Hands Together, Thumbs Up, And Snap Twice For Wheelock’s ‘The Addams Family’

October 20, 2023November 15, 2023 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Cast of ‘The Addams Family’ at Wheelock Family Theatre

Wheelock Family Theatre at Boston University presents ‘The Addams Family’. Book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. Music and Lyrics by Andrew Lippa. Nick Vargas (Director), David Freeman Coleman (Music Director), Larry Sousa (Choreographer), Jimmy Rotondo (Scenic Designer), Frank Meissner, Jr. (Lighting Designer), Zoë Sundra (Costume Designer), Jenn Butler (Props Designer), Jon King (Sound Designer), Akeem Celestine (Makeup Designer). At WFT@BU, 180 Riverway, Boston, through November 19, 2023.

by Linda Chin

After a warm pre-curtain welcome by Jeri Hammond (Director of Education) and Nick Vargas (Interim Artistic Director) the house lights dim, and the audience is abuzz with anticipation. Yet before the red velvet curtain opens to reveal the world of the show (and its sensational set by Jimmy Rotondo and lighting by Frank Meissner, Jr.) is another surprise. A disembodied hand emerges through the split in the curtain, eliciting some gasps from the crowd (from the younger, middle-aged, or senior patrons – or all three?). But the hand seems more shy, lost, and friendly than scary, lecherous, and frightening and happily finds its place in the spotlight center stage. When the first strains of music from the theme song, the “Buh-buh-buh-bump,” rise from the pit, the hand – right on cue – snaps its fingers twice, then the phrase repeats. The hand is noticeably happier when more of its new friends in the audience join in. Which many of us baby boomers (who grew up with the television show and this opening number on our black-and-white sets) do while giggling and singing along with kooky, ooky, childish glee.

A “Phizz-Whizzing”( Brilliant) ‘Matilda’ Celebrates Unsung Heroes at Wheelock Family Theatre

October 28, 2022November 3, 2022 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Cast of ‘Matilda the Musical’ at Wheelock Family Theatre. Photos by Brandon Farrell

‘Matilda the Musical’ – Book by Dennis Kelly. Music & Lyrics by Tim Minchin. Emily Ranii, Director. David Freeman Coleman, Music Director. Larry Sousa, Choreographer. Shelley Barish, Scenic Designer. Franklin Meissner, Jr., Lighting Designer. Christina Beam, Costume Designer. Steven Doucette, Props Designer. Jon King, Sound Designer. At Wheelock Family Theatre at Boston University (October 21 – November 20, 2022).

by Linda Chin

We are living in revolting times, and with vicious taunts and violent attacks as everyday occurrences – and adults in positions of authority behaving like school yard bullies – one can feel helpless and alone. But children of all ages who have ever experienced bullying, unite! Daddle (“Run very fast” in Gobblefunk, Roald Dahl’s made-up language) to Wheelock Family Theatre to see the marvelous Matilda the Musical. Based on Dahl’s children’s book Matilda, the inspiring story of how one person – no matter how small – can make a difference – also puts the spotlight on the village of heroes and unsung heroes it takes to make a musical theatre production.

Park is Over the Rainbow in Wheelock’s ‘The Wizard of Oz’

April 13, 2022April 14, 2022 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Cast of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ at Wheelock Family Theatre

by Mike Hoban

‘The Wizard of Oz’ – By L. Frank Baum. Music and Lyrics by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg. Background Music by Herbert Stothart. Based on the Classic Motion Picture owned by Turner Entertainment Co. and distributed in all media by Warner Bros. Directed by Nick Vargas; Choreographed by Tiffany Lau; Music Direction by Todd Gordon. Presented by the Wheelock Family Theatre at 180 Riverway, Boston through May 1.

The Wheelock Family Theatre returned to the stage this past weekend after a 765-day hiatus with a stripped down production of The Wizard of Oz, with nine actors playing all of the roles – from leading characters to the ensemble players. The family favorite is buoyed by a terrific performance by Lily Park as Dorothy, the young girl who is swept away in a tornado and transported to the magical world of Oz to find out that “there’s no place like home”.

Wheelock’s ‘Little Women’ Puts Family at the Center

February 8, 2020 michaelhobanLeave a comment

(Cast of Wheelock Family Theatre’s ‘Little Women the Musical’ – Photos by Cydney Scott)

by Linda Chin

‘Little Women, the Musical’ – Book by Allan Knee; Music by Jason Howland, Lyrics by Mindi Dickstein; Based on the classic novel by Massachusetts author Louisa May Alcott. Directed by Nick Vargas; Music Directed by Jon Goldberg; Choreographed by Laurel Conrad. Presented by Wheelock Family Theatre through Feb. 24

In our disposable, highly stratified, screen obsessed culture it’s challenging to find live entertainment with enduring multigenerational appeal. Bringing an eclectic group of friends and neighbors (an eight year-old girl, her grandmother, college students, middle-aged men) to a Saturday night performance of Little Women, the Musical might have engendered complaint, but the show did not disappoint. In the capable hands of director Nick Vargas, musical director Jon Goldberg, choreographer Laurel Conrad and a talented cast of ten professional adult and young adult actors, Wheelock Family Theatre’s production was delightful, engaging and full of heart.

James and the Giant Peach is Family Theater at its Best

April 18, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

(Cast of WFT’s “James and the Giant Peach”)

By Nicholas Whittaker

‘James and the Giant Peach’ – Words and Music by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul. Book by Timothy Allen McDonald. Based on the book, James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl. Directed by Emily Ranii. Musical Direction: Matthew Stern. Choreography: Juanita Pearl. Production Stage Manager: Nicky Carbone. Presented by Wheelock Family Theater at Boston University; Fenway Campus, 200 The Riverway, Boston, MA 02215 through May 12th

Wheelock labels itself a “Family Theater” company. Such a phrase may send many a “theatrical connoisseur” into a conniption, promising puppetry and slapstick humor and inane characterizations. Wheelock, to their credit, couldn’t care less what those snobs think. James and the Giant Peach is family theater at its very best: absolute, complex, emotionally nuanced, fun. This is not a production for one to plop their children in front of before dipping out into the lobby for two hours; no adult should miss the fun. Nor is it one that tries too hard to be “smart”, to betray its most earnest audience – children – with unwarranted cynicism. James is thrilling in its accessibility, forcing any audience member to embrace its ludicrous logic for the sake of a good time.

Wheelock’s ‘Ragtime’ is a Heartfelt Triumph

January 28, 2019January 28, 2019 michaelhoban1 Comment

by Nicholas Whittaker

‘Ragtime’ – Book by Terrence McNally; Music by Stephen Flaherty; Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens; Based on the novel ‘Ragtime’ by E.L. Doctorow; Directed by Nick Vargas; Musical Direction by Jon Goldberg; Choreography by Nailah Randall-Bellinger; Scenic Design by Lindsay Genevieve Fuori; Scenic Painting by Matthew Lazure; Costume Design by Zoë Sundra; Lighting Design by Aja Jackson; Sound Design by B.C. Williams; Props by Elizabeth Rocha. Presented by Wheelock Family Theater at Boston University; Fenway Campus, 200 The Riverway, Boston, MA 02215 through February 17

Wheelock’s ‘Ragtime’ Still Hits Home

January 26, 2019February 12, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

by Sheila Barth

BOX INFO: Two-act Tony Award-winning musical, based on EL Doctorow’s novel, book by Terrence McNally, music by Stephen Flaherty and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, presented by Wheelock Family Theatre through Feb. 17: Friday, Saturday, 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Sunday, 2 p.m. recommended for ages 10+. 200 Riverway, Boston. 617-353-3001, WFTTix@bu.edu, wheelockfamilytheatre.org.

Attending a Wheelock Family Theatre matinee recently, I wondered how the 31-strong cast, Director Nick Vargas and production crew could make its production of 1998 Tony Award-winning musical, “Ragtime,” family-friendly.

Based on E.L. Doctorow’s stirring novel, with book by Terrence McNally, “Ragtime” isn’t a happy, tappy, song-and-dance musical. It’s set in the turn of the 20th century and beyond, when immigrants came here seeking the American dream, and immigrants, African-Americans, Jews, and others endured poverty, racism, bigotry, social inequality and more. The 2-1/2-hour play ends on a sad note, but with hope of a better future. It kinda sounds like today’s searing headlines, with throngs of dreamers – oppressed, frightened people with the same hope coming here – but they’re barred from entering our borders, families separated, and detained in camps.

A Winning and Entertaining Beauty and the Beast at Wheelock

February 13, 2018February 13, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

By Michele Markarian

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Music by Alan Mencken, Lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, Book by Linda Woolverton. Directed by Jane Staab. Choreography by Laurel Conrad;
Musical Direction by Steven Bergman. Presented by Wheelock Family Theatre, 200 The Riverway, Boston, MA, through March 4.

Belle (the appealing Justine “Icy” Moral) is the daughter of an eccentric inventor, Maurice (Robert Saoud). Both father and daughter are considered weird in their provincial town, he for his odd creations and she for her love of books. The one thing Belle gets kudos for is her great beauty, so much so that the handsomest man in town, Gaston (Mark Linehan) is hell-bent on marrying her (Gaston is so handsome that I considered pulling Belle aside and saying, “Look, kid, you can always get divorced”). Belle, a deep girl, recognizes that although Gaston is gorgeous, he is not a nice man underneath, and refuses his proposal.

WFT ‘s Spins Delightful ‘Charlotte’s Web’ with New Staging

May 2, 2017May 4, 2017 michaelhobanLeave a comment

(Glenn Cook photo)

By CJ Williams

‘Charlotte’s Web’ by E.B. White in adaptation by Joseph Robinette; Scene Design by Jim Byrne; Directed byEmily Ranii; Stage Management by Katie Graves; Choreographed by T. Lawrence-Simon; Costume Design by Zoe Sundra; Lighting Design by Frank Meissner Jr; J Sound Design by Josh Northcutt, playing at Wheelock Family Theater, 80 Riverway, Boston, MA 02215 through May 14th

‘Charlotte’s Web’, now playing at Wheelock Family Theater, is a delight up and down. But just because it’s delightful, doesn’t mean it doesn’t run deep. In fact, anyone who knows E.B. White’s charming classic knows the themes dance from levity to despair, new life to the ever-threatening shadow of death, humor to poignancy. All the same, if you’ve seen a story, you’ve seen it, right?

Maybe not.