Praxis Stage’s Black Comedy ‘The Arsonists’ Educates, Entertains

September 11, 2024September 12, 2024 michaelhoban1 Comment

Kim Carrell and Daniel Boudreau in Praxis Stage’s ‘The Arsonists’

The Arsonists – Original play by Max Frisch. Translation by Alistair Beaton. Directed by Bob Scanlan. Costume Design by Maureen Festa. Lighting Design by Kevin Fulton. Sound Design by Mackenzie Adamick. Presented by Praxis Stage. At Chelsea Theatre Works, 189 Winnisimmet Street, Chelsea, MA, through Sept. 15.

by Mike Hoban

“When people show you who they are – believe them” – Maya Angelou

There’s not a lot of subtlety in the point of view being expressed in Praxis Stage’s production of The Arsonists, the 1953 work by Swiss playwright dramatist Max Frisch, but the play still delivers a chilling reminder of how our mainstream media has warped our ability to apply critical thinking to even the most obvious of choices. Praxis was formed on November 9th, 2016, as a response to the election of Trump with the goal of linking theater and activism, and it’s never been more starkly on display than here.

A.R.T.’s Innovative “Romeo and Juliet” Elevates and Grounds Shakespeare’s Masterpiece

September 11, 2024September 11, 2024 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Emilia Suárez (Juliet) and Rudy Pankow (Romeo) in A.R.T.’s Romeo and Juliet.
Photo Credits: Nile Scott Studios and Maggie Hall

‘Romeo and Juliet’ – By William Shakespeare. Directed by Diane Paulus. Movement and Choreography by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui; Original Music Composed by Alexandre Dai Castaing; Scenic Design by Amy Rubin; Costume Design by Emilio Sosa; Lighting Design by Jen Schriever; Sound Design by Daniel Lundberg. Presented by American Repertory Theater at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Cambridge through October 6.

By Shelley A. Sackett

Diane Paulus, Artistic Director at American Repertory Theater, has raised the bar on production values so often, we’ve come to expect the unexpected from her. From 1776 to Pippin to Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, Gloria: A Life, Jagged Little Pill, Waitress, SIX, and more, theatergoers in Boston have benefitted from her inspiring collaborations and razor-sharp skills to enjoy Broadway-bound productions right in their own backyard.

Romeo and Juliet is no exception.

Liars and Believers’ “Don’t Open This” an Immersive Theatrical Spectacle

September 7, 2024September 8, 2024 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Liars and Believers’ “Don’t Open This” at Arrow Street Arts

By Marc Levy

I made the trek to New York three times to see “Sleep No More,” the modern-dance reimagining of “Macbeth” and Daphne du Maurier’s “Rebecca” that since 2011 (and ending Oct. 16) has filled a literal multistory warehouse with explorable environments from a candy store to a graveyard. You race from room to room, following actors through the dark as best you can, lost in a crowd of fellow masked ghosts watching gore, sex, and witchcraft with a 1930s vibe. It’s utter sensory overload – and I’ve been kicking myself for nearly 15 years that I didn’t go see it when Cambridge’s A.R.T. helped put it on in Brookline’s Old Lincoln School for four months in 2009-2010.

‘The 39 Steps’ at The Cape Playhouse Is Pure Pleasure

September 5, 2024September 5, 2024 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Cast of ‘The 39 Steps’ at The Cape Playhouse

The Cape Playhouse presents THE 39 STEPS by Patrick Barlow. From the novel by John Buchan. From the movie by Alfred Hitchcock. Directed by Kimberly Senior. Scenic Design by Frank J. Olivia. Costume Design by Sarina Fellows. Lighting Design by M.L.Geiger. Sound Design by Joanna Lynne Staub. Fight & Intimacy Choreography by Unkledave’s Fight-House. Dialect Coaching by JDR. At The Cape Playhouse at the Cape Cod Center for the Arts, Dennis, MA through September 7, 2024.

By Linda Chin

Summer is officially over, our post-Labor Day calendars are filling up with back-to-school, back-to-work responsibilities, and theater companies across New England are launching their 2024-25 seasons, but Cape Cod and the dunes of Provincetown need not just be a lovely memory in your Rear Window. There’s still time to head North by Northeast (from NYC), or South by Southeast (from Boston) to The Cape Playhouse to catch a performance of The 39 Steps, a mystery play adapted from a 1915 Scottish spy novel and the classic 1935 adventure film by Alfred Hitchcock.

Ogunquit’s ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ Melds Dark Comedy with a Rockin’ Score

September 3, 2024September 19, 2024 michaelhoban2 Comments

Talia Suskauer, Etai Benson, and Adam Heller in *‘Little Shop of Horrors’* at Ogunquit Playhouse

‘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 Hunter Foster. Choreography by Mara Newbery Greer. Music Direction by Dan Pardo. Scenic Design by Scott Pask and Nate Bertone. Lighting Design by Richard Latta. Costume Design by Dustin Cross and Bryce Turgeon. Sound Design by Kevin Heard. Wig/Hair & Make-Up Design by Roxanne De Luna. Presented by Ogunquit Playhouse, Ogunquit, Maine, through September 21.

By Mike Hoban

With so many good or great movies turned into mediocre or outright awful stage musicals, Little Shop of Horrors stands out as a brilliant exception – turning a dreadful but campy 1950s sci-fi movie into one of the best of the rock ‘n’ roll-scored musicals. Ogunquit Playhouse’s production of Little Shop is a rollicking blast; from its opening 60s girl group title number to its whacked-out sci-fi conclusion, it delivers musically and comedically.

Madcap ‘POTUS’ Kicks Off Trinity Rep’s Season

September 1, 2024September 12, 2024 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

The opening show of Trinity Repertory Company’s 61st season is Selina Fillinger’s political feminist farce called “POTUS: Or Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive.” It’s a contemporary farce about seven women at the White House trying to keep things running smoothly in spite of an incompetent and morally bankrupt head of the US. Sound familiar? When a PR problem that could have dire worldwide consequences pops up, it is up to these seven women to do damage control. These women include his wife, chief of staff, press secretary, mouthy ex-con sister, mousy secretary, young “innocent” girl from Iowa, and a nosy reporter who wants the inside scoop. Director Curt Columbus picks seven strong actresses to portray these diverse and extremely comical characters. The madcap adventures and roller coaster ride they bring us on leads to nonstop laughter from start to finish, helping us escape from the stressful 2024 election looming upon us in November. What a marvelous way to begin Trinity’s 61st season.

Gamm’s ‘The Effect’: Is it Love or Big Pharma?

September 1, 2024September 30, 2024 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Cast of Gamm Theatre’s “The Effect”. Photo credits: Cat Laine

by Tony Annicone

The opening show of GAMM Theatre’s 40th Anniversary season is the 2012 play “The Effect” by Lucy Prebble, who later became executive producer and writer for the hit HBO series “Succession”. “The Effect” is a 100-minute show that follows two patients, Tristan, a flirty drifter and jokester, and Connie, a wary and skeptical psychology student, at a clinical trial for an antidepressant. They are doing it for the cash. It requires them to be locked up in some asylum and undergo constant medical supervision. They then fall in love but wonder whether the happy feeling might just be the drug’s ability to mimic dopamine.

Iranian Girls Just Wanna Have Fun in Gloucester Stage’s Thought-Provoking “Wish You Were Here”

August 15, 2024August 15, 2024 michaelhobanLeave a comment

‘Wish You Were Here’ — Written by Sanaz Toossi. Directed by Melory Mirashafi. Scenic Design by Lindsay G. Fuori; Costume Design by KJ Gilmer; Lighting Design by Amanda Fallon; Composer and Sound Design by Bahar Royaee. At Gloucester Stage in Gloucester through August 25.

By Shelley A. Sackett

“Wish You Were Here,” in its regional premiere at Gloucester Stage, opens on three frozen tableaux set in a lavish apartment with Persian-inspired décor. At an ornate make-up table, two women hover over a third clad in a billowing wedding dress. Another, wearing a red silk short kimono and huge pink curlers, is draped over a couch, a cigarette dangling provocatively from her languid hand. A fifth slouches against the wall. All appear to be in their late teens/early 20s.

Suddenly, the three scenes simultaneously spring to life, all five women speaking to and over each other.

A Scrumptious Production Of ‘Waitress’ At The Cape Playhouse

August 15, 2024August 15, 2024 michaelhobanLeave a comment

The Cape Playhouse presents WAITRESS. Music and Lyrics by Sara Bareilles. Book by Jessie Nelson. Directed by Eric Rosen. Choreographed by Paul McGill. Music Directed by Ryan Shirar. Scenic Design by Jack Magaw. Costume Design by Devario D. Simmons. Lighting Design by Kat C. Zhou. Sound Design by Andre Pluess. Wig Design by Bobbie Zlotnik. The Cape Playhouse at the Cape Cod Center for the Arts, Dennis, MA, through August 24, 2024.

By Linda Chin

The Cape Playhouse – the longest-running professional summer theater in the country – continues its exciting 98th summer season (the first with Eric Rosen as the new Artistic Director) with a scrumptious production of Sara Bareilles’ Waitress, directed by Rosen himself. Ryan Shirar music directs, and Paul McGill choreographs. Jack Magaw’s lovely scenic design for the main playing area, supported by Kat C. Zhou’s expert lighting design, includes a screened wall that defines the inside of the diner and offers views of the lovely rural landscape and open sky outside. Besides seeing the cast of sixteen performing their hearts out, the audience is gifted with seeing the orchestra of six musicians (conducted by Shirar) perform on-stage throughout the show.

Reagle’s ‘An American in Paris’ is a Work of Art

August 12, 2024August 15, 2024 michaelhoban1 Comment

‘An American In Paris’ – Music and Lyrics by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin. Book by Craig Lucas. Direction and Choreography by Rachel Bertone. Music Direction by Dan Rodriguez. Set Design by Cameron McEachern. Lighting Design by Frank Meissner, Jr. Costume Design by Emerald City Theatrical. Sound Design by Sebastian Nixon. At the Reagle Music Theatre, Waltham, MA, through August 18.

By Mike Hoban

Right from the start, from the wordless opening musical number, “Concerto in F,” it’s clear that An American In Paris will be unlike any other musical you’ve ever seen on stage. The balletic, bustling street scene of the City of Light is like a Jean Béraud painting come to life, and it’s visually and aurally gorgeous. It also sets the stage for the improbable romance between American GI/budding artist Jerry Mulligan (Jack Mullen) and Parisian shopgirl Lise Dassin (Samantha Barnes). Reagle Music Theatre artistic director Rachel Bertone (who directed and choreographed) and company deliver an exquisitely staged and imaginative rendering of this updated version of the 1951 MGM screen classic to the Robinson Theater in Waltham for a limited (two-week) run.