NEW ENGLAND THEATER’S 2019 SEASON OF LOVE

February 5, 2020 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

*Cast of Ogunquit’s ‘Cabaret’ Photo-by Gary Ng*

How do you measure the year’s best moments?

by Linda Chin

The divisiveness that has defined American politics since 2016 (and hasn’t let up in 2020) has left me (and others) feeling anxious, depleted, fearful and hopeless. Theater has provided welcome (albeit temporary) respites from a pounding media headache as well as the longer-acting benefits of keeping empathy and understanding in our narratives and creativity and human connection in our lives. I was particularly grateful for last year’s abundance of productions with music and for the range of musical styles – 90s R&B, 60s psychedelic surf rock, gospel, classic show tunes – and for the musicians (in the orchestra pit or on stage) playing live, and for music’s healing qualities. And watching an ensemble erupt into dance – whether Fosse or gumboot, ballet, Asian-influenced or 21 pairs of tapping feet – can make my mood lighter and gray moments brighter for days.

Praxis Stage Sets the Crown on King John

February 5, 2020 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Michael Underhill as King John in Praxis Stage’s ‘King John’

Review by James Wilkinson

‘King John’ – Written by William Shakespeare. Directed by Kimberly Gaughan. Assistant Director: Elena Toppo. Lighting: Erik Bailey. Sound/Music Design: Kimberly Gaughan and Daniel Boudreau. Presented by Praxis Stage at the Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts January 30-February 16, 2020.

You’re not going to catch me arguing everything that ever fell out of Shakespeare’s head reeks of brilliance. The man may have hit unparalleled levels of artistic genius, but every artist has an off day. Trust me, Shakespeare had several. I’m always confused when I see notices for productions of The Comedy of Errors because its existence means at least two people got together in a room and said, “This is going to be good.” (I promise you, it won’t) There’s a flip side to that coin, though, underrated plays that don’t see nearly as many productions as their more notable counterparts. (There’ll always be a special place in my heart for the outright lunacy that is Titus Andronicus.) Praxis Stage’s new production makes the argument that King John belongs in that latter category and it’s damn strong one at that. It’s not a perfect production, but I’m going to go ahead and dump most of the flaws it has on the shoulders of Shakespeare. In any case, the positives with Praxis’ production vastly outweigh the negatives. There’s a hipness to it, an inner groove that you succumb to. It slinks right up and before you can say a word, lights your cigarette then vanishes. The move is so effortlessly cool that it’s only later you realize you probably shouldn’t be smoking.

The Iconic and Timely Message of ‘Gloria: A Life’

February 1, 2020February 1, 2020 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

*The cast of ‘Gloria: A Life’ at the A.R.T. – Photos: ©APrioriPhotography.com*

By Michele Markarian

“Gloria: A Life” – Written by Emily Mann. Directed by Diane Paulus. Presented by American Repertory Theater, Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle Street, Cambridge, through March 1

“Social justice movements start with people siting in a circle,” Gloria Steinem (Patricia Kalember) informs the audience sitting in the round at American Repertory Theater at the beginning of Gloria: A Life. A shy woman who wanted to become a political journalist, Steinem became an unlikely spokesperson of the women’s movement. For those of us who grew up in the 60s and 70s, Steinem was our touchstone, the person who, unflappable and balanced, represented all that we were becoming. Her book, “Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions” was de rigeur feminist reading in the 80s. Yet, as is unfolded during the 100 minutes of Gloria: A Life, she was supported and pushed by many insistent and persistent female voices, including ours.

Fresh Ink’s Last Catastrophist Goes to the Edge

January 30, 2020 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

*Evelyn Holley as Marina and Shanelle Chloe Villegas as Lucia in Fresh Ink’s ‘Last Catastrophist’ Photos by Paul Fox*

by James Wilkinson

‘Last Catastrophist’– Written by David Valdes. Directed by Sarah Gazdowicz. Scenic Design Andrew Kolifrath. Lighting Design: Read Davidson. Costume Design: Erica Desautels. Sound Design: Vinny Laino. Prop Design: Lauren Corcuera. Fight Choreographer: Marge Dunn. Presented by Fresh Ink Theatre at the Plaza Black Box Theatre at the Boston Center for the Arts January 24-February 8, 2020.

Fresh Ink Theatre’s Last Catastrophist is a play with two eyes going in two different directions. On one side, it’s a sort of odd couple buddy comedy. Two protagonists, ones with polar opposite personalities, are forced together on a journey which is designed to bring them closer together as they slowly learn to trust each other. On the other side of the equation, Last Catastrophist is a paranoia-soaked conspiracy eco-thriller, one that takes place in a future perhaps only a few years away from where we are now. A grim fate awaits humankind somewhere down the road and the audience is left to decide if it’s one they want to try and steer away from. I think that the play is ridiculous, but before you tune out, I need to stress that I don’t mean that as a negative. Conspiracy stories by their very nature are ridiculous because the characters in them are extrapolating their circumstances in all kinds of improbable ways. Everything seems crazy to us until the characters’ worst fears are proven to be true. The world is out to get them after all. I bring this up because yes, Last Catastrophist is ridiculous, but it uses its ridiculousness in a knowing way. It leans into it to find its own unique sensibility and unpack the comic possibilities. That’s what’s kind of exciting about it. For the bulk of its run time (more on that in a bit), the theatrical stars of direction, performance, design and writing are aligning in a wonderful kind of way and the production hits on something fresh.

Umbrella Stage’s ‘Hundred Days’ Combines Concert and Drama

January 27, 2020January 27, 2020 Theater Mirror2 Comments

*Jess Andra and Kirk Vanda as The Bengsons in Emerson Umbrella’s ‘One Hundred Days’*

by Tom Boudrot

‘Hundred Days’ – Book by The Bengsons and Sarah Gancher; Music and Lyrics by The Bengsons; Brian Boruta, Producer and Director; David Wright, Music Director; Ryan Bates, Scenic Designer; Brian Simons, Costume Designer; Seif Allah Sallotto-Cristobal, Lighting and Video Designer; Elizabeth Havenor, Sound Designer. Properties Design by Sarajane Morse Mullins; Presented by The Umbrella Stage Company, 40 Stow Street, Concord through February 16th.

If you’ve been cooped up with the cold weather and ready to get out for an evening’s entertainment, Hundred Days may be the perfect choice for combating those winter blahs. Why? Because it’s a smorgasbord of delights that has everything you’d like to see in a live show. Is this a concert? A musical? A comedy? A moving drama of love and loss? Yes, yes, yes and yes. It is all of the above.

ArtsEmerson’s ‘Shadow’ is Deceptively Profound

January 24, 2020January 24, 2020 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

*The cast of* *ArtsEmerson’s* *‘The Shadow Whose Prey the Hunter Becomes’* *Photo: Jeff Busby*

By Mike Hoban

‘The Shadow Whose Prey the Hunter Becomes’ – Director: Bruce Gladwin; Creative Development Artists: Bruce Gladwin, Mark Deans, Sarah Mainwaring, Scott Price, Simon Laherty, Sonia Teuben & Victoria Marshall (This show was developed, in part, at the 2019 Sundance Theatre Lab at MASS MoCA). Presented by Back to Back Theatre in conjunction with ArtsEmerson at the Emerson Paramount Center, Jackie Liebergott Black Box, 559 Washington St. Boston through January 26.

It wasn’t until the final moments of The Shadow Whose Prey the Hunter Becomes, the import to the ArtsEmerson stages from Australia’s Back to Back Theatre, that the meaning of the title of the production dawned on me – and then it was as startling clear as a slap to the face. To explain why would be to give away too much about this deceptively profound theater experience, but it’s in the telling of the story by performers that you don’t usually see on stage that makes Shadow such an unpredictable gem of a piece. Written and performed by a cast of “neuro-diverse” actors with intellectual disabilities, it is at various times educational, jolting, hilarious and thought-provoking – while never taking itself too serious, despite some tough subject matter.

Wellesley Rep’s ‘boom’ Takes Comic Look at Post- Apocalyptic World

January 22, 2020January 23, 2020 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Nicholas Yenson, Stephanie Clayman and Chloe Nosan in Wellesley Repertory Theatre’s ‘boom’.
Photos by Maggie Hall

By Mike Hoban

‘boom’ – Written by Peter Sinn Nachtrieb; Directed by Marta Rainer; Set Design by David Towlun; Costume Design by Chelsea Kerl; Lighting Design by Emily Bearce & Graham Edmonson; Sound Design by George Cooke. Presented by Wellesley Repertory Theatre, Ruth Nagel Jones Theatre, 106 Central St. Wellesley through February 9

There’s a meteor hurtling toward Earth, and the denizens of the planet are blissfully unaware of the imminent apocalyptic devastation that will follow. All except nerdy marine biologist Jules that is, and he’s hatched a plot to save humanity, himself and his pet fish Dorothy from extinction. That’s the premise of boom, the absurd but engaging comedy now being mounted by Wellesley Rep. Skillfully directed by Marta Rainer, boom borrows elements from sources as diverse as Mystery Science Theater 3000, a ton of end-of-the-world dramas and Adam & Eve, producing a kind of rom-com with decidedly higher stakes.

Gamm Theatre’s ‘Admissions’ Brilliantly Examines Ongoing Controversy

January 22, 2020 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Jim O’Brien, Jacob Osborne, and Deb Martin in GAMM Theatre’s ‘Admissions’

by Tony Annicone

GAMM Theatre’s 35th season continues with their first show of 2020 which is the off-Broadway hit play “Admissions” by Joshua Harmon. He won the 2018 Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for best play. His other plays are “Significant Other” and “Bad Jews.” Harmon’s newest comedy/drama explores white privilege in attending prestigious institutions of higher learning. It could reflect as a show torn from the headlines of the current college admissions scandals of 2019, but was actually written before it took place. In this piece, set just before Christmas of 2015 to Easter of 2016, Sherri, the mother, is the head of an admissions department at Hillcrest, a New England prep school in New Hampshire who wants to diversify the student body. Her husband is the school’s headmaster and they have been quite successful with her initiatives. However when their son, Charlie wants to attend an Ivy League university, Yale University, their progressive values and ideas collide with their own self-interests with dramatic and shocking results that leave the audience on the edge of their seats. Bryn Boice casts these five roles splendidly and elicits strong performances from each of them. The kitchen set with staircase to a second floor is hidden by a brick wall that ascends when the scene changes from the school to the home is designed by Patrick Lynch. It is outstanding as are the lovely costumes by Amanda Downing Carney.

Speakeasy Stage’s ‘Pass Over’ Packs a Timely Wallop

January 21, 2020January 21, 2020 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

“Mister (Lewis D. Wheeler), Moses (Kadahj Bennett), and Kitch (Hubens “Bobby” Cius) in Speakeasy Stage’s ‘Pass Over’ – Photos by Nile Scott Studios

By Shelley A. Sackett

‘Pass Over’ – Written by Antoinette Nwandu; Directed by Monica White Ndounou; Scenic Design by Baron E. Pugh; Costume Design by Chelsea Kerl; Lighting Design by Kathy A. Perkins; Sound Design by Anna Drummond. Presented by SpeakEasy Stage Company and Front Porch Arts Collective at Roberts Studio Theatre, Calderwood Pavilion through February 2.

Even before ‘Pass Over’ begins, as theatergoers blithely check emails and jockey for their seats, the actors make clear theirs is a production that will claim one’s full attention and engagement. Two young scruffy black men, dressed in hoodies, oversized footwear and hats, prowl around the sparse stage, demanding eye contact and flirting with the women in the front row. By the time the house lights go down and the stage lights go up, these two have established an uneasy arms-length rapport with the audience.

Merrimack Rep Gives Us a Quiet Romance with ‘Maytag Virgin’

January 21, 2020 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

(Kati Brazda and David Adkins in MRT’s ‘Maytag Virgin’. Photos by Meghan Moore)

Review by James Wilkinson

‘Maytag Virgin’ – Written by Audrey Cefaly. Directed by Eleanor Holdridge. Scenic Designer: Kris Stone. Costume Designer: Charlene Alexis Gross. Lighting Design: Karen Perlow. Sound Designer: Scott Stauffer. Presented by Merrimack Repertory Theatre through February 2, 2020

The emotional effect of Merrimack Repertory Theatre’s production of Maytag Virgin is a peculiar one. I’m hard pressed to think of a scene where I was able to stop poking holes in what I was seeing. The continuity between two scenes didn’t seem to quite match up. Motivations for certain character elements were questionable. Deep in Act Two, as the play’s action begins to pick up, the thought crossed my mind that entire scenes from Act One could have and perhaps should have been cut. And yet, by the end, none of this seemed to matter. As I was driving away from the theater, all of the “problems” I had with the production melted away in my mind, leaving me with only a lovely feeling of serenity. The production’s high points had stuck. I don’t think that the play is especially notable (like it or not, those story issues are still there), but I don’t say that as a reason to keep you from seeing the production. Sometimes it’s enough for a show to be pleasant and enjoyable the way that this one is. I had a good time without feeling emotionally manipulated the way I often do at plays aiming for the kind of feelings that this one invokes. There’s a warmth and generosity that the audience members bring to the play, allowing them to fill in any gaps and by some churning internal force, the elements pull together.