GBSC Brings Magic with “THE IRISH AND HOW THEY GOT THAT WAY”

March 22, 2018April 2, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

By Sheila Barth

BOX INFO: Greater Boston Stage Company adds a wee bit o’ green and Irish charm in Pulitzer Prize winner Frank McCourt’s play, directed by Dawn Simmons, through March 25: Wednesdays, Sundays,2 p.m.; Thursdays, 7:30 p.m.; Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 3,8 p.m. $50-$60; seniors, $45-$55; students with valid ID, $20. 395 Main St., Stoneham. 781-279-2200, greaterbostonstage.org.

’Twas an Irish song and story fest when I saw Mynnelou Productions Inc. and the Bernann Company, LLC’s rollicking production of Frank McCourt’s “The Irish and How They Got That Way,” five years ago, in Somerville.

That production was so successful, it was extended for another week, by popular demand. The upbeat, two-hour, two-act, potpourri of Irish traditional, folk and contemporary songs and music accompanying the ensemble’s re-telling of Ireland and Irish-American history through their energetic comic anecdotes and skits, made Irish and non-Irish eyes smile at Davis Square Theater.

‘THE HUMANS’ – A Candid Peek at Contemporary Family Life

March 22, 2018March 22, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

By Sheila Barth

BOX INFO: Joe Montello directs the Roundabout Theatre Company, in association with the Seattle Repertory Theatre, national touring company production of Stephen Karam’s dramatic one-act, 100-minute play, appearing through March 25: Tuesday,Thursday, 7:30 p.m.; Wednesday, 2,7:30 p.m; Friday, 8 p.m. Saturday, 2,8 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m., at the Boch Center Shubert Theatre Boston, 265 Tremont St., Boston. Tickets start at $25.

Renowned playwright-screenwriter Stephen Karam’s dramatic, multi-Tony Award-winning play, “The Humans,“ appearing at the Boch Center Shubert Theatre in Boston this week, is labeled “a new American classic”. However, nothing earth-shattering occurs in it. But there’s a simmering, dark undercurrent that keeps audiences alert. Besides winning six Tony Awards, the off-Broadway production won an Obie Award in 2016, among others. Directed by award-winning Joe Mantello, this US National Touring cast that started at the Seattle Repertory Theatre is terrific.

Company Theatre’s ‘La Cage’ Entertains, Enlightens

March 21, 2018April 2, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

By Evan McKenna

Music and lyrics by Jerry Herman; Book by Harvey Fierstein, based on the play “La Cage aux Folles” by Jean Poiret. Directed by Zoe Bradford and Jordie Saucerman. Musical Direction by Steve Bass. Choreography by Sally Ashton Forest. Costume Design by Cameron McEachern. Lighting Design by Adam Clark. Set Design by Ryan Barrow. Wigs & Hairstylist, James A. Valentin. Presented by Company Theatre: 30 Accord Park Dr, Norwell through Sunday, April 8th.

Just last month the Senate of Georgia voted on a law to give adoption agencies—both private and taxpayer funded—the right to reject service to LGBTQ couples. This, among other forms of both legal and de facto discrimination happening during the Trump-Pence administration, shows how many Americans today do not support LGBTQ couples as moral, adequate, or legitimate parents of children, making “La Cage aux Folles” not only a relevant work to see this year, but an important one. At its heart, the story testifies to the criticism and conflict that queer couples with children must face in their social and political environment. On the surface, however, the musical does not seem politically overt or necessarily tragic, and that is because of the sitcom-esque humor and drag queen performances, both of which the cast of the Company Theatre’s production executed wonderfully at the premiere last Friday, giving—much like “Cabaret”—laughter and fun to an otherwise dark underlying story.

Dark History Lesson Runs Through GBSC’s Lively “The Irish and How They Got That Way””

March 20, 2018March 20, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

by Mike Hoban

The Irish and How They Got That Way – Book by Frank McCourt; Directed by Dawn M. Simmons; Music Direction by Kirsten Salpini; Original musical arrangements by Rusty Magee; Additional musical arrangements by Kirsten Salpini; Presented by special arrangement with The Irish Repertory Theatre Company, Inc. by the Greater Boston Stage Company at 395 Main St, Stoneham Through March 25^th

Anyone who utters the phrase “the Luck of the Irish” might want to take a closer look at history and reconsider its usage, as the Greater Boston Stage Company’s production of Frank McCourt’s The Irish and How They Got That Way clearly demonstrates. For all the adorable leprechauns and amusing anecdotes about excessive drinking that are associated with the Emerald Isle, there is also a rich vein of melancholy running through the saga of the Irish over the last few centuries, particularly the period that preceded their journey across the pond to America through the beginning of the twentieth century. Which is not to say that this production is in any way a downer. Quite the contrary, the six person (three men and three women) cast rips through a bevy of Irish tunes both familiar and obscure while generating both smiles and tears.

‘The Humans’ Examines Complex Family Dynamics at the Boch Center

March 17, 2018March 17, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

by Michael Cox

The Humans – Written by Stephen Karam. Directed by Joe Mantello. Presented by the Boch Center. At Shubert Theatre, 265 Tremont St., Boston, through March 25.

Boston audiences have the fortunate opportunity to see the 2016 Tony Award-Winning play The Humans, written by Stephen Karam and directed by Joe Mantello at the Shubert Theatre through March 25.

Brigid Blake and her boyfriend Richard are proud of their new duplex apartment, the lack of sunlight, the irrational layout, the noisy upstairs neighbor, the street-level view of an alleyway covered in cigarette butts, and the convenient location in Lower Manhattan—Chinatown actually. And it’s always fun to have a basement apartment in a flood zone.

Company Theatre’s LA CAGE AUX FOLLES’ is a Joyous Musical Extravaganza

March 17, 2018March 20, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

Welcome to the French Riviera in the 1980’s and the most glittering and notorious nightclub there is “La Cage Aux Folles” which is the Company Theatre’s first show of their 40th season and tackle this 1983 hit Jerry Herman musical. It won six Tony Awards for the original Broadway show and is the only musical to win the Tony Award for best revival twice. It is a flamboyant musical comedy about life, love and family values in a decidedly unconventional family. Georges runs this glittering drag queen nightclub, starring Albin, also known as ZaZa who is Georges longtime lover. They have a happy but stormy life together. However, when Georges’ son announces his engagement to the daughter of a narrow minded bigoted politician, their efforts to “play it straight” for a meeting with the in-laws results in high insanity blended with some poignant moments along the way.

‘Steve’ and the Search for Happiness

March 15, 2018March 16, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Review by James Wilkinson

Steve – Written by Mark Gerrard. Presented by Zeitgeist Stage Company. Direction and scene design by David Miller. Costume Design: Elizabeth Cole Sheehan. Lighting Design: Michael Clark Wonson. Sound Design: Jay Mobley. Presented by Zeitgeist Stage Company at the Plaza Black Box Theatre at the Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont St. through March 24, 2018.

I’m racking my brain, trying to think of a play that presents middle age in a positive light. (There must be at least one, right?) I seem to be unable to come up with a title. Every piece that tackles that period beyond the 18-35 demographic seems to paint it as a time of lost dreams, constant anxiety and the looming question, “Now what?” That question, “Now what?” is at the center of Mark Gerrard’s play, Steve, now being presented by Zeitgeist Stage Company at the Boston Center for the Arts’ Plaza Black Box Theatre. The characters in the piece are all asking themselves what comes next, leading them down a variety of different paths.

‘The Hotel Nepenthe’ is a Wild Ride Through Alternate Universes

March 14, 2018December 28, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

by Mike Hoban

The Hotel Nepenthe – Written by John Kuntz; Directed by Alex Lonati; Presented by The Brown Box Theatre March 2-11 at Atlantic Wharf, 290 Congress St., Boston; March 15^th at Ella Fitzgerald Center for Performing Arts at U of Maryland at Eastern Shore; March 16^th at The Milton Theatre, 110 Union St., Milton, DE; and March 17-18 at the Ocean City Center for the Arts, Ocean City, MD.

If you weren’t able to catch Brown Box Theatre’s wildly entertaining production of John Kuntz’ The Hotel Nepenthe at the Atlantic Wharf space, perhaps you can escape the snow and drive to Maryland/Delaware area to catch its final four performances this weekend (see above). And if you’re a fan of absurd (but remarkably coherent) theater, it just might be worth the trip. Kuntz weaves a series of imaginative vignettes – loosely centered around the upscale hotel of the play’s title – into an intertwined whole, and the results are often awe-inspiring.

The Huntington Personalizes 2008 Economic Collapse with Gripping ‘Skeleton Crew’

March 12, 2018March 12, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

by Mike Hoban

Skeleton Crew – Written by Dominique Morisseau; Directed by Megan Sandberg-Zakian Scenic Design by Wilson Chin; Costume Design by Ari Fulton; Lighting Design by Adam Honoré; Sound Design by Nathan Leigh. Presented by the Huntington Theatre Company at the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA, 527 Tremont St., Boston, through March 31.

Most of us know what it is like to compromise our ideals to some degree in the workplace, whether we’re working in a boardroom for a large corporation or slinging burgers in a fast food joint. The nature of everyday workplace life often requires us to make ethical decisions that place job security and/or advancement above our personal ideals and dreams, and it only becomes more difficult to do the right thing when the stakes are raised to a level that will directly affect our ability to survive.

A Captivating ‘Saint Joan’ from Bedlam

March 12, 2018March 12, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

By Michele Markarian

Bedlam’s “Saint Joan” by George Bernard Shaw. Directed by Eric Tucker. Presented by Arts Emerson, Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre, 219 Tremont St, Boston, MA through March 25.

The great thing about attending a Bedlam show – this is my fourth – is that you know you will never, ever be bored. This company’s take on the classics is so energizing and fresh that even when you think you know the script, you’ll find yourself in for some surprises. Saint Joan is no exception. Four characters play all of the roles, and they do it amazingly well.