Opera Curious but Still Reluctant? BLO’s ‘La Boheme’ is the Show to See

September 29, 2022 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Cast of BLO’s ‘La Boheme’ at the Emerson Colonial Theatre

‘La Boheme’ – By Giacomo Puccini with music and libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. Directed by Yuval Sharon; Music Direction by BLO Music Director David Angus, conducting the BLO Orchestra and Chorus. Stage design by BLO Artistic Advisor John Conklin. Costume design by Jessica Jahn. Lighting design by John Torres. Presented by Boston Lyric Opera in a co-production with Detroit Opera and Spoleto Festival USA at the Emerson Colonial Theatre, 106 Boylston St. through Oct. 2.

by Mike Hoban

If you’re curious about opera, but have avoided going in the past for any number of reasons, Boston Lyric Opera’s production of La Boheme may be the perfect entrée into the genre. As someone who doesn’t know an aria from an obbligato, I’m not qualified to comment on the quality of the production in relation to previous iterations, but damn was this a great evening of entertainment. This was not my first excursion into opera, and with the exception of the standards Pagliacci and The Threepenny Opera and the compelling historical opera Schoenberg in Hollywood, I’ve found a lot of the form – particularly the modern ones – to be repetitive and dirge-like. And while I’ve enjoyed aspects of the aforementioned pieces, La Boheme stands alone as a thrilling entertainment.

Ogunquit Playhouse’s ‘Beautiful’ Cast Gives Its Love ‘So Sweetly and Completely’

September 26, 2022September 27, 2022 michaelhoban1 Comment

Sarah Bockel as Carole King and cast in ‘Beautiful’ at Ogunquit Playhouse. Photos by Gary Ng

‘Beautiful’ – Book by Douglas McGrath. Words and Music by Gerry Goffin and Carole King, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. David Ruttura, Director. Joyce Chittick, Choreographer/Associate Director. Nick Williams, Music Director. Derek McLane, Scenic Design. Alejo Vieti, Costume Design. Richard Latta, Lighting Design. Kevin Heard, Sound Design. Roxanne De Luna, Wig Design. At Ogunquit Playhouse through October 30

by Linda Chin

Back in the pre-music streaming, pre-CD teenage days, I stayed in bed all morning on many a Saturday listening to (and singing along with) Carole King’s Tapestry over and over, getting up only to advance the needle on the record player. I studied the album cover – her fuzzy sweater and jeans atop bare feet, tangle of frizzy hair, furry cat and confident but relaxed gaze so different from my own self-portrait; I absorbed her songs “It’s Too Late” (about the breakup of a loving relationship), “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?” (about the aftermath of a one-night stand) as gospel, so foreign were these concepts from my own experience. Especially on those days when I didn’t get up with a smile on my face, King was the enthusiastic cheerleader, understanding therapist, reliable friend who’d come running if needed.

NSMT’s ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ Turns Campy Cult Classic into Musical Comedy Gem

September 23, 2022 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Audrey II, Andrew Montgomery Coleman (as Seymour Krelborn) and Kim Sava (as Audrey) in LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS at North Shore Music Theatre thru October 2, 2022. Photos © Paul Lyden

‘Little Shop of Horrors’ – Book by Howard Ashman; Music by Alan Menken; Based on the film by Roger Corman, screenplay by Charles Griffith. Directed by Bob Richard; Choreography by Diane Laurenson; Music Direction, Dan Rodriguez. Presented by North Shore Music Theatre at 54 Dunham Road, Beverly, MA through October 2

by Mike Hoban

Little Shop of Horrors, now playing at the North Shore Music Theatre, is the rarest of modern musicals. Unlike the recent Broadway trend of taking a good (or at least popular) movie and turning it into a bad musical, Little Shop transforms a very bad movie – but supremely campy cult favorite – and turns it into a very good musical. Combining an early 60’s inspired rock ‘n roll score and an absurd but very funny plot, it’s the very definition of a musical comedy.

Greater Boston Stage Company’s ‘Popcorn Falls’ is Feel-Good Fare

September 22, 2022 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Christopher Chew and Sarah Elizabeth Bedard in Greater Boston Stage Company’s ‘*Popcorn Falls’*

‘Popcorn Falls’ – Written by James Hindman. Directed by Lisa Rafferty. Scenic Design by Kristin Loeffler, Lighting Design by Elmer Martinez, Costume Design by Deirdre Gerrard, Sound Design by Caroline Eng, Properties Design by Sarajane Mullins. Presented by Greater Boston Stage Company, 395 Main St., Stoneham, through October 2.

by Linda Chin

Like eating popcorn on the couch with an old friend, Greater Boston Stage Company’s production of Popcorn Falls fills that craving for comfort food that many people have had since the pandemic began – for the feelings of nostalgia, or belonging, that a familiar family recipe evokes. The play’s title Popcorn Falls refers to both the name of a small town where the story takes place, and its namesake waterfall which provides a source of drinking water and an income stream from tourism. At the top of the show we are introduced to the town’s newest resident, Mayor Trundle (Christopher Chew) and long-term resident/town clerk, Joe (Sarah Elizabeth Bedard) who are anxiously preparing for a community meeting to discuss a most urgent situation: the town is nearly bankrupt.

Smart, Funny “Fabulation” Entertains at the Lyric

September 21, 2022September 21, 2022 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Cast of ‘Fabulation’ at the Lyric Stage. Photos by Mark S. Howard

“Fabulation, or, the Re-Education of Undine” – Written by Lynn Nottage. Directed by Dawn M Simmons. Presented by The Lyric Stage Company of Boston, 140 Clarendon Street, Boston through October 9.

by Michele Markarian

There’s nothing yielding or hesitant about the seemingly unstoppable Undine (Lyndsay Allyn Cox), owner of a boutique public relations agency with high-profile clients in New York. She speaks to her assistant Stephie (Brittani Jenese McBride) brusquely, brushes off the warnings of her accountant (Barlow Adamson), and seems unconcerned about the flight of her suave and sexy husband, Herve (Jaime José Hernández). Undine’s self-centeredness gets kicked up a notch when she realizes that Herve has absconded with all of their money and she’s unexpectedly pregnant. With her office, apartment and bank accountant liquidated, Undine has nowhere left to go but home – to the family in Brooklyn that she claimed had died in a fire fourteen years ago. Undine’s real name is Sharona; she chose Undine when she renounced her family, in an admiring nod to the social climbing Undine Sprague in Edith Wharton’s novel Custom of the Country. Unlike Wharton’s ruthless Undine, Nottage’s Undine finally learns gratitude and humility, after an unfortunate series of events brought on by her own ambition.

MRT’s “The 39 Steps” Transforms Mystery Classic Into Laugh Fest

September 20, 2022September 20, 2022 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Cast of ‘The 39 Steps’ at the Merrimack Repertory Theatre

“The 39 Steps” By Patrick Barlow; From the novel by John Buchan and adapted from the movie by Alfred Hitchcock. Directed by Courtney Sale; Presented by The Merrimack Repertory Theatre at the Nancy L. Donahue Theatre, 50 East Merrimack Street, Lowell, MA. Performances through Oct. 2^nd.

by Tom Boudrot

Expectation is so much a part of the entertainment experience. Case in point: I’ve often looked back at movies whose release I’ve eagerly anticipated, only to be disappointed with for them not living up to the hype. Likewise, I have sat down to more than a few movies with zero expectations, and when they turned out to actually be good it amplified the enjoyment to the point where I have probably given the movie more accolades than it deserved.

Speakeasy’s Absorbing ‘Heroes’ is Guaranteed to Spark Discussion

September 14, 2022 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Elise Piliponis, Karen MacDonald, Jesse Hinson, Dayna Cousins, and Nathan Malin in *Heroes of the Fourth Turning*. Photos by Nile Scott Studios.

Heroes of the Fourth Turning – Written by Will Arbery; Directed by Marianna Bassham; Set Design by Baron E. Pugh; Costume Design by Rachel Padula Shufelt; Sound Design by Elizabeth Cahill; Lighting Design by Jeff Adelberg. Presented by Speakeasy Stage at the Roberts Studio Theatre, Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont St. Boston through October 8

by Mike Hoban

There’s a lot to unpack in playwright Will Arbery’s Heroes of the Fourth Turning, the thought-provoking political drama now running at Speakeasy Stage. Brilliantly acted by a terrific ensemble, Heroes is billed as a look at “a country at war with itself,” but in truth delves more specifically into the internal divides within the Catholic wing of the Republican party brought on by the election of Donald Trump. Interestingly, the play is set in 2017, two days before the solar eclipse and just one week after the white nationalist riots in Charlottesville – which means that the play pre-dates the 2020 election and the ensuing insurrection at the Capital that led the Republican party to desert their conservative principles in deference to the Big Lie pushed by the former president.

Dorset Theatre Festival Closes The 2022 Season in Triumph with Its Remarkable World Première of “Thirst”

September 7, 2022 michaelhobanLeave a comment

David Mason and Kathy McCafferty in THIRST at the Dorset Theatre Festival. Photos by Joey Moro

‘Thirst’ — Written by Ronán Noone. Directed by Theresa Rebeck; Scenic Design by Christopher and Justin Swader; Sound Design by Fitz Patton; Lighting Design by Mary Ellen Stebbins, Costume Design by Fabian Fidel Aguilar. Presented by Dorset Theatre Festival, Dorset, Vermont. The run has ended.

by Shelley A. Sackett

Arriving early for “Thirst,” playwright Ronán Noone’s dazzling new play, is a stroke of good ole Irish luck. A crisp sound system pumps toe-tapping traditional pub music, setting a jig-worthy mood. Functional period lamps bathe the livable kitchen set in warmth, creating a cozy tone for arguably the best theatrical experience of the 2022 summer season.

By the time the Irish lilted announcements herald the play’s start, the audience has been transported to another time and another place.

And what a time and place it is.

Anna Deavere Smith Revisits Powerful ‘Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992’ Through New Lens at the A.R.T.

September 5, 2022September 22, 2022 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Wesley T. Jones and Elena Hurst in A.R.T.s production of *Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992*. Photo Credits: Lauren Miller

Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 – Conceived, Written, and Revised by Anna Deavere Smith; Directed by Taibi Magar; Scenic Design by Riccardo Hernandez; Costume Design by Linda Cho; Lighting Design by Alan C. Edwards; Sound Design by Darron L West. Projection Design by David Bengali. Presented by American Repertory Theater in association with Signature Theatre at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Cambridge through Sept. 24.

by Mike Hoban

In 1992, at the height of the riots following the “not guilty” verdict of the four white L.A. police officers who had been caught on videotape delivering a brutal beating to Black motorist Rodney King, I was having a conversation with a Black male coworker, to get some perspective on why the city was on fire. “Listen,” he told me in an even but pointed tone. “If you’re a Black man in this country, there’s almost zero chance that you haven’t been stopped by a cop at least once – for no reason – by the time you reach 21.” And as Congresswoman Maxine Waters (who is quoted in the play) directly put it, “(The) riot is the voice of the unheard.”

‘The Inheritance Part 1’ Shines at Trinity

September 1, 2022September 13, 2022 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Cast of ‘The Inheritance Part 1’at Trinity Rep

by Tony Annicone

Trinity Repertory Company’s opening show of their season is the 2020 Tony Award and 2019 Olivier Award winning play “The Inheritance” by Matthew Lopez. This two part play is about the aftermath of the AIDS crises, and takes place from the summer of 2015 to spring of 2018 and encompasses the gay identity of the 21st Century. Lopez uses EM Forster’s 1910 novel as the framework for his new tale and sets it in current day New York. The two Schlegel sisters from the original novel are transformed into two gay men in this new show. The 30 year old couple are Eric Glass, a political activist and Toby Darling, a writer, who have been partners for seven years. Shortly before they become engaged, they meet two strangers, an older man who lived through the AIDS crisis and a younger man yearning for a brighter future. These three generations deal with many situations and meetings that occur in the course of this three hour show. Toby must deal with success of a play he’s written as well as some self-doubt. This leads him into precarious situations, including a drug induced party and an unfortunate encounter with an escort. On the other hand, Eric seems to be on the right track. This upsets their planned future leaving it in disarray. Joe Wilson Jr. brings out the pathos and the comic moments excellently in this superbly written show. He elicits marvelous performances from his talented cast as they run the gamut of emotions. This splendid masterpiece is given a resounding and very well-deserved standing ovation at the close of the show.