Abolition and Women’s Suffrage Leaders Fight for Rights in ‘The Agitators’ at Gloucester

September 28, 2018October 8, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

By Sheila Barth

BOX INFO: Two-act, two-hour, two-person play, written by Mat Smart, directed by renowned playwright-actress-director Jacqui Parker, making its New England premiere through Oct. 7: Wednesday-Saturday, 7:30 p.m.; matinees, Saturday, Sunday, 2 p.m., 267 East Main St., Gloucester. $35-$45, discount tickets for senior citizens,18-year-olds and younger, and Cape Ann residents. 978-281-4433, gloucesterstage.com.

“I declare to you that woman must not depend upon the protection of man, but must be taught to protect herself, and there I take my stand.” – Susan B. Anthony

“I didn’t know I was a slave until I found out I couldn’t do the things I wanted.”

“Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons or property will be safe.” – Frederick Douglass

Gloucester’s TRUE WEST a True Classic

July 29, 2018August 29, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

By Sheila Barth

BOX INFO: Sam Shepard’s two-hour, two-act Modern American classic play, starring Nael Nacer and Alexander Platt, through Sept, 8, Wednesday-Saturday,7:30 p.m., matinees Saturday, Sunday, 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 2, free post-show discussion with the artists. Gloucester Stage Company, 267 E. Main St., Gloucester. $35-$45, senior, veteran, under 18 discount tickets offered. gloucesterstage.com 978-281-4433.

Whatever you do, try to see Gloucester Stage Company’s explosive, dynamic, two-hour, two-act production of prolific author Sam Shepard’s Modern American classic play, “True West”. Starring Nael Nacer in the role of Lee, desultory drifter and petty thief, and Alexander Platt portraying Austin, Lee’s younger successful and talented author brother, (with direction by Joe Short), their riveting performances will keep you on the edge of your seat.

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.

Strong Performances Lift Gloucester Stage’s “Madame Defarge”

May 23, 2018May 24, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Madame Defarge – Inspired by Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities”; Book, Music and Lyrics by Wendy Kesselman; Directed by Ellie Heyman. Presented by Gloucester Stage Company, 267 East Main Street, Gloucester through June 2

The Gloucester Stage Company is opening its season in ambitious fashion, with the world premiere of Madame Defarge, an absorbing and well-staged new musical based on the character from Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities”. Powered by a fiery performance by Jennifer Ellis and committed work by a deep and talented supporting cast, the production overcomes a complex storyline (that may be confusing to those unfamiliar with the Dickens tale) to deliver a satisfying theatrical experience in the cozy confines of Gloucester Stage.

A Spectacular New Musical, ‘MADAME DeFARGE’ Ignites Gloucester Stage

May 20, 2018May 20, 2018 michaelhoban1 Comment

By Sheila Barth

BOX INFO: Two-act, two-hour new musical, book, music and lyrics by Wendy Kesselman, inspired by Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities,” making its world premiere, with a Boston all-star cast, appearing at Gloucester Stage Company, now through June 2: Wednesday-Saturday, 7:30 p.m.; Saturday,Sunday, 2 p.m. 267 E. Main St., Gloucester. $35-$45, senior, 18-under years old, and other discounts. 978-281-4433, gloucesterstage.com.

For two hours, theatergoers sat hushed, in reverential silence. A woman in the audience wept, her tears heart-rending, in the final scenes of Gloucester Stage Company’s spectacular production of Wendy Kesselman’s new musical, “Madame DeFarge”. The deeply moving play is inspired by Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities”.

Gloucester Stage’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” Brilliantly Evokes the Bad Old Days

October 20, 2017October 20, 2017 michaelhobanLeave a comment

By Sheila Barth

Some things never change.

We say they do. Over the years, we claim, there have been sweeping, amazing, changes.
But people don’t change. Sadly, there’s a stagnancy in human nature and conditions. Such is the case with Christopher Sergel’s striking stage adaptation of Harper Lee’s classic 1960 novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” with Gloucester Stage’s blended cast of outstanding professional and local actors, skillfully directed by award-winning Boston director-Boston University educator, Judy Braha.