‘La Cage Aux Folles’ Brings Glitz, Laughter and Pathos to the Reagle

August 14, 2019August 20, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

*(James Darrah as Zaza with Les Cagelles in Reagle’s ‘La Cage Aux Folles’ – Photos by Herb Philpott)*

By Mike Hoban

‘La Cage Aux Folles’ – Music and Lyrics by Jerry Herman. Book by Harvey Fierstein. Based the play “La Cage Aux Folles” by Jean Poiret. Directed and Choreographed by Susan M. Chebookjian. Music Direction by Dan Rodriguez. Scenic Design by David Allen Jeffrey; Original Costume Design by Matthew Wright; Lighting Design by David Wilson; Sound Design by Robby Davis and Robert Luke Pelletier. Presented by Reagle Music Theatre, 617 Lexington Street, Waltham through August 18^th

Reagle Music Theatre is closing out its 51^st season with La Cage Aux Folles, the Jerry Herman/Harvey Fierstein musical which copped a multitude of Tony Awards in its 1983 debut and in subsequent Broadway revivals in 2004 and 2010. The show caps a solid summer season for the Waltham theater, and like the previous offerings (Mame and Sound of Music), La Cage is powered by strong performances by the leads and outstanding work by the supporting cast – in particular the eight “Les Cagelles”, the drag queen dancers that support headliner Zaza with some electrifying routines.

Review: Noises Off – Cape Playhouse

August 10, 2019August 21, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Cast of ‘Noises Off’ at Cape Playhouse (Photos: Emma Quinn)

by Kobi Kassal

Curtain up for Noises Off, now playing at the Cape Playhouse until August 17th. The 93-year-old theater has once again produced an exhilarating production that proves to be a masterclass in comedy on Cape Cod.

Esteemed playwright Michael Frayn wrote his farce-within-a-farce in 1982 and New York Times critic Frank Rich once declared it, “the funniest play written in my lifetime”. No wonder this show has been produced three times on Broadway in its 37 year history; not to mention numerous productions around the world. Frayn’s intricate story tells the tale of the play “Nothing On” that the audience witnesses three different productions of during the course of the show. Act I shows the final dress rehearsal of the show; Act II flips the set showing the audience the show from backstage; and Act III features the final performance of their touring production. Directing this behemoth of a play is no easy feat, not to mention doing it in 2 weeks, so kudos to Jeffrey Denman for doing a first-rate job.

Gloucester Stage’s ‘Ben Butler’ Combines Witty Repartee, Zaniness in Historical Comedy

August 7, 2019August 7, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Shepard Mallory (Shane Taylor), Lieutenant Kelly (Doug Bowen-Flynn), and Major General Benjamin Butler (Ames Adamson) in Gloucester Stage’s production of ‘Ben Butler’. Photos by Jason Grow

By Mike Hoban

Ben Butler – Written by Richard Strand. Directed by Joseph Discher. Scenic Design by Gregory Trochil; Costume Design by Chelsea Kerl; Lighting Design by Russ Swift. Presented by Gloucester Stage Company, 267 East Main Street, Gloucester through August 25

In the opening scene of Ben Butler, the first thing we learn is that Virginia has just seceded from the Union. While this news hardly seems remarkable – given that play is set during the Civil War in the Fort Monroe office of Butler, a Union Army General – what we don’t realize is how important that detail will be to the string of events that will change the course of American history. If you’re thinking that Ben Butler sounds like an educational historical drama, nothing could be further from the truth. Instead, this Gloucester Stage production is an often laugh out loud funny re-imagining of a historic meeting between two very different but remarkably similar individuals – one a General, the other a slave.

Love is Blossoming and Life is Beautiful at Ogunquit Playhouse’s ‘Cabaret’

August 1, 2019August 1, 2019 michaelhoban5 Comments

(Randy Harrison as Emcee, cast of Ogunquit Playhouse’s ‘Cabaret’)

by Linda Chin

‘Cabaret’ – Creative Team: BT McNicholl (Director), Andrea Leigh (Choreographer), Bruce Barnes (Music Director), Robert Brill (Scenic Designer), William Ivey Long (Costume Designer), Richard Latta (Lighting Design), Kevin Heard (Sound Designer), Roxanne De Luna (Wig/Hair and Makeup Designer), Anthony C. Daniel (Casting), Robert V. Thurber (Associate Director and Production Stage Manager). Presented by Ogunquit Playhouse at 10 Main St, Ogunquit, ME through August 10

(Note: At this writing, the news of the passing of Hal Prince, director of Cabaret’s original (1966) production, has been announced. RIP to the Prince of Broadway.)

There is a theater (Ogunquit Playhouse), and there is an executive artistic director (Bradford T. Kenney), and there is a state (Maine) in a country called the United States, with a production of Cabaret that is simply, sensuously, sensational. Having seen multiple revivals of this iconic musical on college, regional, and Broadway stages over the past four decades, I’ve been struck each time by the brilliant and complex musical composition and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb, the masterful book by Joe Masteroff (commissioned by the late Hal Prince), and the timelessness of the show’s themes. In Ogunquit’s Cabaret, the lighting and scenery, costumes, wigs and makeup, the music and choreography, the orchestra, the girls – and yes, the boys – are beautiful, and all the elements in this exquisite production meld seamlessly to tell the story of life in 1930s Berlin, of love blossoming with the rise of Nazi Germany as a dark, lurking backdrop.

Hub Theatre Gives ‘Steel Magnolias’ a Comic Makeover

July 24, 2019July 25, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

(Lauren Elias, Maureen Adduci, Catherine Lee Christie, June Kfoury, Liz Adams, Oye Ehikhamhen in Hub Theatre’s ‘Steel Magnolias’)

by Mike Hoban

Steel Magnolias – Written by Robert Harling. Directed by Paula Plum. Set Design by Cassie Chapados; Lighting Design by Chris Bocchiaro; Sound Design by Kyle Lampe; Costume Design by Chelsea Kerl. Presented by Hub Theatre Company of Boston at Club Café, 209 Columbus Avenue, Boston through August 3.

Following a tragedy towards the end of the play Steel Magnolias, which is set entirely in an in-home beauty salon where women come as much for the sisterly camaraderie as the hair care, Truvy Jones, the owner of the salon, remarks to her customers/friends, “Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion.”

In this highly entertaining production, now being presented by the Hub Theatre Company at Club Café in the South End, there’s plenty of laughter but a surprising dearth of tears, as director Paula Plum opts to emphasize the humor in the piece – creating a much-needed light summer offering. Plum, one of Boston’s premier comic actresses herself, has assembled a talented cast of new and seasoned talent to give the play a kind of comic makeover. I must confess that I have never seen the star-studded (Dolly Parton, Sally Field, Julia Roberts, Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis) movie version – or any previous version of the play for that matter – but my companion assured me early on in the performance that despite the non-stop one liners, that I should brace myself for a tear jerker. That never really occurs as the tragedy is given a bit of a softening, but to the untrained eye, Steel Magnolias works just fine as a comedy.

‘The Lightning Thief” at Huntington a Fierce and Funny Entertainment

July 20, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

(Kristin Stokes, Chris McCarrell, and Izzy Figueroa in the Huntington Theatre Company’s production of The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical)

by Michele Markarian

‘The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical’ – Book by Joe Tracz. Music and Lyrics by Rob Rokicki. Adapted from the book “The Lightning Thief” by Rick Riordan. Directed by Stephen Brackett. At the Huntington Theatre Company, 264 Huntington Avenue, Boston, through July 28^th.

When my son was in middle school, every kid was reading the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan, beginning with The Lightning Thief. I never read it myself, having little interest in ‘tween literature. My expectations were low coming to see this show; my grown-up companion’s even lower, as he thought I had told him we were seeing a musical about Percy Faith. Much to our surprise and delight, The Lightning Thief is an absolute blast of a ride from beginning to end. In addition to the lively score and clever book, the extremely talented and likeable cast of seven makes this an unforgettable theatrical experience.

“THE SOUND OF MUSIC” Soars at Reagle

July 15, 2019July 23, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Aimee Doherty and Cast in Reagle Music Theater’s “Sound of Music”

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

Welcome to the true story of the Von Trapp family as well as to the Mountains of Austria. This year is the 60th Anniversary of “The Sound of Music” and is also the second summer show of Reagle Music Theatre’s 51st season. “The Sound Of Music” is the last collaboration of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein and is based on Maria Von Trapp’s autobiography, ”The Story of the Trapp Family Singers.” This musical takes place in Austria in 1938 and is about Maria Rainer, a postulant who is hired by Captain Georg Von Trapp to care for his seven children. Although the Captain is engaged to another woman, he and Maria eventually fall in love and marry but their happiness is soon shattered when the Nazis annex Austria. The Captain opposes the Nazis so he and his family are forced to escape to America. The original show opened on Broadway on November 16, 1959, starred Mary Martin and ran for 1443 performances becoming the second longest running show of the 1950’s. The highly successful movie starring Julie Andrews opened in 1965 and ran yearly on television. Daniel Forest Sullivan directs and choreographs this classic musical wonderfully. This heartwarming true to life 60 year old musical once again captures the hearts of every member of the audience and wins the astounding actress playing Maria a standing ovation at the curtain call.

Love and Politics: ‘The Return’ a Superb Finale for Israeli Stage

July 12, 2019July 12, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

(Philana Mia and Nael Nacer in Israeli Stage’s ‘The Return’)

By Mike Hoban

The Return – Written by Palestinian-Israeli Playwright Hanna Eady and American Playwright Edward Mast; Directed by Guy Ben-Aharon; Scenic Design by Cristina Todesco; Sound Design by David Wilson; Lighting Design by Jeff Adelberg; and Costume Design by Charles Schoonmaker. Presented by Gloucester Stage Company at 267 E. Main St. Gloucester for one night only on July 14 .

Despite its politically charged setting, The Return, the final production of the Israeli Stage Company’s nine-year run is, at its core, a love story – or more precisely, a forbidden love story. Skillfully directed by artistic director Guy Ben-Aharon, this exhilarating two-hander is pretty much guaranteed to produce a visceral reaction in anyone with strong views and/or an emotional attachment to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But for those without any emotional skin in the game, that detachment allows us to see this production as an examination of the inherent evil of tribalism, as played out in the lives of two people who – in a just world – would be free to openly love one another.

Hitchcock Comes to Life with Gloucester Stage’s ‘39 Steps’

July 12, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Amanda Collins, Lewis D. Wheeler in Gloucester Stage’s ’39 Steps’

Review by James Wilkinson

The 39 Steps – Written by Patrick Barlow. Directed by Robert Walsh. Assist. Director: Madison Cook-Hines. Scenic Design: Jenna McFarlen Lord. Lighting Design: Russ Swift. Costume Design: Miranda Kau Giurleo. Sound Design: David Wilson. Props Design: Emme Shaw. Presented by Gloucester Stage Company, 267 E. Main St. Gloucester through July 28

I have an unabashed love for the films of Alfred Hitchcock. It runs so deep that sitting five feet from where I’m typing this review is a pile of DVDs of just about every film he ever made. I won’t go into all of the reasons why (we’ll be here all day if I do), but I’d like to think that my passionate fandom makes me the ideal audience member for Gloucester Stage Company’s production of The 39 Steps. The play by Patrick Barlow is a stage adaptation of the classic 1935 film and also holds the distinction of being one of only two or three Hitchcock pictures that I’ve never seen. That strikes me as remarkable considering the high regard that film buffs hold the movie in. How exactly has this one slipped past me for all these years? I considered watching the film as research before going to Gloucester Stage’s production, then held off. The movie’s the movie (and I’ll get to it one of these days), right now I’m more concerned with what’s happening on stage.

Go and Meet Those Dancing Feet – Ogunquit’s ’42nd Street’ is a Gem

July 10, 2019July 10, 2019 michaelhoban2 Comments

by Mike Hoban

42nd Street – Music by Harry Warren, Lyrics by Al Dubin, Book by Michael Stewart & Mark Bramble, Based on the novel by Bradford Ropes; Original Direction and Dances by Gower Champion; Originally produced on Broadway by David Merrick; Director/Choreographer, Randy Skinner; Associate Choreographer, Sara Brians; Music Director, Jeffrey Campos; Original Scenic Design, Douglas Schmidt; Lighting Design, Richard Latta; Costume Design, Roger Kirk; Sound Design, Ed Chapman. Presented by Ogunquit Playhouse, Rte. 1, Ogunquit, Maine through July 13.

From its wildly energetic opening number to the big finale featuring the title song, the Ogunquit production of 42^nd Street is everything you’d want from a BIG summer musical. Killer dance routines with an army of glitzily costumed hoofers, one of the genre’s best known and loved scores performed with verve by a deep and talented cast, a megawatt Broadway star (Rachel York) at the top of her game, and a storyline as light as the cotton candy at a traveling carnival.