon, who's back
from Africa where he was a mercenary, relieves both
his brothers of their wallets and Roy's carkeys. This
lets Mona run off to Arizona to join Clem's wife, who
left last week. By the end of this 80 minute comedy,
which might be described as Sam Shepard crossed with
Ionesco with a touch of Gospel, Elvis (Peter Brown)
and the dead Mrs. Mannering(Mary Driscoll) have also
appeared to convince the trio that they've been
chosen. For what? You'll have to see for
yourself.
Both plays were directed by
Stage Source's Marc S. Miller with technical support
from the ever-ingenious Doc Madison. Both shows use
projections and lighting effects by Darren Evans.
Mary Hurd's costumes are apt as usual. There's
original incidental music by Dutch jazzman Jorrit
Dijkstra. As anticipated, the Theatre Coop's efforts
provide an alternative to the usual theatrical fare.
"Tone Clusters" by Joyce Carol Oates & "Middle-Aged
White Guys" by "Jane Martin", Mar. 5 - 27
Theatre Cooperative at Peabody House
277 Broadway,Somerville (617) 625 - 1300
Theatre
Cooperative
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Van Gogh in Japan" by
R.L.Lane
Date: Sun, Mar 7, 11:19 PM
Quicktake on VAN GOGH IN JAPAN
But these performances can't
do much more than prop up a pedestrian script, which
has too many characters in scenes which go on just a
bit too long. But Susan Zeeman Rogers set painting,
derived from the painter's works and changed a vista
like huge canvases and Jaqueline Dalley's period
costumes provide strong character support. Dewey
Dellay's original music and soundscape are equally
helpful, as is Scott Pinkney's expressive lighting.
The show exhibits the painter's life without really
exploring it, which may be good enough. As a new play
in development, the show has moments of
brilliance.
"Van Gogh in Japan" by R.L.Lane,
Nora Theatre Company at BPT, Studio A, Mar. 4 -
28
949 Comm. Ave. Allston, (617) 491 - 2026
Boston Playwrights'
From: Larry Stark larry@theatermirror.com
Subject: Quick-Take
Stephen Adly Guirgis will visit The Boston Center for The Arts today (7 March) where the SpeakEasy Stage Company will be doing his latest hit "Our Lady of 121st Street" and I am hoping to drop by for the talk-back. Those lucky enough to have seen Guirgis' breakthrough play "Jesus Hopped The A-Train" (also done at the BCA by Company One last year) will be happy to know that he writes this comedy as beautifully as he did that tragedy --- though those theatrical categories always interpenetrate in his work.
But it's the street-smart characters and and every-day language of send-ups and put-downs and self-confrontations that explode from Guirgis' pages that make him American theater's hope for the future. He writes people that any Black or Latino actor can slide into and wear like a second skin, dialogue that spills effortlessly from their tongues in a "Wish I had said that!" exaggeration of their everyday speech. (And even Elaine Theodore who like me is neither Latino nor Black can seem both when emboldened by this text!)
The Artistic Directors of both The New African Company (Vincent E. Siders) and The Our Place Theatre Project (Jacqui Parker) are in this SpeakEasy cast, and last night --- and the one from Up You Mighty Race (Akiba Abaka) was in the audience last night. With such talents as these boiling into the Boston spotlight, I expect expect to see a sort of "Harlem Rennassance" to take hold here in the Athens of The East that will make Elma Lewis and Jim Sprouill proud.
What Stephen Adly Guirgis' plays demonstrate is that that those on the edges of society are really on the cutting edge of it. He has taken their concerns, their talk and their conflicts and made ART out of them.
What happens in the play? Well it starts at the funeral of Sister Rose --- who fled alcoholism into the church to become the tough-love teacher touching and improving the lives of everyone in the 'hood --- except that someone's stolen the body. The mourners, with the funeral on-hold, strip away their present lives to reflect on their pasts, many of which have intertwined, and most of which will intertwine in their meandering wait for resolution. One is driven by sight of his ex-wife to the confessional for his second visit after a fifteen-year proudly-proclaimed sinful diversion. There are reunions of old friends, old enemies, old friends-turned-enemies in a restaurant on one edge of the stage, in a men's bar on the other. One closet-gay lawyer has brought his actor-partner, one mourner has a retarded brother to keep tabs on, the detective investigating the corpse's abduction grew up here ---
You see? It isn't what they do but who they are that makes Guirgis' people exciting, not what happens exactly but who it happens to that makes his plays sing. And it isn't even "Our Lady of 121st Street" but all the wonderful people at her un-resolved funeral that makes this production, even so early, in contention as the best damn play of the year.
Love,
===Anon.
( a k a larry stark )
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Wait Until Dark" (1966)
Date: Sat, Feb 28, 11:47 PM
Quicktake on WAIT UNTIL DARK
Tony Andrea's set is up to
Stoneham's standard with a realistic period feel.
John Ambrosone's lighting achieves the feeling of
light and dark the play requires. Jayde Chabot's
costumes could use a bit more color and style. Stan
Severson's soundscape needs to be more constant, to
help set the city scene, and the musical choices are
forgettable. TV crime drama, which often draws on the
same film noire traditions behind this play, may have
made the theatrical thriller redundant. But this one
is carefully presented with enough plot twists for
mystery fans, even those who've seen the play
before.
"Wait Until Dark" by Fredrick Knott, Feb. 26 - Mar.
14
Stoneham Theatre
395 Main St. Stoneham Center, (781) 279 - 2200
Stoneham
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "The Spitfire Grill", by
Alley & Valcq
Date: Sun, Feb 15, 2004, 7:02 PM
Quicktake on THE SPITFIRE GRILL
From "A Ring Around the
Moon" started almost unaccompanied by Percy Talbott
leaving jail in the opening to Bobbie Steinbach's
crusty Hannah Ferguson, who got a hand opening night
on her entrance, to the ensemble complaint about "Ice
and Snow" as they chop shovel and sand, the show is
full of small moments, telling and true. Maryann
Zschau's throughly unglamorous Shelby has two strong
solo numbers, and a big heart. Chris Chew, who don't
make the original New York production, but went to
Wisconsin for the run there in the authors' American
Folklore Theatre, makes Sheriff Joe Sutter believably
decent with two nice ballads. The lyrics and score
make use of the engaging honesty of country songs
without sounding as if they were written for broadcast
or concertizing, though you might catch Bobbie
reprising "Forgotten Lullaby" in her next cabaret
show. The show has a goodtime feel without blunting
the realities of a small town which has lost its only
industry, and how struggling to hang on makes hard
times harder. Spring comes to Gilead, it'll come here
too.
"The Spitfire Grill"; lyrics by Fred Alley, Music by
James Valcq; book by both, Feb. 13 - Mar. 13
Lyric Stage Company at YWCA
140 Clarendon St. Copley Sq,, (617) 437 - 7172
Lyric Stage
Company
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Conspiracy of Memory" by
Steven Bogart
Date: Sun, Feb 8,7:29 PM
Quicktake on CONSPIRACY OF MEMORY
However, the production is well mounted and costumed,
the cast takes their roles to heart, and multimedia
effects by Caleb Wertenbaker with original sound and
music by Haddon Kime focus attention where needed.
Leonard Auclair gives a masterful performance as Ivan
Jacoba, whose increasing dementia triggers the action.
Marcia Friedman is believable as his faithful wife,
while Sharon Mason as his daughter and Brian Mason as
his grandson are equally good. Ken Baltin is intense
as the Nazi hunter, Avram while Renee Miller as his
blind survivor partner, Edith, adds depth to their
scenes. Kevin Steinberg is convincing as a very
contemporary young rabbi. And Eliza Rose Fichter has
some good moments as the grandson's girlfriend. All
this talent however is used for storytelling rather
than dramatic action. Still, as a work in
development, there's a lot to consider, if not
remember, about "Conspiracy of Memory."
Boston Theatre Works at Boston Playwrights' Theatre,
(617) 939 - 9939
Boston
Theatre Works
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Tycho & Kepler" by
industrial theatre
Date: Fri, February 6, 11:17 PM
Quicktake on TYCHO & KEPLER
Dianne Scully's period
costumes set the scene, especially the myriad
accessories which transform Henderson into Kepler's
mother, a bishop, and one of Tycho's greedy relatives.
Dan Scully's unit set, with the room surrounded by
tall chalkboards scrawled with abstruse astronomical
calculations, makes good use of the space in the
Leverett Old Library, using light to vary the scene.
Though the piece is fairly complete as is, further
development of the role of the Expert, who appears in
modern dress, might allow the point made in the
program note, that Kepler's abandonment of his
theoretical cosmic solids for the provable laws of
planetary motion led to Newton's principles of
universal gravitation, the true beginning of modern
physical science, to become part of the drama. Not to
mention placing the action more fully in its period
and then our own. As the script stands, Kepler's
notion, that "the roads by which men arrive at their
insights into celestial matters seems to me almost as
worthy of wonder as those matters in themselves" has
been well served. The industrial theatre aspires to
"good theatre well made." They've done it again.
"Tycho & Kepler" by industrial theatre, Feb. 6 -
21
industrial theatre at Leverett Old Library
Mill St., Harvard Riverside (617) 257 - 7480
industrial
theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "The Unemployable Livia
Peacock " by Nancy Pearson
Date: Sat, Feb 7, 6:14 PM
Quicktake on THE UNEMPLOYABLE LIVIA PEACOCK
The simple setting by Todd
Michael Hall, the "T" of T & A reflects Livia's
previous career as a kindergarten teacher. It's
movable solid color blocks provide enough scenic
variation, but the color scheme wears thin. A bit
more variety would help the show. The props stacked
stage right create visual clutter; removable masking
would help. Director Rick Park makes imaginative use
of the space and guided the cast's costume selection
for the right touches. The show works as a simple
story; the additional of some plot complications, or
perhaps a subplot for boisterous sister Merry would
turn it into a play. But it's fun while it lasts and a
good antidote for winter doldrum's and overly serious
drama.
"The Unemployable Livia Peacock " by Nancy Pearson,
Feb. 6 - 28
T & A Theatre Company at BCA Leland
539 Tremont, Boston, (617) 426 - 2787
Boston Center for the
Arts
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "FLANAGAN"S WAKE"
Date:Thurs, Jan 29, 11:14 PM
Quicktake on "Flanagan's Wake"
The project was the
brainstorm of Chuck Kavelas, executive producer, who
also plays Mayor Martin O'Doul, also the twon's
publican. Chuck's gathered a cast which includes
TheatreSports veterans Marc Bennett Hirsh, who plays
Mickey Finn, and TC Cheever playing Brian Ballybunion.
Kathleen Brophy is the deceased's fiance of thirty
years, Fiona Finn, while Bob Karish plays his invalid
Mother. The festivities are presided over by veteran
local actor Steve Turner as Fr. Damon Fitzgerald while
Kerry Ann Dailey plays the rather fey Kathleen Mooney.
Music director Karen Gahagen is Tara O'Doul when
she's at the keyboard. When she's not, Danny Sullivan
or Miles Goldberg as Declan Faloon will be tickling
the ivories. The cast seems well-versed in the tropes
of contemporary improv, which work quite well in this
context. Set and costumes, which seem to be a family
affair are quite suitable.
If you're into being part of
such an evening, sit down front. Show up early to get
into the ambience. You don't have to hit The Burren
beforehand, there's Guiness at the bar in the lobby.
And think up some good Irish nouns to yell out when
called upon; give the cast something new to work with.
It's good to see improv back in this space, which
hosted TheatreSports for a while. The troupe from the
Lizard Lounge is performing on Monday nights as well.
In fact, Improv seems to be making a comeback at
various locations. Kitchen Sync is doing shows at the
Puppet Showplace in Brookline, and other troupes have
regular nights at various venues. Could be a sign of
the times.
"Flanagan's Wake" originally conceived by Jack
Bronis, Jan 29 into March
at Jimmy Tingle's Off-Broadway
255 Elm Street, Davis Square, Somerville (617) 591-
1616
Jimmy Tingle's
Off-Broadway
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "The Dazzle" by Richard
Greenberg
Date: January 24, 11:25 PM
Quicktake on THE DAZZLE
None of the actor’s
achievements would be possible without Greenberg's
dense and crafty text. The playwright has synthesized
the artificial comedy of Wilde and Coward with
Ionesco's potential for madness and Shepard's
dysfunctional relationships. Director Weylin Symes has
modulated the production carefully to take advantage
of the feeling of unease which radiates from the
stage. The feeling of comedy on the verge of tragedy
prevades the evening. Designers Gianni Downs (set),
Shelby O'Clair (lights), Jason Landry (sound), and of
course, Gail Astrid Buckley (costumes) have created a
convincing and unsettling world for these three
misfits to inhabit. This play doesn't have the
appeal of "Take Me Out" which got four best play
awards last year-"The Dazzle" got only one during its
run-but it may have more legs, once theatre's like
Stoneham take a crack at it. But don't wait for them;
take a chance on this groundbreaking production, and
record your opinion on it.
"The Dazzle" by by Richard Greenberg, Jan.22 - Feb.
8
Stoneham Theatre
395 Main St., Stoneham MA (781) 279 - 2200
for directions Stoneham
Theatre
NAME WITHHELD
a minority report
From: Larry Stark larry@theatermirror.com
Subject: RE: The Threepenny Opera
Subject: RE: The Threepenny Opera
Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2004 16:09:44 -0500
Go ahead with my "Name Withheld Opinion".
Read the Globe yesterday.
It just feels lonely to be in the minority. You know, from time to time I look around at the merry crowd and think "someone, either them or me, must me an idiot." And it's very hard not to think it's me since there are so many of them and so few of me.
Subject: The Threepenny Opera
Date: Sat, 10 Jan 2004 11:26:24 -0500
Let me talk about the show . I see it as a collection of numbers, most
of which are excellent. I don't see it as a coherent show with either a clear story line or a clear point of view. Good directing to me is about these two things.
What are some other decisions the director made?
Having the whole troupe on stage during the whole show, but not assigning them any "jobs" aside from being present. Why is the stage so cluttered? What does it mean? The population density and the absence of privacy in the bums' world? Then why, for example, didn't they all make love to each other during Polly/MacHeath's first night?
Why is this idea, whatever it is,("the world is a stage,.." for example) dropped? What happens to it after the initial make-up scene and a few repetitive meaningless manipulations with the switch board?
How on earth is it compatible with the helicopters victimizing I don't know who --- the rascals? the whores? the poor? the cabaret actors?
Again, whatever these helicopters cleverly symbolize --- Kosovo, Iraq, or American militarism in general --- the only reason I could think of to justify their presence is winking in the direction of the liberal public.
A big budget deceivingly presents itself as freedom of choices, but it is a director's responsibility to check every single decision against that unifying concept of his.
I didn't find that here.
That is why many things seemed random, and thus confusing.
From: Norfolk1a@aol.com
Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2004 12:12:10 -0500
Subject: Quick Take on Far Away
I read Far Away last year and I was immediately excited by its possibilities, but being an actor and director as well, there were things that bothered me about it. The last scene of Caryl Churchill's brief, 50 minute play seemed to read more like a novel than drama, and the more I re-read, the more I doubted that it could actually work as the conclusion for the work on stage. I felt that on an intellectual level it made perfect sense, but it didn't quite capture the mystery of the first two sections, or the visceral impact of the coup de theatre which she sets up brilliantly.
Thanks,
Art (Art Hennessey)
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "After Mrs. Rochester" by
AUTHOR
Date: Jan 17, 11:08 PM
Quicktake on AFTER MRS. ROCHESTER
Other excellent
performances by actors who've joined the troupe before
include Charlotte Peed as Ella's mother, recent grad
Lauren Balmer, also at the Actor's Studio, as Jean's
rather unwanted daughter, stalwart Stephen Cooper as
both Jean's father and Ford Maddox Ford, who first
published her, and Heather Boas, another grad and
Actor's Studio student, as Jane Eyre. Newcomer
Kortney Adams, recently seen downtown in "Body & Sold"
and "Tereus in Fragments", moves between Ella's West
Indian playmate Tite and the family housekeeper, Meta,
with ease. Doug Lockwood, who does Wallace Shawn's
"The Fever" in people's homes plays mirrored
characters as Rochester and Ella's first lover.
Richard LaFrance, good as Sir Andrew and Frances Flute
in last summer's Publick Theatre offerings, doubles
convincingly as a seductive uncle and then the
long-suffering father of her daughter. In fact, no
one's miscast, there are no compromises for students
in the company, and the whole production has pace and
panorama, The WST continues to improve its already
high standards, for which it has received two NETC
Moss Hart Awards so far.
There's only one more weekend
to get out to see this unique production with yet
another interesting flexible multipurpose set by Ken
Loewit and excellent costuming by Andrew Poleszak.
The Jones has little over 100 seats this time.
Parking is still down behind due to construction; call
or get instructions off the Web. Reserve tickets
early and don't arrive at the last minute, or you'll
miss one of the season's best so far.
Wellesley Summer Theatre at Ruth Nagel Jones Theatre,
Alumnae Hall, Wellesley College
106 Central St. Wellesley MA, (781) 283-2000
Wellesley
Summer Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "BAD DATES" by AUTHOR
Date: Wed, Jan. 7. 11:40 PM
Quicktake on BAD DATES
"Bad Dates " by Teresa Rebeck, Jan 2. - Feb. 1
Huntington Theatre Company at the Mystic Theatre
264 Huntington Ave., (617) 266 - 0800
Huntington
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - ”URINETOWN"
Date: Wed. Jan. 7 11:09 PM
Quicktake on "URINETOWN - the musical"
"URINETOWN - the musical" book - Greg Kotis, music
Mark Hollman Jan. 6 - 18
Acara/Dodger Holding at the Colonial
106 Boylston,(617) 931 - 2787
From: "Sean D Bennett" sdbennet@bu.edu
Date: Wed, 17 Dec 2003 10:42:21 -0500
Sean D. Bennett
Senior Program Coordinator
B.U. School of Law
From: “will stackman” profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - “A Christmas Carol” adapted by
Jon Kimbell, David James & David Zoffoli
Date: Wed, Dec 10, 11:13 PM
Quicktake on Dickens' A CHRISTMAS CAROL
As Scrooge,
David Coffey returns for his 12th straight season,
while George Dvorsky (Christmas Present) also appears
for the 12th time, but not consecutively. Carol
McMahon has them both beat, playing Scrooge’s
housekeeper for the 13th time as well as Mrs.
Fezziwig, while Tom Staggs has only played Marley for
five. Coffey's Scrooge evokes more pity than most, but
is extremely effective. Dvorsky's Ghost towers above
the scene. Good voices abound, such as Jennifer D.
Goode (no pun intended) playing nephew Fred’s bride
(Meg), and Maureen Brennan as the Ghost of Christmas
Past as well as Mrs. Cratchit. Michael Arden, as
grown-up Tim, the Narrator, has an fine natural tenor.
Wayne W. Pretlow and Edward M. Barker who both
appeared in the world premiere of "Memphis" earlier in
the season add to the multi-cultural aspect of this
early Victorian show. Kathy Meyer (Dance Captain) and
Rob Flebbe are the ever-present Pearlies, street
performing acrobat/dancers when not assisting in
almost every scene as constantly recostumed
factotuums. The youngest members of the cast too
deserve applause.
If you’ve seen a more conventional adaptation of “A
Christmas Carol” you’ll be pleased and intrigued by
the insights NSMT's musical theatre version affords.
They've even turned the curtain selling scene into an
eleven o'clock number based a grim music hall
favorite. North Shore's theatre-in-the-round is just
off 128 past the Liberty Tree Mall. Follow the
directions on their website. They do sell out, so
reserve ahead.
“A Christmas Carol” based on Dickens, Dec. 5 - 21
North Shore Music Theatre
62 Dunham Rd., Beverley, MA (978) 232 - 7200 North Shore Music
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - " Monticel' " by Russell
Lees
Date: Mon, December 8, 11:21 PM
Quicktake on MONTICEL'
The characters in Lees' piece
are an interesting mix. Nigel Gore plays an
appropriately magisterial Jefferson. The politics of
the period are represented first by Steven Barkheimer
as the antifundamentalist pamphleteer, James
Callender, jailed briefly under the Alienation and
Sedition Act, the major blot on John Adams'
presidency. The opposition appears as a Federalist
Congressman, Francis Williams, played with cold
calculation by Charles Weinstein. Williams attempts
to convince Jefferson to bow out in favor of Burr "for
the good of the country," on the assumption that the
less principled New Yorker will be more willing to
compromise. In the midst of this swirl of backroom
politics is Birgit Huppuch as Patsy Jefferson Randolph, the
youngest daughter, in a tizzy at the prospect of going
to Washington to be her father's hostess. The return
from Philadelphia of James Hemmings, played forcefully
by Vincent E. Sliders, also has Patsy at once
delighted and more than usually in a state. And
quietly going about her household duties through all
this drama is Shari Johnson Atkins at Sally Hemmings,
conflicted, worried about her infant son, aware of her
precarious position in the household.
There may be too many "big ideas" in this script, each
brought to the fore, often not really resolved. The
tension is palpable under Wesley Sack relentless
direction, which may have been the only viable choice
at this stage of the piece's development. Historical
drama is always a challenge; the emotions and politics
in this play could easily support an opera. Haddon
Kime’s excellent original music and soundscape only
scratch the surface of such a possibility. Richard
Chambers' symbolic set, dominated by a black, white,
and gray American Flag--with the current 50 stars--and
three classic pillars, once again demonstrates this
Norton and IRNE winners mastery of subtle
uncluttered design. As the current campaign for the
White House heats up, a reminder of the turmoil at the
beginning of the process, with issues of states
rights, race relations, and international tensions
looming, is worth considering.
" Monticel' " by Russell Lees, Dec. 4 - 21
Boston Playwrights' Theatre, Studio B
949 Comma. Ave., Allston, (617) 358 - 7529
Boston Playwrights
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Truman Capote's Holiday Memories" by Russell Vandenbrouke
Date:Thur, Dec 4, 10:39 PM
Quicktake on HOLIDAY MEMORIES
William Gardiner, seen last summer at the Publick, now studying at B.U., binds the show together as the adult narrator. Chris Conner, a sophomore, is quite believable as Capote's younger self, seven year old Buddy. Without Gardiner's constant focus this memory play would easily become precious. Two senior acting students take all the other roles. Bob Braswell is especially convincing as the neighborhood bully, while Emily Strange has moments as a girl who bests him in the schoolyard and a simpering cousin. Kenichi Takahashi's unit set compresses Buddy and Sook's house into a playground for this odd pair. The most impressive stagecraft however is the use of shadowed actors behind the cyc and various projections, which enlarge the world of the show. Mathew Novotny's lighting design ties it all together, along with Matt Griffin's soundscape. This show's production values are equal to any currently running in town.
This presentation is part of B.U. Professional Theatre Initiative, employing seasoned actors working with aspiring students. Starting with "Hay Fever" featuring Paula Plum and Richard Snee last spring, such efforts will probably receive the attention they deserve when the two new spaces being built at the B.C.A. can be used. More vigorous promotion will be required, however, to get shows like this one the audience they deserve. Performances of this 90 minute piece start at 7 on Tuesday and Thursday and prices are reasonable, making this an ideal family outing, close to both the Orange and Green lines.
"Holiday Memories" adapted by Russell Vandenbroucke, Nov. 18 - Dec. 21
B.U.Professional Theatre Initiative in Studio 210,
264 Huntington Ave, Boston (617) 266-0800
B.U.P.T.I
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Snow in June" by Charles
L. Mee
Date: Wed, Dec 3, 11:31 PM
Quicktake on SNOW IN JUNE
Evan Harlan's ensemble
Andromeda does the composer proud, especially given
only rarely inspired lyrics. The three actors, David
Patrick Kelley, last seen here in Enrico IV, Rob
Campbell, who appeared in The Orphan of Zhao for the
director at Lincoln Center, and the ART's Thomas
Derrah give predictably mannered performances, quite
skillful but not very engaging. There's a lot of shades of Hong Kung
Fuey films-- plus snow shuffling by the 12 member
ensemble of ART students. In one long act--only about
85 minutes this time--there's clownish villainy,
stylized acting, and impressive vocals with surtitles
by Quin Yi, a superb young traditional singer. The
drama is slight but the production is cohesive with
effective moments of stagecraft. ART regulars won't
be too surprized.
"Snow in June" text by Charles L. Mee based on
The Injustice Done to Tou O , Nov. 29 - Dec. 29
American Repertory Theatre at Loeb Drama Center
64 Brattle St. Camb., (617) 547 - 8300
A.R.T./
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "My Life with the Kringle
Kult" by John Kuntz
Date: Mon. Dec. 1, 11:37pm
Quicktake on MY LIFE WITH THE KRINGLE KULT
"My Life with the Kringle Kult" by John Kuntz, Nov.
28 - Dec.13
Boston Theatre Works in the BCA Theatre
239 Tremont, (617) 427 - ARTS
Boston
Theatre Works
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Meshugah-NUNS" by Dan
Goggin
Date:Sun, Nov 30, 10:38 PM
Quicktake on MESHUGAH-NUNS
The situation this time is
that the Sisters are on an ecumenical cruise. Due to
rough weather, Howard is the only actor capable of
performing, so the five of them concoct a show, which
leads to such numbers as "Contrition", "If I were a
Catholic", and a five minute synopsis of "Fiddler"
with the audience enlisted to sing the chorus.
Speciality numbers include the Rev as Sophie Tucker,
the other three as "Three Shayna Madeles" a la the
Andrews Sisters, and a rousing closer called "Rock the
Boat" where Ms. Keiller brings down the house. There's
nothing controversial beyond the original premise of
this rather innocent series. You'll get more of the
jokes if you've seen "Fiddler", which is currently
playing at Turtle Lane, but you don't have to be
Catholic or have seen the four previous travesties to
get the point. It little good fun is always welcome,
especially this time of year.
"Meshugah-Nuns" by Dan Goggin, Nov 28 - Dec. 27
Lyric Stage Company at Boston YWCA
140 Clarendon St. Boston, (617) 437-7172
Lyric Stage
Company
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - Stoneham's "A Christmas
Carol" by Charles Dickens
Date:Sat, Nov 29, 10:48 PM
Quicktake on A CHRISTMAS CAROL
If taking in "A Christmas
Carol" fits your family's holiday plans, Stoneham's
has all the memorable Dicken's quotes, good singing,
charming costumes, lively dancing, not to mention a
talented cast of local favorites. Their prices are
reasonable, there are a variety of local restaurants,
and plenty of free parking just up Main Street (Rt.
28) by City Hall. The theatre is two miles down Rt.28
off I95(Rt. 128) and only a short drive up I93 from
Boston, Cambridge, or Somerville. Consider your
downtown alternatives.
"A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens, Nov. 28 - Dec.
23
Stoneham Theatre
395 Main St. Stoneham MA, (781) 279 - 2200
Stoneham
Theatre
MINORITY from G.L.Horton
My family piled into a van and went to Stoneham to see
“A Christmas Carol”. Everyone enjoyed it, in their
separate ways. The tinier than Tiny Tim member of the
family went after promising to be Good As Gold-- up to
now he had only been taken to shows for his age group
or outdoor theatre or shows amplified to the point
where a bit of wriggling and whispering wouldn’t annoy
his neighbors. But the promise wasn’t necesssary--
the Little Guy was utterly rapt, absorbed past
wriggling. On this basis he has been upgraded to
Approved Junior Audience member, and will be awarded a
trip to “Fiddler on the Roof’ at Turtle Lane in the
near future. He was no help for this review,
however. When asked what he liked best, he replied
“Nothing. It was all good.”
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Creation of the World (and
other Business)" by Arthur Miller
Date: Sat, Nov 22, 12:14 AM
Quicktake on CREATION OF THE WORLD
Marc Harpin is a goofball
Adam, quite cute in his nude suit, pubes and all,
while Chinasa Ogbuagu is far more serious most of the
time in hers. In the second act their sons show up.
Samuel Young plays a distant Cain while Michael
Avellar is just a little too nerdy as Abel. The
contrast works, however. In the first act these two
play seraphim as part of the choir. Kate Fredric as
Chemuel, the Angel of Mercy, and Yindy Vatanavan as
Azreal, the Angel of Death, don't make much of their
underwritten parts. Perhaps casting two petite
actresses in roles written for large men wasn't the
best choice.
However, IRNE winner Walters
is compelling in his frustration with humankind, while
Norton awardee White-Peppers is certainly seductive.
In this time of increasing strife worldwide, the
original falling out between brothers is worth
reconsidering. Seeing a drama unfold often reveals
layers that don't appear on the printed page.
Robbin's direction makes good use of Thomas M.J.
Callahan's expansive set which even makes use of one
of the actual stained glass windows in the hall. Matt
Soule's lighting does a lot with a little, though it
doesn't quite solve the dilemma of varying skin tones.
Izhar Schejter's original music and soundscape adds
a lot to the evening. Miller is well served by this
production.
Theatre Cooperative at Peabody House
277 Broadway, Somerville MA / (617) 625-1300 x1
Theatre Coop
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - Chris Calloway's "Blanche &
her Joy Boys" by Mark St. Germain
Date: Thurs, Nov 20, 9:30 AM
Quicktake on BLANCHE AND HER JOY BOYS
This show should probably be
described as "a biography -- with music" and here too
there's room for more finesse. Chris Calloway has an
interesting voice and excellent diction, but lacks the
brass needed for some of the selections. Even in an
intimate space such as the New Rep, modern sound
reinforcement might help. And while music director,
arranger, and accompanist David Alan Bunn backed by
Frank Abraham on the bass produce an engaging sound,
much of music being presented requires a swing band.
At least a few numbers would benefit from fuller
sound, even if it had to recorded, preferably by Chris
Calloway's own ensemble. An electronic keyboard as
well as an upright might also be a step in the right
direction.
These reservations shouldn't
keep any fan of musical theatre, swing era jazz, and
American music from catching this unique show. Chris
Calloway is a tireless performer, clearly enjoying
recreating her amazing family and the world they
helped create. So "Hi-de-Ho" yourself out to Newton
Highlands; the New Rep's still just a short walk from
the T and there's plenty of parking nearby.
"Blanche & her Joy Boys" by Mark St. Germain (Sheryl
Bailey Heath & Chris Calloway), Nov. 12 - Dec. 14
New Repertory Theatre and the Barrington Stage Co.
54 Lincoln St. Newton Highlands, (617) 332-1646
New Repertory
Theatre
From: Geralyn Horton g.l.horton@mindspring.com
Subject: Quick take or minority report "Follies In Concert"
Date: Fri, 21 Nov 2003 13:42:50 -0500
Musical performance in two acts. Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Book by James Goldman. Directed by Spiro Veloudos. Musical director, Michael Joseph. Choreography, Ilyse Robbins. Lights, Ellen Moore. Sound, E.L. Copeland. Produced by Overture Productions.
At John Hancock Hall, Friday Nov. 22 and Saturday Nov. 23, 8:00pm
tickets 617-931-2787.
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "FOLLIES In Concert" by AUTHOR
Date: Sat, Nov 15, 10:52 AM
Quicktake on FOLLIES In Concert
Tony winner Len Cariou is a
commanding presence as Ben Stone, but the real vocal
fire comes from luminous Leigh Barrett as Sally
Plummer and vivacious Maryann Zschau as Phyllis Stone,
former showgirls who married a couple of young lawyers
whose lives took different turns. The reliable Frank
Gayton gets to strut his stuff as Buddy Plummer. As
the central quartet in this complex piece, these four
set a high standard for the rest of the show. Paul D.
Farwell, who directed "Follies" for Turtle Lane a
while back doubles as the actual stage manager for
this enormous cast and gets to play Weisman the
impresario as well, the easier part of his job.
Local luminaries from stage
and cabaret get to shine as well. Kathy St. George is
predictably over-the-top as Solange in a red sequinned
sheath while statuesque Mary Callahan brings down the
house as Hattie, the Broadway Baby, when not
exchanging jibes with diminutive Solange. Bobbie
Steinbach, in a real change from "A Girl's War" is
definitely still here as Carlotta, more in the
Stritch mode than de Carlo, but which one's still
working? Deb Poppel (who also produced this
extravaganza) and Frank Aronson, seen in "Marty" last
year, make a perfect vaudeville team. Barbara Morash
has the ideal presence and voice as Heidi the opera
singer, while Lianne Grasso, seen last year as the
ingenue in Sweeney Todd, is charming as young Heidi.
And Brad. D. Peloquin as Roscoe has the perfect tenor
for serenading beautiful girls, who do actually appear
from time to time wearing Richard Itcsak's refurbished
creations from the Turtle Lane production.
Indeed, the younger folks in
the show, headed by Brent Reno, seen last weekend in
American Classics' "Peggy Ann" and Caroline deLima,
playing hooky from "Jacques Brel...." as young Ben and
Phyllis, with Josh Grissetti and Stephanie Birnbaum as
Buddy and Sally, demonstrate the depth of talent
waiting to move center stage around town. When the
entire cast of more than two dozen, including
conservatory and musical theatre students, sings out,
the hall rings. Director Spiro Veloudous and music
director/conductor Michael Joseph have taken this
concert performance to a musical high. Would there
were funds to do an encore like this every year. And
it's a benefit for Boston-based youth arts programs.
What're you waiting for?
" FOLLIES" by James Goldman & Stephen Sondheim, Nov.
14, 21 - 22
Overture Productions at John Hancock Hall
200 Berkeley St., (617) 931 - 2787 (TM) or BOSTIX
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "ORATORIO OF THE
POSSSIBILITARIANS" by Bread & Puppet Theatre
Date: Fri. Nov. 14, 10:30 AM
Quicktake on “The Oratorio of the
Possibilitarians”
"The Oratorio of the Possibilitarians" by Bread &
Puppet, Nov. 11 - 23
Bread & Puppet at Durrell Hall, Camb, YMCA
820 Mass. Ave. Camb, (617) 661-9622
From: Norfolk1a@aol.com
Date: Fri, 14 Nov 2003 12:25:56 -0500
To: larry@theatermirror.com
Subject: Quick Take
Art
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Julius Caesar" by Wm.
Shakespeare
Date: Fri, Nov 7, 3:01 PM
Quicktake on JULIUS CAESAR directed by Daniel
Gidron
The cast features Jason Asprey from Shakespeare
& Co. as the lean and hungry Cassius, a part which he
plays with intensity. Christopher Brophy appears as a
solid but less-than-commanding Brutus. Kim H.
Carrell's Caesar is definitely past his prime, but
effective, if not up to Cassius' description of him.
Lewis Wheeler would be acceptable as Antony in a
collegiate production; here he's too lightweight.
Seth Reich as Octavius is hampered by an insufficient
costume and no concept of what he will become. Seth
Compton is good as Lucius, Brutus's faithful young
servant and does a few other minor parts quite
handily.
Melissa Sine, a Shakespeare Now! veteran is
convincing if a bit young as Portia, but too
distinctive to be doubling as a collection of male
messengers and even the Greek slave who helps Cassius
commit suicide. Artistic Director Linda Lowy as
Calphurnia is on the same level as Carrell, but
out-of-place in this production when she doubles a
variety of Romans from one of the conspirators to a
soldier in the field. One can sympathize with tight
budgets, but two more young men as utility walk-ons
would have made things less jarring.
This production falls somewhere between the
"bare-bones" tradition and complete staging. Brynna
Bloomfield's three substantial set pieces provide an
effective background to the action. Amanda Mujica's
Roman costuming sets the period well (even if some of
the tunics and togas seem a bit too short), while
Michael Micucci's lighting and Dewey Dellay's original
soundscape add to the texture of the show. This level
of polish makes some of the doubling intrusive,
though many members of the cast have effective moments
outside their named roles. The largely male cast
overcomes most of the acoustic difficulties of the
hall, though some lines are lost when played down or
to the side.
"Julius Caesar" by Wm. Shakespeare, Nov. 4 - 21;
call for evening performance
Shakespeare Now! at Pine Manor College
400 Heath St., Brookline (617) 326 - 3643
Shakespeare
Now!
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "The Silent Movie Play" by
Rough & Tumble Theatre
Date:Fri, Nov 7, 2003 11:08 pM
Quicktake on THE SILENT MOVIE PLAY
Dan Milstein directs the revival having also done the
original. Resident composer Fred Harrington at the
keyboard also gets to play his original score again.
Bonnie Duncan works miracles with thrift shop
costuming for yet another show. Brett Bundock has
given them more scenery that usual, including an
expressionist streetscape backdrop. And if Larry
counts the instruments, he'll realize that Kathy
Maloney has once again provided atmosphere using two
dozen ordinary clip lights, plus two strings of
miniature holiday lights to illuminate the house.
Compared to 1/2 price mediocre seats from Bostix, at
ten bucks, The Silent Movie Play is the real
theatrical bargain in town, and it's not actually in
the basement, even if it feels that way.
Rough & Tumble Theatre at BCA, Leland
539 Tremont, (617) 426 - 2787
Rough &
Tumble
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Boston Fringe" by
AUTHOR
Date: Thurs, Nov 6, 11:25 PM
Quicktake on BOSTON FRINGE 2003
Nov. 6th program
The rest of the show I saw included Centastage's
production of Kathleen Rogers' "Ballast" seen at the
Boston Theatre Marathon. It has a solid cast but still
seems to be a fragment of a longer work. Tricord
Production's "Inner City Blues" is energetic but
unresolved, almost self-frustrating in its attempt to
illuminate the difficulties young urbanites of color
face. Zeitgeist tosses in Pinter's brief and
intimidating "The New World Order" without getting
beyond its indubitable menace. Other evenings include
work by the New African Company, Hysterical
Performances, and the Mill6 Theatre Collaborative, all
with their own special take on life in these times.
There are also surprise guests, some already scheduled
after every show.
"Boston Fringe"; works by Company One, Kathleen
Rogers, Keith Antar Mason & Ntozake Shange, Harold
Pinter, etc. Nov. Oct. 30 - Nov 22
Company One, Centastage, Tricord Prod., & Zeitgeist
Stage Co. at BCA, Black Box
539 Tremont, (617) 426-2787
Company One
From: "Kim Carrell" cyrano3112@hotmail.com
Subject: "Haymarket"
Date: Sat, 8 Nov 2003 11:10:31 -0500
Kim H. Carrell
From: "will stackman" profwill66@hotmail.com
To: announcements@theatermirror.com
Subject: RE: Correction
I'm happy to correct my comments on Swan Stage's "Othello" last August and recognize that costumer Leila Jaques created the period costuming herself.
Will Stackman
---
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Haymarket" by Zayd
Dorn
Date:Sat, Nov 1, 11:40 PM
Quicktake on HAYMARKET
Adam Zahler's direction is crisp and to the point,
Richard Chambers set is elegantly simple, Rachel
Padula-Shufelt's period costumes (1886) are accurate
and effective, and Haddon Kime’s original music
completes the show. A better ensemble cast drawn from
local talent would be hard to imagine and there hasn't
been a better example of efficient contemporary
stagecraft this fall. This production is another
triumph for the developmental process for playwrights
at Boston Playwrights.
"Haymarket" by Zayd Dorn, Oct 30 - Nov.16
Boston Playwrights Theatre
949 Comm. Ave., Allston, (617) 359 - 7529
Boston Playwrights
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "The Phantom Tollbooth" by
Norman Juster & Sheldon Harnick
Date: Sat, Nov 1, 11:05 pm
Quicktake on THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH
WFT's diverse casting suits
this script especially well. Ricardo Engermann is
outstanding as Tock the Watchdog and gets to show off
his gymnastic prowess as well. Professional singers in
the company provide strong support for the variety of
young voices, including Tristan Viner-Brown reprising
the role of Milo he played earlier at the Harwich
Junior Theatre. James P. Bryne's direction has a
touch of camp like many professional children's
theatre shows. Both parents and children might be
better served by a more imaginative approach. But
it's safe to say that a good time will be had by all..
"The Phantom Tollbooth"
by Norman Juster & Sheldon Harnick, Lyrics Harnick:
music, Arnold Black Oct 31 - N0v 30
Wheelock Family Theatre, Wheelock College
180 the Riverway, Boston (617) 879 - 2300
Company Website
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "On the 20th Century" by
Comden & Green; music Cy Coleman
Date: Sat, Nov 1, 9:32 AM
Quicktake on ON THE 20TH CENTURY
Check the website for sold-out performances, and
reserve now, for this or later performances in what
promises to be a stand-out season.
"On the 20th Century" by Betty Comden & Adolf Green,
music by Cy Coleman, Oct. 30 - Nov. 15
Vokes Players at the Beatrice Hereford's Vokes
Theatre
Rt. 20 Wayland MA, (508) 358-4034
Vokes
Players
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "The Girl in the Frame" by
Jeremy Desmon
Date: Sun, Nov 2, 8:32 PM
Quicktake on THE GIRL IN THE FRAME
The cast is energetic and in good voice, with Chew
once again parodying his own musical comedy charisma.
Music director Timothy Evans keeps the tunes bouncing
along, while director Weylin Symes keeps the action
physical and funny. Jenna McFarland's set is a
pleasant abstraction of an apartment with inset pieces
as necessary, Christine Alger's realistic costumes
have just enough fantasy to match the show, but keep
things real. For a book clearly in development, the
pace of the evening is sure. So be sure not to miss
this one; Stoneham's closer than you think and there's
plenty of free parking.
"The Girl in the Frame" byJeremy Desmon, Oct. 30 -
Nov. 15
Stoneham Theatre
395 Main St., Stoneham (781) 279-2200
Stoneham
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "BUTLEY" by Simon Gray
Date: Thurs, Oct 30, 8:33 AM
Quicktake on "Butley"
PS. Jerry Kissel is Lane's
understudy; it would be interesting to see what this
Boston veteran and IRNE/Norton awardee could make of
this piece, assisted by one of our more imaginative
local directors.
"BUTLEY" by Simon Gray, Oct. 24 - Nov. 30
Hunting Theatre Company at Mystic Theatre
264 Huntington Ave. Boston, (617) 266 -0800
Huntington
Theatre Company
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "TEMPTATION" by Vaclav
Havel
Date: Sat, October 25, 11:20 PM
Quicktake on "Temptation"
This play takes Havel back to
his Absurdist roots as he subjects his hero to twists
and turns in his relationship with Dr. Vilma, his
colleague, played by New Zealander Julia Morton, his
yearning for Marketa, the secretary, played by Sara
Peterson, and his problems with his colleagues. The
set stretches the full width of the front of the
theatre, center seats or to the left are preferred.
Sightline problems aren't as bad as "Lady with the
Lapdog". Sound, lights, and costumes are effective,
but a better fog machine would help. The last time
this play was done around here was in Feb. 2000 over
at the Theatre Coop just after Dubya was given the
election. It seems scarier this time around.
Especially since Havel himself signed a letter
supporting Bush's approach to Iraq, before old Europe
figured out our Prez really meant to do it.
"Temptation" by Vaclav Havel, Oct. 25 - Nov. 1
Harvard-Radcliffe Drama Club on the Loeb Mainstage
64 Brattle St. Harvard Sq., Camb MA (617) 547-8300
Date: Sat, 25 Oct 2003 12:19:10 -0400
From: Ann Carpenter anncarpenter@comcast.net
Subject: excellent shows neglected
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Pictures of Patty
Hearst"
Date?Sat, Oct 11 12:26 AM
Quicktake on PICTURES OF PATTY HEARST
Lattanzi, one of the co-founders of the Boston Theatre
Marathon, attempts to show how Patty Hearst, a
wealthy "California Girl" became enmeshed in the
violent and paranoid world of this mini-cult. While
the story has worldwide relevance today, with the
spread of independent "terrorist" activity, Lattanzi's
treatment is character, almost caricature, focused.
But the cast is lively and interesting, with something
of the air of an improv troupe. Those who remember
the mindset of the Nixon years, when Ronald Reagan was
governor of California, not to mention the Beach Boys
or disco, may find somethings to remember here. What
a long strange trip it's been. Patricia Hearst Shaw's
children, by her ex-bodyguard, should be the same age
as some of the cast members.
"Pictures of Patty Hearst" by Bill Lattanzi, Oct. 9
- 19
Boston Playwrights' Theatre
949 Comm. Ave. Allston, (617) 358 - 7529
Boston Playwrights'
Theatre
From: lherman
Subject: Re: Fwd: Everything Was Possible
Date: Wed, 08 Oct 2003 10:46:02 +0000
Larry,
Finally this morning is Siegel's review of A Man of No Importance and he trashes the music and also guy who played Alfie, then lets that half-empty perception color the whole review, including the headline, so the positive things he says are buried. Disgusting! Plus I thought Alfie was wonderful, and fully as "interesting" as my beloved Albert Finney. I agree with you, (1) did we see the same play? and (2) that's power for you.
L
EXPLANATION FROM LARRY STARK:
This is the lady who loved the film so much she rented a copy and invited memover for dinner. So we saw "A Man of No Importance" at the BCA together
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "The Accidental Death of an
Anarchist" by Dario Fo
Date: Thurs, Oct 9, 2003 11:07 PM
Quicktake on THE ACCIDENTAL DEATH OF AN ANARCHIST
Director John Quinn from the
Norwood School Drama program keeps the farce zipping
along with Parkinson ahead of the pack. The cast
should come closer to catching up to his physical
humor as the run progresses. This classic farce,
anarchic in its own right, is a welcome antidote to
the navel-gazing in most post 9-11 plays about
terrorism. Fo's injudicious remarks after that event
will probably keep him out of this country for the
foreseeable future. This Poets Theatre production,
full of updated wisecracks and current references,
will do instead.
Seen in Preview
"The Accidental Death of an Anarchist" by Dario Fo,
Oct. 9 - 26
The Poets Theatre at Jimmy Tingle's OFF BROADWAY
256 Elm St. Davis Sq. Somerville, (617) 591-1616
Jimmy Tingle's OFF
BROADWAY
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Pictures of Patty
Hearst"
Date?Sat, Oct 11 12:26 AM
Quicktake on PICTURES OF PATTY HEARST
Lattanzi, one of the co-founders of the Boston Theatre
Marathon, attempts to show how Patty Hearst, a
wealthy "California Girl" became enmeshed in the
violent and paranoid world of this mini-cult. While
the story has worldwide relevance today, with the
spread of independent "terrorist" activity, Lattanzi's
treatment is character, almost caricature, focused.
But the cast is lively and interesting, with something
of the air of an improv troupe. Those who remember
the mindset of the Nixon years, when Ronald Reagan was
governor of California, not to mention the Beach Boys
or disco, may find somethings to remember here. What
a long strange trip it's been. Patricia Hearst Shaw's
children, by her ex-bodyguard, should be the same age
as some of the cast members.
"Pictures of Patty Hearst" by Bill Lattanzi, Oct. 9
- 19
Boston Playwrights' Theatre
949 Comm. Ave. Allston, (617) 358 - 7529
Boston Playwrights'
Theatre
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "The Credeaux Canvas"
Date:Sun, Oct 5, 10:51 PM
Quicktake on THE CREDEAUX CANVAS
While the subject matter of
this script is potentially interesting, as was Jon
Robin Baitz's sojourn into the painter's world last
year, the characters expected to carry the its weight
are cliched losers; the graduate student painter whose
technique trumps his imagination, the singer unable to
break into the New York scene, and the poor little
rich kid whose Daddy remarried and cut him off.
There's a lot of competent acting expended creating
people it's hard to care much about, particularly
Chris Loftus' Jamie, a mentally-fragile spoiled brat.
And it's telling when veteran actress Renee Miller
shows up to open Act II with a bravura performance as
an art collector. Her we understand; all of a sudden
it's a play and not daytime television.
Director/designer David J.
Miller has once again concocted an interesting set
with an action-painted raked floor invoking Pollock.
There are a few blocking problems to be solved given
the shallow three-quarter layout. Costume and lights
are sound, as is the recurring theme music.
All-in-all, an entertaining enough job of a script
which doesn't live up to its pretensions, but probably
worth a look-see.
Zeitgeist Stage Co. in BCA Black Box
539 Tremont St. Boston, (617) 426 - 2787
Zeitgeist Stage
Co,
From: “will stackman” profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject:
Quicktake - “Antony and Cleopatra” by Wm.
Shakespeare
Date: Wed, September 24, 8:26 PM
Quicktake on ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA
In the title roles, Robert
Pemberton plays Antony as playboy general with an eye
to the main chance. He never quite achieves tragic
stature, but is effective in the role. Anne Gottlieb
has the glamour for Cleopatra and a sure grasp of this
mercurial role. Barton’s Enobarbus, who serves as a
kind of chorus throughout holds the audiences
attention through the complex plots from the brief
prologue added to the play to his death, from shame
more than anything. Ted Hewlett, as Octavius Caesar
(later Augustus) is calculating in his business suit,
and implacable in his effort to become the sole ruler
of the empire.
While its not always clear
just who the remaining members of the ensemble may be
sometimes, since they're playing at least two dozen
named roles, the action is clear. Brian Abscal is good
as Cleopatra's major domo, Christopher Crowley is
effective as several other Egyptians, and as Menas,
Pompey's piratical associate. Michael F. Walker plays
brash Pompey the Younger with suitable swagger.
Shelley Bolman takes on several of Caesar's
bureaucrats, but has a fine comic moment as the
messenger Cleopatra terrorizes when he brings news of
Antony's remarriage. Bill Molnar is the ineffectual
Lepidus, the weakest member of the triumvirate, while
Dev Luthra is menacing as Agrippa, Caesar's enforcer,
As Cleopatra's ladies, Elizabeth A. Wightman and
Elizabethan Hayes make an interesting contrast in
height and style playing Charmian and Iras. Its a bit
unfortunate that BTW didn't come up with a more
diverse ensemble however.
Familiarity with the full
text might help one appreciate the sweep of this tale
of political strife and director Jason Slavik and
dramaturg Bridget Frey's cuts and elisions.
Plutarch's story gets told once again with admirable
dispatch; nothing important is omitted, and the best
of Shakespeare's drama is well played, up close and
personal. It's worth taking in, especially since the
play's not done as often as its rich verse
deserves.
“Antony and Cleopatra” by Wm. Shakespeare, Sept. 19 -
Oct. 12
Boston Theatre Works at the Tremont Theatre
275 Tremont, Boston, (617) 939 - 9939
Boston
Date: Sat, 27 Sep 2003 17:02:06 -0400
Subject: resend of OT Dublin
From: Geralyn Horton g.l.horton@mindspring.com
Date: Tues Sept 24,
Quicktake on "Dublin Carol" by Conor McPherson
To the Nora team that makes this miracle possible-- director Janet Morrison, designers Eric Levenson (set) Jacqueline Dalley (costumes) and David Wilson (lighting and sound) --- grateful thanks.
"Dublin Carol" by Conor McPherson, Sept. 18 - Oct. 5
Nora Theatre Company at Boston Playwrights' Theatre
949 Comm. Ave. Allston, (617) 491 - 2026 (also Ticketmaster & Bostix)
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "DUBLIN CAROL"
Date: Sat, Sept 22,11:02 PM
Quicktake on "Dublin Carol" by Conor McPherson
Then in the second scene, his
grown daughter Mary, in the person of Devon Jencks, shows up.
Plunkett abandoned his family for booze and other
women years ago. Now his son's a layabout in London
and his estranged wife is dying of cancer. Those who
saw Devon's lighter side this summer at the Publick
Theatre will want to her with her Irish up, matching
family pain with the old man. It would be nice to see
more of her.
The payoff for this 90 minute
monologue-filled and almost classically constructed
script comes in the third and final scene when Mark,
in some distress, returns for his pay to find the old
fella by drink taken. The epiphanies are minor but
wrenching. Once again, buoyed by McElvain's stamina
as a raconteur and ability to create unique
characters, McPherson's rather bleak hopefulness wins
out.
Director Janet Morrison
deftly leads her excellent cast through this
maze of damaged relationships. Eric Levenson's set
aptly echoes the time, place, and mood of the play.
Jacqueline Dalley's costumes do the same, while David
Wilson's lighting and sound combine to complete the
show. This Nora production is up to the standard set
by previous award-winning Sugan and New Rep efforts
with McPherson's scripts, both of which featured
McElvain, of course.
"Dublin Carol" by Conor McPherson, Sept. 18 - Oct.
5
Nora Theatre Company at Boston Playwrights'
Theatre
949 Comm. Ave. Allston, (617) 491 - 2026 (also
Ticketmaster & Bostix)
From: BDAndelman@aol.com
Date: Sat, 20 Sep 2003 01:06:14 EDT
Subject: antony & cleopatra
To: larry@theatermirror.com & [ withheld ]
just saw this tonight.... EXCELLENT!!! the staging was brilliant... you both need to see this. larry... press night/reception is monday 9/22 @ 7:15.. if you have any trouble getting tix let me know... as a founding member here i have a myriad of privileges....
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - ”A GIRL'S WAR"
Date:Saturday, September 20, 9:04 AM
Quicktake on A Girl's War
This production won't sell out quite as quickly as "Sweeney Todd" or "Waiting for Godot", director Rick Lombardo's two smash hits last season, but reserve as soon as possible. IRNE and Norton award-winner Richard Chambers has created an intriguing multi-use set flanked by ancient grave markers, Denitsa Blitznakova's costumes follow the arc of the drama nicely, and Haddon Kimes' war and music soundscape is superb as expected. IRNE winner Dan Meeker ties it all together with lighting that moves smoothly from harsh reality to expressionist effects.
While this script has special resonance for the Armenian (and Azeri) community hereabouts, continuing ethnic/religious conflicts across the globe make this specific drama symbolic of an ancient problem through the painful history of civilization. As the last line asks, are we in the same world where this goes on?
"A Girl's War" by Joyce Van Dyke, Sept. 17 thru Oct. 19
New Repertory Theatre
54 Lincoln St. Newton MA, (617) 332 - 1646
New Rep on the Web
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - ”LADY WITH A LAPDOG"
Date:Thurs, Sept 18, 5:19 PM
Quicktake on “Lady with a Lapdog”
"Lady with a Lapdog" by Kama Ginkas from a short
story by Anton Chekhov, through Oct. 11
ART at the Loeb
64 Brattle St., (617) 547 - 8300
http://www.amrep.org/
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - ”WHEN PIGS FLY"
Date: Sun, Sept 14, 8:45 PM
Quicktake on Howard Crabtree's, "When Pigs Fly"
The best single example however, is not Crabtree's hilarious extravagant creations, achieved with considerable last-minute difficulties by Tina Marie Green-Heinze from the Philadelphia scene, with local help from Rita Sclavunos using original sketches uncovered by Maryann Zshau at the New York Public Library and wigs conjured up by Gail Astrid Buckley. It's Peter A. Carey's side-splitting renditions of Mark Waldrop's updated "Torch Songs". Carey, a musical theatre veteran, performs these wicked lyrics dressed in a white tux jacket, sitting on a bentwood chair,
fondling a chiffon scarf. He then caps these digs at Dick Cheney, Pat Robertson, and Chuck Heston with the gentle reminder that "Laughing Matters." Dan Bolton as Harold himself has a childlike sweetness. Neil A. Carey plays the frustration of any actor or actress saddled with impossible costumes, while Britton White and Brian Robinson skip through a difficult novelty number, "Light in the Loafers", with style. Dr. Robinson later brings down the house in one of the few drag numbers, "Bigger is Better", which could be performed by a substantial woman with no changes. He also makes a great Quasimodo. White, the designated hunk, is most surprising in "Not All Man", but most affecting dressed in a business suit in the simple suburban ballad, "Sam & Me."
There ARE tickets left, especially since the show was extended one week by popular demand before it opened. Don't delay; Lyric Stages' 30th season opener is the perfect antidote to any sense of decline, either on the national or Fenway scene.
"When Pigs Fly" by Crabtree, Waldrop, and Gallagher, Dates
Lyric Stage Company
140 Clarendon St., Copley Sq. (617) 437-7172
thru Oct. 18
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - ”PETE 'N' KEELEY"
Date: Sunday, Sept 6, 11:46 PM
Quicktake on "Pete 'n' Keeley"
The original music songs by Brady and Waldrop, including "Tony 'n' Cleo" (inspired by Shakespeare?) might have come from any one of a hundred old TV shows. Tim Evan's musical direction is impeccable, Gail Buckley's costumes are perfectly camp, and everyone's having a great time cutting loose. So you might as well join them.
Stoneham's also premiering a new musical by Jeremy Desmon, "The Girl in the Frame", Oct. 30 through Nov. 9. Considering that "Pete 'n' Keeley" began just to the west in Springfield, and went on to an Off-Broadway run, plan to catch this Emerging Stages project on the way up.
"Pete 'n' Keeley" by James Hindman, Sept. 4 - 28
Stoneham Theatre
395 Main St., Stoneham MA, (781) 279-2200
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - ”OILD SOLDIERS"
Date: Fri. Sept 5, 10:21 PM
Quicktake on "Old Soldiers"
"Old Soldiers" by Martin Jones, Sept. 5 - 13
Theatre Cooperative at Peabody House
277 Broadway, Somerville (617) 625 -1300
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake- "PACIFIC OVERTURES"
Date:, Mon, Sept 1, 2003 2:24 PM
Quicktake on “Pacific Overtures”
A Joint production at North Shore Music Theatre
Dunham Rd., Beverley MA / (978) 232-7200
North Shore Music Theatre
Date: Tue, 19 Aug 2003 13:39:26 -0400
Subject: Quick Take --- Shakespeare & Co.
From: Geralyn Horton g.l.horton@mindspring.com
My annual pilgrimage to Shakespeare & Co. was abbreviated to a single Saturday matinee and evening this year-- nowhere near enough time to take in the riches this national treasure of a Company has to offer.
Geralyn Horton, playwright
Newton, MA
Go see my SHORT PLAYS
http://www.stagepage.info/oneact/_oneact.html
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - ”OTHELLO"
Date:Mon, Aug 18, 3:19 PM
Quicktake on “Othello”
"The Tragedie of Othello" by Wm. Shakespeare, August 14 through 24
Swan Stage Company at Regent Theatre
7 Medford St., Arlington Center (781) 646-4849
Swan Stage Company
From: "John_Ct" john0959@netzero.net
Subject: Questions from a Theatre Fan.
Date: Tue, 12 Aug 2003 12:36:31 -0400
We've been given a cherished memory that will last our lifetimes.
This production is opera, and goes well beyond the average musical.
The casting is incredible.
Consistently and superlatively talented musical voices -
Lisa Trader - I now believe the legends of "sirens" who's voices can control men's emotions. Indeed, Mrs. Traders every note will haunt the audiences memories as Lily haunts her Archie's.
Norman Large - He is either Archie or Archie was intended to be him. A match of character or role made in theatrical heaven.
David Elledgridge - Finely cast and fully vocal. His renditions of "Lily's eyes...Strangely quiet, but now... and Quartet why won't he say what he wants...
leave the audience with a lasting tune.
I cannot compliment this cast enough.
If TBTS is to end this year, this Is her Swan Song - and a fitting one of quality and caliber to match any production.
I am sorry that this run must end,
I've seen it twice, and will see it again this thursday, and maybe again Sat.
(both matinee's) as my daughter also wants to experience it again.
I wish this could have been filmed I would Gladly purchase this tape.
Sincerely;
John Hoyle
Newington Ct.
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - ”CIRCLES OF TIME"
Date: Mon, Aug 11, 2003 4:28 PM
Quicktake on “Circles of Time”
"Circles of Time" by Shirley Timmreck, August 7 through 23
Kaplan/Bullins at Lyric Stage
140 Claredon, Copley Sq. (617) 437-7172
URL
From: "Russ Greene" rrgreene@hotmail.com
Subject: Quick Take: Greetings from Planet Girl
Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2003 22:35:43 -0400
Cheers,
Russ Greene
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - ”MACBETH"
Date:Sun, July 20, 2003 10:26 PM
Quicktake on Macbeth
"Macbeth" by Wm. Shakespeare, July 17 - Aug. 10
Commonwealth Shakespeare Company on Boston Common
Parkman Bandstand off Tremont St., (617) 532-1212
CommShakesComp
Date: Fri, 18 Jul 2003 15:03:41 -0400
From: "Larry Stark's Theater Mirror" larry@theatermirror.com>
Subject: Minority Quick-Take
I Sebastiani is a dedicated group of enthusiasts attempting to re-create the street-comedy of Italy that evolved over two centuries bracketing the time of Shakespeare. Their Resources are lovingly informative, and their Glossary alone is worth the price of admission. But, to my eyes, "The Twin Captains" --- their current production in the small Leland space at the BCA --- smells of the lamp. If it were part of a lecture-demonstration in which historians (rather than theatrical practitioners) illustrated aspects of what Commedia Dell'Arte might have been like back then, Audiences would be better served. I gather that Commedia artists spent their entire lives honing and perfecting their Arte in spontaneous, imaginative and perceptive response to their audiences. Though "Those who belong to Sebastian" have been working together for a dozen years, they still have much to learn about theatricality.
To my eye, the analogies to their work would be Peter Schumann's Bread & Puppet Theatre and any long-running Improv Troupe... with all the shortcomings of both in evidence.
The program lists them as an offshoot of Boston's Society for Creative Anachronism --- an informal group of amateur historians attempting amateur theatrics with a romantic attitude toward history that would make Don Quixote blush. If you like that sort of thing, you'll like This sort of thing. I didn't laugh quite enough.
But I am a strange old man.
Love,
===Anon. ( aka larry stark )
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake- "THE TWIN CAPTAINS"
Date:Tues, July 15, 2003 10:25 PM
Quicktake on I Capitani Gemellare
i Sebastiani at Leland Center, BCA
539 Tremont St. Boston MA, (617 ) 426 - ARTS
Web - i Sebastiani
From: cdeford@comcast.net
Subject: Reagle "My Fair Lady"
Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2003 13:26:49 -0400
I went to the opening of the Reagle Players "My Fair Lady" on Friday, and I
urge you to go. I don't think you'll ever see a better Eliza Doolittle than
Sarah Pfisterer. Crandall Diehl, who did the musical staging for the Reagle
Players, was dance captain of the original 1956 production. He has staged
it all over the world, and he told me "she's one of the best." Can't get a
better endorsement than that.
Regards,
Carla
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - ”Twelfth Night"
Date:Sun, July 13, 2003 10:57 PM
Quicktake on TWELFTH NIGHT
"Twelfth Night" by Wm. Shakespeare, July 11 - Sept. 14
(in rep with "A Midsummer Night's Dream")
seen July 13th at Publick Theatre on the Charles
1440 Soldiers Field Rd. Brighton, (617) 782-5425
www.publicktheatre.com
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - ”Cloud Nine"
Date:Sun, July 13, 2003 12:06 AM
Quicktake on CLOUD NINE
"CLOUD NINE" by Carol Churchill, July 11 - 26
Harvard-Radcliffe Summer Theatre at Loeb EX
64 Brattle, Harvard Sq.; hcs.harvard.edu/~hrst/ or Holyoke Center Box Office,
(617) 496-2222.
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - ”My Fair Lady"
Date:Sat, July 12, 2003 9:00 AM
Quicktake on MY FAIR LADY
You don't have to drive into Boston and the parkings free.
"My Fair Lady " - Alan J. Lerner & Friedrick Loewe based on Shaw's "Pygmalion", July 10-19
Reagle Players at Robinson Theatre, WHS
617 Lexington St. Waltham, (781) 891-5600 or www.reagleplayers.com
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - ”A Midsummer Night's Dream"
Date: Fri., June 26, 2003 11 PM
Quicktake on A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM
seen June 26th
"A Midsummer Night's Dream" by Wm. Shakespeare,
in repertory through Aug. 23
Publick Theatre at Herter Park
1400 Soldiers' Field Road, Brighton (617) 332-0546
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake-”Ionesco, not Ionesco"
Date:Sun, Jun 22, 2003, 5:45 PM
Quicktake on IONESCO, NOT IONESCO
seen Sun. Jun. 22
"Ionesco, not Ionesco" by Eugene Ionesco, June 13 - July 5
Molasses Tank Productions at Charlestown Working Theatre
442 Bunker Hill St, (617) 471- 5384
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - ”Little Moon of Alban"
Date: Sunday, June 22, 2003 10:15 AM
Quicktake on LITTLE MOON OF ALBAN
"Little Moon of Alban" by James Costigan, in repertory, June 11 - 28
Wellesley Summer Theatre at Ruth Nagel Jones Theatre,
Alumnae Hall, Wellesley College, (781) 283 - 2000
From: “will stackman” profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - “Platform Fest, Series A”
Date: Fri, June 20, 2003 11:10 pm
Quicktake on Playwrights’ Platform Annual Summer Festival of New Plays, Series A
Playwrights’ Platform at Boston Playwrights’ Theatre
949 Comm. Ave. Allston; tickets, (617) 358-7529;
www.playwrightsplatform.org for more info
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - ”Letters to Declan"
Date:Tues, June 17,10:54 PM
Quicktake on LETTERS TO DECLAN
seen in preview
"Letters to Declan" by Jack Gallagher, June 18-27
at Jimmy Tingle's OFF BROADWAY
255 Elm St. (Davis Sq.) Somerville, (617) 591-1616
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - ”RAPIST JAMES"
Date:Sun, June 15, 2003 9:00 PM
Quicktake on "Rapist James"
"Rapist James" by Christopher Denham, June 12 - 28
Next Stages at Studio 210, BU Theatre
264 Huntington Ave, (617) 238 - 5596
From: OLDGRUMP79@aol.com
Date: Sun, 8 Jun 2003 10:36:48 EDT
Subject: quick takes
Crazy For You is a corny, old fashioned, tap dancing, musical extravaganza. Norton Singers put 36 people on the stage of the Weber Fine Arts Theater at Wheaton College, and backed them up with a 20+ piece orchestra.
Quite a few of the dancers had never tapped before the rehearsals started. What they lacked in skill, they made up for with their unbridled enthusiasm. The choreographer, Pam Shapiro, has to be proud of her work and the work of her boys and girls. Yes, there were a few stumbles and goofs. So what! The joy the actors brought to the stage rubbed off on the audience. A well deserved standing O, hailed not only the skilled dancers, but the efforts of the not so skillful. There were some very good experienced dancers in the show.
The great looking sets, Pete Molitor, costumes, Daniel Kozar, and the fine direction of Ken Butler gave me a fun night out. I wish the show could have played for more that one weekend, I do believe I would have gone a second time.
My whistling is terrible, and my voice is worse, but that didn't stop me from filling my little car with horrible sounds all the way home. Congratulations to all that worked hard to put on this fine show.
Bob Guenthner aka The Oldgrump
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - ”THE ODD COUPLE"
Date: Sat, June 7, 2003 11:46 PM
Quicktake on "The Odd Couple"
Award-winning local actor, director, and media maven Michael Allasso jumped into the part of Felix Unger mid-week. Not yet quite off-book, Allosso held his own with co-star Sherman Hemsley and a sprightly cast of local talents.
Helmsley, a veteran of the Negro Ensemble Company, the Urban Arts Group, and Broadway in "Purlie Victorious", not to mention recent productions of "I'm Not Rappaport" makes a fine Oscar Madison. The first act is not Simon's funniest, and director Maynard Sloate would do well to get more comedy into the opening card game, which Arthur Comengo, Steven Dascoulias, Thomas Kee, and Jasper McGruder take just a bit too seriously. The second act comes alive when Rachel Harker and Dayle Ballentine show up as Gwendolyn and Cecily, the Pigeon sisters from upstairs. The ladies have the right touch and exquisite timing. By next weekend, things will be much more together.
Simon fans will have a good time at this well-done production.
"The Odd Couple" by Neil Simon, June 6 - 29
Stoneham Theatre
395 Main St. Stoneham , (781) 279 - 2200
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - ”RUTHLESS!"
Date:Sun, June 8, 6:46 PM
Quicktake “Ruthless!”
"Ruthless!", book & Lyrics by Joal Paley, music by Marvin Laird, June 6 - 28
Speakeasy Stage Company at BCA, Black Box
539 Tremont St., (617) 426-2787
From: OLDGRUMP79@aol.com
Date: Mon, 19 May 2003 09:27:36 EDT
Subject: quick take ????
Bob G. AKA the oldgrump
From: "Russ Greene" rrgreene@hotmail.com
Subject: Quick take: TWO BY TWO at NCP
Date: Sun, 11 May 2003 13:37:06 -0400
Larry,
I had to write to encourage you, and anyone else who might have the opprtunity to see the wonderful and warm production of TWO BY TWO now playing at Newton Country Players. The ensemble is tight, the vocals superb, the costumes well executed and correct, the pace is just right, a touching and charming production. Nothing unusual about an NCP show, I grant you. BUT, this is also a great 'theater story'...
Cheers,
Russ
From: "will stackman"
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - ”CAT MOUNTAIN"
Date:Sun, May 11, 2003 11 AM
Quicktake on "Cat Mountain" by Behind the Mask Theatre
"Cat Mountain" created by Behind the Mask Theatre, May
Behind the Mask at Central Congregational
85 Seaver St., Jamaica Plain (617) 876-7412; www.behindthemask.org
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - ”ROMULUS"
Date:Sat, May 12, 2003
Quicktake on Romulus at Theatre Cooperative
"Romulus" by freely adapted by Gore Vidal, May 9 - 31
Theatre Cooperative at Peabody House
277 Broadway, Somerville, (617) 625-1300
from GERALYN HORTON
An avid theater-goer friend of my daughter's who saw the New Rep's
"SWEENEY" said that in her not-so-humble opinion it is better than the
NYC original, which she saw and thought wonderful, or any other
production of it she's seen since.
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - ”Veronika Vavoom, Volcanologist"
Date: Sun, May 4, 2003 11:37 PM
Quicktake on VERONIKA VAVOOM, VOLCANOLOGIST
" VERONIKA VAVOOM, VOLCANOLOGIST" by Olga Humphrey, May 2 -18
Boston Theatre Works at Boston Playwrights' Theatre
949 Comm. Ave. Allston, (617) 728-4321
Date: Sun, 04 May 2003 11:35:20 -0400
From: "Larry Stark's Theater Mirror" larry@theatermirror.com
Subject: "Perfect" --- FOOL FOR LOVE & ONCE UPON A MATTRESS
In the past three days I was privileged to see a light, frothy little comedy and a dark, quirky drama, and each one Flawlessly brought to the stage. (Yeah yeah, nothing in theater is ever "flawless"; but you didn't see these shows, I did. The word stands.)
The show is a genuine delight for which I WILL give a full review, but here I must paraphrase it's prologue:
"You can tell a lady by the cut of her hair
But a genuine Cut-Up is exceedingly rare!"
If you don't like either of them, I'll pay you back the price of your ticket.
And, on my budget, I cannot afford to make such a promise lightly.
Love,
===Anon.
( a k a That Fat Old Man with The Cane )
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - ”Once Upon a Mattress"
Date:Fri, May 2, 2003 11:01 PM
Quicktake on ONCE UPON A MATTRESS
"Once Upon A Mattress" music by Mary Rodgers, lyrics by Marshall Barer,
book by Jay Thompsom, Marshall Barer, and Dean Fuller, April 25 - June 1
Turtle Lane Playhouse
283 Melrose St, Newton (617) 244-0169
From "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject Quicktake -" SideShow"
DateThurs, May 1, 2003 10 AM
Quicktake on SIDESHOW
If the negatives in some published reviews of the climax to one the Lyric's most interesting seasons cause music theatre fans to skip "SideShow", it will be their loss. Spiro Veloudos' production of this gritty fable is probably superior to its somewhat overblown Broadway antecedent. The cast, headed by Maryann Zschau(Daisy), Susan Molloy(Violet), Christopher Chew(Terry), and Peter A. Carey(Buddy) handle Kreiger's sung-through score with exceptional skill, not to mention another stunning performance by Brian R. Robinson as Jake. The rest of the ensemble is musically sound as well. Janie E. Howland's fluid set is a wonder and Gail Astrid Buckley's costumes, which turn a cast of seventeen into over fifty characters, are just right. Lyric's"SideShow" adds up to an "attraction" that get's more interesting as you think about it.
"SideShow", book & lyrics - Bill Mitchell, music - Henry Krieger April 25 - May 31
Lyric Stage Company, Copley Square
140 Clarendon St. Boston, (617) 437 - 7172
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake-”Sweeney Todd"
Date:Tues, Apr 29, 2003 1:28 PM
Quicktake on SWEENEY TODD:the Demon Barber of Fleet Street
"Sweeney Todd:" book by Hugh Wheeler, music & lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Apr. 24 - May 25
New Repertory Theatre
62 Lincoln, Newton Highlands, (617)-332-1646.
From: Norfolk1a@aol.com
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2003 10:39:36 -0400
Subject: Quick Take Piece of My Heart
This is just a quick take on Piece of My Heart.
The American Repertory theatre used to have an ad campaign that read; "Imagine What Theatre Can Be." Well, anybody, and I mean anybody, who loves theatre should head to the Leland Center to check out Piece of My Heart.
You don't have to imagine what theatre can be, you can see it, right now.
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake-”LIFE WORKS"
Date: Mon., April 14, 2003 10:32 AM
Quicktake on Life Works
"Life Works" by Robert Mattson, Apr. 11-12
Theatre Cooperative at Peabody House
277 Broadway, Somerville MA, 617) 625-1300
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake-”THE WILD PARTY"
Date:Sun, Mar 23, 2003 11:03 AM
Quicktake on "The Wild Party" (Lippa)
There are good directions on RTW's Website; http://www.riversidetheatreworks.org/. The Fairmount commuter rail line has the most trains. There's parking in nearby bank lots, but turn left after the clock on the triangle before River St. turns into Fairmount Ave. to get into the lot across from the theater or park in the lot just to the right of said landmark. Turning around on Fairmont without going down aways can be difficult. In the daytime, the Hyde Park Avenue bus from Forest Hills is also an option.
"The Wild Party" by Andrew Lippa (everything), Mar. 21 - Apr. 6
Riverside Theatre Works at "French's Opera House" now RTW
45 Fairmount Ave. Hyde Park, (617) 361-7024
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake-"TRUTH & BEAUTY"
Date:Fri, Mar 21, 2003 10:10 PM
Quicktake on "Truth & Beauty"
"TRUTH & BEAUTY" by Ping Chong in collaboration w/Jeffrey Rose & Michael Rold, Mar.20 - Apr. 12
Company One
Black Box, BCA
539 Tremont, Boston, (617) 426-2787
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake-”A NEW WAR"
Date:Wed, Mar 19, 2003 11:30 PM
Quicktake on "A New War"
Gil Hoppe's 80 minute political satire (or perhaps burlesque) of 24/7 war coverage isn't a home run; it's more of a weak two-bagger. But his team of
Michael Dorval, Caitlin Gibbon, Nathaniel McIntrye & Stephen Russell is in the park, even if the comic payoff is kinda lame, and they don't get beyond the 7th inning stretch. There's plenty of room for improvement in this show which seems frozen sometime last fall when it was a hiit on the Cape and inspired by the first two years of the current administration.
But if you need a laugh, and you've already seen Rough & Tumble's "Bits & Pieces", at the BCA--soon to be joined by Mill 6's efforts late nights on Fri. & Sat., consider descending to Jimmy's venue. Just follow the arrows and you'll get there eventually. The Burren is right next door; the show might seem funnier if you stop there first.
A NEW WAR" by Gip Hoppe, Mar. 7 - Apr.13
Wellfleet Harbor Actors' Theatre at Jimmy Tingle's Off-Broadway
255 Elm St. Somerville, (617) 591-1616
Date: Wed, 19 Mar 2003 18:46:18 -0500
From: "Larry Stark's Theater Mirror" larry@theatermirror.com>
Subject: "A New War"
Love,
===Anon.
( a k a larry stark )
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake-"BITS & PIECES"
Date:Mon, Mar 17, 2003 3:37 PM
Quicktake on "Bits & Pieces"
"BITS & PIECES" by Rough & Tumble, plus some words by Bill Donnelly, Mar.14 - Apr. 6
A series of sketches
Leland Cntr, BCA
539 Tremont, Boston, (617) 426-2787
From: "jerry bisantz" jbisantz@attbi.com
Subject: Coyote On a Fence, a fan letter from Jerry B>
Date: Fri, 14 Mar 2003 23:52:52 -0500
It's very rare that I gush about a show, but I have to tell you and your rather large and savvy audience to GET THEIR COLLECTIVE ASSES TO THETREMONT THEATER to see Boston Theater Work's brilliant "Coyote On A Fence". As a "sometimes playwright", it can be humbling, indeed, to discover a script so well put together as Bruce Graham's play... there is not a "down" moment. Nancy Curran Willis' direction is seamless and the acting is absolutely terrific. Bobbi Steinbach, Pater Papadopoulos, Barlow Adamson and Fred Robbins are all right on. Anyone who loves great acting and a play that deals with an important issue (death row) WITHOUT PREACHING... would be advised to get tickets right away for closing weekend. This show really deserves sold out crowds.
Jerry B.
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake-”BETRAYAL
Date:Mon, Mar 10, 2003 10:05 AM
Quicktake on Betrayal
"BETRAYAL"(1978) by Harold Pinter, Mar. 7 - 30
Nora Theatre Company at Boston Playwrights' Theatre
949 Comm. Ave, (617) 491-2026
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake-”LETTERS TO A STUDENT REVOLUTIONARY"
Date:Sun, Mar 9, 2003 12:32 PM
Quicktake on "Letters to a Student Revolutionary"
"LETTERS TO A STUDENT REVOLUTIONARY" by Elizabeth Wong, Mar. 7 -29
A play in one act
Theatre Cooperative at Peabody House
277 Broadway Somerville, (617) 625-1300
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake-”No Niggers, No Jews, No Dogs
Date:Sat. Mar. 1, 2003 10:45 AM
Quicktake on No Niggers, No Jews, No Dogs
"No Niggers, No Jews, No Dogs" by John Henry Redwood , Feb.26-Mar. 30
New Repertory Theatre
52 Lincoln St. Newton MA, (617) 332-1646
From: "will stackman" profwill66@hotmail.com
Subject: Quicktake-”A CLASS ACT"
Date:Sun, Mar 2, 2003 7:21 PM
Quicktake on A CLASS ACT
"A Class Act" by Music & Lyrics by Edward Kleban, Book by Linda Kline & Lonnie Price, March 1-22
Speakeasy Stage Company at BCA Theatre
539 Tremont St. Boston, (617) 426-ARTS
From: "will stackman" profwill66@hotmail.com
Subject: Quicktake-”As Bees in Honey Drown"
Date:Sunday, Feb 16,10 AM
Quicktake on AS BEES IN HONEY DROWN
The rest of the cast of this stylish and slightly wicked comedy includes Patrick Zeller as first-time novelist "Evan Wyler", and three other performers in multiple roles. Laura Given Napoli has several delightful cameos starting with Amber, the photographer's assistant who speaks of herself in the third person. Christopher Brophy first appears as a hiularious menswear clerk, then morphs into a vicious rocker, and winds up as Michael, "Alexa"--OKA Brenda--'s first partner. Jessica Jackson switches through a variety of stylish types, while Ricardo Engermann starts as the Photographer and winds up a recording company executive. The cast has a blast pulling off this farce of appearences and deception on an interesting multi-level set by Jenna McFarland. There's plenty of free parking in Stoneham.
"As Bees in Honey Drown" by Douglas Carter Beane, Feb. 14 - Mar. 2
Stoneham Theatre
395 Main St. Stoneham MA, (781) 279-2200
From: "will stackman" profwill66@hotmail.com
Subject: Quicktake-"From Slavegirl to Mistress”
Date:Thurs, Feb 13 8:03 PM
Quicktake on DA SHIAVA A PADRONE
"Slavegirl/Mistress" a scenario adapted by Cross & Newman, Feb. 11 thru 15
I Sebastiani at Durrell Hall, Camb. YMCA
820 Mass. Ave, Central Sq. Camb (617) 964-7684, x2
From: "will stackman" profwill66@hotmail.com
Subject: Quicktake-”It’s All True"
Date:Monday, Feb 10, 11:29 AM
Quicktake on IT’S ALL TRUE
"It’s All True" by Jason Sherman, Feb. 7 - Mar. 8
Lyric Stage Company at YWCA
140 Clarendon Boston, (617) 437-7172
From: "will stackman" profwill66@hotmail.com
Subject: Quicktake-”La Dispute"
Date:Thurs, Feb 6, 2003 11:24 AM
Quicktake on LA DISPUTE
"La Dispute" by Pierre Marivaux, Feb. 1-22
American Repertory Theatre/S.I.T.I. Company at Loeb Auditorium
LDC, 64 Brattle St., Camb (617)) 547-8300
From: "will stackman" profwill66@hotmail.com
Subject: Quicktake-”The Shape of Things
Date:Mon, Feb 3, 2003 12:06 PM
Quicktake on THE SHAPE OF THINGS
"The Shape of Things" by Neil LaBute, Jan.31 - Feb.22
Speakeasy Stage Co. at BCA Theatre
539 Tremont St., (617) 426-2787
A quick-take from Beverly Creasey: POZZO'S PARTY
A quick-take from Beverly Creasey: WONDERFUL WIZ
Ken Baltin electrifies the stage in the New Rep's fiftieth annoversary production of Beckett's "Waiting for Godot". Baltin is a Diaghelev impressario of a POZZO...he's a performer of the first order who contemplates every dramatic move he makes....and can he take a seat! Rick Lombardo's subdued production crackles when Baltin and the pathetic (or is that psychopathic) Lucky enter the scene. Bates Wilder fills the stage with his larger than life servant/poet. ...which is going some because John Kuntz and Austin Pendleton are Vladimir and Estragon. Go just to see Kuntz impersonate a guinea pig eating a carrot. My politically savvy audience listened to every word (which is why I think Lombardo sacrifices some of the comedy) and they laughed the laugh of irony when Estragon asks his mate "We lost our rights?" and Vladimir replies "We got rid of them." Nice to know that fifty years after its premiere, "Godot" still resonates loudly. The boys are right "Time will tell."
Lois Roach is a magician--to take a bare stage (RCC) and turn it into the enchanted land of Oz--without scenery...ABRACADABRA you are transported to a dreamland full of animals, witches and adorable munchkins. "The Wiz" features the spectacular choreography (AND performances) of Jackie Davis and Born Allah, and shazam a tornado tapdances Dorothy over the rainbow. Deborah Thompson is reason alone th see "The Wiz. She's a little Dorothy with a big voice. Roach also gets charming performances from Heather Fry as one of the good witches (the one who can't disappear), from Craig Smith as a sweet Scarecrow, from Trecia Reavis as a hip Tin Man and from Eric Darden as an adorable lion. Lynette Gittens is the scary Eveiline and Eboni Walcott, Joseph Eveillard and Lorenzo Hooker tap up a storm. TALK TO YOUR FEET: Ease on down the road and see "The Wiz" or a bad witch will drop a house on you!
From: "will stackman" profwill66@hotmail.com
Subject: Quicktake -”Howie the Rookie"
Date: Sun, Jan, 26 2003 1:00pm
Quicktake on HOWIE THE ROOKIE
"Howie the Rookie" by Mark O'Rowe, Jan 24 to Feb. 15
Sugan Theatre Company at BCA Black Box
539 Tremont, (617) 426 - 2787
From: "will stackman" profwill66@hotmail.com
Subject: Quicktake-”Marathon
Date: Monday, January 20, 2003 6:15 PM
Quicktake on Marathon
"MARATHON" by Edoardo Erba, English Version--Colin Tevan, Jan.17-26
Emerging Stages at Stoneham Theatre
395 Main St. Stoneham, (781) 279-2200
From: "will stackman" profwill66@hotmail.com
Subject: Quicktake - ORSON'S SHADOW
Date: Tuesday, January 21, 2003, 10:29 AM
QUICKTAKE on "Orson's Shadow"
If the New Rep puts this play into production next season, or in the future, don't miss it, especially if they can field as excellent a cast. And if artistic director Rick Lombardo announces another free reading of some script they're interested in, take advantage of that opportunity as well.
"ORSON'S SHADOW" by Austin Pendleton, Mon. Jan.20
New Repertory Theatre
54 Lincoln St., Newton Highlands, www.newrep.org
From: "will stackman" profwill66@hotmail.com
Subject: Quicktake-”ANNA KARENINA
Date:Friday, January 17, 2003 1:02 PM
Quicktake on Leo Tolstoy's "Anna Karenina"
Other returning company members include Derek Stone Nelson, who is acceptable if a bit restrained as Count Vronsky, and Stephen Cooper as Anna's husband, once again a heavy, but more sympathetic this time. Lauren Balmer is convincing as Dolly, Anna's sister-in law and Melina McGrew is charming as Kitty, Levin's eventual wife. Ken Flott, gets to play three interesting smaller roles, including Levin's dying brother Nikolai, while newcomer John Boller adds a light touch as Stiva, Anna's philandering brother. Gladys Metosian plays Princess Betsy, the symbol of social propriety while Jennifer Barton-Jones play Countess Vronsky. An ensemble of students plays a variety of minor roles and passersby. Throughout the events of the play Jackson Royal stalks hooded and cloaked in black, Death personified from Anna's nightmares. He also serves as the priest for Levin's confession and wedding.
Those who remember the book will not be disappointed, others who see this show might be tempted to visit this classic soon. More audience to play to might bring out more from the cast. There's lots of free parking.
"ANNA KARENINA" adapted by Helen Edmundson, Jan. 8 - Jan. 25
Wellesley Summer Theatre at Alumnae Hall, Wellesley College
106 Central St. (Rt. 135) Wellesley MA, (781) 283-2000
from Larry Stark
The Theater Mirror
Subject: Golda's Balcony
This one-woman show moved effectively through the life of the Israeli who saved her state from the onslaught of five different Arab armies. She did it by demanding delivery of American phantom jets and other armaments. Her threat to use atomic rockets on her enemies --- even though that would drag America and Russia into an atomic world war three --- proves her sincere patriotism. She saved the nation.
Danny Gidron's direction has Annette Miller lurching from her past life (stage-left) to the desk (stage-right) at which she deals in present-tense with that war.
William Gibson's play concerns the survival of a Jewish State, with a (however flawed) happy ending. As far as it goes, it is an interesting view of the last admirable moments in Israeli history.
I come to this play, however, wondering about the rape of Lebanon, the blind-eye turned on Christian murders in refugee camps, and the promised withdrawals of troops from conquered territories. I wondered as I watched whether anyone will write a companion piece explicating the mind of Baruch Goldtstein on the eve of his selflessly patriotic gesture in Hebron. To me the play traces the history of Israelis from enduring pogroms to ordering them. I wondered if the children of Hannan Asrauwi will spend the next three thousand years toasting (in Arabic) "Next year, in Jerusalem!" before they are allowed a state of their own.
Love,
===Anon.
From: "will stackman" profwill66@hotmail.com
Subject: Quicktake-”THE BLUE DEMON"
Date: Thursday, January 9, 2003. 11:08 AM
Quicktake on "The Blue Demon"
”THE BLUE DEMON" by Darko Tresnjak, through Feb. 2, 2003
Huntington Theatre Co. at B.U.Theatre
264 Huntington Ave. Boston , (617) 266-0800
From: g.l.horton@mindspring.com and "will stackman" profwill66@hotmail.com
Subject: Quicktake-”GOLDA'S BALCONY"
Date: Jan 8, 2002
Quicktakes on GOLDA'S BALCONY
However, Annette Miller in GOLDA’s BALCONY proved to be the exception.
The shear acting power manifested on the was uncanny, but thanks to the guiding hand of director Daniel Gidron I never for a moment felt that the acting or the character was on display for its own sake. Actor, author, and audience; we had come together to understand this character because it is a matter of life and death. By understanding her we may better understand our singular selves and our still tribal world.
Gibson has fashioned a Golda who is a force-- not of nature, but of human nature-- because she can say “we” with utter assurance; and because she believes that the survival of a particular ideal “we” is of absolute value, more important than the survival of individuals, she is able to lead people to extraordinary effort and sacrifice. Miller’s towerring performance, while it has a few deft touches of impersonation, succeeds because the actress is able to re-create and embody that huge primitive almost impersonal force we recognize as leadership.
However, because we recognize leadership doesn’t mean that the play insists that have to approve of it. I don’t think that anyone who goes in to GOLDA’s BALCONY thinking that Zionism was a bad idea will come out of it a convert. For every “we” there is an implied “they”, and Gibson’s script makes it easy to imagine the same sort of passionate intelligence at work on the other side, conspiring to survive and uniting to prevail whatever the cost. And GOLDA’S BALCONY certainly makes clear what the cost may be: a nuclear exchange that exterminates “us’ and “them” alike.
Given the current continuing crisises in the Middle East it’s useful--and a bit disheartening--to be reminded how far back into the 20th Century these difficulties actually stretch. The play presents no solutions. It does provide the grim reminder that the only known nuclear power in that part of the world is the Jewish state. W.S.
Shakespeare & Co. at Tremont Theatre
276 Tremont, Bos (866) 637 - 3353
From: "will stackman" profwill66@hotmail.com
Subject: Quicktake-”Beyond Beief"
Date: Insert date and time
Quicktake on BEYOND BELIEF or Catholics are people too!
"BEYOND BELIEF" by Jack Neary, Jan.3 thru Feb. 1, 2003
Lyric Stage Company of Boston
140 Clarendon St, (617) 437-7172
From: "will stackman" profwill66@hotmail.com
Subject: Quicktake-”New Curtains for Macbeth"
Date:Monday, January 6, 2003 2:36 PM
Quicktake on NEW CURTAINS FOR MACBETH
"New Curtains for Macbeth" by Larry Weinstein, thru Jan. 19th, 2003
Lyric Stage in association with Boston Playwrights’ at Boston Playwrights’ Theatre,
949 Comm. Ave., Allston (617) 492-0431
From: "Carl Rossi" carossi54@hotmail.com
Subject: An SOS for yet another show!
Date: Mon, 09 Dec 2002 13:59:40 +0000
9 December 2002
More Seasons Greetings (with STILL more to come):
This weekend I saw another show by a troupe who has been consistently ignored by the major newspapers: The Gold Dust Orphans' production of JOAN CRAWFORD'S CHRISTMAS ON THE POLE, which is one of the most entertaining Christmas shows you will find this holiday season. If you remember and enjoyed Carol Burnett's parody of MILDRED PIERCE on her TV show, then the Orphans' production is for YOU! And it features a rendition of "Jingle Bells" that has got to be the most hilarious thing I have seen all year - truly! You will be cheering the place down, just as Saturday night's audience and I did.
If you groan at yet another CHRISTMAS CAROL or NUTCRACKER Ballet, why not treat yourself to this fun show instead (and it's "safe" enough for your Aunt Esther, too!).
If you cannot attend, please pass this along to those who can.
My review will come later - and it will be a rave!
C.R.
* * *
THE GOLD DUST ORPHANS
present
"JOAN CRAWFORD'S CHRISTMAS ON THE POLE"
at
Machine at the Ramrod Center for the Performing Arts
1254 Boylston Street, BOSTON, MA
1 (617) 265-6222
Playing Thu/Fri/Sat until 21 December
Tickets: $25 (cash) at the door
From: "will stackman" profwill66@hotmail.com
Subject: Quicktake-”Cloak and Dagger"
Date: Friday, December 6, 2002
Quicktake on CLOAK AND DAGGER
"CLOAK AND DAGGER" byRough & Tumble, Dec. 5-21
Rough and Tumble Theatre at Leland Center, BCA
539 Tremont, Boston, (617) 426-ARTS
From: "will stackman" profwill66@hotmail.com
Subject: Quicktake-”The Blowin pf Baile Gall"
Date:Sunday, December 8, 2002 5:30 PM
Quicktake on THE BLOWIN OF BAILE GALL
Then add Aaron Pitre as the most obvious “blowin” (someone not born and raised in this “baile”). Wesley Savick’s direction lets the language drive the action, Richard Chamber’s set is a believable house under renovation, Gail Astrid Buckley’s costumes look worked in, and Haddon Kime’s African beat fills the spaces between scenes evocatively. Kudos also to Kim Carrell for intense fight scenes with tools on a very tight and cluttered stage. If Noone’s first professional production by Sugan this fall gave indications of major talent, this followup doesn’t disappoint.
BPT is right on the BC Green Line (even if you may have to catch a bus on the weekends) so weather is no excuse to miss this one.
"The Blowin of Baile Gall" by Ronan Noone, Dec. 5-22
BOSTON PLAYWRIGHTS’ THEATRE
949 Comm. Ave. Boston, (617) 358-PLAY
Date: Fri, 06 Dec 2002 18:41:33 +0800
Subject: Check This Out!
From: Lori Frankian laf602@earthlink.net
Hi Folks,
I don't usually do this, in fact, I've never plugged just one show before, but I had a had a ball and thought you would too! It's funny, fast moving and has some shining stars!
By Larry Coen & David Crane
Directed by Davis Robinson
Neil A. Casey, Christopher Robin Cook, Maureen Keiller, Nathaniel McIntyre, Laura Napoli, Terrance O'Malley and Richard Snee
From: "Carl Rossi" carossi54@hotmail.com
Subject: An SOS for another show!
Date: Sat, 07 Dec 2002 15:14:56 +0000
7 December 2002
presents
BLUES FOR AN ALABAMA SKY
Directed by Jeffrey Robinson
Michael Green
Ricardo Engermann
Dorian Christian-Baucum
Stepanie Marson-Lee
December 6, 13, 14, 20, 21 @ 8:00 p.m.
December 7, 14, 21 @ 4:00 p.m.
December 10 pay-what-you-can night @ 7:30 p.m.
$24.00/general public
10% discount for seniors/students
Group rates available for groups of 10 or more
549 Tremont Street
Boston, MA 02116
(617) 426-2787
From: "will stackman" profwill66@hotmail.com
Subject: Quicktake -”MORNING STAR"
Date:Saturday, November 23, 2002 4:27 PM
Quicktake on "Morning Star" by Sylvia Regan
"Morning Star" by Sylvia Regan, Nov.15 through Dec. 14, 2002
Theatre Cooperative at Peabody House
277 Broadway, Somerville MA (617) 625-1300
From: Dustin Weild dustinweild@yahoo.com
Subject: here's my first review!
The Bad Seed, Nov. 8th - 23rd, THE CONCORD PLAYERS.
51 Walden Street, Concord, MA. Call (978) 369-2990 for tickets.
From: "will stackman" profwill66@hotmail.com
Subject: Quicktake on "Romeo and Juliet" - ShakespeareNow! Theatre Company
Date: Monday, November 11, 2002 1:45 PM
Bardolators with a need to see a more complete “Romeo and Juliet” than this company presented last year may want to take in their current production in Ellsworth Hall at Pine Manor College in Brookline (Chestnut Hill off Route 9).
Plan to sit front and center as close as possible, and pay attention.
There’s a lot of reverb in this large auditorium. The cast is energetic and most of the performances have moving moments. The show is in modern dress suggesting the conflicts in the Middle East, a concept which needs further development. But the age old-tale of “star-crossed lovers” is still effective.
“Romeo and Juliet” - Wm. Shakespeare Nov. 7 thru 24
ShakespeareNow! Theatre Company at Ellsworth Hall
Pine Manor College, 400 Heath St., Chestnut Hill, MA 781-326-3643
From: "will stackman" profwill66@hotmail.com
Subject: Quicktake on "The Lepers of Baile Baiste"
Date: Sun, 03 Nov 2002 17:30:04 -0500
Put Ronan Noone's prizewinning play on the must see list. The esnemble under Carmel O'Reilly's direction is very taut. Be warned, though this is set in a bar and there are a few laughs, the subject is the effect of abuse by a Christian Brother on six of his pupils.
You know it's going to be a rough night when the comic relief is Billy Meleady playing the resident drunk and he threatens people with a longshoreman's hook from under in his raincoat. Everyone is on their mark, particularly Josef Hansen as "Clown" Quinn in final scenes. Regulars Colin Hamell, Ciaran Crawford, and Derry Woodhouse are excellent as usual. Chris Burke, who just finished shooting for "Mystic River" is back with Sugan after a few seasons away. And Ed Peed gets to use his excellent Irish accent for the first time for Sugan as the Sergeant. John Morgan, who hails from Galway, plays the parish priest who's been covering up the situation for years. It's all very real and honest, and like some of the characters in the play, may be too painful for some to consider. But the show does what really good theatre should; makes the audience examine the question at hand. Honesty may be the best policy, but it can be devastating. Be warned, but be there.
From: "will stackman" profwill66@hotmail.com
Subject: Quicktake for "A Life in the Theatre"
Date: Sat, 09 Nov 2002 17:46:17 -0500
Quicktake on “A Life in the Theatre”
How do you get three actors in a two person play? Director Lilia Levitina accomplishes this in her current production of Mamet’s 1977 “A Life in the Theatre” which runs one more weekend (five shows) in the Leland at the BCA.
She makes the Stage Manager, played by diminutive Chiara Durazinni, an integral part of the show. But how do you create a backstage and an onstage (for plays by Chekov or O’Neill) in the confines of the Leland? Perform most of the onstage scenes with doll-like puppets manipulated by the actors. It helps that Robert, the older actor. is Will Cabell, an experienced puppeteer, with both his own Starbird Theatre and the Underground Railway. as well as a long-time member of the Barnstormers Summer Theatre in Tamworth New Hampshire. Zachary Falconer, part of “Our Place Theater” does quite well himself as John, the younger actor whose rise parallels John’s slide from seasoned trouper to old toper. The design team of Russsian artists;
Maria Koreneva, Leonid Osseney & Irina Romm plus a score by Emily Romm add a new dimension to this early Mamet work. It’s worth a visit.
"A Life in the Theatre" directed by Lilia Levitina
Basement on the Hill Theatre at the Leland Center, BCA
539 Tremont, Boston ; (617) 426-2787
From: "will stackman" profwill66@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re:Quicktake on "Marty"
Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2002 15:57:54 -0500
So if what you wanna do is see "Marty" at the Huntington, there may be a few tickets left, but not many. John C. Reilly is a worthy successor to Rod Steiger and Ernest Borgnine, and sing a whole lot better than either of them. Anna Torsiglieri as his shy girl Clara sings nice, but just isn't as convincing as reject in the romance department. The company is generally excellent, the music is pleasant, the lyrics not very inspired but servicable. As promoted, this is more of a chamber musical; half the cast only sings in a few chorus numbers. Should become a small theater staple even if it doesn't make it on home turf in the Big Apple.
"Marty"
Book by Rupert Holmes based on Paddy Chayefsky,
Music and Lyrics by Charles Strouse and Lee Adams
Huntington Theatre Co., 264 Huntington Ave. through Nov. 24. Call (617) 266-0800 (Good luck!)
From: "will stackman" profwill66@hotmail.com
Subject: Quicktake on "Our Town"
Date: Mon, 28 Oct 2002 22:08:52 -0500
It's good to return to "Our Town" every decade or so, especially if you're from New England. Boston Theatre Works' Artistic Director Jason Southerland has put together a personable cast and a clean modern production of Thorton Wilder's jewel of the American Theatre. Bobbie Steinbach brings a knowing grin to the all-important Stage Manager, not the usual Yankee philosoph, but a more worldly and feminine viewpoint. The cast includes Scott Adams and Lindsay Joy as the young lovers, Sharon Mason, John Furse, Elizabeth Wightman or Shelley Brown, and James Bodge as their parents, with a sound ensemble of townspeople, young and old. The modernistic set by Robert Pyzocha allows for shadow scenes which bringing the intentional artificiality of the show into this millenium. Costumes by Molly Trainer suggest the various decades between the turn of the century and now. But Wilder's tale of love and marriage, birth and death remains the same, fortunately.
From: "will stackman" profwill66@hotmail.com
Subject: Quicktake-"Smelling a Rat"
Date: Sat, 26 Oct 2002 22:59:04 -0400
Quicktake on “Smelling a Rat”
Put it all in a very pink bedroom set by Eric Levenson on the platform stage of Studio A at Boston Playwrights’, add some catchy sound by Dewey Dellay, ideal costumes by Gail Astrid Buckley, then lean back and laugh. The comedy begins with Paul Kerry and Stephanie Dorian as Victor and Charmaine Maggot, working class and proud of it. Randall A. Forsythe is magistereal as Rex Weasel, owner of the extermination service. Charles Linshaw is impressively uncommunicative as Rock Weasel, Rex’s rocker son, and Mara Sidmore is priceless as Melanie-Jane Beetles, Rockie’s high-strung girlfriend. This 1988 script may have been intended as a comment on Thatcherite England, but its comedy would work in any urban setting where kids and parents collide, where workers gossip about their bosses, and life just doesn’t go as planned. See for yourself--soon; it’s a short run.
“Smelling a Rat” by Mike Leigh, Fri. Oct 25 - Sun. Nov. 10
The Nora Theatre Compnay at Boston Playwrights’ Theatre
949 Comm. Ave, (617) 491-2026/ Ticketmaster (617) 931-2000
From: "will stackman" profwill66@hotmail.com
Subject: Quicktake on "The Gig"
Date: Sun, 20 Oct 2002 19:03:08 -0400
"The Gig", which just opened at The Lyric Stage, probably won't attract the attention that Speakeasy's "Bat Boy" did, but it's a far better example of contemporary musical theatre. Definitely worth a visit. Chip Philips does a fine job as the leader of an amateur jazz band which accepts a Catskills "gig from hell," and learns a lot about each other from it. Peter Carey, Brian De Lorenzo, Benjamin DiScipio, and Peter Edmund Hadyu, all in fine voice and well-realized characterizations form the core of the band with Philips. Paul Farwell plays the bass player who can't go; he's replaced by big voiced Brian Robinson, as Marshall. a professional who's played with Basey and Goodman. Farwell returns as Vince, Ricki Valetine's manager. Kathy St. George has some of the funniest numbers in the show as that aging star just out of rehab. St. George is more appealling as Donna, the waitress who' been round. Elizabeth Asti is charming as Lucy, a younger waitperson opposite DiScipio's Arthur, a painfully shy dentist, the band' drummer. And then there's always entertaining John Davin as Abe the resort's owner, resident tummler, who also personally cleans the pool. It's a nice little show, full of pleasant tunes, and some interesting lyrics. It will pay to listen closely. So go already.
"The Gig" by Douglas J. Cohen (based on Frank D. Gilroy's film)
The Lyric Stage Company of Boston, 140 Clarendon St.
Oct.18 - Nov. 16 (617) 437-7172
From: "will stackman" profwill66@hotmail.com
Subject: Quicktake -Stoneham's "The Woman in Black"
Date: Sat, 19 Oct 2002 17:33:18 -0400
Robert Pemberton and Neil A. Casey do a bang-up job under Craig Foley's direction of this interesting if somewhat obtuse British thriller which just opened at the Stoneham Theatre. Janie E. Howland's set is suitable flexible, Mark O'Maley's lights and J Hagenbuckle's sound add immeasurably to an spooky evening. Make up a carpool and go on out; it's easy to find on Main St. just off the Interstate; at the most 1/2 hour from Boston, less from Cambridge or Somerville. Lots of free parking, and a number of good places to eat, not to mention a great old Ice Cream place just down 28 from the theatre. Check this one out, then head up to Lowell and see what Merrimack does with the same script.
"The Woman in Black" - adapted by Stephen Mallatratt from a novel by Susan Hill
Oct 18 - Nov 3
Stoneham Theatre, 395 Main St. (781) 279-2200
From: JTACTOR@aol.com
Date: Sat, 5 Oct 2002 15:44:40 EDT
Subject: Batboy
Go. Go Now. Don't just sit there, get to the BCA now! Get tickets now, it will sell out!
J.T. Turner
Date: Sat, 5 Oct 2002 15:12:11 -0400
Subject: Quick-Take on bee-luther-hatchee
From: Geralyn Horton g.l.horton@mindspring.com
I finally made it to BEE LUTHER HATCHEE, and I'm joining the rest of the "gang" in urging people to get to the BCA tonight to see Zeitgeist's production-- it is a production well worth seeing, with good acting and deft direction. The "issues" raised by author are important ones in need of the discussion the play is sure to prompt. What we-- and this is a personal, citizen's "we", not a theatre critic's or the royal one-- need very badly is a safe, non-judgmental place to have that discussion: the important discussion about bearing witness and identity and empathy and community, not the secondary one author Thomas Gibbons raises about whether it is OK for a writer to use a misleading pseudonym or to pass off a fact-based work of the imagination as nonfiction. "We" owe a debt of gratitude to David Miller of Zeitgeist Theatre for working to create such a safe place, welcoming to all. I just wished after the show that there had been a large and diverse audience, preferably one that felt comfortable responding to the stage action in the way that the matinee audience in NYC at "Having Our Say" or the New Globe audience in London at "Henry V" or "Merchant of Venice" responded, weighing the testimony, confirming the immediacy of the conflicts depicted. Or, at a post-play discussion, I would have loved to hear the cast, who invest so much credible emotion in their roles, talk about how living through this confrontation night after night has affected them.
Geralyn Horton
g.l.horton@mindspring.com
playwright, actor, critic
Newton, MA
www.stagep