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, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a 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 MirrorLeave a 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 MirrorLeave a 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.”

Hub Theatre Company’s “The Bald Soprano” and “The Lesson” Hit the High Notes

February 23, 2026March 2, 2026 Theater Mirror2 Comments

Cast of Hub Theatre’s “The Bald Soprano”

‘The Bald Soprano’ and ‘The Lesson’ by Eugène Ionesco. Directed by Bryn Boice. Stage Management from Nona Ferney. Scenic Design by Justin Lahue. Sound Design by Mackenzie Adamick. Lighting Design by Narissa “Nars” Kelliher. Costume Design by Marissa Wolf. The Hub Theatre Company’s ‘The Bald Soprano’ and ‘The Lesson’ runs from February 20th – March 8th at the at 539 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 02116.

By Charlotte Snow

Absurdism simultaneously describes and stretches the bounds of impossibility. It’s no surprise the genre is facing a resurgence, given how the world has become increasingly complicated over the past few years. As a response to the wild and ever-changing times we find ourselves in, Hub Theatre Company’s latest theatrical offering is a double feature, The Bald Soprano and The Lesson by Eugène Ionesco.

It’s a Topsy-Turvy Planet in The Huntington’s ‘We Had A World’

February 23, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Amy Resnick, Will Conard in Huntington’s ‘We Had A World’. Photos by Annielly Camargo

‘We Had A World’ — Written by Joshua Harmon. Directed by Keira Fromm. Scenic Design by Courtney O’Neill; Costume Design by Izumi Inaba; Lighting Design by Tyler Micoleau; Sound Design and Original Music by Melanie Chen Cole, Presented by The Huntington at Wimberly Theatre, Calderwood Pavilion, 527 Tremont St., Boston through March 15.

By Shelley A. Sackett

Joshua Harmon covers a lot of ground in the arresting We Had A World. On its surface, the 100-minute one-act play is a deeply personal disinterment and examination of the complicated dyad relationships among his grandmother (Nana/Renee), his mother (Ellen), and Josh, Harmon’s autobiographical self. Equal parts loving requiem and vicious vendetta, the playwright fleshes out these complicated characters, channeling the emotional messiness and magnificence of a family where acrimony, blame, selfishness, and self-destruction share the stage with humor, love, gratitude, generosity, self-sacrifice and honesty. Spanning 1988-2018, the story is told in a nonlinear fashion, a patchwork quilt of episodes where each square is one person’s version of the same event. As the colors and patterns shift, so do our impressions of the three characters.

Theater Mirror’s Charlotte Snow Interviews Hub Theatre Company’s “The Bald Soprano” and “The Lesson” Director Bryn Boice and Producer Lauren Elias

February 20, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

In anticipation of Hub Theatre Company’s upcoming production of Eugène Ionesco’s The Bald Soprano and The Lesson, Theater Mirror sat down with director Bryn Boice and the producing artistic director of Hub Theatre Company, Lauren Elias. We discussed the importance of absurdism in 2026, how to be recognized by directors, a surprising anecdote involving a Saturday Night Live alum, and, of course, Hub Theatre Company’s upcoming theatrical offering. 

Strange Turns and True Stories: Ahamefule J. Oluo on Their New Show, ‘The Things Around Us’

February 17, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Ahamefule J. Oluo in ‘The Things Around Us’, coming to the Emerson Paramount Center
Photo Credits: Alex Dugan

By Kilian Melloy

Jazz musician, stand-up comic, playwright, screenwriter… Ahamefule J. Oluo is all of that and more. The author of two previous shows blending storytelling and music drawn from their own life and those of their parents, 2014’s Now I’m Fine, and 2019’s Susan, Oluo brings their latest, a solo show titled The Things Around Us, to The Emerson Paramount Center’s Robert J. Orchard Stage from February 20 – 22. The Things Around Us constitutes the third part of what’s become a trilogy, but, unlike the previous two shows, it’s a solo piece: Oluo will create the show’s music using loops rather than an orchestra. With a stand-up’s instincts for engaging with the room and a musician’s ear for the language of sound, the artist will present audiences with a unique experience that he tells us is hard to describe — but not to understand, not once you’ve had it.

Oluo took some time to chat with Theater Mirror about the show, how it grew out of past projects, and the loneliness of being backstage with no one but themself.