Month: September 2024

Middagh Street Brims With Life In The Treehouse Collective’s ‘February House’

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Shira Cahn Lipman, Matt Finn, Shai Wolf, Todd Sandstrom, Travis Karas, Em Sheeran, Todd Yard in Treehouse Collective’s ‘February House’

‘February House’ – Music and Lyrics by Gabriel Kahan. Story by Seth Bockley. Directed by Katie Swimm. Music directed by Jeff Kimball. Produced by AJ Lyman. Presented by The Treehouse Collective at 539 Tremont Street, Boston, MA, 02131 from September 27th to October 13th.

by Helen Ganley

7 Middagh Street consists of plain wooden chairs sitting atop a worn red Turkish carpet, nestled between a golden bar cart and a brown settee, all tied together by a pinstriped chair in the corner. This homey, if dilapidated, artist’s enclave comes to life in The Treehouse Collective’s production of February House. 

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A Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On at North Shore Music Theatre

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‘Million Dollar Quartet’ – Book by Colin Escott and Floyd Mutux. Directed and choreographed by Greg Santos. Music Director Sam Sherwood. Scenic Design by Kyle Dixon. Original Costume Design by Travis M. Grant. Lighting Design by Jose Santiago. Sound Design by Alex Berg. Hair and Wig Design by Rachel Padilla-Shufelt. Through October 6, 2024, at North Shore Music Theatre, 64 Dunham Road, Beverly, MA.

By Linda Chin

A million shout-outs to the uber-talented cast of the Tony Award-winning musical Million Dollar Quartet at Bill Hanney’s North Shore Music Theatre. For about a hundred minutes, actor-musicians Sam Sherwood (Carl Perkins), Blake Burgess ( Johnny Cash), Brandon Fillette (Jerry Lee Lewis), Noah Barnes (Elvis Presley), Joe Bentley (Brother Joy), Stephen Blauch (Fluke), Zach Cossman (Sam Phillips), and Hailie Lucille (Dyanne, the lone female character) teach us some history and gift us with a whole lot of musical magic.

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Stoppard Gets Personal with ‘Leopoldstadt’ at the Huntington

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Cast of ‘Leopoldstadt’ at the Huntington. Photos by Liza Voll Photography

‘Leopoldstadt’ – Play by Tom Stoppard. Directed by Carey Perloff. Scenic Design by Ken MacDonald; Costume design by Alex Jaeger; Original Music and Sound Design by Jane Shaw; Lighting Design by Robert Wierzel; Projection Design by Yuki Izumihara. Presented by The Huntington in association with Shakespeare Theatre Company at the Huntington Theatre, 264 Huntington Ave., Boston, through Oct. 13.

By Mike Hoban

As members of any marginalized group trying to integrate into an established community can tell you from firsthand experience, assimilation doesn’t necessarily mean acceptance. The sad truth is that all too often, money, education, physical attributes, or achievement cannot overcome the deep-rooted prejudices of those who cling to the privilege of their skin color, religion, or nationality. Just ask the Obamas.

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Central Square Theater‘s ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’ Starts Off the Season with a Bang!

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Sarah Morin, Jenny S. Lee and Aimee Doherty in CST‘s ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’

Central Square Theater presents THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES. Adapted from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic tale. Written by Steven Canny and John Nicholson. Directed by Lee Mikeska Gardner. Scenic & Properties Design by Julia Wonkka. Costume Design by Leslie Held. Lighting Design by John R. Malinowski. Sound Design by David Bryan Jackson. At Central Square Theater, 450 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, through October 6, 2024.

Starting and ending at Baker Street, London, and largely set in Devonshire, England circa 1889, this spoof of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic The Hound of the Baskervilles tells the following tale: Super-sleuth Sherlock Holmes and trusty sidekick Dr. James Watson are summoned to investigate the unusual and unnatural death of Sir Charles Baskerville, whose corpse was discovered on the ground surrounded by giant paw prints. The actors and audience members journey together to the mansion and moors to answer the following three questions and unlock the mystery: What frightened Sir Charles Baskerville to death? Is the family the target of a robbery or an ancient curse? Is Charles’ young heir Henry being stalked by a human murderer or a supernatural hound?

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DTF’s Timely ‘True Art’ Is A True Masterpiece

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Jayne Atkinson, Fiona  Robberson in Dorset Theater Festival’s Timely ‘True Art.’
Photos by T Charles Erickson

“True Art” – Written by Jessica Provenz. Directed by Michelle Joyner. Scenic Design by Christopher and Justin Swader; Costume Design by Barbara A. Bell; Lighting Design by Patricia M. Nichols; Sound Design by Jane Shaw; Projection Design by Joey Moro. Presented by Dorset Theatre Festival, Dorset, Vermont. Run has ended.

By Shelley A. Sackett

It was good planning to arrive a little early for the Dorset Theatre Festival’s world première of “True Art.” The bewitching set begged a closer look. Center stage, basking in Renaissance splendor, is Michelangelo’s “Leda and the Swan,’ mounted on a rich burgundy panel. Stage left and right are mirror rows of vertical metal grids, each loaded top to bottom with the A-list of coveted museum possessions, from Pollack to Picasso and Monet to Miro.

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Azúcar! Comedia y intensidad abound at Speakeasy Stage’s Laughs in Spanish

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Cast of ‘Laughs in Spanish’ at Speakeasy Stage. Photos by Nile Scott Studios

‘Laughs in Spanish’ – Written by Alexis Scheer. Directed by Mariela López-Ponce. Scenic design by Erik D. Diaz. Costume design by Rebecca Glick. Lighting Design by Amanda E. Fallon. Sound Design by Anna Drummond. Presented by SpeakEasy Stage Company at 527 Tremont Street, Boston, MA, 02116, from September 13th to October 12th. 

By Helen Ganley

Bright orange chairs sit below bare white walls bearing blank name cards for conspicuously missing paintings. Henry Fiol’s “Ahora me da Pena” (“Now I Feel Sorry”) wafts through the room as the part-telenovela, part-whodunit begins to unfold onstage. Written by Alexis Scheer, Laughs in Spanish is a contemporary play that explores the intersection of culture, identity, and family dynamics through humor.  Scheer, a playwright and actress, debuted this work in 2019 at the Boston Playwright’s Theatre. Speakeasy Stage’s rendering is a high-energy and campy production that speaks to family, relationships, and the importance of connection. 

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Hightail It To Teatro Chelsea & Gloucester Stage’s ‘The Hombres’

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The cast of ‘The Hombres’ at Gloucester Stage. Photos by John Grow Photography.

‘The Hombres’ – Written by Tony Meneses. Directed by Armando Rivera. Movement Design by Nathaniel Justiniano. Set Design by Kristin Loeffler. Costume Design by Chelsea Kerl. Lighting Design by John Holmes. Sound Design by Julian Crocamo. Properties Design by Carolyn Ferris. Presented by Teatro Chelsea & Gloucester Stage Company at 267 E. Main St., Gloucester, MA through September 22. At Chelsea Theatre Works, 189 Winnisimmet St., Chelsea, MA from September 27-29, 2024. 

by Linda Chin

Humorous and light-hearted, at times heavy (but never heavy-handed), alternately heartwarming and heartbreaking, playwright Tony Meneses’ The Hombres tells a story of five ordinary men that is exquisitely written and extraordinarily human throughout.

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Praxis Stage’s Black Comedy ‘The Arsonists’ Educates, Entertains

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Kim Carrell and Daniel Boudreau in Praxis Stage’s ‘The Arsonists’

The Arsonists – Original play by Max Frisch. Translation by Alistair Beaton. Directed by Bob Scanlan. Costume Design by Maureen Festa. Lighting Design by Kevin Fulton. Sound Design by Mackenzie Adamick. Presented by Praxis Stage. At Chelsea Theatre Works, 189 Winnisimmet Street, Chelsea, MA, through Sept. 15.

by Mike Hoban

“When people show you who they are – believe them” – Maya Angelou

There’s not a lot of subtlety in the point of view being expressed in Praxis Stage’s production of The Arsonists, the 1953 work by Swiss playwright dramatist Max Frisch, but the play still delivers a chilling reminder of how our mainstream media has warped our ability to apply critical thinking to even the most obvious of choices. Praxis was formed on November 9th, 2016, as a response to the election of Trump with the goal of linking theater and activism, and it’s never been more starkly on display than here.

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A.R.T.’s Innovative “Romeo and Juliet” Elevates and Grounds Shakespeare’s Masterpiece

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Emilia Suárez (Juliet) and Rudy Pankow (Romeo) in A.R.T.’s  Romeo and Juliet.
Photo Credits: Nile Scott Studios and Maggie Hall

‘Romeo and Juliet’ – By William Shakespeare. Directed by Diane Paulus. Movement and Choreography by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui; Original Music Composed by Alexandre Dai Castaing; Scenic Design by Amy Rubin; Costume Design by Emilio Sosa; Lighting Design by Jen Schriever; Sound Design by Daniel Lundberg. Presented by American Repertory Theater at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Cambridge through October 6.

By Shelley A. Sackett

Diane Paulus, Artistic Director at American Repertory Theater, has raised the bar on production values so often, we’ve come to expect the unexpected from her. From 1776 to Pippin to Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, Gloria: A Life, Jagged Little Pill, Waitress, SIX, and more, theatergoers in Boston have benefitted from her inspiring collaborations and razor-sharp skills to enjoy Broadway-bound productions right in their own backyard.

Romeo and Juliet is no exception.

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Liars and Believers’ “Don’t Open This” an Immersive Theatrical Spectacle

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Liars and Believers’ “Don’t Open This” at Arrow Street Arts

By Marc Levy

I made the trek to New York three times to see “Sleep No More,” the modern-dance reimagining of “Macbeth” and Daphne du Maurier’s “Rebecca” that since 2011 (and ending Oct. 16) has filled a literal multistory warehouse with explorable environments from a candy store to a graveyard. You race from room to room, following actors through the dark as best you can, lost in a crowd of fellow masked ghosts watching gore, sex, and witchcraft with a 1930s vibe. It’s utter sensory overload – and I’ve been kicking myself for nearly 15 years that I didn’t go see it when Cambridge’s A.R.T. helped put it on in Brookline’s Old Lincoln School for four months in 2009-2010.

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