Imaginary Beasts Offers Fanciful Family Fun with Hansel & Gretel Panto

February 12, 2020 michaelhobanLeave a comment

By Julie-Anne Whitney

Hansel & Gretel (Winter 2020 Panto) – Written and directed by Matthew Woods; costume design by Cotton Talbot-Minkin; set design by Lillian P.H. Kology; lighting design by Michaela Carmela Bocchino; puppet design by Elizabeth Owens and Jill Rogati; stage and production management by Sophia Giordano. Produced by Imaginary Beasts at the Charlestown Working Theater through March 1, 2020.

The British Panto has been a popular holiday tradition in the U.K. since the early 1700s. For those who don’t know, a panto is a rowdy, interactive Vaudevillian style of musical theater which starts with a simple children’s story (such as Cinderella, Snow White, or Jack and the Beanstalk, etc.) and is then transformed into an over-the-top slapstick comedy piece with contemporary references, a bit of improvisation, an educational element, and enough creative humor to please both the children and the grownups.

Wintertime Adventures with imaginary beasts’ ‘Paul Bunyan’

January 23, 2019February 2, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

(Laura Detwiler, Joey Pelletier, Kiki Samko, Colin McIntire)

(Photos by Alex Sandberg)

Review by James Wilkinson

‘Paul Bunyan and the Winter of the Blue Snow’ – Story Conceived by Matthew Woods. Written by Matthew Woods and the Ensemble. Directed by Matthew Woods. Costume Design by Cotton Talbot-Minkin. Lighting Design by Robin Donovan Bocchiaro. Scenic Design by Megan Kinneen. Properties Design by Sophia Nora Giordano. Presented by imaginary beasts at Charlestown Working Theatre, 442 Bunker Hill St, Charlestown through February 10

An audience is a strange beast to contend with. When you gather a large group of people to sit together and watch a performance, it kicks off a reaction that’s actually not too dissimilar from a speed dating event. The lights go up and we all go, “Show me what you’ve got.” That first ten minutes can be lethal. The audience either buys your wares or kicks you to the curb. I bring this up because Imaginary Beasts has opened their new annual winter pantomime, Paul Bunyan and the Winter of the Blue Snow (An American Tall Tale), and part of what’s so fascinating and wonderful about it is the response it generates in the audience. Viewers are freed from everything they’ve ever been taught about “appropriate” theater audience behavior. They’re allowed to approach the work the way children do, with a giddy sense of play. This was only my second time going to one of Imaginary Beasts’ winter pantos. My first was last year’s production of 20,000 Leagues under the Sea, which was memorable for me because of how it caught me off guard with just how much fun it was. A year later, I’m happy to report back that Paul Bunyan keeps with the tradition of raising goofiness to the level of high art.

Imaginary Beasts Invite You Under the Sea

January 19, 2018January 19, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

by James Wilkinson

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea – Story by Matthew Woods. Written by the ensemble. Costume Design: Cotton Talbot-Minkin. Lighting Design: Christopher Bocchiaro. Set Concept and Sound Design: Matthew Woods. Scenic Design: Rebecca Lehrhoff. Puppet Design: Sophia Giordano and Rebecca Lehrhoff. Steampunk Consultant: Isaiah Plovnic. Choreography Kiki Samko. Presented by imaginary Beasts at the Charlestown Working Theater, 442 Bunker Hill St, Charlestown, through February 4

It can be a wonderful thing to have all of your theatrical expectations totally upended. Having seen Imaginary Beasts’ Winter Panto, 20,000 Leagues under the Sea, let me start by admitting how ashamed I am that I have never been to one of their previous Winter Pantos, an annual event since 2009. In fact, when I walked into this production I really had no understanding of what a pantomime was. Back in elementary school I read a Great Illustrated Classic’s version of Jules Verne’s classic novel, so I had a vague idea of what the plot of the show would be, but that was it. About thirty seconds into the show, I realized that it wasn’t at all going to be what I thought it would be. Five minutes in, I had a giant smile plastered on my face that didn’t leave for the entire run time of the show. If you’re looking for an activity to make you forget about the freezing temperatures outside, then I can’t recommend this inspired bit of theatrical lunacy enough.

imaginary beasts’ Winter Panto is Devilishly Good Fun!

January 24, 2017January 25, 2017 michaelhobanLeave a comment

By CJ Williams

‘Winter Panto 2017 – Princess and the Pea – by Imaginary Beasts; Directed by Matthew Woods; Set and Sound Design by Jason Sherwood and Matthew Woods; Set Construction by Daniel Atchason and Joe Oullette; Puppet Design by Beth Owens and Jill Rogati; Stage Management by Nate Goebel; Costume Design by Cotton Talbot-Minkin; Lighting design by Chris Bocchiaro. Presented by Imaginary Beasts at Boston Center for the Arts, 539 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02116 through February 4.

You don’t have to be a child to enjoy the delightful Winter Pantomime being put on by Imaginary Beasts this chill season – nor do you have to be an adult to giggle at the devilish and timely jabs and jibes the troupe insert regarding current events and personalities. As I sat in the theatre this weekend, surrounded by old, young, and innumerable in-betweens, the slapstick and sly both elicited hearty merriment. Sometimes, the stuff I thought might go over the littler one’s heads got the largest laughs from them in particular. But this is partially because the audience-involved pandemonium was written – and performed – with enough versatility that where subtle politics miss some, there’s enough energy and incongruity to the situations themselves to leave humor a-plenty, references aside.