Seacoast Rep’s The Music Man is Terrific With a Capital T

February 26, 2022March 20, 2022 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Direction by Ben Hart & Brandon James. Music Direction by J. Kathleen Castellanos. Choreography by Alyssa Dumas and Jason Faria. Lighting Design by Kelly Gibson. Sound Design by Andrew Cameron. Costume and Set Design by Ben Hart & Brandon James. Properties Design by Elise Marshall. Scenic Artist Kate Dugas. Presented by Seacoast Rep (Closed February 26).

by Linda Chin

While hightailing it up I-95N to Portsmouth, NH last weekend, I got a text from a friend that excitedly read: I’m seeing MM on Broadway in 10 minutes!!! – to which I rather flatly replied “Say hi to Hugh for me. And Sutton.” We, too, were headed to see The Music Man, the six-time Tony Award-winning musical by Meredith Wilson at Seacoast Rep. And although I adore Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster and admit to having a twinge of envy, my two theatre dates and I knew that with the Seacoast Theatre’s track record with musicals, we would have an entertaining evening.

ArtsEmerson Brings a Sensational “Dreaming Zenzile” to Boston

February 25, 2022February 25, 2022 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Cast of ‘Dreaming Zenzile’ (Somi Kakoma in foreground)

by Michele Markarian

“Dreaming Zenzile” Devised by Somi Kakoma. Directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz. Produced by Arts Emerson, in partnership with Octopus Theatricals, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, New York Theatre Workshop, National Black Theatre, and McCarter Theatre Center, Emerson Paramount Theatre, 555 Washington Street, Boston through February 27.

“Zenzile – you have done it to yourself”. This is the name singer Miriam Makeba was given at birth, based on her mother’s difficult labor and recovery; the Xhosa word for a woman whose life moved forward on the wings of saying “yes” could not be more fitting. Based on the life of Zenzile Miriam Makeba, “Dreaming Zenzile” is a narrative concert that tells the incredible story of Miriam Makeba’s musical journey from South Africa to worldwide stage, both as musician and activist.

The Huntington’s Terrific ‘What The Constitution Means to Me’ Is A Timely Romp Through Murky Waters

February 24, 2022March 9, 2022 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Cassie Beck in the Huntington’s ‘What the Constitution Means to Me’ at the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre. Photos: Joan Marcus

by Shelley A. Sackett

‘What the Constitution Means To Me’ — Written by Heidi Schreck. Directed by Oliver Butler; Scenic Design by Rachel Hauck; Costume Design by Michael Krass; Lighting Design by Jen Schriever; Sound Design by Sinan Refik Zafar. Presented by Huntington Theater Company at Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre through March 20.

What The Constitution Means to Me asks us to think about and get personal with the US Constitution, and that request couldn’t come at a more timely moment. It seems that hallowed document is front and center in our daily lives, whether we invite it or not. We read the news and, while we were aware Trump was shredding the Constitution with the hope it could never be pieced back together again, we now have to wonder — did he also flush it down the toilet?

FIVE WOMEN WEARING THE SAME DRESS

February 18, 2022March 18, 2022 michaelhobanLeave a comment

FIVE WOMEN WEARING THE SAME DRESS (10 March to 3 April)

Burbage Theatre Company, Wendy Overly Studio Theatre, 59 Blackstone Avenue, Pawtucket, RI

1(401)484-0355 or www.burbagetheatre.org

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

Burbage Theatre Company’s opening live show of 2022 is the Rhode Island premiere of “Five Women Wearing the Same Dress” written by Alan Ball in 1993. Ball as a screenwriter wrote American Beauty, True Blood and Six Feet Under. In this hilarious comedy, the audience finds five very different bridesmaids trapped together in a room, all trying to avoid joining in the wedding reception because the only thing they have in common, is not wanting to be there at all. Each one of the women has a special relationship with the bride, Tracy. The show is set in Knoxville, TN at a wealthy family’s home. It has a lot of humorous lines and situations but also has heart with a serious part of the second act that hits home for the audience. Director Allison Crews casts these six roles splendidly, making each of her actresses into five unique and well-defined characters. Her expert direction wins the whole cast a standing ovation at the close of the show.

SpeakEasy’s ‘People. Places & Things’ Takes Us Into the Belly of Addiction

February 17, 2022 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Marianna Bassham and the cast of *People, Places & Things.* Photos by Nile Scott Studios.

‘People, Places & Things’ — Written by Duncan Macmillan. Directed by David R. Gammon;, Scenic Design by Jeffrey Peterson; Costume Design by Gail Astrid Buckley; Lighting Design by Jeff Adelberg; Sound Design by David Wilson, Video Design by Adam Stone. Presented by SpeakEasy Stage Company at Boston Center for the Arts through March 5.

by Shelley A. Sackett

Like Jonah’s whale, addiction can swallow us whole. Unlike Jonah, however, who was freed after a mere three days of praying and repenting, those stuck in the belly of the addiction beast have a much tougher, longer and shakier road to hoe.

Some are up to the challenge and some crumble under the beast’s daunting weight. Some make it and some fake it. Some don’t know the difference and some could care less. And some will circle their self-destructive drain as long as they can, all the while ferociously denying they’re about to drown.

Huntington Theatre’s ‘The Bluest Eye’ Is A Triumph

February 7, 2022February 7, 2022 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Cast of The Huntington Theatre’s production of *The Bluest Eye* by Lydia R. Diamond

by Shelley A. Sackett

‘The Bluest Eye’ – Based on the book by Toni Morrison, adapted for stage by Lydia R. Diamond, Dramaturgy by Sandy Alexandre. Directed by Awoye Timpo; Set Design by Jason Ardizzone-West; Costume Design by Dede Ayite and Rodrigo Muñoz; Lighting Design by Adam Honoré; Sound Design by Aubrey Dube; Original Music by Justin Ellington; Choreography by Kurt Douglas; Music Direction by David Freeman Coleman. Presented by Huntington Theatre Company at Boston Center for the Arts through March 26. Digital recordings available Feb. 14 through April 9.

Brimming with sparkling ensemble acting, inspired staging and soulful song and dance, Huntington Theatre’s The Bluest Eye packs a wallop. Thanks to Lydia R. Diamond’s faithful yet nuanced adaptation, Toni Morrison’s groundbreaking début novel about two poor Black families in 1940s Lorain, Ohio is brought to the stage with all its poetry, pathos and humor intact. You can almost feel Morrison’s presence in the audience, beaming pride and approval.