Confessions of a Revolutionary Preacher – ASP’s ‘Nat Turner in Jerusalem’

February 5, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Brandon G. Green, Lewis D. Wheeler in ‘Nat Turner in Jerusalem’ (Photos by Nile Scott Shots)

by Deanna Dement Myers

‘Nat Turner in Jerusalem’ – Written by Nathan Alan Davis. Directed by Benny Sato Ambush; Scenic Design by Janie E. Howland Director; Costume Design by A.W. Nadine Grant,; Sound Design by Dewey Dellay; Lighting Design by Aja M. Jackson. Presented by the Actors Shakespeare Project in collaboration with Hibernian Hall, at Hibernian Hall, 184 Dudley St., Roxbury through February 24

“The uprisings will never cease until injustice ceases.”

In August 1831, thrice-sold Nat Turner, an educated preacher, led a two-day uprising of enslaved and free African American people that shook not only Jerusalem, Virginia, but our whole nation. Turner acted upon visions and signs from God, who called him to lead his people out of bondage. Approximately fifty white men, women and children were killed in the uprising, and the militia that retaliated murdered twice as many people of color, most who were not rebels. No white person was ever tried for their part in this horrific event. This insurrection lead to oppressive legislation designed to prohibit the education, movement and assembly of enslaved people. Turner was caught after two months on the run, tried, convicted and sentenced to hang until dead, dead, dead.

Speakeasy’s ‘Small Mouth Sounds’ Silently Sends Up Spirituality Industry

January 8, 2019January 22, 2019 michaelhoban1 Comment

by Mike Hoban

Small Mouth Sounds – Written by Bess Wohl; Directed by M. Bevin O’Gara; Scenic Design by Cristina Todesco; Costume Design by Mary Lauve; Lighting Design by Annie Wiegand; Sound Design by Elizabeth Cahill. Presented by SpeakEasy Stage Company at The Roberts Studio Theatre in the Stanford Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street, Boston through February 2.

If you’ve ever been skeptical of the kind of spirituality-lite movements whose adherents sometimes mouth the words of the Dali Lama while still behaving with all of the empathy of a corporate raider, you’re going to love Small Mouth Sounds, now playing at SpeakEasy Stage. This very funny but deceptively poignant play by Bess Wohl lovingly skewers the spirituality industry while leaving the door open to the possibility that the universe may indeed work in mysterious ways – when we’re in enough pain to seek a better path.

Theater Mirror’s Favorite Productions of 2018

December 31, 2018January 20, 2019 michaelhoban2 Comments

By Michele Markarian and Mike Hoban

Looking back, 2018 was a pretty eclectic year for Boston-area theater, with something for everybody – whether it be “serious” theatergoers or newcomers checking out the latest jukebox musical. So Theater Mirror Co-Editors Michele Markarian and Mike Hoban reflected on some of the more noteworthy theatrical events of 2018 and created their year-end lists. There are four overlaps – which says a lot about the strength of the productions in a year full of quality offerings – but there were also a lot of shows that could have made the lists that we just didn’t have room for.

Gloucester Stage’s ‘Dancing at Lughnasa’ Finds Ray of Light in the Darkness

June 13, 2018June 18, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

by Mike Hoban

Dancing at Lughnasa; Written by Brian Friel; Directed by Benny Sato Ambush; Scenic Design, Janie Howland; Sound Design, Arshan Gailus; Lighting Design, Karen Perlow; Costume Design, Miranda Giurleo. Presented by Gloucester Stage at 267 E. Main St., Gloucester through July 8.

Is it possible to leave a theater with a smile on your face knowing that two of the play’s endearingly forlorn characters will die lonely deaths and that their siblings will live out the remainder their lives devoid of any real fulfillment? If you’ve just seen the Gloucester Stage production of Brian Friel’s classic work, Dancing at Lughnasa, then the answer is a resounding yes. Superbly acted by an exceptional ensemble and brilliantly directed by Benny Sato Ambush, the play explores the bleak but hopeful existence of the five Mundy sisters in the tiny village of Ballybeg in County Donegal during the Celtic harvest festival of the play’s title. Narrated in flashback from the point of view of Michael (Ed Hoopman), the now grown up son of the youngest sister, unwed mother Christina, the play details the summer of his seventh year, when forces from within and without conspired to push the heretofore resilient family to its breaking point.

The Quixotic, Passionate Drive of Golda Meir

March 30, 2017March 30, 2017 michaelhobanLeave a comment

By Michele Markarian

‘Golda’s Balcony’ – Written by William Gibson. Directed by Judy Braha. Presented by the New Repertory Theatre, 321 Arsenal Street, Watertown through April 16.

Golda Meir was a fascinating character – passionate, driven, with a sense of personal destiny that was tied in to the “paradise” that she believed to be the State of Israel. Her early childhood was spent in Kiev, where she remembered her father boarding the door with wooden planks to keep out the pogroms. The family emigrated to Milwaukee, where the young Golda heard Ben Gurion speak, which marked the beginning of her life as a warrior and champion for the burgeoning State of Israel.

Essays In Idelness

March 17, 2017April 2, 2017 michaelhobanLeave a comment

by Larry Stark

(Essays in Idleness is a feature that periodically runs – uneditied – that expresses the thoughts of our founder Larry Stark)

THERE’S A NEW COMPANY IN BOSTON!

“THE FRONT PORCH ARTS COLLECTIVE” (https://www.centralsquaretheater.org/about/front-porch-arts-collective/) will be in residence at The Central Square Theatre for a year, and next weekend their first production will be a staged reading of Marcus Gardley’s play “The House That Will Not Stand” —as first in “The God’s Closet Reading Series” of at least six. The date is 26 March, at 7:00 p m., and reservations for this reading are recommended.