Theater Mirror Reviewers ‘Best Of’ Lists for 2025

January 1, 2026January 1, 2026 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Cast of Speakeasy’s ‘A Man of No Importance’. Photos by Nile Scott Studios

As we close the door on what has been an enormously challenging year for most Americans, it was comforting to know that even in a world gone mad, Greater Boston theater companies were there to provide much-needed refuge for theatergoers, if only for a few hours at a time.

This may have been the strongest overall year for theater since COVID first hit, with a mix of pure-entertainment musicals like A.R.T.’s Two Strangers Carry a Cake Across New York (A.R.T.) and Lyric Stage’s Hello Dolly! balanced with plays (and musicals) with much weightier material, like Arlekin Players’ Our Class, and the national tour of Parade at Emerson Colonial. There were also a number of older plays that spoke to the issues bedeviling America today, including attacks on the LGBTQ+, Jewish, and immigrant communities.

Apollinaire’s Thriller ‘Is This a Room’ Asks, ‘Who Is The Real Patriot in Today’s Murky World?’

December 30, 2025December 31, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Cristhian Mancinas-García, Bradley Belanger, Brooks Reeves, and Parker Jennings in Apollinaire Theatre Company’s “Is This a Room.”

‘Is This a Room” — Written by Tina Satter. Directed by Danielle Fauteux Jacques. Concept and Original Direction by Tina Satter. Presented by Apollinaire Theatre Company, 189 Winnisimmet St., Chelsea, through Jan. 18.

By Shelley A. Sackett

Whatever you do, do not under any circumstances listen to any of the excellent podcasts and interviews with Reality Winner, the subject of Apollinaire’s gripping Is This a Room, until after you’ve seen the play — and see it you must.

For 70 minutes, the verbatim transcript of an F.B.I. interview of a 25-year-old woman suspected of violating the Espionage Act is the most unlikely script in this thrilling mystery that packs a wallop and imbues a by-the-books encounter with emotional and psychological depth and humanity.

Theater Mirror’s Kilian Melloy Interviews Adam Theater (“Library Lion”) co-founders Ran Bechor and Karin Sharav Zalkind

December 28, 2025December 29, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Cast of Adam Theater’s ‘Library Lion’ at BCA Calderwood Pavilion January 10-25
Photos by Nile Scott Studios

By Kilian Melloy

For the second January in a row, Adam Theater will be putting the “lion” in the Calderwood Pavilion with a production of Library Lion, a musical that celebrates the importance both of reading and of celebrating people for who they are.

The story is sweet and compelling. When a lion wanders into a library, his appearance stirs panic in some. Others, however, find his presence to be perfectly fine, so long as he follows the usual rules: No running, no shouting, no eating or drinking. The lion becomes a regular at the library (and its popular story hour) at the same time as two children are learning how to use the library as a resource, and to understand that books can fuel the imagination. But suspicion and fear linger, and when a misunderstanding happens, the lion’s place in the library’s community is put into question. It’s the kind of story that, ironically, can get a book challenged, or even banned, these days.

A.R.T.’s Uplifting ‘Wonder’ Wonders What Makes A Life Wonderful

December 22, 2025December 27, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Nathan Salstone, Garrett McNally, and members of the cast of ‘Wonder’ at the A.R.T.
Photos by Hawver and Hall

‘Wonder’ — Book by Sarah Ruhl. Music and lyrics by A Great Big World (Ian Axel and Chad King). Directed by Taibi Magar. Choreographed by Katie Spelman. Music supervision by Nadia DiGiallonardo. Presented by American Repertory Theater at Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Cambridge, through Feb. 8.

By Shelley A. Sackett

Middle school is widely recognized as one of life’s toughest crucibles, a time of major physical, emotional and social change. A petri dish of hormonal upheaval, intense social pressures and increased academic demands, it has all the ingredients for an emotive perfect storm.

Now imagine navigating these turbulent waters as a boy with facial differences facing transition from homeschooling to private school, where he will, for the first time, have to mix with other kids, and that perfect storm suddenly lurks as a tsunami of epic proportions.

This is the premise of Wonder, the new coming-of-age musical drama débuting at American Repertory Theater. Based on R.J. Palacio’s best-selling 2012 young adult novel, Sarah Ruhl’s play tells the story of Auggie Pullman, a boy born with Treacher Collins syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that interferes with the development of facial features.

“A Scandinavian Story for Christmas” Delights at the 55th Annual Midwinter Revels

December 17, 2025December 20, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

*Midwinter Revels: A Scandinavian Story for Christmas*
Photos by Paul Buckley

By Michele Markarian

“A Scandinavian Story for Christmas”. Inspired by Gregory Maguire’s “Matchless”, Written by Debra Wise and Patrick Sawonson. Dramaturg, Nicole Galland. Directed by Debra Wise. Music Direction by Elijah Botkin. Choreography by Tom Roby. Presented by Sanders Theatre, Harvard University, through December 28.

I have to admit, I have not been fully committed to the holiday spirit this year. With so much turmoil in the world, it’s hard to focus on merriment, feasting, and gift-giving, but I was intrigued by the Swedish theme of this year’s Revels and decided to check it out. The rich hues of the theatre were warm and inviting, matching the warm and genial manner of the Master of Ceremonies, David Coffin. As the cast entered through the mezzanine, voices harmonizing over the traditional Nu Ar Det Jul Igen (“Now It Is Christmas Again”), I could feel my attitude begin to thaw.

CSC’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ Stirs Christmas Spirit with Victorian Song

December 14, 2025December 14, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Kathryn McKellar, Will Lyman in CSC’s ;*Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol*‘.
Photos by Nile Scott Studios

Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol − Adaptation by Steve Wargo with Musical Arrangements by Dianne Adams McDowell; Directed by Steven Maler; Musical Direction by Dan Rodriguez; Scenic Design by Scott Bradley; Choreography by John Lam; Lighting Design by Jessica Elliot and Eric Southern III; Sound Design by David Remedios; Costumes by Fabian Fidel Aguilar. Presented by Commonwealth Shakespeare Company at Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre, Tremont St., Boston, through December 23.

By Mike Hoban

I’ve been a huge fan of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol ever since I was a young boy, although I must confess that my deep appreciation didn’t come from reading the novella. Instead, it was the delightful cartoon musical Mister Magoo’s Christmas Carol that first captured my heart and imagination. Featuring a musical score by legendary Broadway composer Jule Styne (Gypsy, Funny Girl, and dozens more), the animated production entertainingly conveyed the story’s central message of redemption and learning to care for others in a way that even an eight-year-old could understand. From there, I graduated to the iconic 1951 Alastair Sim film, and each holiday season try to incorporate one or both into my holiday-themed viewing to rekindle some of that nostalgic Christmas spirit.

Keeping the Faith: Voncille Ross on 55 Years of Boston’s “Black Nativity”

December 12, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

By Killian Melloy

For 55 years, the National Center of Afro-American Artists’ (NCAAA) production of Langston Hughes’ “Black Nativity” has been a holiday tradition, a community gathering, and what some have called “Boston’s Black community’s holiday card to the world.” At the helm of this enduring celebration is Voncille Ross, Executive Producer and Director of NCAAA Black Nativity, whose connection to the production has endured nearly as long as the show itself.

Theater Mirror’s Kilian Mellow Interviews Boston Favorite Will Lyman on Playing “Scrooge” in Commonwealth Shakespeare’s “A Christmas Carol”

December 8, 2025December 9, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Will Lyman as Scrooge in CSC’s “A Christmas Carol”

Ebenezer Scrooge is the ultimate Christmas villain. Indeed, his name has become synonymous with unthinking greed paired with the sort of flinty hard-heartedness that denies joy to oneself as well as to others. His trademark exclamation of “Bah! Humbug!” has become a universal shorthand for dismissal of all things joyful and celebratory.

The Huntington’s Superb Musical ‘Fun Home’ Plumbs Memories and Memoirs

December 5, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Caleb Levin, Odin Vega, Lyla Randall in ‘Fun Home’ at the Huntington. Photos by Marc J Franklin

‘Fun Home’ — Music by Jeanine Tesori. Book and Lyrics by Lisa Kron. Based on the graphic novel by Alison Bechdel. Directed by Logan Ellis. At the Huntington Theatre, Huntington Ave., Boston through Dec. 14.

By Shelley A. Sackett

In less capable hands, the multiple Tony Award-winning Fun Home, at the Huntington through Dec. 14, could have been a disaster. Adapted from Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel memoir, the storyline follows a family’s journey through sexual orientation, gender roles, suicide, emotional abuse, grief, loss, and lesbian Bechdel’s complicated relationship with her tightly closeted father. To boot, the title refers to the family funeral parlor, where her father worked and she and her siblings played.

Doesn’t sound like the raw material for one of the year’s outstanding Boston area productions? Think again.

Holiday Mashup of Dickens and Holmes is Both Familiar and Surprising

November 27, 2025November 27, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Jon-Vellante, Paul-Melendy, and Christopher-Chew in Lyric Stage’s ‘A Sherlock Carol’.
Photos by Nile Hawver

‘A Sherlock Carol’ – Written by Mark Shanahan; Directed by Ilyse Robbins; Featuring Paul Melendy; Leigh Barrett; Christopher Chew; Jon Vellante; Mark Linehan; Michelle Moran; Scenic Design by Erik D. Diaz; Costumes by Sophia Baramidze; Lighting Design by SeifAllah Solotto-Cristobal; Sound Design by Alex Berg; Presented by Lyric Stage Boston, Boston, MA running November 14 through December 21.

By C.J. Williams

Famously, Dickens’ A Christmas Carol opens with the line, “Marley was dead: to begin with.” Playing now at the Lyric Stage until December 21st, A Sherlock Carol, opens to the tune of “Moriarty was dead: to begin with”. The famous consulting detective is in a black, offensive, depression (throwing out friends and spitting “Bah!”). Moriarty is dead, and Holmes, self-obsessed and shut in on Christmas Eve, refuses all invitations from Watson to partake in holiday cheer…and Moriarty is dead. But that might just as easily have been said of Scrooge at the opening of his story, and Holmes, as we enter A Sherlock Carol, are dead themselves: They’ve both lost the thing that gives hope to the human heart.

Scrooge was essentially brought back to life. Can Holmes be?