A Magical Evening at A.R.T. with “Ayodele Casel: Chasing Magic”

October 2, 2021October 4, 2021 michaelhobanLeave a comment

*Anthony Morigerato, Amanda Castro, Ayodele Casel, John Manzari, and Kurt Csolak in Ayodele Casel: Chasing Magic at American Repertory Theater through October 9. Photo Credits: Liza Vol*

by Michele Markarian

“Ayodele Casel: Chasing Magic”. Created by Ayodele Casel. Directed by Torya Beard. Original Compositions and Music Direction: Crystal Monee Hall. Presented by American Repertory Theater, Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle Street, Cambridge, through October 9.

It’s hard to imagine a more apropos season opener for American Repertory Theater than the joyful exuberance and shared fellowship of “Ayodele Casel: Chasing Magic”. During the 70-minute performance of tap dance, the audience was held sway by the energy of the artists and the selfless way in which they shared their work.

“I live among superheroes. Tap dancers are superheroes. Musicians are superheroes,” Ayodele tells us. Her energy is infectious; her respect for her fellow performers, as well as her audience, is palpable. She grew up adoring the films of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, thinking that the world of dance was beyond the grasp of a Black and Puerto Rican daughter of the Bronx. Then she discovered other tap artists – Dianne Walker, Gregory Hines, Savion Glover. The rest is herstory.

GBSC Sends up Hitchcock with Hilarious ‘The 39 Steps’

September 28, 2021September 28, 2021 michaelhobanLeave a comment

*Russell Garrett, Paul Melendy, Grace Experience, and* *K.P. Powell* in GBSC’s ‘The 39 Steps’
Photography: Nile Scott Studios.

‘The 39 Steps’ – Based on the movie directed by Alfred Hitchcock and the novel by John Buchan. Adapted by Patrick Barlow. Directed by Ilyse Robbins; Scenic Designer, Shelley Barish; Lighting Designer, Daisy Long; Costume Designer, Rachel Padula-Shufelt; Sound Designer, Andrew Duncan Will. Presented by the Greater Boston Stage Company, 395 Main St., Stoneham through October 10.

by Mike Hoban

In the opening scene of Greater Boston Stage Company’s uproarious The 39 Steps, the dashing Richard Hannay, weary of life and the relentless bad news reported in the daily papers, decides the remedy is to seek out “something mindless and trivial. Something utterly pointless” to distract him. His solution? “I know! I’ll go to the theater!” he tells the audience, which erupts in knowing laughter.

Umbrella Stage Asks “What If?” with ‘The Last Wide Open’

September 27, 2021 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Rebecca Shor and Ethan Butler in ‘The Last Wide Open’ at Umbrella Stage

‘The Last Wide Open’ – By Audrey Cefaly; Music by Matthew M. Nielson; Directed by Nancy Curran Willis; Scenic Design by Jerry Wedge; Costume Design by Brian Simons; Sound Design by James Cannon; Lighting Design by SeifAllah Sallotto-Cristobal; Presented by The Umbrella Stage Company, 40 Stow St, Concord, MA through October 10th.

by Tom Boudrot

Audrey Cefaly’s The Last Wide Open takes a multi-faceted look at personal decision-making in the moment, and how each choice may affect the rest of our lives in important ways. It’s a tale that tells us to be brave in our decision making, but beware, as we never can know the future – and that’s probably a good thing.

Merrimack Repertory Theatre Chases after ‘Wild Horses’

September 26, 2021 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Leenya Rideout in Merrimack Repertory Theatre’s *Wild Horses*

by James Wilkerson

‘Wild Horses’ – Written by Allison Gregory. Directed by Courtney Sale. Costume Design by Lee Viliesis. Presented by Merrimack Repertory Theatre through October 3.

Watching Merrimack Repertory Theatre’s Wild Horses, I couldn’t stop turning the physical room into a metaphor for the performance. Good lord did I try to, but when it’s staring you so nakedly in the face, see how well you manage to look elsewhere. The Rep has chosen to venture out from its home theater for Alison Gregory’s one-woman play, utilizing different locations around Lowell for performances, (an at least partly COVID-related decision as much as an artistic one, I’m sure). I caught the show at the Whistler House Museum of Art where an auditorium was set up in one of the galleries. There we sat, surrounded on all sides by landscapes and still lifes. Large gilded frames encompassed each painting with at least a foot of wall space on either side. The placement serves a purpose; it ensures that viewers can’t make the error of thinking that any of these images are formally connected to each other. And there you have it. Greggory’s play is a lot like that. Much happens to the protagonist in this tale of adolescence long past but there’s a lack of connective tissue you can’t help but feel. Certainly, the play is convinced that it’s saying something, but try to pin down just what that something is and I think you’re going to stumble.

Gloucester Stage Wraps Outdoor Season with Thought-Provoking ‘Reparations’

September 8, 2021 michaelhoban1 Comment

From L to R: Lisa Tharps, Angela Pierce, Jason Bowen and Malcolm Ingram in Gloucester Stage’s ”Reparations’

‘Reparations’ – Written by James Sheldon. Directed by Miriam Cyr. Creative Team: Jon Savage (Scenic Design); Kat C. Zhou(Lighting Design); Veronica Barron and Christopher Vu (Sound Design); Deirdre McCabe Gerrard (Costume Design); Logan Pitts(Dramaturg). Presented by Gloucester Stage Company at Windhover Center for the Performing Arts, 257R Granite St, Rockport, MA through September 19

By Mike Hoban

If you’re considering seeing the Gloucester Stage production of Reparations, but are wary of being drawn into a staged version of yet another politically charged discussion in our increasingly polarized world, let me say that the title may be a bit misleading. While the play does examine the topics of race and privilege, the 400 years of systemic racism is not necessarily the central theme; instead, Reparations delves into a more universal horror while exploring the intersection of power and evil.

Ogunquit’s ‘Mystic Pizza’ Hits You With Its Best Shots

September 7, 2021September 19, 2021 michaelhoban1 Comment

Cast of ‘Mystic Pizza at Ogunquit Playhouse

‘Mystic Pizza’ – Based on the MGM movie ‘Mystic Pizza’, with story and characters by Amy Holden Jones. Directed by Casey Hushion, Choreography by Liz Ramos, Additional Music Staging by Connor Gallagher, Orchestrations and Music Supervision by Carmel Dean, Music Direction by Kristin Stowell, Scenic Design by Nate Bertone, Lighting Design by Richard Latta, Sound Design by Kevin Heard; Costume Design by Jennifer Caprio; Wig Design by Roxanne De Luna. Presented by the Ogunquit Playhouse through October 7^th.

By Linda Chin

The much-anticipated world premiere production of Mystic Pizza: A New Musical at Ogunquit Playhouse brings together two cultural highlights of the 80s and 90s: the film Mystic Pizza (1998) that launched then unknown 21-year old actor Julia Roberts’ career, and the music video Girls Just Want to Have Fun (1984) that propelled Cyndi Lauper’s iconic career (and became not only her signature song but a feminist anthem for girls of all ages). Add a venue where starving audiences and artists can safely participate in live performance again, and you get a summer 2021 theater trifecta – a perfect storm of a production.

“Hurricane Diane” Blows Into Boston

September 3, 2021September 3, 2021 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Kris Sidberry, Jennifer Bubriski, Esme Allen, and Marianna Bassham in Huntington’s “Hurricane Diane”

“Hurricane Diane” – Written by Madeleine George. Directed by Jenny Koons. Presented by the Huntington Theatre Company at the Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts, through September 26^th.

by Michele Markarian

“I have returned and it begins”, is the first line uttered in Madeleine George’s play “Hurricane Diane” by the character of Dionysius (Rami Margron). A cheer erupted from the masked, packed house at the Calderwood, where live theater has returned after a nearly 550 day absence. Dionysius has been hiding out as Diane, and living on a lesbian separatist community of sustainability outside of Burlington, Vermont. Dionysius has returned because he knows we’ve been doing bad things to the environment. Seeking a quorum of four women, he disguises himself as Diane, a landscaper, to seduce housewives from a suburban cul-de-sac of New Jersey in the hopes that they’ll embrace permaculture and restore the earth to its former wilderness.

Dorset Theatre Festival’s ‘Queen of the Night’ Spins Evening Magic

August 28, 2021August 28, 2021 michaelhoban1 Comment

Leland Fowler and Danny Johnson in ‘Queen of the Night’ at the Dorset Theatre Festival

‘Queen of the Night’ – Written by travis tate. Directed by Raz Golden. Scenic Design by Christopher and Justin Swader; Lighting Design by Yuki Nakase Link; Sound Design by Megumi Katayama; Costume Design by Fabian Fidel Aguilar. Presented by Dorset Theatre Festival at the Southern Vermont Arts Center in Manchester, Vermont through September 4.

By Shelley A. Sackett

Finding one’s seat (a folding beach chair) for Dorset Theatre Festival’s world première of “Queen of the Night” at Southern Vermont Art Center’s rustic plein-air stage is like entering a fairy forest world where reality and theater blend. Night creatures are everywhere – by design – piped in over the sound system, and by Mother Nature in the woods, open field and air that are the outdoor playhouse. As dusk fades to night, the stars complement the strung overhead lights to create a magical haven far removed from the day’s blaring headlines and latest COVID statistics.

Come Hear the Music Play at Seacoast Rep’s ‘Cabaret’

August 26, 2021 michaelhobanLeave a comment

‘Cabaret’ – Written by John Kander (Lyrics); Fred Ebb (Music) and Joe Masteroff (Book). Ben Hart and Brandon James (Co- Directors), Jason Faria and Alyssa Dumas (Choreographers), Suzanne Jones (Music Director), Kelly Gibson (Lighting Design), Andrew Cameron (Sound Design), DW (Costume Design), Elise O’Connell (Properties). Through September 5 at the Seacoast Repertory Theatre, Portsmouth, NH.

By Linda Chin

In a beautiful seaport city called Portsmouth, New Hampshire in a country called America there is a wonderful Theatre…and though this past year has felt like the end of the world, artists and audiences have continued to safely gather there and connect with each other. One of the few theatres in New England performing for in-person (and live-streamed) audiences in 2021, Seacoast Rep closes its summer block with the audience-favorite, the Tony Award-winning musical Cabaret.

Feeling All the Feels Again – Rock of Ages at Company Theatre

August 16, 2021 michaelhoban1 Comment

Cast of ‘Rock of Ages’ Rocks at Company Theatre in Norwell

Directed by Zoe Bradford, Musical Direction by Steve Bass, Choreography by Sally Ashton Forrest, Costume Design by Alison Gordon, Lighting Design by Dean Palmer Jr., Set Design by Ryan Barrow.

by Linda Chin

Welcome to the 80s, or as the show’s narrator (Brad Reinking) delightfully describes, “the Reagan era…a time before most of the people on this stage were born.” Like many musicals, Rock of Ages is thin on plot, a classic girl-meets-boy story of small-town girl and aspiring actress Sherri (Emily Lambert) and city boy and rock star wannabe Drew (Braden Misiaszek) searching for fulfillment in Hollywood, Los Angeles. Their field of dreams – the Bourbon Room – is being targeted by a greedy developer Hertz (Kevin Groppe), and club owner Denise’s (Janis Hudson) attempts to save her business from the wrecking ball, including hiring an egomaniacal rock star Stacee Jaxx (Trey Lundquist/Shane Hennessey) add additional twists to the storyline.