Theatre on Fire Learns to Speak ‘Mountain Language’

October 8, 2019October 8, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Review by James Wilkinson

Mountain Language – Written by Harold Pinter. Directed by Darren Evans. Scenic and Sound Designer: Darren Evans. Costume Design: Erica Desautels. Lighting Design: Emily Bearce. Presented by Theatre on Fire at Charlestown Working Theater October 4-19, 2019.

I am occasionally accused of going on a bit too long when reviewing shows. And given that Theatre on Fire’s new production of Harold Pinter’s Mountain Language runs a brisk twenty-five minutes, start to finish, this seems like a good opportunity to try and practice exorcising some limits.

The show is excellent and I think you should go see it.

…Alright, now let’s see if we can work a bit more nuance into that statement…

‘An Oak Tree’ Grows at Theatre on Fire

June 17, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Review by James Wilkinson

‘An Oak Tree’ – Directed by A. Nora Long. Sound Design: Nathaniel Talbot. Lighting Design: Darren Evans. Presented by Theatre on Fire at the Charlestown Working Theater June 13-22, 2019.

Tim Crouch’s An Oak Tree, now being presented by Theatre on Fire, is described in the program notes as “a theatrical experiment” rather than as “a play.” Whatever it is, the piece involves two performers. The first is a character identified as “The Hypnotist” who is being played by Michael Carr. The second person on stage changes with each performance and will be someone who has not read the script. They’ll be stepping into the show completely blind, having only the Hypnotist for guidance through the evening.

…And that’s all you’re getting from me in terms of show description.

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.

The Aliens – Theatre on Fire (Charlestown Working Theater)

September 20, 2017September 20, 2017 michaelhobanLeave a comment

by James Wilkinson

‘The Aliens’ – Written by Annie Baker; Directed by Darren Evans; Costumes by Maureen Festa. Presented by Theatre on Fire at the Charlestown Working Theater, 442 Bunker Hill Street, Charlestown through October 7.

For the longest time, I avoided reading any of Annie Baker’s plays, though not because of any skepticism about their quality. What held me back was what I had heard about Baker’s naturalistic style. It seemed as though sitting in a chair and reading the words on the page could never compare to the performance experience. (Plays aren’t meant to be read anyway, but sometimes you take what you can get.)