SPRING has sprung with a number of delightful, moving, first rate productions now in bloom on Boston stages! Here's my take on two of them, both of which speak to the moment we are in: the indispensability of LOVE and COMPASSION and the tragic consequences when they are missing. A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE [...]
SO much theater and I've seen most of it! Here's my take on three running through MARCH 16! I loved LYRIC STAGE COMPANY's production of ART by Yasmina Reza starring a marvelous troika of veteran Boston stars who know just how to massage this three-way friendship into a roiling dramedy triggered by a piece of [...]
The Oscars Sunday night March 2 were masterfully handled by Brookline's own Conan O'Brien whose intelligence, sense of the absurd, and self-deprecating charm carried us through the wild and wacky tonal shifts of a long evening. He sang and danced and cracked us up, managed a heartfelt tribute to L.A. firefighters, and a straight up, [...]
It's the most foundational narrative in the western world: THE ODYSSEY, Homer's epic tale of Odysseus's ten-year journey home from the bloody decade-long Trojan war while wife Penelope waits and weaves. The Wizard of Oz, James Joyce's Ulysses, HarryPotter, SpongeBob SquarePants and countless other tales owe something to the aptly named Homer. It would be [...]
THE GROVE now onstage at the HUNTINGTON'S CALDERWOOD PAVILION is simply magnificent. Playwright Mfoniso Udofia has given us an extraordinary theatrical gift which exceeds all the demands of the medium. The second in her nine-play UFOT FAMILY CYCLE, informed by the playwright's own roots as a first first-generation Nigerian American who grew up in Massachusetts, [...]
An excellent performance and a moving piece of theater awaits you in Lowell at the MERRIMACK REPERTORY THEATRE! The legend who is Billie Holiday comes alive thanks to Jenece Upton who embodies the singer's tragic history and indelible vocals. Written by Lanie Robertson and directed by Candice Handy, LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR AND GRILL [...]
There's nothing funny about the current touring company production of FUNNY GIRL presented by Broadway In Boston and now onstage at CITIZENS OPERA HOUSE. It embodies everything that can go wrong with touring company productions: skimpy sets, costumes, and routine performances. Let it be said I LOVE THIS MUSICAL (Jule Styne/Music, Bob Merrill/Lyrics) which hangs [...]
Buckle up buttercup and get ready for the most courageous and outrageous show I've seen so far this year. AIN'T NO MO' presented by SpeakEasy Stage and Front Porch Arts Collective, a winner of six Tony nominations including Best Play 2023, written by the youngest Black American Playwright nominated for a Tony Award, Jordan E. [...]
I'm just back from a winter break catching up with a couple of productions--and the best of what's now onstage is easily August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama THE PIANO LESSON. It is yet another transfixing production mounted by Actors' Shakespeare Project in partnership with HIBERNIAN HALL with an exceptional ensemble bringing visceral life to August [...]
This show is a revelation and gift! TAP into the holidays with a world premiere at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge: DIARY OF A TAP DANCER! Ayodele (like "deli") Casel whom we last saw in 2022 at the ART chasing magic, wrote and choreographed this show, directed by longtime collaborator Torya Beard. The production [...]
