Nominations for 22nd Annual IRNE Awards Announced!!!!!!!!!!!

February 26, 2018April 6, 2018 Theater Mirror5 Comments

Boston, MA, February 26, 2018 – The Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) today announced the nominees for the 22nd Annual IRNE Awards, which honor the best of the previous year’s actors, directors, choreographers, designers and companies across the full spectrum of large, mid-size and fringe theater companies. The Huntington Theatre led all companies with 35 nominations spread across six plays and one musical, Merrily We Roll Along, which received a dozen nominations. Ragtime, which was presented by Ogunquit Playhouse, also earned a dozen nominations among the Ogunquit total of 18.

The winners will be announced on Monday, April 23th, at 7:30 p.m. in the Ballroom of the Holiday Inn Brookline/Boston, just outside Kenmore Square. As always, admission will be free, courtesy of the Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE).

“With so many outstanding productions last year, it was a difficult process to pare down the list of deserving nominees,” said IRNE co-founder Beverly Creasey, of the Boston Arts Review. “And unlike recent years, there doesn’t appear to be any dominating productions, so it should be a very competitive voting process in most of the categories.”

Joining Merrily We Roll Along and Ragtime in the category of Best Musical/Large Theater was Bullets Over Broadway, The Musical (also Ogunquit); Showboat and 42^nd St. (Reagle Music Theatre); and Evita (North Shore Music Theatre). In the Best Play category, Merrimack Repertory Theatre has a pair of contenders, Silent Sky and The Royale; the Huntington received two nominations for Ripcord and A Guide for the Homesick (which also garnered a nomination for Best New Play); while Trinity Repertory Company’s Death of a Salesman and the ART’s Night of the Iguana also earned nominations.

In the Mid-Size category, Speakeasy Stage Company earned 24 nominations dispersed among five productions (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Men in Boats, Hand to God, Grand Concourse, and The Bridges of Madison County, a musical), while Lyric Stage and Greater Boston Stage earned 14 apiece. In the Fringe category, Moonbox Productions earned 14 nominations, largely on the strength of the musical Barnum.

THE LONE STAR LOVE POTION

February 25, 2018February 25, 2019 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

Come on down to Texas, you all and the current comedy dinner show at the Newport Playhouse. “The Lone Star Love Potion” by Michael Parker kicks off the 36th season for this theatre with a bang. Mr. Stancliffe, the owner of a vast fortune and a two hundred thousand acre ranch in Texas has passed away. His long time butler, Jarvis and the maid, Melody along with Patrice, Mr. Stancliffe’s only living relative are there for the reading of the will by the family lawyer, Mr. Oakfield. Also there is Patrice’s husband, Michael and a neighbor Tammy Jo who is also mentioned in the will. Later on a dowdy ornithologist , Mary Lou appears on the scene. It is a very rainy evening and they all are trapped in the house because the bridge is flooded by the rain. Also found in the safe is a secret love potion that makes whomever ingests it to become irresistible to the person who smells it. This becomes a prize wanted by many of them especially the very amorous, Michael who wants every woman in sight especially Melody, the maid. Throw in many pratfalls, mistaken identities and wrong lovers here and there and everywhere and you have the necessary ingredients for this hilarious farce. Director Daniel Lee White creates the shtick to leave the crowd laughing all night long. The first entrance of the maid is hysterical with her balancing a tray while tumbling over a sofa and never dropping a thing while doing so. He gives each performer their moment to shine in the show. Tonya Killavey and Jacob Davis create a gorgeous unit set of living room and bedroom that is so realistic that one longs to move in lock, stock and barrel.

TWELFTH NIGHT ( Salve Regina University )

February 17, 2018February 17, 2019 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

Welcome to Illyria, which is the setting of “Twelfth Night” at Salve Regina University at the Black Box Megley Theatre in Newport. The audience members are invited guests to a Shakespearean celebration. First we come upon a shipwreck where twins Viola and Sebastian are separated and forced to survive on their own in a strange land. The first, Viola, falls in love with Count Orsino who in turn is in love with Olivia. However Olivia falls for Viola whose is disguised as Cesario but Olivia is also pursued by her pompous steward, Malvolio who is viewed as such because he condemns drunken revelry by her uncle Toby Belch and Sir Andrew, another one of her suitors. Later on, Sebastian appears on the scene throwing the situation into further disarray because he is the spitting image of his twin sister. Mistaken identities, gender bending antics, revelries and wild mayhem abound in this madcap Shakespearean tale written in 1601 or 1602. Director Tom Gleadow takes his college student performers and molds them into these characters of yesteryear winning them the accolades they richly deserve.

Animated Pre-Teen Trans Experience ‘Torrey Pines’ at ArtsEmerson Has Universal Appeal

February 16, 2018February 19, 2018 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

by Mike Hoban

‘Torrey Pines’ – Director: Clyde Petersen; Animators: Clyde Petersen & Chris Looney; Production Team: Aidan Baxter-Ferguson, Jack Carroll, Dena Zilber, Terrance Robinson, Merce Lemon, Zach Burba & Leah Gold. Original music recorded in collaboration with Kimya Dawson and Chris Walla. Presented by ArtsEmerson at the Emerson Paramount Center Jackie Liebergott Black Box through February 17.

Admittedly, Torrey Pines, the moving and often hilarious stop-motion animated feature film now making its Boston premiere at the Emerson Paramount Center Jackie Liebergott Black Box, is not your everyday coming of age story. In the director’s notes, Clyde Petersen says his film – which is also accompanied by his live band, Your Heart Breaks, – “is for queer punks, trans youth and people who struggle with mental health issues in their lives”, but it’s also for anyone who enjoys imaginative animation, quirky (and painful) storytelling, and great live music.

TWELFTH NIGHT (Burbage Theatre Company, Pawtucket, RI)

February 15, 2018December 27, 2018 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

Director Jeff Church breathes new life into Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night”, Burbage Theatre Company’s 7th season winter production, making it an irreverent romp. The show is set in Illyria and is about shipwrecked Viola who disguises herself as a man. She falls in love with her employer, Count Orsino and the beautiful Olivia falls in love with Cesario who is Viola in disguise. The comic subplot concerns her pompous servant Malvolio who insults her uncle, Sir Toby Belch and another would-be suitor, Andrew Aguecheek for too much revelry and they plot their revenge on him by making him think Olivia is in love with him. It also concerns Olivia’s jester, Feste and her servants, Maria and Fabian. Meanwhile, Viola’s twin brother, Sebastian has been rescued by Antonio and appears on the scene. Of course, Olivia mistakes him for Cesario asking him to marry her. However all’s well that ends well with all the loose ends being tied up by the end of this comic romp by Jeff’s clever and inventive direction. He provides many comic situations and much shtick in his theatre in the round with four entrances from the stormy ship wreck to the joyful finish by keeping the audience entertained all night long.

Commonwealth Shakespeare’s ‘Death and the Maiden’ a Taut Psychological Thriller

February 8, 2018February 19, 2018 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

by Mike Hoban

Written by Ariel Dorfman, Directed by Steven Maler; Clint Ramos, Scenic and Costume Designer; Jeff Adelberg, Lighting Designer; Arshan Gailus, Sound Designer. Presented by the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company in residence at Babson College, Sorenson Center for the Arts, 231 Forest Street, Wellesley, MA through February 11

It may be early in the theater season, but it’s unlikely that you’re going to see anything this year that will match the sheer intensity of Commonwealth Shakespeare Company’s outstanding production of Death and the Maiden. Director Steven Maler has assembled a top-notch creative team for this political and psychological thriller, which has an all-too-short run (concluding this weekend) at the Sorenson Center Black Box on the Babson campus, the (relatively) new home of CSC.

THIS IS OUR YOUTH, Burbage Theatre Company

February 3, 2018February 3, 2019 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

by Tony Annicone

Burbage Theatre Company’s alternating winter show is “This is Our Youth”, by Kenneth Lonergan who also wrote the Academy Award winning “Manchester by the Sea” in 2016. It was his first play written in 1996 and is about two disillusioned 1980’s upper West Side kids. Their parents went from have nothing liberals to financial have-it-alls with troubled family relationships and examines the lives of three post adolescents. It’s about two days in 1982, two years after Reagan became president. It is a play about relationships, the battles of youth and contains three characters with the focus on 21 year old Dennis and 19 year old Warren. Both are college drop outs and troubled sons whose fathers are financially successful but aren’t successful in their marriages. Dennis is a small time drug dealer and very manipulative while Warren is more sympathetic after being thrown out of his house by his abusive father. It hasn’t been a home for Warren since a tragedy nine years ago and he brings toys of the past with him in his suitcase as a reminder of happier times. The third cast member, Jessica remains in college and has some of the funniest lines in the play as she brings Warren out of his sexual draught he’s had for a long time. Allison Crews mines the layers of this show adeptly presenting a beautiful balance between comedy and the hidden pathos lurking underneath the pot smoking adolescents of the past.

She casts the three roles splendidly and obtains the best from each of them. Leading the cast as the seedy, volatile and aggressive Dennis is James Lucey who runs roughshod over his friend. His smart aleck character is excellently played especially impressive is James’ meltdown in the second act with the death of Stewie, the belittling behavior of his mother towards his father and his own aggressive behavior towards Warren and his girlfriend. Warren is excellently played by Brooks Shatraw whose character is very comic and awkward in Act 1 but however in Act 2, captures the inner pathos that captures the hearts of the audience at his tragic revelation from his past. Brooks delivers a terrific debut performance with Burbage, remaining onstage almost the entire show. Jessica is well played by Cassidy McCartan who has the best one liners in the show. She has some dramatic moments in Act 2 where she regrets her intimacy with Warren. So for a look at how adolescents grew out of bad habits of the past and hopefully into more productive lives in the long run by learning from their past mistakes, be sure to catch “This Is Our Youth” at Burbage Theatre Company to witness fine honed performances that can be savored all night long.

THIS IS OUR YOUTH (26 January to 24 February)

Burbage Theatre Company, 249 Roosevelt Avenue, Pawtucket, RI

1(401)484-0355 or www.burbagetheatre.org

LORD OF THE FLIES – Providence College’s Blackfriars Theatre

January 28, 2018January 28, 2019 Theater Mirror1 Comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

Providence College’s Blackfriars Theatre’s second show of the year is “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding adapted for the stage by Nigel Williams. Amidst a global conflict, ten children are stranded on a remote island. They band together as a tribe, but factions form once the threat of a monstrous beast is fearfully planted in their minds. A contemporary reimagining of a literary classic, this production throws boys and girls side-by-side in a competition for power that dares to explore our capacity for cruelty. As they explore the island, Rafe emerges as the natural leader due to her commanding maturity. She is helped by Piggy, a nerdy overweight bespectacled person. They use a conch shell to call all the survivors to a summit. Once they meet together, they rejoice in their independence from adult supervision. This is a big change from the strict schools they came from.

THE SHADOWBOX – The Players, Barker Playhouse, Providence, RI

January 26, 2018January 26, 2019 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

The third play of The Players’ 110 season is the 1977 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning “The Shadowbox” by Michael Cristofer.Three terminally ill patients and their families participate in a psychological inquiry into their end-of-life experiences. “The Shadow Box” is a journey of discovery into the genuinely lasting aspects of life. It is set on the grounds of a California hospital where some of the cottages have been set aside as a hospice for terminally ill patients. One playing area serves the three dying people: Joe, a working-class man joined by his wife and son; Brian, a writer there with his lover, Mark, and joined by his ex-wife, Beverly; and Felicity, an aging woman tended by her doting daughter, Agnes. An unseen psychiatrist known as the interviewer, draws them out and imparts wisdom to them with the five stages of dealing with death, denial, anger, bargaining, and depression, so they can better understand their situation at this point in their lives. Director Jeff Sullivan blends the dramatic and comic moments together splendidly. This well directed and well acted play receives a standing ovation on a job well done.

“Unveiled”: A Glimpse of Five Hearts

January 22, 2018January 22, 2018 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

By Michele Markarian

‘Unveiled’ – Written by Rohina Malik. Co-presented by New Repertory Theatre with Greater Boston Stage Company. Blackbox Theater. Arsenal Center for the Arts, 321 Arsenal Street, Watertown, MA through January 28.

Entering the black box theater at the start of “Unveiled”, a one-woman show written and performed by Rohina Malik, is like entering another world. Rich, tapestried Oriental rugs drape from the ceiling and cover the floors. A tea set rests on a tray, tabled next to a chair. An oud plays quietly in the background (the excellent player is uncredited in the program, or I would mention him). Jeffrey Petersen’s set design is elegant, formal, and inviting, much like Maryam, the first of five characters singly portrayed by actress and playwright Rohina Malik.