ArtsEmerson’s ‘American Moor’ Reimagines Black Performance

April 16, 2019April 16, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

by Nicholas Whittaker

‘American Moor’ – Written and performed by Keith Hamilton Cobb (with additional performance by Josh Tyson). Directed by Kim Weild. Set Designer: Wilson Chin. Lighting Designer: Alan C. Edwards. Sound Designer: Christian Frederickson. Stage Coordinator: Tareena D. Barbe. Presented by ArtsEmerson at the Emerson Paramount Center through April 21st.

Who is American Moor for? For what audience is it meant? This question becomes complicated in any work directly concerned with race and racism, which always involves at least two parties: the marginalized and those who marginalize, the victims of racism and its perpetrators. The question of audience is in this case, then, political. If a production on Blackness is meant for Black viewers, then we might say it presents Black viewers with too-scarce representation, but we might also worry that it does nothing the change the hearts and minds of non-Black folks. But if that Black artwork is meant for non-Black viewers, while we may laud its potential to heal racial strife, we also may worry that Black audiences are, once again, being deprived of art for their own sake.

The ‘Haves’ Are Taken to Task in ArtsEmerson’s ‘An Inspector Calls’

March 19, 2019March 19, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

(Jeff Harmer, Diana Payne-Myers, Lianne Harvey, Hamish Riddle, Andrew Macklin, Christine Kavanagh and Ensemble in An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley, P.W. Productions on tour 2018/19 Directed by Stephen Daldry Designed by Ian MacNeil Lighting by Rick Fisher Associate Director Julian Webber Photo by Mark Douet)

By Mike Hoban

‘An Inspector Calls’ – Written by J.B. Priestley; Directed by Stephen Daldry; Set Design by Ian MacNeil; Lighting Design by Rick Fisher; Music Direction by Stephen Warbeck; Sound Design by Sebastian Frost. Presented by ArtsEmerson at the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre, 219 Tremont St., Boston through March 24

Perhaps what is most striking about An Inspector Calls, the riveting National Theatre touring production from London now being presented by ArtsEmerson, is how closely its theme and language reflect the current state of affairs between the haves and have nots – despite the fact that the play made its stage debut just after the close of World War II. An Inspector Calls is an Agatha Christie-style drawing room crime drama that – on the surface – investigates the connection between the apparent suicide of a young woman and the Birlings, a wealthy and politically connected family in the fictitious industrial town of Brumley, England, where the family patriarch owns a factory.

ArtsEmerson’s ‘When Angels Fall’ Mesmerizes

February 23, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

‘When Angels Fall’ *(Photos by Sophian and Georges Ridel)*

By Mike Hoban

‘When Angels Fall’ – Direction and Choreography: Raphaëlle Boitel; Artistic Collaboration, Set Design, and Light Design: Tristan Baudoin; Original Soundtrack and Sound Design: Arthur Bison; Costumes: Lilou Hérin; Rigging, Machinery and Set Design: Nicolas Lourdelle; Artistic Assistant: Clara Henry. Presented by ArtsEmerson at the Cutler Majestic Theatre, 219 Tremont St., Boston through February 24

If you’re a frequent attendee of Boston theater (or a reviewer), you’ve got to love the break from ‘traditional’ theater that ArtsEmerson provides with their visiting programs. Whether it’s the aerial and acrobatic artistry of Montreal’s Seven Fingers, the weird and brilliant live cinematic shadow puppet shows of Chicago’s Manual Cinema, or the insanely imaginative building of an entire house onstage (Geoff Sobelle’s Home), ArtsEmerson’s presentations of contemporary world theatre gives us a much needed respite from the steady diet of productions of Twelfth Night and Fiddler on the Roof – even if, like me, you’re a fan of both.

Manual Cinema’s “The End of TV” a Compelling Theatrical/Cinematic Experience

January 19, 2019January 20, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

by Michele Markarian

“The End of TV” by Manual Cinema. Screenplay by Kyle Vegter and Ben Kauffman. Direction and Storyboards by Julia Vanarsdale Miller. Presented by Arts Emerson, Emerson Paramount Center, 559 Washington Street, Boston, through January 27.

“They tiptoe into your heart until you care for them so much,” is the first line of Manual Cinema’s new work, “The End of TV”. The line is from a commercial referring to cats, but works well as a through-line for the rest of the piece, which deals with love and loss and the failed promise of the American Dream against the relentless backdrop of consumerism. A self-described performance collective, design studio and film/video production company, Manual Cinema uses shadow puppets, on-the-spot video feeds, multi-channel sound design and a live, five-piece band to create a theatrical cinematic experience.

Measure for Measure, a Russian Investigation of Shakespeare’s Problem Play

October 25, 2018November 7, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

*(MEASURE FOR MEASURE by Shakespeare, , Writer – William Shakespeare, Director – Declan Donnellan, Designer – Nick Ormerod, Lighting – Sergei Skornetsky, Paris, 2015, Credit: Johan Persson/)*

By Deanna Dement Myers

ArtsEmerson welcomes Cheek by Jowl (UK) and The Pushkin Theatre Moscow (Russia) with Measure for Measure. This production by the international award-winning Director Declan Donnellan and Designer Nick Ormerod asks vital and unsettling questions about how we are governed and, in the process, unmasks the true nature of authority, love and justice. The creative team includes Assistant Director Kirill Sbitnev, Lighting Designer Sergey Skornetskiy, Composer Pavel Akimkin, and Choreographer Irina Kashuba. The limited run of only six performances takes place October 24 through 28, 2018 at the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre. Tickets may be purchased at www.ArtsEmerson.org.

“The tempter or the tempted, who sins the most?”

Power and purity are explored in this production of Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure. Performed entirely in Russian on a stage bare except for four, enormous, red cubes, this modern interpretation has a stark beauty and a fluid physical presentation that transcends the need to understand the language. Government corruption and licentious behavior is easily understood without the overhead captioning. The entire cast is present during most scenes, gliding at times like a school of fish, at another as a phalanx, with characters and set pieces peeling off and rejoining the array as the scene requires. Part dance and part stagehands, the non-speaking cast members offer commentary and witness, much like a Greek chorus.

ArtsEmerson Delivers a Compelling, Layered “Hamnet”

September 24, 2018September 25, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Photos by Gianmarco Bresadola

by Michele Markarian

“Hamnet” (Dead Centre) – Written and directed by Bush Moukarzel and Ben Kidd. Presented by ArtsEmerson: The World On Stage at The Emerson Paramount, 559 Washington Street, Boston through October 7.

“Look, there you are,” I said to my husband, pointing at a projection onstage, as he entered our row at the theater. This isn’t a play about audience reaction – you are only dimly aware of the audience projected when the lights go down – but the duality and point of view of two worlds, two perspectives, in this extraordinary production of grief, fatherhood, and the shadow of those we love and miss. It’s an imagining of the relationship that did – or didn’t – exist between Shakespeare and his son, Hamnet. Of his three children, only Shakespeare’s son, Hamnet, died in childhood.

‘BORN FOR THIS’ Raises Hopes and Spirit

July 1, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

BOX INFO: ArtsEmerson presents the New England premiere of new musical “Born for This,” based on the true story of BeBe Winans, through July 15: Tuesdays-Thursdays, excluding July 4, at 7:30 p.m.; Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 2,8 p.m.; Sundays 2,7 p.m. Emerson Cutler Majestic Theater, 219 Tremont St., Boston.$20-$80, prices subject to change; senior, student, group, package discounts. ArtsEmerson.org, 617-824-8400.

Hey, you sinners and believers, get ready to shout, sing, clap those hands and rejoice with hallelujahs and hosannas at new musical “Born for This.” A high-powered, stellar, spectacular, 20-strong member cast of well-known Broadway, national and international fame drives this vibrant two-act, two-hour production. Because the play began had its infancy in Boston in 2013 and 2014, Mayor Thomas J. Walsh declared its official opening this year, June 22, as Boston’s “Born for This” Day. The show’s last day is July 15, so grab the kids, and don’t miss this inspirational story of reaching for the stars and achieving it.

‘Born For This’ Lifts Us Up with Music, Comedy

June 27, 2018July 8, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

(Left to right: Donald Webber Jr. as BeBe Winans, Liisi LaFontaine as Whitney Houston, and Loren Lott as CeCe Winans in BORN FOR THIS. Photo ©Joan Marcus 2018)

By Mike Hoban

Born for This – Music and Lyrics by BeBe Winans. Book by Charles Randolph-Wright, BeBe Winans, and Lisa D’Amour. Directed by Charles Randolph-Wright; Scenic Design by Neil Patel; Lighting Design by Jason Lyons; Sound Design by Jon Weston; Choreography by Warren Adams. Presented by ArtsEmerson. At Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre, Boston, through July 15.

You’re not likely to find a more consistently entertaining musical on Boston stages this year than Born for This, gospel and pop star Bebe Winan’s autobiographical work now in its latest incarnation at the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre. A powerhouse score delivered by an extraordinary cast combined with a very funny script are sure to make this show an overwhelming crowd-pleaser (if the opening night crowd is any indication), even if the book won’t make anyone forget Les Miserables or Ragtime anytime soon.

A Captivating ‘Saint Joan’ from Bedlam

March 12, 2018March 12, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

By Michele Markarian

Bedlam’s “Saint Joan” by George Bernard Shaw. Directed by Eric Tucker. Presented by Arts Emerson, Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre, 219 Tremont St, Boston, MA through March 25.

The great thing about attending a Bedlam show – this is my fourth – is that you know you will never, ever be bored. This company’s take on the classics is so energizing and fresh that even when you think you know the script, you’ll find yourself in for some surprises. Saint Joan is no exception. Four characters play all of the roles, and they do it amazingly well.

ART’s ‘The White Card’ is Very White, Indeed

March 2, 2018March 2, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

by Michele Markarian

The White Card. Written by Claudia Rankine. Directed by Diane Paulus. The World Premiere of American Repertory Theater’s production, presented by ArtsEmerson , 559 Washington Street, Boston, MA through April 1.

Wealthy New Yorkers and avid art collectors Virginia and Charles (Patricia Kalember and Daniel Gerroll) have, through their colleague Eric (Jim Poulos), invited artist Charlotte (Karen Pittman), to dinner, in the hopes of purchasing some of her work for their illustrious collection. Charlotte, who is the only black person at the dinner, is making a name for herself creating photographic re-enactments of racist crimes. Charles and Virginia, well-intentioned white people, collect art on this very subject, thinking it the essence of the black experience.