Acropolis Stage Goes Towards the Light

August 31, 2019August 31, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Elliot Purcell and David Anderson in Acropolis Stage Company ‘s “Cherry Docs”

Review by James Wilkinson

‘Cherry Docs’ – Written by David Gow. Directed by Evan Turissini. Scenic Design by Eliott Purcell and Evan Turissini. Costume Design by Olivia Dumaine. Lighting/Sound Design by Jeff Bousquet. Props Design by David Anderson. Law Practice Consultation by Will Korman. Judaism and Culture Consultation by Becky Price. Presented by Acropolis Stage Company at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St, Somerville through September 1st

When we first see Mike Downey, he sits like the Buddha, cross-legged, on a metal table. He appears, bathed in blue light and in his first few lines he’ll refer to Reflexology, the belief that the foot is an entry point that connects to the rest of the body. It’s an image of tranquility, but not a lasting one. We’ll soon be exposed to the reserves of rage and hate bubbling somewhere beneath that calm surface. Mike, you see, is an unabashed white supremacist currently awaiting trial for the murder of a Pakistani man. The character is one half of playwright David Gow’s two-hander, Cherry Docs, now being presented by the newly-formed Acropolis Stage Company. The other half is Danny Dunkelman, the Jewish lawyer who has been charged with defending Mike in court.

Review: Cherry Docs – Acropolis Stage Company

August 29, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Eliot Purcell and David Anderson in Acropolis Stage Company’s ‘Cherry Docs’ Photo: Tenneh Sillah

by Kobi Kassal

Everything old is new again…that saying rings truer than ever in Cherry Docs now playing at The Rockwell. There is nothing more thrilling than when a new theatre company is created, and Acropolis Stage Company is starting off strong.

David Gow’s 1998 play turns 21 this year yet could have been written in the past six months with the way the world is right now. Last performed to critical acclaim here in Boston at New Repertory Theatre in 2010, Cherry Docs tells the story of Mike Downey, a neo-Nazi skinhead accused of a horrific murder of an immigrant. When Danny Dunkelman, a liberal Jewish lawyer is assigned to represent him, they both must learn to rethink how they understand each other – and themselves.

A.R.T. Continues to Bring Musicals into the 21st Century with Electric Historical Comedy ‘SIX’

August 27, 2019August 28, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Catherine of Aragon (Adrianna Hicks, at center) performs “No Way” in SIX, written by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss and directed by Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage Photo: Liz Lauren

By Mike Hoban

Six – By Toby Marlow & Lucy Moss; Directed by Lucy Moss & Jamie Armitage; Choreography by Carrie-Anne Ingrouille; Music Supervision by Joe Beighton; Music Direction Roberta Duchak; Orchestrations by Tim Curran; Scenic Design by Emma Bailey; Costume Design by Gabriella Slade; Lighting Design by Tim Deiling; Sound Design Paul Gatehouse. Presented by the American Repertory Theatre in arrangement with Kenny Wax, Wendy & Andy Barnes, George Stiles and Kevin McCollum in association with Chicago Shakespeare Theater at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Cambridge through September 29.

The A.R.T. is getting the early jump on the 2019-2020 season with Broadway-bound British import SIX, and like last year’s brilliant new work and season opener, The Black Clown, it’s got an appeal that extends far beyond the typical theater base (read white and older – two constituencies of which I am a member). But that’s where the similarities between the two pieces end. While Black Clown was an often heart-wrenching artistic masterpiece chronicling the American black experience from slavery through the 1930’s, SIX is an unadulterated blast of fun – despite the extreme misogynistic abuse suffered by our protagonists at the hands of husband Henry the VIII. SIX refers to the number of “Ex-Wives” (the title of the opening number) who were “divorced, beheaded, died; divorced, beheaded, survived” at the hands of Henry – as the children’s rhyme from the UK television and book series Horrible Histories so succinctly summed up.

Cape Playhouse’s ‘Deathtrap’ is a Killer Comedy

August 23, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

(Susan Wands, Robert Petkoff, Robbie Simpson in Cape Playhouse’s ‘Deathtrap’ Photo: Emma Quinn)

by Kobi Kassal

The Cape Playhouse closes their 93rd season with one of Broadway’s most successful comedic thrillers of all time. Ira Levin’s Deathtrap is brought to life, or should I say death, in a new production mounted by Tony-nominated director, Marcia Milgrom Dodge. Don’t worry – this review is spoiler free.

The play originally premiered right in our own backyard here at the historic Wilbur Theatre in Downtown Boston before moving on to play almost 1,800 performances on Broadway. Deathtrap also found success in the 1982 film adaptation starring Christopher Reeve and Michael Caine. Set in a stylish converted stable turned house in Westport, CT, the play opens with a down-on-his-luck playwright, Sidney Bruhl, who cannot seem to write a new play to save his life. He and his wife Myra have been living off her family money and are quickly running out of options until up-and-coming playwright Clifford Anderson writes a new hit that lands on Sidney’s desk. They joke about murdering Clifford and taking the play for themselves…and I won’t go into any more detail. Along the way we also meet Sidney’s lawyer, Mr. Poter Milgrim as well as a kooky European named Helga with mystic ESP powers who can predict the future.

Gloucester Stage’s ‘Ben Butler’ Is Much More Than A Historical Comedy

August 16, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

(Lieutenant Kelly (Doug Bowen-Flynn), Shepard Mallory (Shane Taylor), and Major General Benjamin Butler (Ames Adamson) in Gloucester Stage’s production of ‘Ben Butler’. Photos by Jason Grow)

By Shelley A. Sackett

‘Ben Butler’ –Written by Richard Strand; Directed by Joseph Discher; Scenic Design by Greg Trochlil; Lighting Design by Russ Swift; Costume Design by Chelsea Kerl; Props Design by Lauren Corcuera; Sound Design by Joseph Discher. Presented by Gloucester Stage Company, 267 E Main St., Gloucester, through August 25.

On May 23, 1861, smack in the middle of the Civil War, the citizens of Virginia voted overwhelmingly to secede from the United States. The next day, General Benjamin Butler, commander of Union-held Fort Monroe, VA, finds himself in an unusual moral and legal pickle. Three escaped slaves have showed up at the fort’s doorstep seeking sanctuary. Under the Fugitive Slave Act, settled federal law since its 1850 enactment, General Butler is required to return them to their owner.

‘Jersey Boys’ Rocks NSMT

August 16, 2019 michaelhoban1 Comment

(Luke Hamilton (Bob Gaudio) and Jonathan Mousset Alonso in JERSEY BOYS, playing at North Shore Music Theatre thru September 1. Photo by Paul Lyden)

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

The latest blockbuster musical at Bill Hanney’s NSMT is the 2006 Tony Award winning musical “Jersey Boys”, about the lives and career of the pop group, The Four Seasons. The Broadway show opened on November 6, 2005 and ran until January 15, 2017 after 4,642 performances. The show is set in the 1950’s to a dozen classic rock tunes by Bob Gaudio and Bob Crewe. Authors Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice wrote a book from the real life stories of the original Four Seasons, Frankie Valli (Castelluchio), Tommy DeVito, Nick Massi and Bob Gaudio. They started out as four thugs, but could also sing fabulously. They seemed to get along for many years but then hidden secrets emerge including gambling debts to loan sharks that had to be paid off or else. It became a totally different story because through all the adversities they became one of the greatest successes in pop music history.

‘La Cage Aux Folles’ Brings Glitz, Laughter and Pathos to the Reagle

August 14, 2019August 20, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

*(James Darrah as Zaza with Les Cagelles in Reagle’s ‘La Cage Aux Folles’ – Photos by Herb Philpott)*

By Mike Hoban

‘La Cage Aux Folles’ – Music and Lyrics by Jerry Herman. Book by Harvey Fierstein. Based the play “La Cage Aux Folles” by Jean Poiret. Directed and Choreographed by Susan M. Chebookjian. Music Direction by Dan Rodriguez. Scenic Design by David Allen Jeffrey; Original Costume Design by Matthew Wright; Lighting Design by David Wilson; Sound Design by Robby Davis and Robert Luke Pelletier. Presented by Reagle Music Theatre, 617 Lexington Street, Waltham through August 18^th

Reagle Music Theatre is closing out its 51^st season with La Cage Aux Folles, the Jerry Herman/Harvey Fierstein musical which copped a multitude of Tony Awards in its 1983 debut and in subsequent Broadway revivals in 2004 and 2010. The show caps a solid summer season for the Waltham theater, and like the previous offerings (Mame and Sound of Music), La Cage is powered by strong performances by the leads and outstanding work by the supporting cast – in particular the eight “Les Cagelles”, the drag queen dancers that support headliner Zaza with some electrifying routines.

Review: Noises Off – Cape Playhouse

August 10, 2019August 21, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Cast of ‘Noises Off’ at Cape Playhouse (Photos: Emma Quinn)

by Kobi Kassal

Curtain up for Noises Off, now playing at the Cape Playhouse until August 17th. The 93-year-old theater has once again produced an exhilarating production that proves to be a masterclass in comedy on Cape Cod.

Esteemed playwright Michael Frayn wrote his farce-within-a-farce in 1982 and New York Times critic Frank Rich once declared it, “the funniest play written in my lifetime”. No wonder this show has been produced three times on Broadway in its 37 year history; not to mention numerous productions around the world. Frayn’s intricate story tells the tale of the play “Nothing On” that the audience witnesses three different productions of during the course of the show. Act I shows the final dress rehearsal of the show; Act II flips the set showing the audience the show from backstage; and Act III features the final performance of their touring production. Directing this behemoth of a play is no easy feat, not to mention doing it in 2 weeks, so kudos to Jeffrey Denman for doing a first-rate job.

Gloucester Stage’s ‘Ben Butler’ Combines Witty Repartee, Zaniness in Historical Comedy

August 7, 2019August 7, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Shepard Mallory (Shane Taylor), Lieutenant Kelly (Doug Bowen-Flynn), and Major General Benjamin Butler (Ames Adamson) in Gloucester Stage’s production of ‘Ben Butler’. Photos by Jason Grow

By Mike Hoban

Ben Butler – Written by Richard Strand. Directed by Joseph Discher. Scenic Design by Gregory Trochil; Costume Design by Chelsea Kerl; Lighting Design by Russ Swift. Presented by Gloucester Stage Company, 267 East Main Street, Gloucester through August 25

In the opening scene of Ben Butler, the first thing we learn is that Virginia has just seceded from the Union. While this news hardly seems remarkable – given that play is set during the Civil War in the Fort Monroe office of Butler, a Union Army General – what we don’t realize is how important that detail will be to the string of events that will change the course of American history. If you’re thinking that Ben Butler sounds like an educational historical drama, nothing could be further from the truth. Instead, this Gloucester Stage production is an often laugh out loud funny re-imagining of a historic meeting between two very different but remarkably similar individuals – one a General, the other a slave.

Love is Blossoming and Life is Beautiful at Ogunquit Playhouse’s ‘Cabaret’

August 1, 2019August 1, 2019 michaelhoban5 Comments

(Randy Harrison as Emcee, cast of Ogunquit Playhouse’s ‘Cabaret’)

by Linda Chin

‘Cabaret’ – Creative Team: BT McNicholl (Director), Andrea Leigh (Choreographer), Bruce Barnes (Music Director), Robert Brill (Scenic Designer), William Ivey Long (Costume Designer), Richard Latta (Lighting Design), Kevin Heard (Sound Designer), Roxanne De Luna (Wig/Hair and Makeup Designer), Anthony C. Daniel (Casting), Robert V. Thurber (Associate Director and Production Stage Manager). Presented by Ogunquit Playhouse at 10 Main St, Ogunquit, ME through August 10

(Note: At this writing, the news of the passing of Hal Prince, director of Cabaret’s original (1966) production, has been announced. RIP to the Prince of Broadway.)

There is a theater (Ogunquit Playhouse), and there is an executive artistic director (Bradford T. Kenney), and there is a state (Maine) in a country called the United States, with a production of Cabaret that is simply, sensuously, sensational. Having seen multiple revivals of this iconic musical on college, regional, and Broadway stages over the past four decades, I’ve been struck each time by the brilliant and complex musical composition and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb, the masterful book by Joe Masteroff (commissioned by the late Hal Prince), and the timelessness of the show’s themes. In Ogunquit’s Cabaret, the lighting and scenery, costumes, wigs and makeup, the music and choreography, the orchestra, the girls – and yes, the boys – are beautiful, and all the elements in this exquisite production meld seamlessly to tell the story of life in 1930s Berlin, of love blossoming with the rise of Nazi Germany as a dark, lurking backdrop.