It’s a Mad, Mad (Victorian) World in Central Square’s ‘Vanity Fair’

February 5, 2020 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Cast of Nora Theatre’s ‘Vanity Fair; at Central Square Theatre

By Julie-Anne Whitney

Vanity Fair (an im-morality play) – Written by Kate Hamill, adapted from William Makepeace Thackeray’s novel; direction and scenic design by David R. Gammons; lighting design by Jeff Adelberg; sound design by David Wilson; costume design by Leslie Held; properties coordinated by Ciara McAloon; dramaturgy by Hilary Rappaport; stage managed by Elizabeth Yyvette Ramirez. Produced by Underground Railway Theater through February 23, 2020 at Central Square Theater in Cambridge, MA.

William Makepeace Thackeray’s Vanity Fairwas first published in 1847 as a 19-volume serial novel released in monthly installments for Punch, a British magazine known for its satirical content. The 800-page work was published in a single volume in 1848 with the subtitle A Novel Without A Hero. Arguably Thackeray’s most successful and enduring work, Vanity Fair has been adapted into radio broadcasts, silent and sound films, television series, and plays.

The Nora Theatre Lets Loose The Crucible with some Help from Bedlam

September 22, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

(*The Cast of* *‘The Crucible’* *Presented by The Nora Theatre Company in association with Bedlam*)

Review by James Wilkinson

‘The Crucible’ – Written by Arthur Miller. Directed by Eric Tucker. Scenic and Properties Designer: Lindsay Genevieve Fuori. Costume Designer: Elizabeth Rocha. Lighting Designer: John Malinowski. Sound Engineer Ted Kearnan. Dramaturg: Musa Gurnis. Presented by The Nora Theatre Company in association with Bedlam, 450 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, through October 20

As I heard it, the joke is that if you meet someone who participated in high school theatre, you ask them which one they did: Our Town or The Crucible? With their large cast sizes, the two shows hold a particular appeal to drama teachers who are looking to cram as many kids on stage as possible (though I wasn’t in it, my own high school did Our Town my freshman year.) The Crucible has the added bonus of having both its plot and the circumstances it was written in as major historical moments, allowing teachers to force the rest of the student body watch as part of their lesson plan. When you first step into Central Square Theater it looks like this production of The Crucible, (from The Nora Theatre Company in association with Bedlam), is going to riff on this idea of our shared history with the play. The drab green and off-white colors on the walls suggest a high school gymnasium that’s seen better days. High up on the back wall is a mural, (one almost identical to several in my own high school), that’s been painted over but needs a few more coats before it gets completely washed away. When director Eric Tucker makes his first appearance as Reverend Hale, he looks the spitting image of your physics teacher (or at least, mine).

‘Photograph 51’ Takes a Molecular Look at Science of Relationships

March 21, 2019March 22, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

*(Josh Gluck and Stacy Fischer in Nora Theatre’s ‘Photograph 51’)*

By Michele Markarian

‘Photograph 51’ – Written by Anna Ziegler. Directed by Rebecca Bradshaw. Kristin Loeffler, Scenic Designer; Chelsea Kerl, Costume Designer; Elizabeth Cahill, Sound Designer; Aja M Jackson, Lighting Designer. Presented by The Nora Theatre Company, 450 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge through April 15.

Rosalind Franklin (Stacy Fischer) came of age as a scientist during the 40s and 50s, when it was unusual for young women to pursue such a path. 1951 finds the x-ray chrystallographer in a research lab at King’s College, London, where she is assigned the task of working on x-ray diffraction (don’t panic; there is a wonderful glossary of terms in the show’s program). Franklin finds herself in a boys’ club, where her colleague, the awkward Maurice Wilkins (Barlow Adamson) decides to dine in the male-only dining room on his new lab partner’s first day, rather than accompany her to lunch. Unsurprisingly, this gets them off on the wrong foot.