Reviewed by Tony Annicone
The Hanover Theatre’s holiday presentation this year is the eleventh annual production of “A Christmas Carol” adapted and directed by Troy Siebels. The historic Hanover Theatre is a jewel of a theatre hidden away in Worcester and is breathtakingly gorgeous and splendiferous. It first opened in 1904 as a burlesque theatre, in 1926 as a movie theatre and in 2008 as a gorgeous show place that needs to be discovered by one and by all. The Theatre seats 2300 people and 19,000 patrons discovered this musical version of the show last year. Troy once again has a huge cast of 30. The underlying themes of charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence found in “A Christmas Carol” are universal and are relevant to people of all religions and backgrounds.
Tag: Review
Central Square’s Joyous ‘A Christmas Carol’ Melds Victorian Era with Present Day

by Mike Hoban
A Christmas Carol – Directed by Debra Wise; Scenic Design by David Fichter; Costume Design by Leslie Held & Elizabeth Rocha; Lighting Design by John R. Malinowski; Sound Design by Mark Bruckner. Presented by The Nora Theatre Company and Underground Railway Theater at the Central Square Theater at 450 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge through December 30
Central Square Theater’s inspired production of A Christmas Carol is proof positive that, in the right hands, you really can take an iconic story, deviate a bit from conventional characterizations and staging, and still present a work that will enthrall even staunchest of traditionalists. This version of A Christmas Carol keeps its roots firmly planted in Dickens’ Victorian England, while offering a bit of inclusive multiculturalism, featuring depictions of the characters that you’re not likely to see in the old black-and-white movie versions of the holiday favorite. But Central Square seems less interested in scoring political or sociocultural points than re-imagining this classic in a way that more closely reflects today’s audiences, and the changes actually enliven the story.
Read more “Central Square’s Joyous ‘A Christmas Carol’ Melds Victorian Era with Present Day”A Fire in Winter at Boston Playwrights’ Theatre

by James Wilkinson
‘Winter People’ – Written by Laura Neill. Directed by Avital Shira. Scenic Design: Kayla Williams. Lighting Design: Mark Fortunato. Sound Design: Aubrey Dube. Costume Design: Chloe Chafetz. Fight Choreographer: Jessica Scout Malone. Dramaturg: Cayenne Douglass. Presented by Boston Playwrights’ Theatre at Boston Playwrights Theatre, 949 Commonwealth Ave. Boston through December 16
Boston Playwrights’ Theatre’s new production, Winter People by Laura Neill, creates a community by showing one in disintegration. It builds its narrative by pulling us, scene by scene, through the stories of five different families that make their home in the Hamptons. They’re not the upper of the upper class we usually associate with the Hamptons, the ones who summer in the McMansions. Rather, they’re the middle and lower-middle class Americans that make the area their home year-round, the ones who stay through the winter. A wide cast of characters from this community is allowed to interact in a way that might put you in mind of a Robert Altman film. Neil’s play has that kind of laid back approach to its storytelling. The play begins with a mystery, but that soon fades into the background. She’s more interested in showing how these five families intersect with each other until they form a much larger web and how their fates play into each other. That first mystery (and what it builds on) pulls you in and thanks to the skills of the actors, the play has a handful of arresting moments. But you might leave the theater (as I did) feeling as though the premise has been skimmed rather than dived into.
Read more “A Fire in Winter at Boston Playwrights’ Theatre”ART’s ‘Barber Shop Chronicles’ A Shear Delight

by Mike Hoban
‘Barber Shop Chronicles’ – Written by Inua Ellams; Directed by Bijan Sheibani; Set Design by Rae Smith; Lighting Design by Jack Knowles; Sound Design by Gareth Fry; Music Direction by Michael Henry; Movement Direction by Aline David. Co-produced by Fuel, National Theatre, and West Yorkshire Playhouse. Presented by American Repertory Theater at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St. Cambridge, through Jan. 5.
Ever since the release of the movie series of the same name in the early 2000’s, I’ve pretty much thought of the “Barber Shop” as the social and cultural domain of African-American men. It had never occurred to me before seeing Barber Shop Chronicles (now playing at the A.R.T.), that the same elements that made barber shops a safe haven for black men in the U.S. – namely, a place where they could gather and express themselves without the judgement/harassment of an often hostile society – were also a cultural institution in other corners of the world, despite knowing that those same conditions existed pretty much everywhere, including the African continent.
Read more “ART’s ‘Barber Shop Chronicles’ A Shear Delight”Liars and Believers Offer a Warm Tale On A Cold Night

by James Wilkinson
‘A Story Beyond: A Musical Fable’ – Written by Jason Slavick and Rachel Wiese. Directed by Jason Slavick. Music and Lyrics by Nathan Leigh. Puppetry Design and Direction: Faye Dupras. Costume Design: Kendra Bell.Lighting Design: PJ Strachman. Scenic Design and Props Master: Rebecca Lehrhoff. Mask Design: Becca Jewett. Presented by Liars and Believers at theBoston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont St., Boston through December 22.
Liars and Believers’ new production, A Story Beyond: A Musical Fable, ended up being my favorite kind of theatrical experience. The kind where you go with barely any knowledge of what you’re walking into, the house lights go down, the stage lights come up and the expectations you didn’t know that you had end up being shattered. You’re not so much presented with a world to observe but rather, you’re invited into that world, given the chance to let the experience surround you. It washes over with a warm glow and you don’t want to leave. The production’s theatrical vocabulary is drawing from inspirations older than the Greeks, but it manages to employ that vocabulary with a zing that gives it an energy that feels of the moment.
Read more “Liars and Believers Offer a Warm Tale On A Cold Night”BARBER SHOP CHRONICLES – Where Real Men Gather, Gab, and Get Groomed

By Sheila Barth
BOX INFO: One-act, 110-minute play, written by Inua Ellams, co-produced by The Fuel, National Theatre, and West Yorkshire Playhouse, appearing at American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) through Jan. 5, 2019, on its US premiere tour, Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Cambridge: Dec. 19-22. 26-29, 31, Jan. 2-5, at 7:30 p.m.; Dec. 19,22,23, 27, 29-31, Jan.5, 2 p.m.. Tickets start at $25, subscriber, member, groups, student, senior, Blue Star families EBT cardholders and other discounts. americanrepertorytheater.org, 617-547-8300.
We all do it. While getting our hair cut or styled at the barber shop or salon, we engage in small talk with our hairdresser/barber. We even discuss lofty topics, solving the world’s problems. Sometimes, we lean over a bit to eavesdrop on what the person in the chair nearby is revealing. Strangely enough, we openly talk about family and friends’ secrets, our feelings, likes and dislikes, political and personal problems to a stranger. You never know what truths, boasting, or bravado may erupt, but you know the dynamic exists globally.
Read more “BARBER SHOP CHRONICLES – Where Real Men Gather, Gab, and Get Groomed”FUTURITY (Wilbury Theatre Group, Providence, RI)

Reviewed by Tony Annicone
The current show at Wilbury Theatre Group is the Rhode Island premiere of “Futurity”, an avant-garde-Americana musical by Cesar Alvarez and the Lisps. It mixes sci-fi with 19th Century Americana. The story follows the correspondence between Ada Lovelace, the real life daughter of Lord Byron, who was a poet and a mathematician, and Julian Munro, a completely fictional soldier during the American Civil War who served with the Ohio regiment.
A CHRISTMAS CAROL Stadium Theatre, Woonsocket, RI
Reviewed by Tony Annicone
Stadium Theatre’s holiday show this year is the new musical production of “A Christmas Carol.” This version of this well known holiday tale contains special flying effects, snow and a full 9 piece orchestra. This version was written by John Popa who also wrote the witty lyrics with music written by Steve Parsons. “A Christmas Carol” is a timeless story that still resonates with people of all ages and carries a message that is as genuine and poignant now as it was when it was first written back in 1843.
NSMT’s ‘A CHRISTMAS CAROL’ Brings the Classic to Glorious Life

Reviewed by Tony Annicone
Current artistic director Kevin Hill directs this year’s presentation of its favorite holiday show once again. He also directed “Mamma Mia”, the megahit at NSMT this past summer for four sold out weeks. “Christmas Carol” is the tale of curmudgeonly Ebenezer Scrooge, who is visited by the ghosts of Jacob Marley,Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come who hope to change his destiny and to save his soul. Audiences are taken on a strange and magical journey with Scrooge that helps him regain his exuberance for the true meaning of Christmas once more. Bill spares no expense in bringing this splendid heartwarming tale to audiences for his ninth year. Kevin and his cast and crew delivers the goods with audiences leaping to their feet at the curtain call. They are moved to laughter and tears at all the appropriate moments. Bravo once again on a job very well done!
Read more “NSMT’s ‘A CHRISTMAS CAROL’ Brings the Classic to Glorious Life”Company Theater’s Oliver! a Homegrown Joy

By Linda Chin
Oliver! Directed by Zoe Bradford and Jodie Saucerman .Presented by The Company Theatre at the Center for Performing Arts, 30 Accord Park Drive, Norwell through December 16
Seeing shows, particularly musicals at Company Theater usually puts me in a good mood (and for me, are worth the long drive to Norwell), and the current production of Oliver! (running through December 16) is no exception. It is a theater company whose productions and casts seem to be selected with the audience and community in mind, and feelings of family and pride for local talent permeate the experience once you walk through the door.
Read more “Company Theater’s Oliver! a Homegrown Joy”
