‘The Chinese Lady’ Educates, Entertains

November 17, 2022 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Jae Woo as Atung, Sophori Ngin as Afong Moy in ‘The Chinese Lady’ at Central Square Theater. Photos: Nile Scott Studios.

Written by Lloyd Suh. Directed by Sarah Shin. Set Design by Qingan Zhang. Lighting Design by Kat C. Zhou. Costume Design by Sandra Zhihan Jia. Sound Design by Kai Bohlman. Presented in partnership with CHUANG Stage at Central Square Theater, Cambridge through December 11, 2022.

by Linda Chin

In November 1834, fresh off the boat from Guangdong, China, fourteen-year-old Afong Moy made her New York City debut. Brought to the U.S. by New England merchants Nathaniel and Frederick Carne, Moy was featured in an exhibit the Carnes created to promote their trade goods from the exotic East. In a full-size diorama filled with Chinese paintings, lanterns, vases, and other (inanimate) decorative objects, a Chinese Lady (Moy) in full theatrical makeup, elaborately embroidered silk clothing and seated in an ornamental chair was also on display. She demonstrated how one skillfully eats with chopsticks, properly pours and drinks tea, and walks gracefully in lotus shoes adorning her four-inch feet. A brief audience Q&A facilitated by interpreter Atung followed the performance. Confined in a box for eight hours a day, Moy diligently carried out her role of cultural ambassador, repeating her act over and over again for the “education and entertainment” of an estimated 2000 audience members/week.

Lyric’s ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ Gets Its Comedy Right

November 16, 2022November 17, 2022 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Kelby T. Atkin, Dan Whelton, Michael Liebhauser, Marc Pierre, Mitch Kiliulis in Lyric’s *The Play That Goes Wrong*. Photos by Mark S. Howard

The Play That Goes Wrong – Conceived and written by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields. Directed by Fred Sullivan, Jr.; Scenic Design by Peter Colao; Costume Design by Gail Buckley; Lighting Design by John Malinowski; and Sound Design by Dewey Dellay. Presented by The Lyric Stage Company of Boston, 140 Clarendon St., Boston through December 18.

by Mike Hoban

Fans of farce and physical comedy are in for a treat with The Play That Goes Wrong, now being presented by Lyric Stage. Pratfalls, spit takes, corpses that won’t lie still and even a fart joke are delivered rat-a-tat by a solid cast, and although the genre may not be everyone’s cup of tea, it’s hard to imagine that there won’t be at least a few belly laughs for even the most discerning playgoers. And for anyone who’s ever been involved in community or fringe theater productions, you can safely revisit your fears of impending doom from the safety of your seat.

Umbrella Stage Company Delivers Energetic ‘RENT’

November 14, 2022November 14, 2022 michaelhoban2 Comments

Cast of RENT at The Umbrella Arts Center. Photos by Gillian Mariner Gordon.

“RENT” By Jonathan Larson; Directed by Julia Deter; Musical Direction by Jeff Kimball; Choreography by Hannah Shihdanian; Presented by The Umbrella Stage Company at The Umbrella Arts Center, 40 Stow St. Concord, MA. Performances through Dec. 4^th (no show, 11/24).

by Tom Boudrot

If, like me, you’re one of the few people in the world who’ve never seen the multiple award-winning show RENT, the Umbrella stage in Concord offers a wonderful opportunity to see it in an intimate setting. Or if you’ve seen it previously and it’s been a while, this local production is worth another look. Despite noticeable audio problems that did not get resolved by the end of the performance on press night, the talented players sang, danced and acted with the kind of energy theater professionals can reach down deep and pull out, night after night. Further upping the energy level, the theater was packed with a loud, eclectic mix of appreciative fans for this performance, which was doubly refreshing in this post-pandemic era.

SpeakEasy’s ‘English’ Explores The Tipping Point Between Identity and Heritage

November 6, 2022November 17, 2022 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Cast of ‘English’ at Speakeasy Stage. Photos by Nile Scott Studios

‘English’ –Sanaz Toossi, Playwright. Melory Mirashrafi, Director. Janie E. Howland, Scenic Designer. Nina Vartanian, Costume Designer. Amanda E. Fallon, Lighting Designer. Ash, Sound Designer. Emme Shaw, Props Designer. Presented by SpeakEasy Stage at the Roberts Studio Theatre, Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont St. Boston, through November 19, 2022.

by Shelley A. Sackett

SpeakEasy Stage’s production of Sanaz Toossi’s ‘English’ starts out simply enough. Four Iranian students are studying in Karaj for the Test of English as a Foreign Language Exam (TOEFL) , an English proficiency exam they must pass if they hope to pursue university study abroad, immigration and more. Their teacher, Marjan (a first-rate Deniz Khateri), rules her classroom with an iron fist. They will speak only English during class, and when anyone slips into Farsi, she posts a strike against them on her giant blackboard, practically snarling with scorn.

With ‘The Orchard,’ Arlekin Players Theatre’s Igor Golyak Continues To Push The Artistic Envelope

November 6, 2022November 14, 2022 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Cast of ‘The Orchard’ at Emerson Paramount Center

‘The Orchard’ — Conceived and Directed by Igor Golyak, based on ‘The Cherry Orchard’ by Anton Chekhov. Anna Fedorova, Scenic Designer. Yuki Nakase Link, Lighting Designer. Oana Botez, Costume Designer. Alex Basco Koch, Projection Designer. Tei Blow, Sound Designer. Jakov Jakoulov, Composer. Tom Sepe, Robotics Designer. Presented by Groundswell Theatricals and Arlekin Players and its Zero Gravity Virtual Theater Lab, at Emerson Paramount Center, the Robert J Orchard Stage, 559 Washington St., Boston through November 13.

by Shelley A. Sackett

Anton Chekhov’s play, ‘The Cherry Orchard,’ opened at the Moscow Art Theatre on January 17, 1904, under the direction of the actor-director Konstantin Stanislavski. During rehearsals, the director rewrote Act Two, changing the play from Chekhov’s intended light and lively comedy into a tragedy. Chekhov is said to have disliked the Stanislavski production so much that he considered his play “ruined.”

One can’t help but wonder what the Russian playwright would make of ‘The Orchard,’ Igor Golyak’s creatively incomparable and technologically unparalleled reimagining of this iconic classic.

Speakeasy’s ‘English’ Accents the Universal Desire to be Understood

November 3, 2022 michaelhobanLeave a comment

‘English’ –Sanaz Toossi, Playwright. Melory Mirashrafi, Director. Janie E. Howland, Scenic Designer. Nina Vartanian, Costume Designer. Amanda E. Fallon, Lighting Designer. Ash, Sound Designer. Emme Shaw, Props Designer. Presented by Speakeasy Stage at the Roberts Studio Theatre, Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont St. Boston, through November 19, 2022.

by Linda Chin

Like the four friends we recently met in Will Arbery’s Heroes of the Fourth Turning, Speakeasy’s English, by Sanaz Toossi, also centers on four classmates having “big conversations” that make their brains hurt. ‘Splitting’ headaches emerge when difficult subject matter is discussed amongst people ‘split’ along ideological lines, by an age/generational gulf, or by language barriers that inhibit communication.

Gamm Theatre’s Gritty ‘Sweat’ Brings Home the Demise of the American Worker

November 1, 2022November 14, 2022 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Cast of ‘Sweat’ at Gamm Theatre. Kym Gomes, Steve Kidd, and Jamie Jose Hernandez. Photos by Cat Laine

by Tony Annicone

The second show of Gamm Theatre’s 38th season is The Pulitzer Prize winning play “Sweat” by Lynn Nottage. “Sweat” premiered in 2015 and tackles the loss of work and de-industrialization in modern America. Based on interviews with residents of Reading, a small town in Pennsylvania, the play vividly portrays the betrayal and resentments of striking female workers during the decline of the industry and how it destroys their families. Unfortunately, it also helped Trump win over the small towns of this state in 2016. Nottage delves into the plight of the working class. Two ex-cons being interviewed by their parole officer open and close the show in 2008. This last segment is where the audience learns of the results that led to their arrest and rips your heart out. The main action takes place in 2000. African American Cynthia is given a promotion over her oldest white friend, Tracey. The personal betrayal becomes more apparent when she learns she must tell the workers they must take a 60% cut in their wages. This leads to a lockout, and scabs enter the situation, which leads to violence (which explains the parole interview scenes.) Director Rachel Walshe casts these nine roles splendidly and has her cast delve into what makes each of them tick as they examine their motives for the approval or disapproval of Cynthia’s rise to her position of power. Rachel also gives each member of her cast their moment to shine with outstanding speeches or what the effects of their actions result in and the consequences they must face. Rachel always does a marvelous job with all of the shows I have seen her direct and this one is no exception. Brava!

Trinity Rep’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ Updates Holiday Classic

November 1, 2022November 14, 2022 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Cast of ‘A Christmas Carol’ at Trinity Rep. Photos by Mark Turek

by Tony Annicone

Trinity Repertory Company ushers the holiday season in with their live yearly presentation of their 46th production of “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens adapted by Adrian Hall and Richard Cumming. This is Trinity’s third show of its 59th season and is performed in 90 minutes with no intermission. This show’s underlying themes of charity, forbearance and benevolence are universal and are equally relevant to people of all religions and backgrounds especially now after the Big Lie Theory of the 2020 election is still being promoted by the former, twice impeached ex-President, the important hearings about the Insurrection of the Capital on January 6th with fingers crossed for a conclusive outcome and the still contentious climate of this country observed in the recent 2022 midterm election. This familiar tale is about the curmudgeonly miser, Ebenezer Scrooge, who is visited by the ghosts of Marley, Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come who hope to change in this version her destiny and save her soul to ultimately to discover the true meaning of Christmas. Director Aileen Wen McGroody directs this show for the first time. She creates a huge encompassing tale which needs more focus at times in telling of this Christmas tale. McGroody explores bigotry, gay marriage, people of different cultures and economic standings. The set is starker than in years past and doesn’t come into full color until Christmas Present appears and near the very end of the show. The process of Scrooge finding a way to reenter a world again that is what “A Christmas Carol is all about and she brings the cast, orchestra onstage to witness Scrooge’s reconciliation with her nephew, Fred which is one of the most poignant moments of the evening. Aileen brings the comic moments to the forefront this year and uses a great deal of musical numbers to convey the story. Musical director Andrew Smithson brings out the best in the cast for their many songs, plays lead keyboards and conducts a 6 piece orchestra. Choreographer Shura Baryshnikov creates the dances for the show. The enthusiastic audience thoroughly enjoy the show with thunderous applause at curtain call.

‘WINTER WONDERETTES’ at the Ivoryton Playhouse

November 1, 2022November 29, 2022 michaelhobanLeave a comment

reviewed by Tony Annicone

Ivoryton Playhouse’s holiday show this year is “Winter Wonderettes” created by Roger Bean. It is 1968 and the audience is at the annual Christmas party at the Essex Hardware Store. The quartet of Missy, Suzy, Betty Jean and Cindy Lou, first introduced to us in “The Marvelous Wonderettes”, have decorated the hardware store and are now prepared to entertain the crowd. Some of their numbers include the 1960’s classics “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town”, “Jingle Bell Rock”, “Run Rudolph Run” and “Winter Wonderland” and these gals will knock your socks off all night long.

Bill Irwin Is Brilliant in ArtsEmerson’s Not-to-Be-Missed “On Beckett.”

October 30, 2022 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Bill Irwin in “On Beckett” at ArtsEmerson

‘On Beckett’ — Conceived and Performed by Bill Irwin. Produced by Octopus Theatricals; Scenic Design by Charles Corcoran; Costume Consultation by Martha Hally; Lighting Design by Michael Gottlieb; Sound Design by M. Florian Staab. Presented by Arts Emerson at the Emerson Paramount Center, 559 Washington St., Boston, MA through October 30.

by Shelley A. Sackett

Bill Irwin is a legendary actor, writer, director and clown artist. The Tony award-winner is as known for serious theatrical roles on Broadway as he is for his beloved Mr. Noodle on television’s “Elmo’s World.”