Gloucester’s ‘Paradise Blue’ Personalizes the Myth of Urban Renewal

August 31, 2022 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

The cast of ‘Paradise Blue’ at Gloucester Stage. (L to R Alexandria Danielle King, Durrell Lyons, Darian Michael Garey, Dereks Thomas)

Paradise Blue – Elyse Joyner and Logan Pitts, Co-directors; Janie Howland, Scenic Designer; Nia Safarr Banks, Costume Designer; Aubrey Dube, Sound Designer; Toni Sterling, Lighting Designer. Presented by the Gloucester Stage Company, 267 East Main Street, Gloucester through September 18

by Mike Hoban

There’s no shortage of compelling human drama in Paradise Blue, the ambitious 2018 play by Obie Award-winning playwright Dominique Morisseau, now playing at Gloucester Stage. The noir-tinged play explores the lives of the denizens of Paradise Blue, a jazz club nestled in the entertainment district of Paradise Valley in Black Bottom, a predominantly black neighborhood in Detroit in the late 1940’s. But the drama inside the club pales next to the looming threat that lies outside the club’s door – the impending gentrification that will destroy the neighborhood in the years to come under the guise of “urban renewal”.

“See if this plan to clean up the city don’t mean to clean us out,” says one prescient character to his bandmate. “Get rid of all the n***ers. Just like the Mayor say in his campaign – we the blight he talkin’ ‘bout.”

Gloucester Stage’s ‘Grand Horizons’ Asks, “After 50 Years of Marriage, What’s Love Got to Do with It?”

August 1, 2022August 22, 2022 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Cast of Gloucester Stage’s ‘Grand Horizons’

Written by Bess Wohl; Directed by Robert Walsh; Scenic Design by Jenna McFarland Lord; Costume Design by Chelsea Kerl; Lighting Design by Anshuman Bhatia; Sound Design by Dewey Dellay. Presented by Gloucester Stage through August 21.

by Shelley A. Sackett

Nancy and Bill (played by real life spouses and stellar actors Paula Plum and Richard Snee) are introduced in their cookie cutter split level house as they go about their chores preparing for dinner. Silently and robotically, they perform their choreographed rituals. Bill sets the table; Nancy dishes out the food. Is this a couple so in sync after so many years that they don’t need to talk or is each seething with rancor just below their calm demeanor?

Finally, Nancy speaks. “I think I would like a divorce,” she says matter-of-factly. “All right,” Bill responds.

Gloucester Stage Company’s ‘Gloria’ Provocatively Asks, “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story?”

June 9, 2022June 13, 2022 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

*Cast of Gloucester Stage’s production of “Gloria” by Branden Jacob Jenkins. Photos: Shawn G. Henry*

‘Gloria’ — written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. Directed by Bryn Boice. Scenic Design by Jeffrey Petersen; Costume Design by Rachel Padula-Shufelt; Lighting Design by Aja M. Jackson; Sound Design by David Remedios. Presented by Gloucester Stage Company, 267 East Main St., Gloucester through June 26.

by Shelley A. Sackett

‘Gloria’ takes us on a ride inside the rollercoaster that is the essence of a 2010s Manhattan cultural magazine’s editorial assistant bullpen subculture. (Its playwright, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, worked at The New Yorker for three years). These players are unapologetic and clear about their singular goal: to leave their dead end stepping-stone jobs, climb out of the low prestige depths of editorial assistantship and secure a book deal before turning thirty. Each is constantly on the backstabbing prowl in search of that tipping point moment that will catapult them out of their murky office pit.

Gloucester Stage Wraps Outdoor Season with Thought-Provoking ‘Reparations’

September 8, 2021 Theater Mirror1 Comment

From L to R: Lisa Tharps, Angela Pierce, Jason Bowen and Malcolm Ingram in Gloucester Stage’s ”Reparations’

‘Reparations’ – Written by James Sheldon. Directed by Miriam Cyr. Creative Team: Jon Savage (Scenic Design); Kat C. Zhou(Lighting Design); Veronica Barron and Christopher Vu (Sound Design); Deirdre McCabe Gerrard (Costume Design); Logan Pitts(Dramaturg). Presented by Gloucester Stage Company at Windhover Center for the Performing Arts, 257R Granite St, Rockport, MA through September 19

By Mike Hoban

If you’re considering seeing the Gloucester Stage production of Reparations, but are wary of being drawn into a staged version of yet another politically charged discussion in our increasingly polarized world, let me say that the title may be a bit misleading. While the play does examine the topics of race and privilege, the 400 years of systemic racism is not necessarily the central theme; instead, Reparations delves into a more universal horror while exploring the intersection of power and evil.

Gloucester Stage Serves Up a Tasty Comic Dish with ‘Seared’

August 11, 2021August 16, 2021 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Jordan Pearson, James Louis Wagner, Matt Monaco, and Emily Bosco in ‘Seared’ at the Windhover Center for the Performing Arts in Rockport. Presented by Gloucester Stage Company. Photos by Jason Grow.

Seared – Directed by Victoria Gruenberg. Scenic Design by Anya Klepikov; Stan Mathabane Sound Design by Stan Mathabane; Lighting Design by Aja M. Jackson; Costume Design by Kathleen Doyle. Presented by Gloucester Stage Company at Windhover Center for the Performing Arts, 257R Granite St, Rockport, MA through August 22

by Mike Hoban

It’s an age-old question. Does making money and achieving a degree of fame from one’s chosen art form somehow diminish the art itself? If your name is Harry, the gifted chef in Theresa Rebeck’s entertaining comedy Seared, the answer is a resounding ‘YES’. After winning praise from New Yorker magazine for a particularly inventive and mouthwatering scallop dish that is boosting business at his struggling restaurant, Harry (James Louis Wagner) immediately goes full-on diva, refusing to make the meal for customers because (ostensibly) the quality of said mollusks at the fish market fail to meet his lofty standards.

Gloucester Stage’s ‘Baskerville” Is A Literal Breath of Fresh Air

July 23, 2021July 24, 2021 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Alexander Platt as Holmes and William Gardiner as Watson in Gloucester Stage’s ‘Baskerville’. All photos by Jason Grow

‘Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery’ – Written by Ken Ludwig. Directed by Jim O’Connor. Set Design by Janie E. Howland; Lighting Design by Marcella Barbeay; Original Music/Sound Design by Dewey Dellay; Costume Design by Miranda Kau Giurleo; Props Design by Emme Shaw; Dialect Coach – Erica Tobolski; Action Consultation by Robert Walsh. Presented by Gloucester Stage Company at the Windhover Center for the Performing Arts in Rockport through July 25.

By Shelley A. Sackett

Nothing could be finer than to be at theater-en-plein-air in Rockport on a clear and balmy summer evening carousing with the brilliant cast of the spectacularly entertaining Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery. Penned by Ken Ludwig, the Tony-award winning playwright of Lend Me A Tenor, this fast-paced comedic melodrama is a riff on the quintessential detective, Sherlock Holmes, and his faithful sidekick, Dr. John Watson.

This time, the dynamic duo is called upon to crack the case of “The Hound of the Baskervilles” before a family curse dooms its newest heir. Along the way, they encounter a motley crew of eccentric characters, hair pin plot twists and turns and red herrings galore. The 2-hour-15-minute (including one intermission) production flies by as five spectacularly talented actors play more than forty characters whose slapstick gestures and hyperbolic speeches they perform with impeccable pacing and precision. Couple this with stellar set, lighting, sound and prop designs, and theatergoers are in for a rollicking evening of good old-fashioned fun.

Gloucester Stage’s ‘Tiny Beautiful Things’ A Welcome Return to Live Theater

June 15, 2021June 15, 2021 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Nael Nacer, Celeste Oliva, Adrian Peguero and Kelly Chick in ‘Tiny Beautiful Things’ at at the Windhover Center for the Performing Arts in Rockport. All photos by Jason Grow

by Mike Hoban

‘Tiny Beautiful Things’ – Written by Nia Vardalos. Based on the book by Cheryl Strayed. Co-Conceived by Marshall Heyman, Thomas Kail, & Nia Vardalos. Directed by Lyndsay Allyn Cox. Set Design by Kristin Loeffler; Lighting Design by Kat C. Zhou; Sound Design by Elizabeth Cahill; Costume Design by Chelsea Kerl. Presented by Gloucester Stage Company at the Windhover Center for the Performing Arts in Rockport through June 27.

One of the only silver linings of having lived a life scarred by booze and drug addiction, physical/sexual abuse and abandonment is that surviving and healing from those horrors can provide a unique perspective that can be useful in helping others who have been similarly afflicted. It’s the model that 12-Step programs and other peer-to-peer support groups are built upon, and it’s also the premise of Tiny Beautiful Things, now being presented by Gloucester Stage outdoors at the Windhover Center for the Performing Arts in Rockport. If you’re looking for a re-entry production that will remind you of the power and joy of experiencing live theatrical performance, this is the ticket.

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Gloucester Stage Company Serves Up Full-Bodied Blues in ‘Paradise Blue’

October 9, 2020 Henry HarveyLeave a comment

‘Paradise Blue’ — Written by Dominique Morisseau; Directed by Jackie Davis; Produced by Gloucester Stage Company at Oneline/Virtual Space, as part of its 2020 Never Dark Series. Streaming online October 1-4 at https://gloucesterstage.com/battle-not-begun/

By Shelley A. Sackett

There’s a raw poetic cadence to the dazzling dialogue of playwright Dominique Morisseau’s final play in her trilogy set in Detroit across decades. It’s 1949, and the downtown Blackbottom entertainment district is home to many black-owned jazz clubs, including the Paradise Club. Director Jackie Davis sets the tone immediately. Against an opening montage of black and white period photos and a pained, bone-melting trumpet solo, we hear a single gunshot. This film noir trope is a perfect entrance into ‘Paradise Blue’ and an introduction to the complicated passions that drive its five characters.

1938 Munich Agreement Unmasked in Gloucester Stage’s Inventive ‘The Battle Not Begun’

September 10, 2020October 1, 2020 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

‘The Battle Not Begun-Munich 1938:The Brink of War’ – Written by Jack Beatty; Directed by Miriam Myriam Cyr; Produced by Gloucester Stage Company at Oneline/Virtual Space in collaboration with Punctuate4, an all-female led production company based on the North Shore, as part of its 2020 Never Dark Series. Streaming online September 3-6 at https://gloucesterstage.com/battle-not-begun/ .

By Shelley A. Sackett

Those of us who eschew the national news in favor of mental equilibrium and spiritual health should be forewarned: it is nearly impossible to watch this historically grounded play and not draw some scary parallels to global current events. The points between 1938 and 2020 beg to be connected.

That said, ‘The Battle Not Begun,’ written by playwright and NPR news analyst Jack Beatty, is as artistically absorbing as it is factually repellant. Under Myriam Cyr’s tight editing and sharp-eyed direction, the audience becomes a fly on the wall at the fateful meeting between Adolph Hitler and British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain that gave Hitler a green light to launch what became World War II.

Exploring Native Gardens at Gloucester Stage

October 13, 2019 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

(Leigh Strimbeck, Alaina Fragoso, Eduardo Ruiz, Patrick Shea in ‘Native Gardens’ at Gloucester Stage. Photos by Jason Grow)

Review by James Wilkinson

Native Gardens – Written by Karen Zacarias. Directed by Kelly Galvin. Scenic Design: Lindsay Genevieve Fuori. Lighting Design: Marcella Barbeau. Costume Design: Chelsea Kerl. Sound Design: Alexis Rappaport. Props Design: Emme Shaw. Produced by Gloucester Stage Company, 267 E. Main St., Gloucester through October 20.

It was idle curiosity, more than any other factor, that brought me to Gloucester Stage Company’s production of Native Gardens. The play by Karen Zacarias made Theatre Communication Group’s list of the most produced plays for the 2018/2019 season (tying for placement with Paula Vogel’s Indecent), and I think that the achievement means something about where we (and that’s the collective “we”) are right now. In an age where more plays than ever are being written and with the canon of producible plays being so vast, something about this play managed to capture the attention of audiences across the country (or maybe it’s more appropriate to say that it managed to captured the attention of the regional theater Artistic Directors). All art is reflective of the artist, but popular art is reflective of the culture. I missed the Merrimack Repertory Theatre production last year, but now the play has come to Gloucester Stage and I wasn’t going to miss the chance to partake and see just who it is we all are.