Speakeasy’s POTUS: A Farce to Be Reckoned With

September 23, 2023April 11, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Catia, Marianna Bassham, and Johanna Carlisle-Zepeda SpeakEasy Stage’s production of “POTUS” (Courtesy Nile Scott Studios)

“POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive” by Selina Fillinger. Directed by Paula Plum. Scenic Design by Jenna McFarland Lord. Sound Design by Aubrey Dube. Lighting Design by Karen Perlow. Costume Design by Rebecca Glick. Fight Choreography by Angie Jepson. Presented by Speakeasy Stage at the Calderwood Pavilion, Boston, through October 15

By Linda Chin

U.S. presidents are the central figures of two productions running concurrently in Boston theatres this fall – Lyric’s Assassins, a musical about seven men and two women trying to kill the president by the legendary Stephen Sondheim, and Speakeasy’s POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive, an uproariously funny ‘straight’ play that marked playwright Selina Fillinger’s recent Broadway debut. Fillinger’s commander-in-chief is not named or seen on stage; the play puts seven women who are typically behind the scenes front and center. Individually, the chief of staff, first lady, lover, press secretary, secretary, sister, and a White House reporter are forces of nature; banded together, they make POTUS a farce to be reckoned with.

Short Takes: Lyric Stage’s ‘Assassins’ Hits the Mark

September 19, 2023April 11, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Cast of “Assassins” at Lyric Stage Company. Photos by Mark S. Howard

‘Assassins’ – Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Book by John Weidman. Courtney O’Connor (Director). Dan Rodriguez (Music Director). Ilyse Robbins (Select Choreography). Baron E. Pugh (Scenic and Lighting Design). Rachel Paula-Shufelt (Costume Design). Alex Berg (Sound Design). At Lyric Stage, Clarendon Street, Boston, through October 15, 2023.

by Linda Chin

Like the late composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim, Lyric Stage has not shied away from exploring challenging themes or dark material. But opening a theatre season in the angry aftermath of a post-Trump America with one of Sondheim’s less familiar works – about violent attacks on U.S. presidents, no less – is a risky proposition. Assassins takes us into the minds of nine men and women who gained notoriety through our nation’s history because they killed (or failed to, but gave it a good shot) former Presidents Lincoln, Garfield, Roosevelt, McKinley, Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and Kennedy). Not exactly uplifting fare, but in the capable hands of director Courtney O’Connor, music director/conductor Dan Rodriguez and his four-piece orchestra, and 15 outstanding actors, audiences can expect a thoroughly engrossing and entertaining theater experience.

Speakeasy’s ‘POTUS’ Mines Chaos, Laughs in the Oval Office

September 19, 2023April 11, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Cast of SpeakEasy Stage’s production of “POTUS.” (Courtesy Nile Scott Studios)

“POTUS; Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive” – Written by Selina Fillinger. Directed by Paula Plum. Scenic Design by Jenna McFarland Lord; Sound Design by Audrey Dube; Lighting Design by Karen Perlow; Costume Design by Rebecca Glick; Fight Choreography by Angie Jepson. Presented by Speakeasy Stage Company at the Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont St., Boston, through October 15

by Mike Hoban

There’s a lot to like about POTUS, the opening production for Speakeasy Stage’s 2023-2024 season. Featuring not only an all-female cast but an all-female production team, this lightning-paced farce sends up the absurdity of a crew of over-qualified, under-appreciated women propping up a misogynistic boob as he bumbles his way through his leadership role. Only in this case, it’s not an American corporation or institution; it’s the most pressure-packed job on the planet – the U.S. presidency.

“TOPDOG, UNDERDOG” at the Gamm Theatre

September 13, 2023April 11, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

Gamm Theatre’s opening show of their 39th season is “Topdog/Underdog,” the 2002 Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Suzan-Lori Parks, the first African-American woman to win the prize. In 2023 this show won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play. This play is about brotherly love, sibling rivalry, and surviving the American Dream. The story centers on two fiercely competitive African-American brothers with a troubled past who share a room in a squalid boardinghouse. The two brothers are Lincoln and Booth. Lincoln is an ex-card shark now working a “straight” job impersonating Abraham Lincoln at an arcade, while Booth is a petty thief set on surpassing his older brother’s reputation as a notorious three-card Monte hustler. Director Cliff Odle casts these two roles splendidly and elicits multilayered performances from both actors. They fully embody these two characters, displaying what makes them the way they are. The audience discovers where they’ve been and how each has either changed or stayed the same. It examines how these two brothers live in dire economic circumstances and how they try to navigate them differently. As Lincoln and Booth, Anthony Goss and Marc Pierre display great depth of emotions as these two siblings. Their brilliant performances propel the audience to their feet at the end of the show. Bravo on jobs well done.

Trinity Rep’s “The Good John Proctor”

September 3, 2023April 11, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

by Tony Annicone

Trinity Repertory Company’s opening show of their 60th season is “The Good John Proctor” by Talene Monahan. The show is a prequel to Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” as Monahan imagines the inner lives of the four young girls whose accusations led to the witchcraft trials in Salem, MA, in 1692. The girls were pre-teens, but in this show, they are portrayed by adult actors and told from their viewpoint. All the girls in real life were actually much younger; Abigail Williams was 11 years old; her cousin, Betty Parris, was nine years old; young high-strung Mercy Lewis sought solace in alcohol while Mary Warren was an epileptic orphan. When Abigail started working for 60-year-old farmer John Proctor, their lives started to unravel from playing with poppets and churning butter into something completely unexpected. However, John Proctor doesn’t appear in this play at all. Director Kimberly Senior casts these four roles beautifully and elicits stunning performances from all of them.

Becky Nurse Of Salem Bewitches at Trinity Rep

August 31, 2023April 11, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

The cast of *Becky Nurse of Salem*. Photos by Mark Turek.

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

Trinity Rep’s second show, performed in repertory with “The Good John Procter,” is “Becky Nurse of Salem” by Sarah Ruhl, which is the better one of the two. Becky is a descendant of Rebecca Nurse from the Salem witch trials and was also a character in “The Crucible”. This Becky is plagued with a curse of bad luck that she needs to be exorcised so she can get on with her life. She is a poor 52-year-old grandmother who is raising her granddaughter and struggling to make ends meet. The cast sings “Sweet Children Mine,” and then we first meet Becky as a museum docent as she tells the “high school” audience the tales of witchcraft in the city and where Rebecca Nurse was hung either at what is now Dunkin Donuts or at Walgreen’s. She also drops some F-bombs in front of the nuns and is she is fired from her job. The audience follows her roller coaster journey from there to the end of the show, where we all learn the most important thing in life is to love and be loved. The audience leaped to their feet at the end of the extremely poignant and comic show, masterfully presented by director Curt Columbus and his extraordinary and talented seven-member cast. Brava to leading lady Angela Brazil on her breathtaking performance, who never left the stage in this two-hour and fifteen-minute show.

Short Take: A Sweet and Salty ‘Margaritaville’ at North Shore Music Theater

August 20, 2023April 11, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Wes Williams (Tully) and the cast of Jimmy Buffett’s “Escape To Margaritaville” playing at North Shore Music Theatre thru August 27. Photo © Paul Lyden

‘Margaritaville’ –Book by Greg Garcia & Mike O’Malley. Music & Lyrics by Jimmy Buffett. Directed & Choreographed by Charlie Sutton. Musical Direction by Robert L. Rucinski. Scenic Design by Nate Bertone. Costume Design by Kelly Baker. Lighting Design by Corey Whittemore. Sound Design by Alex Berg and Don Hanna. Wig & Hair Design by Rachel Padula-Shufelt . At North Shore Music Theater, Beverly, through August 27.

By Linda Chin

North Shore Music Theater closes its summer 2023 trifecta (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, The Sound of Music) with Jimmy Buffett’s Escape to Margaritaville. Like a perfect margarita – a six-part combination of tequila, triple sec, and fresh-squeezed lime juice in a 3:2:1 ratio, sweetened with a simple syrup and served in a glass rimmed with salt, NSMT’s production is perfect for a hot summer evening. Though the show’s book is on the weak side, the company of 18 talented triple threats – ensemble members and six principals in a 2:1 ratio – deliver a strong performance.

Short Take: Goodspeed’s ‘Summer Stock’ is a Feel-Good, ‘Get Happy’ Experience

August 3, 2023April 11, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Corbin Bleu and the cast of Goodspeed’s ‘Summer Stock’. Photo by Diane Sobolewski

‘Summer Stock’ – Book & Additional Lyrics by Cheri Steinkellner. Direction and Choreography by Donna Feore. Music Supervision, Arrangements, Orchestrations by Doug Besterman. Music Direction by Adam Souza. Scenic Design by Wilson Chin. Costume Design by Tina McCartney. Lighting Design by Jeff Croiter. Sound Design by Jay Hilton. At Goodspeed Musicals, East Haddam, CT, through August 27

by Linda Chin

Post-pandemic, performing arts venues across the country are reporting difficulties maintaining their subscriber base or filling seats, but at Connecticut’s Goodspeed Musicals, this does not seem to be the case. Based on the classic 1950 MGM film featuring Gene Kelly and Judy Garland, Summer Stock was rewritten and updated by Cheri Steinkellner (Cheers, Sister Act) to tell a story that appeals to modern audiences, supports a diverse cast of characters, and includes many more songs than the nine in the film. With delightful direction and classy choreography by Donna Feore, jazz-inspired musical arrangements by Doug Besterman, and expert music direction by Adam Souza, eight musicians (including Souza on keyboards) and a cast of 20 triple-threats perform over 20 song and dance numbers. From start to finish, Goodspeed’s Summer Stock is a feel-good “Get Happy” experience.

Company Theatre’s “Born To Do This” Rocks

August 2, 2023April 11, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Liza Giangrande and cast of “Born to Do This” at Company Theatre. Photos by Mike Scott

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

Company Theatre is known for doing epic musicals, and their current summer show is “Born to Do This,” about Joan of Arc, an original Rock Opera. Zoe Bradford wrote the book and lyrics, and the music and additional lyrics were by Melissa Carubia. This massive show was directed and blocked by Zoe and Sally Ashton Forrest. The show examines the life of Joan and tells of her heroic story of a young girl who fought against oppression and women’s rights centuries ago. They decided to write this show as a sung-through musical. To quote Melissa, “Rock is the music of rebellion.” These 31 talented cast members with an incredible 14-piece orchestra bring this meaningful show to life. The music contains powerful anthems, pretty ballads, and a comic song or two. It is reminiscent of “Les Miserables” and “Jesus Christ Superstar.” To quote Joan, “I am not afraid; I was born to do this,” as were Zoe and Melissa on this enormous task. Brava! They delve into her childhood with her parents and two brothers. They collaborated with Michael Hammond during their writing sessions and realized this 600-year-old story is still relevant. At the start of the show, we see Young Jeanne with St. Michael, who delivers an important message about how her life will unfold in the song “The Messenger,” and the harmonies in the chorus are perfect. Musical director Robert McDonough taught the talented cast all these numbers and conducts and plays lead keyboards with his splendid orchestra. Jeri Sykes did the orchestration for this show. This show is dedicated to The Company Theatre co-founder Jordie Saucerman, who always encouraged us to do what we were born to do.

At North Shore Music Theatre, ‘The Sound of Music’ Makes the World Go Round

July 17, 2023April 11, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Cast of ‘The Sound of Music at NSMT’. Photos by David Costa Photography

‘The Sound of Music’ – Music by Richard Rodgers. Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. Book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. Directed by Kevin P. Hill. Music Direction by Milton Granger. Choreography by Briana Fallon. Scenic Design by Kyle Dixon. Costume Design by Kelly Baker. Lighting Design by Jose Santiago. Sound Design by Alex Berg. Wig & Hair Design by Rachel Padula-Shufelt. At North Shore Music Theatre, Beverly, MA through July 23, 2023.

By Linda Chin

Let’s start at the very beginning. When crystal chandeliers in a circular formation descend from up high, Maestro Granger lifts his baton, the orchestra and nuns of Nonnberg Abbey open Act 1 with the hauntingly beautiful “Praeludium,” and the theatre comes alive with glorious sounds of music, all seems right with the world. But those familiar with The Sound of Music or European history (or who like me, learn about people and cultures from theater as well as textbooks) know that in 1938, in Nazi-occupied Austria at the cusp of World War 2, all is not harmonious.