CST’s ‘Breaking the Code’ Is Not To Be Missed

April 5, 2026April 10, 2026 Julie-Anne WhitneyLeave a comment

Matthew Beagan and Eddie Shields in Central Square’s ‘Breaking the Code’
Photos by Nile Scott Studios

Breaking the Code by Hugh Whitemore; directed by Scott Edmiston, scenic design by Janie E. Howland, lighting design by Karen Perlow, costume design by Chloe Moore, sound design by Aubrey Dube, projections design by SeifAllah Salotto-Cristobal, props design by Julia Wonkka, dialect coach Danny Bryck, stage manager Charles Waite Clay. Presented by Central Square Theater at 450 Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge, MA, through April 26, 2026.

By Julie-Anne Whitney

Many of us have heard the name Alan Turing, but few know much more about him than what he is most known for: breaking the Nazi Enigma code, which helped bring an end to WWII. Known as the father of computer science, Alan Turing was a pioneering English mathematician and cryptographer. In 1936, at just 24 years old, he developed the Universal Turing Machine, which would later lead to the creation of the first modern computer. During the Second World War, he worked as a codebreaker for the British government, creating a machine that could decode the German military’s encrypted transmissions, which likely saved millions of lives. In 1950, he published a paper that asked, “Can machines think?” which became the foundation for artificial intelligence.

SpeakEasy’s ‘A Man of No Importance’ Is Must-See, Feel-Good Theater at Its Absolute Finest

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

Eddie Shields and Will McGarrahan in Speakeasy’s ‘A Man of No Importance’
Photos by Nile Scott Studios

‘A Man of No Importance’ – Based on the film, ‘A Man of No Importance.’ Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens; Music by Stephen Flaherty; Book by Terrence McNally; Directed by Paul Daigneault. Choreographed by Ilyse Robbins. Music Direction by Paul S. Katz. Scenic Design by Jenna McFarland Lord. Presented by SpeakEasy Stage Company. At the Roberts Studio Theatre, Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts, through March 22.

By Shelley A. Sackett

There is so much to praise about SpeakEasy Stage Company’s ‘A Man of No Importance,’ director Paul Daigneault’s swansong production after leading the company he founded for 33 years, it’s hard to know where to begin.

Daigneault Closes the Door on SpeakEasy Stewardship with Poignant and Timely ‘A Man of No Importance’

February 26, 2025April 10, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Cast of Speakeasy’s ‘A Man of No Importance’. Photos by Nile Scott Studios

‘A Man of No Importance’ – Based on the film, ‘A Man of No Importance’. Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens; Music by Stephen Flaherty; Book by Terrence McNally; Directed by Paul Daigneault. Choreographed by Ilyse Robbins. Music direction by Paul S. Katz. Presented by SpeakEasy Stage Company. At the Roberts Studio Theatre, Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts, through March 22.

By Mike Hoban

For the final show of a thirty-plus year career as the founder & artistic director of Boston’s SpeakEasy Stage Company, it’s interesting to note that Paul Daigneault chose the small but quietly beautiful A Man of No Importance for his final production. Producer and/or director of over 160 productions and winner of multiple Eliot Norton and IRNE Awards, Daigneault is equally adept at drama and musicals, including the mind-blowing two-part The Inheritance in 2022 and a slew of terrific musicals, the most recent being the Eliot Norton Award-winning The Band’s Visit. So it should probably come as no surprise that his final selection straddles the two genres.