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The Huntington’s Must-See ‘John Proctor Is the Villain’ Conjures Pure Theatrical Magic

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Isabel Van Natta, Jules Talbot, Victoria Omoregie, Haley Wong in ‘John Proctor is the Villain’ at The Huntington. Photo Credit: T Charles Erickson

‘John Proctor Is the Villain’ — Written by Kimberly Belflower. Directed by Margot Bordelon. Scenic Design by Kristen Robinson; Costume Design by Zöe Sundra; Lighting Design by Aja M. Jackson; Sound Design by Sinan Reflik Zafar. Presented by The Huntington at Performing at the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA, 527 Tremont Street, Boston, through March 10, 2024.

By Shelley A. Sackett

In 1692, a witchcraft panic in Salem, Massachusetts, led to the conviction and execution of 19 innocent people (14 women and five men) for a crime that not only was never committed but that never happened in the first place.

A mixture of irrational fear, unchecked religious and patriarchal power, and a persecuting mentality led to the emergence of witch hunts and subsequent witch trials.

Arthur Miller fictionalized and immortalized this historical event in 1953 with The Crucible, a mainstay of most high school English Literature curricula. He intended it as an allegory for and indictment of the rabid McCarthyism of the 1950s, when the U. S. government blithely persecuted citizens accused of being communists based, often, on nothing more than innuendo and hearsay.

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Theater Mirror interviews Karin Trachtenberg, Whose ‘My Mother Had Two Faces’ Makes its Boston Debut at The Rockwell

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My Mother Had Two Faces makes its Boston debut at The Rockwell at 255 Elm Street in Somerville, MA on Sunday, March 3rd at 2:00pm. Coming off a successful world premiere in Los Angeles, Boston is the second stop on the production’s tour before heading Off-Broadway for The United Solo Festival on March 14th and then onto the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August. The play is written and performed by local theater artist Karin Trachtenberg and directed by Jessica Lynn Johnson. For information and tickets, go to: https://www.therockwell.org/calendar/my-mother-had-two-faces-all-ages/

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Feminists Get the Green Light in The Huntington’s ‘John Proctor is the Villain’

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Cast of ‘John Proctor is the Villain’ at The Huntington. Photo Credit: T Charles Erickson

The Huntington presents ‘John Proctor is the Villain.’ Written by Kimberly Belflower. Directed by Margot Bordelon. Scenic Design by Kristen Robinson. Costume Design by Zoë Sundra. Lighting Design by Aja M. Jackson. Sound Design by Sinan Refik Zafar. At the BCA’s Calderwood Pavilion through March 10, 2024.

by Linda Chin

The Huntington’s provocative John Proctor is the Villain, by playwright Kimberly Belflower, is set in the present day, in a small – and small-minded – town in Appalachian Georgia. Four female students of diverse backgrounds, frustrated/inspired by discussions in their co-ed 11th grade Honors English/Sex-Education class centered on male heroes in The Crucible and scientific descriptions of sex, are eager to start a new ‘Feminism Club.’ Not surprisingly, the teenagers have different definitions of what “feminism” means and “feminists” are, different (and evolving) understandings of why it matters, and what the club’s purpose would be. The four young feminists are all on board to be the club’s founders, but will the School Board of the one-stoplight town give them the green light?

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A Dually Death-Defying and Life-Affirming ‘Duel Reality’ at ArtsEmerson

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ArtsEmerson presents Duel Reality, by 7 Fingers. At the Cutler Majestic Theater, Tremont Street, Boston, through February 18th.

By Linda Chin

7 Fingers, the Montreal-based, globally-beloved troupe of theater artist-acrobats, is back in Boston with the US premiere of Duel Reality – their 7th show at ArtsEmerson. A love story that echoes Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story, Duel Reality includes music, song, dance, fight choreography, a string of spectacular stunts and circus acts, and uplifting and heartbreaking moments. During this fast-paced one-hour production (with no intermission), I was both immersed in the storytelling and in awe of the storytellers’ physical process.

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‘Lost Cellphone Weekend’ Delivers Message – and Laughs

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The cast of Image Theater’s ‘Lost Cellphone Weekend’

‘Lost Cellphone Weekend’ – Book, Music, and Lyrics by Stephen Gilbane. Directed by Image Theater Artistic Director Jerry Bisantz. Lighting Design by John MacKenzie. Sound Design by Stephen Gilbane. Presented by Image Theater at the Richard and Nancy Donahue Family Academic Arts Center, 240 Central Street, Lowell, MA, through February 10.

By Mike Hoban

Don Birnham is a guy with a monkey on his back. But it’s not booze or pills or the needle. It’s social media, and it’s not only killing him, it’s destroying society as a whole. That’s the message of Lost Cellphone Weekend, a new musical comedy receiving its world premiere at the Richard and Nancy Donahue Family Academic Arts Center in Lowell. And while one could certainly make a persuasive argument for the ills that smartphones are inflicting on society (ask any educator who’s trying to teach a classroom full of cellphone-addicted kids), we’re not likely to do it in as entertaining a fashion as Lost Cellphone Weekend.

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Central Square’s “Machine Learning” Weaves Humanity and AI

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Xavier Rosario, Jorge Alberto Rubio in Central Square’s “Machine Learning” 
Photos by Nile Scott Studios

“Machine Learning”, by Francisco Mendoza. Directed by Gabriel Vega Weissman. Presented by Central Square Theater in partnership with Teatro Chelsea, 450 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, through February 25. 

by Michele Markarian 

Arnold is a nursing application created by a young brainiac, Jorge (Armando Rivera), to keep an eye on his alcoholic and cancer-ridden father, Gabriel (the excellent Jorge Alberto Rubio). Named for Arnold Schwarzenegger, whom Jorge had seen as a young boy in “The Terminator,” Arnold’s job is to care for, with the cure being the end goal, Gabriel. But Gabriel is a bit of a problem, as he likes alcohol and doesn’t seem to fear death. For Jorge, whose relationship with Gabriel is fraught with tension, keeping Gabriel alive is key to resolving the issues that rumble between them. Through a series of flashbacks between Gabriel and young Jorge (Xavier Rosario), we learn about Gabriel’s macho expectations for his son, his cruelty, his irresponsibility, and his fondness for alcohol, with the occasional moments of protectiveness thrown in.   

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Theater Mirror Interviews Director Dori Robinson and Playwright of Coffee Shop Labor Dramedy ‘Little Peasants’

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Somerville – Food Tank will present a pair of workshop performances of Little Peasants, an“immersive theatrical journey behind the closed doors of a food workers’ union organizing campaign” at The Burren on February 7th and 21st. A one-act iteration of Little Peasants was previously featured at SXSW in March of 2023 and received critical acclaim. Theater Mirror spoke with playwright Bernard Pollack and director Dori A. Robinson during rehearsals last week to learn more about the production.

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A Crisis of Human Loneliness in SpeakEasy’s ‘A Case for the Existence of God’

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Jesse Hinson and De’Lon Grant in Speakeasy Stage’s “A Case for the Existence of God”.
Photos: Nile Scott Studios

‘A Case for the Existence of God’ written by Samuel D. Hunter. Directed by Melinda Lopez. Scenic Design by Cristina Todesco. Costume Design by KJ Gilmer. Lighting Design by Elmer Martinez. Sound Design by Audrey Dube. Performing at the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA, 527 Tremont Street, Boston, through February 17, 2024. 

By Linda Chin

Playwright Samuel D. Hunter’s A Case for the Existence of God is set in Twin Falls, Idaho (population 51,807 and racial makeup 88.5% White, 0.7% African American), in the present or recent past. The municipal seal includes an illustration of the pair of waterfalls that gave the city its name, and with acres of natural beauty in abundance, Twin Falls and this area of south-central Idaho is often referred to as “God’s Country” – full of spirituality and soul, presumably where dreams are fulfilled, and hearts uplifted. The city’s motto, People Serving People, is borne out by institutions and businesses sizable and small, including a yogurt factory and supermarkets, banks and a mortgage company, schools, and a daycare center. But like most Americans in the present or recent past, many Twin Falls residents are suffering from a crisis of human loneliness.

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Campy ‘Evil Dead the Musical’ Delivers Comic Gore, Laughs

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Evil Dead the Musical: The HD Tour – Book and Lyrics by George Reinblatt;Music by Frank Cipolla, Christopher Bond, Melissa Morris & George Reinblatt; Additional Lyrics by Christopher Bond; Additional Music by Rob Daleman; Based on characters created by Sam Raimi. Presented Roshi Entertainment in a special arrangement with Renaissance Pictures LTD & StudioCanal at the Boston Center for the Arts Plaza Theatre, 539 Tremont St., Boston, through February 25

by Mike Hoban

Broadway has a history of turning pretty good movies into bad musicals. Think Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark (ironically based on the 2002 Spider-Man movie by Sam Raimi, who also wrote and directed the Evil Dead movies on which Evil Dead the Musical is based) and too many others to count. But Off-Broadway had huge success turning a bad/campy horror movie into a stage success with Little Shop of Horrors. And while Evil Dead the Musical doesn’t quite reach those heights of artistic excellence, it’s a whacked-out good time – especially for fans of the cult classic movies.

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Simmering Dysfunction and Sizzling Performances in Hovey’s ‘Appropriate’

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Cast of Hovey Players’ ‘Appropriate’

Hovey Players presents ‘Appropriate’ by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. Directed by Michelle Aguillon. Set Design by Tom Powers. Lighting Design by Eric Jacobsen. Costume Design by Gabrielle Hatcher. Sound Design by Chris Brousseau. Hovey Players, 9 Spring Street, Waltham, through February 3, 2024.

By Linda Chin

Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ play Appropriate takes place on a plantation in Arkansas, present day. The Lafayette family patriarch has recently died, and his three adult children Toni, Bo, and Frank (who uses the name Franz) have gathered to prepare the house and its contents for sale. The siblings are estranged, and have each brought family members for companionship, comfort, and support during this stressful ordeal.

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