A Sobering “Statements After An Arrest Under the Immortality Act”

January 31, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

By Michele Markarian

‘Statements After An Arrest Under the Immortality Act’ – Written by Athol Fugard. Directed by Jim Petosa. Presented by New Repertory Theatre, co-produced with Boston Center for American Performance. At the Blackbox Theater, Arsenal Center for the Arts, 321 Arsenal Street, Watertown, MA through March 3.

All affairs end, and most of them end badly. One or both partners are usually married, so the possibility of happily ever after is slim. In due time, affairs run their course and with any luck, both parties escape moderately unscathed. Unless the affair itself is against the law.

Liars & Believers ‘IRRESISTIBLE’ Applies Woke Spin to Vaudevillian Concept

January 30, 2018January 30, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

by Mike Hoban

IRRESISTIBLE – Directed by Jason Slavick; Written by the LAB Ensemble. Presented by Liars & Beleivers. Performed at Sonia at the Middle East, 10 Brookline Street in Cambridge, MA. One night only, January 24, 2018.

You shoulda been there.

That’s all I can say, because if you weren’t able to attend Liars & Believers’ (LAB) sold out performance of IRRESISTIBLE last week, you’re not going to be able to catch a later performance of this compelling and enormously fun music/dance/theater composite. LAB presents their coLABs for one night only (this is the first since 2015’s Talk To Strangers), which is a shame since it’s so much fun to watch these artists create pieces outside their more traditional performance vehicles.

LORD OF THE FLIES – Providence College’s Blackfriars Theatre

January 28, 2018January 28, 2019 michaelhoban1 Comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

Providence College’s Blackfriars Theatre’s second show of the year is “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding adapted for the stage by Nigel Williams. Amidst a global conflict, ten children are stranded on a remote island. They band together as a tribe, but factions form once the threat of a monstrous beast is fearfully planted in their minds. A contemporary reimagining of a literary classic, this production throws boys and girls side-by-side in a competition for power that dares to explore our capacity for cruelty. As they explore the island, Rafe emerges as the natural leader due to her commanding maturity. She is helped by Piggy, a nerdy overweight bespectacled person. They use a conch shell to call all the survivors to a summit. Once they meet together, they rejoice in their independence from adult supervision. This is a big change from the strict schools they came from.

THE SHADOWBOX – The Players, Barker Playhouse, Providence, RI

January 26, 2018January 26, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

The third play of The Players’ 110 season is the 1977 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning “The Shadowbox” by Michael Cristofer.Three terminally ill patients and their families participate in a psychological inquiry into their end-of-life experiences. “The Shadow Box” is a journey of discovery into the genuinely lasting aspects of life. It is set on the grounds of a California hospital where some of the cottages have been set aside as a hospice for terminally ill patients. One playing area serves the three dying people: Joe, a working-class man joined by his wife and son; Brian, a writer there with his lover, Mark, and joined by his ex-wife, Beverly; and Felicity, an aging woman tended by her doting daughter, Agnes. An unseen psychiatrist known as the interviewer, draws them out and imparts wisdom to them with the five stages of dealing with death, denial, anger, bargaining, and depression, so they can better understand their situation at this point in their lives. Director Jeff Sullivan blends the dramatic and comic moments together splendidly. This well directed and well acted play receives a standing ovation on a job well done.

Nora Theatre’s “Proof’ Delivers Perceptive Family Drama

January 25, 2018January 25, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

By Michele Markarian

“Proof” – Written by David Auburn. Directed by Michelle M. Aguillon. Set Design by Janie E. Howland. Sound Design by Grant Furgiuele. Presented by The Nora Theatre Company, Central Square Theater, 450 Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge through February 18.

Nothing grows well under the shade of a big tree, as any relative or friend of a largely accomplished person will tell you. Robert (Michael Tow), a recently deceased mathematician and single father of two grown daughters, is that tree. Robert is a star at the University of Chicago, revered by the community there for formulas he discovered in his early twenties. Mental illness has incapacitated him in the years before he died, forcing his younger daughter, Catherine (Lisa Nguyen) to drop out of Northwestern and care for him. Older daughter Claire (Cheryl Daro), living in New York, has given financial support to the family but little else. As Claire returns to Chicago for the funeral, she and Catherine have very different ideas of the direction Catherine’s life needs to take. In the meantime, a former student of Robert’s, Hal (Avery Bargar) has offered to carefully comb through an extensive series of notebooks Robert has left behind, scribblings he composed while Catherine was taking care of him.

Merrimack Rep’s “Knyum” Goes Looking for the Self

January 23, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Review by James Wilkinson

Knyum is written and performed by Vichet Chum. Presented by Merrimack Repertory Theatre. Directed by KJ Sanchez. Scenic Design by Dan Conway. Costume Design by Szu-Feng Chen. Lighting Design by Brian J. Lilienthal. Sound Design by David Remedios. Projection Design by Jon Haas. Presented by Merrimack Repertory Theatre, 50 East Merrimack Street, Lowell, through February 4

I find myself in an odd position, advocating for listening as a political action. Surely, some may argue, you’re not doing anything if you’re listening. However, as the #MeToo movement has proven in the last few months, there can be much to be gained by simply stopping what you are doing and letting someone else have their say. There’s a moment in Vichet Chum’s new play, Knyum, that keeps replaying in my mind now, two days after I have seen the show. The play’s lead (and only) character, Guy, describes a day when his Cambodian mother visits a supermarket in their Texas hometown. Both of his parents immigrated to the States following the Cambodian genocide. English is not his mother’s first language and not noticing the sign, checks out in the twelve items or fewer line with more than twelve items (oh the horror…). In the parking lot, another customer attempts to make a scene and shame Guy’s mother for such a heinous crime and at that point Guy realizes, “my mother did not survive a genocide to put up with this bullshit.”

But I am getting ahead of myself….

Lyric’s ‘Roadshow’ Showcases Lesser Known Sondheim Work

January 22, 2018January 22, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

by Mike Hoban

Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim; Book by John Weidman; Co-Directed by Spiro Veloudos and Ilyse Robbins; Music Direction by Jonathan Goldberg; Choreography by Ilyse Robbins; Scenic Design by Cristina Todesco; Lighting Design by John R. Malinowski; Sound Design by Elizabeth Cahill; Costume Design by Amanda Mujica. Presented by The Lyric stage Company of Boston, 40 Clarendon St., Boston through February 11

Watching Steven Sondheim’s Roadshow is a lot like listening to Magical Mystery Tour or Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. You know it’s not in the same league as say, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band or Abbey Road, but there’s certainly enough good material there to warrant a listen. Such is the case with Roadshow, now being presented by the Lyric Stage Company. It’s no Into the Woods or A Little Night Music, but much like the lesser Beatles works, there are the flashes of brilliance that one would expect from any Sondheim musical.

“Unveiled”: A Glimpse of Five Hearts

January 22, 2018January 22, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

By Michele Markarian

‘Unveiled’ – Written by Rohina Malik. Co-presented by New Repertory Theatre with Greater Boston Stage Company. Blackbox Theater. Arsenal Center for the Arts, 321 Arsenal Street, Watertown, MA through January 28.

Entering the black box theater at the start of “Unveiled”, a one-woman show written and performed by Rohina Malik, is like entering another world. Rich, tapestried Oriental rugs drape from the ceiling and cover the floors. A tea set rests on a tray, tabled next to a chair. An oud plays quietly in the background (the excellent player is uncredited in the program, or I would mention him). Jeffrey Petersen’s set design is elegant, formal, and inviting, much like Maryam, the first of five characters singly portrayed by actress and playwright Rohina Malik.

Imaginary Beasts Invite You Under the Sea

January 19, 2018January 19, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

by James Wilkinson

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea – Story by Matthew Woods. Written by the ensemble. Costume Design: Cotton Talbot-Minkin. Lighting Design: Christopher Bocchiaro. Set Concept and Sound Design: Matthew Woods. Scenic Design: Rebecca Lehrhoff. Puppet Design: Sophia Giordano and Rebecca Lehrhoff. Steampunk Consultant: Isaiah Plovnic. Choreography Kiki Samko. Presented by imaginary Beasts at the Charlestown Working Theater, 442 Bunker Hill St, Charlestown, through February 4

It can be a wonderful thing to have all of your theatrical expectations totally upended. Having seen Imaginary Beasts’ Winter Panto, 20,000 Leagues under the Sea, let me start by admitting how ashamed I am that I have never been to one of their previous Winter Pantos, an annual event since 2009. In fact, when I walked into this production I really had no understanding of what a pantomime was. Back in elementary school I read a Great Illustrated Classic’s version of Jules Verne’s classic novel, so I had a vague idea of what the plot of the show would be, but that was it. About thirty seconds into the show, I realized that it wasn’t at all going to be what I thought it would be. Five minutes in, I had a giant smile plastered on my face that didn’t leave for the entire run time of the show. If you’re looking for an activity to make you forget about the freezing temperatures outside, then I can’t recommend this inspired bit of theatrical lunacy enough.

Wellesley Repertory Theatre’s “The Liar” Still a Comic Gem – 400 Years Later

January 19, 2018January 19, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

By Evan McKenna

“The Liar”- Written by David Ives, adapted from the comedy by Pierre Corneille. Directed by Marta Rainer. Producing Artistic Director, Nora Hussey. Stage Management by Lindsay Garofalo. Set Design/Production Manager, David Towlun. Costume Design by Chelsea Kerl. Sound Design by George Cooke. Lighting Design by Bailey Costa. Vocal Coach, Paul Michael Valley. Photography by David Brooks Andrews. Fight Director, Ted Hewlett. Presented by Wellesley Repertory Theatre at the Diana Chapman Walsh Alumnae Hall, 106 Central Street, Wellesley through February 4^th

Considering the volume of outrageously funny comedies written for stage and film today, it should be noted when a work from the 1600s has enough comedic value to remain as vibrant as any of them. Wellesley Repertory Theatre’s presentation of “The Liar”, the David Ives adaptation of the Pierre Corneille comedy (directed by Marta Rainer) which premiered last Friday, proves to be a must-see, thanks to the outstanding execution by the cast of this hilarious story.