A.R.T.’s ‘Moby Dick’ Rocks Theatrical Conventions

December 16, 2019December 16, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Cast, audience members in A.R.T.’s ‘Moby Dick’ – Photos by Maria Baranova

by Mike Hoban

Moby Dick – Music, Lyrics, Book, and Orchestrations by Dave Malloy; Developed with and Directed by Rachel Chavkin; Based on Moby-Dick by Herman Melville; Music Direction and Supervision by Or Matias; Choreography by Chanel DaSilva; Mimi Lien, Scenic Design; Hidenori Nakajo, Sound Design; Bradley King, Lighting Design; Brenda Abbandandolo, Costume Design; Eric F. Avery, Puppet Design and Puppet Direction. Presented by American Repertory Theater, at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Cambridge, through Jan. 12

There are a lot of adjectives one could apply to Moby Dick, the musical adaptation of the novel now being given its world premiere at the A.R.T., but “boring” would not be one of them. Considering the source material and the three-and-a-half hour run time, that may come as a bit of a surprise, but given the success that Dave Malloy and much of the same creative team that adapted (a portion) of “War and Peace” into Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet, maybe it shouldn’t be a surprise at all.

American Repertory Theater Scores a Perfect Ten with “Six”

September 2, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Catherine Parr (Anna Uzele, at center) performs “I Don’t Need Your Love” in SIX, written by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss and directed by Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage. Photo: Liz Lauren

By Michele Markarian

“Six” by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss. Directed by Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage. Presented by American Repertory Theater, 64 Brattle Street, Cambridge, through September 29.

Last May, in London and desperate for some theater on a Sunday afternoon, I blindly bought what was the last ticket to a show in the West End called “Six”. I had low expectations about a musical revue performed by Henry VIII’s wives, but my seatmate, a young man from Italy, told me in an authoritative tone, “You will LOVE it. It is SO much fun. This is my second time seeing it.” Sure I will, I thought, but eighty minutes later, with a few glittery strands of gold foil stuck to my hair and in my purse, the young man had been right. I called my husband and fellow Tudor buff the next day to tell him what a fantastic show it had been. “I think it’s playing in Chicago,” I said. “Should we go? I want to see it!” he asked. Luckily, we didn’t have to, because American Repertory Theater, in association with the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, is producing this smart, funny and wildly entertaining show in Cambridge.

A.R.T.s “WARHOLCAPOTE” An Entertaining Diversion

September 28, 2017September 28, 2017 michaelhobanLeave a comment

by Mike Hoban

“WARHOLCAPOTE” – Adapted by Rob Roth from the Words of Truman Capote and Andy Warhol; Directed by Michael Mayer; Starring Stephen Spinella and Dan Butler; Scenic Design by Stanley A. Meyer; Costume Design by Clint Ramos; Lighting Design by Kevin Adams; Sound Design by John Gromada; and Projection Design by Darrel Maloney. Presented by the American Repertory Theater at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St, Cambridge through October 11.

The A.R.T.s Broadway-bound WARHOLCAPOTE is making its much-anticipated world premiere at the Loeb Center, and while there’s a lot to like about this “non-fiction invention”, it’s really less of a fully developed play and more of a series of outtakes from conversations between the two 20th century icons. Which – considering the colorful nature of the work’s subjects – makes for an entertaining 90 minutes.