Just Wanna Have Fun? Say Yeah to ‘Kinky Boots’ at NSMT

October 30, 2022October 31, 2022 michaelhobanLeave a comment

The cast of KINKY BOOTS at North Shore Music Theatre thru Photo © Paul Lyden

Kinky Boots – Kevin P. Hill, director and choreographer, Dan Rodriguez, musical director, Kyle Dixon, scenic designer, Gregg Barnes, original costume design, Kelly Baker, costume coordinator/additional costume design, Jose Santiago, lighting designer, Adam Bates, sound designer, Josh Marquette, original wig design, Rachel Padua-Shufelt, additional hair and wig design. At North Shore Music Theatre, October 25 – November 6.

by Linda Chin

With pop icon Cyndi Lauper’s triumphant “Raise You Up/Just Be” as its grand finale, NSMT’s Kinky Boots ends on a high note – and not just because everyone on stage is singing and dancing in glittery 4 to 5-inch heels. Rather, the characters we have come to adore have stories with happy endings, and inspire the audience to celebrate themselves and make their own.

A Thoughtful Lesson in Speakeasy’s “English”

October 25, 2022 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Cast of ‘*English’ at Speakeasy Stage.* From left: Deniz Khateri, Josephine Moshiri Elwood, Lily Gilan James, Zaven Ovian, and Leyla Modirzadeh. Photos by Nile Scott Studios.

“English” – By Sanaz Toossi. Directed by Melory Mirashrafi. Presented by Speakeasy Stage, Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street, Boston, MA through November 19.

by Michele Markarian

“Why do we learn language?” Marjan, a teacher (Deniz Khateri) asks her four Iranian students, who are taking her English class to prepare for the TOEFL exam. The year is 2008, the place is Karaj, Iran. The students are Roya, a grandmother (Leyla Modirzadeh), Elham, a young woman (Josephine Moshiri Elwood), teenager Goli (Lily Gilan James) and Omid (Zaven Ovian).

A Magnificent ‘Joe Turner’s Come and Gone’ Heralds the Huntington’s Jubilant Homecoming

October 25, 2022October 26, 2022 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Patrese D. McClain and James Ricardo Milord (foreground) and cast in ‘Joe Turner’s Come and Gone’ at The Huntington.

‘August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone’ by August Wilson. Directed by Lili-Anne Brown; Arnel Sancianco, Scenic Design; Samantha C. Jones, Costume Design; Jason Lynch, Lighting Design; Aubrey Dube, Sound Design. Presented by The Huntington Theatre through November 13.

by Shelley A. Sackett

What a pleasure it is to have the Huntington Theatre Company back. With its sleek Narragansett Green walls, gold domed ceiling and cherry red extra legroom seats, an always pleasurable theatrical experience is now also one full of creature comforts. Even more stunning, however, is the magnificent production of August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, with which the Huntington christened its reopening. If Joe Turner’s footprints lingered long after he had gone, it’s because Wilson’s unforgettable presence (and titular title as the Huntington’s creative patron saint) enveloped the stage.

Melendy Rockets into Comedy Stratosphere with ‘Legend of Sleepy Hollow’ at GBSC

October 23, 2022October 24, 2022 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Paul Melendy in ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’ at Greater Boston Sage Company, Photos: Nile Scott Studio

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow – Adapted from the story by Washington Irving by John Minigan. Directed by Producing Artistic Director Weylin Symes. Scenic Design by Kathy Monthei. Lighting Design by Corey Whittemore. Costume Design by Deirdre McCabe Gerrard. Sound Design by David Remedios. Presented by the Greater Boston Stage Company through November 6, 2022.

by Tom Boudrot

The Greater Boston Stage Company bills “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” as a ‘One-Man Show’ but the incredibly funny and talented Paul Melendy summons more characters than most shows put on stage for a large-scale production. I’m not just talking about Washington Irving’s Connecticut townsfolk – Ichabod Crane, Katrina Von Tassel, Brom Bones and others. But just imagine a cast that includes the likes of Jim Carrey, Mr. Bean, Don Knotts, Martin Short, Patrick McKenna and Sponge Bob SquarePants telling Washington Irving’s classic New England ghost story, and you’ll get a better picture of the night you have ahead of you when you visit the Greater Boston Stage Company in Stoneham.

Huntington Returns Home with Compelling ‘Joe Turner’s Come and Gone’

October 21, 2022October 25, 2022 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Robert Cornelius, Shannon Lamb, Maurice Emmanuel Parent and Stewart Evan Smith in ‘Joe Turner’s Come and Gone’ at The Huntington

by Mike Hoban

The road to recovery, a friend once told me, does not begin until we are broken. When we reach our bottom, that’s when the journey begins. August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, now being presented by the Huntington Theatre Company, is jam-packed with broken people searching for a way to ease their pain. But with some guidance from a healer, some may find the path to a new life. Brilliantly acted, and infused with a surprising amount of genuine humor, Joe Turner takes us on a spiritual journey during the turn of the century (20^th)in Pittsburgh, the setting for Wilson’s 10 play cycle chronicling the Black experience.

Stephen Sondheim’s ‘Sweeney Todd’ – Meaty Material Performed to Perfection at Company Theatre

October 19, 2022October 20, 2022 michaelhoban8 Comments

MaryAnn Zschau, Peter Adams in ‘Sweeney Todd” at Company Theatre

Sweeney Todd – Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Book by Hugh Wheeler. Directed by Sally Ashton Forrest. Musical Direction by Steve Bass. Lighting Design by Dean Palmer Jr. Costume Design by Bri Plummer. Set Design by Ryan Barrow. Presented by Company Theatre, Norwell, through October 23.

by Linda Chin

Legendary lyricist-composer Stephen Sondheim, who became a “giant in the sky” in November 2021 at the age of 91, is arguably the most important figure in musical theater history, and Sweeney Todd is arguably his masterpiece. Yet it is produced less frequently by regional and community theaters than Company, Gypsy, or Into the Woods. Set in London during the Industrial Revolution, the story of a villainous duo who make meat pies filled with human remains is brilliant, but more macabre than Sondheim’s other works, and most musicals in general. Its dark presentation of lust, murder, obsession and revenge, societal and mental health decline, may not appeal to audiences looking for light-hearted entertainment in these depressing times. Even in the best of times, it is a colossal undertaking that asks for customized set pieces and scenic elements, and actors and musicians who can play the complicated characters and handle Sondheim’s challenging score.

Goodspeed’s Re-imagined Revival of 42nd Street is a Thoroughly Modern Musical

October 17, 2022October 20, 2022 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Cast of ’42nd Street’ at Goodspeed Musicals

by Linda Chin

The classic musical 42^nd Street is set in 1933 NYC, when The Great Depression has drained people’s bank accounts and dampened their spirits, and where the bright lights of The Great White Way have dimmed. Producers and co-writers Bert Barry and Maggie Jones and director Julian Marsh are desperate for their new show Pretty Lady to be a hit. They’ve infused the show with comedic bits, big musical numbers, and sexual innuendo that should pack houses, and assembled a sensational cast. Jones knows that tapping dancers are crowd pleasers, and that taking her gaggle of chorus girls out to lunch makes for happier hoofers. Marsh, a brusque and hard-driving taskmaster, rallies his actors “to work and sweat and work some more,” and “dance ‘til your feet fall off” and in five weeks, “it’ll be the best damn show this town’s ever seen.”

“Drumfolk” a Powerful Testimony to the Triumph of Spirit and Community

October 8, 2022October 8, 2022 michaelhobanLeave a comment

by Michele Markarian

“Drumfolk”, by Step Afrika! Directed by Jakari Sherman. Stephen M. Allen, Composer. Presented by Arts Emerson, Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre, 219 Tremont Street, Boston through October 16.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from “Drumfolk”, having never been to a Step Afrika! Production, other than it must have something to do with drums, as the title suggests. What I got instead was a complete narrative experience of a period in history using dance, song, storytelling, and yes, drumming, not just with drums, but with the rhythm in the performers’ bodies. This rhythm, born when drums were forbidden to enslaved Africans, gave birth to the subsequent percussive movement known as “stepping”.

Gothic Horror & Humor in the “#Me Too” Age at The Umbrella Arts Center

October 4, 2022October 4, 2022 michaelhobanLeave a comment

*Harker (Joseph Jude) is surrounded by Dracula (Dustin Teuber) and his “wives” (Emily Sheeran and Bowen Huang) in ‘Dracula, a feminist revenge fantasy, really*‘ at *The Umbrella Stage Company*

“Dracula, a feminist revenge fantasy, really.” By Kate Hamill; Based on the novel by Bram Stoker; Directed by Michelle Aguillon; Presented by The Umbrella Stage Company at The Umbrella Arts Center, 40 Stow St. Concord, MA. Performances through Oct. 30th.

by Tom Boudrot

The season-opening production of The Umbrella Stage Company is action-packed, funny, scary and perfect for the Halloween month – but a word of caution, it’s definitely NOT for children under 16 years old. Award-winning writer Kate Hamill (who earned raves for her adaptation of Pride and Prejudice) tells the story of the 125-year-old vampire tale from a female perspective. Dracula, like so many 19^th century classics, still attracts an appreciative audience but has not necessarily aged well in today’s social climate.

Lauren Yee’s ‘The Great Leap’ Simply Soars at Portland Stage

October 3, 2022 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Cast of “The Great Leap” at Portland Stage

‘The Great Leap’ – Written by Lauren Yee. Directed by Natsu Onoda Power. Scenic Design by Anita Stewart. Costume Design by Nicole Wee. Lighting Design by Alberto Segarra. Sound Design by Kathy Ruvuna. Projection Design by Dylan Uremovich. Presented by Portland Stage at 25A Forest Ave, Portland, ME through October 2^nd (closed).

by Linda Chin

Always hungry for new narratives that build community and cultural understanding, and still marveling from powerful productions of award-winning playwright Lauren Yee’s Cambodian Rock Band at Lowell’s Merrimack Rep and NYC’s Signature Theatre a few years before, I hightailed it from Boston to Portland Stage for The Great Leap. These plays helped Yee garner the double distinction of having multiple works on American Theater’s list of Top 10 Most Produced Plays, and of being one of the nation’s Top 20 Most Produced Playwrights (second to Lauren Gunderson) in 2019-20.