“Stereophonic” A Grueling Celebration of Making Art

March 12, 2026April 8, 2026 Michele MarkarianLeave a comment

Cast of “Stereophonic” at the Emerson Colonial. Photos: Julieta Cervantes

“Stereophonic”. Written by David Adjami. Original Songs by Will Butler. Directed by Daniel Aukin. Presented at Emerson Colonial Theatre, 106 Boylston Street, Boston, through March 15.

By Michele Markarian

When I first saw “Stereophonic” a few years ago in New York, I was surprised at how familiar I was with some of the dialogue. “It’s the book!” I whispered to my husband, who had no idea what I was talking about. The book, “Making Rumours: The Inside Story of the Classic Fleetwood Mac Album” by Ken Caillat with Steven Stiefel, had been given to me as a birthday present by a friend ten years before. Caillat had been the co-producer of “Rumours” and wrote a book describing the exhilarating and often harrowing process, a journey Mick Fleetwood corroborates in his book “My Life and Adventures in Fleetwood Mac”. The playwright eventually settled out of court with Caillat. In fairness to Adjami, while the book is good, the play, which depicts the arduous recording sessions of a seminal album by a band loosely based on Fleetwood Mac, is better.

Muggles Marvel At Magic Tricks in Emerson Colonial’s ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’

November 20, 2025April 8, 2026 Shelley SackettLeave a comment

Cast of ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ at Emerson Colonial Theatre
Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy

‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.’ Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany. A new play by Jack Thorne. Directed by John Tiffany. Presented by Emerson Colonial Theatre at 106 Boylston St., Boston through Dec. 20.

By Shelley A. Sackett

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is handicapped before the curtain even rises. It is based on the Harry Potter series, a seven-book global phenomenon created by J.K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The main story arc concerns Harry’s conflict with a dark wizard (Lord Voldemort) who intends to become immortal, overthrow the wizard governing body, and subjugate all wizards and Muggles (non-magical people).

‘Kimberly Akimbo’ Is Musical Theater at Its Absolute Best!

May 10, 2025April 8, 2026 Shelley SackettLeave a comment

Cast of ‘Kimberly Akimbo’ at the Emerson Colonial Theatre. Photos by Joan Marcus

‘Kimberly Akimbo.’ Book and Lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire. Music by Jeanine Tesori. Based on the play by David Lindsay-Abaire. Directed by Jessica Stone. Music Supervision by Chris Fenwick. Choreographed by Danny Mefford. Presented by Broadway in Boston at the Emerson Colonial Theatre, 106 Boylston St., Boston, through May 18.

By Shelley A. Sackett

Kimberly Akimbo should not be as enjoyable as it is. The show tells the tragic story of a lonely teenage girl, Kimberly Levaco (Carolee Carmello), who suffers from a condition similar to progeria that causes her to age at a rate that is four and a half times as fast as normal. Only one in 50 million people is so afflicted, and Kimberly has the appearance and bodily breakdown of an elderly woman with a lifespan that rarely exceeds 16 years.

Emerson Colonial’s ‘Mean Girls’ Is More Meh Than Mean

May 5, 2025April 8, 2026 Shelley SackettLeave a comment

Cast of ‘Mean Girls’ at Emerson Colonial Theatre

‘Mean Girls.’ Book by Tina Fey. Music by Jeff Richmond. Lyrics by Nell Benjamin. Based on the Paramount Pictures film “Mean Girls.” Directed by Casey Cushion. Choreography by John MacInnis; Scenic Design by Scott Pask; Costume Design by Gregg Barnes; Lighting Design by Kenneth Posner; Sound Design by Brian Ronan; Music Direction by Julius LaFlamme; Orchestrations by John Clancy; Music Coordination by John Mezzio; Hair Design by Josh Marquette. Presented by Emerson Colonial Theatre, Bolyston St., Boston. Run has ended.

By Shelley A. Sackett

Tina Fey’s Mean Girls has certainly milked its appeal. When it first appeared in 2004 as a film starring Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams and Amanda Seyfried, it was a runaway hit. Its 2018 transformation into a Broadway musical fared less well and the 2024 remake of the film fared even worse.

BLO’s ‘Carousel’ Is More Miss Than Hit

April 14, 2025April 8, 2026 Shelley SackettLeave a comment

Cast of Boston Lyric Opera’s ‘Carousel’. Photo by Nile Scott Studios.

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s ‘Carousel,’ 80th Anniversary Production. Music by Richard Rodgers. Book and Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. Conducted by David Angus. Directed by Anne Bogart. Presented by Boston Lyric Opera, Emerson Colonial Theatre, 106 Boylston Street, Boston. Run has ended

By Shelley A. Sackett

Boston Lyric Opera’s production of Carousel is being touted on many levels. It is a return of Rogers and Hammerstein’s second musical (written just two years after the smash hit Oklahoma) on the same stage where it débuted in 1945 with John Raitt (Bonnie Raitt’s late father) as the lead, Billy Bigelow. Director Anne Bogart’s program notes stress the tension inherent in staging a show with such strong nostalgic ties to tradition for a contemporary audience. She checks the reverence box by not changing a syllable of the original script or lyrics. The notes refer to checking the innovation box by envisioning the players-within-the-play as “a group of refugees who arrive from a great distance to perform the play, seeking to gain access and acceptance,” but, at least for this viewer, that intention yielded only confusion.

Don’t Let The Bleak Premise Of The First Rate Musical “Parade” Scare You Away

March 22, 2025April 8, 2026 Shelley SackettLeave a comment

Cast of the National Tour of ‘Parade’ at the Emerson Colonial Theatre. Photos by Joan Marcus

‘Parade’ – Book by Alfred Uhry; Music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown; Co-conceived by Harold Prince; Directed by Michael Arden; Choreography by Lauren Yalango-Grant & Christopher Cree Grant; Music direction by Charlie Alterman. At the Emerson Colonial Theatre, Boston, through March 23^rd.

By Shelley A. Sackett

It was with trepidation that I attended opening night of “Parade,” now at the Emerson Colonial Theatre through March 23. After all, the premise of the 2023 multiple Tony Award-winning musical revival is hardly uplifting. The book by Alfred Uhry (author of “Driving Miss Daisy”) is set in 1913 Atlanta and tells the true story of Leo Frank, a transplanted Brooklyn Jew and pencil factory supervisor who is married to his Jewish boss’s daughter, Lucille. As the newlyweds struggle to carve out their lives in the red hills of Georgia, Leo is falsely scapegoated for the murder of a 13-year-old white girl in his employ. The rest of the play dramatizes his trial, imprisonment, and 1915 mob lynching.

‘Parade’ at Emerson Colonial a Stark Reminder that Past is Prologue

March 15, 2025April 8, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Parade – Book by Alfred Uhry; Music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown; Co-conceived by Harold Prince; Directed by Michael Arden; Choreography by Lauren Yalango-Grant & Christopher Cree Grant; Music direction by Charlie Alterman. At the Emerson Colonial Theatre, Boston, through March 23^rd.

by Mike Hoban

Theatergoers should prepare for a profoundly conflicted experience with the Broadway revival of Parade, now at the Emerson Colonial on its North American tour. The brilliant artistry of this production is undeniable, with its superb cast and creative staging, but the content is a painful reminder that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Although it’s set in the Deep South in 1913, the mob rule and the institutionalized demonization of the “other” look a lot like America in 2025.

A Formidable Foursome in ‘Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole A Song’

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

Cast of ‘Forbidden Broadway’ at Emerson Colonial Theatre
Chris Collins-Pisano, Nicole Vanessa Ortiz, Jenny Lee Stern, John Wascavage

Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole A Song by Creator, Writer, Director Gerard Alessandrini. Choreography by Gerry McIntyre. Graphics & Onstage Projection Design by Glenn Bassett. Costume Design by Dustin Cross. Hair & Wigs by Ian Joseph. At Emerson Colonial Theatre, 106 Boylston Street, Boston, February 8-9, 2025.

By Linda Chin

“Old farts” who may have seen the original Forbidden Broadway during its seven year run at the Park Plaza in the ‘80s and ‘90s, theatergoers of all ages – especially those of you who spell theatre with an -re instead of -er, and fans of the late composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim were treated to an evening of belly laughs as the Emerson Colonial Theatre brought the newest version of the Forbidden Broadway franchise, Merrily We Stole a Song, for a limited run this past weekend.

Audiences Tickled Pink by The Queen of Versailles at Emerson Colonial Theatre

August 5, 2024August 5, 2024 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Kristin Chenoweth and F. Murray Abrahamin“The Queen of Versailles” at Emerson Colonial Theatre. Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy

THE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES – Produced by Bill Damaschke, Seaview, and Kristen Chenoweth, through her production banner Diva Worldwide Entertainment. Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. Book by Lindsey Ferrentino based on the documentary film “The Queen of Versailles” by Lauren Greenfield and the life stories of Jackie and David Siegel. Directed by Michael Arden. Scenic and Video Design by Dane Laffrey; Costume Design by Christian Cowan; Choreography by Lauren Yalango-Grant and Christopher Cree Grant; Music Supervised by Mary-Mitchell Campbell; Lighting Design by Natasha Katz; Sound Design by Peter Hylenski. At Emerson Colonial Theatre, 106 Boylston St., Boston, through August 25th.

by Linda Chin

I must have missed the memo. For the beautiful and ebullient crowd at the Emerson Colonial Theater attending the highly anticipated new Stephen Schwartz musical, hot pink and sequins were the colors of choice, minidresses to ballgowns with floor-grazing trains the length of choice, boas and bling the accessories of choice. The Queen of Versailles – starring Tony and Emmy award-winner Kristen Chenoweth as Jackie Siegel – is a rags-to-riches-to-rags musical that follows working-class teenager “Jackie Mallory, who has a minimum wage salary” and lives in Endwell, NJ. She gets a degree in engineering – part of her lifetime dream is to work at IBM – but gets “pulled in a new direction.” There are plenty of references and allusions to Broadway shows and pop culture, and product endorsements for McDonald’s and Louis Vuitton (“the two bags under my eyes”). The show is enjoying a pre-Broadway run through August 25 at the Emerson Colonial Theatre (location and date of the Broadway run to be announced at a later date), and if the response at the opening night performance I attended is any indication, audiences are already tickled pink with the production.

Emerson Colonial Theatre’s Dazzling “Queen of Versailles” Showcases Kristin Chenoweth’s Super-Sized Talent

August 4, 2024August 4, 2024 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Cast of *“The Queen of Versailles”* at Emerson Colonial Theatre. Photo Credit Matthew Murphy

“The Queen of Versailles” — Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. Book by Lindsey Ferrentino based on the documentary film “The Queen of Versailles” by Lauren Greenfield and the life stories of Jackie and David Siegel. Directed by Michael Arden. Scenic and Video Design by Dane Laffrey; Costume Design by Christian Cowan; Choreography by Lauren Yalango-Grant and Christopher Cree Grant; Music Supervised by Mary-Mitchell Campbell; Lighting Design by Natasha Katz; Sound Design by Peter Hylenski. Produced by Bill Damaschke, Seaview, and Kristen Chenoweth, through her production banner Diva Worldwide Entertainment. Presented by Emerson Colonial Theatre at 106 Boylston St., Boston through August 25.

By Shelley A. Sackett

There is no more perfect setting for a play about Versailles and consumerism gone awry than Boston’s own Colonial Theatre, with its gold, glitz, and Rococo splendor. On opening night last Thursday, the festive crowd for “The Queen of Versailles,” the Broadway-bound musical extravaganza, was dressed as if auditioning as contemporary cast extras with bling, boas, and bottles of champagne.

But that was nothing compared to Dane Lafrey’s lavish Louis XIV worthy set, thankfully on pre-curtain-rise display to accommodate selfies and elicit oohs and aahs.