ASP’s ‘Emma’ Is Deliciously Incisive, Ingenious and Impudent

November 26, 2024November 26, 2024 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Lorraine Victoria Kanyike, Fady Demian, Josephine Elwood, and Liza Giangrande in Actors’ Shakespeare Project’s production of ‘Emma’. Photo by Nile Scott Studios.

‘Emma’ — Written by Kate Hamill. Based on the novel by Jane Austen. Directed by Regine Vital. Scenic Design by Saskia Martinez; Costume Design by Nia Safarr Banks; Lighting Design by Deb Sullivan; Sound Design by Anna Drummond. Presented by Actors’ Shakespeare Project at Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., East Cambridge through December 15^th.

By Shelley A. Sackett

Jane Austen’s 1815 novel “Emma,” like all her other novels, explores the concerns and difficulties of genteel women living in Georgian–Regency England. Her Emma Woodhouse is a bright, wealthy, and confident young woman who basically has it all — education, intelligence, beauty, and money. She also has a surplus of self-confidence, pride and time. She is as spoiled, meddlesome, and self-deluded as she is witty, charming, and pithy.

Vinny DePonto’s MINDPLAY a Mind-Bending Experience

November 26, 2024November 26, 2024 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Performer, playwright, and mentalist Vinny DePonto in “Mindplay” at the Huntington Theatre.
Photos by Jeff Lorch.

‘Mindplay’ by Vinny DePonto and Josh Koenigsberg. Directed by Andrew Neisler. Produced by Eva Price. Presented by the Huntington Theatre Company, Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont St., Boston, MA, through December 1.

By Mike Hoban

There’s no question about it: The feats (tricks?, stunts?) performed by mentalist and self-described mind reader Vinny DePonto during MINDPLAY, his one-man “exploration of the imperfect mind,” are nothing short of astonishing. His ability to correctly “read” the thoughts of the audience members that he calls to the stage – whether through the use of gimmicks, psychological ploys, or (less likely) a supernatural gift – is well worth the price of admission, as are the segments of the performance that seem more like a magic show.

‘Did You Eat? (밥먹었니?)’ A Poignant Portrait of the Artist Zoë Kim as a Young Girl Hugs and Fills Your Soul

November 23, 2024November 23, 2024 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Zoë Kim during a performance of her show “Did You Eat? (밥 먹었니?).” (Courtesy Maggie Hall)

CHUANG Stage and Seoulful Productions present ‘Did You Eat (밥 먹었니)?’ Written and performed by Zoë Kim. Directed by Chris Yejin. Choreography by Christopher Shin. Set and Costume Design by Szu-Fen Chen. Sound Design by Katie Kuan-Yu Chen. Lighting Design by Ari Kim. Projection Design by Michi Zaya. At Boston Center for the Arts, Black Box Theatre, 539 Tremont Street, through November 30, 2024.

By Linda Chin

As we transition into colder and darker winter weather and approach the holiday season and its accompanying triggers (stress, travel, grief, family dynamics, food, lack of belonging, anyone?), being in a room with other compassionate and kind humans can be an antidote to loneliness. In that respect, the timing of CHUANG Stage and Seoulful Productions’ world premiere of the new solo show Did You Eat?( 밥 먹었니 ?), stunningly penned and performed by Asian American storyteller Zoë Kim, couldn’t have been more perfectly planned. At the Black Box Theater in the depths of the Boston Center for the Arts, Kim shares her life journey from birth to now, transporting us to places and spaces in Korea and the US that have felt unsafe, while taking audiences on a deep dive into the complexities of identity, love, and family.

A Fascinating and Frustrating “Galileo’s Daughter”

November 22, 2024November 22, 2024 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Diego Arciniegas and Sandra Seoane-Serí in Central Square’s ‘Galileo’s Daughter’
Photos: Maggie Hall.

By Michele Markarian

“Galileo’s Daughter” – Written by Jessica Dickey. Directed by Reena Dutt. Presented by Central Square Theater and WAM Theatre, 450 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, through December 8.

“A play is a very good way to learn something”, says Maria Celeste to her father, Galileo. We learn that Galileo, in addition to being a scientist, has fathered three illegitimate children; his alleged favorite, Maria Celeste, was the one (at least in the play) most interested in his work. One hundred and twenty-four letters survived between father and daughter, and in the year 2015, a writer (Caroline Kinsolving) has traveled to Italy, to the Museo Galileo, to research them for a play she is writing. In her backpack are also divorce papers that she seems unwilling to sign.

The Gamm’s ‘Amadeus’ Hits All the Right Notes

November 14, 2024November 14, 2024 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Cast of ‘Amadeus’ at the Gamm Theatre. Photos by Cat Laine

‘Amadeus’ – Written by Peter Shaffer. Directed by Tony Estrella. Music Direction and Composition by Judith Lynn Stillman. Set Design by Jessica Hill Kidd. Costume Design by Mikayla Reid. Lighting Design by Steve McLellan. Sound Design by Peter Sasha Horowitz. Presented by The Gamm Theatre, Warwick, Rhode Island, through December 7th.

By Linda Chin

With the power of music to soothe one’s soul and heal, create, and unite communities, seeing The Gamm Theatre’s production of Amadeus may be the perfect panacea for daylight savings – and/or post-election – blues. Set in 1781-1791 & 1823 Vienna, Amadeus tells the fictionalized story of a rival relationship between two 18th-century composers, the Salzburg-born young prodigy Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the more senior but lesser-known Italian composer Antonio Salieri.

MRT’s ‘Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’ Blends Horror, Human Stories

November 13, 2024November 26, 2024 Theater Mirror1 Comment

John Patrick Hayden in MRT’s ‘Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’. Photos by Photo: Mikki Schaffner

‘Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein’ by David Catlin. Directed by Brian Isaac Phillips. Scenic Design by Sam Reno. Costume Design by Rainy Edwards, Lighting Design by Jeff Adelberg, Projection Design by Robert Carleton Simmel, Sound Design by Zack Bennett. Produced by the Merrimack Repertory Theater in partnership with the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company at the Nancy L. Donahue Theatre at Liberty Hall, 50 E. Merrimack St., Lowell, through November 24.

By Mike Hoban

If you’re heading to Merrimack Rep hoping for a post-Halloween fright fest (as if the election results weren’t horrifying enough) based on the Boris Karloff Frankenstein films, you may be setting yourself up for disappointment. But if you’re looking for a high-quality theatrical production that eschews special effects and makeup in favor of a staging that brings psychological and emotional terror to the stage, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein delivers brilliantly.

Melendy, Wise Deliver a Physical Comedy Tour de Force in GBSC’s ‘Dinner for One’

November 7, 2024November 11, 2024 Theater Mirror1 Comment

Paul Melendy and Debra Wise in Greater Boston Stage Company’s‘Dinner for One’

‘Dinner for One’ – Written by Christina Baldwin, Sun Mee Chomet, and Jim Lichtscheidl. Weylin Symes (Director); Katy Monthei (Scenic Designer); Jeff Adelberg (Lighting Designer); Deirdre Gerrard (Costume Designer); David Remedios (Sound Design); Tim Goss (Music Director). Presented by Greater Boston Stage Company through November 17, 2024.

The Greater Boston Stage Company has opened its 2024-2025 season with a new look, renovating its historic theater (originally built in 1917) including new seats, re-configuring its seating area to create a more intimate feel, and eliminating the poorly conceived all-gender restrooms (much to the relief of its older patrons, one imagines). But it’s the addition of comic powerhouse Paul Melendy to the company’s stable of talent that has given the theater its biggest boost in recent years. While that assessment may be a bit hyperbolic, there’s no underestimating the impact his performances have had on the company since Boston theater emerged from the pandemic in 2021. Since then, he’s appeared in a half-dozen (mostly comic) productions at GBSC, including the brilliant one-man show “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” which earned him the Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Solo Performance in 2022.

Let Musical Theater Be Our Lifeboat in These Tumultuous Times: NSMT’s ‘Titanic’ is a Gem

November 4, 2024November 4, 2024 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

The cast of “Titanic The Musical” at North Shore Music Theatre. Photos: David Costa Photography

Bill Hanney’s North Shore Music Theatre presents ‘Titanic the Musical’. Story & Book by Peter Stone. Music & Lyrics by Maury Yeston. Directed and choreographed by Kevin P. Hill. Music Direction by Milton Granger. Scenic & Lighting Design by Jack Mahler. Original Costume Design by Jeffrey Meek. Sound Design by Alex Berg. Hair & Wig Design by Rachel Padilla-Shufelt. At North Shore Music Theatre, Beverly, MA through November 10, 2024.

by Linda Chin

Putting away the deck chairs for the winter or rearranging the metaphorical deck chairs at work getting you down? Wondering how a single sociopathic businessman’s desire for power and fame can drive a decision that trumps others’ safety and happiness? Hungry for the power of live musical performance to unite, create, and heal communities?

Trinity Rep Takes ‘A Christmas Carol’ to the Providence Performing Arts Center

November 1, 2024November 30, 2024 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

The cast of Trinity Rep’s ‘A Christmas Carol.’ Photos by Mark Turek

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

Welcome to the bigger and better 48th Annual “A Christmas Carol” by Trinity Rep Company, which, due to renovations, has moved on down two streets in Providence, RI, to a larger theater, Providence Performing Arts Center. This venue allows everything on a much grander scale, including sets, special effects, and audience capacity. However, performances have been limited this year due to a National touring show that has already been booked at PPAC. Director Tatyana-Marie Carlo takes the helm of the show and overcomes them with her expert direction and adaptation of the script this year. She uses twelve adults and twelve children (two alternating casts of children) in her presentation. Carlo infuses them with the insight and energy to tackle these roles. He presents a very satisfying interpretation of this well-known show to help audiences capture the spirit of Christmas.

SpeakEasy’s “Pru Payne” Is A Must See for Fans of Fabulous Theater

October 25, 2024October 25, 2024 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Karen MacDonald and Gordon Clapp in SpeakEasy Stage Company’s production of *Pru Payne*.
Photo: Nile Scott Studios

“Pru Payne”— Written by Steven Drukman. Directed by Paul Daugneault. Presented by SpeakEasy Stage at Boston Center for the Arts, Calderwood Pavillion, 539 Tremont St., Boston, through Nov. 16.

By Shelley A. Sackett

Karen MacDonald, recently introduced as “the empress of Boston,” adds another gem to her tiara with her portrayal of Prudence Payne, a Dorothy Parker-esque reviewer whose sharp wit, acid tongue and encyclopedic familiarity with minutiae of all things cultural have earned her many awards. We are introduced to her as she and her son, Thomas (De’Lon Grant) sit in the Brook Hollow clinic anteroom, awaiting a consultation with a doctor. The television is blaring pablum. Pru regally grabs the remote, waves it like a magic wand. She tries to turn the television set off, but can’t. She retakes her seat, slumping in confused defeat. Thomas reminds her that there are other people in the room who may want to continue watching. “Re. Member,” Pru says, enunciating each letter as if it were a syllable unto itself.