Emmy Award-winning Actor Gordon Clapp on his one-man Robert Frost show

April 8, 2024April 11, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Emmy-winning actor Gordon Clapp (NYPD Blue) will bring his acclaimed portrayal of poet Robert Frost to Boston this Spring in the one-man show “Robert Frost: This Verse Business” by local playwright A.M. Dolan.The show portrays the great poet and platform legend whose public “talks” were hot tickets for nearly half a century. Theater Mirror spoke with Clapp as he prepared for the April 23-28 run at the Calderwood Pavilion in Boston.

by Mike Hoban

Theater Mirror: I understand that you’ve long had a love affair with Robert Frost’s work. How did you first discover him?

Gordon: It was the Kennedy inauguration (where Frost read “The Gift Outright”) – I’m that old – but I knew of him before that. Later in school, we were assigned “Out, Out,” which is a reference to “Out out brief candle!” (from Macbeth). It’s a very dark poem. In an idyllic setting, this horrific event happens. A boy gets his hand cut off by a buzzsaw in rural New England in the backyard of his home, and it really had an impact on me as a boy of that age in that setting, some fifty years later, and I just got addicted to Frost’s poetry. I would do little readings all through college, and a few years after college, I read his three-volume biography by Lawrence Thompson and said to myself, “I’ve got to bring this guy to the stage.” It took me thirty years to get around to it, but when I turned 60, I thought, “Now I can get away with playing the older Frost.”

Comedian Gabe Mollica on his one-man show, “Solo: A Show About Friendship”

April 8, 2024April 11, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Comedian Gabe Mollica brings his Off-Broadway comedy, “Solo: A Show About Friendship,” to the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA from April 16-21^st. He dives deep into what it means to have friends in your 30s, his special relationship with Stephen Sondheim, working at a summer camp for children with chronic illnesses, and what happens when you break up with your best friend. Theater Mirror caught up with Gabe recently as he prepared for his Boston engagement.

Rapturous Applause for Anthony Rapp’s ‘Without You’

April 7, 2024April 11, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Anthony Rapp in “Without You”. Photos by Russ Rowland

‘Without You,’ – Written and performed by Anthony Rapp. Songs by Jonathan Larson, Anthony Rapp, David Matos, and Joe Pisapia. Directed by Steven Maler. Scenic design and lighting design by Eric Southern. Costume design by Angela Vesco. Sound design by Brian Ronan. Projection design by David Bengali. Musical Director & Orchestrations: Daniel A. Weiss. Presented by Ambassador Theater Group at the BCA’s Wimberly Theater, Tremont Street, Boston, through April 14.

By Linda Chin

Since childhood, Anthony Rapp has loved singing, playing the lead in musicals such as Oliver, and delighting audiences in his hometown of Joliet, Illinois – especially his biggest fan, his mother, Mary Lee. After moving to NYC, Rapp appeared in a host of roles his mother wished were more “normal.” While working at Starbucks to, uh, pay the rent, Rapp got his big break at age 22 when he landed the principal role of Mark Cohen (the filmmaker and narrator) in the off-Broadway and Broadway productions of Jonathan Larson’s ground-breaking musical RENT.

Short Take: S-O-S: Sensational-Outstanding-Spectacular ‘Message In A Bottle’ Takes Boston by Storm

March 30, 2024April 11, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Cast of ‘Message In A Bottle’ at Emerson Colonial Theatre

‘Message In A Bottle’ – Directed and Choreographed by Kate Prince. Music and Lyrics by Sting. Music Supervision and New Arrangements by Alex Lacamoire. Set Design by Ben Stone. Video Design by Andrej Goulding. Costume Design by Anna Fleischle. Lighting Design by Natasha Chivers. Sound Design by David McEwan. Presented by Sadler’s Wells and Universal Music UK and ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company at the Emerson Colonial Theatre, 106 Boylston St., Boston, through March 30.

By Linda Chin

The spectacular touring production Message In A Bottle that is taking cities in the US by storm – LA, Denver, Chicago – has washed ashore at Boston’s Emerson Colonial for a limited run (through March 30) before making its way down the East Coast to Charlotte, NYC, DC, and Philadelphia. World-class, award-winning creatives Sting (music and lyrics), Kate Prince (director and choreographer), and Alex Lacamoire, of Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen fame (music supervision, new arrangements), have built a show with no spoken narrative or dialogue. A phenomenal corps of 14 storyteller dancers tell an urgent, and unfortunately timely, tale – of families displaced from their war-torn villages, of three siblings separated from their parents and one another, of refugees seeking safety and new places to call home – with the universal languages of movement and music.

Jay Eddy Brings Healing (and a Brilliant Score) to Boston Playwrights’ Theatre with ‘Driving in Circles’

March 28, 2024April 11, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Jordan Palmer, Jay Eddy and Zach Fontanez in Boston Playwrights’ Theatre’s ‘Driving in Circles’

Written & performed by Jay Eddy; Directed by Sam Plattus; Scenic Designer: Danielle DelaFuente; Lighting Designer: Kevin Fulton; Sound Designer: Gage Baker; Costume Designer: Eric Tran; Projection Designer: Maria Servellon. Presented at Boston Playwrights’ Theater through April 6, 2024

By Mike Hoban

In the pulsating opening number of the enthralling semi-solo autobiographical musical Driving in Circles, writer and performer Jay Eddy describes “what to do in an earthquake,” singing, “Stay down, stay down, stay down (because) it’s the aftershock that kills you.” It’s a brilliant metaphor for what survivors of sexual abuse experience long after the physical abuse has ceased, as Eddy details in their powerful but surprisingly funny and touching work. Part monologue, part performance art, part standup comedy, and powered by an astonishingly cool “folktronica” score that likely rivals any album you’ll hear from the current crop of indie artists, it’s a unique theatrical experience.

‘Beyond Words’ at Central Square Theater Opens Our Ears and Hearts

March 25, 2024April 11, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Stephanie Clayman, Jon Vellante in ‘Beyond Words’ at Central Square Theater.
Photos by Maggie Hall

‘Beyond Words’ – Written by Laura Maria Censabella; Directed by Cassie Chapados; Scenic Design by Qingan Zhang; Costume Design by Sandra Zhihan Jia; Lighting Design by Amanda Fallon; Sound Design by Anna Drummond. Presented by Catalyst Collaborative@MIT Productions at Central Square Theater, 450 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA, through April 14, 2024

By Helen Ganley

In the eye of a tornado of falling feathers, a scientist lies in a heap. Surrounded by a fluorescent-lit lab cheekily bedecked with “Birds at Work” signage and decals of African Grey parrots, the tornado emanates from Dr. Irene Pepperberg as she sweeps us back to the beginning of her story. Central Square Theater’s production of Beyond Words invokes a central question of humanity: How intelligent is the rest of the animal kingdom?

Going to Great Lengths to Get the Girl: ‘A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder’ at The Company Theatre

March 22, 2024April 11, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

The Company Theatre presents A Gentleman’s Guide To Love and Murder by Robert L. Freedman and Steven Lutvak. Co-Directed by Zoe Bradford and Sally Ashton Forrest. Musical Direction by Robert McDonough. Lighting Design by Dean Palmer Jr. Costume Design by Joe Michienzie. Set Design by Ryan Barrow. Specialty Costume Pieces designed by Kathryn Ridder. At the Company Theatre, Norwell, through March 30th, 2024

By Linda Chin

An anchor of theater in MA’s South Shore, The Company Theatre goes to great lengths to mount a great shows. Their recent production of Born to Do This, the original Joan of Arc musical (created by Zoe Bradford, Michael Hammond and Mel Carubia) was acknowledged – from a very crowded field of “post-COVID’ contenders – in “Theater Mirror’s Reviewers ‘Top 10’ Lists for 2023.” Company’s 2022 production of Sweeney Todd, starring Peter Adams and MaryAnn Zschau in the leading roles, was “Meaty Material Performed to Perfection.” Like Sweeney, Gentleman’s Guide is a story of love, murder, and revenge set in London of yore, but it is not a dark drama. Rather it is a British satire meant to be murderously funny, and that consistent with Company’s mission to entertain and educate, comments on classicism and racism by keeping you laughing, which we can all use these days. Like Sweeney, Gentleman’s Guide is a Tony Award-winning Best Musical (2014) – but the book and music aren’t Sondheim (nor Bradford, Hammond, Carubia for that matter).

Dance Musical ‘Message In A Bottle’ Featuring the Music of Sting, Comes to Emerson Colonial

March 20, 2024April 11, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

The Emerson Colonial Theatre’s will present a seven show run of the touring dance/theater production Message In A Bottle, based on the music of Sting and works from his band The Police. Featuring 28 songs, some re-mastered and re-interpreted, and developed by Kate Prince, Artistic Director of ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company, Message tells the story of displaced refugees and their struggle to find a new home. Theater Mirror’s Mike Hoban spoke with Associate Choreographer Lukas McFarlane in anticipation of the show’s opening on March 26 (through March 30).

by Mike Hoban

Theater Mirror: How did the idea for Message in a Bottle come about?

Lukas: Kate Prince (the show’s creator) grew up with the music of Sting and the Police and is huge fan. One day she was listening to Sting’s “Desert Rose” and thought, what if we (put together) a show using the music of Sting and the Police? She wrote an email to one of our producers, Sadler’s Wells, and within a couple weeks Sadler’s had her in a meeting with Sting in a hotel lobby pitching this idea to him, which was really cool and quite surreal for her.

An Immersive, Intoxicating ‘Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812’ at Seacoast Rep

March 20, 2024April 11, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Cast of ‘Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812’ at Seacoast Rep

The Seacoast Repertory Theatre presents ‘Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812’ by Dave Molloy. Directed by Ben Hart & Brandon James. Music Direction by Kennedy McAlister and Aidan Campbell. Choreography by Jason Faria and Alyssa Dumas. Lighting Design by Zachary Ahmad-Kahloon. Sound Design by Andrew Cameron. Properties Design by Gretchen Gray and Elise Marshall. Costume Design by DW. Set Design by Ben Hart & Brandon James. ‘Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812’ runs at the Seacoast Repertory Theatre, Portsmouth, NH through April 7, 2024.

By Linda Chin

Producing theater is a risky business – and executive artistic directors Ben Hart and Brandon James’ decision to mount a show as mammoth as Dave Molloy’s Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 was an ambitious choice. Based on 70 pages from Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace, multi-hyphenate Molloy (composer-lyricist-playwright-actor) reframed the love story about Russian aristocrats in the 19^th century with a contemporary lens, and created a sumptuous score with diverse musical genres (Russian folk, classical, klezmer, rock, and electronic dance music). For its Broadway run at the Imperial, the set was also extravagant and lush – runways jutting into the orchestra replaced 200 of the theatre’s seats, tables and chairs and banquettes provided on-stage seating, and velvet curtains and paintings in gold frames added texture and sparkle.

ASP’s ‘King Hedley II’ Brilliantly Examines the Bleak Underbelly of the American Dream

March 14, 2024April 11, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

James Ricardo Milord, Naheem Garcia, and Omar Robinson in Actors’ Shakespeare Project’s production of August Wilson’s *King Hedley II*. Photo by Maggie Hall Photography.

‘King Hedley II’ – Written by August Wilson; Directed by Summer L. Williams; Scenic Designer: Jon Savage; Costume Designer: Becca Jewett; Lighting Designer: Anshuman Bhatia; Sound Designer:Caroline Eng. Presented by Actors’ Shakespeare Project at Hibernian Hall, 184 Dudley St, Roxbury, through April 7, 2024

by Mike Hoban

There’s a folksy adage in recovery circles that goes, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” The implication is that if you don’t fundamentally change your behavior, you’re not going to be able to overcome what is keeping you from being your best self – whether it involves booze, drugs, food, sex, shopping, or any behavior that dominates your life.