“Spamilton” a Hilarious Love Letter to Broadway

February 16, 2019 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

(Cast of “Spamilton” – Photos by Roger Mastroianni)

By Michele Markarian

“Spamilton” – Created, Written and Directed by Gerard Alessandrini. Presented by Huntington Theatre Company, Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA, 527 Tremont Street, Boston, through April 7.

Where to start with this show? Well, in the Obamas’s bedroom, where Barack puts on the cast recording of “Hamilton” before he and Michelle go to sleep. Lo and behold, Lin-Manuel Miranda (Adrian Lopez) is onstage, in full “Hamilton” garb, and the first number is a spoof on him (“In New York you can be a real ham” sung to the tune of “Alexander Hamilton”). I don’t know where they found Lopez, but onstage he is the spitting image of Miranda, and captures his vocal inflections perfectly. It’s uncanny to watch. Daveed Diggs (Dominic Pecikonis) and Aaron Burr (Datus Puryear) provide their own admonishments, but lest you think you’re in for an entire evening of roasting Lin-Manuel, the show, under the excellent musical direction and accompaniment of Curtis Reynolds, spins into a loving roast of Broadway itself, past and present.

The Huntington Personalizes 2008 Economic Collapse with Gripping ‘Skeleton Crew’

March 12, 2018March 12, 2018 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

by Mike Hoban

Skeleton Crew – Written by Dominique Morisseau; Directed by Megan Sandberg-Zakian Scenic Design by Wilson Chin; Costume Design by Ari Fulton; Lighting Design by Adam Honoré; Sound Design by Nathan Leigh. Presented by the Huntington Theatre Company at the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA, 527 Tremont St., Boston, through March 31.

Most of us know what it is like to compromise our ideals to some degree in the workplace, whether we’re working in a boardroom for a large corporation or slinging burgers in a fast food joint. The nature of everyday workplace life often requires us to make ethical decisions that place job security and/or advancement above our personal ideals and dreams, and it only becomes more difficult to do the right thing when the stakes are raised to a level that will directly affect our ability to survive.

Huntington’s BAD DATES Delivers Laughs…And More

February 5, 2018February 12, 2018 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Bad Dates – Written by Theresa Rebeck; Directed by Jessica Stone; Scenic Design by Alexander Dodge; Costume Design by Sarah Laux; Lighting Design by David J. Weiner; Sound Design by Drew Levy. Presented by the Huntington Theatre Company, Huntington Avenue Theatre, 264 Huntington Ave., Boston through March 3rd.

Bad Dates, Theresa Rebeck’s one-woman play now making its return to the Huntington after a smash run in 2004, is billed as a comedy, but it’s actuality it’s much more than that. At the outset it appears to be just another amusing discourse on dating – which is always a rich vein to mine for laughs – but as the plot unfolds it becomes sneakily poignant. And in the hands of the gifted comic actress Haneefah Wood and director Jessica Stone, the piece is transformed into a masterful piece of storytelling.

Huntington’s “Merrily We Roll Along” A Winner

September 21, 2017September 21, 2017 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

Huntington Theatre’s opening show of their season is “Merrily We Roll Along” Stephen Sondheim’s, musical of friendship and ambition. It is based on the 1934 play with the same name by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. “Merrily We Roll Along” has a book by George Furth that opens in 1976 and travels back in time to tell the story of Franklin Shepherd, a successful Broadway composer who leaves his theatre and songwriting career behind him to become a Hollywood movie producer.