”And So We Walked” is a Transformative and Spiritual Journey

April 28, 2023May 1, 2023 michaelhobanLeave a comment

DeLanna Studi in “And So We Walked.” Photos by Patrick Weishampel/Blankeye

“And So We Walked”, by DeLanna Studi. Directed by Corey Madden. Produced by Octopus Theatricals. Presented by Arts Emerson, Emerson Paramount Center, 559 Washington Street, Boston through April 30.

by Michele Markarian

“A true story is dangerous. Even if you’re the best storyteller, you can’t run from the truth”. Thus begins DeLanna Studi’s moving and personal take on her and her father’s six-week sojourn on the Trail of Tears, following the footsteps of their Cherokee ancestors, who were forced into relocation during the 1830s. During the course of the two-and-a-half-hour show, many intimate and historical truths are revealed as Studi weaves her personal narrative alongside that of the Cherokee Nation.

We All Walk The Trail of Tears in ‘And So We Walked’

April 27, 2023May 1, 2023 michaelhobanLeave a comment

‘And So We Walked’ — Created and Performed by DeLanna Studi. Directed by Corey Madden; Scenic Design by John Coyne; Costume Design by Andja Budincich; Lighting and Projection Design by Norman Coates; Sound Design and Original Music by Bruno Louchouarn. Co-represented by Octopus Theatricals and Indigenous Performance Productions. Presented by Arts Emerson at the Emerson Paramount Center, 559 Washington St., Boston through April 30, 2023.

By Shelley A. Sackett

When the pre-written announcement acknowledging Indigenous and Enslaved Peoples is read prior to every local theatrical production, it often feels disconnected from the show that follows. Not so with Cherokee actress, artist, and activist DeLanna Studi’s stunning one-woman autobiographical presentation, ‘And So We Walked.”

At Moonbox’s ‘The House of Ramón Iglesia’ Mi Casa Es Su Casa

April 22, 2023April 22, 2023 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Cast of Moonbox Productions’ ‘The House of Ramón Iglesia’. Photos by NIkolai Alexander

‘The House of Ramón Iglesia’ – Jose Rivera, Playwright. Arthur Gomez, Director. Cameron McEachern, Set Designer. Finn Bamber, Lighting Designer. Abraham Rebollo, Props Designer. Presented by Moonbox Productions, at The Mosesian Center for the Arts, Watertown, through May 1, 2023.

by Linda Chin

Unlike a bottle of fine wine, or an oak barrel of Ron del Barrilito, Ramón Iglesia’s house in suburban NYC is not aging well. The septic system and water pump are often on the blink, and the furnace is busted. Ramón and his wife Dolores, who moved from Puerto Rico to the US nineteen years before to make a better life for their family, are also in failing health. Dolores is reclusive (refusing to learn English adds to her isolation) and has frequent fainting spells, and Ramón’s limp is getting more pronounced (excessive drinking aggravates his diabetes), making them appear older than they are and more needy of their three sons’ attention.

“Beehive: The ‘60s Musical” Swarms with Talent and Fun

April 16, 2023April 17, 2023 michaelhobanLeave a comment

By Michele Markarian

“Beehive: The 60s Musical”, created by Larry Gallagher. Directed/Choreographed by Ilyse Robbins. Musical Direction by J. Kathleen Catellanos. Substitute Musical Direction by Jim Rice. Presented by Greater Boston State Company, 395 Main Street, Stoneham, through May 7.

“Beehive: The 60s Musical” is not so much a musical, but a terrific revue starring six extremely talented women singing the music of various female artists from the 1960s. While there is no narrative arc other than the social and political struggles of the decade itself as a backdrop, the music and the feelings it conveys are more than enough to carry this entertaining show forward.

Sassy, Somber and Sensual — Paul Taylor Dance Company Covers All the Bases

April 15, 2023April 16, 2023 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Full cast of Paul Taylor Dance Company at Boch Center — Shubert Theatre. Photos by Ron Thiele

Paul Taylor Dance Company – Artistic Director Michael Novak; Founding Artistic Director – Paul Taylor; Resident Choreography – Lauren Lovette; Lighting Designer – Jennifer Tipton; Costume Design – Donald Martiny; Costume Design – Mark Eric and Santo Loquasto. Presented by Celebrity Series of Boston at Boch Center — Shubert Theatre, 265 Tremont St., Boston, through April 16.

By Shelley A. Sackett

Paul Taylor, whose imagination, emotional breadth and sheer physical ability helped shape and define the purely American art form known as modern dance, never fails to amaze and enchant. The thunderous opening night applause from the standing audience shows that, if anything, the company has only increased its seductive power over its Boston fans.

Alex Edelman’s Poignant Laugh Riot ‘Just for Us’ is for Everyone

April 14, 2023April 14, 2023 michaelhobanLeave a comment

‘Just for Us’ – Written and performed by Alex Edelman. Directed by Adam Brace. At Roberts Studio Theatre, Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts. Through April 23

by Mike Hoban

You would think that a man with the name ‘Alex Edelman’ would be the least likely candidate to attend a meeting of White nationalists, even less so if you knew his full name was David Yosef Shimon ben Elazar Reuven Alex Halevi Edelman – of the Brookline Edelmans. But for the comedian bearing that name, that real-life meeting with the 21st-century version of Klan-lite is the centerpiece of his riotous one-person show ‘Just for Us.’ The solo show, his third, has been running in NYC, Washington DC, and London since December of 2021 and is now receiving its two-week hometown run before it hits Broadway in June.

GAMM Theatre’s ‘THE CHILDREN’

April 12, 2023May 4, 2023 michaelhobanLeave a comment

by Tony Annicone

GAMM Theatre’s closing show of their season is “The Children” by Lucy Kirkwood. It’s a thought-provoking play that is 90 minutes long with no intermission and takes place in a remote English cottage by the sea. This is where retired scientists Robin and Hazel are determined to grow old together while the world around them crumbles. The couple tries to live normally after a disaster at the local power station where they used to work. It has devastated the area, and the threat of radiation pollution hangs over their heads. Robin and Hazel try to continue their daily routines of practicing yoga, tending to their cows, and rationing their electricity. However, their tranquil world is rattled by the arrival of their friend and former colleague, Rose. After working in America for 38 years, she shows up with a life-altering request that reveals uncovered secrets. The three of them were instrumental in constructing the power plant so close to populated areas many years ago and must face the consequences of their actions. Inspired by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear explosion, these include being concerned about future generations.

Nuns Just Want to Have Fun in Lyric’s ‘Sister Act’

April 12, 2023April 13, 2023 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Music by Alan Menken. Lyrics by Glenn Slater. Book by Bill and Cheri Steinkellner. Additional material by Douglas Carter Beane. Direction by Leigh Barrett. Music direction by David F. Coleman. Choreography by Dan Sullivan. Scenic Design by Jenna McFarland Lord. Lighting Design by Christopher Brusberg. Costume Design by Kelly Baker. Sound Design by Alex Berg. Presented by Lyric Stage Company of Boston, through May 14

by Linda Chin

With composer Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid, Little Shop of Horrors) behind this musical, I was surprised to leave the Lyric without a song stuck in my head. Have faith, however – with its star – (and sequined) studded cast divinely directed by Leigh Barrett, spirited choreography by Dan Sullivan, and a funk-R&B-gospel-disco score soulfully conducted by David F. Coleman, Sister Act lives up to its billing as a “feel good” musical comedy. Regardless of what church you belong to, after seeing this show “you will go out in joy (Isiah 55:12).”

An Absorbing and Inspiring ‘Middleton Heights’

April 10, 2023 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Cast of Middleton Heights at the Umbrella Arts Center. Photos: Gillian Mariner Gordon

Written by Hortense Gerardo. Produced by Brian Boruta. Directed by Michelle Aguillon. Scenic Design by Al Forgione. Lighting and Projection Design by SeifAllah Salotto-Cristobal. Costume Design by Maureen Festa. Sound Design by James Cannon. Presented by Umbrella Stage Company, Concord, MA, through April 23^rd.

by Linda Chin

Named after a fictitious suburb of Cleveland where a dual-doctor couple from Manila has been recruited to work as medical residents, Middleton Heights is a new play that ambitiously spans five decades and three generations of an Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) family’s immigrant experience. Infused with Tagalog and Ilocano words and references and filled with vivid vignettes that are culturally specific and universally relatable, the script is informed by Hortense Gerardo’s twin professional vantage points as an anthropologist and playwright. And though Gerardo contends that this is not an autobiographical play, it does reflect her own lived experience – including being the daughter of two physicians, growing up in a Cleveland suburb, and having roots in the Philippines.

Speakeasy’s ‘Wild Goose Dreams’ an Online Odyssey of Longing and Loneliness

April 3, 2023 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Ciaran D’Hondt, Fady Demian, Elaine Hom, Ryan Mardesich, Amanda Centeno, and
John D. Haggerty in Speakeasy’s ‘Wild Goose Dreams’. Photos by Nile Scott Studios

‘Wild Goose Dreams’ – Written by Hansol Jung. Directed by Seonjae Kim; Scenic Design by Crystal Tiala; Costume Design by Machel Ross; Lighting Design by Kathleen Zhou; Sound Design by George Cooke. Presented by SpeakEasy Stage at The Calderwood Pavillion, Boston through April 8.

By Sophie Kim

Speakeasy Stage’s production of “Wild Goose Dreams,” a play written by Hansol Jung and directed by Seonjae Kim, is a fast-paced, unpredictable, and deliciously fantastical exploration of what it’s like to live your life online, the difficulty of being vulnerable, and the internet as a double-edged sword of loneliness and connection.