“Penelope” Plays an Emotional Waiting Game

February 10, 2026April 8, 2026 Michele MarkarianLeave a comment

Marissa Licata, Dan-Rodriguez, Aimee Doherty and Kett-Lee in Lyric Stage’s ‘Penelope’

“Penelope”. Music, lyrics and arrangements by Alex Bechtel. Book by Alex Bechtel, Grace McLean, Eva Steinmetz. Directed by Courtney O’Connor. Music Direction by Dan Rodriguez. Presented by The Lyric Stage Company of Boston, 140 Clarendon Street, Boston, through March 1.

By Michele Markarian

Odysseus is a popular figure these days. In 2018, he appeared in Madeline Miller’s novel “Circe” as a virile and manipulative broken warrior. There was Kate Hamill’s “Odyssey” that premiered at A.R.T. last year. There’s an upcoming film version, directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Matt Damon, scheduled for release this July. “Penelope”, written by Alex Bechtel, is a one-woman cabaret depicting a waiting, sometimes patiently, sometimes not, wife of Odysseus, whose loyalty and love is played adoringly by Aimee Doherty.

Lyric Stage’s ‘Our Town’ Is A Classy Production of A Timeless Classic

September 25, 2025April 8, 2026 Shelley SackettLeave a comment

Will McGarrahan as the Stage Manager in Lyric Stages’ “Our Town”
Photos by Nile Hawver

‘Our Town’ – Written by Thornton Wilder. Directed by Courtney O’Connor; Scenic Design by Shelley Barish; Costume Design by Rachel Padula-Shufelt; Lighting Design by Deb Sullivan; Sound Design by Andrew Duncan Will. Presented by The Lyric Stage Company of Boston, 140 Clarendon Street, Boston, through October 19.

By Shelley A. Sackett

Our Town, Thornton Wilder’s 1938 Pulitzer Prize-winning play, is set in the fictional New Hampshire town of Grover’s Corners. Narrated by a Stage Manager (Will McGarrahan, excellent in the sober yet not dispassionate part), this classic uses a minimal set to explore universal themes of life, love, and death. Described by Edward Albee as “the greatest American play ever written,” it presents the fictional American town of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire, between 1901 and 1913. Through its citizens, and especially the Webb and Gibbs families, Wilder celebrates our shared humanity and the importance of appreciating the present moment, especially the glimmers of community and connection that keep us grounded and give our lives meaning.

And who couldn’t use a glimmer of light during dark times, whether it’s 1938 or 87 years later?

Short Take: “Our Town” A Poignant, Sobering Reminder of Gratitude

September 24, 2025April 8, 2026 Michele MarkarianLeave a comment

“Our Town” – Written by Thornton Wilder. Directed by Courtney O’Connor; Scenic Design by Shelley Barish; Costume Design by Rachel Padula-Shufelt; Lighting Design by Deb Sullivan; Sound Design by Andrew Duncan Will. Presented by The Lyric Stage Company of Boston, 140 Clarendon Street, Boston, through October 19.

By Michele Markarian

I first saw “Our Town” on television as a teenager, and I have to say, it freaked me out. As a young person, I didn’t understand the piece for its depth; I thought that it was about death. With some perspective, it is very much a play about life, a point that the superb production at the Lyric Stage subtly brings home.

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

September 17, 2025April 9, 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.

‘Art’ Becomes More Than What Meets The Eye in Lyric Stage’s Splendid Production

February 27, 2025April 8, 2026 Shelley SackettLeave a comment

John Kuntz and Michael Kaye in Lyric Stage’s ‘Art’. Photo Credit: Mark S. Howard

‘Art’ by Yasmina Reza. Translated by Christopher Hampton. Directed by Courtney O’Connor. Scenic Design by Shelley Barish. Costume Design by Chelsea Kerl, Lighting Design by Elmer Martinez. Sound Design by Adam Howarth. Presented by The Lyric Stage Company of Boston, 140 Clarendon Street, Boston, through March 16.

By Shelley A. Sackett

The French playwright, actress, novelist, and screenwriter Yasmina Reza has a special talent for creating dialogue and characters that simultaneously focus inward on the complexities of interpersonal relationships and outward on the demands and mores of contemporary middle-class society. ‘Art,’ now enjoying a magnificent run at Lyric Stage Company, premiered in Paris in 1994 and took both London’s West End and New York’s Broadway by storm. It won Olivier, Tony, Molière, and every other major theatre award and has been packing in audiences worldwide in 30 languages ever since.

Lyric’s “Urinetown” Delivers a Steady Stream of Satire and Fun

October 9, 2024April 9, 2026 Michele MarkarianLeave a comment

Cast of Lyric Stage’s ‘Urinetown. Photos by Nile Hawver

“Urinetown” – Music and Lyrics by Mark Hollmann. Book and Lyrics by Greg Kotis. Directed by Courtney O’Connor. Presented by The Lyric Stage Company of Boston, 140 Clarendon Street, Boston, through October 20.

By Michele Markarian

If I were to be perfectly honest – and somewhat lazy – this review would consist of only three words: See this show. But that wouldn’t be fair to the truly talented director, cast, and crew, so bear with me while I tell you why. It’s a hilarious script with a catchy score and pointed undertones that’s performed flawlessly in moments both tongue-in-cheek and sincere.

Lyric Stage Serves Delicious Fare With ‘The Cake’

January 18, 2020April 8, 2026 Julie-Anne WhitneyLeave a comment

(*Karen MacDonald, Chelsea Diehl, and Kris Sidberry in ‘The Cake’ at Lyric Stage*
*PHOTO: Mark S. Howard*)

by Julie-Anne Whitney

‘The Cake’ – Written by Bekah Brunstetter; Directed by Courtney O’Connor; Scenic Design by Matt Whiton; Costume Design by Charles Schoonmaker; Lighting Design by Aja Jackson; Original Music/Sound Design by Arshan Gailus; Intimacy Direction by Ted Hewlett; Stage Managed by Diane McClean. Presented by the Lyric Stage Company of Boston through February 9.

Inspired by the 2015 Craig v. Masterpiece Cakeshop lawsuit, Bekah Brunstetter’s play, The Cake, centers on a conservative Christian bakery owner, Della (Karen MacDonald), who is asked by her late friend’s daughter, Jen (Chelsea Diehl), to make a wedding cake. When Jen reveals that her future spouse is a black woman named Macy (Kris Sidberry), Della clumsily claims that she’s simply “too busy” to accommodate their request.