Month: August 2025

Theater Mirror’s Mike Hoban Interviews Melissa Rivers on Her New Play About Her Iconic Mom, ‘Joan’

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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?

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Theater Mirror’s Kilian Melloy Interviews ‘Entourage’s Jeremy Piven – Coming Soon to the Wilbur Theater

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“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.

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Aboard the ‘Spirit of Boston’

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It was a beautiful night, with a view to match.
 

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.

‘Grease’ Is The Word at NSMT’s Knock-Out Production

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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.

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Strong Performances Lift NSMT’s ‘Grease’

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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.

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GSC’s Timely ‘No Child…’ Lauds Teachers And Showcases An A+ Solo Performance

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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.

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At The Cape Playhouse, A Warm & Welcoming ‘Come From Away’

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Cast of ‘Come From Away’ at the Cape Playhouse

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.

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In Company One’s ‘The Meeting Tree,’ Family Legacy Confronts Memory To Reshape The Future

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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?

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Ogunquit Playhouse’s ‘High Society’ is “De-Lovely”

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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.

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CSC’s ‘As You Like It’ Breathes Fresh Air into the Bard’s Timeless Tale

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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.

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