Let's begin with STRAIGHT WHITE MEN-- since most things do. But time's up and now what? That's the question raised by playwright Young Jean Lee in her Broadway hit now having its New England premiere onstage presented by New Rep Theatre. First, I am a fan of another work of Lee's-- "We're Gonna Die" which [...]
HURRY! FREE ADVANCE SCREENING of Amazon Studios release "LIFE ITSELF" Wednesday September 19, 2018 7PM at AMC Boston Common For the chance to download two complimentary passes to this advance screening please visit: “LIFE ITSELF” Cast: Oscar Isaac, [...]
The evening seared my soul: Langston Hughes' poem THE BLACK CLOWN made its world premiere at the American Repertory Theater this week, awesome, painful, and inspiring word made flesh. The piece adapted by performer Davone Tines (who first wowed me in CROSSING) and composer Michael Schachter is a brilliant collage of word, music, and movement, [...]
The dog days of summer feature two movies based on books that require some navigation through PC muddied waters. BLACKkKLANSMAN is Spike Lee's take on the "true" tale of Ron Stallworth (John David Washington, Denzel's son!) the first black detective on the Colorado Springs Police Force in the early '70's who infiltrates the Ku Klux [...]
I left the show trailing streamers, confetti and what was left of my breath. The world premiere, Broadway-bound musical MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL has just reopened America's oldest and most beautiful theatre, Boston's Emerson Colonial -- and what a rebirth! The show is a no holds barred, dazzling live theatrical reinvention of Baz Luhrman's Oscar-nominated [...]
Once again, I have waded through the summer's action-franchise-superhero swamp to find no new ground broken. "Jurasssic World: Fallen Kingdom" was a fun, velociraptorous romp through a gothic mansion. "Oceans 8" was an entertaining heist with fab female fashion and locations, but a plot full of holes which anchored its all-star female cast to a [...]
It's almost ready: BORN FOR THIS/A NEW MUSICAL has just premiered to a standing ovation at The Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre, and brought me to my feet with its vitality, soul-searing vocals, and dynamic cast and performances. All it needs is a good kick in the book-- and it's on its way. Center: Loren [...]
If you're in town this weekend, take the kids and catch the hit musical strutting its stuff at LYRIC STAGE which has extended its run of "THE WIZ" til July 1! The 1975 classic which added soul to "The Wizard of Oz" and walked away with seven Tony Awards, is now easin' on down the [...]
Alanis Morissette These days are a jagged pill to swallow--which makes the world premiere musical JAGGED LITTLE PILL inspired by Alanis Morissette's landmark 90's primal scream of an album more relevant than ever. Artistic director Diane Paulus has once again looked back to look forward, putting her finger on the pulse of the [...]
The first few minutes of this documentary are a tribute to discretion: a montage of talking heads who refuse to talk--and as Diana Vreeland once said, "elegance is refusal." The very fact of this documentary verges on the indiscreet, but I forgave the indiscretion and am thrilled to have had a peek. This is a [...]
