I am just about to begin a glorious summer sojourn but wanted to FLAG YOU on some real gems on stage NOW– see these before they close!
TWO STRANGERS (CARRY A CAKE ACROSS NEW YORK) and yes– the North American Premiere of this hit WEST END musical comedy is worth the trip. Have your cake devour these sharp, hilarious performances as Dougal (Sam Tutty) and Robin (Christiani Pitts) meet super cute on the eve of his estranged father’s wedding. Nothing you expect to happen, happens. Act I is fabulous and funny and sets the stage for Act II which is less satisfying, but performances and VOICES are first rate throughout and you will LOVE the vibe, the humanity, the sweetness of these characters. By Jim Barne and Kit Buchan, Directed and Choreographed by Tim Jackson and A Kiln Theatre Production and presented by the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, now extended through July 13!!
THE GLASS MENAGERIE up at GLOUCESTER STAGE is a thing of beauty given fresh life by a stellar cast. Adrianne Krstanski is the flighty, funny Amanda Wingfield who clings to her dreams as she tries to set up her shy and limping daughter Laura (Liza Giangrande) with gentleman caller Jim (Patrick O’Konis) a coworker and classmate of her son. An elegant De’Lon Grant as son Tom has his own dreams and desires, and acts as a wise narrator in this Tennessee Williams’ poignant tale wrapped in gauze and viewed through candlelight in its most poignant moments. Director Doug Lockwood resurrects the dignity and beauty of these characters. Giangrande’s Laura glows, and is not nearly as fragile as her figurines. O’Konis’s gentleman caller almost immediately lets his guard down as a man struggling to find his footing after the glory days of H.S.
SEE THIS NOW At GLOUCESTER STAGE through June 28!
OUR CLASS— See this masterpiece presented by ARLEKIN, directed by the endlessly creative Igor Golyak and gripping us by the soul to make us look squarely at the cruelty human beings are capable of when our baser instincts prevail and the larger forces divide us from our humanity. OUR CLASS tells the story of 10 Polish classmates — 5 are Jewish, 5 are Catholic. During the rising antisemitism leading up to WWII and the holocaust, these once innocent childhood friends and neighbors are split by hatred which culminates in a horrific event based on real life events.
The horror evoked here by ingenious and searing stagecraft and enacted by a stunning ensemble, makes clear the gruesome ironies and hypocrisies of Christian orthodoxy. The stolen silver treasures of annihilated Jews litter a Christian wedding, a humiliating desecration of identity for one young Jewish woman Rachelka who buries her identity to save her physical life. Chulpan Khamatova is extraordinary in what amounts to a dual role. This is more than timely– it is archetypal and will set off alarms in your psyche about what can happen, has happened, and is happening all around us. Brace yourself and see OUR CLASS. Then take the 10 commandments to heart. THROUGH June 22 at the BCA CALDERWOOD!
