ART Delivers a Contemporary, Absorbing “Othello”

January 21, 2019January 21, 2019 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

by Michele Markarian

‘Othello’ – Written by William Shakespeare. Directed by Bill Rauch. Scenic Design by Christopher Acebo; Costume Design by Dede M. Ayite; Lighting Design by Xavier Pierce; Composer & Sound Designer, Andre J. Pluess; Projection Design by Tom Ontiveros. The American Repertory Theater presents the Oregon Shakespeare Festival production at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St. Cambridge through February 9.

“This is wonderful, isn’t it?” “Terrific!” was the buzz on the stairs to the restroom during the intermission for Othello, currently playing at A.R.T. People sounded pleased and slightly surprised. Not because it was good – who doesn’t like, or pretend to like, Shakespeare? – but because it was so stunningly good. We weren’t watching a play, we were immersed in it.

ART’s ‘Barber Shop Chronicles’ A Shear Delight

December 11, 2018December 28, 2018 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

by Mike Hoban

‘Barber Shop Chronicles’ – Written by Inua Ellams; Directed by Bijan Sheibani; Set Design by Rae Smith; Lighting Design by Jack Knowles; Sound Design by Gareth Fry; Music Direction by Michael Henry; Movement Direction by Aline David. Co-produced by Fuel, National Theatre, and West Yorkshire Playhouse. Presented by American Repertory Theater at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St. Cambridge, through Jan. 5.

Ever since the release of the movie series of the same name in the early 2000’s, I’ve pretty much thought of the “Barber Shop” as the social and cultural domain of African-American men. It had never occurred to me before seeing Barber Shop Chronicles (now playing at the A.R.T.), that the same elements that made barber shops a safe haven for black men in the U.S. – namely, a place where they could gather and express themselves without the judgement/harassment of an often hostile society – were also a cultural institution in other corners of the world, despite knowing that those same conditions existed pretty much everywhere, including the African continent.

BARBER SHOP CHRONICLES – Where Real Men Gather, Gab, and Get Groomed

December 10, 2018December 22, 2018 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

By Sheila Barth

BOX INFO: One-act, 110-minute play, written by Inua Ellams, co-produced by The Fuel, National Theatre, and West Yorkshire Playhouse, appearing at American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) through Jan. 5, 2019, on its US premiere tour, Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Cambridge: Dec. 19-22. 26-29, 31, Jan. 2-5, at 7:30 p.m.; Dec. 19,22,23, 27, 29-31, Jan.5, 2 p.m.. Tickets start at $25, subscriber, member, groups, student, senior, Blue Star families EBT cardholders and other discounts. americanrepertorytheater.org, 617-547-8300.

We all do it. While getting our hair cut or styled at the barber shop or salon, we engage in small talk with our hairdresser/barber. We even discuss lofty topics, solving the world’s problems. Sometimes, we lean over a bit to eavesdrop on what the person in the chair nearby is revealing. Strangely enough, we openly talk about family and friends’ secrets, our feelings, likes and dislikes, political and personal problems to a stranger. You never know what truths, boasting, or bravado may erupt, but you know the dynamic exists globally.

A.R.T. Does The Greatest Hits with “ExtraOrdinary”

November 21, 2018November 21, 2018 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

*(Bryonha Marie Parham, Mj Rodriguez, Melody A. Betts, and Kathryn Gallagher in ExtraOrdinary | Photo: Gretjen Helene Photography)*

by Mike Hoban

‘ExtraOrdinary’ – Written by Dick Scanlan; Directed by Diane Paulus; Music Direction by Lance Horne; Choreography by Abbey O’Brien. Presented by American Repertory Theater at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St. in Cambridge through Nov. 30.

You don’t have to be an American Repertory Theater subscriber (or a reviewer) to appreciate the selections from ExtraOrdinary, the company’s exhilarating salute to itself playing now through November 30th. With a veritable ‘Cavalcade of Stars’ performing selections from the last decade of musical theater with Diane Paulus at the helm of A.R.T. – many of which ended up (or will be) on Broadway – it’s an evening of some truly extraordinary highs and few lows. Featuring seven cast members from productions staged in Cambridge (both the Loeb Center and Oberon) ExtraOrdinary showcases numbers from Broadway staples like Pippin, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, and Cabaret, as well as lesser-known works such as Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet, Witness Uganda, and Prometheus Bound – all of which had premieres of sorts at the A.R.T.

A.R.T.s “WARHOLCAPOTE” An Entertaining Diversion

September 28, 2017September 28, 2017 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

by Mike Hoban

“WARHOLCAPOTE” – Adapted by Rob Roth from the Words of Truman Capote and Andy Warhol; Directed by Michael Mayer; Starring Stephen Spinella and Dan Butler; Scenic Design by Stanley A. Meyer; Costume Design by Clint Ramos; Lighting Design by Kevin Adams; Sound Design by John Gromada; and Projection Design by Darrel Maloney. Presented by the American Repertory Theater at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St, Cambridge through October 11.

The A.R.T.s Broadway-bound WARHOLCAPOTE is making its much-anticipated world premiere at the Loeb Center, and while there’s a lot to like about this “non-fiction invention”, it’s really less of a fully developed play and more of a series of outtakes from conversations between the two 20th century icons. Which – considering the colorful nature of the work’s subjects – makes for an entertaining 90 minutes.

It’s the End of the World as We Know It, So Let’s “Burn All Night”

August 29, 2017November 8, 2017 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

By Mike Hoban

‘Burn All Night’ – Book and Lyrics by Andy Mientus. Music by Van Hughes, Nicholas LaGrasta, and Brett Moses. Directed by Jenny Koons. Scenic Design by Sara Brown; Choreography by Sam Pinkleton; Costume Design by Evan Prizant, Lighting Design by Bradley King; Sound Design by Jessica Paz; Music Direction by Cian McCarthy. Produced by the American Repertory Theater at Oberon, 2 Arrow St, Cambridge, through Sept. 8

There’s a scene in the second act of “Burn All Night”, the millennial musical now making its world premiere at Oberon, where four friends are partying hard while waiting for the apocalypse, when they decide to engage in a faux philosophical game of “What would you do if the world were ending tomorrow?” The answer by one of them – that he would essentially get spectacularly wasted – angers the alleged deep thinker of the group, who was undoubtedly hoping for something a little more substantial. The unintentional irony is that the same holds true for much of “Burn” a frothy new work by Broadway and television star (and first time playwright) Andy Mientus, who has created a show that delivers high energy entertainment – but little of its promised depth.