It’s the End of the World as We Know It, So Let’s “Burn All Night”

August 29, 2017November 8, 2017 michaelhobanLeave a comment

By Mike Hoban

‘Burn All Night’ – Book and Lyrics by Andy Mientus. Music by Van Hughes, Nicholas LaGrasta, and Brett Moses. Directed by Jenny Koons. Scenic Design by Sara Brown; Choreography by Sam Pinkleton; Costume Design by Evan Prizant, Lighting Design by Bradley King; Sound Design by Jessica Paz; Music Direction by Cian McCarthy. Produced by the American Repertory Theater at Oberon, 2 Arrow St, Cambridge, through Sept. 8

There’s a scene in the second act of “Burn All Night”, the millennial musical now making its world premiere at Oberon, where four friends are partying hard while waiting for the apocalypse, when they decide to engage in a faux philosophical game of “What would you do if the world were ending tomorrow?” The answer by one of them – that he would essentially get spectacularly wasted – angers the alleged deep thinker of the group, who was undoubtedly hoping for something a little more substantial. The unintentional irony is that the same holds true for much of “Burn” a frothy new work by Broadway and television star (and first time playwright) Andy Mientus, who has created a show that delivers high energy entertainment – but little of its promised depth.

NSMT’s ‘YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN’ a Monstrously Riotous Musical Comedy

August 22, 2017 michaelhobanLeave a comment

By Sheila Barth

BOX INFO: Two act musical comedy by Mel Brooks, appearing through August 27, at Bill Hanney’s North Shore Music Theatre, 62 Dunham Road, Beverly: Tuesday-Thursday, 7:30 p.m.; Friday, Saturday, 8 p.m.; Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday, 2 p.m. $57-$82. Kids ages 18-under, 50 percent off at all performances. 978-232-7200, nsmt.org.

A four-sided scrim bearing a large, foreboding, black and white image of a horror film-style castle on the hill greets theatergoers as they face North Shore Music Theater’s stage. Eerie sounds echo in surround-sound, while gusts of stage fog spurt around them, temporarily obfuscating their view. Chains rattle. An ominous buzz saw whirrs. Voices groan, moan, howl, in the distance, while ancient-style lanterns set intaglio in archways adorn the background of the theater-in-the-round. Cacophony abounds. Like an olden-style, black-and-white horror movie, the scrim beams a movie company logo, and announces the film, its stars, producers, directors, etc., then transforms live, in color, to a European village.

“THE PRODUCERS” Theatre by the Sea, Matunuck, RI

August 20, 2017 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

The closing show of the 84th season of Theatre by the Sea is the Broadway sensation “The Producers” which is based on the Mel Brooks Academy Award winning 1968 film. This bawdy musical is the story of down on his luck theatrical producer, Max Bialystock and a mousy accountant, Leo Bloom. Their “sure fire” theatrical fiasco is none other than the musical “Springtime for Hitler” written by neo-Nazi, Franz Liebkind, an ex-Nazi storm trooper which tells of the rise of Hitler to power in song and dance.

MOONLIGHT AND MAGNOLIAS Roger Williams Summer Playhouse @ The Wilbury Theatre Group, Providence, RI

August 20, 2017August 20, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

Roger Williams University’s Barn Summer Playhouse in association with Wilbury Theatre Group’s summer show is “Moonlight and Magnolias” by Ron Hutchinson which is the mostly true story of the creation of “Gone With The Wind” movie. This production is dedicated to the memory of Donald J. Farish, President of Roger Williams University. “Moonlight and Magnolias” was the original working title for this historic movie. It is a wild romp in the style of the 1930’s movie comedies.

UNNECESSARY FARCE at Contemporary Theater

August 19, 2017August 19, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

Contemporary Theater’s current show is “Unnecessary Farce” by Paul Slade Smith. The audience is in on a sting operation in a budget hotel where two rookie cops work with a municipal accountant to ensnare the mayor they suspect of embezzling millions. The bumbling mayor eventually leads them to the heart of the Scottish mob with hilarious and unexpected results. It has clever plot twists and turns when you think something is going to happen but it doesn’t turn out the way you expect it to. Many pratfalls and doors slamming constantly and sometimes with someone caught behind them. Director Rebecca Magnotta is used to directing serious shows but she tackles this farce and comes up a winner at the laugh a minute antics of her talented cast.

She gives them plenty of shtick to perform and they perform it to a tee. The two bumbling cops are marvelous to watch. Jake Clarke and Christine Cauchon shine as officers Eric Sheridan and Billie Dwyer. He gets a lot of action in more ways then he first anticipates as he disrobes and a young lady to go with it. Jake first puts his mind into being a by the book cop but meets the pretty accountant and becomes tongue tied while delivering clever one liners. The undressing scenes are hysterical and when he dons a kilt to deliver some Scottish lines that leave you rolling in the aisles. Christine has many funny moments, too. The scarfing of donuts while watching the video is a laugh out loud moment. Her fight scene with Agent Frank on the bed and her interpretation of a long Scottish line is a definite show stopper. Both Jake and Christine shine in these roles.

Pretty Emily Carter plays Karen Clark, the pretty accountant who is enamored of Officer Sheridan. Their sex scenes and naughty ones when the Mayor and his unsuspecting wife appear on the scene are excellently done. One of the biggest scene stealers of the show is Ryan Sekac as Todd, the Scottish Mafioso enforcer. His Scottish accent is a hoot and his funny antics are priceless. The mistaken identities, the door slamming, the sexual innuendoes and plot twists abound all night long. His garbled speech wins many laughs as he threatens everybody in sight.

Rounding out this laugh a minute show is Daniel Greene as Agent Frank who is the security man assigned to protect the Mayor but is more of a cowardly lion type. He does a marvelous job as he quails and quakes and misunderstands the phrase I’m hot. Terry Simpson plays the befuddled Mayor, who may have more smarts than anyone thinks. Sandy Cerel plays his quirky wife, Mary Meekly who we find out might not be so meek after all. It is the perfect way to spend a hot summer evening in an air conditioned theatre. So be sure to catch this madcap farce at Contemporary Theater before time runs out. Tell them Tony sent you.

The Contemporary Theater Company 327 Main St., Wakefield, RI

1(401)218-0282 or www.thecontemporarytheater.com

“Babes” Shine in Horovitz’s Latest at GSC

August 17, 2017August 20, 2017 michaelhobanLeave a comment

(Debra Wise, Paula Plum, and Sarah Hickler in GSC’s Out of the Mouths of Babes)

by Mike Hoban

Out of the Mouths of Babes – Written & Directed by Israel Horovitz; Set Design by Jenna McFarland Lord; Costume Design by Jane Alois Stein; Lighting Design by Russ Swift; Sound Design by David Remedios. Presented by the Gloucester Stage Company, 267 East Main Street, Gloucester through September 2

Can four women, each of whom was the live-in lover of the same recently deceased man for prolonged periods of time, co-exist under the same roof – even if it’s to attend his funeral?

That’s the premise of Israel Horovitz’s latest work, “Out of the Mouths of Babes,” an airy but laugh-filled comedy now making its New England premiere at Gloucester Stage after a sold-out Off-Broadway run last summer. Complicating matters is the fact that the deceased had cheated on and left all of the assembled women (except possibly the final wife) for other women now sharing the same apartment – the one in which they had all lived in with him. So if all that tension sounds like a springboard for a comedic jousting match, you’re correct, and Horovitz (who also directed) assembles some of Boston’s top female talent to deliver the goods.

“YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN”

August 17, 2017 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

Welcome to the wild and crazy world of Mel Brooks at the North Shore Music Theatre. Their summer blockbuster hit musical is “Young Frankenstein” with no expense spared by owner and producer Bill Hanney to bring it to this 62 year old gem of a theatre. This hysterically funny musical is an inspired retelling of the Frankenstein legend based on Mel Brooks’s 1974 classic comedy movie masterpiece.

Read more ““YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN””

“Bell Book and Candle” at 2nd Story, Warren RI

August 17, 2017August 25, 2017 michaelhobanLeave a comment

By Richard Pacheco

By Richard Pacheco

The 2nd Story Production of the classic John Van Druten play, “Bell, Book and Candle” is refreshing, spirited and well acted. Onstage attempts at efforts which involve magic can go badly awry, but not here. The Broadway play was turned into a film with Kim Novak and James Stewart and on Broadway with Rex Harrison and Lilli Palmer in the lead roles.

Ogunquit’s Dark and Powerful ‘Ragtime’ Couldn’t Be More Well-Timed

August 15, 2017 michaelhobanLeave a comment

by Mike Hoban

‘Ragtime’ – Based on a novel written by E. L. Doctorow. Book by Terrence McNally, Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, and Music by Stephen Flaherty. Directed by Seth Sklar-Heyn; Scenic Design by Tim Mackabee; Lighting Design by Richard Latta; Sound Design by Kevin Heard. Costumes based on original designs by Santo Loquasto and Coordinated by Molly Walz. Music Direction by Jeffrey Campos; Choreography by Jesse Robb. Presented by the Ogunquit Playhouse, 102 Main St (Rte 1), Ogunquit, ME through August 26.

Towards the end of the second act of “Ragtime”, now being given an artistically brilliant and emotionally unsettling staging at the Ogunquit Playhouse, Kirsten Scott (as Mother) delivers a breathtaking version of one of the Tony Award-winning musical’s standout numbers, “Back to Before”. The final line, “We can never go back to before,” refers not only to her transformation from subservient wife to self-actualized woman, but also to the larger issues that were changing (for the better) at the turn of the 20^th century, such as the strengthening labor and woman suffrage movements, as well as the notion that “negroes” and immigrants might actually be people too.

“A CHORUS LINE” at the Ivoryton Playhouse

August 12, 2017August 12, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

Ivoryton Playhouse’s latest musical is “A Chorus Line”, the 1976 winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical, Best Book and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It is a musical based on the lives and experiences of Broadway dancers. Original director/choreographer Michael Bennett wanted to do a show with the spotlight on the class of performers known as gypsies. The action takes place in an empty theatre, on a bare stage, where the casting for a new Broadway musical is almost complete. For 17 dancers, it is a chance of a lifetime. It’s the one opportunity to do what they always dreamed of, not only to be a star but to get a job, the chance to dance. Through a series of interviews from funny to heartbreaking, it ushers the audience into the lives of these dancers until the final 8 are chosen. The original show opened on April 15, 1975 and ran 6,137 performances, closing on April 28, 1990. Director/choreographer Todd Underwood directs and choreographs this show. Todd creates a topnotch version of this show with his talented cast and the fabulous musical direction of Michael Morris is the crowning touch to this show as they create a Broadway caliber musical in Ivoryton, CT.