Bill Mootos as Howard Beale in Umbrella Arts’ ‘Network’. Photos by Jim Sabitus
‘Network’ – Based on the screenplay by Paddy Chayefsky. Adapted for the Stage by Lee Hall. Directed by Ashley Kelly Tata. Scenic Designer, Afsoon Pajoufar; Lighting & Projections Designer, Seif Allah Salotto-Cristobal; Audio Designer, Aubrey Dube; Costume Designer, Nancy Leary. Presented by Umbrella Arts Center, Main Stage Theater40 Stow St, Concord, MA, through November 3
by Mike Hoban
It’s always a challenge to bring an iconic movie to the stage, even more so when its signature line, “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore!” is one of the most recognizable in film history (#19 on the list of America’s Greatest Movie Quotes according to the American Film Institute). It’s also a lot of pressure to put on an actor, but as the network news anchor turned crazed prophet Howard Beale, Bill Mootos delivers, and he does so without mimicking the brilliantly maniacal performance of Peter Finch (who played Beale in the film). Instead, his portrayal of Beale is more of a world-weary “grand old man of the news” gone mad, and it works beautifully – without losing any of the intensity of the character.
The cast of “Titanic The Musical” at North Shore Music Theatre. Photos: David Costa Photography
Reviewed by Tony Annicone
The sixth show of North Shore Music Theatre’s 69th Season is “Titanic, the Musical” with a book and story by Peter Stone, who also wrote “1776” and music and lyrics by Maury Yeston, who also did the same for “Nine” and “Grand Hotel”. This is an epic musical about the 1912 sinking of the legendary ocean liner in the world, Titanic, when it ran into an iceberg. The show is a stirring and emotion-packed production based on the real people aboard this ship. It focuses on the passengers’ hopes, dreams, and aspirations for their future, who each boarded with solid and personal ambitions of their own. All of them were unaware of the terrible fate that awaited them. These passengers were the Third-Class immigrants who dreamed of a better life in America and were not treated very well by the snobbish upper classes; the Second Class imagined that they too could join the lifestyles of the rich and famous with varying success, while the millionaire men of the First Class anticipated their legacies lasting forever. It can also be seen as a cautionary tale of human greed that still exists today. The politics between Captain Edward Smith, the shipbuilder Thomas Andrews, and the overbearing chairman of the White Star Line Board, J. Bruce Ismay, who pressured Captain Smith to accelerate the speed of the maiden voyage to impress news headlines to help him out financially with his business. Ismay did not give a hoot about the passengers’ safety. He was a scummy businessman. In Act 1, we meet the multitude of characters on the ship with many joyous and hopeful moments, while in Act 2, the passengers who escape face their shattered dreams while going to the lifeboats while the doomed ones must make peace with their farewells to each other. The most heartbreaking farewell occurs between Isidor and Ida Straus who owned Macy’s Department Store. The love and devotion between these two people who have been married for 40 years is displayed in their beautiful and poignant duet “Still” which rips your heart out before this magnificent, breathtaking musical comes to a close. The audience leaped to their feet in a spontaneous standing ovation with cheers and tears streaming down their face as it was a well-deserved reward.
Shira Cahn Lipman, Matt Finn, Shai Wolf, Todd Sandstrom, Travis Karas, Em Sheeran, Todd Yard in Treehouse Collective’s ‘February House’
‘February House’ – Music and Lyrics by Gabriel Kahan. Story by Seth Bockley. Directed by Katie Swimm. Music directed by Jeff Kimball. Produced by AJ Lyman. Presented by The Treehouse Collective at 539 Tremont Street, Boston, MA, 02131 from September 27th to October 13th.
by Helen Ganley
7 Middagh Street consists of plain wooden chairs sitting atop a worn red Turkish carpet, nestled between a golden bar cart and a brown settee, all tied together by a pinstriped chair in the corner. This homey, if dilapidated, artist’s enclave comes to life in The Treehouse Collective’s production of February House.
‘Million Dollar Quartet’ – Book by Colin Escott and Floyd Mutux. Directed and choreographed by Greg Santos. Music Director Sam Sherwood. Scenic Design by Kyle Dixon. Original Costume Design by Travis M. Grant. Lighting Design by Jose Santiago. Sound Design by Alex Berg. Hair and Wig Design by Rachel Padilla-Shufelt. Through October 6, 2024, at North Shore Music Theatre, 64 Dunham Road, Beverly, MA.
By Linda Chin
A million shout-outs to the uber-talented cast of the Tony Award-winning musical Million Dollar Quartet at Bill Hanney’s North Shore Music Theatre. For about a hundred minutes, actor-musicians Sam Sherwood (Carl Perkins), Blake Burgess ( Johnny Cash), Brandon Fillette (Jerry Lee Lewis), Noah Barnes (Elvis Presley), Joe Bentley (Brother Joy), Stephen Blauch (Fluke), Zach Cossman (Sam Phillips), and Hailie Lucille (Dyanne, the lone female character) teach us some history and gift us with a whole lot of musical magic.
Cast of ‘Leopoldstadt’ at the Huntington. Photos by Liza Voll Photography
‘Leopoldstadt’ – Play by Tom Stoppard. Directed by Carey Perloff. Scenic Design by Ken MacDonald; Costume design by Alex Jaeger; Original Music and Sound Design by Jane Shaw; Lighting Design by Robert Wierzel; Projection Design by Yuki Izumihara.Presented by The Huntington in association with Shakespeare Theatre Company at the Huntington Theatre, 264 Huntington Ave., Boston, through Oct. 13.
By Mike Hoban
As members of any marginalized group trying to integrate into an established community can tell you from firsthand experience, assimilation doesn’t necessarily mean acceptance. The sad truth is that all too often, money, education, physical attributes, or achievement cannot overcome the deep-rooted prejudices of those who cling to the privilege of their skin color, religion, or nationality. Just ask the Obamas.
Sarah Morin, Jenny S. Lee and Aimee Doherty in CST‘s ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’
Central Square Theater presents THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES. Adapted from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic tale. Written by Steven Canny and John Nicholson. Directed by Lee Mikeska Gardner. Scenic & Properties Design by Julia Wonkka. Costume Design by Leslie Held. Lighting Design by John R. Malinowski. Sound Design by David Bryan Jackson. At Central Square Theater, 450 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, through October 6, 2024.
Starting and ending at Baker Street, London, and largely set in Devonshire, England circa 1889, this spoof of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic The Hound of the Baskervilles tells the following tale: Super-sleuth Sherlock Holmes and trusty sidekick Dr. James Watson are summoned to investigate the unusual and unnatural death of Sir Charles Baskerville, whose corpse was discovered on the ground surrounded by giant paw prints. The actors and audience members journey together to the mansion and moors to answer the following three questions and unlock the mystery: What frightened Sir Charles Baskerville to death? Is the family the target of a robbery or an ancient curse? Is Charles’ young heir Henry being stalked by a human murderer or a supernatural hound?
Cast of ‘Laughs in Spanish’ at Speakeasy Stage. Photos by Nile Scott Studios
‘Laughs in Spanish’ – Written by Alexis Scheer. Directed by Mariela López-Ponce. Scenic design by Erik D. Diaz. Costume design by Rebecca Glick. Lighting Design by Amanda E. Fallon. Sound Design by Anna Drummond. Presented by SpeakEasy Stage Company at 527 Tremont Street, Boston, MA, 02116, from September 13th to October 12th.
By Helen Ganley
Bright orange chairs sit below bare white walls bearing blank name cards for conspicuously missing paintings. Henry Fiol’s “Ahora me da Pena” (“Now I Feel Sorry”) wafts through the room as the part-telenovela, part-whodunit begins to unfold onstage. Written by Alexis Scheer, Laughs in Spanish is a contemporary play that explores the intersection of culture, identity, and family dynamics through humor. Scheer, a playwright and actress, debuted this work in 2019 at the Boston Playwright’s Theatre. Speakeasy Stage’s rendering is a high-energy and campy production that speaks to family, relationships, and the importance of connection.
The cast of ‘The Hombres’ at Gloucester Stage. Photos by John Grow Photography.
‘The Hombres’ – Written by Tony Meneses. Directed by Armando Rivera. Movement Design by Nathaniel Justiniano. Set Design by Kristin Loeffler. Costume Design by Chelsea Kerl. Lighting Design by John Holmes. Sound Design by Julian Crocamo. Properties Design by Carolyn Ferris. Presented by Teatro Chelsea & Gloucester Stage Company at 267 E. Main St., Gloucester, MA through September 22. At Chelsea Theatre Works, 189 Winnisimmet St., Chelsea, MA from September 27-29, 2024.
by Linda Chin
Humorous and light-hearted, at times heavy (but never heavy-handed), alternately heartwarming and heartbreaking, playwright Tony Meneses’ The Hombres tells a story of five ordinary men that is exquisitely written and extraordinarily human throughout.
Kim Carrell and Daniel Boudreau in Praxis Stage’s ‘The Arsonists’
The Arsonists – Original play by Max Frisch. Translation by Alistair Beaton. Directed by Bob Scanlan. Costume Design by Maureen Festa. Lighting Design by Kevin Fulton. Sound Design by Mackenzie Adamick. Presented by Praxis Stage. At Chelsea Theatre Works, 189 Winnisimmet Street, Chelsea, MA, through Sept. 15.
by Mike Hoban
“When people show you who they are – believe them” – Maya Angelou
There’s not a lot of subtlety in the point of view being expressed in Praxis Stage’s production of The Arsonists, the 1953 work by Swiss playwright dramatist Max Frisch, but the play still delivers a chilling reminder of how our mainstream media has warped our ability to apply critical thinking to even the most obvious of choices. Praxis was formed on November 9th, 2016, as a response to the election of Trump with the goal of linking theater and activism, and it’s never been more starkly on display than here.
Emilia Suárez (Juliet) and Rudy Pankow (Romeo) in A.R.T.’s Romeo and Juliet. Photo Credits: Nile Scott Studios and Maggie Hall
‘Romeo and Juliet’ – By William Shakespeare. Directed by Diane Paulus. Movement and Choreography by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui; Original Music Composed by Alexandre Dai Castaing; Scenic Design by Amy Rubin; Costume Design by Emilio Sosa; Lighting Design by Jen Schriever; Sound Design by Daniel Lundberg. Presented by American Repertory Theater at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Cambridge through October 6.
By Shelley A. Sackett
Diane Paulus, Artistic Director at American Repertory Theater, has raised the bar on production values so often, we’ve come to expect the unexpected from her. From 1776 to Pippin to Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, Gloria: A Life, Jagged Little Pill, Waitress, SIX, and more, theatergoers in Boston have benefitted from her inspiring collaborations and razor-sharp skills to enjoy Broadway-bound productions right in their own backyard.
