Arlekin Players’ ‘The Seagull’ is Extraordinary

November 11, 2019November 11, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

L to R – Anne Gottlieb (Irina Arkadina), Darya Denisova (Masha), Eric Andrews (Semyon Medvedenko) in Arlekin Players Theatre new adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s ‘The Seagull’ – Photos by Irina Danilova

by Julie-Anne Whitney

‘The Seagull’ – Written by Anton Chekhov; Conceived and directed by Igor Golyak; Script translation by Ryan McKittrick, Julia Smeliansky, and Laurence Senelick; Scenic Design by Nikolay Simonov; Costume Design by Nastya Bugaeva; Lighting Design by Jeff Adelberg; Original Music by Jakov Jakoulov; Produced by the Arlekin Players Theatre at Studio 368 in Needham, MA through December 8, 2019.

As you walk up the stairs into Studio 368, the home of the Arlekin Players, and into the intimate black box theater, you feel a sense of uncertainty: the space is separated into three sections with two seating areas to choose from – one on the left and one on the right – with the performance space placed directly in the center of the room. There is a wooden arch with two black doors on either side and a large circle of sand in the middle of the floor. The space feels ominous- the only light emanating from the floor and from a few naked bulbs on the wall. You take a seat and you wait.

‘The Magic Flute’ at ArtsEmerson Defies Tradition

November 8, 2019November 13, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Cast of ‘The Magic Flute’ at ArtsEmerson

by Michael Cox

“The Magic Flute” – Adapted and directed by Mark Dornford-May. Performed by Isango Ensemble. Presented by ArtsEmerson, Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre, 219 Tremont Street, Boston through November 10.

It all begins with the marimbas, tables of long wooden bars mounted above resonators, instruments that look similar to xylophones, but the sound is so much different. It’s a joyous sound – the sound of a warm and faraway place where the atmosphere is festive. And the rhythm that throbs under the music just makes you want to dance.

ArtsEmerson Delivers Energizing and Creative Retelling of ‘The Magic Flute’

November 7, 2019November 7, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

by Michele Markarian

The 21 or so performers of Isango Ensemble, a troupe made up of black South Africans, are unassuming and relaxed as they warm up onstage before the show begins. They could be neighbors you pass on the street, or strangers you see on the T, or colleagues in your workplace until their conductor, taut and precise, steps onstage and raises his arms. Isango Ensemble are immediately transformed into performers, filling the space with energy, musicianship and joy. This transformation, not something that audience members usually get to bear witness to, lasts throughout the next two hours during this magical retelling of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute”. Truly an ensemble, the performers are so in tune with one another and the score that they are able to play without the benefit of sheet music. Their instruments consist of marimbas, drums, feet, hands, and in one cleverly executed instance, a trumpet.

Flat Earth’s ‘X’ Bends Time and Reality

November 7, 2019November 7, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

(David Anderson, Cassandra Meyer ponder their fate in Flat Earth’s ‘X’)

by Mike Hoban

‘X’ – Written by Alistair McDowall; Directed by Lindsay Eagle; Scenic Design by Darren Cornell; Costume Design by Erica Desautels; Lighting Design by Connor S. Van Ness; Sound Design by Kyle Lampe; Special Effects Design by Lynn Wilcott. Presented by Flat Earth Theatre at the Mosesian Center for the Arts, 321 Arsenal Street, Watertown through November 16

As someone who can feel disconnected simply by being on the other side of the country on a business trip, it’s unfathomable to imagine the level of disorientation and longing that the characters in X, Alistair McDowall’s ambitious and perplexing space drama now being given its New England premiere by Flat Earth, must feel. Stranded literally billions of miles from home on a scientific exploration mission to Pluto and cut off from contact with Mother Earth as they await their rescue, X takes the horror of the abandonment that preschoolers experience when Mommy and Daddy mix up their daycare pickup assignments and put it on a megadose of steroids.

Umbrella’s ‘Fences’ a Powerful Retelling of Wilson’s Classic

November 5, 2019November 5, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

(Damon Singletary as Troy Maxson and Dwayne P. Mitchell as Cory in Arts Umbrella’s ‘August Wilson’s Fences’ – Photos:Gillian Mariner Gordon)

By Tom Boudrot

‘August Wilson’s Fences’ – Directed by Michelle Aguillon; Scenic Design by Dan Daly; Lighting Design by Samuel J. Biondolillo; Sound Design by Aubrey Dube. Presented by the Umbrella Stage Company at the Umbrella Community Arts Center, 40 Stow Street in Concord, MA through November 23

I must begin by saying that while preparing for my visit to the newly renovated Umbrella Community Arts Center on a quiet side street off Concord Center, I was unsure of what I was getting myself into. From past experience I knew that community theater (which I later discovered was no longer the case at the Umbrella – which debuted as Equity in September) sometimes can be a mixed bag, and tackling the Pulitzer and Tony award winning, “Fences” from August Wilson’s Pittsburgh Cycle of plays might be a bit daunting. But soon after the lights dimmed, I found myself transported to a front porch in a black neighborhood in 1950’s Pittsburgh, populated by a talented troupe of actors, and Wilson’s masterpiece soon unfolded before me.

SpeakEasy Stage’s ‘Admissions’ Pierces the Veil of White Male Privilege

November 1, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Nathan Malin, Maureen Keiller and Michael Kaye in SpeakEasy Stage’s Production of “Admissions.” (Maggie Hall Photography)

By Shelley A. Sackett

‘Admissions’ – Written by Joshua Harmon; Directed by Paul Daigneault; Scenic Design by Eric Levenson; Lighting Design by Karen Perlow; Costume Design by Charles Schoonmaker; Sound Design by Dewey Dellay; Stage Managed by Stephen MacDonald. Produced by SpeakEasy Stage Company at the Stanford Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts through November 30, 2019.

Joshua Harmon’s terrific new play “Admissions,” now making its Boston premiere at SpeakEasy Stage Company through November 30, packs a timely wallop. Set at and near Hillcrest, a toney progressive New Hampshire prep school, the plucky drama starts out poking fun at Sherri, Hillcrest’s white admissions director who is not happy with the draft of the Admissions Catalog she has just received.

Beauty, Passion and Danger Converge in ArtsEmerson’s ‘Triptych’

November 1, 2019November 1, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

(Roomful of Teeth performing ‘Triptych’ at the Cutler Majestic Theatre. Photo: Maria Baranova)

By Michele Markarian

‘Triptych (Eyes of One on Another)’ – Composed by Bryce Dressner. Libretto by korde arrington tuttle. Featuring words by Essex Hemphill & Patti Smith. Directed by Kaneza Schaal. Presented by Arts Emerson, in association with Celebrity Series of Boston and New England Conservatory at the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre, 219 Tremont Street, Boston, through November 3.

Several different factors can draw one to see this show. Perhaps you’re an admirer of Robert Mapplethorpe, the controversial artist whose photographic work began in the 70’s until his premature death, from AIDS, in 1989? Or a fan of the poets Essex Hemphill or Patti Smith, whose works make up the text of the show? My curiosity was piqued upon learning that Bryce Dessner, a guitarist with The National, composed the score. Friends I ran into after the show were pulled by Roomful of Teeth, a Grammy-winning vocal project that they’d seen many times at Mass MOCA. Whatever your reasons, your emotions will certainly be aroused by this provocative, evocative, beautiful and sometimes disturbing concert punctuated by the written word, photographs, and the lonely, disinterested yet yearning presence of the graceful dancer Martell Ruffin.