Ethan Carlson, Sean Bell, Bridget Delaney, and E. Mani Cadet in “The Wizard of Oz” at North Shore Music Theatre thru July 20, 2025. Photos by Paul Lyden
‘The Wizard of Oz’ — Written by L. Frank Baum. Directed by Robert W. Schneider. Music and Lyrics by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg; Background Music by Herbert Stothart. Presented by North Shore Music Theatre, 54 Dunham Road, Beverly through July 20.
By Shelley A. Sackett
North Shore Music Theatre continues its streak of winners with The Wizard of Oz, a spectacular extravaganza of a show that has everything going for it — top-notch talent, a stunning set, spot-on direction, clear and understandable sound, clever costumes and lighting, marvelous choreography, and a bang-up live orchestra.
Paul Melendy and Thomika Marie Bridwell in Gloucester Stage Company’s “The Garbologists.” Photos by Shawn G. Henry
‘The Garbologists’ — Written by Lindsay Joelle. Directed by Rebecca Bradshaw. Presented by Gloucester Stage Company at 267 East Main St., Gloucester, through July 26.
By Shelley A. Sackett
Rebecca Bradshaw, Producing Artistic Director of Gloucester Stage Company and director of its first-rate The Garbologists, couldn’t have timed it better. With Republic Services sanitation workers in the second week of their strike, garbage is on everyone’s mind as bags pile up on the North Shore and throughout Greater Boston.
Chloe Kolbenheyer, Lucas Connor in Witch Hunt Theatre’s ‘BUG’
‘Bug’ – Written by Tracy Letts. Directed by Taylor Stark. Starring and creative contributions from: Ty Hendrix, Chloe Kolbenheyer, Lucas Connor, Jack Essner, and Jen Platt. Witch Hunt Theatre’s ‘Bug’ ran from June 26th – June 29th.
By Charlotte Snow
One of the many reasons I never liked watching sports is that the act of being a spectator always makes me want to play rather than be cooped up, sitting in the bleachers. Conversely, I develop the same urge when I watch live theatre – with the difference being that I’m reasonably good at theatre and I would get dismembered if I attempted any sport. So you can imagine how amped up I felt watching Witch Hunt Theatre’s immersive and site-specific production of Tracy Letts’ Bug.
Stephen Markarian, Kayla Shimizu in “Little Shop of Horrors.” Photo: Nile Scott Studios
‘Little Shop of Horrors’ – Written by Alan Menken; Book & Lyrics by Howard Ashman; Directed by Ilana Ransom Toeplitz; Music Direction by Bethany Aiken; Choreographed by Chris Shin; Stage managed by Shauwna Dias Grillo. Presented by Boston Stage Company, Stoneham, MA, through June 29.
By C.J. Williams
If you’ve never seen Alan Menken and Howard Ashman’s Little Shop of Horrors, now is the time. You couldn’t catch a better rendition of this bitingly smart, gut-splittingly goofy musical if you drove to Manhattan for a Broadway show. Running for one more weekend in Stoneham, Little Shop is the classic story of a downtrodden orphan who gets a break – or does he? Menken and Ashman, as a team, have a blast both playing with – and tossing out – the classic tropes of love, rags-to-riches, and fairy godmother/good luck. By the time they’re done, we’re breathless.
Cast of Arlekin Players’ ‘Our Class’. Photos by Irina Danilova
Arlekin Players presents Our Class. Written by Tadeusz Slobodzianek. Adapted by Norman Allen. Directed by Igor Golyak. Scenic Design by Jan Pappelbaum. Costume Design by Sasha Ageeva. Lighting Design by Jeff Adelberg. Sound Design by Ben Williams. Projection and Video Design by Eric Dunlap, Igor Golyak with Andrea Mincic. Choreography by Or Schraiber. At Boston Center for the Arts, Calderwood Pavilion, 527 Tremont Street, Boston, through June 22nd.
By Linda Chin
With four 2024 Lucille Lortel Awards (Outstanding Revival, Director, Ensemble, Scenic Design) for its Off-Broadway premiere of Our Class in hand, Arlekin Players’ artistic director, Igor Golyak and producing director Sara Stackhouse have brought their production home to Greater Boston for audiences to “enjoy”. The play’s limited run at the BCA during June – Immigration Heritage Month – is timely given the 15-year-old Needham-based company’s history as an ensemble of immigrants from countries in the former Soviet Union. Written by Tadeusz Slobodzianek and adapted by Norman Allen, Our Class follows the stories of ten Polish classmates, half Jewish and half Catholic, who lived together in the small village of Jedwabne across eight decades of the 20th century.
Cast of Arlekin Players’ ‘Our Class’. Photos by Irina Danilova
‘Our Class’ – Written by Tadeusz Słobodzianek. Adapted by Norman Allen. Directed by Igor Golyak. Staged by Arlekin at the Calderwood Pavilion at Boston Center for the Arts, Boston, through June 22.
By Shelley A. Sackett
No one can take his audience on an emotional and artistic roller coaster like Igor Golyak, founder and artistic director of Arlekin Players Theatre & Zero Gravity (Zero-G) Theater Lab. With “Our Class,” in production through June 23 at the Calderwood Pavilion, he introduces us to characters we initially relate to and bond with, spins an artistically ingenious cocoon, and then tells a tale that rips our heart to shreds and leaves us too overwhelmed to even speak.
Harrison Gilberti and cast in College Light Opera Company’s “The Pirates of Penzance”
“The Pirates of Penzance”. Written by W. S. Gilbert. Composed by Arthur Sullivan. Directed by James Mills. Musical Director Alex Gutierrez. Presented by College Light Opera Company (CLOC), Highfield Theatre, 58 Highfield Drive, Falmouth through June 21.
By Michele Markarian
If you’re looking to escape for a few hours with some lighthearted, humorous entertainment with a large dose of talent, do yourself a favor and head over to Highfield Theatre to see College Light Opera Company’s Pirates of Penzance. The enthusiasm of the college-aged cast, the brevity of James Mills’ direction, and the excellent orchestra under Alex Gutierrez make this production a joy to witness.
‘The Tempest’ – William Shakespeare. Directed by Elizabeth Hunter. Stage Management by Lex Bryan. Movement Direction by Daniel Abraham. Costume Design by Carolyn Jones. Hair and Makeup Design by Jeanné Callinan. Theatre@First’s, ‘The Tempest’ runs from June 6th – June 22nd, with rain dates on June 27th – June 29th, at Nathan Tuft’s Park at Powderhouse Circle, 850 Broadway, Somerville, MA, 02144.
By Charlotte Snow
Shakespeare in the park is a time-honored tradition among English Lit nerds, parents dragging teenagers to see “something cultured,” and theatre-makers alike. The factors that stop audiences dead in their tracks from going to are 1.) it’s Shakespeare and 2.) there’s always a chance that it could be BAD Shakespeare. (We all have some idea, or flashback, as to how bad BAD Shakespeare can truly be.) Thankfully for all, Theatre@First’s fails to disappoint and their production of ‘The Tempest’ casts a spell over its audience.
Cast of Treehouse Collective’s ‘Bull in a China Shop’. Photos: Brian Higgins
‘Bull in a China Shop.’ Written by Bryna Turner. Directed by Lisa Tierney. Stage Manager – Nicole O’Keefe; Lighting Designer – Dan Clawson; Set Designer – Britt Ambruson; Sound Designer/Sound and Light Op – Dannie Smith. Presented by The Tree House Collective at Abbott Memorial Theatre at Hovey Players, 9 Spring St., Waltham through June 29.
By Shelley A. Sackett
Mary Emma Woolley may be the least-known important historical figure you’ve never heard of. A radical feminist, education reformer and suffragette, she served as president of Mount Holyoke College from 1900 to 1937. She also lived a fairly openly lesbian life and shared a life-long partnership with Jeannette Marks, her former student and a firebrand academic revolutionary and writer.
The cast of ‘Buddy’ at The Cape Cod Playhouse. Photos by Nile Scott Studios.
The Cape Playhouse presents ‘Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story’. Written by Alan Janes. Direction by Meredith McDonough. Music Direction by Matt Cusack. Choreography by Felicity Stiverson. Sets by Lex Liang. Costumes by Kathleen Geldard. Lights by Kat C. Zhou. Sound by Jeff Sherwood. At the Cape Playhouse, 820 Main Street, Route 6A, Dennis, MA, through June 21.
By Linda Chin
Each summer, thousands of theatergoers who flock to the Cape Playhouse, a converted 1790 meeting house in Dennis, MA, set on twenty-six peaceful and pristine acres off Route 6A, are transported to a simpler time and treated to a professional production amidst a beautiful backdrop of history and nature. With the musical Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story as the Playhouse’s 2025 season opener, patrons should anticipate being transported to the years 1956 to 1959 and educated about aspects of musical legend Buddy Holly’s life and career, bearing witness to rock ‘n’ roll history in the making and treated to the sounds of “chirping” Crickets performing over 20 of Holly’s hits.
