‘Private Lives’ a Classy Production of Classic Summer Fare at DTF

June 29, 2019June 29, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

(Rachel Pickup as Amanda and Shawn Fagan as Elyot in the Dorset Theatre Festival production of ‘Private Lives. Photos: Joey Moro)

Reviewed by Shelley A. Sackett

‘Private Lives’ – Written by Nöel Coward. Directed by Evan Yionoulis; Set Design: Lee Savage. Lighting Design: Donald Holder. Costume Design: Katherine B. Roth. Sound Design: Jane Shaw. Fight Choreographer: BH Barry. Presented at the Dorset Playhouse, 104 Cheney Road, Dorset, VT through July 6.

Nothing welcomes light summery breezes like a witty Nöel Coward comedy of manners, and the Dorset Theatre Festival is spot on in its choice of the timeless Private Lives to open its 42^nd season. The plot is deceptively simple. Divorced spouses Elyot (Shawn Fagan) and Amanda (the sublime and worth-the-price-of-admission Rachel Pickup) have remarried and are honeymooning with their respective new spouses, Sybil (Anna Crivelli) and Victor (Hudson Oz). By the divine intervention of Coward’s wicked imagination, they end up in adjacent rooms on the night they are each to start their new lives. When they see each other across their shared balcony’s hedge, the sparks fly and they impulsively flee their hapless new partners to resume what they have idealized as their romantic destiny.

Gloucester Stage Has Us Running ‘Barefoot in the Park’

June 25, 2019June 25, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

*(Richard Snee, Paula Plum, and Joe Short in Gloucester Stage’s ‘Barefoot in the Park’)*

Review by James Wilkinson

‘Barefoot in the Park’ – Written by Neil Simon. Directed by Shana Gozansky; Set Design: Jeffrey Petersen. Lighting Design: Marcella Barbeau; Costume Design: Rachel Padula-Shufelt; Sound Design: David Remedios; Props Design: Lauren Corcuera. Presented by Gloucester Stage Company, 267 E Main St, Gloucester through June 30

Neil Simon is the theatrical equivalent of a cozy sweater. The kind you don’t wash for fear that the spin cycle will somehow upset the delicate balance of softness and warmth. At least, that’s the case for me. To admit my biases upfront, I’ll say that the man has earned (or perhaps the better word is ‘claimed’) a special spot in my theatrical-going heart because the first play I ever worked on back in high school was his 1981 play, Fools (not one of his better works, but for nostalgic reasons, it’s got its own room in that theater heart of mine). So, when I went to Gloucester Stage Company’s production of Barefoot in the Park (which I think is one of his better works), I went expecting a charming and enjoyable evening at the theater. And that’s exactly what I got. Gloucester Stage’s production is an incredibly charming and enjoyable one that goes down like a glass of warm milk.

Cirque du Soleil’s ‘Corteo’ Breathes Joyous Life into Clown’s Funereal Dream

June 21, 2019June 10, 2023 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Cirque du Soleil’s ‘Corteo’ at the Agganis Arena

Corteo – Written and directed by Daniele Finzi Pasca. Presented by Cirque du Soleil at the Agganis Arena, 925 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston through June 11

by Mike Hoban

“I dreamt of my funeral,” says Mauro the clown in the opening minutes of Corteo, this year’s Boston touring show from Cirque du Soleil, now playing at Boston University’s Agganis Arena. Originally staged in 2005, Corteo takes us inside Mauro’s wildly imaginative dream of his own funeral, as acted out by his fellow circus performers. Mauro is sent off to the great beyond with the help of clowns, acrobats, jugglers, and of course, a legion of angels. All of this action is accompanied by an eclectic score, ranging from mini-concertos to rock to Klezmer music, and if this is what the sendoff to the afterlife looks like – Lawdy, come take me now.

‘Pride and Prejudice’ Gets a Gender-Bending Contemporary Twist

June 20, 2019June 20, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

(Cast of Actor’s Shakespeare Project’s ‘Pride & Prejudice. PHOTO CREDIT NILE SCOTT STUDIOS)

Reviewed by Shelley A. Sackett

‘Pride and Prejudice’ –Written by Kate Hamill; Adapted from the novel by Jane Austen; Directed by Christopher V. Edwards; Choreography by Alexandra Beller; Sound Design by Ian Scot; Lighting Design by Deb Sullivan. Presented by Actors’ Shakespeare Project, Balch Arena Theater, 40 Talbot Ave., Medford, through June 29.

Jane Austen, the 19^th century author of ‘Sense and Sensibility’, ‘Pride and Prejudice’, ‘Mansfield Park’ and ‘Emma’ did not hide the ball. Marriage in sexist Regency England is the central theme of all her novels, which she penned under the pseudonym “A Lady.” The laws of coverture, which governed marriage, stripped a wife of all her legal and economic rights, essentially making her a ward of her husband. In the absence of brothers, her family’s fortune would pass to her husband upon her father’s death.

Huntington’s ‘Yerma’ an Absorbing Tale of Obsession

June 18, 2019July 1, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Ernie Pruneda (Victor), Nadine Malouf (Yerma) and Christian Barillas (Juan) in the Huntington Theatre Company’s production of Yerma playing at the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA. © Photos: T. Charles Erickson

by Mike Hoban

‘Yerma’ – Conceived by Melinda Lopez and Melia Bensussen, Adapted and Translated by Melinda Lopez, based on the play by Federico Garcia Lorca. Directed by Melia Bensussen; Scenic Design by Cameron Anderson; Costume Design by Olivera Gajic; Lighting Design by Brian J. Lilienthal; Sound Design by Brendan F. Doyle & Mark Bennett; Original Music by Mark Bennett; Music Direction by Jesse Sanchez; Choreography by Misha Shields. Presented by the Huntington Theatre Company at the Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street, Boston through June 30

Right from the outset of Yerma, the absorbing and surrealistic adaptation/translation of Federico Garcia Lorca’s 1934 work by Boston playwright Melinda Lopez, there are subtle hints that, despite appearances, there may be trouble on the horizon for the marriage of the title character and her husband Juan. But that foreshadowing is unlikely to prepare us for the path that this strange and poetic story will take, as it morphs into an unsettling tale of obsession and eventually, madness. The Huntington Theatre Company is presenting this world premiere play with music at the Boston Center for the Arts’ Calderwood Pavilion through June 30th.

Theatre by the Sea’s “Singing in the Rain” Shines

June 18, 2019June 22, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

(Tim Falter as Don Lockwood in SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN live on stage at Theatre By The Sea thru July 13, 2019. Photos by Steven Richard Photography)

Reviewed by Tony Annicone You won’t hear people singing in the rain this year because we’ve been having a very rainy year and are sick of it. However when you come to see it rain in the theatre it will definitely put a smile on your face, a song in your heart and your feet tapping away. The second summer blockbuster musical for Theatre by the Sea’s 86th season is “Singing in the Rain”, the 1985 stage version of the classic 1952 movie. It starred Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor and Debbie Reynolds and was directed and choreographed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen. The show was written by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and is set in 1927 Hollywood. It is a light hearted musical romantic comedy about the early days of sound film, when many a studio found itself scrambling due to the career of chipmunk-voiced silent film stars.

‘An Oak Tree’ Grows at Theatre on Fire

June 17, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Review by James Wilkinson

‘An Oak Tree’ – Directed by A. Nora Long. Sound Design: Nathaniel Talbot. Lighting Design: Darren Evans. Presented by Theatre on Fire at the Charlestown Working Theater June 13-22, 2019.

Tim Crouch’s An Oak Tree, now being presented by Theatre on Fire, is described in the program notes as “a theatrical experiment” rather than as “a play.” Whatever it is, the piece involves two performers. The first is a character identified as “The Hypnotist” who is being played by Michael Carr. The second person on stage changes with each performance and will be someone who has not read the script. They’ll be stepping into the show completely blind, having only the Hypnotist for guidance through the evening.

…And that’s all you’re getting from me in terms of show description.

Reagle’s ‘Mame’ Breathes New Life into a Classic

June 17, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

The Roaring 20’s are alive and well at Reagle Music Theatre’s 51st season opener “Mame.” This musical version was originally titled “My Best Girl”, which became a hit song in the show. “Mame” is based on the 1955 fictional novel Auntie Mame by Patrick Dennis and a 1956 play starring Rosalind Russell. The musical version by Jerry Herman opened on Broadway on May 24, 1966, ran for 1,508 performances. It starred Angela Lansbury and Bea Arthur who both won Tony Awards for their roles as Mame and Vera. Mame Dennis is the leading character, who lives a wild and carefree life in 1920’s New York until she unexpectedly becomes the guardian of her ten year old nephew, Patrick when her snooty brother passes away.

Something Lurks in Flat Earth Theatre’s ‘Shadows’

June 14, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

(Trinidad Ramkissoon, Laura Chowenhill in Flat Earth’s ‘King of Shadows’)

Review by James Wilkinson

‘King of Shadows’ – Written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. Directed by Michael Hisamoto. Scenic design: Ryan Bates. Costume Design: Erica Desautels. Props Design: Emily Penta. Lighting Design: PJ Strachman. Sound Design: Bram Xu. Puppetry Consultant: Libby Schap. Presented by Flat Earth Theatre at the Black Box at the Mosesian Center for the Arts through June 22

The titular character from Flat Earth Theatre’s new production, The King of Shadows, never makes an onstage appearance. At least, not a flesh and blood one. In Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s play, he makes his presence and the presence of his companion, the Green Lady, felt in other, much more nefarious ways. Characters are left peeking over their shoulder, looking out of the corner of their eye, speaking about him in hushed tones. They’re aware that something is coming, something bad, but never quite able to put their finger on what’s happening. He acts as a kind of distant cousin to the Slender Man, a dark figure who kidnaps children and takes them away to another world, (Slender Man having his own origins in the story of the Pied Piper and about half a dozen other mythical child-snatching creatures). He’s like the weather, uncontrollable and unstoppable. Flat Earth’s production goes to great lengths to try to make you as afraid of the King of Shadows as the characters and I’m sorry to report back that I never got anywhere close. Despite some valiant efforts by the cast to sell the story on the page, there just isn’t enough here for the production to lift off.