Oberon’s “The Fever” Brings Sense of Community to Theatrical Experience

November 16, 2017November 24, 2017 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

by Mike Hoban

The Fever – Written and Directed by Abigail Browde & Michael Silverstone. Created in collaboration with Brandon Wolcott, Emil Abramyan, and Eric Southern. Produced by Oberon in collaboration with 600 Highwaymen. Performed at the Ex at the Loeb Theatre, 64 Brattle St. Cambridge through November 19

If you’re one of those folks who is a little (or a lot) skittish about the thought of attending a show where audience participation is built into the theatrical experience, relax, The Fever is not that kind of a show. In fact, it’s not really a “show” at all, certainly not in any traditional theatrical sense. This oddly compelling piece plays more like a social experiment in unforced compliance than theater, but it works in a way that never feels forced or hokey.

Trinity Rep’s 40th Anniversary “A CHRISTMAS CAROL” A Holiday Gem

November 15, 2017 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

Trinity Repertory Company ushers in the holiday season for their 40th Anniversary of their production of “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens and adapted by Adrian Hall and Richard Cumming. The show’s underlying themes of charity, forbearance and benevolence are universal and are equally relevant to people of all religions and backgrounds especially with the unsettling events in this country and around the world. This familiar tale is about the curmudgeonly miser, Ebenezer Scrooge, who is visited by the ghosts of Jacob Marley, Christmas Past, Present and Future who hope to change his destiny and save his soul to ultimately discover the true meaning of Christmas.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in Night-Time and the Mystery and Suspense Genre

November 12, 2017November 12, 2017 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

by Michael Cox

The Curious Incident of the Dog in Night-TimeAdapted by Simon Stephens from the novel by Mark Haddon. Produced by Speakeasy Stage Company and playing at the Stanford Calderwood Pavilion October 20 – November 25.

Just after midnight in Swindon, a town 71 miles West of London, fifteen-year-old Christopher John Francis Boone finds a dog brutally murdered in his neighbor’s garden. Wellington, a cherished family pet, has been impaled with a pitchfork and is still pinned to the ground. Mrs. Eileen Shears, the owner of the dog and the garden, calls the police. And when they arrive they’re looking for answers. But Christopher can’t provide them. Instead, he assaults the officer.

As The Curious Incident of the Dog in Night-Time unfolds, Christopher tells us his side of the story. He writes it down in a notebook as part of a school project, and he chooses to convey the experience as a murder mystery.

‘Three Fifths Traveling Minstrel Show’ Entertains and Provokes

November 11, 2017November 24, 2017 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

by Evan McKenna

‘Three Fifths Traveling Minstrel Show’ – Created and Written by James Scruggs. Directed by Mark Rayment. Presented by Sleeping Weazel at the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA, 527 Tremont St. Boston, through 11/9

We live in an age when too much political discourse takes place over Facebook and Twitter, where we can safely hide our opinions behind screen names. We can choose to ignore the perspectives of those whom we disagree with and move on. But that liberty is lost when you are confined to an intimate room with a diverse audience, where a play about racial issues is being staged. Such was the case with James Scruggs’ tense and confrontational “Trapped in a Traveling Minstrel Show” which made its debut at the BCA.

Revisiting History with The Longwood Players’ “A Bright Room Called Day”

November 9, 2017November 9, 2017 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

by James Wilkinson

The Longwood Players present A Bright Room Called Day by Tony Kushner. Nov 3-11, 2017. Presented at Chelsea Theatre Works. Directed by Kaitlyn Chantry. Set Design by John Randell. Lighting Design by Erik Foxx. Costume Design by Sandy Chantry. Sound Design by Lee Neikirk. Projection Design by Sunil Doshi. Prop Designer by Kaitlyn Chantry and Kat McCorkle.

I have a friend who absolutely refuses to read a book more than once. Her reasoning is that once she knows what’s going to happen in the story, (AKA the plot), she loses interest. For her, the magic is in finding out what happens next. Personally, I’ve never been that sort of person (and have argued with her on that point many times), but her theory is one that you often find lobbed at theater companies, especially those who specialize in the classical cannon (“Why, oh why do we need to see yet another production of Hamlet?”). To those people I would say that a theater script isn’t like a novel or a movie, which remains fixed each time the viewer comes to it. A play script is more like a template or, if you like, a tool box. Even within the most precise of writers there can be a great deal of variety in how a theater director explores the possibilities the playwright lays out. As an audience member, there can be a great deal of fun in going to a new production of a play you’ve seen before and saying “How are they going to tackle this one?”

Sleeping Weazel Combines Thought-Provoking Message, Humor with “Traveling Minstrel Show”

November 6, 2017November 8, 2017 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Review by James Wilkinson

3/Fifths’ Trapped in a Traveling Minstrel Show. Conceived and Written by James Scruggs. Directed by Mark Rayment. Scenic and Graphic Design by Michael O’Reilly. Video Design by Jason Batcheller. Lighting Design by Bridget K. Doyle. Sound Design by Mark Van Hare. Choreographed by Nejla Yatkin. Makeup Artist: Brian Strumwasser. Presented by Sleeping Weazel through November 11.

There’s an inherent irony present in this review which I cannot help but appreciate. A white male is going to tell you what he thinks about a show that is very concerned with examining what happens when black men do not have control over their own narratives. If this is the kind of scenario that bothers you, then feel free to check out after this paragraph (I promise that I won’t take it personally). I’ll boil the review down to this: You should go see Sleeping Weazel’s production of James Scrugg’s play, 3/Fifths’ Trapped in a Traveling Minstrel Show. You should see it, form your own opinion on the work and contribute to the conversation that Scruggs and his director, Mark Rayment are trying to start.

Still with me? Fantastic…

NSMT’s “42ND STREET”

November 5, 2017 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

Welcome back to 1933 and the wonderful world of tapping feet in “42nd Street” at North Shore Music Theatre with a huge cast of 30 performers. It is loosely based on the 1933 movie musical with the same name which starred Ruby Keeler and Dick Powell. The stage musical version opened on August 25, 1980 and ran until January 8, 1989, won the Tony Award for Best Musical. It starred Jerry Orbach as Julian Marsh and Tammy Grimes as Dorothy Brock and I was fortunate enough to catch that musical back in 1980. “42nd Street” is the tale of up and coming chorus girl, Peggy Sawyer who arrives in New York seeking a career on Broadway.

Read more “NSMT’s “42ND STREET””

“In the Heights” Soars at Wheelock Family Theatre

October 31, 2017October 31, 2017 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

By Michele Markarian

In the Heights. Music and Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Book Quiara Alegria Hudes. Directed by Rachel Bertone. Presented by Wheelock Family Theatre, 200 The Riverway, Boston, MA, through November 19.

I don’t know if anyone remembers watching the 2008 Tony awards, but the winner of that year’s Best Musical, Lin-Manuel Miranda, rapped his acceptance speech. “What an odd little guy”, I thought, with a mixture of admiration and disdain (even for the Tonys, it was an unusual form of acceptance speech). I never felt compelled to see “In the Heights”, but given the quality of Wheelock Family Theatre’s musical productions, I figured, why not? This wonderful show, expertly directed and choreographed by Rachel Bertone, does not disappoint.

Lyric’s “Souvenir” a Keeper

October 29, 2017 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

By Michele Markarian

‘Souvenir’ – Written by Stephen Temperley. Directed by Spiro Veloudos. Presented by The Lyric Stage Company of Boston, 140 Clarendon Street, Boston, MA through November 19.

“How many people have already seen the show?” asked Producing Artistic Director Spiro Veloudos during his curtain speech. A large number of hands went up in the audience. “What the heck? Who sees a show twice?” I thought. After seeing “Souvenir” once, I get it. This is one of the funniest shows I’ve seen all year, with its two performers wonderfully in tune with each another.

Read more “Lyric’s “Souvenir” a Keeper”

BATBOY:THE MUSICAL (Providence College)

October 25, 2017October 25, 2018 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

The opening show of Providence College’s Blackfriar’s Theatre is “Bat Boy:The Musical” based on a tabloid story in The Weekly World News. It is a musical reminiscent of “Little Shop of Horrors” and “The Rocky Horror Show” done in a campy manner, lots of blood and gore depicted by lighting. A half boy/half bat creature is a discovered in a cave near Hope Falls, West Virginia in 1953. The local Sheriff brings Bat Boy to the home of the veterinarian, Dr. Parker, where he is eventually accepted as a member of the family and taught to act “normal.” They teach him how to speak and he yearns for acceptance eventually falling in love with Shelly, the daughter of the family incurring the wrath of his foster father. Bat Boy is happy with his new life but when he naively tries to fit in with the narrow-minded people of Hope Falls, they turn on him.