Merrimack Rep’s ‘Lady Day At Emerson’s Bar and Grill’ is a Testament to the Power of Music and Resilience

February 12, 2025February 12, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Jenece Upton in Merrimack Rep’s ‘Lady Day At Emerson’s Bar and Grill’

‘Lady Day At Emerson’s Bar and Grill’ by Lanie Robertson. Directed by Candice Handy. Music Direction by David Freeman Coleman. Scenic Design by Tony Hardin. Costume Design by Yao Chen. Lighting Design by Brian Lillienthal. Sound Design by David Remedios. At Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Lowell, Massachusetts, through February 23, 2025.

By Linda Chin

Merrimack Repertory Theatre’s mesmerizing revival of Lady Day (last produced in 1998 and “one of MRT audiences’ favorite plays of all time”) transports us back to 1959 to the fictional club in South Philly, where jazz legend Billie Holiday gave one of her last concerts about four months before her passing at 44 years young. Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill serves up slices of American music history peppered with pieces of Holiday’s personal history and blends in some lesser-known facts (e.g. the origin of the nickname “Lady Day” is attributed to prominent saxophonist Lester Young from Count Basie’s Orchestra). Audience members, young or old, and familiar with her music and life story (or not) will find this production (ninety minutes without intermission) entertaining, educational, and engaging.

Central Square Theater’s ‘SPACE’ Explores A New Frontier Of History

February 10, 2025February 10, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Catharine K. Slusar, Kaili Y. Turner, Hui Ying Wen, MK Tuomanen in ‘Space’ at Central Square
Photo by: Nile Scott Studios

‘SPACE’ — Written by LM Feldman. Directed by Larissa Lury. Scenic Design by Qingan Zhang. Costume Design by Charlotte Snow. Lighting Design by John R. Malinowski. Properties Design by Julia Wonkka. Sound Design by Nate Tucker, Movement direction and intimacy coordination by Lindsay Torrey. Presented by Central Square Theater, 450 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139 through February 23^rd.

by Helen Ganley

In an interview dated October 22, 2022, NASA historian Jennifer Ross-Nazzal asked Dr. Sally Ride what the agency needed to add to the flight kit, considering that women would be in space for the first time. Dr. Ride recalled, “I remember the engineers trying to decide how many tampons should fly on a one-week flight; they asked, ‘Is 100 the right number?’”

Tap and Piano Fuse Magically in the Unique ‘Counterpoint’

February 10, 2025February 10, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Conrad Tao (L) and Caleb Teicher in *‘Counterpoint*, presented by Celebrity Series of Boston
Photo by Richard Termine

Celebrity Series of Boston presents Caleb Teicher & Conrad Tao in ‘Counterpoint.’ At the Boston Arts Academy Theater, Feb. 7-8.

By Shelley A. Sackett

Counterpoint, the 75-minute collaboration between pianist and composer Conrad Tao and choreographer and dancer Caleb Teicher, is a magical journey that explores the interplays between two seemingly divergent art forms — tap and solo piano.

A Formidable Foursome in ‘Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole A Song’

February 10, 2025February 10, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Cast of ‘Forbidden Broadway’ at Emerson Colonial Theatre
Chris Collins-Pisano, Nicole Vanessa Ortiz, Jenny Lee Stern, John Wascavage

Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole A Song by Creator, Writer, Director Gerard Alessandrini. Choreography by Gerry McIntyre. Graphics & Onstage Projection Design by Glenn Bassett. Costume Design by Dustin Cross. Hair & Wigs by Ian Joseph. At Emerson Colonial Theatre, 106 Boylston Street, Boston, February 8-9, 2025.

By Linda Chin

“Old farts” who may have seen the original Forbidden Broadway during its seven year run at the Park Plaza in the ‘80s and ‘90s, theatergoers of all ages – especially those of you who spell theatre with an -re instead of -er, and fans of the late composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim were treated to an evening of belly laughs as the Emerson Colonial Theatre brought the newest version of the Forbidden Broadway franchise, Merrily We Stole a Song, for a limited run this past weekend.

‘Life & Times of Michael K’ is ArtsEmerson’s Latest Must-See Marvel

February 3, 2025February 3, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

‘Life & Times of Michael K’ at ArtsEmerson. Photos by Fiona McPherson

‘Life & Times of Michael K’ — Adapted and Directed by Lara Foot in collaboration with Handspring Puppet Company. Based on the book written by J.M Coetzee. Adaptors and Puppetry Direction by Basil J.R. Jones and Adrian P. Kohler. Puppetry Design by Adrian P. Kohler. A Baxter Theatre Centre and Düsseldorf Schauspielhaus Production. Presented by ArtsEmerson at the Emerson Paramount Center, Robert J. Orchard Stage, 559 Washington St., through February 9.

By Shelley A. Sackett

In substance, Life and Times of Michael K tells the extraordinary story of an ordinary man. Adapted from the 1983 Booker Prize winner, written by South African novelist J. M. Coetzee, it details the life of the eponymous Michael K and his ailing mother during a fictional civil war in South Africa.

Sudbury Savoyards Delivers a Charming Fairy Tale with Gilbert and Sullivan’s ‘Ruddigore’

February 1, 2025February 25, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Cast of Sudbury Savoyards’ ‘Ruddigore’. Photos by Chris Pollari

Ruddigore’ – Written by W.S. Gilbert. Music by Arthur Sullivan. Directed by Briana Bensenouci. Music Directed by Aldo Fabrizi. Set Design by Laurel Martin, Brendon Chetwynd & Blair Eig. Costume Design by Sue Flint & Donna Roessler. Sound Design by Bill Lopoulos. Presented by the Sudbury Savoyards with all performances at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, 390 Lincoln Road, Sudbury, MA 01776, through March 1, 2025.

By Judy Katzman

The lively and robust overture to Gilbert and Sullivan’s Ruddigore, performed by a nearly 30-piece orchestra, sets the spirited (pun intended) tone for Sudbury Savoyards’ grand production of this comedic operetta. Armed with all the elements of a fairy tale – heroes, villains, fair maidens, ghosts, and even a mad woman – Ruddigore tells the story of Sir Ruthven Murgatroyd (David Smyth), a baronet who flees to a seaside village in order to escape a curse placed on his family, one that requires him to commit one crime each day, or die an agonizing death.

In Burbage & WomensWork’s Production of ‘hang”, Expect to Hang on Every Word

January 30, 2025January 30, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Margaret Melozzi, MJ Daly, and Aaron Morris in Burbage Theatre Cos. ‘hang’

Burbage Theatre Co., in partnership with WomensWork Theatre Collaborative, present the Rhode Island premiere of ‘hang’ by debbie tucker green. Lynne Collinson, Director. Trevor Elliott, Set Design. Riley Nedder, Costume Design. At the Wendy Overly Studio Theatre, 59 Blackstone Avenue, Pawtucket, RI, through February 16, 2025.

By Linda Chin

It wasn’t long after I took my seat in the cozy and intimate Overly Studio Theatre that I began to suspect that an intriguing experience was in store.

ASP’s ‘The Piano Lesson’ is a Supernatural Theatrical Experience

January 30, 2025January 30, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Jade Guerra, “ranney”, Jonathan Kitt and Omar Robinson in Actors’ Shakespeare Project’s production of August Wilson’s *The Piano Lesson*. Photos by Nile Scott Studios.

‘The Piano Lesson’ – Play by August Wilson. Directed by Christopher V. Edwards. Scenic Design by Jon Savage; Costume Design by Nia Safarr Banks; Lighting Design by Isaak Olson; Sound Design by James Cannon. Presented by Actors’ Shakespeare Project in partnership with Hibernian Hall. At Hibernian Hall, Boston, through Feb. 23.

By Mike Hoban

As the cold January winds send a chill through the streets of Boston and the change in the nation’s political climate sends shivers through the hearts of our most vulnerable, Actors Shakespeare Project has delivered a masterpiece of a production – just when we need it most. For the third straight year, ASP has staged a selection from August Wilson’s 10-play American Century Cycle about the Black experience in 20^th Century America, and while the previous offerings (Seven Guitars in 2023 and King Hedley II last year) were both on my (and most reviewers) annual ‘Best Of’ lists, ASPs The Piano Lesson catapults Wilson’s work into the stratosphere.

Malpaso Dance Company Brings Its Hot Fusion of Cuban Dance, Music, and Spice to Boston’s Winter Wonderland

January 19, 2025January 19, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Malpaso Dance Company. Photos by Robert Torres

Celebrity Series of Boston presents Malpaso Dance Company. Executive Director and Co-Founder Fernando Sáez. Artistic Director and Co-Founder Osnal Delgado. At the Robert J. Orchard Stage, Paramount Center, January 17-18.

By Shelley A. Sackett

With good reason, Malpaso Dance Company is one of Cuba’s most sought-after dance companies. Since its inception in 2012, the company of 11 dancers has served as global ambassadors of Cuban culture, heritage and artistry.

Lyric Stage’s ‘Crumbs from the Table of Joy’ Has A Tale to Tell

January 19, 2025January 19, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Cast of Lyric Stage’s ‘*Crumbs From The Table Of Joy’.* Photos: Mark S. Howard
Thomika Marie Bridwell, Madison Margaret Clark, and Dominic Carter

‘Crumbs from The Table Of Joy.’ Written by Lynn Nottage. Directed by Tasia A. Jones. Sound Design by Aubrey Dube. Costume Design by Mikayla Reid. Scenic Design by Cristina Todesco. Lighting Design by Eduardo Ramirez. Produced by Lyric Stage at 140 Clarendon Street, 2nd Floor, Boston, through February 2nd.

By Shelley A. Sackett

Luck

Sometimes a crumb falls
From the tables of joy,
Sometimes a bone
Is flung.

To some people
Love is given,
To others
Only heaven.

— Langston Hughes

James Mercer Langston Hughes, best known for his Harlem Renaissance Jazz Poetry, wrote “Luck” in 1947. The poem can be interpreted as a commentary on unfairness, deprivation, and the pursuit of love. It could also be read as a reminder of the injustices faced by Black Americans and other “have-nots’ who must bear witness to the overflowing bounty of the “haves” and hope they are in the right place at the right time to scoop up the discarded scraps.