A Five Exclamation Points ‘Oklahoma!’ at Reagle Music Theatre!!!!!

June 27, 2023June 27, 2023 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Cast of Reagle Music Theatre’s ‘Oklahoma!’ Photos by Robert Pascucci

Oklahoma! – by Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein II. Direction and Choreography by Rachel Bertone. Music Direction by Dan Rodriguez. Scenic Consulting by Cameron McEachern. Lighting Design by Frank Meissner, Jr. Costume Design by Emerald City Theatrical. Sound Design by Sebastian Nixon. At Reagle Music Theatre of Greater Boston, Waltham, through July 2.

by Linda Chin

With award-winning director and choreographer Rachel Bertone and music director Dan Rodriguez at the helm, Frank Meissner, Jr. (Lighting Design), Cameron McEachern (Scenic Consultant), Emerald City Theatrical (Costume Design) on the creative team, Reagle’s production of Oklahoma! was bound to be a feast for the senses. From the moment the overture begins, the 19-piece orchestra envelops you with lush sound. The bright yellow drop (adorned with figures of cowmen and farmers) that welcomed you to the theater rises to reveal a world of yesteryear – a farmhouse with a front porch, white picket fences, and a hand-painted backdrop of the open sky that is both realistic and dreamy – you can imagine the sweet breezes and smell of hay.

Reagle Concluding Inaugural Season Under Bertone with a Spirited ‘Pippin’

August 8, 2022August 9, 2022 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Davron Monroe (bottom), Kenny Lee (top) and cast in Reagle Music Theatre’s ‘Pippin’

‘Pippin’ – Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz; Book by Roger O. Hirson; Directed and Choreographed by Artistic Director Rachel Bertone; Music Direction by Dan Rodriguez; Cameron McEachern (Scenic Designer), Frank Meissner Jr (Lighting Design), Robby Davis (Sound Design), Costumes by Emerald City Theatrical. Presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI) at the Reagle Music Theatre, Waltham through August 13

by Mike Hoban

The themes from 1972’s Pippin, now being staged at the Reagle Theatre in Waltham through next weekend, are as relevant as ever – maybe even more so for Gen Z and the tail end of the millennial generation. Much like that demographic, protagonist Pippin, son of medieval emperor Charlemagne, wants more out of life than an ordinary existence, because well, “when you’re extraordinary, you gotta do extraordinary things!”). In Pippin’s case, though, those “extraordinary things” are a lot more than just inventing an app or accumulating TikTok followers. He is, after all, the son of the ruler of much of Western Europe in the late 8^th and early 9^th centuries. The Reagle production, directed by artistic director (and millennial) Rachel Bertone delivers a richly comic version of the classic on the heels of Reagle’s brilliant production of West Side Story in July.

Reagle Music Theatre Delivers a Vibrant and Moving “West Side Story”

July 11, 2022July 11, 2022 michaelhoban1 Comment

Cast of ‘West Side Story’ at Reagle Music Theatre. (w Bianca Rivera-Irons, foreground) Photos by Herb Philpott

by Michele Markarian

“West Side Story”. Book by Arthur Laurents. Music by Leonard Bernstein. Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Directed and Choreographed by Rachel Bertone. Music Direction by Dan Rodriguez. Presented by Reagle Music Theatre of Greater Boston, 617 Lexington Street, Waltham through July 16.

From the opening scene of “West Side Story” – chaotic and cacophonic– to the final image of Maria (Eevie Perez) kneeling alone in mourning onstage, we feel the heat and tension of New York, with its rival gangs, prejudice, and libido. No matter how many times I’ve seen this show, the music, choreography and storyline, based on Romeo and Juliet, never fail to hold my attention, with each director’s vision capturing something slightly different. Bertone’s version is no exception.

‘La Cage Aux Folles’ Brings Glitz, Laughter and Pathos to the Reagle

August 14, 2019August 20, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

*(James Darrah as Zaza with Les Cagelles in Reagle’s ‘La Cage Aux Folles’ – Photos by Herb Philpott)*

By Mike Hoban

‘La Cage Aux Folles’ – Music and Lyrics by Jerry Herman. Book by Harvey Fierstein. Based the play “La Cage Aux Folles” by Jean Poiret. Directed and Choreographed by Susan M. Chebookjian. Music Direction by Dan Rodriguez. Scenic Design by David Allen Jeffrey; Original Costume Design by Matthew Wright; Lighting Design by David Wilson; Sound Design by Robby Davis and Robert Luke Pelletier. Presented by Reagle Music Theatre, 617 Lexington Street, Waltham through August 18^th

Reagle Music Theatre is closing out its 51^st season with La Cage Aux Folles, the Jerry Herman/Harvey Fierstein musical which copped a multitude of Tony Awards in its 1983 debut and in subsequent Broadway revivals in 2004 and 2010. The show caps a solid summer season for the Waltham theater, and like the previous offerings (Mame and Sound of Music), La Cage is powered by strong performances by the leads and outstanding work by the supporting cast – in particular the eight “Les Cagelles”, the drag queen dancers that support headliner Zaza with some electrifying routines.

“THE SOUND OF MUSIC” Soars at Reagle

July 15, 2019July 23, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Aimee Doherty and Cast in Reagle Music Theater’s “Sound of Music”

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

Welcome to the true story of the Von Trapp family as well as to the Mountains of Austria. This year is the 60th Anniversary of “The Sound of Music” and is also the second summer show of Reagle Music Theatre’s 51st season. “The Sound Of Music” is the last collaboration of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein and is based on Maria Von Trapp’s autobiography, ”The Story of the Trapp Family Singers.” This musical takes place in Austria in 1938 and is about Maria Rainer, a postulant who is hired by Captain Georg Von Trapp to care for his seven children. Although the Captain is engaged to another woman, he and Maria eventually fall in love and marry but their happiness is soon shattered when the Nazis annex Austria. The Captain opposes the Nazis so he and his family are forced to escape to America. The original show opened on Broadway on November 16, 1959, starred Mary Martin and ran for 1443 performances becoming the second longest running show of the 1950’s. The highly successful movie starring Julie Andrews opened in 1965 and ran yearly on television. Daniel Forest Sullivan directs and choreographs this classic musical wonderfully. This heartwarming true to life 60 year old musical once again captures the hearts of every member of the audience and wins the astounding actress playing Maria a standing ovation at the curtain call.

Reagle’s ‘Mame’ Breathes New Life into a Classic

June 17, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

The Roaring 20’s are alive and well at Reagle Music Theatre’s 51st season opener “Mame.” This musical version was originally titled “My Best Girl”, which became a hit song in the show. “Mame” is based on the 1955 fictional novel Auntie Mame by Patrick Dennis and a 1956 play starring Rosalind Russell. The musical version by Jerry Herman opened on Broadway on May 24, 1966, ran for 1,508 performances. It starred Angela Lansbury and Bea Arthur who both won Tony Awards for their roles as Mame and Vera. Mame Dennis is the leading character, who lives a wild and carefree life in 1920’s New York until she unexpectedly becomes the guardian of her ten year old nephew, Patrick when her snooty brother passes away.

Boston Theater Icon Leigh Barrett is Young Ben Choi-Harris’ “Best Girl” in Reagle Music Theatre’s “Mame”

June 13, 2019June 15, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

(Leigh Barrett, Ben Choi-Harris in Reagle Music Theatre’s ‘Mame’ – Photo by Herb Philpott)

by Linda Chin

Tony Award winning musical Mame will soon enjoy another revival in Greater Boston at Reagle Music Theatre (June 14 – July 23), and though life “is a banquet” but comes with few guarantees, we theatergoers can be confident that a cast led by professional actors Leigh Barrett* (Mame Dennis), Maureen Keiller* (her “Bosom Buddy” Vera), and Mark Linehan* (her southern suitor Beau) will more than do justice to the theatrical jousting and joyous Jerry Herman score. The title song Mame is one of those first act finales that sends people humming and dancing into intermission (and inspires many spontaneous sing-a-longs), and the festive We Need a Little Christmas is one of those show tunes that’s become a holiday season staple. These two crowd-pleasing production numbers and Mame’s poignant solo, If He Walked Into My Life, are the three classics usually included in lists of top 100 Broadway musical hits from the 30s to 80s.

Reagle Delivers Terrific “Showboat”

July 9, 2017July 10, 2017 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

The second show of Reagle Music Theatre’s 49th summer season is the Goodspeed Musicals version of “Showboat” which combined the talents of Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II. The original version opened at the Ziegfeld Theatre on December 27, 1927 and ran for 572 performances. Kern and Hammerstein felt that the Broadway musical theatre was suffering from a lack of depth and wanted to steer away from the fluffy musical comedies and melodramatic operettas it was accustomed to.

Broadway Fire in Reagle’s “Technicolor Dreamcoat”

June 15, 2017 michaelhobanLeave a comment

By CJ Williams

Directed and Choreographed by Susan M. Chebookjian, based on original Choreography by Anthony Van Laast. Lighting Design by David Wilson. Set Design by Peter Colao and Richard Schreiber. Music Direction by Dan Rodriguez. Presented by Reagle Music Theatre at 617 Lexington St, Waltham through June 18.

“Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” is Broadway-theater fare in unexpectedly Beantown-local affordability – and the Broadway musical is put on to amazing effect at the Reagle Music Theatre in Waltham. For all its crowd-pleasing choruses, and a cast that could sing and dance down Carnegie Hall, “Dreamcoat” nonetheless pulls a nice undercurrent of depth as well.