GBSC’s ‘Winter Wonderettes’ Serves Up a Nostalgic Holiday Treat

December 10, 2024December 10, 2024 Theater Mirror1 Comment

Lisa Kate Joyce,Talia Cutulle, Pearl Scott, and Sarah Morin in GBSC’s ‘Winter Wonderettes’

‘Winter Wonderettes’ – Written and Created by Roger Bean. Directed and Choreographed by Sara Coombs. Musical Direction by Lea Peterson; Scenic Design by Rachel Rose Roberts; Lighting Design by John Holmes; Costume Design by Kelly Baker; Sound Design by John Stone. Presented by the Greater Boston Stage Company, 395 Main Street, Stoneham, the production runs through December 22nd.

by Judy Katzman

It’s that wonderful time of year when classic Christmas songs can be heard everywhere – on car radios, in malls, offices, and restaurants. The songs are a festive soundtrack that plays in the background as we go about our busy lives. If you are looking for a theater experience that allows you to jump back in time and be bathed in the spirit of the holiday season, Winter Wonderettes fills the bill. During the two-hour show, some of the most beloved and well-known Christmas songs are brought to life by a talented four-woman cast with flair, humor, and plenty of nostalgia.

Theater Uncorked’s ‘The Lion in Winter’ Growls Instead of Roars

December 8, 2024December 28, 2024 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Thain Emrys Bertin, Sehnaz Dirik, James Honaker, and Finian Ross in Theater Uncorked’s ‘The Lion In Winter.’ Photos by Gary Ng.

‘The Lion In Winter’ by James Goldman. Directed by Allison Olivia Choat. Produced by/ Prop Design by/ Scenic Design by Sehnaz Dirik; Set Design by Leonard Chasse; Costume Design by Richard Itczak; Lighting Design by Erik Fox; Intimacy Direction by Kayleigh Kane. Produced by Theater Uncorked, ‘The Lion In Winter’ runs from December 5th – 15th at the BCA Plaza Theatre, 539 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02116.

By Charlotte Snow

The Lion In Winter is one of those “perfect for the family to watch during the holidays” shows. It contains all of the warm and fuzzy feel-good tropes such as the mother recently released from prison, three scheming siblings plotting their father’s downfall, and one offstage dead child. It’s as heartbreaking as it is surprisingly funny at times. The satire follows fictionalized versions of Henry the II and Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine as their sordid and sparring relationship consequently drags down the rest of their family: three fatally flawed sons, Henry’s mistress/Eleanor’s surrogate daughter, and a vengeful newly crowned king of France, into an ill-fated Christmas gathering full of dangerous ambitions, complex political schemes, and saucy romantic entanglements.

Cirque Dreams ‘Holidaze’ Comes to Boston This Weekend

December 4, 2024December 4, 2024 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

This weekend, the touring company of the Cirque Dreams Holidaze will touch down at the Boch Center Shubert Theatre for a six-show weekend run. The Broadway-style show combines circus acts with the Christmas holiday theme and runs from December 6th through the 8th. Theater Mirror caught up with Camilla Bäckman, the Finnish violinist and vocalist for the show, earlier this week. She describes how her experience of “running away to join the circus” landed her a broader career in the arts, including a new phase where she will take on musical theater.

WFT’s ‘A Year with Frog and Toad’ Leaps with Laughter

December 2, 2024 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Cast of Wheelock Family Theatre’s ‘A Year with Frog and Toad’.
Photos by Nile Scott Studios.

‘A Year with Frog and Toad’ — Music by Robert Reale. Book and Lyrics by Willie Reale. Based on the books by Arnold Lobel. Directed by Leigh Barrett. Music Directed by David Freeman Coleman. Choreographed by Brad Reinking. Scenic Design by Jenna McFarland Lord; Costume Design by Chelsea Kerl; Lighting Design by Deb Sullivan; Sound Design by Alex Berg. Presented by Wheelock Family Theatre, 180 Riverway, Boston, through December 15^th.

By Helen Ganley

A towering tree weeps oversized fronds into a secluded glen on the forest floor. In a neighborhood teeming with wildlife, two cozy houses sit across from one another, each home to a pair of best friends: Frog and Toad. Wheelock Family Theatre’s A Year with Frog and Toad invites you into their world, following these beloved characters through the changing seasons as they embark on adventures big and small.

Moonbox’s “The Thanksgiving Play” Serves Up Lukewarm Fare

November 27, 2024November 28, 2024 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Cast of Moonbox’s “The Thanksgiving Play”. Photo Credit – Sharman Altshuler

By Michele Markarian

“The Thanksgiving Play” by Larissa Fasthorse. Directed by Tara Moses. Presented by Moonbox Productions, One Arrow Street, Cambridge, through December 15.

“The Thanksgiving Play,” the author of whom is the first Native woman to be produced on Broadway, is the perfect satire for the times. A well-intentioned white couple, Logan and Jaxton (Jasmine Goodspeed and Johnny Gordon, respectively), are planning on writing and staging a Thanksgiving play for an elementary school, which will hopefully defy all of the awful, Native-canceling and falsehoods traditionally associated with the holiday and present a more truthful history. Logan has even gone so far as to hire a woman who she thinks is a Native actress, Alicia (Marisa Diamond) to help with script development. A starstruck teacher from another school, Caden (Ohad Ashkenazi), has volunteered to join the project, as he is impressed with the marginal credentials of Logan and Jaxton and considers it a privilege to work with them. Despite their good intentions, the four characters can’t conceal their cultural biases or the fact that none of them have any clue on how to think outside their own privilege. The satire lies in their earnestness and their frustration with the burgeoning knowledge that they really don’t – and can’t – get it. The action is punctuated by the actors, as children, singing culturally insensitive Thanksgiving songs that Fasthorse culled from real sources.

100 Years Later, Martha Graham Remains the Gold Standard of Contemporary Dance

November 27, 2024November 27, 2024 Theater Mirror1 Comment

Martha Graham Dance Company’ — Presented by Celebrity Series of Boston at Emerson Cutler Majestic. Run has ended.

By Shelley A. Sackett

The last time I saw a Martha Graham piece performed was at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in October 2023, when I had the random good fortune to attend its exhibition, Art for the Millions: American Culture and Politics in the 1930s. As part of that exhibit, dancers from the Martha Graham Dance Company staged some of Graham’s most powerful ’30s solos in galleries throughout the museum.

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.