Cast of ‘Incident at Our Lady of Perpetual Help’ at Greater Boston Stage
“Incident at Our Lady of Perpetual Help.” Written by Katie Forgette. Directed by Weylin Symes. Set Design by Shelley Barish; Lighting Design by Chris Fournier; Costume Design by Deirdre Gerrard; Sound Design by Dewey Dellay. Produced by Greater Boston Stage Company, 395 Main St, Stoneham, MA through March 20.
By Shelley A. Sackett
‘Incident at Our Lady of Perpetual Help’ will strike a particular chord among those of us whose wallets now hold Medicare and AARP cards. Written by Seattle-based playwright, Katie Forgette, it is a loving trip down her personal memory lane. She was raised Catholic and attended parochial school for 12 years. Her father was a hard working cab driver; her mother had many jobs, in addition to birthing ten children and caring for her own disabled mother. The family wasn’t poor, but only because her parents sacrificed personal goals and worked as hard as they could to be financially comfortable.
Cast of ‘Allis Calm’ at Greater Boston Stage Company – Photos by Nile Scott Studios
by Shelley A. Sackett
‘All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914’ – Written by Peter Rothstein; Vocal Arrangements by Erick Lichte and Timothy C. Takach; Directed by Ilyse Robbins; Music Direction by Matthew Stern; Set Design by Erik D. Diaz; Lighting Design by Jeff Adelberg; Sound Design by Dewey Dellay; Costume Design by Bethany Mullins. Presented by Greater Boston Stage Company at 395 Main St., Stoneham through December 23, 2021.
From the first note of the first song in the remarkably affecting ‘All Is Calm,’ the choreography chops of its director, Ilyse Robbins, are indisputably evident. Two lines of uniformed men, distinguishable by their country’s military dress, slowly march to the front of the stage as they sing the Scottish folk song, “Will Ye Go to Flanders?” They briefly merge, forming a united single line, before those in the back row return to their original and separate positions. This powerful prologue literally sets the stage and tone for the next intermission-less 70 minutes. We have entered a holy place of unity where a folksong can become a hymnal and where men have the power and ability to come together as one, even if it is merely for a fleeting moment.
Sarah Coombs in‘Swan Lake in Blue’atGreater Boston Stage Company – Maggie Hall Photography
by Mike Hoban
‘Swan Lake in Blue’ – Created
and composed by Steve Bass. Staged and choreographed by Ilyse Robbins. Set Design by Tori Oakes; Lighting Design by
Chris Fournier; Costumes by Kevin Hutchins. Presented
by Greater Boston Stage Company, 395 Main St, Stoneham through March 1st.
If you’re looking for a little risk taking in your theatrical experience, suburban Boston is not typically where you’re headed to find it. Many of the venues rely on a steady diet of classic musicals and New York-tested comic and dramatic offerings to appeal to their subscriber base, and with the exception of the seemingly obligatory dose of gender-bending of late, there’s generally not a lot in terms of innovation going on outside of the city. Which is what makes Swan Lake in Blue, an adrenaline rush of a new work receiving its world premiere at the Greater Boston Stage Company, such a thrill.
Andy McLeavey, Sara Coombs in GSBC’s ‘Swan Lake in Blue’
Reviewed by
Tony Annicone
Greater Boston Stage Company travels back in time for their latest production, a world premiere of “Swan Lake in Blue.” Swan Lake originally premiered in 1877 and was written by Tchaikovsky. Its incredible choreography, beautiful music and compelling tale brings audiences back to see it year after year. Each production of Swan Lake reinvents itself from the classic take ala the Bolshoi Ballet. However, Greater Boston Stage Company takes us into a new “jazzed up” version with their production of “Swan Lake in Blue: A Jazz Ballet.” The work was created by Steve Bass, a Boston based composer and musician, and choreographed by GBSC’s Associate Artistic Director and multiple IRNE and Elliot Norton Award winner, Ilyse Robbins. The music for the show is all original by Bass. This version is set in 1940’s New York City with the main characters tied up with the mob. Odette is a burlesque dancer who dances nightly at the Swan Club where Broadway Producer Siegfried falls in love with her and tries to help her escape the clutches of Von Rothbart, a corrupt mob boss. Will the lovers escape the evil boss or will their love be unrequited? There is absolutely no dialogue in this show, so the dancing conveys what all the characters are feeling and doing with each other. It is nearly two hours of a 16 piece jazz big band with intricately choreographed tap, jazz and lyrical dancing by a group of 13 dancers that captivate you from start to finish.
The Cast of “Miracle on 34th Street” – Photo Credit: Nile Scott Studios.
by Mike
Hoban
‘Miracle on 34th Street’- Adapted by Mountain Community Theater from the novel by Valentine Davies. Based upon the Twentieth Century Fox motion picture Miracle on 34th Street. Directed byIlyse Robbins;Scenic Design byJon Savage; Lighting Design by Andrew Andrews;Sound Design byDavid Wilson. Presented byGreater Boston Stage Company, 395 Main Street, Stoneham through December 22
The holiday season is upon us, and theatergoers looking for a worthwhile Christmas-themed production (other than whatever version of A Christmas Carol is playing at your local theater) should take a trip to Stoneham to check out Miracle on 34th Street at Greater Boston Stage. Director Ilyse Robbins has crafted a buoyant version of the 1947 film of the same name, employing a light comedic touch rather than an overly sentimental tone. The comic flavor is enhanced by a brilliantly colored set by Jon Savage that looks like the backdrop of a 1960’s cartoon, and the hilariously over-the-top performances by the play’s secondary characters produce unexpected laughs throughout.
(Pier Lamia Porter as Marie and Lovely Hoffman as Sister Rosetta in Greater Boston Stage Company’s ‘Marie and Rosetta’. Photos by Nile Scott Studios)
By Julie-Anne
Whitney
‘Marie and Rosetta’ – Writtenby George Brant, Directed by Pascale Florestal; Music Direction by Erica Telisnor; Scenic Design by Baron E. Pugh; Lighting Design by Kathleen Zhou; Sound Design by John Stone; Costume Design by Michelle Villada. Co-Produced by Greater Boston Stage Company and The Front Porch Arts Collective at 395 Main Street Stoneham, MA through November 10, 2019.
In collaboration with The Front Porch Arts Collective, Greater Boston Stage Company (GBSC) continues their 20th Anniversary Season with the New England premiere of George Brant’s Marie and Rosetta. This 90-minute biographical play with music follows the revolutionary American gospel rock musician, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, and her protégée, gospel singer Marie Knight, on the eve of their first rehearsal before embarking on a concert tour that would change their lives forever.
(Paula Plum and Nancy E. Carroll in Greater Boston Stage Company’s “Last Night at Bowl-Mor Lanes”- Photo Credits: Nile Scott Studios)
by Michele Markarian
“Last Night at Bowl-Mor Lanes” – Written by Weylin Symes. Directed by Bryn Boice. Presented by Greater Boston Stage Co., 395 Main Street, Stoneham, through September 29.
Full
disclosure – this reviewer will get tickets to see Nancy E. Carroll, whose
excellent acting never disappoints, in anything. Throw in the buoyant Paula
Plum as scene partner, and you have an onstage chemistry that’s unbeatable, and
undoubtedly the biggest reason to see “Last Night at Bowl-Mor”.
Audience members are immediately thrust into a sense of place with James J. Fenton’s incredible set, the interior of Bowl-Mor, a suburban bowling alley complete with a broken sign (the “M” dangles, upside down) and handwritten “CASH ONLY” sign on the cash register. So ingenious is its construction that the actresses – wait for it – actually bowl during the course of the 90-minute piece, no easy feat.
BOX INFO: World premiere of Greater Boston Stage Company Producing Artistic Director Weylin Symes’ one-act, 90-minute comedy, appearing through September 29:, 395 Main St., Stoneham. $47-$57; seniors, $42-$55; students with valid ID, $20; Wednesday, Sept. 18,25, at 2 p.m.; Thursday, 7:30 p.m.; Friday, 8 p.m.; Saturday, 3,8 p.m., Sept. 21, 8 p.m. only; Sunday, 2 p.m.781-279-2200, greaterbostonstage.org.
One day, Greater Boston Stage Company Producing Artistic Director Weylin Symes got an exciting idea. Wouldn’t it be cool to produce a play featuring bowling on stage. That’s right – bowling. Why not? He answered himself, as he settled down and wrote his one-act , 90-minute comedy, “Last Night at Bowl-Mor Lanes”.
Symes also had an underlying reason. In the mid-20th century, in the former movie theater basement, where Greater Boston Stage Company’s current rehearsal and offices are, formerly existed a bowling alley, where Symes’ dad set up bowling pins when he was a teen-ager. In a sense, this play is Symes’ way of honoring the building and “a generation of women who don’t always get to see themselves on stage,” he said. I’ll spare you some details and strike out with a few reasons you don’t want to miss seeing this – namely, because for the first time, two multi-award winning, versatile Boston area-super stars co-star, illuminating this world premiere production.
Nancy E. Carroll, who lives in Rockport, and Lynn native Paula Plum, are fantastic, portraying longtime friends-foils, Ruth and Maude. While Ruth is more reticent yet snjppy, Maude is upbeat, hyper, and adventurous. The sole trait they share is their competitiveness. They’ve broken into the closed local bowling establishment to settle a 49-year score, once and for all. Their record is tied, and they want to break it by playing one last game to determine the winner. Problem is, the bowling establishment has been closed for awhile, has been sold, and will be handed over to the new owner the following day.
Wielding a flashlight, Carroll and Plum break into and wriggle through a small window space in the dark. As the first ladies of Boston-area theater stand on stage, side by side, and remove their ski masks, the audience greeted them with admirable applause. I know why we’re really here, quips Ruth. “After 49 years, I beat you, and it’s killing you.” The ladies’ rivalry is shattered when owner Ed arrives, wielding a baseball bat, to catch the trespassers on his closed-up property. Thinking it’s teenagers who crashed his place, Ed’s surprised and amazed to discover Ruth and Maude. Ed says he came to the bowling alley to pick up some papers, but discovered the two sprightly ladies instead.
Another surprise erupts. Ruth’s daughter Charlene also arrives, creating an awkward moment. Why is she there? Other surprises, one after another, unfold, shocking all of them – and us. We also discover Maude has a more serious reason for breaking into the bowling alley, which she reveals later. Bryn Boice has an easy task directing this superb Equity cast that also includes Arthur Gomez portraying married, bowling alley owner, Ed; Greater Boston favorite Ceit Zweil as Ruth’s daughter, Charlene; and Winchester High School sophomore/YoungTheater Company actress Isabella Tedesco, who makes a brief, likable appearance in her MainStage debut, portraying Ruth’s granddaughter Teddy.
Designer James Fenton has
recreated a vintage heyday bowling alley, with a bowling lane, benches,
blinking light-neon sign, juke box, shelves of bowling balls, and more; David
Wilson captures the sounds of rolling balls in the alley, strikes, spares, and
their return; and Jeff Adelberg’s lighting switches off and on at poignant
moments, including plot surprises.
(Lyndsay Allyn Cox, Paige Clark, Marc Pierre, James Ricardo Milord, Tonasia Jones, Stewart Evan Smith in GBSC, Front Porch Arts Collective’s ‘The Three Musketeers’ – Photo credit: Maggie Hall Photography)
Reviewed by
Tony Annicone
Chivalry comes to life with a comic, swashbuckling and intriguing version of The Three Musketeers at Greater Boston Stage in collaboration with the Front Porch Arts Collective, who seek to advance racial equity in Boston. D’Artagnan, a country boy, is determined to join the prestigious Musketeers in defending one and all from the evil Cardinal Richelieu. Director Dawn M. Simmons presents a gender bending version of the show as they take us on an exciting journey into yesteryear. The show is written by Catherine Bush and adapted from Alexander Dumas’ novel. It celebrates honor, lust for life, romance and true friendship. Of course there are many evil plots and schemes to avert by these Musketeers and their young protégé. Their friendship is what endures during their struggles with adversity and how sticking together through thick and thin wins the day. The astounding swordfights, fights and pratfalls are breathtaking and directed perfectly by Angie Jepson, while the costumes by Amanda Mujica are beautiful.
(Hawver, Geerloff, Linsteadt, and Price in GBSC’s “Million Dollar Quartet”)
By Mike Hoban
‘Million Dollar Quartet’ – Book by Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux; Directed by Ilyse Robbins; Music Directed by James Scheider; Scenic Designer, Patrick Lynch; Lighting Designer, Jeff Adelberg; Costume Designer, Stephen Pasqual; Sound Designer, John Stone; Presented by the Greater Boston Stage Company, 395 Main Street, Stoneham through May 19
From the hammering opening riffs from Carl Perkins’ guitar until the rocking finale, Greater Boston Stage Company’s production Million Dollar Quartet is a scorcher of a show. A fictionalized account of an actual studio session featuring early rock n’ roll pioneersElvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins, Quartet may be the first “jukebox musical” that doesn’t make the moniker sound like an insult. In fact, the term is both accurate and complimentary as the songs blasting out of this jukebox are given explosive new life.
