Lyric’s ‘Roadshow’ Showcases Lesser Known Sondheim Work

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

by Mike Hoban

Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim; Book by John Weidman; Co-Directed by Spiro Veloudos and Ilyse Robbins; Music Direction by Jonathan Goldberg; Choreography by Ilyse Robbins; Scenic Design by Cristina Todesco; Lighting Design by John R. Malinowski; Sound Design by Elizabeth Cahill; Costume Design by Amanda Mujica. Presented by The Lyric stage Company of Boston, 40 Clarendon St., Boston through February 11

Watching Steven Sondheim’s Roadshow is a lot like listening to Magical Mystery Tour or Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. You know it’s not in the same league as say, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band or Abbey Road, but there’s certainly enough good material there to warrant a listen. Such is the case with Roadshow, now being presented by the Lyric Stage Company. It’s no Into the Woods or A Little Night Music, but much like the lesser Beatles works, there are the flashes of brilliance that one would expect from any Sondheim musical.

THE BOYS NEXT DOOR (MMAS, Black Box Theatre, Mansfield)

January 10, 2018December 27, 2018 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

Mass Music and Arts Society’s opening show of their summer season is “The Boys Next Door” by Rhode Island native, Tom Griffin who recently passed away. It is a funny and touching play about four mentally handicapped men living in a communal residence under the guidance and watchful eye of a caring but burnt out social worker. The story is told by a series of vignettes and scenes, with some of the performers speaking directly to the audience. Director Kelly Crawford picks splendid and talented performers to fill these well written roles. She mixes the comic and dramatic moments together marvelously to a very appreciative audience who gives them a resounding standing ovation at the curtain call.

THE SKIN OF OUR TEETH (Wilbury Theatre Group, Providence, RI)

January 2, 2018December 27, 2018 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

by Tony Annicone

Wilbury Theatre Group’s current production is the 1943 Pulitzer Prize winning play “The Skin of Our Teeth” by Thornton Wilder. It opened on Broadway on November 18, 1942 and ran for 355 performances. The show also written in 1942 is an allegory on the history of mankind, told through the story of one family. It is a mixture of contemporary and biblical events and employs a farcical style seen in Wilder’s “The Matchmaker” as well as the presentational style seen in his “Our Town.” The phrase used as the title comes from the King James Bible, Job 19:20 “My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth.” We meet the Antrobus family and their maid, Sabina who come from New Jersey. We barely escaped the depression by the skin of our teeth exclaims Sabina as Wilder works the title of the show into the dialogue. We also meet a woolly mammoth and a dinosaur in their home which helps give the show a theatrical mixture of farce, absurdism, satire and burlesque.

CABARET @ The Hanover Theatre

December 29, 2017 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

The National Tour of “Cabaret” is the latest musical to grace the stage at the historic Hanover Theatre in Worcester, MA. This Kander and Ebb Tony Award winning musical is set in the tumultuous city of Berlin right before Hitler’s rise to power. “Cabaret” won it’s first Tony for best show in 1967, the second Tony for best revival in 1998 and is based on Christopher Isherwood’s “Berlin Stories” and John Van Druten’s “I Am a Camera.” This version was inspired by the 1993 production at the Donmar Warehouse in London. The action takes place in the Kit Kat Klub where the show begins with the jazz number “Wilkommen” as well as in Fraulein Schneider’s boarding house and Herr Schultz’s fruit shop. Cliff Bradshaw, a young American novelist arrives on the train to Berlin where Ernst, a German businessman, places his briefcase among Cliff’s luggage at the German border and uses it as an opportunity to make Cliff’s acquaintance.

Bedlam’s Sense & Sensibility at A.R.T. is “Uncommonly Good”

December 18, 2017January 11, 2018 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

By Mike Hoban

Bedlam’s Sense & Sensibility – By Kate Hamill; Based on the novel by Jane Austen; Directed by Eric Tucker; Choreography by Alexandra Beller; Scenic Design by John McDermott; Lighting Design by Les Dickert; Costume design by Angela Huff; and Sound Design by Alex Neumann. Presented by Bedlam at American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.), Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Cambridge through January 14

Fans of New York-based Bedlam have been eagerly awaiting the theater troupe’s return to Cambridge, and as we saw once again on opening night, with ample reason. Anyone who had seen their insanely clever productions of St. Joan and Twelfth Night/What You Will (both of which won Eliot Norton and IRNE Awards for Best Visiting Productions in 2015 and 2017 respectively) at the Central Square Theatre in recent years must surely have had the performance dates circled on their calendars. And Bedlam, true to form, did not disappoint.

A Timeless “CHRISTMAS CAROL” at Hanover Theatre

December 16, 2017December 21, 2017 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

The Hanover Theatre’s holiday show this year is the 10th Anniversary production of “A Christmas Carol” which is an annual favorite. This musical version of this well known holiday tale was adapted and directed by Troy Siebels. “A Christmas Carol” is a timeless story that still resonates with people of all ages and carries a message that is as genuine and poignant now as it was when it was first written back in 1843. This splendid musical version captures the true spirit and meaning of the holiday season for everyone.

Old World Music, Comedy from Renaissance Era Lights Up Christmas Revels – A Venetian Celebration

December 13, 2017December 13, 2017 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

By Mike Hoban

Christmas Revels – A Venetian Celebration of the Winter Solstice. Directed by Patrick Swanson; Musical Direction by Megan Henderson; Set Design by Jeremy Barnett; Sound Engineer, Bill Winn; Costume Design by Heidi A. Hermiller; Choreography by Kelli Edwards. Presented by Revels at The Sanders Theater at Harvard University, 45 Quincy Street, Cambridge, through December 27th.

It seemed appropriate that snow was still lightly falling last Saturday evening, just in time for opening night of the Christmas Revels – A Venetian Celebration at the Sanders Theater in Harvard Square. Not that it snows much in Venice, Italy – the setting for the 47^th Christmas Revels – nor do the performances of the Revels necessarily bear any resemblance to any traditional New England Christmas celebration. But there is something (okay, the old world music and comedy that are trademarks of any Revels show) about this Cambridge Yuletide tradition that bring that same warm feeling as any of the traditional holiday shows, and the gentle snowfall just completed the experience.

NSMT’s Delivers Spirited ‘Christmas Carol’

December 10, 2017December 10, 2017 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

Bill Hanney’s North Shore Music Theatre’s holiday show this year is the 27th Anniversary production of “A Christmas Carol, A Musical Ghost Story” which is an annual favorite. This version of this well known holiday tale was written by former NSMT artistic director, Jon Kimball which he adapted back in 1989. As Jon explains “A Christmas Carol” is a timeless story that still resonates with people of all ages and carries a message that is as genuine and poignant now as it was when it was first written back in 1843. This splendid musical version captures the true spirit and meaning of the holiday season for one and all.

Lyric’s ‘Hold These Truths’ Brings Light to Dark Chapter of American History

December 7, 2017December 11, 2017 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

by Mike Hoban

‘Hold These Truths’ – Written by Jeanne Sakata; Directed by Benny Sato Ambush; Scenic Design by Shelley Barish; Sound Design and Original Music by Arshan Gailus; Choreography by Jubilith Moore; Lighting Design by Karen Perlow; Costume Design by Tobi Rinaldi. Presented by Lyric Stage at 140 Clarendon Street, Boston, through December 31

Theater often reflects the times we live in. As a result, 2017 has been a year where productions have often left audiences with the horrible sense of dread that what we thought could never happen again, may indeed be happening again. Local theatre companies have produced a number of Nazi-themed plays like Tony Kushner’s A Bright Room Called Day, Arthur Miller’s Incident at Vichy, and Brecht on Brecht, while a national tour of the revival of Cabaret rolled into Boston just days after the inauguration. There were also a handful plays (To Kill A Mockingbird, Thurgood) that served as reminders that maybe those bad old days of institutional racism may not yet be over.

THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME Bishop Hendricken Theatre, Warwick, RI

December 7, 2017December 7, 2018 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

Bishop Hendricken Theatre’s current musical extravaganza is “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”, a new musical which debuted at the La Jolla Playhouse in California in October, 2014. Then in March, 2015 it played at Papermill Playhouse in New Jersey. Both theatres have had shows transferred to Broadway. Unfortunately this musical did not make it and why is a complete mystery to me. This version is based on the Victor Hugo 1831 novel which was transformed by Disney into an animated film in 1996. This version has music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and book by Peter Parnell. However this is not the usual happy musical from Disney where everyone lives happily ever after. The songs from the Disney film “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” are powerful and potent and the tale dark and Gothic but still it is an entrancing and enticing musical to see and savor. Director Richie Sylvia who is also musical director picks the best performers for these roles and infuse them with high energy all night long. Richie plays lead keyboards and Sean Donnelly conducts a fabulous 13 piece orchestra and obtains awesome harmonies from the cast. Choreographer Teresa Pearson supplies some upbeat dances to lighten up the show in some of the gypsy sequences. Their expertise wins a very well deserved spontaneous standing ovation at the close of the performance.