Anna Deavere Smith Revisits Powerful ‘Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992’ Through New Lens at the A.R.T.

September 5, 2022September 22, 2022 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Wesley T. Jones and Elena Hurst in A.R.T.s production of *Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992*. Photo Credits: Lauren Miller

Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 – Conceived, Written, and Revised by Anna Deavere Smith; Directed by Taibi Magar; Scenic Design by Riccardo Hernandez; Costume Design by Linda Cho; Lighting Design by Alan C. Edwards; Sound Design by Darron L West. Projection Design by David Bengali. Presented by American Repertory Theater in association with Signature Theatre at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Cambridge through Sept. 24.

by Mike Hoban

In 1992, at the height of the riots following the “not guilty” verdict of the four white L.A. police officers who had been caught on videotape delivering a brutal beating to Black motorist Rodney King, I was having a conversation with a Black male coworker, to get some perspective on why the city was on fire. “Listen,” he told me in an even but pointed tone. “If you’re a Black man in this country, there’s almost zero chance that you haven’t been stopped by a cop at least once – for no reason – by the time you reach 21.” And as Congresswoman Maxine Waters (who is quoted in the play) directly put it, “(The) riot is the voice of the unheard.”

A.R.T. Delivers a Rousing Pre-Broadway Run of America’s Origin Story, ‘1776’

June 6, 2022June 7, 2022 michaelhoban1 Comment

Cast of ‘1776’ at American Repertory Theatre

‘1776’ – Music and Lyrics by Sherman Edwards; Book by Peter Stone; Based on a concept by Sherman Edwards Directed by Jeffrey L. Page and Diane Paulus; Choreography by Jeffrey L. Page; Music Direction by Ryan Cantwell; Scenic Design by Scott Pask; Costume Design by Emilio Sosa; Lighting Design by Jen Schriever; Sound Design by Jonathan Deans; Projection Design by David Bengali. Co-presented by the Roundabout Theatre Company (RTC) and the American Repertory Theatre, at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St. Cambridge through July 24th.

by Mike Hoban

I must admit I was not overly enthused on my way to Brattle Street for the pre-Broadway opening of the musical 1776. The A.R.T.s 2021-2022 season, with the exception of the marvelous opening tap showcase, Ayodele Casel: Chasing Magic, has largely been one of well-intentioned activism superseding any meaningful art, resulting in a string of preaching-to-the-choir productions that made me long for the dopey good fun of something like Waitress (which also had a pre-Broadway opening at the A.R.T.). A pair of climate change-themed shows Wild (great score, but a book that seemed like it was penned by Sid & Marty Kroft of “H.R. Pufnstuf” fame), and the spectacularly dreadful Ocean Filibuster made me wonder if this once-venerable institution had lost its way and would no longer deliver the creative energy blasts of shows like Six, Jagged Little Pill, The Black Clown, and Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812.

A.R.T.s ‘Ocean Filibuster’ Drowns in Good Intentions

March 4, 2022March 6, 2022 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Photos by Maggie HallJennifer Kidwell in A.R.T.s ‘Ocean Filibuster’. Photos by Maggie Hall

by Mike Hoban

Created by PearlDamour; Text by Lisa D’Amour; Music by Sxip Shirey; Directed by Katie Pearl; Scenic Design by Jian Jung; Music Direction by Sxip Shirey; Costume Design by Olivera Gajic; Lighting Design by Thomas Dunn; Sound Design by Germán Martínez; Projection Design by Tal Yarden. Presented by the American Repertory Theater and commissioned and developed through a collaboration with the Harvard University Center for the Environment. Through March 13 at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St. Cambridge, with a digital version available to stream March 9 – 27

Climate change is clearly the greatest threat to the continued existence of the planet as we know it – potentially impending nuclear war with Russia notwithstanding – but as we saw at the latest United Nations climate change summit in Glasgow this past fall, the folks in charge don’t seem all that willing to do anything about it. Despite the grandstanding from heads of state to phase-out coal power and subsidies for fossil fuels, nothing was codified, so it looks like we’ll just burn for another decade or two, until the megastorms and rising seas finally do us in.

“Wild: A Musical Becoming” Soars at A.R.T.

December 12, 2021December 23, 2021 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Cast of “Wild: A Musical Becoming” at A.R.T. Photo Credits Maggie Hall – Nile Scott Studios

by Michele Markarian

“Wild: A Musical Becoming”. Book by V (formerly Eve Ensler). Music by Justin Tranter and Caroline Pennell, with contributions by Eren Cannata. Lyrics by Justin Tranter, Caroline Pennell and V, with contributions by Idina Menzel. Directed by Diane Paulus. Presented by American Repertory Theater, Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle Street, Cambridge, through January 2.

Admittedly, I was not 100% enthused about seeing a musical theater piece about climate change that was billed as a script-in-hand, concert production, but being a huge Idina Menzel fan, as well as a concerned citizen for the climate, I decided it might be worth it. Having seen it, I can say with conviction that even if you are not an Idina Menzel fan and are oblivious to the climate crisis, run, don’t walk, to your keyboard and order tickets to this musical happening. This is by far one of the most electrifying and energizing shows I have seen all year, delivering its urgent message with heart and hope. From the exuberant, toe tapping opening number by the entire cast of “Mouths to Feed”, the audience knew we were in for something special.

Whitney White and Friends Deliver a Rockin’ ‘MacBeth’ at the A.R.T.

November 1, 2021November 5, 2021 michaelhobanLeave a comment

*Whitney White, Phoenix Best, Reggie D. White, and Kira Helper in ‘Macbeth In Stride’ at the A.R.T. Photos by Lauren Miller*

by Mike Hoban

‘Macbeth in Stride’ – Created and performed by Whitney White; Directed by Tyler Dobrowsky and Taibi Magar; Choreography Raja Feather Kelly; Orchestrations by Steven Cuevas and Whitney White; Music Director, Steven Cuevas; Scenic Design, Dan Soule; Sound Design, Alex Giorgetti; Lighting Design, Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew; Costume Design, Qween Jean. Presented by American Repertory Theater at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Cambridge, through November 14.

Shakespeare has never been particularly kind to women, with many of his tragic “heroines” not making it through to the end of the play. Whether they died by their own hand, accident, or were murdered, the common thread has always been that they were generally partners to powerful men that were grossly insecure, paranoid or outright lunatics (Romeo aside). Lady Macbeth, the most brutally determined of all of Shakespeare’s women, is the driving force behind her husband’s ascension to the throne, convincing him to commit murder, but is rewarded for her blind ambition by going mad and committing suicide – offstage no less.

“This Is Who I Am” Delivers Reconciliation and Healing

December 16, 2020December 16, 2020 Henry HarveyLeave a comment

*Ramsey Faragallah (left) and Yousof Sultani (right) in ‘This Is Who I Am’. Photo: PlayCo/Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company*

by Michele Markarian

“This Is Who I Am”, by Amir Nizar Zuabi. Directed by Evren Odcikin. Presented by PlayCo and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, in association with American Repertory Theater at Harvard University, the Guthrie Theater, and Oregon Shakespeare Festival through January 3.

The kitchens that Dad (Ramsay Faragallah) and Son (Yousof Sultani) inhabit in their respective homes on Zoom (Dad’s in Palestine, Son’s in Manhattan) could not be more different. Dad’s is old fashioned cabinetry and clutter, Son’s is modern white and clean lines. They have come before one another to recreate a recipe that the woman who was Dad’s wife/Son’s mother used to make. It is obvious from the start that she is the glue that held their family together, and without her, Dad and Son are struggling to make sense of their relationship.

The Iconic and Timely Message of ‘Gloria: A Life’

February 1, 2020February 1, 2020 michaelhobanLeave a comment

*The cast of ‘Gloria: A Life’ at the A.R.T. – Photos: ©APrioriPhotography.com*

By Michele Markarian

“Gloria: A Life” – Written by Emily Mann. Directed by Diane Paulus. Presented by American Repertory Theater, Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle Street, Cambridge, through March 1

“Social justice movements start with people siting in a circle,” Gloria Steinem (Patricia Kalember) informs the audience sitting in the round at American Repertory Theater at the beginning of Gloria: A Life. A shy woman who wanted to become a political journalist, Steinem became an unlikely spokesperson of the women’s movement. For those of us who grew up in the 60s and 70s, Steinem was our touchstone, the person who, unflappable and balanced, represented all that we were becoming. Her book, “Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions” was de rigeur feminist reading in the 80s. Yet, as is unfolded during the 100 minutes of Gloria: A Life, she was supported and pushed by many insistent and persistent female voices, including ours.

A.R.T.’s ‘Moby Dick’ Rocks Theatrical Conventions

December 16, 2019December 16, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Cast, audience members in A.R.T.’s ‘Moby Dick’ – Photos by Maria Baranova

by Mike Hoban

Moby Dick – Music, Lyrics, Book, and Orchestrations by Dave Malloy; Developed with and Directed by Rachel Chavkin; Based on Moby-Dick by Herman Melville; Music Direction and Supervision by Or Matias; Choreography by Chanel DaSilva; Mimi Lien, Scenic Design; Hidenori Nakajo, Sound Design; Bradley King, Lighting Design; Brenda Abbandandolo, Costume Design; Eric F. Avery, Puppet Design and Puppet Direction. Presented by American Repertory Theater, at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Cambridge, through Jan. 12

There are a lot of adjectives one could apply to Moby Dick, the musical adaptation of the novel now being given its world premiere at the A.R.T., but “boring” would not be one of them. Considering the source material and the three-and-a-half hour run time, that may come as a bit of a surprise, but given the success that Dave Malloy and much of the same creative team that adapted (a portion) of “War and Peace” into Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet, maybe it shouldn’t be a surprise at all.

Jomama Jones and ‘Black Light’ Shine Brightly at Oberon

September 24, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

(Jomama Jones in ‘Black Light’ at Oberon. Photos by Yazi Ferrufino)

by Mike Hoban

Black Light – Original Songs by Jomama Jones. With Bobby Halvorson, Laura Jean Anderson, Dylan Meek, Josh Quat. Additional Music by Samora Pinderhughes, Tariq Al-Sabir; Costume Design by Oana Botez; OBERON Lighting Design by Justin Paice; OBERON Sound Design; Alex Giorgetti. Presented by theAmerican Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Oberon, 2 Arrow Street, Cambridgethrough September 29

“What if I told you it’s going to be alright?, asks Jomama Jones, the glamorous and statuesque star of Black Light at the opening of her compelling and entertaining cabaret style piece now playing at Oberon. If you’re one of those folks who sometimes wakes in the morning wondering whether or not you (and all of us) ARE going to be alright, Jomama and Black Light may be just the diversion you’re looking for. Employing a diverse list of original R&B, disco and pop songs that sounds like they could have been lifted from a 1970’s episode of Soul Train, and mixing in stories from her childhood that are initially hilarious but ultimately moving, this is a show that moves beyond simple entertainment and touches the realm of the spiritual.

American Repertory Theater Scores a Perfect Ten with “Six”

September 2, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Catherine Parr (Anna Uzele, at center) performs “I Don’t Need Your Love” in SIX, written by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss and directed by Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage. Photo: Liz Lauren

By Michele Markarian

“Six” by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss. Directed by Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage. Presented by American Repertory Theater, 64 Brattle Street, Cambridge, through September 29.

Last May, in London and desperate for some theater on a Sunday afternoon, I blindly bought what was the last ticket to a show in the West End called “Six”. I had low expectations about a musical revue performed by Henry VIII’s wives, but my seatmate, a young man from Italy, told me in an authoritative tone, “You will LOVE it. It is SO much fun. This is my second time seeing it.” Sure I will, I thought, but eighty minutes later, with a few glittery strands of gold foil stuck to my hair and in my purse, the young man had been right. I called my husband and fellow Tudor buff the next day to tell him what a fantastic show it had been. “I think it’s playing in Chicago,” I said. “Should we go? I want to see it!” he asked. Luckily, we didn’t have to, because American Repertory Theater, in association with the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, is producing this smart, funny and wildly entertaining show in Cambridge.