Larry Shares Thoughts On Theater With Middle Schoolers!

January 29, 2017February 4, 2017 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Larry recently received this request to share his thoughts on theater from an unlikely source, so we thought we’d share it with you – Editor.

Hello Mr. Stark!

Our names are Aylin and Julia. We are students of JJ Daniel Middle School and we need help with a project. We are studying “Entertainment Throughout The Years” and we have some questions for you. We would be delighted to have you answer them.

Thank you so much for your time,

Julia and Aylin

Wow.

First, I’d love to take such a course with you; I’d learn things I never thought of before, I’m sure!

“BORN YESTERDAY”

January 29, 2017February 4, 2017 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

Ocean State Theatre Company’s fifth season’s winter comedy is “Born Yesterday” by Garson Kanin. An uncouth, corrupt rich junk dealer, Harry Brock brings his showgirl mistress Billie Dawn with him to Washington, D.C. When Billie’s ignorance becomes a liability to Brock’s business dealings, he hires a journalist, Paul Verrall, to educate his mistress. In the process of learning, Billie Dawn realizes how corrupt Harry is and begins interfering with his plan to coerce a Senator into passing legislation that would allow Brock’s business to make more money. The original show ran for 1642 performances on Broadway. Director Amiee Turner casts marvelous performers in these role and elicits terrific performances from this timely show that could have been written about contemporary political times we live in.

Tension, Humor Ricochet in Lyric’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf”

January 28, 2017February 4, 2017 michaelhobanLeave a comment

By Michele Markarian

‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf – Written by Edward Albee. Directed by Scott Edmiston. Presented by Lyric Stage Company of Boston, 140 Clarendon Street, Boston, MA, through February 12.

George (Steven Barkhimer) and Martha (Paula Plum), a middle-aged married couple with a fondness for alcohol, live on the campus of a college over which Martha’s father presides. George is a professor there, but Martha’s father has not nurtured his career the way he and Martha had hoped. One night, after a faculty party, Martha informs George that she has invited another couple over, a young professor and his wife, whom her father told her to be kind to. The fact that it’s 2:00am doesn’t deter anyone from acting on the invitation, and when Nick (Dan Whelton) and Honey (Erica Spyres) arrive and start to drink, the real fun begins.

Hamlet (Providence College Blackfriars Theatre Performance)

January 28, 2017January 28, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

Providence College Blackfriars Theatre’s second show of their season is “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare. The play is set in the kingdom of Denmark and recounts how Prince Hamlet exacts revenge on his uncle Claudius, firstly for murdering the old King Hamlet, Claudius’ brother and the Prince’s father, secondly for then succeeding to the throne and marrying Gertrude, King Hamlet’s wife and the Prince’s mother. The play portrays real and feigned madness, from overwhelming grief to seething rage and explores themes of treachery, revenge, incest and moral corruption. Director John Garrity infuses the show with the energy and vitality necessary to make the show relevant to current day audiences with his talented cast. He brings out the best in his performers and gives them their moment to shine in this show.

The pacing and energy of the first act needs to be tightened up so it is worth wait for the second act to rivet you to your seats. Everyone can identify with the plight of Hamlet, it’s about being isolated in a corrupt world and how we all feel about it. The magnificent sword fight choreography is by Jim Beauregard while the mood music is by Hannah Y. Greene. Sophomore Timothy Brown is captivating as Hamlet whose heart is broken on as he mourns the death of his beloved father. He plays a wide range of emotions as he is plagued by doubts and conflict, erupting into anger at all the appropriate moments. Timothy gives an eloquent portrayal as Hamlet as he vows revenge and begins either his slow spiral into madness or puts on an act only to appear insane. He commands the stage in this role with his enormous amount of dialogue. A stunning moment is when he sees his father’s ghost projected onto the stage and sends chills up your spine during this segment.

The evil Claudius is well played by Daniel Carroll as he captures the deviousness of this smarmy and untrustworthy man. He also shines as the ghost of Hamlet’s father. Mireya Lopez’s best scene as Gertrude is the confrontation with Hamlet when Polonius is killed. It is electrifying as she wavers about whether Hamlet is truly mad or not. Mireya also delivers the goods in her final poignant scene after she drinks the cup of poison. Johnathan Coppe commands the stage as Polonius. He plays the role like a well seasoned politician rather than as a buffoon.

Ophelia is dynamically played by Jennifer Dorn. She is comical at first finding Trojans hidden in her brother’s suitcase, becomes ethereal in her first scene with Hamlet and then delivers a gut wrenching performance as Ophelia descends into madness in the second act. Laertes is wonderfully portrayed by A.J. Roskam. His character really comes to life after his father’s death when he vows revenge on Hamlet. He redeems himself near the end of the show as he confesses the poisoned sword tip to Hamlet. The sword fight between Timothy and him is brilliantly portrayed and stops the show at their expertise in doing it. Rosecrans and Guildenstern are well played by Emily Clark and Daniel Jameson. The stunning closing sequence of this show when Hamlet commands Horatio played expertly by Teddy Kiritsy (who played the Baker in “Into the Woods”) to not kill himself so he can tell the tale of Hamlet to one and all is the perfect finishing touch to one of Shakespeare’s best tales. So be sure to catch “Hamlet” at Providence College before time runs out.

HAMLET (26 January to 11 February)

Blackfriars Theatre, Bowab Studio, Providence College, Eaton Street, Providence, RI

1(401)865-2218 or www.providence.edu/theatre

Trinity Rep’s “Mountaintop” Humanizes MLK with Laughter, Grace

January 28, 2017February 4, 2017 michaelhobanLeave a comment

by Mike Hoban

‘The Mountaintop’ – Written by Katori Hall; Directed by Kent Gash; Set Design by Jason Sherwood; Costume Design by Kara Harmon; Lighting design by Dawn Chiang, Sound Design by Justin Ellington, Projection Design by Shawn Duan. Presented by Trinity Repertory, 201 Washington St, Providence, RI through February 12th.

When I was a young boy in 1968, I remember watching television one night when the CBS Evening News came on. “Good evening. Dr. Martin Luther King, the apostle of non-violence in the civil rights movement, has been shot to death in Memphis, Tennessee,” deadpanned Walter Cronkite, an actual newsman reading the news. I ran to wake my grandmother, who was napping, and asked, “Nana, who is Martin Luther King?”

VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE (The Players, Barker Playhouse)

January 27, 2017January 27, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

The third show of The Players’ 109th season is the comedy “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” by Christopher Durang. Vanya and his adopted sister Sonia live a quiet life in the Pennsylvania farmhouse where they grew up. However their peace is disturbed when their movie star sister Masha returns unannounced with her twenty something boy toy, Spike. They discuss their lives and loves and argue then Masha who supports her siblings, threatens to sell the house. The only other resident of their home, is the cleaning lady, Cassandra who like her namesake is always making dire predictions that nobody believes. Some of the elements of the show are derived from Anton Chekov, including some of the characters names, the play’s setting in the cherry orchard and the possible loss of their ancestral home. The play is about accepting life the way it is. It’s also about change and accepting it as well as that there is no place like home no matter what happens along the way. Director Steven Vessella infuses his cast with high energy in these comic roles and obtains hilarious performances from all of them. However there is a dramatic punch from the two sisters in the second act and a brilliant powerful monologue from Vanya on the way things used to be when people took time to enjoy themselves and each other without rushing around on Twitter, cell phones and facebook.

URINETOWN (Footlights Repertory Theatre Jr Division, Morton Middle School)

January 26, 2017January 26, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

URINETOWN

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

Footlights Repertory Theatre Company’s first junior show of this year is “Urinetown” which won three Tony Awards in 2002. “Urinetown” is set in the future where a drought of epic proportions has forced corrupt officials to come up with a unique way to conserve water: people may only use public restrooms and pay for the privilege to pee. Fed up citizens take to the streets but those caught breaking the law are carted off to the mysterious “Urinetown” never to be seen or heard from again. This satirical musical pokes fun at and sends up “The Threepenny Opera”, “Annie”, “Fiddler on the Roof”, “West Side Story” and Gershwin romances simultaneously. Directors Neil Jeronimo and Tricia Rodrigues, choreographer Barry Pereira, musical director Kasey Jeronimo and orchestra conductor Jameson Ward win their talented cast a well deserved standing ovation at the end of the show. “Urinetown” is dedicated to the loving memory of Steve Nichols.

Intimate Exchanges Sizzles with Possibilities

January 25, 2017February 4, 2017 michaelhobanLeave a comment

By Michele Markarian

Intimate Exchanges, Written by Alan Ayckbourn; Directed by Olivia D’Ambrosio. Presented by The Nora Theatre Company, 450 Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge through February 12.

Lionel is a gardener, who is employed – like his elderly father before him – by the wealthy Celia Teasdale and her alcoholic headmaster husband, Mr. Teasdale. Sylvie is a young woman who is also employed by the Teasdales to do work around the home. All of the characters want to remold and remake the working-class Sylvie, including Sylvie herself. These were the characters and plotlines that were present the night I saw “Intimate Exchanges”, as there are actually two different versions of the play, with four different endings, two possibilities per show, that the audience votes on during intermission. All of the characters are played by two actors, Sarah Elizabeth Bedard and Jade Ziane.

imaginary beasts’ Winter Panto is Devilishly Good Fun!

January 24, 2017January 25, 2017 michaelhobanLeave a comment

By CJ Williams

‘Winter Panto 2017 – Princess and the Pea – by Imaginary Beasts; Directed by Matthew Woods; Set and Sound Design by Jason Sherwood and Matthew Woods; Set Construction by Daniel Atchason and Joe Oullette; Puppet Design by Beth Owens and Jill Rogati; Stage Management by Nate Goebel; Costume Design by Cotton Talbot-Minkin; Lighting design by Chris Bocchiaro. Presented by Imaginary Beasts at Boston Center for the Arts, 539 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02116 through February 4.

You don’t have to be a child to enjoy the delightful Winter Pantomime being put on by Imaginary Beasts this chill season – nor do you have to be an adult to giggle at the devilish and timely jabs and jibes the troupe insert regarding current events and personalities. As I sat in the theatre this weekend, surrounded by old, young, and innumerable in-betweens, the slapstick and sly both elicited hearty merriment. Sometimes, the stuff I thought might go over the littler one’s heads got the largest laughs from them in particular. But this is partially because the audience-involved pandemonium was written – and performed – with enough versatility that where subtle politics miss some, there’s enough energy and incongruity to the situations themselves to leave humor a-plenty, references aside.

“DON’T DRESS FOR DINNER” (Walpole Footlighters)

January 21, 2017February 4, 2017 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

Walpole Footlighters second show of their 93rd season is the French farce, “Don’t Dress for Dinner.” This show is about Bernard planning an intimate evening with his mistress and packs his wife off to her mother’s house. Unfortunately his wife, Jacqueline, stays in town and his best friend is to be uses as an alibi. But there is a hidden secret there, too. Throw in two cooks, mistaken identities and some fantastic slapstick routines and you have the ingredients for the madcap romp that ensues. The alibis get confused and Bernard and Robert have to improvises excuses at break neck speed. Director Dan Delaporta infuses the show with high energy and shows adeptness at comic direction so each of the six performers has their moment to shine in this farce.

Dan tackles this contemporary farce with a talented cast and creates some hilarious shtick. The constant spilling drinks, naughty doings and wrestling on the sofa and slapping each other around are some of the laugh out loud moments. Leading the cast as Bernard, the husband is Dan Kirichok. He is a debonair actor who plays the part with nervousness and high anxiety. Dan has a flair for the role with facial expressions and slow burns. Another comic bit is his constantly changing costumes due to spilled drinks. He also wrestles on the sofa and wields the ice tongs around threateningly. Ann-Marie Weaver is Jacqueline, the long suffering wife who has a hidden secret of her own. She finds out about her husband’s infidelity and is furious about it. Ann-Marie gets to yell and browbeat the other characters with humorous results. She sprays Bernard several times with water and checks out her sexy dress. Jacqueline mixes up Suzanne for Suzette, creating chaos in the house which leads to the men to tell lie after lie to cover the truth up.

Peter McElhinney is very comical as Bernard’s best friend, Robert. He is hilarious as he runs around the stage trying to keep the secrets from being revealed. Peter is a hoot when he cowers in fear when threatened to be beaten up or being castrated by a jealous husband. His facial expressions are excellent as is his rapid line delivery. His last explanation is hysterical. Emily Murray is Suzette, the real cook who is mistaken for the mistress. She has the funniest one liners in this show. Emily’s facial expressions are fantastic during the show and a laugh out loud moment is when she hides the money in her bra. Also hilarious is when the two men transform her maid’s outfit into an evening dress in a split second as well as when she struts out in a mink coat at the close of the show. Ashley Harmon plays Bernard’s sexy mistress, Suzanne who is a model. She is a beautiful brunette who makes this role come alive with her clever and sarcastic lines. Ashley struts around in evening wear while making or should I say ruining dinner. She displays the jealous streak in Suzanne as she slaps Bernard around and spills sauce all over him. Last but not least is Andrew Bradley as the physically threatening character of George. Although he doesn’t enter until later in the show, he gets to knock out the two men, gets sat on by the three women and helps to resolve the sticky situation at hand. One of his funniest moments occurs when Peter pays him off with hush money to pretend to be Suzette’s Uncle Robert. So for a laugh a minute farce, be sure to catch “Don’t Dress for Dinner” at Walpole Footlighters to lighten up this cold winter season.

DON’T DRESS FOR DINNER (3 to 19 February)

Walpole Footlighters, 5 Scout Road, East Walpole, MA

1(508)668-8446 or www.footlighters.com