SpeakEasy’s ‘Primary Trust’ a Warm Bath of Compassion

September 24, 2025April 10, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Arthur Gomez and David J. Castillo in Speakeasy’s “Primary Trust”.
Photos by Benjamin Rose

SpeakEasy Stage presents ‘Primary Trust.’ Written by Eboni Booth. Directed by Dawn M. Simmons. Scenic Design by Shelley Barish. Lighting Design by Karen Perlow. Costume Design by Chelsea Kerl. Sound Design by Anna Drummond. At the Roberts Studio Theatre, Calderwood/BCA, 527 Tremont Street, Boston, through October 11, 2025.

By Linda Chin

Trust me – SpeakEasy Stage’s production of the 2024 Pulitzer Prize-winning play Primary Trust by Eboni Booth is a warm bath worth indulging in. For 100 minutes without intermission, expect to be immersed in a sweet and uplifting story told by a fabulous four-person cast and deftly directed by Dawn M. Simmons.

Set in the small fictional town of Cranberry, New York, Primary Trust centers on Kenneth (played to perfection by David J. Castillo), an emotionally reserved 38-year-old man whose simple, quiet, relatively isolated life routine – working in a bookstore, going to happy hours at Wally’s, the local tiki bar – is suddenly upended.

Director Livy Scanlon on how ‘Doubt’ Weighs Cynicism Against Faith

September 22, 2025April 10, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Livy Scanlon, artistic director of The Hanover Theatre Repertory (THT Rep)

More than two decades ago, the sexual abuse scandal that rocked the Catholic church exploded into headlines by way of articles published by The Boston Globe. The allegations were beyond shocking, with people coming forward to share stories of abuse at the hands of priests their families had seen as the virtual personification of God. As more details came to light and more people came forward with their stories, a horrifying pattern emerged of a church hierarchy that simply shuffled alleged abusers from one parish to another — a practice guaranteed to put more young people in harm’s way.

Director Courtney O’Connor says ‘Our Town’ Looks at the Darkness Underneath Things

September 17, 2025April 10, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Lyric Stage’s Producing Artistic Director, Courtney O’Connor

By Kilian Melloy

The good people of Grover’s Corner seem like American archetypes. They’re our neighbors, our local merchants and civil servants, our family members; they are us. Thornton Wilder’s 1938 play Our Town celebrates small-town America even as it mythologizes an ideal of family and community. Set in the early years of the 20^th Century — the play begins in 1901 — it’s a story not just of a town, or a nation, but of most comprehensive of universalities: Human life itself. Over the course of three acts, the people of Grover’s Corner grow up, grow older, and face life transitions: Maturity, marriage, parenthood, and, eventually, the end of life.

Performer Kristina Wong says “Food Bank Influencer” is a Musical Love Story

September 15, 2025April 10, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Kristina Wong in ‘Kristina Wong, #FoodBankInfluencer’ at ArtsEmerson

ArtsEmerson will bring Kristina Wong, #FoodBankInfluencer, to the Emerson Paramount Center from September 19–21, 2025. Written and performed by Pulitzer Prize finalist Kristina Wong and directed by Jessica Hanna, this “uproarious and heartfelt solo karaoke musical” promises to celebrate America’s emergency food system with “biting wit and unstoppable charm”. Theater Mirror’s Mike Hoban had a chance to speak with her last week, before the launch of the tour.

Theater Mirror: You describe this piece as being about “falling in love with the emergency food system” and that it follows the same trajectory as a musical love story. Can you explain?

New Speakeasy Artistic Director Dawn M. Simmons Brings Unique Insight to the Role

September 4, 2025April 10, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Dawn Simmons (R) directs Arthur Gomez and David Castillo in “Primary Trust”

By Killian Melloy

“But that’s another story.”

It’s a line of dialogue Kenneth, the main character and narrator of “Primary Trust,” uses often. Kenneth has been through a lot, and he touches on painful memories only glancingly, leaving it to the audience to try to imagine what he’s not saying. One of only a few Black people in the mostly white town of Cranberry, New York, Kenneth has endured the occasional brush with racism; he’s also someone who grew up in an orphanage. We can’t tell what’s going on in his mind, except for the inferences he makes, the way he sometimes has to put himself on hold and count in order to stay grounded, and what he reveals through his fourth wall-breaking asides and his conversations with his best friend, Bert, and Corrina, a waitress with whom he starts to become friendly.

Joy Behar on Her New Play, “My First Ex-Husband”

September 1, 2025April 10, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Joy Behar in “My First Ex-Husband” at The Huntington. Photo: Joan Marcus

By Kilian Melloy

An arranged marriage in an Orthodox Jewish community. A husband whose love of dressing in his woman’s clothing isn’t a dealbreaker — until he starts using her makeup, too. Men with wandering eyes and, err, vital organs. A husband of half a century who is still as randy as ever… to his wife’s despair. These are just a few of the hilarious real-life marriages described in the round-robin collection of monologues titled My First Ex-Husband by standup comedian, talk show host, author, and playwright Joy Behar. The play is coming to The Huntington Calderwood at the Boston Center for the Arts for a run from Sept. 12 – 28.

Melissa Rivers on Her New Play About Her Iconic Mom, ‘Joan’

August 29, 2025April 10, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Beginning on September 3^rd, The Cape Playhouse will present JOAN, a new play about the life and career of legendary comedian Joan Rivers. The play premiered last fall at the South Coast Repertory Theatre in Costa Mesa, CA, and was most recently produced by the Barrington Stage Company in the Berkshires. The play also focuses on River’s relationship with her daughter, Melissa, who, along with her longtime writing partner Larry Amoros, worked with playwright Danny Goldstein on the script and executive-produced the show. The production will run through September 20^th at The Cape Playhouse.

by Mike Hoban

Theater Mirror: So many of the theatrical biographies that we’re seeing on stage now are centered around the careers of musicians like Carole King (Beautiful), Tina Turner (Tina), and Neil Diamond (A Beautiful Noise). How do you create a play that showcases the subject’s artistic genius when Joan’s career and persona were built around comedy performances and television appearances?

Actor-Comedian Jeremy Piven Brings New Comedy Show to the Wilbur Theater

August 23, 2025April 10, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

“Is this for print?” Jeremy Piven asks as the Zoom call commences. He’s up early for a day of interviews. Assured that the interview will be published as text, not a video, he takes off his cap momentarily, revealing a glimpse at a crown of cowlicks. “Okay, so the visuals don’t matter on this at all,” he says. No, and if they did, I would be in far worse shape than he is.

“I haven’t had my coffee,” Piven goes on to say, “and forgive me: I’m a slow starter, and I’m not good in the morning. I’m not interesting, and I’m grumpy, so I’m just having a moment where, in about four seconds, I am going to have some incredible personality.” True to his word, mere moments later, he blossoms into a bon vivant, his enthusiasm driving the conversation well past our allotted time.

Strong Performances Lift NSMT’s ‘Grease’

August 19, 2025April 10, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Cast of “Grease” at North Shore Music Theatre. Photos by Paul Lyden.

‘Grease – Book, Music, and Lyrics by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. Kevin P. Hill (Director & Choreographer), Milton Granger (Music Director), Jack Mehler (Scenic & Lighting Design), Alex Berg (Sound Design), Rachel Padula-Shuflet (Wig & Hair Design), Rebecca Glick (Costume Coordinator), Alaina Mills (Associate Director & Choreographer). Presented by North Shore Music Theatre at 54 Dunham Rd., Beverly, MA, through August 24, 2025

By Mike Hoban

Those expecting an onstage re-creation of the 1978 movie musical Grease may be in for a bit of a surprise with North Shore Music Theatre’s entertaining production of the same name, running now through August 24^th. Unlike the 70s sitcom treatment of troubled high school teens in the movie version, we get a cast of characters that owes more to West Side Story than Happy Days – and the added grittiness elevates the story above the usual pablum that passes for a book in most movies adapted for the stage. That’s because this production combines the best elements of the original 1971 Off-Broadway (via Chicago) musical theater production and the movie (including some of its strongest musical numbers). It’s also much more of an ensemble piece, focusing on multiple stories rather than just the leads (played in the film by 1970s pop culture icons John Travolta and the late Olivia Newton-John), and it’s one of the strengths of the show, allowing multiple members of the talented cast to shine.

At The Cape Playhouse, A Warm & Welcoming ‘Come From Away’

August 10, 2025April 10, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Cast of ‘Come From Away’ at the Cape Playhouse

The Cape Playhouse presents Come From Away. Book, music and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein. Directed and Choreographed by Kelly Devine. Music Direction by Lena Gabrielle. Set Design by Alexander Woodward. Lighting Design by Kirk Bookman. Costume Design by Gail Baldoni. Sound Design by Walter Trarbach. Wig Design by Bobbie Zlotnik. At the Cape Playhouse, 820 Main Street, Route 6A, Dennis MA, through August 30, 2025.

By Linda Chin

When skies over the United States shut down after the September 11th attacks, 38 international flights were diverted to a once-bustling airport on the island of Newfoundland, on the northeast tip of North America, next to which was the tiny town of Gander. The influx of 7000 stranded passengers and crew who needed meals, clothing, accommodations, showers, and access to phones swelled Gander’s population to twice its usual size, practically overnight.