Ogunquit’s ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ Melds Dark Comedy with a Rockin’ Score

September 3, 2024September 19, 2024 michaelhoban2 Comments

Talia Suskauer, Etai Benson, and Adam Heller in *‘Little Shop of Horrors’* at Ogunquit Playhouse

‘Little Shop of Horrors’ – Book by Howard Ashman; Music by Alan Menken; Based on the film by Roger Corman, screenplay by Charles Griffith. Directed by Hunter Foster. Choreography by Mara Newbery Greer. Music Direction by Dan Pardo. Scenic Design by Scott Pask and Nate Bertone. Lighting Design by Richard Latta. Costume Design by Dustin Cross and Bryce Turgeon. Sound Design by Kevin Heard. Wig/Hair & Make-Up Design by Roxanne De Luna. Presented by Ogunquit Playhouse, Ogunquit, Maine, through September 21.

By Mike Hoban

With so many good or great movies turned into mediocre or outright awful stage musicals, Little Shop of Horrors stands out as a brilliant exception – turning a dreadful but campy 1950s sci-fi movie into one of the best of the rock ‘n’ roll-scored musicals. Ogunquit Playhouse’s production of Little Shop is a rollicking blast; from its opening 60s girl group title number to its whacked-out sci-fi conclusion, it delivers musically and comedically.

Madcap ‘POTUS’ Kicks Off Trinity Rep’s Season

September 1, 2024September 12, 2024 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

The opening show of Trinity Repertory Company’s 61st season is Selina Fillinger’s political feminist farce called “POTUS: Or Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive.” It’s a contemporary farce about seven women at the White House trying to keep things running smoothly in spite of an incompetent and morally bankrupt head of the US. Sound familiar? When a PR problem that could have dire worldwide consequences pops up, it is up to these seven women to do damage control. These women include his wife, chief of staff, press secretary, mouthy ex-con sister, mousy secretary, young “innocent” girl from Iowa, and a nosy reporter who wants the inside scoop. Director Curt Columbus picks seven strong actresses to portray these diverse and extremely comical characters. The madcap adventures and roller coaster ride they bring us on leads to nonstop laughter from start to finish, helping us escape from the stressful 2024 election looming upon us in November. What a marvelous way to begin Trinity’s 61st season.

Gamm’s ‘The Effect’: Is it Love or Big Pharma?

September 1, 2024September 30, 2024 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Cast of Gamm Theatre’s “The Effect”. Photo credits: Cat Laine

by Tony Annicone

The opening show of GAMM Theatre’s 40th Anniversary season is the 2012 play “The Effect” by Lucy Prebble, who later became executive producer and writer for the hit HBO series “Succession”. “The Effect” is a 100-minute show that follows two patients, Tristan, a flirty drifter and jokester, and Connie, a wary and skeptical psychology student, at a clinical trial for an antidepressant. They are doing it for the cash. It requires them to be locked up in some asylum and undergo constant medical supervision. They then fall in love but wonder whether the happy feeling might just be the drug’s ability to mimic dopamine.

Iranian Girls Just Wanna Have Fun in Gloucester Stage’s Thought-Provoking “Wish You Were Here”

August 15, 2024August 15, 2024 michaelhobanLeave a comment

‘Wish You Were Here’ — Written by Sanaz Toossi. Directed by Melory Mirashafi. Scenic Design by Lindsay G. Fuori; Costume Design by KJ Gilmer; Lighting Design by Amanda Fallon; Composer and Sound Design by Bahar Royaee. At Gloucester Stage in Gloucester through August 25.

By Shelley A. Sackett

“Wish You Were Here,” in its regional premiere at Gloucester Stage, opens on three frozen tableaux set in a lavish apartment with Persian-inspired décor. At an ornate make-up table, two women hover over a third clad in a billowing wedding dress. Another, wearing a red silk short kimono and huge pink curlers, is draped over a couch, a cigarette dangling provocatively from her languid hand. A fifth slouches against the wall. All appear to be in their late teens/early 20s.

Suddenly, the three scenes simultaneously spring to life, all five women speaking to and over each other.

A Scrumptious Production Of ‘Waitress’ At The Cape Playhouse

August 15, 2024August 15, 2024 michaelhobanLeave a comment

The Cape Playhouse presents WAITRESS. Music and Lyrics by Sara Bareilles. Book by Jessie Nelson. Directed by Eric Rosen. Choreographed by Paul McGill. Music Directed by Ryan Shirar. Scenic Design by Jack Magaw. Costume Design by Devario D. Simmons. Lighting Design by Kat C. Zhou. Sound Design by Andre Pluess. Wig Design by Bobbie Zlotnik. The Cape Playhouse at the Cape Cod Center for the Arts, Dennis, MA, through August 24, 2024.

By Linda Chin

The Cape Playhouse – the longest-running professional summer theater in the country – continues its exciting 98th summer season (the first with Eric Rosen as the new Artistic Director) with a scrumptious production of Sara Bareilles’ Waitress, directed by Rosen himself. Ryan Shirar music directs, and Paul McGill choreographs. Jack Magaw’s lovely scenic design for the main playing area, supported by Kat C. Zhou’s expert lighting design, includes a screened wall that defines the inside of the diner and offers views of the lovely rural landscape and open sky outside. Besides seeing the cast of sixteen performing their hearts out, the audience is gifted with seeing the orchestra of six musicians (conducted by Shirar) perform on-stage throughout the show.

Reagle’s ‘An American in Paris’ is a Work of Art

August 12, 2024August 15, 2024 michaelhoban1 Comment

‘An American In Paris’ – Music and Lyrics by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin. Book by Craig Lucas. Direction and Choreography by Rachel Bertone. Music Direction by Dan Rodriguez. Set Design by Cameron McEachern. Lighting Design by Frank Meissner, Jr. Costume Design by Emerald City Theatrical. Sound Design by Sebastian Nixon. At the Reagle Music Theatre, Waltham, MA, through August 18.

By Mike Hoban

Right from the start, from the wordless opening musical number, “Concerto in F,” it’s clear that An American In Paris will be unlike any other musical you’ve ever seen on stage. The balletic, bustling street scene of the City of Light is like a Jean Béraud painting come to life, and it’s visually and aurally gorgeous. It also sets the stage for the improbable romance between American GI/budding artist Jerry Mulligan (Jack Mullen) and Parisian shopgirl Lise Dassin (Samantha Barnes). Reagle Music Theatre artistic director Rachel Bertone (who directed and choreographed) and company deliver an exquisitely staged and imaginative rendering of this updated version of the 1951 MGM screen classic to the Robinson Theater in Waltham for a limited (two-week) run.

Audiences Tickled Pink by The Queen of Versailles at Emerson Colonial Theatre

August 5, 2024August 5, 2024 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Kristin Chenoweth and F. Murray Abrahamin“The Queen of Versailles” at Emerson Colonial Theatre. Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy

THE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES – Produced by Bill Damaschke, Seaview, and Kristen Chenoweth, through her production banner Diva Worldwide Entertainment. Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. Book by Lindsey Ferrentino based on the documentary film “The Queen of Versailles” by Lauren Greenfield and the life stories of Jackie and David Siegel. Directed by Michael Arden. Scenic and Video Design by Dane Laffrey; Costume Design by Christian Cowan; Choreography by Lauren Yalango-Grant and Christopher Cree Grant; Music Supervised by Mary-Mitchell Campbell; Lighting Design by Natasha Katz; Sound Design by Peter Hylenski. At Emerson Colonial Theatre, 106 Boylston St., Boston, through August 25th.

by Linda Chin

I must have missed the memo. For the beautiful and ebullient crowd at the Emerson Colonial Theater attending the highly anticipated new Stephen Schwartz musical, hot pink and sequins were the colors of choice, minidresses to ballgowns with floor-grazing trains the length of choice, boas and bling the accessories of choice. The Queen of Versailles – starring Tony and Emmy award-winner Kristen Chenoweth as Jackie Siegel – is a rags-to-riches-to-rags musical that follows working-class teenager “Jackie Mallory, who has a minimum wage salary” and lives in Endwell, NJ. She gets a degree in engineering – part of her lifetime dream is to work at IBM – but gets “pulled in a new direction.” There are plenty of references and allusions to Broadway shows and pop culture, and product endorsements for McDonald’s and Louis Vuitton (“the two bags under my eyes”). The show is enjoying a pre-Broadway run through August 25 at the Emerson Colonial Theatre (location and date of the Broadway run to be announced at a later date), and if the response at the opening night performance I attended is any indication, audiences are already tickled pink with the production.

Emerson Colonial Theatre’s Dazzling “Queen of Versailles” Showcases Kristin Chenoweth’s Super-Sized Talent

August 4, 2024August 4, 2024 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Cast of *“The Queen of Versailles”* at Emerson Colonial Theatre. Photo Credit Matthew Murphy

“The Queen of Versailles” — Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. Book by Lindsey Ferrentino based on the documentary film “The Queen of Versailles” by Lauren Greenfield and the life stories of Jackie and David Siegel. Directed by Michael Arden. Scenic and Video Design by Dane Laffrey; Costume Design by Christian Cowan; Choreography by Lauren Yalango-Grant and Christopher Cree Grant; Music Supervised by Mary-Mitchell Campbell; Lighting Design by Natasha Katz; Sound Design by Peter Hylenski. Produced by Bill Damaschke, Seaview, and Kristen Chenoweth, through her production banner Diva Worldwide Entertainment. Presented by Emerson Colonial Theatre at 106 Boylston St., Boston through August 25.

By Shelley A. Sackett

There is no more perfect setting for a play about Versailles and consumerism gone awry than Boston’s own Colonial Theatre, with its gold, glitz, and Rococo splendor. On opening night last Thursday, the festive crowd for “The Queen of Versailles,” the Broadway-bound musical extravaganza, was dressed as if auditioning as contemporary cast extras with bling, boas, and bottles of champagne.

But that was nothing compared to Dane Lafrey’s lavish Louis XIV worthy set, thankfully on pre-curtain-rise display to accommodate selfies and elicit oohs and aahs.

A Blissful Production of ‘A Little Night Music’ at Ogunquit Playhouse

August 1, 2024August 1, 2024 michaelhoban2 Comments

A Little Night Music. Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Book by Hugh Wheeler. Direction by Hunter Foster. Choreography by Shannon Lewis. Music Direction by Jeffrey Campos. Scenic Design by Riw Rakkulchon. Lighting Design by Richard Latta. Costume Design by Hunter Kaczorowski. Sound design by Daniel Lindbergh. Wig Design by Roxanne De Luna. At Ogunquit Playhouse, Ogunquit ME, through August 17, 2024.

by Linda Chin

It’s time to send in the summer crowds to the little seaside village of Ogunquit, Maine, and its legendary regional theater. The Ogunquit Playhouse’s production of musical theatre’s “Giant in the Sky” Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music, which runs through August 17th, is spectacular. Hugh Wheeler’s book, inspired by the 1955 Ingmar Bergman film Smiles of a Summer Night, tells the story of three generations of Armfeldts: the aging, wealthy, and wise former courtesan Madame Armfeldt (Kathleen Turner, elegant as usual), her also aging daughter, the renowned actress Desirée (Julia Murney), an aging actress and single mother to Fredrika (Lily Philbrook) and their many permutations of romantic partners. A Little Night Music is part operetta, part social commentary, and part bedroom farce. With the masterful score and brilliant lyrics that are Sondheim’s trademark, paired with the Ogunquit Playhouse’s usual outstanding orchestra, cast, and creative teams, audiences are in for a visual and vocal treat featuring both melancholic and laugh-out-loud moments.

“Tootsie” at the North Shore Music Theatre

August 1, 2024August 18, 2024 michaelhobanLeave a comment

The cast of TOOTSIE at North Shore Music Theatre. Photos by David Costa Photography

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

North Shore Music Theatre’s fourth show of their 69th Season is “Tootsie,” a regional debut of this musical. “Tootsie”, the musical, is based on the 1982 comedy movie of the same name written by Larry Gelbart, Barry Levinson, Elaine May, and Murray Schisgal from the story by Gelbart and Don McGuire. The musical opened on Broadway on March 29, 2019. Like the film, the musical tells the story of Michael Dorsey, a talented but volatile actor whose reputation for being difficult forces him to adopt a new identity as a woman in order to obtain a job. The original movie revolved around a daytime soap opera, while this show involved a Broadway musical. The musical has music and lyrics by David Yazbek and a book by Robert Horn. Director Richard J. Hinds cast these roles splendidly and elicited strong performances. He also choreographs some phenomenal dance numbers to keep the audience enthralled all night long. His associate director and choreographer, Elyn Collier aids Richard in his task. Musical director Sam Groisser not only conducts a terrific ten-piece orchestra but plays lead keyboards. Sam taught the cast all the melodious songs with soaring harmonies and brought out the best in the cast and orchestra. Together Richard and Sam bring a new original musical to North Shore Music Theatre for audiences to enjoy and savor. The talented cast is rewarded with a thunderous standing ovation at the close of the show.