Theater Mirror’s Kilian Melloy Interviews Boston Gay Men’s Chorus Music Director Reuben M. Reynolds III

March 22, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Rueben M. Reynolds. III Photo Credit: Michael Willer

The Boston Gay Men’s Chorus has been making music and making change through music for the better part of a half-century. In that time, our community has seen victories and setbacks, from the depths of the AIDS crisis to growing representation and acceptance in popular culture, to judicial and political attacks, to the advent of marriage equality, and the current moment’s dismantling of access and protections for marginalized Americans of every sort.

Barmakian, Melendy Light Up GBSC’s Thrilling ‘Wait Until Dark’

March 18, 2026March 18, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Cast of GBSC’s ‘Wait Until Dark’. Photos by Nile Scott Studio

‘Wait Until Dark’ – Written by Frederick Knott and adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher.Directed by Weylin Symes; Scenic Design by Katy Monthei; Lighting Design by Jeff Adelberg; Costume Design by Deirdre Gerrard; Sound Design by Caroline Eng; and Fight Choreography by Naomi Kim. Presented by Greater Boston Stage Company at 395 Main St, Stoneham, MA, through March 22^nd.

By Mike Hoban

Greater Boston Stage has once again mined the suspense genre and struck theatrical gold with an exhilarating production of the white-knuckle thriller, Wait Until Dark. Featuring a stellar cast that blends GBSC regulars with a handful of talented relative newcomers, they adroitly deliver on the twists and turns of playwright Frederick Knott’s serpentine narrative with precision and heart.

“Stereophonic” A Grueling Celebration of Making Art

March 12, 2026March 12, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Cast of “Stereophonic” at the Emerson Colonial. Photos: Julieta Cervantes

“Stereophonic”. Written by David Adjami. Original Songs by Will Butler. Directed by Daniel Aukin. Presented at Emerson Colonial Theatre, 106 Boylston Street, Boston, through March 15.

By Michele Markarian

When I first saw “Stereophonic” a few years ago in New York, I was surprised at how familiar I was with some of the dialogue. “It’s the book!” I whispered to my husband, who had no idea what I was talking about. The book, “Making Rumours: The Inside Story of the Classic Fleetwood Mac Album” by Ken Caillat with Steven Stiefel, had been given to me as a birthday present by a friend ten years before. Caillat had been the co-producer of “Rumours” and wrote a book describing the exhilarating and often harrowing process, a journey Mick Fleetwood corroborates in his book “My Life and Adventures in Fleetwood Mac”. The playwright eventually settled out of court with Caillat. In fairness to Adjami, while the book is good, the play, which depicts the arduous recording sessions of a seminal album by a band loosely based on Fleetwood Mac, is better.

SpeakEasy’s ‘The Antiquities’ Warns of Future Dangers of A.I.

March 10, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Cast of SpeakEasy’s The Antiquities. Photos: Benjamin Rose Photography

The Antiquities (New England premiere) by Jordan Harrison. Directed by Alex Lonati; Scenic Design by Christoper & Justin Swader; Lighting Design by Amanda E. Fallon; Costume Design by Lila B. West; Sound Design by Anna Drummond; Props Coordination by Julia Wonkka; Intimacy Choreography by Shira Helena Gitlin; Fight Choreography by Margaret Clark; Dialect Coaching by Rebecca Schneebaum; Stage Managed by Elizabeth Yvette Ramirez. Presented by SpeakEasy Stage Company at the Roberts Studio Theatre in the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA in Boston, MA, through March 28, 2026.

By Julie-Anne Whitney

Imagine a world where humans have created electronic beings that mimic our thoughts and behavior. In the not-so-distant future, these artificial beings will be so good at doing what we’ve programmed them to do that they’ll do it better, faster, and more efficiently than we can. This “artificial intelligence” will be used to ravage the planet of its natural resources. It will be used as a weapon of war and will cause mass destruction.

Not so hard to imagine, is it?

Wakka Wakka’s “Dead As A Dodo” Resurrects Hope And Wonder

March 8, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

ArtsEmerson’s‘Dead As a Dodo’. Photo credits: David Zadig

‘Dead As A Dodo’ − Written, directed, and set design by Gwendolyn Warnock and Kirjan Waage. Original Music and Sound Design by Thor Gunnar Thorvaldsson. Puppet Design and Construction by Kirjan Waage. Touring Lighting Design by Scott Monnin. Presented by ArtsEmerson, from March 5th to March 8th at Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre, 219 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 02116.

By Charlotte Snow

Puppetry has been a staple of theatricality for centuries, but it often gets a bad rap as being trite and hokey. But in recent years, many theatre companies have been pushing back against this narrative, creating innovative and thought-provoking puppet plays for kids and adults alike. Gloriously, the Wakka Wakka theatre company practically demands that Dead As A Dodo joins, if not leads, the fold of exceptional puppet shows. 

MRT’s ‘Kween’ Finds Light in a Dark World

March 4, 2026March 16, 2026 Theater Mirror1 Comment

Brittani J. McBride, Ray K. Soeun and Pichanny Som in MRT’s ‘Kween’

‘Kween’ (world premiere), by Vichet Chum; Direction by Pirronne Yousefzadeh; Scenic Design by Cristina Todesco; Costume Design by Yao Chen; Lighting Design by Brian J. Lilienthal; Sound Design by David Remedios; Projection Design by Camilla Tassi; Stage Managed by Brian M. Robillard; Produced by Merrimack Repertory Theater in Lowell, MA. Runs through March 15.

By Liana Chow

Kween is a gorgeous new one-act play by Vichet Chum, written for Merrimack Repertory Theater and harmoniously directed by Pirronne Yousefzadeh. Set in the present day and focusing on Cambodian American characters in Lowell, “Kween” reflects back to its audience the beauty that can be found in their community. Commissioned a few years ago during a surge of I.C.E. detentions and deportations, the play is premiering during another terrifying moment for immigrants and refugees that mirrors America’s apparent determination to repeat its long history of deportation and detention. Kween is a salve for despair because it makes a case for the everyday strength and wisdom of the younger generations, the millennial and Gen-Z children of diasporas.

“Zabel in Exile” An Emotional Journey of Oppression, Resistance and Faith

March 4, 2026 Theater Mirror1 Comment

Sarah Corey in Boston Playwrights’ Theatre’s “Zabel in Exile”
Photos by Scornavacca Photography

Zabel in Exile. By R.N. Sandberg. Directed by Megan Sandberg-Zakian. Sponsored by Judith Saryan and Victor Zarougian. Presented by Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, 949 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, through March 8.

By Michele Markarian

For this audience member of Armenian heritage, Zabel in Exile is a cultural expedition into the Armenian psyche. The favoritism and privilege of boys and men. The devastation and tragedy of the death marches. The mystical visions of Death, dressed in garments of scarlet and black. My great-grandfather saw such a vision riding towards him on horseback and told his family it was coming for him. He was right; he died the next day along with his wife and three of his children. My thirteen-year-old grandmother escaped. Zabel is a memory play based on the life of Armenian writer Zabel Yessayan. She’s a very compelling character, and her life, though hard and full of peril, embodies the bravery and compassion of the Armenian spirit.

‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ Is A Welcome Addition to Umbrella Theatre’s Season

March 3, 2026 Theater Mirror1 Comment

The Cast of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ at The Umbrella Arts Center
Photos by Jim Sabitus

‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ — Dramatized by Christopher Sergel. Based on the Book by Harper Lee. Directed by Scott Edmiston. Scenic Design by Janie Howland; Lighting Design by SeifAllah Salotto-Cristobal; Costumes by Rachel Padula-Shufelt; Sound Design by Chris Brousseau; Original Music on Cello by Valerie Thompson. Presented by The Umbrella Stage Company, 40 Stow St., Concord, MA, through March 22.

By Shelley A. Sackett

To Kill a Mockingbird, the 1960 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel written by Harper Lee and dramatized in 1970 by Christopher Sergel, tells the story of events that take place in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the Depression (1932 to 1935). The plot and characters are based on Lee’s observations of her family, neighbors and an actual event that took place in 1936 near her hometown, Monroeville, Alabama.

Apollinaire’s Impassioned ‘A View from the Bridge’ Reveals Troubled Waters Below

March 2, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Cast of Apollinaire’s ‘A View from the Bridge’
Photos by Darlene DeVita

‘A View from the Bridge’ — Written by Arthur Miller. Directed by David R. Gammons. Scenic and Sound by Joseph Lark-Riley; Costumes by Elizabeth Rocha; Lighting by Kevin Fulton. Presented by Apollinaire Theatre, 189 Winnisimmet St., Chelsea, through March 22.

By Shelley A. Sackett

Arthur Miller, a prominent 20^th century American playwright best known for the classics Death of a Salesman (1949) and The Crucible (1953), penned the two-act A View from the Bridge in 1956 to tackle themes of working-class masculinity; conflicts between natural and bureaucratic law; family dynamics; feminism, and the struggles faced by immigrants (especially when illegal and confronted by anti-immigrant backlash).

Theater Mirror’s Kilian Melloy Interviews Liars and Believers’ Georgia Lyman and Jason Slavick on Latest Show, ‘The End is Nigh’

February 23, 2026February 25, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Glen Moore in Liars and Believers’ upcoming, ‘The End is Nigh’
Photos by Ollie Kamens

By Kilian Melloy

Liars and Believers devises its shows using a collaborative process. Its shows are lively and inspired, combining various theatrical traditions in works like Yellow Bird Chase, a favorite that tours to enthusiastic audiences. But the company doesn’t create fun fluff; behind the clowning, bright design work, and physical comedy are artistic director Jason Slavick’s creative and philosophical concerns. “I have political and social goals,” Slavick admits. “Actually, everything I do has some deep intention, even Yellow Bird.”