S-O-S: Sensational-Outstanding-Spectacular ‘Message In A Bottle’ Takes Boston by Storm

March 30, 2024March 30, 2024 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Cast of ‘Message In A Bottle’ at Emerson Colonial Theatre

‘Message In A Bottle’ – Directed and Choreographed by Kate Prince. Music and Lyrics by Sting. Music Supervision and New Arrangements by Alex Lacamoire. Set Design by Ben Stone. Video Design by Andrej Goulding. Costume Design by Anna Fleischle. Lighting Design by Natasha Chivers. Sound Design by David McEwan. Presented by Sadler’s Wells and Universal Music UK and ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company at the Emerson Colonial Theatre, 106 Boylston St., Boston, through March 30.

By Linda Chin

The spectacular touring production Message In A Bottle that is taking cities in the US by storm – LA, Denver, Chicago – has washed ashore at Boston’s Emerson Colonial for a limited run (through March 30) before making its way down the East Coast to Charlotte, NYC, DC, and Philadelphia. World-class, award-winning creatives Sting (music and lyrics), Kate Prince (director and choreographer), and Alex Lacamoire, of Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen fame (music supervision, new arrangements), have built a show with no spoken narrative or dialogue. A phenomenal corps of 14 storyteller dancers tell an urgent, and unfortunately timely, tale – of families displaced from their war-torn villages, of three siblings separated from their parents and one another, of refugees seeking safety and new places to call home – with the universal languages of movement and music.

“Mrs. Krishnan’s Party” a Cascade of Color and Sound

March 29, 2024March 29, 2024 michaelhobanLeave a comment

ArtsEmerson’s ‘Mrs. Krishnan’s Party’ Photos: Grabb for Image Excellence

Mrs. Krishnan’s Party. Written by Jacob Rajan and Justin Lewis. Produced by Indian Ink Theatre Company. Presented by Arts Emerson, Jackie Liebergott Black Box, Emerson Paramount Center, 559 Washington Street, Boston through April 7.

By Michele Markarian

As you are heralded through a beaded curtain, James (the personable Justin Rogers, decked out in Indian costume) ushers you to your seat and encourages you to talk with your neighbors. The setting is a storeroom of an Indian grocery store; the occasion is a surprise Onam party for the store’s owner, Mrs. Krishnan (Kalyani Nagarajan). Mrs. Krishnan isn’t exactly a large party kind of woman; since her husband died, she allows herself very few pleasures, other than church and cooking for her architect son, Apo. James, a university student who boards with Mrs. Krishnan, is determined to put on a celebration. Colorful scarves and garlands are passed out, along with balloons. James plays Indian dance music and urges us to our feet. In spite of myself – I’m not a fan of audience participation and am seated in the section for Wallflowers – the mood is infectious, and I am on my feet.

Jay Eddy Brings Healing (and a Brilliant Score) to Boston Playwrights’ Theatre with ‘Driving in Circles’

March 28, 2024March 28, 2024 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Jordan Palmer, Jay Eddy and Zach Fontanez in Boston Playwrights’ Theatre’s ‘Driving in Circles’

Written & performed by Jay Eddy; Directed by Sam Plattus; Scenic Designer: Danielle DelaFuente; Lighting Designer: Kevin Fulton; Sound Designer: Gage Baker; Costume Designer: Eric Tran; Projection Designer: Maria Servellon. Presented at Boston Playwrights’ Theater through April 6, 2024

By Mike Hoban

In the pulsating opening number of the enthralling semi-solo autobiographical musical Driving in Circles, writer and performer Jay Eddy describes “what to do in an earthquake,” singing, “Stay down, stay down, stay down (because) it’s the aftershock that kills you.” It’s a brilliant metaphor for what survivors of sexual abuse experience long after the physical abuse has ceased, as Eddy details in their powerful but surprisingly funny and touching work. Part monologue, part performance art, part standup comedy, and powered by an astonishingly cool “folktronica” score that likely rivals any album you’ll hear from the current crop of indie artists, it’s a unique theatrical experience.

‘Message In A Bottle’ is a Sublime Synchronicity of Song, Dance and Story

March 27, 2024March 27, 2024 michaelhobanLeave a comment

‘Message In A Bottle’ at Emerson Colonial Theatre

‘Message In A Bottle’ — Music and Lyrics by Sting. Directed and Choreographed by Kate Prince. Music Supervisor and New Arrangements by Alex Lacamoire; Set Design by Ben Stones; Video Design by Andrej Goulding; Costume Design by Anna Fleischle; Lighting Design by Natasha Chivers; Sound Design by David McEwan. Presented by Sadler’s Wells and Universal Music UK Production with ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company at Emerson Colonial Theatre, 106 Boylston St., Boston, through March 30.

By Shelley A. Sackett

The only negative comment that anyone could possibly utter about the earth-shattering Message In A Bottle is that it is an unforgivable shame that its Boston run is a mere five days (seven performances). My suggestion is to interrupt reading this review, trust the reviewer, and jump on your computer to secure tickets while there might still be some left.

Yes, it really is that good.

‘Beyond Words’ at Central Square Theater Opens Our Ears and Hearts

March 25, 2024March 25, 2024 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Stephanie Clayman, Jon Vellante in ‘Beyond Words’ at Central Square Theater.
Photos by Maggie Hall

‘Beyond Words’ – Written by Laura Maria Censabella; Directed by Cassie Chapados; Scenic Design by Qingan Zhang; Costume Design by Sandra Zhihan Jia; Lighting Design by Amanda Fallon; Sound Design by Anna Drummond. Presented by Catalyst Collaborative@MIT Productions at Central Square Theater, 450 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA, through April 14, 2024

By Helen Ganley

In the eye of a tornado of falling feathers, a scientist lies in a heap. Surrounded by a fluorescent-lit lab cheekily bedecked with “Birds at Work” signage and decals of African Grey parrots, the tornado emanates from Dr. Irene Pepperberg as she sweeps us back to the beginning of her story. Central Square Theater’s production of Beyond Words invokes a central question of humanity: How intelligent is the rest of the animal kingdom?

No One Gets a Free Ride in Speakeasy’s Rich ‘Cost of Living’

March 23, 2024May 10, 2024 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Stephanie Gould and Lewis D. Wheeler in “Cost of Living” at Speakeasy Stage
Photos: Nile Scott Studios

Cost of Living – Written by Martyna Majok; Directed By Alex Lonati; Scenic Design by Janie E. Howland; Costume Design by Chelsea Kerl; Lighting Design by Amanda E. Fallon; Sound Design by Anna Drummond. Presented by Speakeasy Stage Company at 527 Tremont St, Boston through March 30th, 2024.

By Shelley A. Sackett

At its heart, ‘Cost of Living,’ is about relationships: how two people meet; how and whether they connect, separate, and reconnect; and how they handle caring and being cared for.

In playwright Martyna Majok’s magic hands, the fact that one person in each relationship has a disability is secondary (though hardly unimportant). Rather, she focuses on the universal vicissitudes of life — emotional, financial, good luck and bad, good health and illness — and how we handle them. The delicacy and craftsmanship of that artistic feat won her the 2018 Pulitzer-Prize award for Drama.

Going to Great Lengths to Get the Girl: ‘A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder’ at The Company Theatre

March 22, 2024March 22, 2024 michaelhobanLeave a comment

The Company Theatre presents A Gentleman’s Guide To Love and Murder by Robert L. Freedman and Steven Lutvak. Co-Directed by Zoe Bradford and Sally Ashton Forrest. Musical Direction by Robert McDonough. Lighting Design by Dean Palmer Jr. Costume Design by Joe Michienzie. Set Design by Ryan Barrow. Specialty Costume Pieces designed by Kathryn Ridder. At the Company Theatre, Norwell, through March 30th, 2024

By Linda Chin

An anchor of theater in MA’s South Shore, The Company Theatre goes to great lengths to mount a great shows. Their recent production of Born to Do This, the original Joan of Arc musical (created by Zoe Bradford, Michael Hammond and Mel Carubia) was acknowledged – from a very crowded field of “post-COVID’ contenders – in “Theater Mirror’s Reviewers ‘Top 10’ Lists for 2023.” Company’s 2022 production of Sweeney Todd, starring Peter Adams and MaryAnn Zschau in the leading roles, was “Meaty Material Performed to Perfection.” Like Sweeney, Gentleman’s Guide is a story of love, murder, and revenge set in London of yore, but it is not a dark drama. Rather it is a British satire meant to be murderously funny, and that consistent with Company’s mission to entertain and educate, comments on classicism and racism by keeping you laughing, which we can all use these days. Like Sweeney, Gentleman’s Guide is a Tony Award-winning Best Musical (2014) – but the book and music aren’t Sondheim (nor Bradford, Hammond, Carubia for that matter).

ASP’s Impressive ‘King Hedley II’ Is a Requiem to a Dream

March 20, 2024March 20, 2024 michaelhobanLeave a comment

James Ricardo Milord and Omar Robinson in Actors’ Shakespeare Project’s production of August Wilson’s *King Hedley II*. Photo by Maggie Hall Photography.

‘King Hedley II’ – Written by August Wilson; Directed by Summer L. Williams; Scenic Designer: Jon Savage; Costume Designer: Becca Jewett; Lighting Designer: Anshuman Bhatia; Sound Designer: Caroline Eng. Presented by Actors’ Shakespeare Project at Hibernian Hall, 184 Dudley St, Roxbury, through April 7, 2024

By Shelley A. Sackett

August Wilson’s King Hedley II, the Pulitzer Prize nominated play, is set in 1985 in the same Pittsburgh Hill District backyard where Wilson set his previous work, Seven Guitars (which received a knock out production in 2023 by Actor’s Shakespeare Project). Jon Savage’s same terrific set (and Anshuman Bhatia’s spot-on lighting) adds continuity and interest.

It’s now 40 years and several generations later, and the upbeat, soulful guitar blues arias soundtrack of Seven Guitars has been replaced by a thrumming funeral march set in a minor key.

Dance Musical ‘Message In A Bottle’ Featuring the Music of Sting, Comes to Emerson Colonial (Interview)

March 20, 2024March 20, 2024 michaelhobanLeave a comment

The Emerson Colonial Theatre’s will present a seven show run of the touring dance/theater production Message In A Bottle, based on the music of Sting and works from his band The Police. Featuring 28 songs, some re-mastered and re-interpreted, and developed by Kate Prince, Artistic Director of ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company, Message tells the story of displaced refugees and their struggle to find a new home. Theater Mirror’s Mike Hoban spoke with Associate Choreographer Lukas McFarlane in anticipation of the show’s opening on March 26 (through March 30).

by Mike Hoban

Theater Mirror: How did the idea for Message in a Bottle come about?

Lukas: Kate Prince (the show’s creator) grew up with the music of Sting and the Police and is huge fan. One day she was listening to Sting’s “Desert Rose” and thought, what if we (put together) a show using the music of Sting and the Police? She wrote an email to one of our producers, Sadler’s Wells, and within a couple weeks Sadler’s had her in a meeting with Sting in a hotel lobby pitching this idea to him, which was really cool and quite surreal for her.

An Immersive, Intoxicating ‘Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812’ at Seacoast Rep

March 20, 2024March 20, 2024 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Cast of ‘Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812’ at Seacoast Rep

The Seacoast Repertory Theatre presents ‘Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812’ by Dave Molloy. Directed by Ben Hart & Brandon James. Music Direction by Kennedy McAlister and Aidan Campbell. Choreography by Jason Faria and Alyssa Dumas. Lighting Design by Zachary Ahmad-Kahloon. Sound Design by Andrew Cameron. Properties Design by Gretchen Gray and Elise Marshall. Costume Design by DW. Set Design by Ben Hart & Brandon James. ‘Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812’ runs at the Seacoast Repertory Theatre, Portsmouth, NH through April 7, 2024.

By Linda Chin

Producing theater is a risky business – and executive artistic directors Ben Hart and Brandon James’ decision to mount a show as mammoth as Dave Molloy’s Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 was an ambitious choice. Based on 70 pages from Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace, multi-hyphenate Molloy (composer-lyricist-playwright-actor) reframed the love story about Russian aristocrats in the 19^th century with a contemporary lens, and created a sumptuous score with diverse musical genres (Russian folk, classical, klezmer, rock, and electronic dance music). For its Broadway run at the Imperial, the set was also extravagant and lush – runways jutting into the orchestra replaced 200 of the theatre’s seats, tables and chairs and banquettes provided on-stage seating, and velvet curtains and paintings in gold frames added texture and sparkle.