CSC’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ Stirs Christmas Spirit with Victorian Song

December 14, 2025December 14, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Kathryn McKellar, Will Lyman in CSC’s ;*Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol*‘.
Photos by Nile Scott Studios

Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol − Adaptation by Steve Wargo with Musical Arrangements by Dianne Adams McDowell; Directed by Steven Maler; Musical Direction by Dan Rodriguez; Scenic Design by Scott Bradley; Choreography by John Lam; Lighting Design by Jessica Elliot and Eric Southern III; Sound Design by David Remedios; Costumes by Fabian Fidel Aguilar. Presented by Commonwealth Shakespeare Company at Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre, Tremont St., Boston, through December 23.

By Mike Hoban

I’ve been a huge fan of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol ever since I was a young boy, although I must confess that my deep appreciation didn’t come from reading the novella. Instead, it was the delightful cartoon musical Mister Magoo’s Christmas Carol that first captured my heart and imagination. Featuring a musical score by legendary Broadway composer Jule Styne (Gypsy, Funny Girl, and dozens more), the animated production entertainingly conveyed the story’s central message of redemption and learning to care for others in a way that even an eight-year-old could understand. From there, I graduated to the iconic 1951 Alastair Sim film, and each holiday season try to incorporate one or both into my holiday-themed viewing to rekindle some of that nostalgic Christmas spirit.

Keeping the Faith: Voncille Ross on 55 Years of Boston’s “Black Nativity”

December 12, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

By Killian Melloy

For 55 years, the National Center of Afro-American Artists’ (NCAAA) production of Langston Hughes’ “Black Nativity” has been a holiday tradition, a community gathering, and what some have called “Boston’s Black community’s holiday card to the world.” At the helm of this enduring celebration is Voncille Ross, Executive Producer and Director of NCAAA Black Nativity, whose connection to the production has endured nearly as long as the show itself.

Theater Mirror’s Kilian Mellow Interviews Boston Favorite Will Lyman on Playing “Scrooge” in Commonwealth Shakespeare’s “A Christmas Carol”

December 8, 2025December 9, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Will Lyman as Scrooge in CSC’s “A Christmas Carol”

Ebenezer Scrooge is the ultimate Christmas villain. Indeed, his name has become synonymous with unthinking greed paired with the sort of flinty hard-heartedness that denies joy to oneself as well as to others. His trademark exclamation of “Bah! Humbug!” has become a universal shorthand for dismissal of all things joyful and celebratory.

The Huntington’s Superb Musical ‘Fun Home’ Plumbs Memories and Memoirs

December 5, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Caleb Levin, Odin Vega, Lyla Randall in ‘Fun Home’ at the Huntington. Photos by Marc J Franklin

‘Fun Home’ — Music by Jeanine Tesori. Book and Lyrics by Lisa Kron. Based on the graphic novel by Alison Bechdel. Directed by Logan Ellis. At the Huntington Theatre, Huntington Ave., Boston through Dec. 14.

By Shelley A. Sackett

In less capable hands, the multiple Tony Award-winning Fun Home, at the Huntington through Dec. 14, could have been a disaster. Adapted from Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel memoir, the storyline follows a family’s journey through sexual orientation, gender roles, suicide, emotional abuse, grief, loss, and lesbian Bechdel’s complicated relationship with her tightly closeted father. To boot, the title refers to the family funeral parlor, where her father worked and she and her siblings played.

Doesn’t sound like the raw material for one of the year’s outstanding Boston area productions? Think again.

Holiday Mashup of Dickens and Holmes is Both Familiar and Surprising

November 27, 2025November 27, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Jon-Vellante, Paul-Melendy, and Christopher-Chew in Lyric Stage’s ‘A Sherlock Carol’.
Photos by Nile Hawver

‘A Sherlock Carol’ – Written by Mark Shanahan; Directed by Ilyse Robbins; Featuring Paul Melendy; Leigh Barrett; Christopher Chew; Jon Vellante; Mark Linehan; Michelle Moran; Scenic Design by Erik D. Diaz; Costumes by Sophia Baramidze; Lighting Design by SeifAllah Solotto-Cristobal; Sound Design by Alex Berg; Presented by Lyric Stage Boston, Boston, MA running November 14 through December 21.

By C.J. Williams

Famously, Dickens’ A Christmas Carol opens with the line, “Marley was dead: to begin with.” Playing now at the Lyric Stage until December 21st, A Sherlock Carol, opens to the tune of “Moriarty was dead: to begin with”. The famous consulting detective is in a black, offensive, depression (throwing out friends and spitting “Bah!”). Moriarty is dead, and Holmes, self-obsessed and shut in on Christmas Eve, refuses all invitations from Watson to partake in holiday cheer…and Moriarty is dead. But that might just as easily have been said of Scrooge at the opening of his story, and Holmes, as we enter A Sherlock Carol, are dead themselves: They’ve both lost the thing that gives hope to the human heart.

Scrooge was essentially brought back to life. Can Holmes be?

Saul Rubinek Recasts Shakespeare in the Provocative ‘Playing Shylock’

November 20, 2025November 20, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Saul Rubinek in “Playing Shylock at the Polonsky Shakespeare Center.” Photo by Dahlia Katz

By Shelley A. Sackett

Ask a Jewish audience what their first reaction is when they think about Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice,” and chances are they will mention the negative portrayal of Jews by the Venetian moneylender and play’s principal villain, Shylock. Long considered a slur against Jews, the very term was condemned by the Anti-Defamation League as antisemitic as recently as last July, when Trump described bankers as “shylocks and bad people” during a rally in Iowa.

Muggles Marvel At Magic Tricks in Emerson Colonial’s ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’

November 20, 2025November 20, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Cast of ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ at Emerson Colonial Theatre
Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy

‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.’ Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany. A new play by Jack Thorne. Directed by John Tiffany. Presented by Emerson Colonial Theatre at 106 Boylston St., Boston through Dec. 20.

By Shelley A. Sackett

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is handicapped before the curtain even rises. It is based on the Harry Potter series, a seven-book global phenomenon created by J.K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The main story arc concerns Harry’s conflict with a dark wizard (Lord Voldemort) who intends to become immortal, overthrow the wizard governing body, and subjugate all wizards and Muggles (non-magical people).

Strong Performances Lift Theatre Uncorked’s ‘Blood Brothers’

November 18, 2025November 18, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Zach Fuller, Michael Mazzone, and Laurel Casey in Theatre Uncorked’s ‘Blood Brothers’

‘Blood Brothers’ − Book, Lyrics, and Music by Willy Russell. Directed by Audrey Seraphin; Music Direction by Gina Naggar; Set Design by Leonard Chasse; Sound Design by Tim Rose; Lighting Design by Erik Fox and Amber Kovacs; Costume Design by Richard Itczak; Presented by Theatre Uncorked at the BCA Plaza Theatre, 539 Tremont St, Boston, through November 23rd.

By Mike Hoban

At a time when the gap between the haves and have-nots is again approaching levels not seen since the Gilded Age, Theatre Uncorked’s powerful production of Blood Brothers could not be more well-timed. The stark difference between those who are “comfortable” and those who will struggle daily to meet their basic needs was driven home during the recent governmental shutdown. Food banks were overwhelmed, and the harsh reality of a paycheck-to-paycheck existence exposed the class divide in the world’s wealthiest nation. Blood Brothers may be set in 1960s and 1970s Liverpool, England, but it could easily be any city in post-industrial Western civilization.

Boston Ballet’s ‘Jewels’ Is A Real Gem

November 17, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Boston Ballet in George Balanchine’s ‘Jewels’ ©The George Balanchine Trust, photo by Rosalie O’Connor courtesy of Boston Ballet

‘Jewels’ — Choreography by George Balanchine. Music by Gabriel Fauré, Igor Stravinsky, and Peter Tchaikovsky. Costumes by Karinska. Lighting by Brandon Stirling Baker. Presented by Boston Ballet. With the Boston Ballet Orchestra conducted by Mischa Santora. Run has ended.

By Shelley A. Sackett

It’s easy to understand why George Balanchine’s Jewels has endured for more than 50 years. An abstract work, the triptych is not shackled to the narrative constraints of traditional ballet. Rather, each of its three pieces — “Emeralds,” “Rubies,” and “Diamonds” — is a pure sensorial feast of luscious music and stunning choreography. The work is easily appreciated by audiences new to the genre, yet also presents challenges for experienced dancers and critical aficionados.

Theater Mirror’s Kilian Melloy Interviews ‘SpaceBridge’ Creator Irina Kruzhilina

November 17, 2025November 18, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Irina Kruzhilina. Photo by Olga Scorobogach

“I was born in Russia,” New York-based theater maker Irina Kruzhilina explains as our interview commences. “My mom was born in Ukraine. My father’s a Georgian Jew, which makes the situation right now, as you can imagine, very difficult. But I think that most people who are in Russia, or those who escape, do have this background, whether it’s Russian-Ukrainian or Russian-something else.”

Raised in Moscow during the days of the Soviet Union, Kruzhilina witnessed the transformation of Russia first-hand… and then witnessed its reversion. “I moved here the year Putin became the president,” she recalls. “I immediately moved to the States, where I got my second master’s in theater and started working. I have training in theater design, and I got additional training in directing.” That training stood Kruzhilina in good stead last year when she did the scenic design for Arlekin Players’ The Gaaga — work that earned her an Elliot Norton Award.