Cirque de Soleil’s ‘Twas the Night Before…’ Is True Family Holiday Fare

December 3, 2022 Theater Mirror2 Comments

Cirque du Soleil’s ‘Twas the Night Before…’ at the Boch Center

‘‘Twas the Night Before…’ – Conceived and Directed by James Hadley. Production by Cirque de Soleil at Boch Center Wang Theatre, 270 Tremont St., Boston through December 11.

by Shelley A. Sackett

‘Twas the Night Before…, Cirque de Soleil’s first Christmas show, delivered a sunny holiday respite from the blinding rain last Wednesday night. But the 85-minute intermission-less show was more than just shelter from the storm — it was a family-friendly retelling of the familiar Christmas classic with all the thrill, glitz, and mind-boggling contortions that have become Cirque de Soleil trademarks.

The lighting, set design and costumes were nothing to sneeze at, either.

Cirque du Soleil ‘Twas the Night Before…’ is a Holiday Blast of Pure Fun

December 2, 2022 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Cirque du Soleil’s ‘Twas the Night Before…’

‘Twas the Night Before…’ – Conceived and directed by James Hadley. Production by Cirque du Soleil. At Boch Center Wang Theatre, 270 Tremont St., Boston through Dec. 11.

If you’re looking for an alternative to the myriad of (sometimes unrecognizable) adaptations of A Christmas Carol to rev up your holiday spirit, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more entertaining way to do so than grabbing a ticket to Cirque du Soleil’s ‘Twas the Night Before…. The production is Cirque’s first-ever Christmas-themed show, which debuted back in the pre-COVID days of 2019 at the Chicago Theatre. Inspired by Clement Clarke Moore’s 1823 poem ‘A Visit From Saint Nicholas’, ‘Twas uses the iconic work as the launching pad for their trademark acrobatics and other circus arts, producing more “oohs and ahhs” than a Fourth of July fireworks display, along with some thoroughly entertaining dance and comedy bits.

GAMM Theatre’s ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ Brings Back Magic of Radio

December 1, 2022December 13, 2022 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Cast of GAMM Theatre’s ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’

by Tony Annicone

GAMM Theatre’s holiday production this year is “It’s a Wonderful Life:A Live A Radio Play” adapted by Joe Landry. GAMM’s fourth presentation of this show features seven performers plus a sound effects man to deliver all the lines of all the characters from the film version. This beloved American holiday classic comes to captivating life as a live radio broadcast right here in Warwick, RI. The audience is transported back in time as a radio audience watching an ensemble of performers bringing dozens of characters to life onstage. The “broadcast” is interspersed with live commercials about Greenwood Credit Union and GAMM Theatre. Before the show there is a sing-a-long with cast members belting out “Jingle Bells” and “12 Days of Christmas” and the Foley Artist doing sound effects for each of the days. Relive the story of the idealistic George Bailey as he considers ending his life one fateful Christmas Eve. This is a fully realized version of the story originally brought to life by Frank Capra in the movie that starred Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed. Directed previously by Damon Kiely and remounted this year by Tony Estrella, who molds these eight talented performers into the iconic characters from the movie perfectly, obtains incredible performances from them and blends the comedy and pathos together to deliver many laughs and tears on their journey. Tony played George in the past three versions of this show. A spontaneous standing ovation is their well-deserved reward at the end of the performance.

‘Little Women’, Big Feels at Greater Boston Stage

December 1, 2022 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Cast of ‘Little Women’ at Greater Boston Stage Company – L to R Sarah Coombs, Liza Giangrande, Amy Barker, Abriel Coleman, Katie Shults

‘Little Women: The Broadway Musical’ – Book by Allan Knee based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott. Lyrics by Mindi Dickstein and Music by Jason Howland. Directed and Choreographed by Ilyse Robbins. Music Directed by Matthew Stern. Scenic Design by Shelley Barish. Lighting Design by Katie Whittemore. Costume Design by Gail Astrid Buckley. Sound Design by John Stone. Presented by the Greater Boston Stage Company, Stoneham through December 23^rd.

Once again this holiday season, Greater Boston Stage Company director and choreographer Ilyse Robbins and music director Matt Stern bring families – on stage and in the audience – together with the shared experience of musical theater. While presenting a special holiday production has been a decades-long GBSC tradition, its offerings are not always “traditional” holiday shows.

‘The Chinese Lady’ Educates, Entertains

November 17, 2022 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Jae Woo as Atung, Sophori Ngin as Afong Moy in ‘The Chinese Lady’ at Central Square Theater. Photos: Nile Scott Studios.

Written by Lloyd Suh. Directed by Sarah Shin. Set Design by Qingan Zhang. Lighting Design by Kat C. Zhou. Costume Design by Sandra Zhihan Jia. Sound Design by Kai Bohlman. Presented in partnership with CHUANG Stage at Central Square Theater, Cambridge through December 11, 2022.

by Linda Chin

In November 1834, fresh off the boat from Guangdong, China, fourteen-year-old Afong Moy made her New York City debut. Brought to the U.S. by New England merchants Nathaniel and Frederick Carne, Moy was featured in an exhibit the Carnes created to promote their trade goods from the exotic East. In a full-size diorama filled with Chinese paintings, lanterns, vases, and other (inanimate) decorative objects, a Chinese Lady (Moy) in full theatrical makeup, elaborately embroidered silk clothing and seated in an ornamental chair was also on display. She demonstrated how one skillfully eats with chopsticks, properly pours and drinks tea, and walks gracefully in lotus shoes adorning her four-inch feet. A brief audience Q&A facilitated by interpreter Atung followed the performance. Confined in a box for eight hours a day, Moy diligently carried out her role of cultural ambassador, repeating her act over and over again for the “education and entertainment” of an estimated 2000 audience members/week.

Lyric’s ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ Gets Its Comedy Right

November 16, 2022November 17, 2022 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Kelby T. Atkin, Dan Whelton, Michael Liebhauser, Marc Pierre, Mitch Kiliulis in Lyric’s *The Play That Goes Wrong*. Photos by Mark S. Howard

The Play That Goes Wrong – Conceived and written by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields. Directed by Fred Sullivan, Jr.; Scenic Design by Peter Colao; Costume Design by Gail Buckley; Lighting Design by John Malinowski; and Sound Design by Dewey Dellay. Presented by The Lyric Stage Company of Boston, 140 Clarendon St., Boston through December 18.

by Mike Hoban

Fans of farce and physical comedy are in for a treat with The Play That Goes Wrong, now being presented by Lyric Stage. Pratfalls, spit takes, corpses that won’t lie still and even a fart joke are delivered rat-a-tat by a solid cast, and although the genre may not be everyone’s cup of tea, it’s hard to imagine that there won’t be at least a few belly laughs for even the most discerning playgoers. And for anyone who’s ever been involved in community or fringe theater productions, you can safely revisit your fears of impending doom from the safety of your seat.

Umbrella Stage Company Delivers Energetic ‘RENT’

November 14, 2022November 14, 2022 Theater Mirror2 Comments

Cast of RENT at The Umbrella Arts Center. Photos by Gillian Mariner Gordon.

“RENT” By Jonathan Larson; Directed by Julia Deter; Musical Direction by Jeff Kimball; Choreography by Hannah Shihdanian; Presented by The Umbrella Stage Company at The Umbrella Arts Center, 40 Stow St. Concord, MA. Performances through Dec. 4^th (no show, 11/24).

by Tom Boudrot

If, like me, you’re one of the few people in the world who’ve never seen the multiple award-winning show RENT, the Umbrella stage in Concord offers a wonderful opportunity to see it in an intimate setting. Or if you’ve seen it previously and it’s been a while, this local production is worth another look. Despite noticeable audio problems that did not get resolved by the end of the performance on press night, the talented players sang, danced and acted with the kind of energy theater professionals can reach down deep and pull out, night after night. Further upping the energy level, the theater was packed with a loud, eclectic mix of appreciative fans for this performance, which was doubly refreshing in this post-pandemic era.

SpeakEasy’s ‘English’ Explores The Tipping Point Between Identity and Heritage

November 6, 2022November 17, 2022 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Cast of ‘English’ at Speakeasy Stage. Photos by Nile Scott Studios

‘English’ –Sanaz Toossi, Playwright. Melory Mirashrafi, Director. Janie E. Howland, Scenic Designer. Nina Vartanian, Costume Designer. Amanda E. Fallon, Lighting Designer. Ash, Sound Designer. Emme Shaw, Props Designer. Presented by SpeakEasy Stage at the Roberts Studio Theatre, Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont St. Boston, through November 19, 2022.

by Shelley A. Sackett

SpeakEasy Stage’s production of Sanaz Toossi’s ‘English’ starts out simply enough. Four Iranian students are studying in Karaj for the Test of English as a Foreign Language Exam (TOEFL) , an English proficiency exam they must pass if they hope to pursue university study abroad, immigration and more. Their teacher, Marjan (a first-rate Deniz Khateri), rules her classroom with an iron fist. They will speak only English during class, and when anyone slips into Farsi, she posts a strike against them on her giant blackboard, practically snarling with scorn.

With ‘The Orchard,’ Arlekin Players Theatre’s Igor Golyak Continues To Push The Artistic Envelope

November 6, 2022November 14, 2022 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Cast of ‘The Orchard’ at Emerson Paramount Center

‘The Orchard’ — Conceived and Directed by Igor Golyak, based on ‘The Cherry Orchard’ by Anton Chekhov. Anna Fedorova, Scenic Designer. Yuki Nakase Link, Lighting Designer. Oana Botez, Costume Designer. Alex Basco Koch, Projection Designer. Tei Blow, Sound Designer. Jakov Jakoulov, Composer. Tom Sepe, Robotics Designer. Presented by Groundswell Theatricals and Arlekin Players and its Zero Gravity Virtual Theater Lab, at Emerson Paramount Center, the Robert J Orchard Stage, 559 Washington St., Boston through November 13.

by Shelley A. Sackett

Anton Chekhov’s play, ‘The Cherry Orchard,’ opened at the Moscow Art Theatre on January 17, 1904, under the direction of the actor-director Konstantin Stanislavski. During rehearsals, the director rewrote Act Two, changing the play from Chekhov’s intended light and lively comedy into a tragedy. Chekhov is said to have disliked the Stanislavski production so much that he considered his play “ruined.”

One can’t help but wonder what the Russian playwright would make of ‘The Orchard,’ Igor Golyak’s creatively incomparable and technologically unparalleled reimagining of this iconic classic.

Speakeasy’s ‘English’ Accents the Universal Desire to be Understood

November 3, 2022 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

‘English’ –Sanaz Toossi, Playwright. Melory Mirashrafi, Director. Janie E. Howland, Scenic Designer. Nina Vartanian, Costume Designer. Amanda E. Fallon, Lighting Designer. Ash, Sound Designer. Emme Shaw, Props Designer. Presented by Speakeasy Stage at the Roberts Studio Theatre, Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont St. Boston, through November 19, 2022.

by Linda Chin

Like the four friends we recently met in Will Arbery’s Heroes of the Fourth Turning, Speakeasy’s English, by Sanaz Toossi, also centers on four classmates having “big conversations” that make their brains hurt. ‘Splitting’ headaches emerge when difficult subject matter is discussed amongst people ‘split’ along ideological lines, by an age/generational gulf, or by language barriers that inhibit communication.