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“Thirst” a Story of Longing and Belonging

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Michael Kaye, Kate Fitzgerald and Aimee Doherty in ‘Thirst’ at The Lyric. Photos by Mark S. Howard

“Thirst” – Written by Ronan Noone. Directed by Courtney O’Connor. Presented by The Lyric Stage Company of Boston, 140 Clarendon Street, Boston, through March 17.

By Michele Markarian

Set in Connecticut in 1912, “Thirst” cleverly takes place in the kitchen of the Tyrone (of “Long Day’s Journey into Night”) household, where cook Bridget (Aimee Doherty), her niece Cathleen (Kate Fitzgerald) and driver Jack Smythe (Michael Kaye) lie in wait to serve the erratic needs of the Tyrones. Bridget is from Ireland, forced to come to America for a so-called sin that she committed. Cathleen, her niece, is in her care. Cathleen also came over from Ireland on the Titanic, which she somehow managed to survive. Jack is a former alcoholic who credits the snappish Bridget for getting him sober and finding him his position as Mary Tyrone’s driver, despite the fact that Bridget drinks quite heavily herself.  

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P. Carl Invites the Audience on His Gender Transition Journey in the A.R.T.’s ‘Becoming a Man’

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Stacey Raymond, Petey Gibson in A.R.T.’s ‘Becoming a Man’
Photos by Nile Scott Studios and Maggie Hall

‘Becoming A Man’ — Written by P. Carl. Co-directed by Dianne Paulus and P. Carl. Scenic Design by Emmie Finckel; Costume Design by Qween Jean; Lighting Design by Cha See; Music and Sound Design by Paul James Prendergast; Video Design by Brittany Bland. Presented by the A.R.T. at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., through March 10.

By Shelley A. Sackett

P. Carl, an acclaimed educator, dramaturg, and writer, lived for 49 years as Polly, a woman who believed she had been born into the wrong body. The last 20 years were spent as a lesbian in a queer marriage to Lynette D’Amico, a writer and editor. Lynette had no idea the queer woman who was her wife suffered gender dysphoria, a condition that can — and in Polly’s case, did — lead to depression and anxiety and have a harmful impact on daily life.

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A Stunning ‘Steel Pier’ Marks Sullivan Rep’s Dazzling Debut

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Cast of Sullivan Rep’s ‘Steel Pier’

Sullivan Rep presents ‘Steel Pier’ – Book by David Thompson. Music & Lyrics by John Kander and Frank Ebb. Conceived by Scott Ellis, Susan Stroman, and David Thompson. Direction & Choreography by Daniel Sullivan. Musical Direction by J. Kathleen Castellanos. Lighting Design by Erik Fox. Props Design by Rick Grenier. Costume Design by DW. Hair/Makeup Design by Cara Guappone. Projection Design by Jacob Sherburne. Sound Design by Paul Roach.

By Linda Chin

Less known – and less produced – than Cabaret, Chicago, and other Kander & Ebb Broadway classics, Steel Pier proves to be the perfect choice for Sullivan Rep’s dazzling debut in the Greater Boston theater ecosystem. The new Newton-based company has also selected a perfect location – the American Legion Nonantum Post 440 – host to countless family celebrations and community events since receiving its charter in 1952 – for staging this show-within-a-show about the dance marathon craze that swept the nation post-WWI. Part staged performance and part genuine endurance contest, couples would dance/walk for 45 minutes of each hour, take a 15-minute break to eat/nap, and rinse and repeat for as many hours, days, and weeks as it took until there was one couple left standing to claim the cash prize. These events were held across the country, peaking during the Depression era in the ‘30s. Sullivan Rep’s founder and artistic director, Daniel Sullivan (also in his 30s and a talented actor, singer, and dancer himself), directs and choreographs a cast of nearly 30 other triple threats from the Greater Boston area.

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The Huntington’s Must-See ‘John Proctor Is the Villain’ Conjures Pure Theatrical Magic

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Isabel Van Natta, Jules Talbot, Victoria Omoregie, Haley Wong in ‘John Proctor is the Villain’ at The Huntington. Photo Credit: T Charles Erickson

‘John Proctor Is the Villain’ — Written by Kimberly Belflower. Directed by Margot Bordelon. Scenic Design by Kristen Robinson; Costume Design by Zöe Sundra; Lighting Design by Aja M. Jackson; Sound Design by Sinan Reflik Zafar. Presented by The Huntington at Performing at the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA, 527 Tremont Street, Boston, through March 10, 2024.

By Shelley A. Sackett

In 1692, a witchcraft panic in Salem, Massachusetts, led to the conviction and execution of 19 innocent people (14 women and five men) for a crime that not only was never committed but that never happened in the first place.

A mixture of irrational fear, unchecked religious and patriarchal power, and a persecuting mentality led to the emergence of witch hunts and subsequent witch trials.

Arthur Miller fictionalized and immortalized this historical event in 1953 with The Crucible, a mainstay of most high school English Literature curricula. He intended it as an allegory for and indictment of the rabid McCarthyism of the 1950s, when the U. S. government blithely persecuted citizens accused of being communists based, often, on nothing more than innuendo and hearsay.

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Theater Mirror interviews Karin Trachtenberg, Whose ‘My Mother Had Two Faces’ Makes its Boston Debut at The Rockwell

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My Mother Had Two Faces makes its Boston debut at The Rockwell at 255 Elm Street in Somerville, MA on Sunday, March 3rd at 2:00pm. Coming off a successful world premiere in Los Angeles, Boston is the second stop on the production’s tour before heading Off-Broadway for The United Solo Festival on March 14th and then onto the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August. The play is written and performed by local theater artist Karin Trachtenberg and directed by Jessica Lynn Johnson. For information and tickets, go to: https://www.therockwell.org/calendar/my-mother-had-two-faces-all-ages/

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Feminists Get the Green Light in The Huntington’s ‘John Proctor is the Villain’

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Cast of ‘John Proctor is the Villain’ at The Huntington. Photo Credit: T Charles Erickson

The Huntington presents ‘John Proctor is the Villain.’ Written by Kimberly Belflower. Directed by Margot Bordelon. Scenic Design by Kristen Robinson. Costume Design by Zoë Sundra. Lighting Design by Aja M. Jackson. Sound Design by Sinan Refik Zafar. At the BCA’s Calderwood Pavilion through March 10, 2024.

by Linda Chin

The Huntington’s provocative John Proctor is the Villain, by playwright Kimberly Belflower, is set in the present day, in a small – and small-minded – town in Appalachian Georgia. Four female students of diverse backgrounds, frustrated/inspired by discussions in their co-ed 11th grade Honors English/Sex-Education class centered on male heroes in The Crucible and scientific descriptions of sex, are eager to start a new ‘Feminism Club.’ Not surprisingly, the teenagers have different definitions of what “feminism” means and “feminists” are, different (and evolving) understandings of why it matters, and what the club’s purpose would be. The four young feminists are all on board to be the club’s founders, but will the School Board of the one-stoplight town give them the green light?

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A Dually Death-Defying and Life-Affirming ‘Duel Reality’ at ArtsEmerson

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ArtsEmerson presents Duel Reality, by 7 Fingers. At the Cutler Majestic Theater, Tremont Street, Boston, through February 18th.

By Linda Chin

7 Fingers, the Montreal-based, globally-beloved troupe of theater artist-acrobats, is back in Boston with the US premiere of Duel Reality – their 7th show at ArtsEmerson. A love story that echoes Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story, Duel Reality includes music, song, dance, fight choreography, a string of spectacular stunts and circus acts, and uplifting and heartbreaking moments. During this fast-paced one-hour production (with no intermission), I was both immersed in the storytelling and in awe of the storytellers’ physical process.

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‘Lost Cellphone Weekend’ Delivers Message – and Laughs

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The cast of Image Theater’s ‘Lost Cellphone Weekend’

‘Lost Cellphone Weekend’ – Book, Music, and Lyrics by Stephen Gilbane. Directed by Image Theater Artistic Director Jerry Bisantz. Lighting Design by John MacKenzie. Sound Design by Stephen Gilbane. Presented by Image Theater at the Richard and Nancy Donahue Family Academic Arts Center, 240 Central Street, Lowell, MA, through February 10.

By Mike Hoban

Don Birnham is a guy with a monkey on his back. But it’s not booze or pills or the needle. It’s social media, and it’s not only killing him, it’s destroying society as a whole. That’s the message of Lost Cellphone Weekend, a new musical comedy receiving its world premiere at the Richard and Nancy Donahue Family Academic Arts Center in Lowell. And while one could certainly make a persuasive argument for the ills that smartphones are inflicting on society (ask any educator who’s trying to teach a classroom full of cellphone-addicted kids), we’re not likely to do it in as entertaining a fashion as Lost Cellphone Weekend.

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Central Square’s “Machine Learning” Weaves Humanity and AI

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Xavier Rosario, Jorge Alberto Rubio in Central Square’s “Machine Learning” 
Photos by Nile Scott Studios

“Machine Learning”, by Francisco Mendoza. Directed by Gabriel Vega Weissman. Presented by Central Square Theater in partnership with Teatro Chelsea, 450 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, through February 25. 

by Michele Markarian 

Arnold is a nursing application created by a young brainiac, Jorge (Armando Rivera), to keep an eye on his alcoholic and cancer-ridden father, Gabriel (the excellent Jorge Alberto Rubio). Named for Arnold Schwarzenegger, whom Jorge had seen as a young boy in “The Terminator,” Arnold’s job is to care for, with the cure being the end goal, Gabriel. But Gabriel is a bit of a problem, as he likes alcohol and doesn’t seem to fear death. For Jorge, whose relationship with Gabriel is fraught with tension, keeping Gabriel alive is key to resolving the issues that rumble between them. Through a series of flashbacks between Gabriel and young Jorge (Xavier Rosario), we learn about Gabriel’s macho expectations for his son, his cruelty, his irresponsibility, and his fondness for alcohol, with the occasional moments of protectiveness thrown in.   

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Theater Mirror Interviews Director Dori Robinson and Playwright of Coffee Shop Labor Dramedy ‘Little Peasants’

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Somerville – Food Tank will present a pair of workshop performances of Little Peasants, an“immersive theatrical journey behind the closed doors of a food workers’ union organizing campaign” at The Burren on February 7th and 21st. A one-act iteration of Little Peasants was previously featured at SXSW in March of 2023 and received critical acclaim. Theater Mirror spoke with playwright Bernard Pollack and director Dori A. Robinson during rehearsals last week to learn more about the production.

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