‘The Purists’ Strikes a Chord at the Huntington

September 14, 2019September 16, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

(John Scurti, Morocco Omari, and J. Bernard Calloway in ‘The Purists at the Huntington Theatre. Photo Credit: T Charles Erickson)

by Michele Markarian

“The Purists” – Written by Dan McCabe. Directed by Billy Porter. Presented by Huntington Theatre Company at the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA, 527 Tremont Street, Boston through October 6.

There are some casts so talented that they manage to salvage a mediocre script. There are some scripts so compelling that they manage to salvage a mediocre cast. A timely play about friendship, division and tolerance, “The Purists” is both exquisitely well-written and exceptionally well cast.

Carroll and Plum Click in “Last Night at Bowl-Mor Lanes”

September 9, 2019September 9, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

(Paula Plum and Nancy E. Carroll in Greater Boston Stage Company’s “Last Night at Bowl-Mor Lanes”- Photo Credits: Nile Scott Studios)

by Michele Markarian

“Last Night at Bowl-Mor Lanes” – Written by Weylin Symes. Directed by Bryn Boice. Presented by Greater Boston Stage Co., 395 Main Street, Stoneham, through September 29.

Full disclosure – this reviewer will get tickets to see Nancy E. Carroll, whose excellent acting never disappoints, in anything. Throw in the buoyant Paula Plum as scene partner, and you have an onstage chemistry that’s unbeatable, and undoubtedly the biggest reason to see “Last Night at Bowl-Mor”.

Audience members are immediately thrust into a sense of place with James J. Fenton’s incredible set, the interior of Bowl-Mor, a suburban bowling alley complete with a broken sign (the “M” dangles, upside down) and handwritten “CASH ONLY” sign on the cash register. So ingenious is its construction that the actresses – wait for it – actually bowl during the course of the 90-minute piece, no easy feat.

Fact, Fiction or Something in Between? ‘The Lifespan of a Fact’ Asks But Doesn’t Provide Easy Answers

September 5, 2019September 5, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

(Lindsay Crouse in Gloucester Stage Company’s ‘The Lifespan of a Fact – Photos by Jason Grow)

By Shelley A. Sackett

‘The Lifespan of a Fact –Written by Jeremy Karaken, David Murrell and Gordon Farrell based on the book by John D’Agata and Jim Fingal; Directed by Sam Weisman; Lighting Design by Marcella Barbeau; Costume Design by Gail Astrid Buckley; Props Design by Lauren Corcuera; Composer/Sound Design by Dewey Dellay, Scenic Design by J. Michael Griggs. Presented by Gloucester Stage Company, 267 E Main St., Gloucester, through September 22.

Every so often, a play so resonates with its time that the audience can’t stop thinking and talking about it for days afterwards. “The Lifespan of a Fact,” at the Gloucester Stage Theatre through September 22, is such a show, and theatergoers should flock to see it for its thought-provoking, razor-sharp script and spot-on production.

Darkly Comic ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ Rocks the Lyric Stage

September 5, 2019September 10, 2019 michaelhoban2 Comments

(Katrina Z Pavao, Dan Prior, and Audrey II in ‘Little Shop of Horror’ at the Lyric Stage Company – Photos by Mark S. Howard)

‘Little Shop of Horrors’ – Book and Lyrics by Howard Ashman; Music by Alan Menken; Directed and Choreographed by Rachel Bertone; Music Direction by Dan Rodriguez. Scenic Design by Janie E. Howland; Costume Design by Marian Bertone; Sound Design by AndrewDuncan Will; Lighting Design by Frank Meissner, Jr.; Puppet Design by Cameron McEachern. Presented by the Lyric Stage Company of Boston at 140 Clarendon St, Boston through October 6th.

By Mike Hoban

The promotional materials in the press kit for the Lyric Stage’s 45th season promise “Music, Mystery, Murder & Mirth”, and with their stellar opening production of Little Shop of Horrors, the theater company makes good on all counts right out of the gate. Directed by multiple IRNE winner Rachel Bertone and performed by a first-rate cast, the revival of this 1980’s horror/comedy delivers not only as a musical, but as a legitimately funny comedy as well. From its opening 60’s girl group title number to it’s wacked out sci-fi conclusion, Little Shop is a rollicking blast.

Gloucester Stage Company Tries to Measure the ‘Lifespan of a Fact’

September 4, 2019September 4, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

(Lindsay Crouse as Emily, the editor and Derek Speedy as Jim, the fact checker in Gloucester Stage Company’s ‘Lifespan of a Fact’. Photos by Jason Grow)

Review by James Wilkinson

‘The Lifespan of a Fact’ – Written by Jeremy Kareken, David Murrell and Gordon Farrell. Directed by Sam Weisman. Scenic Design: J Michael Griggs. Lighting Design: Marcy Barbeau. Costume Design: Gail Astrid Buckley. Sound Design: Dewey Dellay. Props Design: Lauren Corcuera. Presented by Gloucester Stage Company, 267 E. Main St. Gloucester through September 22^nd.

Truth (and that’s with a capital ‘T’) is one of those words artists throw around when they’re in an especially pretentious mood. The idea that the glory of art is its pursuit of a higher truth is an idea drilled into arts students at school, mostly as a defense when their parents express concerns that they’re not pursuing a more “practical” career path. I’ve never really been able to buy into those lofty notions about truth. It’s not that I doubt art’s ability to investigate concepts, it’s that I’ve had to listen to too many hack artists use the party line as an excuse for whatever bit of nonsense they’re up to at the moment. When you counter their claim with inquiry, “Yes, but what does that mean?” you’ll usually send them stumbling into some vague definition for that grand word: Truth.

A DOLL’S HOUSE PART 2 – Gamm Theatre

September 4, 2019September 21, 2019 michaelhoban1 Comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

GAMM’S 35th season opener is “A Doll’s House, Part 2” and what a wonderful opening show this is. Written by Lucas Hnath, it takes place 15 years after Nora leaves her husband and her three children in Henrik Ibsen’s 19th century drama “A Doll’s House.” The Ibsen show was also directed by Fred Sullivan at GAMM back in 2011. Nora is now a writer and returns to ask Torvald to help her out because a judge is demanding something from her. She arrives and meets with the nanny, Anne Marie, Torvald and her grown daughter Emmy. Nora has long conversations with all three of them at different times. Questions brought up include what would bring Nora back after 15 years and how would these three people receive her? Has she truly won her emancipation, what has it done to her pysche or does she need her family again? This show is about what would happen to Nora after we leave the 1879 “A Doll’s House” by Ibsen. Hnath’s show opened on Broadway back in 2017 and was nominated for 8 Tony Awards. Fred once again directs with a deft hand, eliciting strong performances from his four talented cast members.

American Repertory Theater Scores a Perfect Ten with “Six”

September 2, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Catherine Parr (Anna Uzele, at center) performs “I Don’t Need Your Love” in SIX, written by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss and directed by Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage. Photo: Liz Lauren

By Michele Markarian

“Six” by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss. Directed by Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage. Presented by American Repertory Theater, 64 Brattle Street, Cambridge, through September 29.

Last May, in London and desperate for some theater on a Sunday afternoon, I blindly bought what was the last ticket to a show in the West End called “Six”. I had low expectations about a musical revue performed by Henry VIII’s wives, but my seatmate, a young man from Italy, told me in an authoritative tone, “You will LOVE it. It is SO much fun. This is my second time seeing it.” Sure I will, I thought, but eighty minutes later, with a few glittery strands of gold foil stuck to my hair and in my purse, the young man had been right. I called my husband and fellow Tudor buff the next day to tell him what a fantastic show it had been. “I think it’s playing in Chicago,” I said. “Should we go? I want to see it!” he asked. Luckily, we didn’t have to, because American Repertory Theater, in association with the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, is producing this smart, funny and wildly entertaining show in Cambridge.

‘The Hollow’ at Granite Theater

September 1, 2019September 7, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

So whether you know whodunnit or not just be sure to catch the latest Agatha Christie show, The Hollow by the Renaissance City Theater Company, the producing entity at the Granite Theatre in Westerly, RI. Director John Cillino takes you on a harrowing ride with this mystery in “The Hollow” which is another one of Agatha Christie’s thrillers. It follows an unhappy game of romantic intrigue with one man toying with the hearts and affections of three different women which results in a murder.

‘ALL MY SONS’ at The Arctic Playhouse

September 1, 2019September 12, 2019 michaelhoban1 Comment

by Henryce Zannini

The Arctic Playhouse opens its fall season with “All My Sons” by Arthur Miller, a drama based on a true story, set in 1947. The original play opened on Broadway at the Coronet Theatre in New York City in January 1947 and ran for 328 performances. The play examines the intricacies of a post-war American family and how far its patriarch, Joe Keller, will go to protect his family and his business, which he wants to hand down to his son, Chris. Joe’s wife Kate is determined that her oldest son Larry has survived the war and will return home to marry his neighborhood sweetheart, Ann. However, Chris and Ann are in love and plan to get married. Joe’s former business partner (who is Ann’s father) is in prison for shipping defective aircraft engine cylinders from his factory to the military during World War II, causing the deaths of 21 pilots.

SIX Rocks A.R.T.

September 1, 2019October 8, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

by Sheila Barth

Sitting among a full house of highly-charged, enthusiastic high school students and their teachers, it’s easy to see why American Repertory Theater had to add six more performances of the all-female, 75-minute, rocking musical “Six”, by Toby Marlow, 24, and 25-year-old Lucie Moss.

It’s even easier to see why the production is heading to Broadway. The youthful audience was perpetually entranced and excited, cheering and whooping loudly after every song.
The female musicians, performing on designer Emma Bailey’s uncluttered stage, with the bombastic six-female ensemble, became emblazoned with Tom Deiling’s pulsating, brilliant-hued and swirling lights. Dazzling in designer Gabriella Slade’s black-and-glittery pop concert regalia, the dancing queens burst with non-stop, fun energy, strutting, stomping, and singing.