‘TARZAN” Stadium Theatre, Woonsocket, RI

August 12, 2017August 12, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

Stadium Theatre’s current musical is “Tarzan” which is based on the 1999 Disney film and the classic story by Edgar Rice Burroughs. It features music and lyrics by Phil Collins and book by David Henry Hwang. The classic tale unfolds in the early 1900’s as a shipwreck leaves an infant orphaned on the West African shore. The helpless baby is taken under the protection of a Gorilla tribe and becomes part of their family. The helpless baby is adopted by the mate of the leader of this tribe who is mourning the loss of her own baby gorilla. As he grows and matures, the boy yearns for acceptance from his ape father and the reason for his uniqueness. When he eventually encounters his first human, Jane Porter, their worlds collide and transform forever. Director Rebecca Donald casts topnotch performers for these roles while music director Alex Tirrell taught the cast Phil Collins’ music and choreographer Jennifer Webb creates some athletic choreography. This heart warming musical also teaches us to accept others even thought their appearance is different from us. This high energy musical receives a well deserved resounding and thunderous standing ovation from the appreciative audience.

“42ND STREET”

August 7, 2017 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

Reagle Music Theatre’s third show of their 49th summer season is the Tony Award winning musical “42nd Street.” It is loosely based on the movie with the same name. The stage musical version opened on Broadway on August 25, 1980 and ran until January 8, 1989 and starred Jerry Orbach as Julian Marsh and Tammy Grimes as Dorothy Brock.

THE PRISONER OF SECOND AVENUE (Renaissance City Theatre, Westerly, RI)

August 5, 2017August 5, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

The Renaissance City Theatre the producing entity at the Granite Theatre’s current show is “The Prisoner of Second Avenue” by Neil Simon. This dark comedy tells the story of Mel, a New York-based advertising executive, whose life takes a dramatic turn when he loses his job. As he attempts to cope with his new unemployment status, he becomes particularly depressed over the fact he must now depend on the income of his wife, Edna, who, out of necessity, has now taken on a job. When his apartment is burglarized and his psychiatrist dies with $23,000 of his money, Mel has a nervous breakdown. As the couple recovers together, the audience witnesses their resilience, and determination to survive. A Jewish family meeting with his brother, Harry and sisters, Pauline, Pearl and Jessie add lightness to the show. Although having a nervous break down is a serious matter, Neil Simon reminds us even in the face of desperation and despair, there can be laughter. Director Jude Pescatello chooses the best cast for this show and blocks it splendidly on the beautiful set built and designed by David Jepson. He keeps the pace of the show in constant motion.

SHREK, THE MUSICAL (Swansea Footlights Junior Division)

August 4, 2017August 4, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

Footlights Junior Division’s current show is “Shrek, the Musical” based on the Oscar winning Dreamworks animation movie of the same name from 2001. The music is by Jeanine Tesori with book and lyrics by David Lindsey-Abaire and the original source material came from the 1990 book “Shrek” by William Steig. The story opens when Shrek is thrown out of the house by his parents when he’s seven to go earn a living. They warn him because of his looks everyone will hate him and he’ll come to a bad end. The audience follows Shrek and his loyal steed, Donkey on a quest to rescue the beautiful but temperamental Princess Fiona from a tower guarded by a love-sick fire breathing Dragon. Throw in the diminutive Lord Farquaad who is in love with Fiona, a gang of fairytale misfits, and a Gingerbread cookie with attitude to the list of wild and crazy characters the audience meets. Shrek is an outsider who goes on a journey to discover where he belongs in this world. This is an important lesson we can learn to accept everybody no matter how they look and everyone can relate to it. Add splendid singing and dancing by this 100 member cast with excellent direction by Neil Jeronimo and Tricia Rodrigues, choreography by Brian Pereira and musical direction by Kasey Jeronimo. This high energy is rewarded with a thunderous ovation at the curtain call with the whole audience singing “I’m a Believer” with Shrek and his cast mates.

“American Moor” a Catalyst for Change

August 2, 2017August 2, 2017 michaelhoban1 Comment

By Michele Markarian

“American Moor”. Written by Keith Hamilton Cobb. Directed by Kim Weild. Presented by O.W.I. (Bureau of Theatre) and Phoenix Theatre Ensemble. At Plaza Theatre, Boston Center for the Arts, through Aug. 12.

At the end of this deeply personal, soul-mining dialogue, with an invisible but audible white Director, the Actor, played by the magnetic Keith Hamilton Cobb, asks him to tell him what scares him, what makes him feel deeply. And it’s an appropriate question, because experiencing Cobb perform and being privy to his inner thoughts and emotions somehow makes us privy to our own. Read more ““American Moor” a Catalyst for Change”

SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER (Ivoryton Playhouse)

August 1, 2017August 13, 2017 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

Ivoryton Playhouse’s summer musical is “Saturday Night Fever” based on Nik Cohn’s 1975 New York Magazine article

“Tribal Rituals for the New Saturday Night” and Norman Wexler’s 1977 screenplay it inspired. The stage version premiered in the West End back in 1998 at the London Palladium and then at the Minskoff Theatre October 21, 1999, playing 27 previews and 501 performances before closing on December 30, 2000. Put on your “Boogie Shoes” as we go back in time to 1979 that will leave you with “Night Fever!”

Burbage at the Brewery’s THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (Abridged) –

July 30, 2017July 30, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

Burbage Theatre’s latest show is “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)” written by the Reduced Shakespeare Company. The show is a parody of the plays written by Shakespeare, all 37 plays in 90 minutes. It is an irreverent, fast-paced romp through all the Bard’s plays in shortened form by three actors. The actors speak directly to the audience during much of the play and some scenes involve audience participation. Improvisation plays an important role with the actors deviating from the script. They open the show with a parody of “Romeo and Juliet”, then combine the comedies into a convoluted reading by stating that they recycle the same plot devices and they do this while wearing red noses. They then tackle the histories and the tragedies. The second act is a very hilarious performance of “Hamlet.” Jeff Church directs the talented and energetic performers in the show wonderfully, bringing a lot of shtick and slapstick antics to keep the audience entertained for the whole performance. They win a resounding standing ovation at the end of the show!

“THE LITTLE MERMAID” Company Theatre

July 29, 2017July 29, 2017 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

Company Theatre’s summer musical is “The Little Mermaid”, based on the Danish fairy tale by Hans Christian Anderson. It is also based on the 1989 Disney movie of the same name. It tells the story of Ariel, a beautiful mermaid who wants to become human after rescuing a handsome prince from drowning. This goes against her father, King Triton and his advisor, Sebastian’s warnings that contact between merpeople and humans is strictly forbidden.

WHAT’s “The Empaths” Zings Millennial Culture, Dating

July 28, 2017July 30, 2017 michaelhoban1 Comment

by Mike Hoban

‘The Empaths’ – Written by John Markus and Rebecca Bazell; Directed by Jeffry George. Scenic and Lighting Design by Christopher Ostrom; Costume Design by Gail Astrid Buckley; Sound Design & Original Music by Nathan Leigh. Presented by the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater at 2357 Route 6 in Wellfleet through August 19^th.

The ritual of dating has come a long way from the “have I got a girl/guy for you!” era of the blind date, to the point where everything you need to know about a romantic prospect is (theoretically) available on your I-phone. But for Celine (Kate Margalite), an attractive 30-something Daddy’s girl searching for true – and extreme vetted – love, that’s not good enough, as we see in “Empaths”, the consistently funny new comedy now making its world premiere at the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater.

THE DROWSY CHAPERONE (MMAS Black Box Theater, Mansfield, MA)

July 27, 2017July 27, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

Welcome back to the 1920’s and to MMAS Black Box Theater’s current show which is “The Drowsy Chaperone”, a five-time Tony Award winning musical. The show first opened on Broadway on May 1, 2006 and starred Georgia Engel as Mrs. Tottendale. It won Tony Awards for Best Book and Best Score. The hilarious show-within-a-show begins when a die-hard musical fan decides to play his favorite cast album, a 1928 smash hit called The Drowsy Chaperone and the show magically bursts to life right in his very own apartment. It is a send up of a Jazz Age musical featuring one show stopping number after another. When the house lights dim, a man in a chair appears onstage and plays his favorite recording of this fictitious 1928 musical. The recording comes to life and “The Drowsy Chaperone” begins. Mix in two lovers on the eve of their wedding, a bumbling best man, a desperate theatre producer, a not-so-bright hostess, two gangsters posing as pastry chefs, a misguided Don Juan and an intoxicated chaperone and you have the ingredients for an evening of madcap delight. Director Vincent Ratsavong picks the best 16 performers for these wild and madcap roles, winning his cast a thunderous ovation at the close of the show.