Cast of ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ at Emerson Colonial. Photos by Joan Marcus
by Michele Markarian
‘Fiddler on the Roof’ – Book by Joseph Stein. Music by Jerry Bock. Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick Original Direction by Bartlett Sher; Direction Recreated by Sari Ketter and Shirley Butler. Presented by NETworks Presentations, Emerson Colonial Theatre, 106 Boylston Street, Boston through December 26.
I love “Fiddler on the Roof”. I have seen this show more times than I can count, including a middle school production in Rhode Island with a then twelve-year old Andrew Burnap, winner of this year’s Tony award for his role in “Inheritance”, as a very convincing Tevye. It’s a great show, and it’s hard to imagine that any one production could make it even greater. But last night’s show at the Emerson Colonial did exactly that.
(Cast of “Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol.” Photos by Jesse Faatz)
By Michele Markarian
“Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountain Christmas
Carol”. Adapted by David H. Bell, Paul T. Couch and Curt Wollan. Book by David
H. Bell. Music and Lyrics by Dolly Parton. Directed by Curt Wollen. Presented
by Red Tail Entertainment and Paul T. Couch, Emerson Colonial Theatre, 106
Boylston Street, Boston through December 29.
“Dolly Parton’s seated in our row,” my friend texted to me as I arrived at the Colonial Theatre in downtown Boston to see the world premiere of “Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol”. Indeed, the diminutive, pretty woman in the bright red dress was Dolly Parton! This was excitement enough, and the curtain hadn’t even gone up yet.
(David Byrne and cast of “American Utopia”. Presented by Ambassador Theatre Group, Emerson Colonial Theatre – Photos by Catalina Kulczar)
By Michele Markarian
“American Utopia”, by David Byrne. Choreography
and Musical Staging by Annie-B Parsons.
Karl Mansfield and Mauro Rerosco, Music Director. Presented by Ambassador
Theatre Group, Emerson Colonial Theatre, 106 Boylston Street, Boston through
September 28.
As the lights go up on the stage, a barefoot David Byrne is seated at a table, wearing a light gray suit with contrasting gray shirt, and holding a replica of the human brain. In pleasant but measured tones he explains that babies’ brains have hundreds more neural connections than we do as adults. Adults, he tells us, keep only the connections that are useful to us. The ones that are left define who we are as people. From this premise springs the rest of this amazing, undefinable event of music, movement, and speech. Over the course of 100 minutes, Byrne shares with us the connections that are important to him, while sharing the stage with eleven other similarly barefoot and clad multicultural musicians, singers and dancers. To say the piece has a narrative arc would be an overstatement, but we are treated to songs from Byrne’s oeuvre, including his first album since 2004, “American Utopia” (which is Byrne’s first album to make Billboard’s top ten), and snippets of stories from Byrne’s history. It’s a combination of cerebral and primitive. In between the often sensual choreography, Byrne reflects on a number of things, including Kurt Schwitters, Hugo Ball, immigration and the need for political agency.
That Prince Charming (a.k.a. Topher) isn’t really charming, but a dragonslayer with a paucity of social skills, self-confidence, and awareness of the kingdom’s usurping of farmers’ lands, inciting his subjects’ increasing growling against the empty throne? That lovely Ella (Kaitlyn Mayse), who sits “in her own little corner,” among the cinders, doing household chores and obeying her cruel stepmother’s orders, is also an activist, touting kindness, forgiveness and rights for the downtrodden?
‘Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella’ – Music by Richard Rodgers; Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II; New Book by Douglas Carter Beane; Original book by Oscar Hammerstein II; Directed by Gina Rattan; Choreography by Lee Wilkins; Scenic Design by Anna Louizos; Costume Design by William Ivey Long; Lighting Design by Kenneth Posner; Sound Design by Nevin Steinberg. Presented by Ambassador Theatre Group at Emerson Colonial Theatre, 106 Boylston St., Boston, through Dec. 30.
If you’re thinking of not taking your kids to see Cinderella because it sends the wrong message to girls (and boys) – think again. You obviously haven’t seen the new and improved Broadway touring version now playing at the Emerson Colonial Theatre, which takes the story and turns it on its head while still delivering the wonderful songs in their original form. Disney – and productions of fairy tales in general – have rightfully been taken to task in recent years for reinforcing the “princess culture” that disempowers girls by creating role models that reinforce the wrong-headed notion that girls are less capable than boys in a range of skill sets – especially leadership.
“Moulin Rouge! The Musical” – Book by John Logan, based on the 2001 movie written by Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce. Directed by Alex Timbers. Set Design by Derek McLane. Choreography by Sonya Tayeh. Costumes by Catherine Zuber. Lighting by Justin Townsend. Sound Design by Peter Hylenski. Produced by Global Creatures and presented by the Ambassador Theatre Group at the 106 Boylston St., Boston through Aug. 19.
by Susan Daniels
Glamorous and gritty, “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” put the spectacular in this spectacle of a show that wows the very audible fans throughout this sensory adventure. At a reported $30 million budget, the Ambassador Theatre Group hit a cornucopia of visual, visceral, and aural stripes with their pre-Broadway production that also debuted in a gorgeously gilded, renovated, and re-opened Emerson Colonial Theatre . . . perhaps the principal star of the evening.
“Moulin Rouge! The Musical” – Book by John Logan, based on the 2001 movie written by Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce. Directed by Alex Timbers. Set Design by Derek McLane. Choreography by Sonya Tayeh. Costumes by Catherine Zuber. Lighting by Justin Townsend. Sound Design by Peter Hylenski. Produced by Global Creatures and presented by the Ambassador Theatre Group at the Emerson Colonial Theatre, 106 Boylston St., Boston through Aug. 19.
The Emerson Colonial Theatre officially re-opened its doors in explosive fashion this past weekend with the pre-Broadway run of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, an experience that could best be likened to a heart attack patient being jolted back to life with defibrillator paddles. The Colonial’s new operator, Ambassador Theatre Group, has spared no expense in bringing this 2001 movie favorite to the stage, and the results are spectacular. Simply put, Moulin Rouge is an absolute blast. Featuring a set that would make Cecil B. DeMille blush, an extraordinary cast led by Tony Award-winner Karen Olivo, and an ingeniously clever score that mashes up everything from “L’amour Est Oiseau” (from Bizet’s 1875 opera Carmen) to Madonna’s “Material Girl”, Moulin Rouge is a visual and aural feast – particularly for fans of pop music.
