Breaking Legs (Arctic Playhouse, West Warwick, RI)

March 1, 2019March 16, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

By Sue Nedar

Breaking Legs – Written by Tom Dulack. Co-directed by Hen Zannini and Fred Davison.

There’s always something cleverly ironic about a play about a play; but when you throw in some stereotypical Italian New England mobsters, a brassy gum-snapping Boss’s daughter, and a nerdy (and very neurotic) professor, sprinkle it with pasta fagioli, (pronounced Fazool) and some not greasy, not fishy calamari, (pronounced Galmar) you’ve got the cute and funny Breaking Legs.

‘THE GAME’S AFOOT’ at Renaissance City Theatre

March 1, 2019March 31, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

Welcome back to the 1930’s in Renaissance City Theatre Inc.’s opening show of their 19th season, “The Game’s Afoot” by Ken Ludwig. Ludwig sets this show at Christmas time in December 1936. The Broadway star William Gillette is playing Sherlock Holmes and is shot at during a performance. A couple of weeks later he invites his longtime friend, Felix, his wife Madge, newlyweds Simon and Aggie as well as his mother, Martha and an unwelcome guest gossip columnist, Daria. But when one of the guests is stabbed to death, the merriment begins when Gillette tries to find out who did the crime. Who did it? Are there more then one suspects? When an inspector shows up in Act 2, everyone soon becomes a suspect in the crimes. Vincent Lupino directs this whodunnit comic romp wonderfully with its clever twists and turns in this well written script. He obtains hilarious performances from one and all.

“OUR TOWN” (Burbage Theatre, Pawtucket, RI)

March 1, 2019March 16, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

Let’s all head up to Grover’s Corner, New Hampshire at the turn of the 20th Century for the fifth show of Burbage Theatre’s eighth season. The show is “Our Town”, Thornton Wilder’s 1938 Pulitzer Prize winning play. The show tells about life in Grover’s Corner, New Hampshire from 1901 to 1913. This version is intimate and timely. It features a stage manager who not only explains the action of the characters but also becomes part of the show. Through the use of flashbacks, dialogue, and direct monologues, the other characters reveal themselves to the audience and interact with them. Director Mark Peckham picks the best performers to play these roles and molds them into these town folk splendidly. His cast pantomimes the props and handles the transitions from scene to scene beautifully. Peckham makes the message of live each day to its fullest ring true for contemporary audiences in the 21st Century, too.

LOVE, LOSS AND WHAT I WORE

March 1, 2019April 8, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

The current show at the Edward King House in Newport is “Love, Loss and What I Wore” by Nora and Delia Ephran. It is based on the best selling book by Ilene Beckerman. The show consists of a series of 28 monologues with a 5 women cast. They are dressed in black and sit down with their scripts in front of them on stands. It covers a variety of topics about women including how mothers influenced their lives and various stages of what they wore when important events took place. Some of these include buying prom dresses, bras, boots and shoes and how the color black is a passion for them. It examines their relationships and is a time capsule as told through Gingy and four other women’s lives. Director Sharon Coleman gives each woman their chance to shine in this show including herself. She blends the comic and dramatic monologues together splendidly with this show that leaves you laughing and thinking thoughtfully at the same time.

Speakeasy’s ‘ONCE’ a Musical Feast

March 1, 2019March 9, 2019 michaelhoban1 Comment

by Sheila Barth

Before attending SpeakEasy Stage Company’s production of the eight Tony Award-winning musical, “Once,” we were advised to arrive 15 minutes early, for a lively pre-show. We weren’t disappointed. The actors and singers who collectively provide the musical accompaniment opened the play, performing lively Czech, klezmer and Irish “kitchen” tunes, typical of a neighborhood Irish “kitchen” jamboree.