Huntington Returns Home with Compelling ‘Joe Turner’s Come and Gone’

October 21, 2022October 25, 2022 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Robert Cornelius, Shannon Lamb, Maurice Emmanuel Parent and Stewart Evan Smith in ‘Joe Turner’s Come and Gone’ at The Huntington

‘August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone’ by August Wilson. Directed by Lili-Anne Brown; Arnel Sancianco, Scenic Design; Samantha C. Jones, Costume Design; Jason Lynch, Lighting Design; Aubrey Dube, Sound Design. Presented by The Huntington Theatre, 264 Huntington Ave through November 13

by Mike Hoban

The road to recovery, a friend once told me, does not begin until we are broken. When we reach our bottom, that’s when the journey begins. August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, now being presented by the Huntington Theatre Company, is jam-packed with broken people searching for a way to ease their pain. But with some guidance from a healer, some may find the path to a new life. Brilliantly acted, and infused with a surprising amount of genuine humor, Joe Turner takes us on a spiritual journey during the turn of the century (20^th)in Pittsburgh, the setting for Wilson’s 10 play cycle chronicling the Black experience.

Stephen Sondheim’s ‘Sweeney Todd’ – Meaty Material Performed to Perfection at Company Theatre

October 19, 2022October 20, 2022 Theater Mirror8 Comments

MaryAnn Zschau, Peter Adams in ‘Sweeney Todd” at Company Theatre

Sweeney Todd – Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Book by Hugh Wheeler. Directed by Sally Ashton Forrest. Musical Direction by Steve Bass. Lighting Design by Dean Palmer Jr. Costume Design by Bri Plummer. Set Design by Ryan Barrow. Presented by Company Theatre, Norwell, through October 23.

by Linda Chin

Legendary lyricist-composer Stephen Sondheim, who became a “giant in the sky” in November 2021 at the age of 91, is arguably the most important figure in musical theater history, and Sweeney Todd is arguably his masterpiece. Yet it is produced less frequently by regional and community theaters than Company, Gypsy, or Into the Woods. Set in London during the Industrial Revolution, the story of a villainous duo who make meat pies filled with human remains is brilliant, but more macabre than Sondheim’s other works, and most musicals in general. Its dark presentation of lust, murder, obsession and revenge, societal and mental health decline, may not appeal to audiences looking for light-hearted entertainment in these depressing times. Even in the best of times, it is a colossal undertaking that asks for customized set pieces and scenic elements, and actors and musicians who can play the complicated characters and handle Sondheim’s challenging score.

Goodspeed’s Re-imagined Revival of 42nd Street is a Thoroughly Modern Musical

October 17, 2022October 20, 2022 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Cast of ’42nd Street’ at Goodspeed Musicals

by Linda Chin

The classic musical 42^nd Street is set in 1933 NYC, when The Great Depression has drained people’s bank accounts and dampened their spirits, and where the bright lights of The Great White Way have dimmed. Producers and co-writers Bert Barry and Maggie Jones and director Julian Marsh are desperate for their new show Pretty Lady to be a hit. They’ve infused the show with comedic bits, big musical numbers, and sexual innuendo that should pack houses, and assembled a sensational cast. Jones knows that tapping dancers are crowd pleasers, and that taking her gaggle of chorus girls out to lunch makes for happier hoofers. Marsh, a brusque and hard-driving taskmaster, rallies his actors “to work and sweat and work some more,” and “dance ‘til your feet fall off” and in five weeks, “it’ll be the best damn show this town’s ever seen.”

“Drumfolk” a Powerful Testimony to the Triumph of Spirit and Community

October 8, 2022October 8, 2022 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

by Michele Markarian

“Drumfolk”, by Step Afrika! Directed by Jakari Sherman. Stephen M. Allen, Composer. Presented by Arts Emerson, Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre, 219 Tremont Street, Boston through October 16.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from “Drumfolk”, having never been to a Step Afrika! Production, other than it must have something to do with drums, as the title suggests. What I got instead was a complete narrative experience of a period in history using dance, song, storytelling, and yes, drumming, not just with drums, but with the rhythm in the performers’ bodies. This rhythm, born when drums were forbidden to enslaved Africans, gave birth to the subsequent percussive movement known as “stepping”.

Gothic Horror & Humor in the “#Me Too” Age at The Umbrella Arts Center

October 4, 2022October 4, 2022 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

*Harker (Joseph Jude) is surrounded by Dracula (Dustin Teuber) and his “wives” (Emily Sheeran and Bowen Huang) in ‘Dracula, a feminist revenge fantasy, really*‘ at *The Umbrella Stage Company*

“Dracula, a feminist revenge fantasy, really.” By Kate Hamill; Based on the novel by Bram Stoker; Directed by Michelle Aguillon; Presented by The Umbrella Stage Company at The Umbrella Arts Center, 40 Stow St. Concord, MA. Performances through Oct. 30th.

by Tom Boudrot

The season-opening production of The Umbrella Stage Company is action-packed, funny, scary and perfect for the Halloween month – but a word of caution, it’s definitely NOT for children under 16 years old. Award-winning writer Kate Hamill (who earned raves for her adaptation of Pride and Prejudice) tells the story of the 125-year-old vampire tale from a female perspective. Dracula, like so many 19^th century classics, still attracts an appreciative audience but has not necessarily aged well in today’s social climate.

Lauren Yee’s ‘The Great Leap’ Simply Soars at Portland Stage

October 3, 2022 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Cast of “The Great Leap” at Portland Stage

‘The Great Leap’ – Written by Lauren Yee. Directed by Natsu Onoda Power. Scenic Design by Anita Stewart. Costume Design by Nicole Wee. Lighting Design by Alberto Segarra. Sound Design by Kathy Ruvuna. Projection Design by Dylan Uremovich. Presented by Portland Stage at 25A Forest Ave, Portland, ME through October 2^nd (closed).

by Linda Chin

Always hungry for new narratives that build community and cultural understanding, and still marveling from powerful productions of award-winning playwright Lauren Yee’s Cambodian Rock Band at Lowell’s Merrimack Rep and NYC’s Signature Theatre a few years before, I hightailed it from Boston to Portland Stage for The Great Leap. These plays helped Yee garner the double distinction of having multiple works on American Theater’s list of Top 10 Most Produced Plays, and of being one of the nation’s Top 20 Most Produced Playwrights (second to Lauren Gunderson) in 2019-20.

Opera Curious but Still Reluctant? BLO’s ‘La Boheme’ is the Show to See

September 29, 2022 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Cast of BLO’s ‘La Boheme’ at the Emerson Colonial Theatre

‘La Boheme’ – By Giacomo Puccini with music and libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. Directed by Yuval Sharon; Music Direction by BLO Music Director David Angus, conducting the BLO Orchestra and Chorus. Stage design by BLO Artistic Advisor John Conklin. Costume design by Jessica Jahn. Lighting design by John Torres. Presented by Boston Lyric Opera in a co-production with Detroit Opera and Spoleto Festival USA at the Emerson Colonial Theatre, 106 Boylston St. through Oct. 2.

by Mike Hoban

If you’re curious about opera, but have avoided going in the past for any number of reasons, Boston Lyric Opera’s production of La Boheme may be the perfect entrée into the genre. As someone who doesn’t know an aria from an obbligato, I’m not qualified to comment on the quality of the production in relation to previous iterations, but damn was this a great evening of entertainment. This was not my first excursion into opera, and with the exception of the standards Pagliacci and The Threepenny Opera and the compelling historical opera Schoenberg in Hollywood, I’ve found a lot of the form – particularly the modern ones – to be repetitive and dirge-like. And while I’ve enjoyed aspects of the aforementioned pieces, La Boheme stands alone as a thrilling entertainment.

Ogunquit Playhouse’s ‘Beautiful’ Cast Gives Its Love ‘So Sweetly and Completely’

September 26, 2022September 27, 2022 Theater Mirror1 Comment

Sarah Bockel as Carole King and cast in ‘Beautiful’ at Ogunquit Playhouse. Photos by Gary Ng

‘Beautiful’ – Book by Douglas McGrath. Words and Music by Gerry Goffin and Carole King, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. David Ruttura, Director. Joyce Chittick, Choreographer/Associate Director. Nick Williams, Music Director. Derek McLane, Scenic Design. Alejo Vieti, Costume Design. Richard Latta, Lighting Design. Kevin Heard, Sound Design. Roxanne De Luna, Wig Design. At Ogunquit Playhouse through October 30

by Linda Chin

Back in the pre-music streaming, pre-CD teenage days, I stayed in bed all morning on many a Saturday listening to (and singing along with) Carole King’s Tapestry over and over, getting up only to advance the needle on the record player. I studied the album cover – her fuzzy sweater and jeans atop bare feet, tangle of frizzy hair, furry cat and confident but relaxed gaze so different from my own self-portrait; I absorbed her songs “It’s Too Late” (about the breakup of a loving relationship), “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?” (about the aftermath of a one-night stand) as gospel, so foreign were these concepts from my own experience. Especially on those days when I didn’t get up with a smile on my face, King was the enthusiastic cheerleader, understanding therapist, reliable friend who’d come running if needed.

NSMT’s ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ Turns Campy Cult Classic into Musical Comedy Gem

September 23, 2022 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Audrey II, Andrew Montgomery Coleman (as Seymour Krelborn) and Kim Sava (as Audrey) in LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS at North Shore Music Theatre thru October 2, 2022. Photos © Paul Lyden

‘Little Shop of Horrors’ – Book by Howard Ashman; Music by Alan Menken; Based on the film by Roger Corman, screenplay by Charles Griffith. Directed by Bob Richard; Choreography by Diane Laurenson; Music Direction, Dan Rodriguez. Presented by North Shore Music Theatre at 54 Dunham Road, Beverly, MA through October 2

by Mike Hoban

Little Shop of Horrors, now playing at the North Shore Music Theatre, is the rarest of modern musicals. Unlike the recent Broadway trend of taking a good (or at least popular) movie and turning it into a bad musical, Little Shop transforms a very bad movie – but supremely campy cult favorite – and turns it into a very good musical. Combining an early 60’s inspired rock ‘n roll score and an absurd but very funny plot, it’s the very definition of a musical comedy.

Greater Boston Stage Company’s ‘Popcorn Falls’ is Feel-Good Fare

September 22, 2022 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Christopher Chew and Sarah Elizabeth Bedard in Greater Boston Stage Company’s ‘*Popcorn Falls’*

‘Popcorn Falls’ – Written by James Hindman. Directed by Lisa Rafferty. Scenic Design by Kristin Loeffler, Lighting Design by Elmer Martinez, Costume Design by Deirdre Gerrard, Sound Design by Caroline Eng, Properties Design by Sarajane Mullins. Presented by Greater Boston Stage Company, 395 Main St., Stoneham, through October 2.

by Linda Chin

Like eating popcorn on the couch with an old friend, Greater Boston Stage Company’s production of Popcorn Falls fills that craving for comfort food that many people have had since the pandemic began – for the feelings of nostalgia, or belonging, that a familiar family recipe evokes. The play’s title Popcorn Falls refers to both the name of a small town where the story takes place, and its namesake waterfall which provides a source of drinking water and an income stream from tourism. At the top of the show we are introduced to the town’s newest resident, Mayor Trundle (Christopher Chew) and long-term resident/town clerk, Joe (Sarah Elizabeth Bedard) who are anxiously preparing for a community meeting to discuss a most urgent situation: the town is nearly bankrupt.