Theater Mirror interviews Boston Theater Company’s Joey Frangieh in anticipation of the first annual QUEER VOICES FESTIVAL

This weekend, the Boston Theater Company will launch its first annual QUEER VOICES FESTIVAL, with performances from March 8-10, 2024, at the Plaza Theatre of the Boston Center for the Arts.  The submission-based showcase, produced by Joey Frangieh and Lisa Rafferty, will showcase seven diverse ten-minute plays written by LGBTQ+ playwrights.

By Mike Hoban

Theater Mirror: Can you give us a little history ofthe Boston Theater Company?

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Campy ‘Evil Dead the Musical’ Delivers Comic Gore, Laughs

Evil Dead the Musical: The HD Tour – Book and Lyrics by George Reinblatt;Music by Frank Cipolla, Christopher Bond, Melissa Morris & George Reinblatt; Additional Lyrics by Christopher Bond; Additional Music by Rob Daleman; Based on characters created by Sam Raimi. Presented Roshi Entertainment in a special arrangement with Renaissance Pictures LTD & StudioCanal at the Boston Center for the Arts Plaza Theatre, 539 Tremont St., Boston, through February 25

by Mike Hoban

Broadway has a history of turning pretty good movies into bad musicals. Think Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark (ironically based on the 2002 Spider-Man movie by Sam Raimi, who also wrote and directed the Evil Dead movies on which Evil Dead the Musical is based) and too many others to count. But Off-Broadway had huge success turning a bad/campy horror movie into a stage success with Little Shop of Horrors. And while Evil Dead the Musical doesn’t quite reach those heights of artistic excellence, it’s a whacked-out good time – especially for fans of the cult classic movies.

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‘Liv at Sea’ Navigates Emotional Tsunamis in a Pitch Perfect Production

“Liv at Sea” — Written and directed by Robert Kropf. Presented by Harbor Stage Company at Boston Center for the Arts, 539 Tremont St., Boston, through January 28.

By Shelley A. Sackett

Who among us has never wondered about what our lives might have been like if, like Robert Frost’s famous protagonist, we had chosen the road less traveled when our path diverged into two? Did we choose wisely? Given the chance to relive that pivotal moment, would we again choose the security and comfort of the path we know or risk all on the thrill of the other, the unknown?

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Addiction Recovery-Centered Theater Group 2nd Act Premieres New Work, ‘I’ll Be There For You’

2nd Act is a collective of artists in recovery that uses theatre, film, and drama therapy to address the impact of substance use by empowering diverse and inclusive communities to promote understanding in the face of stigma. Founded in 1984 by Lynn Bratley as the Improbable Players, the troupe performed “prevention plays” in middle and high schools for the first quarter century of their existence, with titles like “I’ll Never Do That!”, a four-person play about a family affected by alcohol and drug use, and “Stages,” a two-person play about how alcohol and other drugs affect us at every stage of our lives. The group merged with Rhode-Island based COAAST (Creating Outreach About Addiction Support Together) in 2021 and expanded its programming to include a Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Theatre program and a Drama Therapy program. 

The organizations have performed for well over a million audience members during their “extended run.” 2nd Act will hold its annual spring fundraiser on Tuesday, May 23rd at the Roberts Studio Theatre, Calderwood Pavilion in Boston from 6:00-8:00 pm. The evening will kick off with a VIP reception, including mocktails and light fare, followed by a premiere staged reading of our newest prevention play; I’ll Be There For You. This new show will be performed by actors in recovery and is based on interviews with Queer and BIPOC youth in recovery from Substance Use Disorder, and will highlight their voices as under-served members of our community. This premiere is intended to raise funds for I’ll Be There For You to tour middle and high schools in New England in the coming school year.

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Alex Edelman’s Poignant Laugh Riot ‘Just for Us’ is for Everyone

‘Just for Us’ – Written and performed by Alex Edelman. Directed by Adam Brace. At Roberts Studio Theatre, Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts. Through April 23

by Mike Hoban

You would think that a man with the name ‘Alex Edelman’ would be the least likely candidate to attend a meeting of White nationalists, even less so if you knew his full name was David Yosef Shimon ben Elazar Reuven Alex Halevi Edelman – of the Brookline Edelmans. But for the comedian bearing that name, that real-life meeting with the 21st-century version of Klan-lite is the centerpiece of his riotous one-person show ‘Just for Us.’  The solo show, his third, has been running in NYC, Washington DC, and London since December of 2021 and is now receiving its two-week hometown run before it hits Broadway in June.

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Speakeasy’s ‘Wild Goose Dreams’ Is A Surreal Romp Between Two Realities

Ciaran D’Hondt, Fady Demian, Elaine Hom, Ryan Mardesich, Amanda Centeno, and
John D. Haggerty in Speakeasy’s ‘Wild Goose Dreams’ Photos by Nile Scott Studios

‘Wild Goose Dreams’ – Written by Hansol Jung. Directed by Seonjae Kim; Scenic Design by Crystal Tiala; Costume Design by Machel Ross; Lighting Design by Kathleen Zhou; Sound Design by George Cooke. Presented by SpeakEasy Stage at The Calderwood Pavillion, Boston through April 8.

By Shelley Sackett

On its surface, ‘Wild Goose Dreams,’ lays out parallel tales of migration, sacrifice, and dreams. To fully appreciate Hansol Jung’s brilliant script and Seonjae Kim’s spot-on direction, a little background is helpful. Geese migrate with the seasons, traveling great distances and enduring physical hardships to secure food and shelter for their families. Their survival hinges on uprooting themselves and flying to an unknown place that they hope will provide what they need.

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Speakeasy’s Absorbing ‘Heroes’ is Guaranteed to Spark Discussion

Elise Piliponis, Karen MacDonald, Jesse Hinson, Dayna Cousins, and Nathan Malin in Heroes of the Fourth Turning. Photos by Nile Scott Studios.

Heroes of the Fourth Turning – Written by Will Arbery; Directed by Marianna Bassham; Set Design by Baron E. Pugh; Costume Design by Rachel Padula Shufelt; Sound Design by Elizabeth Cahill; Lighting Design by Jeff Adelberg. Presented by Speakeasy Stage at the Roberts Studio Theatre, Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont St. Boston through October 8

by Mike Hoban

There’s a lot to unpack in playwright Will Arbery’s Heroes of the Fourth Turning, the thought-provoking political drama now running at Speakeasy Stage. Brilliantly acted by a terrific ensemble, Heroes is billed as a look at “a country at war with itself,” but in truth delves more specifically into the internal divides within the Catholic wing of the Republican party brought on by the election of Donald Trump. Interestingly, the play is set in 2017, two days before the solar eclipse and just one week after the white nationalist riots in Charlottesville – which means that the play pre-dates the 2020 election and the ensuing insurrection at the Capital that led the Republican party to desert their conservative principles in deference to the Big Lie pushed by the former president.

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Huntington’s ‘Yerma’ an Absorbing Tale of Obsession

Ernie Pruneda (Victor), Nadine Malouf (Yerma) and Christian Barillas (Juan) in the Huntington Theatre Company’s production of Yerma playing at the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA. © Photos: T. Charles Erickson

by Mike Hoban


‘Yerma’ – Conceived by Melinda Lopez and Melia Bensussen, Adapted and Translated by Melinda Lopez, based on the play by Federico Garcia Lorca. Directed by Melia Bensussen; Scenic Design by Cameron Anderson; Costume Design by Olivera Gajic; Lighting Design by Brian J. Lilienthal; Sound Design by Brendan F. Doyle & Mark Bennett; Original Music by Mark Bennett; Music Direction by Jesse Sanchez; Choreography by Misha Shields. Presented by the Huntington Theatre Company at the Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street, Boston through June 30


Right from the outset of Yerma, the absorbing and surrealistic adaptation/translation of Federico Garcia Lorca’s 1934 work by Boston playwright Melinda Lopez, there are subtle hints that, despite appearances, there may be trouble on the horizon for the marriage of the title character and her husband Juan. But that foreshadowing is unlikely to prepare us for the path that this strange and poetic story will take, as it morphs into an unsettling tale of obsession and eventually, madness. The Huntington Theatre Company is presenting this world premiere play with music at the Boston Center for the Arts’ Calderwood Pavilion through June 30th.

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Humor Trumps Horror in Speakeasy’s Tragicomic Musical ‘The View Upstairs’

(Cast of Speakeasy Stage Company’s ‘The View Upstairs’ All photos by Nile Scott Studios)

By Mike Hoban

‘The View Upstairs’ – Written by Max Vernon; Directed by Paul Daigneault; Scenic Design by Abby Shenker; Costume Design by Dustin Todd Rennells; Lighting Design by Abigail Wang; Sound Design by Elektra T. Newman. Presented by the Speakeasy Stage Company at the BCA Plaza Theatre through June 22.

Given that The View Upstairs is a fictional retelling of the final night of the Upstairs Lounge, the New Orleans gay bar that was turned into a fiery deathtrap by an arsonist’s match in 1973 (claiming the lives of 32 people), it’s a bit hard to find the proper descriptor without sounding disrespectful. But the truth of the matter is that this musical, now being given its New England premiere by Speakeasy Stage, is often funny and joyful – for the first 95 minutes anyway – despite its dark undertones. Equal parts Twilight Zone episode, gay sitcom, documentary, and cautionary tale on the ways that the obsession with social media is stealing our collective souls, View is first and foremost a worthwhile entertainment.

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To Bare or Not to Bare?

(Kevin Cirone, Ashley Risteen in ‘bare stage’ – Kippy Goldfarb photos)

by Michele Markarian

‘bare stage’ by Michael Walker.  Directed by A. Nora Long.  Presented by Festival Theatre Company, in association with Paul Gregory and Alex Kenton at the Plaza Theatre, Boston Center for the Arts, 539 Tremont Street, Boston, MA  02116

Years ago, there was a Boston casting director who mounted a production of a show that he asked actresses – not actors – to appear in certain scenes topless.  The script didn’t call for it, and when a beautiful young friend of mine refused, she was taunted for not being “real” enough – or some strange foolishness – but allowed onstage anyway. Two of the other beautiful young women, including the lead, had already agreed to appear bare-breasted, so the director was able to get his rocks off while satisfying himself with the ability to make vulnerable young actresses do his bidding. Watching the scenes was uncomfortable, as the nudity was uncalled for. Across the river, a few years later, a Cambridge director did the same thing with the same result.  Happily, for playwright Michael Walker, the nudity in bare stage is an integral part of the piece. 

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