By Richard Pacheco
“The current production of “Inherit the Wind” at Ocean State Theatre sparkled with dazzling performances, propelled by energy, sincerity and conviction. The play by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee, which debuted in 1955. The story fictionalizes the 1925 Scopes “Monkey” Trial as a means to discuss the then-contemporary McCarthy trials.
By Michele Markarian
‘Golda’s Balcony’ – Written by William Gibson. Directed by Judy Braha. Presented by the New Repertory Theatre, 321 Arsenal Street, Watertown through April 16.
Golda Meir was a fascinating character – passionate, driven, with a sense of personal destiny that was tied in to the “paradise” that she believed to be the State of Israel. Her early childhood was spent in Kiev, where she remembered her father boarding the door with wooden planks to keep out the pogroms. The family emigrated to Milwaukee, where the young Golda heard Ben Gurion speak, which marked the beginning of her life as a warrior and champion for the burgeoning State of Israel.
Reviewed by Tony Annicone
Renaissance Theatre Company Inc, the producing entity for the Granite Theatre’s opening show of their 18th season is an intense and gripping “Dial M For Murder” by Frederick Knott. Originally written for the stage, this gripping, edge of your seat drama was later made famous by the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, who turned it into a cinematic masterpiece. The plot revolves around former tennis player Tony Wendice, who married his wife, Margot, for her money and now plans to murder her for the same reason. He arranges the perfect murder. He blackmails a scoundrel he used to know, into killing her for a fee and arranges the perfect alibi for himself. Unfortunately the murderer gets murdered and the victim survives. But this doesn’t stop the husband who sees his hireling’s death as an opportunity to have his wife convicted for the murder of the man who tried to murder her. With a killer dead and a victim in jail, will the police inspector discover the truth? Will the husband be found out? This murder thriller will keep you spellbound with suspense. Director Brian Olsen casts this psychological thriller excellently, keeping the audience enthralled all night long.
Read more “DIAL M FOR MURDER (Renaissance Theatre Company Inc, Granite Theatre, Westerly, RI”
by Mike Hoban
Mrs. Packard – Written by Emily Mann; Directed by Emily Ranii; Scenic Design by Jon Savage; Lighting Design by Ed Intemann; Costume Design by Chelsea Kerl; Sound Design by Don Tindall. Presented by Bridge Repertory Theatre in a co-production with Playhouse Creatures Theatre Co. of NYC at the Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., Cambridge through April 9
When I was a boy in middle school, I was a huge fan of the B horror films that ran on Saturday afternoon showcases like Creature Double Feature. There weren’t many classics in the “Dracula” or “Frankenstein” vein, but there was plenty of silly dreck like “Attack of the Giant Leeches” and “The Thing That Wouldn’t Die” that were more laughable than frightening. But there was one film that truly did horrify me, and that was “Bedlam”, a low rent Boris Karloff vehicle that told the story of a woman wrongly committed to an insane asylum in Victorian England known as Bedlam – which was depicted as a Hollywood backlot version of Hell on Earth. What made it so terrifying was that while there no traditional movie monsters, Bedlam was a real place, and the monsters were the evil men running the asylum.
by Mike Hoban
‘Topdog/Underdog’ – Written by Suzan-Lori Parks; Directed by Billy Porter; Scenic and Costume Design by Clint Ramos; Lighting Design by Driscoll Otto; Sound Design by Leon Rothenberg. Presented by The Huntington Theatre Company, 264 Huntington Ave, Boston through April 9.
In “Topdog/Underdog” the Pulitzer Prize-winning tragicomic drama now being staged by the Huntington Theatre, playwright Suzan-Lori Parks gives us a front row seat into the lives of two damaged brothers alternately chasing/escaping a warped version of the American dream – one that is exclusively reserved for those on the lower rungs of society’s ladder. The vehicle for that dream happens to be “Three-card Monte”, a sucker’s game played by street hustlers in large American cities, but the allure of the fast-money-for-little-work scheme could be applied to any number of similar cons (drug-dealing, prostitution) embraced by those growing up in economically-distressed urban environments. And while the play focuses solely on the interplay between the troubled pair in this intense two-hander, the parents who abandoned them, as well as the love interest of one of the men, loom as large players in this raw and explosive work.
Read more “Huntington’s Dark Comedy “Topdog/Underdog” Examines Life as Rigged Game”
Reviewed by Tony Annicone
The current show at Ocean State Theatre Company is one of the outstanding dramas of our time “Inherit the Wind” by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. While this Tony Award winning play debuted in 1955, its story is as relevant today as it was then. It is a fictionalized account based on the Scopes monkey trial of 1925, when a Tennessee teacher was arraigned for reading passages from “On the Origins of Species” to his pupils. The teacher, Bertram Cates is a callow Darwinian. The real battle in this show is between the two counsels.
by Larry Stark
(Essays in Idleness is a feature that periodically runs – uneditied – that expresses the thoughts of our founder Larry Stark)
THERE’S A NEW COMPANY IN BOSTON!
“THE FRONT PORCH ARTS COLLECTIVE” (https://www.centralsquaretheater.org/about/front-porch-arts-collective/) will be in residence at The Central Square Theatre for a year, and next weekend their first production will be a staged reading of Marcus Gardley’s play “The House That Will Not Stand” —as first in “The God’s Closet Reading Series” of at least six. The date is 26 March, at 7:00 p m., and reservations for this reading are recommended.
By Michele Markarian
‘Grand Concourse’ – Written by Heidi Schrek. Directed by Bridget Kathleen O’Leary. Presented by Speakeasy Stage Company at the Stanford Calderwood Pavilion, 527 Tremont Street, Boston, through April 1.
For starters, I haven’t been this engaged with a play since seeing a production of Annie Baker’s “The Flick” at Playwrights Horizons in 2013. Speakeasy hits all the right notes with “Grand Concourse”, from Bridget Kathleen O’Leary’s flawless direction to Jenna McFarland’s Lord’s super realistic set to the excellent cast of four. Judging from the audience, who never once displayed any signs of restlessness, we were all engrossed in the small drama that was unfolding.
Reviewed by Tony Annicone
The Renaissance City Theatre Inc., the producing entity at the Granite Theatre’s opening show of their 17th season is Alan Ayckbourn’s “Communicating Doors”, which is an intricate time-traveling comic thriller. A sex specialist from the future stumbles into a murder confession scenario with an addled old man and business partner. When she tries to escape from the hotel room via a closet door, she is transported back in time from 2037.
Read more ““COMMUNICATING DOORS” (Renaissance City Theatre Inc, Granite Theatre)”
“INTO THE WOODS”
Reviewed by Tony Annicone
Providence College’s Theatre Department’s closing musical at Angell’s Blackfriar’s Theatre is “Into the Woods” with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Lapine. It opened on Broadway on November 5, 1987 and ran for 764 performances, starring Bernadette Peters as the Witch and Joanna Gleason as the Baker’s Wife. In Sondheim and Lapine’s fractured fairy tale musical , a baker and his wife embark on a quest to reverse a curse put on them by the witch next door. Along the way they meet the ambivalent Cinderella, an aggressive Red Riding Hood, a rebellious Rapunzel, a too-trusting Jack, and a pair of not-so-princely Princes. But when everyone’s wishes are granted their self centered wishes come back to haunt them. Eventually they learn a poignant lesson about working together, the stories we tell children and the real meaning of “happily ever after.” Director Jim Calitri infuses new life into this music with his keen insight with topnotch musical direction by Lila Kane and inventive choreography by Katrina Pavao. Their combined efforts produce a strong musical with the first act being light and fluffy while the second act reaches out and grabs you with its power and poignancy.
Jim not only directs the show but blocks and stages the numbers wonderfully. He obtains the comedy and pathos these roles demand. Lila brings out the best vocals from these students. She plays lead keyboards and directs a 7 piece orchestra. Katrina’s dance numbers include the movement of the whole cast during the opening “Into the Woods” sequence, the 2 wolves dance with Red Riding Hood, Cinderella’s mother dance and the finale of both Acts. The scenic design is by Trevor Elliott while the multitude of gorgeous costumes are by David Costa Cabral. The main character running in and out of the Cinderella, Jack in the Beanstalk and Baker and his wife scenes is the witch played splendidly with high energy by gorgeoous blonde, Joey Michelle Macari. She brings a lot of depth to the role not only with the comic moments but in the dramatic ones, too. Her first number is about the vegetables the Baker’s father stole in her garden. Joey handles the tongue twisting lyrics with ease, annunciating everyone of them with ease. The Witch only shows warmth to her adopted or rather stolen daughter, Rapunzel. Joey’s songs include “Our Little World” where she sings of life in the tower, “Stay With Me” where she wants Rapunzel to stay in the tower and “Witch’s Lament” after the Giant kills her daughter. However it is her eleventh hour number which stops the show with power and punch called “Last Midnight” with her stirring rendition which doesn’t leave a dry eye in the theatre. Joey delivers a tour-de-force performance in the role of the Witch.
Teddy Kiritsy and Courtney Olenzak as the Baker and the Baker’s wife perform many comic bits in the first act where they must find four things to break the witch’s spell including a white cow. “Maybe They’re Magic” and “It Takes Two” are their lighthearted numbers in Act 1. They have many clever antics to enliven the proceedings but the depth of their acting comes through in the dramatic moments in the second act. Teddy’s dramatic songs are “No More” with his father and “No One is Alone” quartet where he comforts Jack about his mother’s tragic death. Courtney’s are “Moments in the Woods” after her tryst with Cinderella’s Prince and “No One is Alone” at the end of the show. The audience is left in tears at their heartfelt renditions of these numbers.
Playing the role of Cinderella is pretty brunette, Jennifer Dorn who has a strong soprano voice. She is excellent as she yearns to go to the ball throne by the King. Some of her numbers include “On the Steps of the Palace” where the prince snagged her slipper to find her at last and in the poignant “No One is Alone” as she comforts Red on the death of her grandmother and mother by explaining their spirits will always be with her. Red Riding Hood is well played by Elizabeth Jancsy. She buys bread and sweets for her granny but devours them before she gets there. Her encounter with the wolves turns into a dynamic dance number in “Hello Little Girl” and she shines in her solo “I Know Things Now.” She becomes more blood thirsty after she and granny skin the wolf and she carries a knife with her the rest of the show. The lesson she learns is that you must be careful what you wish for. Bryan Sabbag plays the dimwitted Jack wonderfully. His comic quips are hilarious including “I have a harp and cow for a friend now.” Bryan displays his voice in “I Guess this is Goodbye” when he sells his beloved Milky White and in “Giants in the Sky” when he learns you shouldn’t steal from others because there will be consequences for your actions.
Jonathan Coppe commands the stage as the Narrator. Thomas Edwards as the Mysterious man who is hiding a secret from the Baker and the audience, too. Daniel Carroll as Cinderella’s Prince and Steven Sawan as Rupunzel’s Prince steal many a scene as these pompous, royal siblings. They both look so much alike you’d swear they were related to each other. They stop the show with my favorite song “Agony” where they are suffering in Act 1 by not getting the girl and in Act 2 because they are married to these same women. Their acting is terrific as they explain “Royalty can’t make up its mind.” William Oser is a hoot as Cinderella’s constantly drinking father as well as one of the hungry dancing wolves. Michael Izzo, a marvelous dancer is the other wolf who stalks Red and dances up a storm while doing so. Crystal clear voiced soprano Gabriella Sanchez is excellent as Rupunzel who is trapped in the tower by her evil adopted mother. Her voice is perfect in “Our Little World” and does a great job as she has a major meltdown in Act 2. Catherine Capolongo is a hoot as Jack’s cantankerous mother. So for a thoroughly enjoyable rendition of this difficult Sondheim musical, be sure to catch “Into the Woods” at Blackfriar’s Theatre before they leave the woods for good. Tell them Tony sent you.
INTO THE WOODS (7 to 23 April)
Providence College, Blackfriars Theatre, Eaton St., Providence, RI
1(401)865-2218 or www.providence.edu/theatre
