Lyric Stage’s “…Shamelessly Gorgeous” Puts Black Women Center Stage

March 27, 2026April 10, 2026 Julie-Anne WhitneyLeave a comment

Patrice Jean-Baptiste in Lyric Stage’s ‘Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous’

Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous by Pearl Cleage; Directed by Jacqui Parker, Scenic Design by Janie E. Howland, Costume Design by Chelsea Kerl, Lighting Design by Karen Perlow, Sound Design by Aubrey Dube, Props by Julia Wonkka, Stage Managed by Nerys Powell. Presented by The Lyric Stage Company of Boston at 140 Clarendon Street in Boston, MA, through April 12, 2026.

By Julie-Anne Whitney

Aging is not usually perceived as an enjoyable part of life–particularly for women. As women age, they are wrongly seen as less interesting and appealing, less sexy and beautiful, and less useful and valuable. This is especially true for actors, singers, and dancers–professions that all but require women to remain young and beautiful, even falsely so, in order to stay successful.

Dramaturg Lois Roach on Continuing the Ufot Family Cycle with “Lifted”

March 24, 2026April 10, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Initiated by the Huntington Theatre, the Ufot Family Cycle is a massive undertaking by the Boston theater community. Across nine plays and three generations, Mfoniso Udofia’s series examines both the intimate life of one family and the expansive reach of the African diaspora. The artistically and logistically complex effort began last season and is slated to conclude this season. This citywide collaborative undertaking will have given five of the nine plays their premieres by the time the theatrical epic reaches its conclusion.

‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ Is A Welcome Addition to Umbrella Theatre’s Season

March 3, 2026April 10, 2026 Shelley Sackett1 Comment

The Cast of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ at The Umbrella Arts Center
Photos by Jim Sabitus

‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ — Dramatized by Christopher Sergel. Based on the Book by Harper Lee. Directed by Scott Edmiston. Scenic Design by Janie Howland; Lighting Design by SeifAllah Salotto-Cristobal; Costumes by Rachel Padula-Shufelt; Sound Design by Chris Brousseau; Original Music on Cello by Valerie Thompson. Presented by The Umbrella Stage Company, 40 Stow St., Concord, MA, through March 22.

By Shelley A. Sackett

To Kill a Mockingbird, the 1960 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel written by Harper Lee and dramatized in 1970 by Christopher Sergel, tells the story of events that take place in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the Depression (1932 to 1935). The plot and characters are based on Lee’s observations of her family, neighbors and an actual event that took place in 1936 near her hometown, Monroeville, Alabama.

ASP Brings Modern and Relevant ‘Little Women’ to Watertown

February 9, 2026April 10, 2026 Julie-Anne WhitneyLeave a comment

Kaila Pelton-Flavin, Olivia Fenton, Sarah Newhouse, Aislinn Brophy, and Chloe McFarlane in Actors’ Shakespeare Project’s *Little Women*. Photos by Benjamin Rose Photography.

Little Women by Kate Hamill; Directed by Shana Gozansky; Set Design by Jenna MacFarland Lord; Scenic Design by Danielle Ibrahim; Costume Design by Zoe Sundra; Lighting Design by Deb Sullivan; Sound Design by Julian Crocamo; Intimacy Direction by Liv Dumaine; Stage Managed by Dominique D. Burford. Produced by Actors’ Shakespeare Project (ASP) at the Dorothy and Charles Mosesian Center for the Arts in Watertown, MA. Runs through March 1, 2026.

By Julie-Anne Whitney

It takes courage to adapt such a widely beloved novel as Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. Playwright Kate Hamill’s bold theatrical reimaginings of classic literature have, themselves, become hugely popular amongst regional theater companies. Hamill has been named one of the most produced playwrights in America every season since 2017, and Boston theater companies have been producing her plays for years (i.e., The Odyssey, Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson, Emma, Dracula, Vanity Fair, Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility). Hamill’s unique skill is taking a well-known story, maintaining its core themes, and then turning it on its head by presenting the story through a decidedly contemporary and/or feminist lens and offering a fresh, unexpected perspective of characters we know and love.

Playwright Najee A. Brown on his play “Stokely & Martin”

January 14, 2026April 10, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Najee A. Brown’s Stokely & Martin imagines a pivotal dinner conversation between Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and leaders of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) — Stokely Carmichael, Cleveland “Cleve” Sellers, and Willie Ricks — in 1966, at a moment when the civil rights movement was fracturing over questions of tactics, philosophy, and the meaning of Black Power.

Brown, the Artistic Director of the Multicultural Arts Center, wrote and now directs the production. The script comes with an imprimatur of authenticity: The dinner table conversation (a “strategy room” session, Brown explained during our interview) is informed by interviews Brown did with Willie Ricks, who attended just such gatherings. “They knew strategically what they had to do,” Brown notes, “and they did more planning than they did marching. Now I feel like we do more marching and maybe some planning that I don’t know about, or no planning at all.”

Keeping the Faith: Voncille Ross on 55 Years of Boston’s “Black Nativity”

December 12, 2025April 10, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

By Killian Melloy

For 55 years, the National Center of Afro-American Artists’ (NCAAA) production of Langston Hughes’ “Black Nativity” has been a holiday tradition, a community gathering, and what some have called “Boston’s Black community’s holiday card to the world.” At the helm of this enduring celebration is Voncille Ross, Executive Producer and Director of NCAAA Black Nativity, whose connection to the production has endured nearly as long as the show itself.

ArtsEmerson’s ‘Hang Time’ is a Searingly Powerful Call to Action

October 10, 2025April 10, 2026 Julie-Anne WhitneyLeave a comment

Cast of ArtsEmerson’s ‘Hang Time’. Photos by Maria Baranova

Hang Time, written and directed by Zora Howard; scenic design by Neal Wilkinson; movement direction by Charlie Oates; stunt direction by Rick Sordelet; lighting design by Reza Behjat; sound design by Megan Culley; costume design by Dominique Fawn Hill; produced by The Flea; presented by ArtsEmerson at the Jackie Liebergott Black Box Theatre/Paramount Center in Boston, MA through October 12, 2025.

by Julie-Anne Whitney

From the moment you walk into ArtsEmerson’s Black Box Theatre, you are confronted with an awful scene: three Black men hanging in mid-air. The image is provocative and shocking. You are no longer just an audience member; you have become a witness.

With Top-Notch Performances, Front Porch Arts Collective’s ‘The Mountaintop’ Soars

October 8, 2025April 10, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Dominic Carter as MLK in Front Porch Arts Collective‘s ‘The Mountaintop’

‘The Mountaintop’ – Written by Katori Hall. Directed by Maurice Emmanuel Parent. Scenic Design by Ben Lieberman. Lighting Design by Brian Lilienthal. Sound Design by Joshua Jackson. Presented by the Front Porch Arts Collective at the Suffolk University Modern Theatre, 525 Tremont Street, Boston, through October 12, 2025

A powerful production of the play The Mountaintop is running at Suffolk’s Modern Theatre – a short Green Line ride away from the university (BU) where MLK earned a PhD in systematic theology in 1955, on the same campus where he delivered a speech entitled “The Future of Desegregation” at the Ford Hall Forum in 1963, and blocks away from the Boston Common, where he delivered a speech in 1965 and where a permanent monument honoring the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King was unveiled in 2023.

‘The Mountaintop’ Is A Gripping Rendering of MLK’s Last Night

October 2, 2025April 10, 2026 Shelley SackettLeave a comment

The Mountaintop – Written by Katori Hall. Directed by Maurice Emmanuel Parent. Presented by The Front Porch Arts Collective in collaboration with Suffolk University at Modern Theatre, 525 Washington St., Boston, through October 12.

By Shelley A. Sackett

Playwright Katori Hall couldn’t have asked for a better production of his Olivier Award-winning play, The Mountaintop, than the one it is receiving at the Modern Theater at Suffolk University. Under Maurice Emmanuel Parent’s pitch-perfect direction, its two stars, Dominic Carter and Kiera Prusmack, deliver impeccable performances as civil rights and social justice leader, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Camae, a motel employee. Ben Lieberson’s set is straightforward and literal, a classic 1960s era, no frills, wood-paneled motel room.

SpeakEasy’s Outstanding ‘Primary Trust’ Simmers Slowly Until It Boils Over

September 21, 2025April 10, 2026 Shelley SackettLeave a comment

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

‘Primary Trust’ — Written by Eboni Booth. Directed by Dawn Simmons. Scenic Design by Shelley Barish; Lighting Design by Karen Perlow; Costume Design by Chelsea Kerl; Sound Design by Anna Drummond. Presented by SpeakEasy Stage Company at Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont St., Boston through October 11.

By Shelley A. Sackett

Like homesickness and old age, some things just “creep up” on us. A feeling that might start suddenly and imperceptibly, the sensation gradually builds until reaching a tipping point, after which we are acutely aware of and significantly affected by it.

Such is the case with SpeakEasy’s first production of the 2025/2026 season, Primary Trust, now enjoying a long run through October 11 (so there’s plenty of time to catch this gem).