Beginning on September 3rd, The Cape Playhouse will present JOAN, a new play about the life and career of legendary comedian Joan Rivers. The play premiered last fall at the South Coast Repertory Theatre in Costa Mesa, CA, and was most recently produced by the Barrington Stage Company in the Berkshires. The play also focuses on River’s relationship with her daughter, Melissa, who, along with her longtime writing partner Larry Amoros, worked with playwright Danny Goldstein on the script and executive-produced the show. The production will run through September 20th at The Cape Playhouse.
by Mike Hoban
Theater Mirror: So many of the theatrical biographies that we’re seeing on stage now are centered around the careers of musicians like Carole King (Beautiful), Tina Turner (Tina), and Neil Diamond (A Beautiful Noise). How do you create a play that showcases the subject’s artistic genius when Joan’s career and persona were built around comedy performances and television appearances?
“Is this for print?” Jeremy Piven asks as the Zoom call commences. He’s up early for a day of interviews. Assured that the interview will be published as text, not a video, he takes off his cap momentarily, revealing a glimpse at a crown of cowlicks. “Okay, so the visuals don’t matter on this at all,” he says. No, and if they did, I would be in far worse shape than he is.
“I haven’t had my coffee,” Piven goes on to say, “and forgive me: I’m a slow starter, and I’m not good in the morning. I’m not interesting, and I’m grumpy, so I’m just having a moment where, in about four seconds, I am going to have some incredible personality.” True to his word, mere moments later, he blossoms into a bon vivant, his enthusiasm driving the conversation well past our allotted time.
The Boston Seaport is a happening place, and what better way to enjoy its sparkle than with a dinner cruise around Boston Harbor on the stately yet comfortable Spirit of Boston? This week, I had the pleasure of experiencing a dinner cruise firsthand, preceded by cocktails and musical entertainment.
Whether you’re hosting an event or just want to escape to the serenity of the ocean, The Spirit of Boston is the perfect venue. “We live in a beautiful city,” I mused as we watched the pier from a distance, the sun streaming over buildings and across the water. It’s a view that everyone should experience.
Caroline Siegrist and Nick Cortazzo in “Grease” at North Shore Music Theatre. Photos by Paul Lyden.
‘Grease – Book, Music, and Lyrics by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey.Kevin P. Hill (Director & Choreographer), Milton Granger (Music Director), Jack Mehler (Scenic & Lighting Design), Alex Berg (Sound Design), Rachel Padula-Shuflet (Wig & Hair Design), Rebecca Glick (Costume Coordinator), Alaina Mills (Associate Director & Choreographer). Presented by North Shore Music Theatre at 54 Dunham Rd., Beverly, MA, through August 24, 2025
By Shelley A. Sackett
If you think you’ve seen enough disappointing summer theater productions of the iconic film starring the incomparable John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John in their impossible-to-replicate roles (as I frankly did), think again and high-tail it to North Shore Musical Theatre’s rip-roaring, talent-laden, thoroughly enjoyable rendition of this phoenix of a musical.
Cast of “Grease” at North Shore Music Theatre. Photos by Paul Lyden.
‘Grease – Book, Music, and Lyrics by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. Kevin P. Hill (Director & Choreographer), Milton Granger (Music Director), Jack Mehler (Scenic & Lighting Design), Alex Berg (Sound Design), Rachel Padula-Shuflet (Wig & Hair Design), Rebecca Glick (Costume Coordinator), Alaina Mills (Associate Director & Choreographer). Presented by North Shore Music Theatre at 54 Dunham Rd., Beverly, MA, through August 24, 2025
By Mike Hoban
Those expecting an onstage re-creation of the 1978 movie musical Grease may be in for a bit of a surprise with North Shore Music Theatre’s entertaining production of the same name, running now through August 24th. Unlike the 70s sitcom treatment of troubled high school teens in the movie version, we get a cast of characters that owes more to West Side Story than Happy Days – and the added grittiness elevates the story above the usual pablum that passes for a book in most movies adapted for the stage. That’s because this production combines the best elements of the original 1971 Off-Broadway (via Chicago) musical theater production and the movie (including some of its strongest musical numbers). It’s also much more of an ensemble piece, focusing on multiple stories rather than just the leads (played in the film by 1970s pop culture icons John Travolta and the late Olivia Newton-John), and it’s one of the strengths of the show, allowing multiple members of the talented cast to shine.
Valyn Lyric Turner in “No Child …” at Gloucester Stage Company. Photos by Jason Grow Photography
‘No Child…’ — Written by Nilaja Sun. Directed by Pascale Florestal. Scenic Design by Cristina Todesco; Costume Design by Chelsea Kerl; Lighting Design by Amanda Fallon; Sound Design by Jacques Matellus. Presented by Gloucester Stage Company, 267 East Main St., Gloucester through August 23.
By Shelley A. Sackett
Playwright Nilaja Sun’s conventional tribute to the trials and tribulations of our unsung heroes who day after day teach the toughest kids at their toughest ages (high school) in the toughest neighborhoods is must-see theater for one reason— the luminous performance by its solo star, Valyn Lyric Turner.
Playing no fewer than a dozen roles, Turner is a whirling dervish of talent, her physicality and vitality hoisting the play from a ho-hum trope to a true tour de force.
The Cape Playhouse presents Come From Away. Book, music and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein. Directed and Choreographed by Kelly Devine. Music Direction by Lena Gabrielle. Set Design by Alexander Woodward. Lighting Design by Kirk Bookman. Costume Design by Gail Baldoni. Sound Design by Walter Trarbach. Wig Design by Bobbie Zlotnik. At the Cape Playhouse, 820 Main Street, Route 6A, Dennis MA, through August 30, 2025.
By Linda Chin
When skies over the United States shut down after the September 11th attacks, 38 international flights were diverted to a once-bustling airport on the island of Newfoundland, on the northeast tip of North America, next to which was the tiny town of Gander. The influx of 7000 stranded passengers and crew who needed meals, clothing, accommodations, showers, and access to phones swelled Gander’s population to twice its usual size, practically overnight.
Come From Away tells the true story of how an ordinary but remarkable group of Newfoundlanders rallied to support a group of newfound friends, bridging cultural barriers with compassion and empathy, and language barriers with the common language of kindness. With direction and choreography by Kelly Devine, music direction by Lena Gabrielle, and an extraordinary ensemble of 12 actors playing 25+ characters, Cape Playhouse’s poignant production will make your heart swell to twice its usual size in the course of the evening (100 minutes without intermission).
Set designer Alexander Woodward has kept the design concept spare and simple – an oversized map as the backdrop (perhaps a metaphor for humans or communities each being contributors to a rich and colorful tapestry?), and similar to the Broadway show/tour, a minimal props – most notably a dozen wooden chairs that are readily reconfigured as different playing areas in various scenes (schoolrooms, local watering hole) or magically manipulated by the actors within a scene, or song (the interior of the plane). Other simple props sans pageantry include BBQ grills, yellow rain hats, a giant codfish, a bucket of manure, and a well-worn Bible.
With much of the action taking place at stage level (and at half-height when the actors were sitting in their chairs) – seats in the rear orchestra offered but partial views of the inventive action and synchronized movement (and difficulty seeing actors’ faces) much of the time.
The talented cast of 12 includes veterans of the Broadway/tour production of Come From Away. Joel Hatch originated the role of Claude (and others) in the Broadway production, and starting the show from a spot in the audience and welcoming all of us to his city is a warm touch. De’Lon Grant is an acclaimed actor on Boston and Broadway stages and seeing him revive the role of Bob & others that he played for years on Broadway was a treat as well as a master class in versatility. As the smooth-talking aircraft captain, a passenger of African descent who is nervous about being stranded in unfamiliar territory, and as passenger Bob (a young Black man from Brooklyn who is nervous about where at a host family’s home he should keep his wallet and when asked by the mayor of a nearby town to steal/borrow grills from his neighbors’ backyards for a community cookout the confusion and fears he expresses in asides to the audience are complex and nuanced. What Grant does steal is every scene he is in.
Pearl Sun (Diane & others) and Jim Walton (Nick/Doug & others) also appeared in Come From Away on Broadway, and their portrayal of two solo travelers from different parts of the world – Diane from Texas, Nick from the UK – who when stranded in Gander end up becoming a couple (and eventually get married – which in real life the individuals their characters were based on are still together). Triple-threat performers (Sun is the Dance Captain). Sun and Walton have lovely singing voices and acting prowess.
It was exciting to see veteran Boston-based/regional actor Mary Callahan get to make her CP debut and getting to belt out the iconic song from Titanic (which is ironic since she performed in this show at NSMT late last year. Similarly, seeing Christiani Pitts deliver a pitch-perfect performance as Hannah in this show, fresh off her highly successful run in Two Strangers, Carry a Cake Across New York at ART, was the icing on the cake of Come From Away.
All in all, thisis a show worth flocking to Cape Cod’s nearly century-old Cape Playhouse for. Whether you’re an islander or off-islander, you’ll receive a warm welcome, and you will experience a warm island welcome – and might even have the chance to kiss a cod!
Sarah Elizabeth Bedard and Anjie Parker in Company One’s ‘The Meeting Tree’. Photos by Annielly-Camargo
‘The Meeting Tree’ — Written by B. Elle Borders. Directed by Summer L. Williams. Dramaturgy by afrikah selah and Ilana M. Brownstein. Scenic Design by Cristina Todesco; Costume Design by Amanda Mujica; Lighting Design by Elmer Martinez; Sound Design by Aubrey Dube. Presented by Company One Theatre in partnership with Front Porch Arts Collective and the City of Boston’s Office of Arts and Culture. At Strand Theatre, Boston through Aug. 9. All tickets are pay-what-you-want.
By Shelley A. Sackett
B. Elle Borders’ The Meeting Tree (her first play) is a bold and effective new work that portrays the story of six generations of women and their interconnected lives as a backdrop for her exploration of bigger ticket issues. For 75 intermission-less minutes, she keeps the audience engrossed with her skillful storytelling that combines a tale of complex, emotionally deep characters with thought-provoking questions that prompt reflection about family history, the legacy of slavery in the United States, and the power of personal connection to overcome history.
In polarized times, Borders seems to ask, is redemption and healing possible? And if it is, at what price?
Robyn Hurder and Max Clayton in Ogunquit Playhouse’s ‘High Society’. Photos by Nile Scott Studios
Choreography by Jeffry Denman; Music supervision and orchestrations by Greg Jarrett; Music Direction by Nicholas Connors; Scenic Design by Alexander Dodge; Costume Design by Tracy Christensen; Lighting Design by Richard Latta; Sound Design by Haley Parcher; and wig, hair, and makeup design by Roxanne De Luna.
By Mike Hoban
The Ogunquit Playhouse once again makes a sparkling case for being New England’s premier summer theater with a bubbly, champagne-fueled re-imagining of the 1956 film, High Society. Powered by a Cole Porter score, Broadway performers (including multiple Tony Award nominees), and a terrific supporting cast, High Society is the very essence of summer theater – a rollicking good time that delivers a ton of laughs along with its superbly executed song-and-dance numbers.
Based on the screwball comedy play and 1940 film The Philadelphia Story, both of which starred Katherine Hepburn, High Society centers on the haughty and beautiful socialite Tracy Lord (multiple Tony nominee Robyn Hurder) on the eve of her wedding to George, a former miner who is now an executive for Tracy’s father’s coal mining enterprise. Enter ex-husband and next-door neighbor CK Dexter Haven (Broadway performer and Ogunquit favorite Max Clayton), a jazz singer whose career choice never quite measured up to Tracy’s lofty standards, who still carries a torch for her.
He’s not alone, however. He’s brought along reporter Mike Connors (Tony nominee Andrew Durand) and photographer Liz Imbrie (Sydney Morton) from the National Enquirer-esque tabloid Spy Magazine to do a story on the high society wedding. While old-money families like the Lords would be appalled at the very notion of a low-class publication like Spy invading their gilded world, Tracy has essentially been blackmailed into agreeing: If she says no, Spy will run a story about her father’s affair with a showgirl, so she reluctantly agrees. There are multiple subplots, with the most prominent being the twist that not only are George and Dexter in love with Tracy, but Mike, the reporter, also falls for her, and she may also have fallen for him.
Fans of The Philadelphia Story (listed at #51 on the American Film Institute’s list of the top 100 films of the first 100 years), starring Hepburn, Cary Grant, and Jimmy Stewart, might find the book for High Society to be a little thin and character development to be nearly nonexistent, but remember, this is a musical, and the plot essentially serves as a serving tray for the sumptuous Cole Porter score and Jeffry Denman’s dazzling choreography. Hurder may not convey the sophistication of Hepburn or Grace Kelly (who played Tracy in the High Society movie alongside Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra and was actually raised as a one-percenter in Philadelphia), but honestly, who could? Maine native Hurder adroitly juggles her suitors with a mixture of contempt (for George and Dexter) and fascination (with Mike), and she’s a talented vocalist and an even better hoofer. Her (and the rest of the first-rate cast’s) prodigious talent explodes during the dynamite Act I closer, “Let’s Misbehave.”
Clayton returns to the Ogunquit stage following star turns in last year’s Crazy for You and 2023’s Singin’ in the Rain, and although his role is a little underdeveloped (as is Connors’ Mike), he does what he does best – lead the company in the outstanding tap numbers and croon. He’s at his best in the duets with Hurder, “True Love” and “After You, Who?”, and the drunken comic duet with Connors, “Well, Did You Evah?”
High Society is loaded with comic moments, the bulk of which are supplied by Tracy’s precocious tween sister Dinah Lord (Charlotte Van Ledtje) and Tracy’s Uncle Willie (Bryan Blatt). The set design by Alexander Dodge lends authenticity to the upscale digs of the Lord family, and Tracy Christensen’s costumes faithfully capture the era.
If you’ve never made the journey to the Ogunquit Playhouse, with abundant restaurants within a 10-minute walk, give it a try. This is a Broadway-level production without the hassle of traveling to New York. See it. For more information and tickets, go to: ogunquitplayhouse.org
Cast of CSC’s ‘As You Like It’. Photos by Nile Scott Studios
‘As You Like It’ — Written by William Shakespeare. Directed by Steven Maler. Scenic Design by Riw Rakkulchon; Costume Design by Miranda Giurleo; Lighting Design by Eric Southern; Sound Design by Aubrey Dube. Presented by Commonwealth Shakespeare Production on Boston Common through August 10.
By Shelley A. Sackett
Boston is a garden of many earthly delights, but none more eagerly awaited and appreciated than Commonwealth Shakespeare Company’s Free Shakespeare on the Common that, for 29 years, has invited people to lay down a blanket, bring a picnic dinner, and enjoy top-notch theater on Boston Common under a starry crescent-mooned sky.
