GAMM’s ‘GLORIA’ a Darkly Comic Look at the News

November 28, 2018November 29, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

by Tony Annicone

GAMM’s second show of their 34th season is Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ “Gloria”, an alarming and bitingly funny drama by one of the most celebrated young playwrights in American theater. Jacobs-Jenkins’ scathing satire of the media and the public’s hunger for sensational news stories was a finalist for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize. He “has established himself as one of the country’s most original and unsettling dramatists, said the New York Times. The cast of six performers play multiple roles as over-caffeinated, hyper-ambitious, backstabbing interns and assistants, and self-interested editors in the hierarchy of a Manhattan magazine. This comic drama follows this ruthless group of assistants vying for their bosses jobs and a book deal before they turn 30. When a mundane day turns into anything but, the stakes for who will get to tell their story becomes higher than ever. Director Rachel Walshe casts these roles splendidly and obtains nuanced performances from her talented cast. What a way for Gamm Theatre to continue a successful season in their brand new home!

AKA Theatre Dives Into the Woods

November 24, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Review by James Wilkinson

In the Forest She Grew Fangs – Written by Stephen Spotswood. Directed by Kelly Smith. Scenic/Properties Designer: Maggie Kearnan. Lighting Designer: Samuel J. Biondolillo. Assistant Lighting Designer: Brian Ward. Sound Designer: Julianne Mason. Costume Designer: Rachael Linker. Movement Designer: Jessica Scout Malone. Produced by AKA Theatre at The Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts November 16-December 2, 2018.

AKA Theatre’s production of Stephen Spotswood’s In the Forest She Grew Fangs is a mad fever dream of a play. The events occur in a recognizable Smalltown, USA, but the production is chasing after something much more heightened. The dead branches of the surrounding woods are closing in like the claws of a wild animal. At every opportunity, the performance space is soaked with burning reds and deep blues. Acts of violence lurk somewhere on the periphery of the characters’ daily routines. A hunter finds an animal that’s been torn to pieces. It hints at a greater threat hidden within the characters that will erupt center stage in the play’s final stretch.

A.R.T. Does The Greatest Hits with “ExtraOrdinary”

November 21, 2018November 21, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

*(Bryonha Marie Parham, Mj Rodriguez, Melody A. Betts, and Kathryn Gallagher in ExtraOrdinary | Photo: Gretjen Helene Photography)*

by Mike Hoban

‘ExtraOrdinary’ – Written by Dick Scanlan; Directed by Diane Paulus; Music Direction by Lance Horne; Choreography by Abbey O’Brien. Presented by American Repertory Theater at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St. in Cambridge through Nov. 30.

You don’t have to be an American Repertory Theater subscriber (or a reviewer) to appreciate the selections from ExtraOrdinary, the company’s exhilarating salute to itself playing now through November 30th. With a veritable ‘Cavalcade of Stars’ performing selections from the last decade of musical theater with Diane Paulus at the helm of A.R.T. – many of which ended up (or will be) on Broadway – it’s an evening of some truly extraordinary highs and few lows. Featuring seven cast members from productions staged in Cambridge (both the Loeb Center and Oberon) ExtraOrdinary showcases numbers from Broadway staples like Pippin, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, and Cabaret, as well as lesser-known works such as Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet, Witness Uganda, and Prometheus Bound – all of which had premieres of sorts at the A.R.T.

‘WET: A DACAmented Journey’ Provides Insight into Immigrant Experience

November 17, 2018November 17, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

‘WET: A DACAmented Journey’ – Written and performed by Alex Alpharaoh, Directed by Brisa Areli Munoz; Costume Design, Niki Hernandez-Adams; Lighting Design, Aaron Johansen; Sound Design, Broken Chord; Scenic Coordinator, Bradley Gray; Scenic and Costume Artist, Nery Cividanis; Lobby Installation, Nicolas Gonzalez; Jointly presented by ArtsEmerson, Cara Mía Theatre and Ignite/Arts Dallas at the Emerson Paramount Center’s Jackie Liebergott Black Box, 559 Washington Street, Boston through November 25, 2018.

Jumping out right from the headlines and onto the stage is Alex Alpharaoh’s deeply personal account of his perilous journey to become an American citizen. Having entered the country as an infant with his 15-year-old mother, he grew up – and continues to live – in the California metropolis, the only place he has known as home. American in every way, except on paper, WET: A DACAmented Journey, running at Emerson’s Paramount Black Box through November 25, depicts his maze-like process of trying to attain citizenship.

Commonwealth Shakespeare Company Lets the Universe Rush Apart

November 15, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Review by James Wilkinson

‘Universe Rushing Apart: Blue Kettle and Here We Go’ – Written by Caryl Churchill. Directed by Bryn Boice. Scenic Design: Christina Todesco. Lighting Design: Jen Rock. Composer and Sound Design: Dewey Dellay. Costume Design: Nancy Leary. Presented by Commonwealth Shakespeare Company at the Sorenson Black Box at Babson College, through November 18, 2018.

Back in May of this year, I was speaking with a friend and mentioned how disappointed I was after seeing Huntington Theatre’s production of Top Girls. “Oh,” he remarked, “Do you not like Caryl Churchill’s plays?” “It’s not that,” I said. “I like Caryl Churchill’s work a lot.” But hearing the words come out of my mouth triggered an involuntary double take. Wait…do I like Caryl Churchill’s plays? The question is actually harder to answer than you might think. Despite being one of England’s most respected living playwrights, you’re not as likely to see a performance of her work on this side of the pond aside from the occasional production of Top Girls or Cloud Nine. I know that I admire Caryl Churchill. I admire her quite a bit. While many writers tend to get stuck in old patterns as they enter their golden years, Churchill has, if anything, doubled down on experimenting with theatrical forms and challenging our ideas of narrative. You’re almost required to admire someone so unwilling to rest on her laurels, but being unable to see the work on stage makes it hard to form an opinion as to whether or not any of these experiments actually work.

Thorne a Scrooge for the Ages in Trinity Rep’s Classic “A CHRISTMAS CAROL”

November 14, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

Trinity Repertory Company ushers the holiday season in with their annual presentation and their 41st production of “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens adapted by Adrian Hall and Richard Cumming. Trinity is also celebrating its 55th season. This show’s underlying themes of charity, forbearance and benevolence are universal and are equally relevant to people of all religions and backgrounds especially now after this contentious election and climate of this country. This familiar tale is about the curmudgeonly miser, Ebenezer Scrooge, who is visited by the ghosts of Marley, Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come who hope to change his destiny and save his soul to ultimately to discover the true meaning of Christmas. Director Mark Valdez creates an excellent telling of this well known Christmas tale while musical director Esther Zabinski, plays a concertina and wrote all the parts for the many songs in the show. Choreographer yon Tande makes the cast shine in the dance numbers. The enthusiastic audience thoroughly enjoyed the show with thunderous applause and standing ovation at curtain call.

Theatre on Fire’ ‘NSFW’ Offers a Picture Worth a Thousand Words

November 11, 2018November 11, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Review by James Wilkinson

‘NSFW’ – Written by Lucy Kirkwood. Directed by Darren Evans. Costume Design: Liz Sheehan. Lighting Design: Emily Bearce. Scenic and Sound Design: Darren Evans. Fight Choreographer: Jess Malone. Presented by Theatre on Fire at the Charlestown Working Theatre through November 17.

The acronym, for those of you who may not know, means ‘Not Safe for Work.’ You’ll find it in email subject lines and online article headlines as a shorthand that the content contains images (usually nudity) you probably don’t want popping up on your work computer where your boss can walk by. It’s meant to spare embarrassment, though it can just as easily act as a beacon for someone on the hunt for salacious material. The acronym also lends itself as the title of British playwright Lucy Kirkwood’s 2012 play, a piece concerned with what happens at the intersection of salacious material and the workplace. It’s an incredibly intelligent and wickedly funny play being given an incredibly intelligent and wickedly funny production by the Charlestown-based company, Theatre on Fire.

With ‘Royally Unseen’ Alan White Looks to be Seen

November 8, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Review by James Wilkinson

‘Royally Unseen’ – Written and performed by Alan White. Directed by Pacale Florestale. Projection/Video Design: Alan White. Royally Unseen is being performed at the Green Room in Somerville November 3-18, 2018.

You can sometimes forget how little you actually need for an engaging evening of theater. When a production pulls out all of the stops with large casts, enormous sets and an array of stage effects, it’s easy to be dazzled. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the bells and whistles as much as the next patron. At the end of the day, though, theatre is supposed to be about human connection and all you need for that is a human, speaking clearly and honestly. Alan White’s one-person show Royally Unseen is a play that operates on that idea of simple human connection. You won’t have the bells and whistles, but you’ll have the chance of capturing something much more profound.

‘The Salonnieres’ Smartly Delivers Wit with a Feminist Twist

November 7, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

by Michele Markarian

The Salonnieres, by Liz Duffy Adams. Directed by Weylin Symes. Produced by the Greater Boston Stage Company, 395 Main Street, Stoneham, through November 11.

As you walk into the theater, the first thing you see is Katheryn Monthei’s whimsically gorgeous set – what appears to be a lovely gilded cage, with period furniture, and a glossy purple cloth partially draped over it. This could be fun, I thought with some relief, a little subdued by the play’s fancy French title. And fun it is, as well as funny. Despite the laughs, the play has a pointed feminist bent that’s not without bite.

Never Grow Up: Hub Theater Presents ‘Peter and the Starcatcher’

November 5, 2018November 12, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

by Deanna Dement Myers

IRNE award winner and recipient of the 2018 Bob Jolly Award director Sarah Gazdowicz along with music director Bethany Aiken lead a cast of some of the area’s finest actors in ‘Peter and The Starcatcher’ by Rick Elice, music by Wayne Barker; based on the novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. Production Team includes Kiki Samko, Movement Coach; Kat Long, Production Manager; Allison Davis, Stage Manager; Lauren Elias, Producer; Cassie Chapados, Set Design; Cesara Walters, Props Design; Chris Bocchiaro, Lighting Design; Erica Desautels, Costume Design. Presented by Hub Theatre Company of Boston, Friday, November 2 through Saturday November 17 at First Church Boston, 66 Marlborough St.

When I was boy, I dreamt I could fly.

There is a sense of wonder upon walking into the cozy theater at the First Church of Boston. With seating arranged three quarters around the stage, the audience gets the sensation of sitting in the eaves of a large attic playroom. Mismatched furniture, layered rugs and the suggestion of a slanted ceiling reinforce that feeling.