Lyric’s ‘The Roommate’ an ‘Odd Couple’ with Bite

November 3, 2018November 7, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

‘The Roommate’ – Written by Jen Silverman, Directed by Spiro Veloudos; Scenic Design, Jenna McFarland Lord; Costume Design, Tobi Rinaldi; Lighting Design, Chris Hudacs; Sound Design & Original Music, Dewey Dellay; Presented by The Lyric Stage Company of Boston, 140 Clarendon Street, Boston through November 18, 2018

If you’re thinking that the plot from The Roommate – two middle-aged people who couldn’t be more different from one another find themselves living together – sounds a little too familiar, forget about it. Other than the basic set-up and delivering a lot of laughs (early on anyway), The Roommate couldn’t be more different from The Odd Couple than say, Felix is from Oscar. And in the case of the Lyric’s twistedly comic production, that’s a good thing.

Lyric’s “Souvenir” a Keeper

October 29, 2017 michaelhobanLeave a comment

By Michele Markarian

‘Souvenir’ – Written by Stephen Temperley. Directed by Spiro Veloudos. Presented by The Lyric Stage Company of Boston, 140 Clarendon Street, Boston, MA through November 19.

“How many people have already seen the show?” asked Producing Artistic Director Spiro Veloudos during his curtain speech. A large number of hands went up in the audience. “What the heck? Who sees a show twice?” I thought. After seeing “Souvenir” once, I get it. This is one of the funniest shows I’ve seen all year, with its two performers wonderfully in tune with each another.

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Lyric’s Abridged Version of “Camelot” Still a Delight

May 31, 2017May 31, 2017 michaelhobanLeave a comment

By Mike Hoban

Camelot – Book and Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, Music by Frederick Loewe; Directed by Spiro Veloudos; Music Direction by, Catherine Stornetta; Choreography by Rachel Bertone; Scenic Design by Shelley Barish; Costume Design by Elisabetta Polito; Sound Design by Elizabeth Cahill; Lighting Design by Karen Perlow. Presented by The Lyric Stage Company of Boston at 140 Clarendon Street Boston through June 25^th.

Less isn’t always more, but with The Lyric Stage Company’s lovingly trimmed production of Camelot, less is more than enough. Although I’ve been a huge fan of this musical from boyhood, it has always seemed a bit too long, so while this this version may lack some of the grandeur of a “full” staging, it more than makes up for it with some solid performances by its leads and strong cast of supporting players.