“A Raisin in the Sun” Captivates at New Rep

September 9, 2023September 18, 2023 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Lorraine Victoria Kanyike, Joshua McKenna, Juanita A. Rodrigues, Valyn Lyric Turner, Damon Singletary, and Jon Vellante in “A Raisin in the Sun” at New Repertory Theatre. Photos by
Ken Yotsukura Photography

by Michele Markarian

“A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry. Directed by Lois Roach. Presented by New Repertory Theatre, 321 Arsenal Street, Watertown, MA through October 1.

“Colored folks ain’t gonna get ahead in the world unless they start investing in some different things,” Walter Lee Younger (Damon Singletary) says to his wife, Ruth Younger (Lorraine Victoria Kanyike). Walter is tired of chauffeuring around rich white men and wants to do something of his own, namely, set up a bar with two friends. He’s hoping that his Mama Lena (the magnificent Juanita Rodrigues) will give him access to an insurance check coming to the household, after the death of his father, Walter. But Lena wants to move her family to a more spacious home in a nice neighborhood, rather than stay in the dilapidated apartment she’s had since the beginning of her marriage. Walter feels trapped, caught between two oppressors – the white world of privilege and his domineering mother. His manhood, and judgment, are affected by it. When a mild-mannered white man, Karl Lindner (Jon Vallante), from the neighborhood association of the home they’ve yet to move into comes to the apartment with a proposition, Walter Lee has to decide what kind of man he wants to be.

New Rep’s “1776” Brings History Wonderfully to Life

December 4, 2018December 4, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

The winter spectacular at New Rep Theatre is the 1969 smash musical “1776” with music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards and a book by Peter Stone. This rousing piece of legendary musical theatre puts a human face on the pages of history. New Rep’s version of the show is an exciting inclusive reimagining of this classic musical. It’s the summer of 1776, and the nation is ready to declare independence, if only our founding fathers could agree to do it. The show covers the events leading up to the signing of the Declaration in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This musical ran on Broadway for 1217 performances, won the Tony Award for Best Musical. It was made into a film by the same name in 1972 and the revival starring Brent Spiner, won the Drama Desk Award for Best Revival in 1997. Hard working directors Austin Pendleton and Kelli Edwards cast the best performers in these roles while musical director Todd C. Gordon taught the cast these intricate songs and conducts a fabulous seven piece orchestra. Kelli is also the choreographer and she creates some inventive dances for them to perform. Their combined expertise produces another stunning epic musical masterpiece for New Repertory Theatre. The signing of the Declaration is a breathtaking and stops the show with its majestic power and punch. A thunderous standing ovation is their reward for one of the must see shows this winter season.

New Rep’s “Ripe Frenzy” a Startling, Provocative Drama

February 28, 2018February 28, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Samantha Richert (left) and Stacy Fischer (right). Photo by Kalman Zabarsky

By Michele Markarian

Ripe Frenzy – Written by Jennifer Barclay. Directed by Bridget Kathleen O’Leary. Co-Produced by Boston Center for American Performance and New Repertory Theatre, Boston University College of Fine Arts, Studio ONE, 855 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA through March 11.

The arrival of Jennifer Barclay’s exceptional play Ripe Frenzy in Boston could not be timelier. For anyone affected by America’s spate of school shootings, particularly in the wake of the recent one in Florida, Barclay intelligently and thoughtfully puzzles her way through some of our deepest thoughts and fears without being didactic. It’s a heartbreaking piece, alternately tense and tender, that offers no answers, which is oddly and honestly comforting.

A Sobering “Statements After An Arrest Under the Immortality Act”

January 31, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

By Michele Markarian

‘Statements After An Arrest Under the Immortality Act’ – Written by Athol Fugard. Directed by Jim Petosa. Presented by New Repertory Theatre, co-produced with Boston Center for American Performance. At the Blackbox Theater, Arsenal Center for the Arts, 321 Arsenal Street, Watertown, MA through March 3.

All affairs end, and most of them end badly. One or both partners are usually married, so the possibility of happily ever after is slim. In due time, affairs run their course and with any luck, both parties escape moderately unscathed. Unless the affair itself is against the law.

Onward to Glory with “Man of La Mancha”

December 6, 2017December 11, 2017 michaelhobanLeave a comment

By Michele Markarian

Man of La Mancha, by Dale Wasserman. Music by Mitch Leigh, Lyrics by Joe Darion. Directed by Antonio Ocampo-Guzman. Presented by New Repertory Theatre, 321 Arsenal Street, Watertown through December 31.

“Man of La Mancha” is based on the story of Miguel de Cervantes, one of Spain’s – and the world’s – most eminent authors. Cervantes was imprisoned many times over the course of his lifetime, usually for financial reasons, and managed to survive five years in captivity by pirates during his early military career. Throughout his captivity, his love for literature kept him going, setting the stage for his creation, Don Quixote, the nobleman who wishes to restore chivalry by becoming a knight in a world that’s decidedly harsh. With the help of a recruit, poor dumb farmer Sancho Panza, who serves as his squire, and his courtly love towards the lowly born Aldonza (renamed Dulcinea), Don Quixote attempts to live out his reality in his world where chivalry thrives.

Love and Mercy in New Rep’s “The Gift Horse”

April 30, 2017April 30, 2017 michaelhobanLeave a comment

By Michele Markarian

The Gift Horse, by Lydia R. Diamond. Directed by Jim Petosa. Scenic Design by Jon Savage, Costume Design by Penney Pinette; Lighting Design by Alberto Segarra; Sound Design by Dewey Dellay. Presented by The New Repertory Theatre, 321 Arsenal Street, Watertown through May 14.

Ruth (Obehi Janice) is an energetic and engaging teacher and artist who is struggling to conceal, even from herself, a painful secret from her childhood. Once in college, she falls in love with, and then befriends, Ernesto (Alejandro Simoes), her gay neighbor. Ernesto and Ruth connect in all ways but one, but with Ernesto’s recommendation and support, Ruth is introduced to her therapist and future husband, Brian (Maurice Emmanuel Parent). Brian helps Ruth unravel the mystery of her inability to be intimate with a man, and despite Ernesto’s and Brian’s resistance to one another, they all manage to come together and create a different kind of family than the one Ruth grew up in.

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.

Davenport Artfully Celebrates the Life of Marshall in New Rep’s ‘Thurgood’

January 12, 2017January 14, 2017 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Johnny Lee Davenport as Thurgood Marshall (by Andrew Brilliant/Brilliant Pictures)

by Mike Hoban

Thurgood – Written by George Stevens, Jr.; Directed by Benny Sato Ambush; Scenic Design by Ryan Bates; Lighting Design by Bridget K. Doyle; Composer & Sound Designer, Dewey Dellay. Presented by New Repertory Theatre at the Black Box Theater at the Mosesian Center for the Arts, 321 Arsenal Street, Watertown through February 5th.

When New Rep artistic director Jim Petosa and managing director Harriet Sheets were formulating their theme for their 2016-2017 season “What’s Past is Prologue”, they could not have possibly known how disturbingly prescient that idea would be. Although I did not see the season’s opener “Regular Singing” (about a family coming together to celebrate the life of an aging relative on the fiftieth anniversary of the Kennedy assassination), the storylines of the past three productions have served to remind us that if we’re not careful, past could indeed become prologue.