GBSC’s ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ is a Horrific Good Time

June 23, 2025June 23, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Stephen Markarian, Kayla Shimizu in “Little Shop of Horrors.” Photo: Nile Scott Studios

‘Little Shop of Horrors’ – Written by Alan Menken; Book & Lyrics by Howard Ashman; Directed by Ilana Ransom Toeplitz; Music Direction by Bethany Aiken; Choreographed by Chris Shin; Stage managed by Shauwna Dias Grillo. Presented by Boston Stage Company, Stoneham, MA, through June 29.

By C.J. Williams

If you’ve never seen Alan Menken and Howard Ashman’s Little Shop of Horrors, now is the time. You couldn’t catch a better rendition of this bitingly smart, gut-splittingly goofy musical if you drove to Manhattan for a Broadway show. Running for one more weekend in Stoneham, Little Shop is the classic story of a downtrodden orphan who gets a break – or does he? Menken and Ashman, as a team, have a blast both playing with – and tossing out – the classic tropes of love, rags-to-riches, and fairy godmother/good luck. By the time they’re done, we’re breathless.

Arlekin Players ‘Our Class’ Exposes the Danger of Erasing the Past and Repressing the Truth

June 19, 2025June 19, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Cast of Arlekin Players’ ‘Our Class’. Photos by Irina Danilova

Arlekin Players presents Our Class. Written by Tadeusz Slobodzianek. Adapted by Norman Allen. Directed by Igor Golyak. Scenic Design by Jan Pappelbaum. Costume Design by Sasha Ageeva. Lighting Design by Jeff Adelberg. Sound Design by Ben Williams. Projection and Video Design by Eric Dunlap, Igor Golyak with Andrea Mincic. Choreography by Or Schraiber. At Boston Center for the Arts, Calderwood Pavilion, 527 Tremont Street, Boston, through June 22nd.

By Linda Chin

With four 2024 Lucille Lortel Awards (Outstanding Revival, Director, Ensemble, Scenic Design) for its Off-Broadway premiere of Our Class in hand, Arlekin Players’ artistic director, Igor Golyak and producing director Sara Stackhouse have brought their production home to Greater Boston for audiences to “enjoy”. The play’s limited run at the BCA during June – Immigration Heritage Month – is timely given the 15-year-old Needham-based company’s history as an ensemble of immigrants from countries in the former Soviet Union. Written by Tadeusz Slobodzianek and adapted by Norman Allen, Our Class follows the stories of ten Polish classmates, half Jewish and half Catholic, who lived together in the small village of Jedwabne across eight decades of the 20th century.

‘Our Class’ Confronts And Challenges Revisionist History

June 19, 2025June 19, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

‘Our Class’ – Written by Tadeusz Słobodzianek. Adapted by Norman Allen. Directed by Igor Golyak. Staged by Arlekin at the Calderwood Pavilion at Boston Center for the Arts, Boston, through June 22.

By Shelley A. Sackett

No one can take his audience on an emotional and artistic roller coaster like Igor Golyak, founder and artistic director of Arlekin Players Theatre & Zero Gravity (Zero-G) Theater Lab. With “Our Class,” in production through June 23 at the Calderwood Pavilion, he introduces us to characters we initially relate to and bond with, spins an artistically ingenious cocoon, and then tells a tale that rips our heart to shreds and leaves us too overwhelmed to even speak.

College Light Opera Company Delivers a Delightful “Pirates of Penzance”

June 18, 2025June 18, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Harrison Gilberti and cast in College Light Opera Company’s “The Pirates of Penzance”

“The Pirates of Penzance”. Written by W. S. Gilbert. Composed by Arthur Sullivan. Directed by James Mills. Musical Director Alex Gutierrez. Presented by College Light Opera Company (CLOC), Highfield Theatre, 58 Highfield Drive, Falmouth through June 21.

By Michele Markarian

If you’re looking to escape for a few hours with some lighthearted, humorous entertainment with a large dose of talent, do yourself a favor and head over to Highfield Theatre to see College Light Opera Company’s Pirates of Penzance. The enthusiasm of the college-aged cast, the brevity of James Mills’ direction, and the excellent orchestra under Alex Gutierrez make this production a joy to witness.

‘Beautiful’ at Reagle – Still Queen of the Jukebox Musicals

June 17, 2025June 19, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Cast of ‘Beautiful: The Carole King Musical’ at Reagle Music Theatre

‘Beautiful: The Carole King Musical’ – Book by Douglas McGrath. Words and Music by Gerry Goffin, Carole King, Barry Mann, and Cynthia Weil. Directed and Choreographed by Deanna Dys; Music Director and Conductor Mindy Cimini; Scenic Design by Derek McLane; Costume Design by Alejo Vietti; Lighting Design by Franklin Meissner, Jr.; Sound Design by Sebastian Nixon; Costume Coordinator by Ellie De Lucia. Presented by Reagle Music Theatre at 617 Lexington St., Waltham through June 22^nd.

By Mike Hoban

There’s a reason that Beautiful: The Carole King Musical is such a popular choice for regional theaters: With a score that ranks with any Gershwin or Cole Porter collection of songs within a Broadway show, it’s nearly impossible to top musically. King launched her career as a singer in 1971 with her breakthrough album, Tapestry (with hits “So Far Away,” “It’s Too Late”, “I Feel the Earth Move,” and a ton more), which is impressive enough, but Beautiful begins with her career as a teenaged songwriter, and the hits she penned with then-husband Gerry Goffin could easily fill a 1960’s jukebox by themselves. But it’s not just the music. What elevates Beautiful above most “jukebox” musicals is that the book has actual depth, even if some of the story elements are fictionalized.

Theatre@First’s ‘The Tempest’ Brews Its Charm

June 15, 2025June 15, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

‘The Tempest’ – William Shakespeare. Directed by Elizabeth Hunter. Stage Management by Lex Bryan. Movement Direction by Daniel Abraham. Costume Design by Carolyn Jones. Hair and Makeup Design by Jeanné Callinan. Theatre@First’s, ‘The Tempest’ runs from June 6th – June 22nd, with rain dates on June 27th – June 29th, at Nathan Tuft’s Park at Powderhouse Circle, 850 Broadway, Somerville, MA, 02144.

By Charlotte Snow

Shakespeare in the park is a time-honored tradition among English Lit nerds, parents dragging teenagers to see “something cultured,” and theatre-makers alike. The factors that stop audiences dead in their tracks from going to are 1.) it’s Shakespeare and 2.) there’s always a chance that it could be BAD Shakespeare. (We all have some idea, or flashback, as to how bad BAD Shakespeare can truly be.) Thankfully for all, Theatre@First’s fails to disappoint and their production of ‘The Tempest’ casts a spell over its audience. 

‘Bull in a China Shop’ Brings A Powerhouse Feminist to Life

June 15, 2025June 15, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Cast of Treehouse Collective’s ‘Bull in a China Shop’. Photos: Brian Higgins

‘Bull in a China Shop.’ Written by Bryna Turner. Directed by Lisa Tierney. Stage Manager – Nicole O’Keefe; Lighting Designer – Dan Clawson; Set Designer – Britt Ambruson; Sound Designer/Sound and Light Op – Dannie Smith. Presented by The Tree House Collective at Abbott Memorial Theatre at Hovey Players, 9 Spring St., Waltham through June 29.

By Shelley A. Sackett

Mary Emma Woolley may be the least-known important historical figure you’ve never heard of. A radical feminist, education reformer and suffragette, she served as president of Mount Holyoke College from 1900 to 1937. She also lived a fairly openly lesbian life and shared a life-long partnership with Jeannette Marks, her former student and a firebrand academic revolutionary and writer.

At the Cape Playhouse, the Sounds of Rock ‘n’ Roll, ‘Buddy’ and Crickets Mark the Start of Summer

June 12, 2025June 13, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

The cast of ‘Buddy’ at The Cape Cod Playhouse. Photos by Nile Scott Studios.

The Cape Playhouse presents ‘Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story’. Written by Alan Janes. Direction by Meredith McDonough. Music Direction by Matt Cusack. Choreography by Felicity Stiverson. Sets by Lex Liang. Costumes by Kathleen Geldard. Lights by Kat C. Zhou. Sound by Jeff Sherwood. At the Cape Playhouse, 820 Main Street, Route 6A, Dennis, MA, through June 21.

By Linda Chin

Each summer, thousands of theatergoers who flock to the Cape Playhouse, a converted 1790 meeting house in Dennis, MA, set on twenty-six peaceful and pristine acres off Route 6A, are transported to a simpler time and treated to a professional production amidst a beautiful backdrop of history and nature. With the musical Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story as the Playhouse’s 2025 season opener, patrons should anticipate being transported to the years 1956 to 1959 and educated about aspects of musical legend Buddy Holly’s life and career, bearing witness to rock ‘n’ roll history in the making and treated to the sounds of “chirping” Crickets performing over 20 of Holly’s hits.

Gloucester Stage Breathes Fresh Life into A Beloved Classic, ‘The Glass Menagerie’

June 11, 2025June 11, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Liza Giangrande, Patrick O’Konis in Gloucester Stage company’s ‘The Glass Menagerie’
Photos by: Shawn Henry

‘The Glass Menagerie.’ Written by Tennessee Williams. Directed by Doug Lockwood. Scenic Design by Jenna McFarland Lord; Costume Design by Nia Safarr Banks; Lighting Design by Amanda Fallon; Sound Design by Aubrey Dube. Presented by Gloucester Stage at 267 East Main Street, Gloucester, through June 28.

By Shelley A. Sackett

Tennessee Williams’ classic autobiographical story of a struggling family, The Glass Menagerie, is no stranger to Broadway and community theater stages. It premiered in Chicago in 1944, where it was championed by several Midwest critics, and moved to Broadway in 1945. Subsequent Broadway productions were mounted in 1965, 1975, 1983, 1994, and 2005, with the likes of Jessica Tandy, Julie Harris, and Jessica Lange playing matriarch Amanda Wingfield. The 2013 revival transferred to Broadway from the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, MA. Known as a staple in college and community theaters’ repertoire since its 1944 début, the play and its straightforward staging is a reliable crowd pleaser and audience draw.

Trinity Rep’s ‘Blues For an Alabama Sky’ Could Use Some More Sky, but Its Blues Are Full Of Heart

June 9, 2025June 9, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Cast of Trinity Rep’s ‘Blues For an Alabama Sky’. Photos by Mark Turek

Blues for an Alabama Sky – Written by Pearl Cleage; Directed by Jackie Davis; Scenic Designer Michael McGarty; Costume Designer Amber Volmer; Lighting Designer Erica Maholmes; Sound Designer Larry D. Fowler, Jr; Fight Choreographer Mark Rose; Vocal Coach Rebecca Gibel; Stage Manager Kelsey Emry; and Megan Dilworth as Delia; Taavon Gamnbe as Guy; Cloteal L. Horne as Angel; Dereks Thomas as Sam; Quinn West as Leland (“Alabama”) . Presented by Trinity Repertory Theatre, Providence, RI through

By C.J. Williams

What type of world is it in which a storm can blow through and leave nothing changed? You might say magical realism, Alice-in-Wonderland, or someone’s dreamscape – but Blues for an Alabama Sky is set in hard-as-nails Harlem during Prohibition, and while the storm of the plot in a well-structured play ought to leave the characters comedically or tragically changed, it doesn’t. Thankfully, the audience still gets to experience a few high points: humor and horror.