Charming, Engaging, and Clever — A.R.T.’s Musical ‘Two Strangers’ Has It All!

June 2, 2025June 2, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Sam Tutty and Christiani Pitts in A.R.T.’s ‘Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)’.
Photos: Joel Zayac

‘Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York).’ Written by Jim Barne and Kit Buchan. Directed and Choreographed by Tim Jackson. Scenic and Costume Design by Soutra Gilmour; Lighting Design by Jack Knowles; Sound Design by Tony Gayle and Cody Spencer; Orchestrations by Lux Pyramid; Music Direction by Jeffrey Campos. Presented by A.R.T.’s Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Cambridge through June 29.

By Shelley A. Sackett

Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York), in its American debut at the American Repertory Theatre,is the perfect antidote to our bleak, cold spring. This sunny, upbeat two-hander musical romantic comedy is as beguiling as it is impeccably acted, directed and produced. In short, it is a full-blown fabulous evening of musical theater at its finest.

Everyone Wants to Be Seen, and Must See “Real Women Have Curves” at ART

December 26, 2023December 27, 2023 Theater Mirror1 Comment

Cast of *“Real Women Have Curves: The Musical”* at the A.R.T.
Photos by Nile Hawver and Maggie Hall

‘Real Women Have Curves: The Musical.’ Music & lyrics by Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez, book by Lisa Loomer. Directed and choreographed by Sergio Trujillo. Music Supervisor Nadia DiGiallonardo; Music direction by Robeto Sinha. Scenic design by Arnulfo Maldonado. Costume design by Wilberth Gonzalez and Paloma Young. Lighting design by Natasha Katz. Sound design by Walter Trarbach. Video design by Hana S. Kim. At the American Repertory Theater’s Loeb Drama Center, Cambridge, through January 21, 2024.

by Linda Chin

Like the ad campaign from my childhood about Levy’s Real Jewish Rye, you don’t have to be Latinx to love Real Women Have Curves: The Musical, an exuberant and empowering production enjoying its world premiere at the American Repertory Theater. Set in the summer of 1987 in Boyle Heights, LA, home to a growing population of Hispanic and Latino residents, the story centers on the three “real women” of a Mexican family. Matriarch Carmen Garcia (Justina Machado) is a housewife and traditional, old-fashioned wife to her husband Raúl, a house painter (Edward Padilla), and mother to two daughters. The eldest, Estela (Florencia Cuenca), runs a small dressmaking shop but aspires to be a designer. The youngest, new HS graduate Ana (Lucy Godínez), was born in the US and is a citizen, aspires to go to college and pursue a writing career. Despite the many bumps and curves in their immigration and life journeys, all three “Garcia Girls” have not lost their accents nor lost sight of their big dreams. But they, like all of us, are desperate to be seen for their authentic selves, beyond their curves and the stereotypes society has placed on them.

A Moving, Jubilant “Real Women Have Curves”

December 16, 2023December 16, 2023 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

By Michele Markarian

“Real Women Have Curves: The Musical”. Music and Lyrics by Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez, Book by Lisa Loomer. Based on the play by Josefina Lopez and HBO’s “Real Women Have Curves”, Screenplay by Josefina Lopez and George Lavoo. Directed and Choreographed by Sergio Trujillo. Presented by American Repertory Theater, Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle Street, Cambridge, through January 21, 2024.

Ana (Lucy Godinez) is the second daughter of an undocumented Mexican family living in Los Angeles, and the only one to have citizenship. She has just received a letter from Columbia University, admitting her as a college student with a full scholarship. However, her sister, Estela (Florencia Cuenca), owner of a dressmaking business, has a huge order to fulfill and needs help. The sisters’ mother, Carmen (Justina Machado), fully expects Ana to work in the family dress factory with Estela. As the only US citizen in the family, Ana has negotiating skills that the rest of the family does not feel comfortable executing themselves. Ana is too afraid to let her parents know her dream of going to a prestigious school, as family, in her case, must come before individual desires. As Carmen likes to say to her, “You have big dreams. Try sleeping less”.

Whitney White and Friends Deliver a Rockin’ ‘MacBeth’ at the A.R.T.

November 1, 2021November 5, 2021 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

*Whitney White, Phoenix Best, Reggie D. White, and Kira Helper in ‘Macbeth In Stride’ at the A.R.T. Photos by Lauren Miller*

by Mike Hoban

‘Macbeth in Stride’ – Created and performed by Whitney White; Directed by Tyler Dobrowsky and Taibi Magar; Choreography Raja Feather Kelly; Orchestrations by Steven Cuevas and Whitney White; Music Director, Steven Cuevas; Scenic Design, Dan Soule; Sound Design, Alex Giorgetti; Lighting Design, Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew; Costume Design, Qween Jean. Presented by American Repertory Theater at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Cambridge, through November 14.

Shakespeare has never been particularly kind to women, with many of his tragic “heroines” not making it through to the end of the play. Whether they died by their own hand, accident, or were murdered, the common thread has always been that they were generally partners to powerful men that were grossly insecure, paranoid or outright lunatics (Romeo aside). Lady Macbeth, the most brutally determined of all of Shakespeare’s women, is the driving force behind her husband’s ascension to the throne, convincing him to commit murder, but is rewarded for her blind ambition by going mad and committing suicide – offstage no less.

‘Conjurors’ Parlor Tricks Deliver Astonishment

March 17, 2021March 30, 2021 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Ran’d Shine of “The Conjuror’s Club” now online at the A.R.T.

By Mike Hoban

“The Conjurors Club” – Created by Vinny DePonto and Geoff Kanick. Presented online by American Repertory Theater through May16.

I can’t say I ever been a big fan of magic, probably because I could never separate the high profile practitioners from the actual craft. When I was growing up, there was the ostentatious and oft-parodied Siegfried & Roy with their white tigers; the cheesy made-for-TV illusions of David Copperfield (he made the Statue of Liberty disappear and floated over the Grand Canyon); and the cuddly hippie Doug Henning, none of which held any kind of appeal for me. What I missed, however, was that magic was never about spectacle, but rather about the joy of astonishment. It’s something that the A.R.T.’s The Conjurors Club delivers in spades – as well as hearts, clubs and diamonds – with their bewildering card tricks and sleights of hand.

A.R.T’s “The Black Clown” a Searing New Work

September 7, 2018September 8, 2018 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

by Mike Hoban

The Black Clown – Adapted from Langston Hughes poem by Davóne Tines and Michael Schachter; Music by Michael Schachter; Music Direction by Jaret Landon; Choreography by Chanel DaSilva; Directed by Zack Winokur; Scenic & Costume Design by Carlos Soto; Lighting Design by John Torres; Sound Design by Kai Harada. Presented by the American Repertory Theater at the Loeb Mainstage, 64 Brattle St., Cambridge through September 23

Reading Langston Hughes’ poem The Black Clown after experiencing the world premiere of this stunning new work of the same title, it’s pretty amazing to see how literal the interpretation of the poem is – especially considering the complexity of the music, dance and movement in the piece. The original poem is broken into two sections, “The Mood”, which essentially reads like bare-boned stage directions, and “The Poem”, which provides all of the lyrics for the entire production – despite being just 17 stanzas long. The Black Clown, said Hughes, is “a dramatic monologue to be spoken by a pure-blooded Negro in the white suit and hat of a clown, to the music of a piano or an orchestra.”

ART’s “Hear Word!” Triumphant and Powerful

February 2, 2018February 2, 2018 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

By Michele Markarian

Hear Word! Naija Woman Talk True –Written by Ifeoma Fafunwa, Tunde Aladese, Mojisola Abijola, Wole Oguntokun, Princess Olufemi-Kayode, Ijeoma Ogwuegbu. Directed by Ifeoma Fufunwa. Presented by American Repertory Theater, 64 Brattle Street, Cambridge through February 11.

After seeing “Hear Word”, I spent the day texting friends, urging them to get tickets to this powerful, life-affirming show. Here’s my text to you –

“Hear Word” is a collection of vignettes written from interviews with Nigerian women and performed by a talented cast of ten women. Grounded in truth and accompanied by three talented drummers (Blessing Idireri, a.k.a. Kacomari, Emeka Anokwuru a.k.a. Make Beat, and Ebisidor Asiyai) the stories are funny and tragic, sometimes both at the same time. Living in a society where men hold all the cards, the women have to constantly fight to protect their bodies, their dignity and their right to be who they are. If that weren’t enough, relationships with their own sex, including mothers and mothers-in-laws, tend to be judgmental and without compassion. Which is why the piece is so powerful – it is compassionate, and compassion, when in short supply, doesn’t come easy.

Bedlam’s Sense & Sensibility at A.R.T. is “Uncommonly Good”

December 18, 2017January 11, 2018 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

By Mike Hoban

Bedlam’s Sense & Sensibility – By Kate Hamill; Based on the novel by Jane Austen; Directed by Eric Tucker; Choreography by Alexandra Beller; Scenic Design by John McDermott; Lighting Design by Les Dickert; Costume design by Angela Huff; and Sound Design by Alex Neumann. Presented by Bedlam at American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.), Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Cambridge through January 14

Fans of New York-based Bedlam have been eagerly awaiting the theater troupe’s return to Cambridge, and as we saw once again on opening night, with ample reason. Anyone who had seen their insanely clever productions of St. Joan and Twelfth Night/What You Will (both of which won Eliot Norton and IRNE Awards for Best Visiting Productions in 2015 and 2017 respectively) at the Central Square Theatre in recent years must surely have had the performance dates circled on their calendars. And Bedlam, true to form, did not disappoint.

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.

A.R.T.s “Arrabal” Electrifies

May 22, 2017June 6, 2017 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

By Mike Hoban

Arrabal – Book by John Weidman; Music by Gustavo Santaolalla/Bajofondo; Choreographed by Julio Zurita; Directed and co-choreographed by Sergio Trujillo; Choreography by Julio Zurita; Scenic Design by Riccardo Hernandez; Costume Design by Clint Ramos; Lighting Design by Vincent Colbert; Sound Design by Peter McBoyle; Projection Design by Peter Nigrini. Presented by the American Repertory Theater at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Cambridge, through June 18

It may be relatively early in the 2017 theater season, but it seems highly unlikely that anything you will see on Boston stages (or anywhere else) this year will pack the kind of visual, aural and emotional wallop that Arrabal – now making its United States premiere at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge – will deliver to the senses. This tango-based work combines Latin music and dance with a horrific (and true) political story to create a singular theatrical experience that is alternately steamy and harrowing.