Hell – It Ain’t Paradise, but “Paradise” May Show the Way Out

April 14, 2017April 14, 2017 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

By CJ Williams

‘Paradise’ – Written by Laura Maria Censabella; Directed by Shana Gozansky; Scenic Design by Jenna McFarland Lord; Costume Design by Gail Astrid Buckley; Lighting Design by Karen Perlow. Presented by Central Square Theater, 450 Mass Ave. Cambridge, MA -2139 through May 7

Hell is other people, goes the famous saying. But perhaps the proverb is just plain wrong. In “Paradise”, we get a glimpse of another possibility: maybe, just maybe, Paradise – and freedom from prejudice, loneliness, and lovelessness, can only be found by bridging the judgment gap between you and me.

Huntington’s ‘Who and the What’ Examines American Muslim Family Life From the Inside

April 12, 2017April 12, 2017 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

By Mike Hoban

‘The Who & the What’ – Written by Ayad Akhtar; Directed by M. Bevin O’Gara; Scenic Design by Cristina Todesco; Costume Design by Mary Lauve; Lighting Design by Annie Wiegand; Sound Design by M.L. Dogg, and Original Music by Saraswathi Jones. Presented by Huntington Theatre Company at Wimberly Theatre, Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts, 539 Tremont St., Boston through May 7

“Anything worth believing in, is worth questioning,” a friend with a healthy skepticism of all things institutional once told me. That thought came to mind while watching “The Who & the What,” the intense but often comical drama now being staged by the Huntington Theatre at the Calderwood Pavilion. And while questioning long held beliefs that are accepted as truth – particularly those of the religious sort – may be a healthy intellectual exercise and a path to true wisdom, challenging the belief systems of others usually has consequences, as it does for the central character in this very funny and thoughtful play.

“THE GREAT AMERICAN TRAILER PARK MUSICAL” (Mansfield Music & Arts Society)

April 12, 2017May 3, 2017 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

The current show at MMAS is “The Great American Trailer Park Musical”, an adults only, funny but warm hearted musical comedy. In present day Florida, in a trailer park called “Armadillo Acres”, Betty, Linoleum (named after the floor she was conceived on) and Pickles sun themselves with complete indifference to ozone depletion. They provide narration and commentary on the goings on in the trailer park. Ever hospitable they set aside their sun reflectors to welcome the audience. Read more ““THE GREAT AMERICAN TRAILER PARK MUSICAL” (Mansfield Music & Arts Society)”

“BILOXI BLUES” at Ivoryton Playhouse, CT

April 12, 2017May 3, 2017 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

The current show at Ivoryton Playhouse is “Biloxi Blues” by Neil Simon. This show is the second play in the three play cycle of the Eugene Morris Jerome plays. The Broadway show opened on March 28, 1985, closed on June 28, 1986, ran for 524 performances and won the Tony Award for Best Play.

YOU’RE A GOOD MAN CHARLIE BROWN (JANICE MACDONALD’S STUDIO THEATRE COMPANY- Fall River)

April 11, 2017May 3, 2017 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Studio Theatre Company’s current offering is “You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown,” running this weekend; Friday through Sunday at Saint Anne’s Frat, Guild Street, Fall River.

Based on the well-loved Charles M. Schultz comic strip, “Peanuts,” You’re A Good Man brings to life all your favorite comic strip characters – in full, living color. With a cast consisting of, Roger Machado-Fournier playing the title role – Charlie Brown, Erin Cote as Lucy Van Pelt, Nishan Lawton as Linus Van Pelt, Stefani Lawton as Sally Brown, Stefanie Bonalewicz-Lafontaine as Snoopy, Joe Nelson as Schroeder, and with a surprise cameo, the adorable Connor Lafontaine appearing as Woodstock.

EXIT LAUGHING (Newport Playhouse)

April 8, 2017April 8, 2018 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

The opening show of the Newport Playhouse and recently renovated cabaret restaurant’s 35th season is the 2013 heartwarming comedy “Exit Laughing” by Paul Elliott. It is a sassy ode to female friendships. When the biggest highlight of your life is your weekly bridge game with the “girls,” what do you do when one of your foursome unexpectedly and inconveniently passes away? If you are Connie, Leona and Millie, best friends for 30 years, you do the most daring thing you’ve ever done. You “borrow” the ashes from the funeral home for one last card game, and the wildest, most exciting night of your lives. Bring on a police raid, a cheeky male stripper and soon the ladies get a whole new look at the fun you can have by truly living. Director Richard Johnson has a keen eye for comic situations and brings out the best in his five performers. Set designer Tonya Killavey creates a gorgeous two story house setting that is so realistic that you feel as if you could move right into it. Stage manager Olivia Sahlin keeps the cast on their toes and keeps things moving smoothly all night long.

‘Altar Boyz’ A Heavenly Romp

April 3, 2017April 3, 2017 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

By Michele Markarian

Altar Boyz – Music and Lyrics by Gary Adler and Michael Patrick Walker. Book by Kevin Del Aguila. Co-Directed by Tyler Rosati and Ceit Zweil, with Music Direction by Matthew Stern. Presented by Stoneham Theatre, 395 Main Street, Stoneham, through April 9.

The first image one gets of the Altar Boyz is five hooded figures in long white robes, silver crosses on their backs, entering the stage to ominous sounding music from the four-piece band behind them. It’s a Spinal Tap moment, and one that made me laugh out loud. For the next eighty minutes, if I wasn’t laughing, I was smiling. A lot. This is one super fun show with a tight and talented cast.

The Quixotic, Passionate Drive of Golda Meir

March 30, 2017March 30, 2017 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

By Michele Markarian

‘Golda’s Balcony’ – Written by William Gibson. Directed by Judy Braha. Presented by the New Repertory Theatre, 321 Arsenal Street, Watertown through April 16.

Golda Meir was a fascinating character – passionate, driven, with a sense of personal destiny that was tied in to the “paradise” that she believed to be the State of Israel. Her early childhood was spent in Kiev, where she remembered her father boarding the door with wooden planks to keep out the pogroms. The family emigrated to Milwaukee, where the young Golda heard Ben Gurion speak, which marked the beginning of her life as a warrior and champion for the burgeoning State of Israel.

DIAL M FOR MURDER (Renaissance Theatre Company Inc, Granite Theatre, Westerly, RI

March 26, 2017March 26, 2018 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

Renaissance Theatre Company Inc, the producing entity for the Granite Theatre’s opening show of their 18th season is an intense and gripping “Dial M For Murder” by Frederick Knott. Originally written for the stage, this gripping, edge of your seat drama was later made famous by the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, who turned it into a cinematic masterpiece. The plot revolves around former tennis player Tony Wendice, who married his wife, Margot, for her money and now plans to murder her for the same reason. He arranges the perfect murder. He blackmails a scoundrel he used to know, into killing her for a fee and arranges the perfect alibi for himself. Unfortunately the murderer gets murdered and the victim survives. But this doesn’t stop the husband who sees his hireling’s death as an opportunity to have his wife convicted for the murder of the man who tried to murder her. With a killer dead and a victim in jail, will the police inspector discover the truth? Will the husband be found out? This murder thriller will keep you spellbound with suspense. Director Brian Olsen casts this psychological thriller excellently, keeping the audience enthralled all night long.

Bridge Rep/Playhouse Creatures’ “Mrs. Packard” A Nightmarish Journey Into the Bad Old Days

March 22, 2017March 27, 2017 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

by Mike Hoban

Mrs. Packard – Written by Emily Mann; Directed by Emily Ranii; Scenic Design by Jon Savage; Lighting Design by Ed Intemann; Costume Design by Chelsea Kerl; Sound Design by Don Tindall. Presented by Bridge Repertory Theatre in a co-production with Playhouse Creatures Theatre Co. of NYC at the Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., Cambridge through April 9

When I was a boy in middle school, I was a huge fan of the B horror films that ran on Saturday afternoon showcases like Creature Double Feature. There weren’t many classics in the “Dracula” or “Frankenstein” vein, but there was plenty of silly dreck like “Attack of the Giant Leeches” and “The Thing That Wouldn’t Die” that were more laughable than frightening. But there was one film that truly did horrify me, and that was “Bedlam”, a low rent Boris Karloff vehicle that told the story of a woman wrongly committed to an insane asylum in Victorian England known as Bedlam – which was depicted as a Hollywood backlot version of Hell on Earth. What made it so terrifying was that while there no traditional movie monsters, Bedlam was a real place, and the monsters were the evil men running the asylum.