In 1960 Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn recomposed selections from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker for jazz big band. After discovering this work, composer Steve Bass was inspired to recompose his own jazz ballet and chose Tchaikovsky’s other masterpiece Swan Lake. The result is Swan Lake: A Jazz Ballet now playing at the Greater Boston Stage Company in Stoneham.
The music is original with three themes taken from Swan Lake. The story has been moved to 1940’s New York where producer Florenz Siegfried (Andy McLeavey) is auditioning dancers for a musical. Odette (Sara Coombs), the swan here portrayed as a burlesque dancer, walks into the auditions and Siegfried is immediately taken with her. However, she quickly retreats to the Swan Club where she works for the possessive Von Rothbart, a shady gangster.
The adaptation works wonderfully. The score is solid and if you have ever caught yourself saying “Why don’t they write music like that anymore?”, you will be pleasantly surprised by what you will hear in this work.
Andy McLeavey
The stage is set with a full big band/jazz orchestra directed by Steve Bass that transports the audience back to that golden musical age. The overture sets things in motion and the stage is then energized with non stop dancing. Ilyse Robbins has choreographed stunning and powerful numbers. With 21 pieces of choreography this had to be a daunting task, but Ms Robbins has scored a knockout. There isn’t a dull spot in the entire production.
Being a ballet there is no dialog, at least no spoken dialog, but the expressive dance speaks clearly and the story is told beautifully. Bringing Swan Lake into the 20th Century works and works very well. The stage full of talented dancers never leave the audience wondering what is happening. Sara Coombs and Andy McLeavey as the leads Odette and Siegfried are a joy to watch. Briana Fallon and Gillian Mariner Gordon as Little Swans join Ms Coombs for a burlesque number that uses swan feather fans to create a Sally Rand type piece that is sultry and sexy.
David Visini is dark and menacing as Von Rothbart. He is downright scary and his presence further conveys the ability for words and mood to be expressed through dance.
H.C. Lee, Jackson Jirard, Michael Skrzek, and Mike Herring
Jackson Jirard, Mike Herring, H.C. Lee, Erica Lundin, and Michael Skrzek make up the ensemble, giving a master class in tap. All are superb with Mr. Jirard adding an exclamation mark to the numbers they do together. If you can sit still during these performances you would have to be heavilysedated.
There is also a teen ensemble that is made up of Lily Lawrence, Claire Lawrence, and Maya McClain. These young people are real pros and all have great futures in theatre. Maya McClain moved like a veteran professional in her numbers with Jackson Jirard. It’s nice to know there will be no dearth of talent in the years to come.
Costume Designer Kevin Hutchins does a beautiful job with the outfits the cast wears. The flavor of backstage musical theatre of the 1940s is captured in the clothing that is reminiscent of Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor. The soft hat worn by Von Rothbart is put to great use in expressing his gangster persona, while the dance numbers in the Swan Club capture the Age of Burlesque. Combined with the lighting designed by Chris Fournier, the atmospherics are sublime.
Maya McClain, Jackson Jirard, Erica Lundin and Cast
Steve Bass and Ilyse Robbins have created an original work that is being seen for the first time on the stage in Stoneham, but I believe this is something that will move on to other venues. This is no commodity musical. It is a marvelous piece that is destined to become part of musical theatre history. From top to bottom this is a first rate production, and you don’t want to miss it. Someday you’ll get to say you saw it when it premiered. You’ll also be saying “They really do write music and choreograph dancing the way they used to”.
What: Swan Lake In Blue: A Jazz Ballet
Where: The Greater Boston Stage Company, Stoneham, MA
When: Through March 1
Tickets: Phone: 781.279.2200, Box Office: 395 Main Street, Stoneham
From February 28 to March 28, SpeakEasy Stage Company will proudly present the Boston premiere of the acclaimed drama THE CHILDRENby British playwright Lucy Kirkwood.
A 2018 Tony Award Nominee for Best Play, THE CHILDRENis a taut and timely new play that questions the responsibility each generation has for the way it leaves the world. One summer evening, in an isolated cottage on the British coast, Hazel and Robin, a long-married pair of retired physicists, are surprised by a visit from Rose, a former colleague whom they haven’t seen in 38 years. As the friends reminisce, long-held secrets come to light, leading to the real reason behind Rose’s return.
A native of East London,Lucy Kirkwood is currently represented on London’s stages by The Welkin.Her other works include It Felt Empty When the Heart Went at First but It Is Alright Now (2009 Evening Standard Award and 2010 John Whiting Award); NSFW (2012); Chimerica (2014 Olivier and Evening Standard Awards for Best New Play, plus a Critic’s Circle Award and the Susan Smith Blackburn Award); The Children (2016) and The Mosquitoes (2017). Her screen credits include Skins (Company Pictures), The Smoke (Kudos / Sky 1), and the short film The Briny, which she also directed.Ms. Kirkwood adapted her play Chimerica into a four-part miniseries for Channel 4 in 2019, and has written a new four-part series Adult Material, following a woman’s life in the adult film industry, due to be shown in 2020.
Elliot Norton Award-winning director Bryn Boice will direct the SpeakEasy production of THE CHILDREN. Her recent credits include Universe Rushing Apart: Blue Kettle & Here We Go, two Caryl Churchill one-acts (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company); Admissions (The Gamm Theatre); Last Night at Bowl-mor Lanes (Greater Boston Stage); and an all-female production of Julius Caesar (Actors’ Shakespeare Project). Bryn is the newly appointed Associate Artistic Director of Commonwealth Shakespeare Company and is the founding Artistic Director of fringe ensemble Anthem Theatre.
The cast consists of three Norton Award-winners:Tyrees Allen, Karen MacDonald, and Paula Plum.
The design team is Cristina Todesco (scenic); Rachel Padula-Shufelt (costumes); Jeff Adelberg (lighting); and David Remedios (sound). Rachel Sturm is the Production Stage Manager.
THE CHILDREN will run for five weeks, from February 28 through March 28, 2020, in the Roberts Studio Theatre in the Stanford Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street in Boston’s South End.
For tickets or more information, the public is invited to call BostonTheatreScene Ticketing Services at 617.933.8600 or visit www.speakeasystage.com
Cast
TYREES ALLEN* (Robin) is thrilled to be back at SpeakEasy Stage, after having played Pops in last season’s Between Riverside and Crazy [IRNE and Elliot Norton Awards — Outstanding Actor]. Broadway credits include Aida (OBC) and the renowned revival of Henry IV at Lincoln Center. Notable regional credits include playing Colin Powell in the American Premiere of Stuff Happens at The Mark Taper Forum, the title role of Othello at The Old Globe, Christian in Ruined at Echo Theater, and Northumberland in Richard ll at The Goodman Theatre. At the Dallas Theater Center, he has played Elder Jay in The Christians, Evan in Sweat, James Bevel in The Great Society, and Aegisthus in Electra. Tyrees was a series regular on the TV show Women’s Murder Club, has had recurring roles on several shows, and has guest-starred on over fifty shows.
KAREN MACDONALD* (Rose).SpeakEasy: Polly, Other Desert Cities; TheDrowsy Chaperone, The Drowsy Chaperone. Broadway: Amanda Wingfield [u/s, performed], The Glass Menagerie. Off-Broadway: Oliver Twist (TFANA).National: The Audience (Maltz Jupiter Theatre); No Exit (Hartford Stage); Faithful Cheaters (Trinity Rep); Escaped Alone (Gamm Theatre). Boston-Area:The Cake, Red Hot Patriot (Lyric Stage); America Plays (Plays in Place); Calendar Girls (Greater Boston Stage Company); Finish Line (Boston Theater Company); The Apple Family Plays (Greater Boston Stage Company, Gloucester Stage, New Rep); 73 productions including Arkadina, The Seagull, Mother Courage and her Children (American Repertory Theatre – Founding Company Member); All My Sons, Good People (Huntington Theatre); Long Day’s Journey into Night (New Rep); Universe Rushing Apart, Coriolanus, All’s Well That Ends Well, Hamlet (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company); Home of the Brave,The Blonde, The Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead (Merrimack Rep). Ms. MacDonald has worked nationally from The Wilma Theater to Berkeley Rep. She has been awarded several IRNE and Elliot Norton Awards, and has received the Robert Brustein Prize for Sustained Achievement in the Theatre and the Elliot Norton Prize for Sustained Excellence.
PAULA PLUM* (Hazel). SpeakEasy credits include The History Boys, Reckless, The New Century, The Savannah Disputation, and The Divine Sister. She is therecipient of seven IRNE Awards; the 1995, 2007, and 2017 Elliot Norton Awards forOutstanding Actress; the 2004 Elliot Norton Award for Sustained Excellence,and the 2003 Distinguished Alumni Award from Boston University. In 2009, inassociation with SpeakEasy Stage, Paulawas one of five actors nationwide to receive the Fox Foundation Resident Actor Fellowship. As a founding member of Actors’Shakespeare Project, she has played Cleopatra, Beatrice, Lady Macbeth, andPhèdre. Paula has also appeared regionally at the Lyric Stage, the AmericanRepertory Theatre, New Rep, Merrimack Rep, Huntington Theatre, Gloucester Stage, and Elm Shakespeare. Filmcredits include Mermaids, Malice, Next Stop Wonderland, and Woody Allen’s Irrational Man. Television: Science Court (three seasons – ABC) and The Dick & Paula Celebrity Special (co-creator and star –FX). Ms. Plum isa cum laude graduate of Boston University and has studied at the LondonAcademy of Music and Dramatic Art, the Dell’Arte Institute, and École PhillipeGaulier in Paris. She has been published in American Theatre magazine, ismarried to actor Richard Snee, and is a professional acting coach.www.paulaplum.com
Director Information
BRYN BOICE (Director) is thrilled to make her SpeakEasy debut. She is an award-winning director, educator, actor, and producer. Recent credits include Universe Rushing Apart: Blue Kettle & Here We Go, two Caryl Churchill one-acts for Commonwealth Shakespeare Company (Elliot Norton Award–Outstanding Director, Large Theatre); Admissions (The Gamm Theatre); Last Night at Bowl-mor Lanes with Paula Plum and Nancy E. Carroll (Greater Boston Stage); and an all-female production of Julius Caesar for Actors’ Shakespeare Project. Upcoming: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (CSC2/Comm Shakes). NYC and regional credits as an actor and/or director include work with Asolo Repertory Theatre, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, Caroline’s on Broadway, and Manhattan Theatre Club. Bryn is the newly appointed Associate Artistic Director of Commonwealth Shakespeare Company and is the founding Artistic Director of fringe ensemble Anthem Theatre Company. She teaches acting, voice, applied movement, and dialects, among others, at Salem State. She holds an MFA in Directing from Boston University and an MFA in Acting from the Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training (FSU). More information at www.brynboice.com
Performance Schedule: February 28 – March 28, 2020
Wed. & Thurs. at 7:30PM; Fri. at 8PM; Sat. at 4 & 8PM;
Sun. at 3PM.Additional performance Thursday, Mar. 26 at 2PM.
FEBRUARY 01 – 16, 2020 EMERSON PARAMOUNT CENTER ROBERT J. ORCHARD STAGE
Will Power Photo Credit: Adam A. Anderson
ArtsEmerson is thrilled to announce the World Premiere of Detroit Red by internationally renowned playwright Will Power. This theatrical exploration of the life of Malcolm X as he dwelled and came of age in the Roxbury section of Boston, plays the Emerson Paramount Center Robert J. Orchard Stage February 01 – 16, 2020.
The world forever knows him as Malcolm X, but when he lived in Roxbury, he was dubbed “Detroit Red.” Will Power, along with director Lee Sunday Evans, shine a light on a pivotal coming-of-age moment in the celebrated, controversial civil rights leader’s life in this world premiere piece. Boxed in by race and class in 1940’s Boston, “Detroit Red” (Eric Berryman) transformed from a rowdy teenager into a street hustler. Detroit Redvividly brings this world to life, depicting a brutally honest, human portrayal of the future activist as he navigates the criminal underworld, taking the first steps in his quest to define the type of man he would eventually become.
A potent, heart-wrenching deconstruction of a future American hero in turmoil, Detroit Redfeatures three shape-shifting actors who create a deeply dramatic and surprisingly funny theatrical experience. The production offers a radical take on traditional theater, illuminating an iconic African-American figure and the community and circumstances that helped form him.
“It’s been a joy working with Will Power, Lee Sunday Evans, Eric Berryman and the community of Roxbury dramaturgs on the development of Detroit Red,” says ArtsEmerson Artistic Director David Dower. “When Will first described what he was aiming to do in this play we were immediately hooked. I loved that he wasn’t setting out to stage Malcom X’s biography. That story is told. I admired that he wanted to create this play in a deep collaboration with Roxbury itself.”
“Will has found a surprising and explosive point of entry through the story of teenage Malcolm Little’s days in our city,” continues Dower. “The entire play is set in a single moment of epiphany trapped in a moment of reckoning — the sudden, impulsive moment of letting go of one story to make the space for the new story to unfold. The media is filled with stories of people who confronted this type of moment of reckoning, gun in hand. This play is about the moment Malcolm Little put his gun down, and let drop the story of Detroit Red. He changed his own narrative and, as a result, changed the world. Will and his team have zoomed in on that split- second decision, unpacking it for us on stage. And so we get to sit inside Malcolm’s head as he stood inside that Roxbury jewelry store at a life and death crossroads.”
“I am fascinated by Malcolm’s time in Boston,” says Detroit Redplaywright Will Power. “It is an unexplored period in the trajectory of a future world leader, a period that, when you include both his time as “Detroit Red” and his time incarcerated, adds up to almost a dozen years in which he lived in the state of Massachusetts. Malcolm X came to Boston as a skinny, countrified teenager (a “hick” as Malcolm describes it), and left Boston as the man known to the world as Malcolm X. In some ways, like Malcom, the city of Boston is iconic onto itself-it represents both the achievements and the complexities that exist in America. I can conceive of no other place that this play could’ve originated in other than right here in Boston.”
Detroit Redplays for two weeks, February 1 – 16, 2020, at the Emerson Paramount Center Robert J. Orchard Stage. Tickets may be purchased at ArtsEmerson.org, by phone at 617.824.8400 or at the box office.
It Has Been Sixty-Four Years Since Rocky’s Last Fight
His Battle Against Archie Moore May Have Influenced His Decision To Hang Up The Gloves
By Bobby Franklin
This past September 21st marked the 64th anniversary of Rocky Marciano’s last fight, his winning defense of the title against Light Heavyweight Champion Archie Moore. The following April at the age of 32 Marciano announced his retirement from the ring stating: “I am retiring because of my wife and baby. No man can say what he will do in the future, but barring poverty, the ring has seen the last of me. I am comfortably fixed, and I am not afraid of the future.”
At the time of his retirement Rocky had a perfect record of 49 and 0 and would be the only heavyweight champion to retire with an undefeated record, a feat that still stands to this day.
Most boxing fans expected the champion to go for the 50th win and were surprised when he didn’t. So, is it true he retired to spend more time with his family, or was there more to it?
The Marciano vs Moore fight drew a crowd 61,574 to Yankee stadium with a gate grossing $948,117.95. Rocky’s share was $482,374.00. That is the equivalent of $4,289,456.00 in today’s dollars. Even deducting for his manager Al Weill taking a huge cut, that was still a very healthy sum of money. Combine it with the Rock’s previous earnings and it would appear he was very comfortable financially.
It has been said that Marciano no longer wanted to fight because he believed Al Weill was taking too much of his money. While that is most likely true, it seems that some other financial arrangement could have been worked out.
As far as spending time with his family, after retirement Rocky continued to travel, mostly without his wife, and enjoyed being on his own. I don’t buy the retirement was for family reasons.
Moore vs Marciano
I think the key to figuring out why Marciano stopped at 49 is to look at the Moore fight. While Rocky stopped the Old Mongoose in the 9th round, it was a grueling fight in which the champion took some terrible shots. Could it be that he felt he was starting to decline and did what hardly any fighter does, get out while on top?
I asked noted boxing historian Mike Silver, the author of The Arc of Boxing what he thought. Mike replied:
“Next to his title winning effort against Walcott this was Marciano’s toughest contest. Moore landed some humongous punches to Rocky’s chin. During the course of the fight Marciano absorbed some of the hardest punches he had ever taken. He had to throw more punches per round than in any other fight in order to overwhelm Moore’s superior skill and experience. In a great fight it was Rocky’s chin, conditioning, relentless punching and almost superhuman durability that won it for him, but I wonder if the punishment he took in that fight helped convince him to retire while he still had his health?”
Archie Moore vs Rocky Marciano
After hearing what Mike had to say I watched a tape of the fight and it was indeed a very tough fight for Rocky. After a somewhat tame first round Moore came out and dropped Marciano at the beginning of the second with a right hand flush on the chin. Rocky was up at the count of four but was dazed. He took a lot of punishment for the rest of the round. Moore was using shoulder feints and landing very well with his left jab. It looked like Marciano was in serious danger of losing the title. By the end of the round the champion was bleeding from the nose and was cut and puffy under his left eye.
In round three Marciano came out very aggressively throwing a lot of punches. Moore, ever the master boxer, was avoiding most of them by blocking, slipping, and rolling with the shots.
In the third round Moore fought mostly off the ropes. Mike Silver points out that this was no Rope-a-Dope strategy. Instead, Archie was slipping and countering Rocky’s shots. Marciano threw a much larger number of punches but Moore had the more effective shots. Rocky won the round with his aggression but he paid a high price for it.
The fifth round was Moore’s best. He was very accurate with his jab and landed a number of solid rights while taking short steps to the side. Marciano appeared to be slowing down and was missing a lot. It now appeared the tide was turning in Moore’s favor.
Marciano must have been sensing the same thing as he came out on fire in the sixth round. He dropped Moore for a count of four at the beginning of the round and then pursued him relentlessly. Rocky was still missing with many of his punches, but the pressure and huge number of punches he was throwing was wearing Archie down. Rocky was like a freight train as he dropped Moore once again, this time for a nine count.
Between rounds the doctor checked on Moore and it appeared the fight was close to being stopped. But the old warrior was not through yet.
Moore actually looked refreshed as he came out for the seventh round and won the round with a strong jab. Perhaps Rocky had punched himself out in the previous round and the tide was again shifting.
In the eighth round Moore’s legs were tiring. He spent most of the round fighting off of the ropes and was still very effective in making the champion miss. Watching Moore in this fight is like seeing a master class on how to roll with punches and pick spots for counters. Moore was definitely starting to fade by the end of the round. It was Rocky’s relentless pressure that was taking the toll. A Marciano right at the end of the round dropped Moore and he was up at the count of six as the bell rang. Moore’s right eye was now closing and he looked like a beaten man. Could he summon up another rally?
Marciano vs Moore
In the fatal ninth round Moore once again came out strong, but the end was near. Rocky attacked with a fury. Moore still got in a few good shots, but nothing was going to stop Rocky now. He pummeled Moore to the canvas where Archie took the ten count at 1:19 of the round.
Moore did everything right in this fight. He boxed and punched beautifully. He seemed the superior fighter in so many ways, but Marciano would not be stopped. His incredible conditioning, heart, and brutal punching were all too much for Archie. Marciano defined what the heart of a champion is in this fight.
Mike Silver asks if it was the punishment Rocky took in this fight that convinced him to retire? I believe that was a major reason for his hanging up the gloves, and I do not mean this as a knock on Marciano. Quite the contrary, I believe it shows how smart he was.
Marciano was a tremendously physical fighter. While his boxing abilities are often underrated, he was also almost superhuman when in the ring. The Moore fight is an example of how he would actually get stronger as a fight progressed. It seemed as though the rougher things got the more strength he would gain. Rocky trained very hard for each fight. The training grind and the brutality of the fights he was in would eventually take a toll. At this point in his career he was also experiencing back pain.
It is not unusual for an athlete that continually pushes himself to the brink to eventually start to break down physically. It is very possible the Moore fight was Rocky’s last great fight. If he had continued, his body may have begun to fail him. I think he may have sensed that, perhaps subconsciously. Moore hurt him. Moore extended him. Moore did everything possible to beat him, but Rocky was relentless. He broke Archie down that night.
Rocky Hangs Up The Gloves
Marciano had been fighting professionally since 1947. He was now 32 years old, not terribly old for a fighter. But when you consider how many tough fights he had and how many times he had tortured his body in training camp you have to wonder if at some point he would start to break down.
In the Moore fight he pushed himself unbelievably. I don’t think Archie could have stopped him if he had a bazooka in his arsenal. Rocky fought many very tough fights. His two goes against Ezzard Charles and he first fight with Walcott were both brutal affairs. It’s very possible he still had a couple more great fights in him, but at some point he would have broken down; all great athletes do.
Rocky Marciano had an amazing career, made a lot of money, and now was walking away with his brains still in tact. He will always be remembered as one of the greatest Heavyweight Champions of all time. Knowing when to retire is a lesson that too few fighters have learned. Rocky was wise enough to get out in time, and that adds to his greatness.
https://youtu.be/kK0YRFu_tE8
I almost declined the invitation to review The Cake, now playing at the Lyric stage in Boston. Many works today are taking on societal issues, and getting people to think about what is going on around them while being more open to listening to the views of others is a good thing. It is healthy when we challenge ourselves and our, very often, deeply held views. It doesn’t mean we will necessarily change them, but understanding where others are coming from and why they feel the way they do helps to prevent us from putting up walls between one another and feeling anger. As hard as it is to believe, we can actually get along with people with whom we disagree.
The problem with much theatre that I attend today is that it is self righteous. Instead of posing questions that will make us consider other views, many of the works I see tend to preach, and worse, demand that the audience members fall in line with a particular view point. I have received press packages that are filled with materials that all but tell me what I am supposed to feel about the play and about myself. Frankly, I find this insulting and disrespectful. It is also counterproductive.
Kris Sidberry and Chelsea Diehl Photo: Mark S. Howard
This used to be rare, but it is becoming too common today probably due to the polarizing times we live in. One exception to this is Ayad Akhtar’s The Who & The What that played at The Huntington Theatre in 2017 and dealt with the issues facing a Muslim family living in America. It was thought provoking but not preachy. Mr. Akhtar has said “Advocacy is not art, it’s advertising”. I couldn’t agree more.
In The Cake, author Bekah Brunstetter takes a similar approach. The play is about a gay couple living in New York, Jen (Chelsea Diehl) and Macy (Kris Sidberry), who have traveled to Jen’s original home in North Carolina where they plan to get married. Jen wants the ceremony to take place in the same venue where her parents were wed. Her mother has passed on but it is apparent she is looking for acceptance as she can not know, but does suspect, how her mother would feel about this.
The play opens at Della’s Sweets, a bakery run by Della (Karen MacDonald) who was close to Jen’s mother and has known Jen since she was little. Della is very excited about having become a contestant on The Great American Bake Off, and is describing what it takes to make a good cake. Jen wants Della to bake the wedding cake for her and Macy. Macy arrives at the shop ahead of her and engages Della in conversation.
At this point it all seems to be very predictable; the dumb and bigoted hick will respond with hate and disgust at the request while the enlightened couple will be both victim and moral superiors to the backward folks living down south. That is not at all how this plays.
Karen MacDonald and Chelsea Diehl Photo: Mark S. Howard
Ms Brunstetter shows empathy for all of the characters and allows that many issues are not that cut and dried. In a twist, Macy turns out to be the self righteous one who has no room for differing views, while Della is willing to face the conflicts she faces with her beliefs. It is refreshing to see a Southern Evangelical treated with respect. And while Della is willing to question herself, Macy is very judgmental and believes “If you don’t want to be a bigot you have to think like me”.
Jen is the most conflicted as she had been close to Della and was brought up in the same cultural environment. It is clear that Della is a mother figure to her. Having Della bake the cake for the wedding is important to her, but Jen is also understanding, while hurt, when Della makes excuses for not doing so. Della is also feeling pain as she loves Jen. There is a lot of emotional conflict here that spills over into the relationship between Macy, who grew up in New York, and Jen.
Fred Sullivan,Jr. and Karen MacDonald Photo: Mark S. Howard
Karen MacDonald is perfect as Della, a woman without an inch of hate in her heart but views that are considered backwards, and even hateful, by big city liberals. Tim (Fred Sullivan, Jr)., Della’s husband, is a plumber. This is where I felt things could fall apart as the stereotype so often portrayed of white working class men is not usually flattering. While Tim is set in his ways, he is also a decent man who deeply loves Della. He also enjoys mashed potatoes which makes for a very funny scene, but you will have to see the play to find out what that is all about.
The interactions between Macy and Jen as well as between Della and Tim are both insightful into why they believe the things they do and what they believe about others. It is this hard facts back and forth that occurs between Della and Jen that really digs into the conflicted feelings they both are dealing with as well as a way to start understanding each other.
Chelsea Diehl digs deep down into Jen emotions, those of a woman with a foot in two cultures. Jen does not agree with Della, but she understands her, while Della’s moral code precludes her from baking the cake, her heart tells her it is good that the little girl she has always loved has found someone she is in love with. They truly care for each other.
Chelsea Diehl and Kris Sidberry Photo: Mark S. Howard
The one fault I found with the play is in the character of Macy. Kris Sidberry gives us a character that is so certain of her beliefs that she has an almost religious fervor about them, and many of us will recognize that person; the take no prisoner true believer. However, by the time the play moves to where the characters are beginning to find common ground it is too little too late for Macy. She has done something particularly cruel that gets brushed off and shouldn’t. And though she finds some common ground toward the play’s end, her journey there is not fully developed.
The Cake may involve a baker and the choice not to bake a cake for the wedding of a gay couple, but it is not about the right or wrong of making that choice. This is a play about how listening, and more importantly, treating one another with respect is the way to finding a way to understand one another. A way not to react with hate at that with which we do not agree. That goes for all people.
This is a sweet play baked with warmth and humor about people being, for the most part, kind and understanding of one another without having to compromise their beliefs. This is not a dig in your heels political diatribe, but rather a thoughtful look at how we are all human, and of how we really can get along. The Cake is refreshing and delicious and is certainly worthy of being tasted.
Greater Boston Stage Company is proud to announce the World Premiere Dance Event Swan Lake in Blue: A Jazz Ballet, created and composed by renowned jazz musician and composer Steve Bass. Choreographed and staged by GBSC Associate Artistic Director and multiple IRNE and Elliot Norton Award Winner Ilyse Robbins, Swan Lake in Blue: A Jazz Ballet is inspired by and loosely based on Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece, Swan Lake.
Featuring big band jazz music as well as a company of tap and jazz dancers, Swan Lake in Blue: A Jazz Ballet tells the story of a Broadway producer who falls madly in love with a burlesque dancer, Odette. He then discovers that she is under the control of a terrible mob boss and is being forced to perform nightly at The Swan Club. Passion, betrayal and mistaken identities ensue—will Odette fly away from her past or stay caged forever?
Choreographer Ilyse Robbins is a celebrated tap dancer, having danced with tap legend Gregory Hines. She has won IRNE awards for Best Choreographer for Dames at Sea, How to Succeed in Business…, and 42nd Street, among others. She is thrilled to be staging to Bass’ creation. “This production is the perfect complement to GBSC’s commitment to telling familiar stories in fresh new ways,” says Robbins.
Composer and creator Steve Bass says of the Premiere, “Jazz was my first musical love, and I’ve also always loved tap dance. This piece is ballet at its core— storytelling though dance and instrumental music—and I have replaced the classical orchestra with a jazz big band and replaced the ballet dancers with tap, jazz, and lyrical dancers. The idea was to have something that looked and sounded much closer to a Broadway musical, but with no words—a Jazz Ballet. I immediately knew I wanted to base it on Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake and I began adapting the classic fairy tale into a 1940s New York City setting.”
Cast Members:
SARA COOMBS(Odette/Odile) is an actress/choreographer/teaching artist based in NYC. As a performer, she was most recently seen on the GBSC stage as Doris Walker in Miracle on 34th Street. Other GBSC credits include: 42nd Street, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Dames at Sea, She Loves Me and Being Earnest. She has choreographed Off-Broadway shows, national tours, and many musicals in regional theatres. Sara is a member as well as thechoreographer of Manhattan Shuffle: NYC’s Premiere Song and Tap Trio – manhattanshuffle.com. With over 15 years of teaching experience, Sara has taught tap dance and theatre at Broadway Dance Center, Peridance Capezio Center in NYC, and at multiple theaters throughout New England. She holds a B.F.A in Musical Theatre from The Boston Conservatory. Instagram: @coombaloo
Andy McLeavey and Sara Coombs Photo Credit: Nile Scott Studios
ANDY MCLEAVY(Florenz Siegfried) – is thrilled to return to GBSC having previously appeared as Billy Lawlor in 42nd Street. A few of his favorite credits include Antipholus of Ephesus in Boys From Syracuse (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company/Boston Landmarks Orchestra), Jimmy in Thoroughly Modern Millie (Merry-Go-Round Playhouse/Rev Theatre & Reagle Music Theatre), Pat Denning/Dancer in 42nd Street (Atlantic City’s Tropicana Casino), George in Goldilocks (NYC’s Opening Doors Theatre Company), Gaston in Beauty and the Beast (Company Theatre), On The 20th Century w/Alice Ripley, and Carousel w/Shirley Jones. Andy is proud to have sung the national anthem multiple times at Mohegan Sun Arena, McCoy Stadium, and the Ryan Center. He also loves teaching Zumba & Tap, as well as singing and songwriting under the nickname “Andy Macktastic”. Andy is a former joke writer for SomeEcards.com. Instagram: @andymacktasticmusic
What: Swan Lake In Blue: A Jazz Ballet
Where: Greater Boston Stage Company, 395 Main Street, Stoneham, MA
Huntington Theatre Company has announced the extension of the Boston premiere of the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Sweat. Due to high ticket demand, this “breathtakingly timely” (The Wall Street Journal), Tony Award-nominated play by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage and directed by Kimberly Senior (The Niceties at the Huntington, Disgraced on Broadway) will now run at the Huntington Avenue Theatre, 264 Huntington Avenue, Boston from Friday, January 31, 2020 through Sunday, March 1, 2020. Five new performances have been added; the dates are Thursday, February 27 at 7:30pm; Friday, February 28 at 8pm; Saturday February 29 at 2pm and 8pm; and Sunday, March 1 at 2pm. Hailed as “a gripping play with humor and humanity” by Time Out New York, Sweat is based on playwright Lynn Nottage’s interviews with residents of Reading, Pennsylvania.
The play chronicles years in the lives of a group of friends from this working-class community who are struggling to stay connected as the local factory industry, which has employed them for generations, crumbles. In a neighborhood bar, each of them reaches for their piece of the American dream while their friendships are put to the test. Nottage weaves a tale of trust and doubt, longtime bonds and short-term possibilities. The New York Times raves “Superb…Nottage is writing at the peak of her powers.” Sweat was first performed at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2015, the following year it opened Off-Broadway at The Public Theater and transferred to Broadway at the beginning of 2017. After a run on Broadway, numerous regional productions throughout the United States and a stop at London’s West End, Sweat comes to Boston in this moving and urgently relevant new production.
Kimberly Senior (The Niceties and the upcoming, Our Daughters Like Pillars at the Huntington) takes the reigns of this play that The New Yorker designated “the first theatrical landmark of the Trump era” at the beginning of what could be our nation’s most important presidential election year in history.
As previously announced, the cast of Sweat features (in alphabetical order) Tyla Abercrumbie (Magnolia at the Goodman Theatre, Showtime’s “The Chi”) as Cynthia, Norton Award winner Marianna Bassham (Yerma and Romeo and Juliet at the Huntington) as Jessie, Norton Award winner Brandon G. Green (An Octoroon at Company One, The Scottsboro Boys at SpeakEasy Stage Company) as Chris, Shane Kenyon (Buzzer at the Goodman Theatre, Hushabye at Steppenwolf Theatre Company) as Jason, Norton Award winner Maurice Emmanuel Parent (Romeo and Juliet, Skeleton Crew at the Huntington) as Evan, Jennifer Regan (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf on Broadway, How I Learned to Drive at Second Stage Theatre) as Tracey, Tommy Rivera-Vega (A View from the Bridge at Teatro Vista, Three Sisters at Steppenwolf Theatre Company) as Oscar and Guy van Swearingen (The Time of Your Life and Taking Care at Steppenwolf Theatre Company) as Stan. Actor Alvin Keith (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof on Broadway, Novenas for a Lost Hospital at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater) joins the cast as Brucie.
The creative team for Sweat includes set design by Cameron Anderson (Yerma and The Niceties at the Huntington), costume design by Junghyun Georgia Lee (Tiger Style!, Smart People at the Huntington), lighting design by D.M. Wood (The Niceties at the Huntington, 4.48 Psychosis at the Royal Opera House), fight direction by Ted Hewlett (Quixote Nuevo and Yerma at the Huntington), and sound design and composition by Pornchanok Kanchanabanca (Skylight at the McCarter Theater, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time at Steppenwolf Theatre Company). The production stage manager is Emily F. McMullen and stage manager is Kelsy Durkin and Sam Layco.
What: Sweat by Lynn Nottage
When: January 31 through March 1, 2020
Where: The Huntington Theatre, 264 Huntington Ave., Boston
How: In person at the Huntington Avenue Theatre Box Office, 264 Huntington Ave. and the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA Box Office, 527 Tremont St. in Boston’s South End.
By phone: 617.266.0800
On Line: huntingtontheatre.org
Recently, I watched a news story from 1995 about heavyweight contender Jerry Quarry. The very popular Quarry who had twice fought Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier was being inducted into the International Boxing Hall Of Fame. This was considered a great honor and Jerry was there to bask in the glory. Well, he wasn’t exactly there. While his body was, his mind was no longer working, and the formerly very articulate Quarry was in such bad condition he was unable to sign autographs without the assistance of his brother James.
It was heartbreaking watching this footage. Not only was Jerry unable to sign his name he also needed assistance dressing himself. When asked questions he just stared off into space. This is something you might see in an elderly person who is suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease, but Jerry Quarry was far from elderly; he was only fifty years old. He would be dead in less than three years. He was also broke.
Seven years after his passing, Jerry’s brother Mike would die from the same disease. Mike was only 55 and had been suffering for many years. At the time the cause was called boxing induced dementia. For years it had been confused with Alzheimer’s Disease, but it is quite different. Today, it is known as CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy). It is caused by trauma to the head and is most common in boxing and football. It has also been found in military combat veterans, soccer players, ice hockey players, and victims of domestic violence.
Unfortunately, a true diagnosis cannot be ascertained until after death, when the brain can be dissected and studied closely. Dr. Ann McKee, Director of The Boston University CTE Center, has led the research into this terrible affliction. Doctors are becoming aware of the importance of looking at symptoms and patient history so as to be able to differentiate between Alzheimer’s and CTE.
Paul Pender
In 2003, after former Middleweight Champion Paul Pender passed away from what was thought to be complications related to Alzheimer’s Disease,his widow Rose asked to have Paul’s brain examined by Dr. McKee. Rose was concerned that if it was Alzheimer’s it could be genetically passed on to their children. The results showed no signs of the beta-amyloid protein found in Alzheimer’s but did show clumps of Tau Protein which is now known to form because of repeated blows to the head. The hits do not have to cause concussions as the damage is cumulative. Also, the younger the athlete when the head trauma begins, the higher the risk of developing CTE. In Pender’s case the damage may have begun while he was playing high school football.
Thanks to the courage of Rose Pender and the dogged research of Ann McKee and others, much is being learned about this terrible disease. I highly recommend the documentary “The Brain of a Boxer” which delves into the story of Paul Pender and Rose’s search for an answer to why her husband suffered so. The tragic part about this is how it is very preventable and how little is being done to stop it from happening.
Jerry And Mike Quarry
In recent years I have had a number of conversations with people who love boxing but also are very conflicted because of the injuries caused to those who partake in it. These conversations usually circle around how to make the sport less dangerous. To be sure, there are things that can be done to lessen the danger, but seeing as the whole point of the sport is to inflict injury to the opponent’s brain it is unlikely, short of not allowing head blows, to stop participants from ending up victims to CTE.
While it is true not all athletes who participate in contact sports will end up suffering from CTE, the risk is very high that a large number of them will. In the early years of the 20th Century President Theodore Roosevelt intervened when severe injuries and deaths were mounting in college football. There were calls to abolish the game. At TR’s urging, the rules were changed and football became safer. It is once again very dangerous, but rule changes could improve things. That is not likely in boxing as there is no way for the sport to be practiced without imposing head injuries. Rendering the opponent unconscious is the point of the sport and the thing that most excites the fans.
Ali At Joe Frazier’s Funeral
The Quarry brothers are just one of many examples of boxers who have ended up suffering from the blows they received years earlier in the ring. Former heavyweight champions Floyd Patterson and Ingemar Johansson both were diagnosed with pugilistica dementia when they died. Mickey Walker and Sugar Ray Robinson, two of the greatest fighters of all time, also had it. And most ironic of all was Muhammad Ali, a man who used to brag that he would never end up like the others. Hewas perhaps the biggest victim of the sport. It is a myth that he would have been fine if it hadn’t been for Parkinson’s Disease. Ali, like the Quarrys, began boxing at an early age and stayed in the sport long after his skills had eroded. In the last decades of his life his mind and body succumbed to the punishment he took. One of the most gifted athletes in history ended up physically and mentally destroyed by the sport he so loved.
Everyday we face danger. Crossing the street and driving a car can lead to severe injury or death. However, unless one is crazy, we take precautions when doing these things. We also don’t do these things with the intent of causing harm to others. In boxing, while there may be some precautions taken, the aim is to cause injury. There’s just no getting around that.
Years ago it was thought people watched auto racing because they wanted to see the crashes. It was found out that wasn’t sure. People watched because they enjoyed witnessing the skill of the drivers and the roar of the cars. When it comes to boxing, fans show up to see the accidents.
White Christmas now playing at the Boch Center Wang Theatre in Boston is based on the 1954 movie of the same name. The story of two WWII veterans and Army buddies, Bob Wallace and Phil Davis who form a musical act after the war and, at the urging of Phil, start pursuing love interests Betty and Judy Haynes is corny, formulaic, and great fun.
During the course of catching up with Betty and Judy, who are also performing as musical artists the Haynes Sisters, they end up at the Columbia Inn in Vermont run by their former Commanding Officer General Waverly. The inn is failing, and well, you can figure out the rest.
What is wonderful about musicals like this is they are a perfect showcase for the amazing music taken from the Great American Songbook, in this case the songs of Irving Berlin; tunes such as Count Your Blessings Instead Of Sheep, I Love A Piano, Let Me Sing And I’m Happy, and Blue Skies. It is also,as the title reminds us, Christmas Season and Mr. Berlin wrote many of the Christmas songs that have become standards. Along with the title number these include Happy Holidays, Snow, and I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm.
Blue Skies
The huge stage of the Wang Center can be overwhelming, and at first I thought the players were going to be lost in their surroundings. However, their powerful performances and the beautiful scenery prove large enough to fill their surrounding and more. Blue Skies performed by David Elder as Bob Davis along with the chorus all dressed in white andset against abackground of sky blue with wisps of clouds was food for the eyes while the singing and dancing were spectacular.
Kerry Conte and Kelly Sheehan as the Haynes Sisters are delightful while performing the number Sisters, a song that is later reprised by Bob and Phil in a bit oftwist. There is great chemistry among the four actors both when all together and when paired off separately.
Judy and Phil
Phil played by Jeremy Benton sings one of Berlin’s best songs I Love A Piano while dancing atop a small grand piano. He is joined by Judy and the pair perform a tap dance routine while seated on the piano with their feet hitting the stage. It is innovative and received a well deserved round of applause.
Bob and Betty bring tenderness to Count Your Blessings, a song that is not only appropriate for the Christmas Season, but one that delivers a message we should all take to heart each and every day.
Judy performs How Deep Is The Ocean set at the Regency Room in New York City. Here is where that large stage really works. Judy is joined by Phil as they sing and dance under a beautiful chandelier and are surrounded by gorgeous white draperies.
The set designs adapted by Kenneth Foy from the 2009 production sets designed by Anna Louizos are breathtaking. The colors vivid and warm are marvelous. The scenes at the inn capture what it feels like to be in New England at Christmastime. I don’t want to give away the ending, but I can assure you that you’ll be in awe at what you see.
Lorna Luft
Lorna Luft plays Martha Watson the manager of the Columbia Inn in Vermont. When she sings Let Me Sing And I’m Happy it is impossible not to think of her mother Judy Garland, but she is not performing an imitation of her famous mother. Ms Luft is a consummate stage professional who can not only sing beautifully but also has tremendous stage presence and exquisite timing.
Conrad John Schuck as General Henry Waverly is a cross between George Patton and General George C. Marshall, proud, firm, and tender. In the performance I attended Kyla Carter played Susan, the granddaughter of General Waverly. (The role is alternated with Emma Grace Berardelli). Ms Carter was impressive when she reprised Let Me Sing And I’m Happy. It must have been a bit intimidating to be performing the number in front of Lorna
Kyla Carter, Conrad John Schuck, and Lorna Luft
Luft just minutes after Ms Luft had sung it, but Ms Carter was poised and powerful.
The character of Ezekiel Foster has few words, but his “ayuhs”, high waisted pants, cigar, and facial expressions are subtle and very funny. Cliff Bemis originated the role and is on the stage here in Boston. It takes on even more meaning to native New Englanders. Is he good? Ayuh!
Director and choreographer Randy Skinner has put the large stage to good use, keeping it open and vast on numbers such as Blue Skies, while using the scenery to shrink it a bit and frame scenes tastefully such as the ones at the inn.
This is a big production with a full orchestra and very large cast. Irving Berlin’s White Christmas is just the thing to make you forget about your troubles and become filled with the joy and spirit of Christmas. Great music, great talent, and great scenery on a great big stage is just the ticket for a great night of theatre.This should be a part of any Christmas celebration in Boston.
Irving Berlin’s White Christmas
Directed and Choreographed by Randy Skinner
The Boch Center Wang Theatre, 270 Tremont Street, Boston
JOIN GREATER BOSTON STAGE COMPANY AND BE ONE OF SANTA’S HELPERS
Greater Boston Stage Company is committed to giving back to the community as it celebrates its 20th Anniversary Season. As part of this promise, GBSC is partnering with Christmas in the City during the run of Miracle on 34th Street to make the holidays a little brighter.
From November 29th through December 19th, 2019 Greater Boston Stage Company will be collecting new toys to donate to Christmas in the City so that they can pull off a miracle of their own: providing thousands of toys to needy families in the Greater Boston area.
Share some holiday happiness with kids who could use a little extra comfort and joy. Bring your donation of a new toy to the Griffin Museum Gallery attached to the theater and put it under the tree. Your gift and your generosity are truly appreciated.
Christmas in the City is a 100% volunteer non-profit that since 1989 has been dedicated to helping relieve the impact of homelessness and poverty on Boston-area children and their families. Learn more: christmasinthecity.org
And while you’re here… stay for the show! Based on the much-loved motion picture from Twentieth Century Fox, Miracle on 34th Street reminds us that if you really believe, anything can happen. Miracle on 34th Street celebrates the season by taking us to Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in the 1940’s where a gentleman named Kris Kringle steps in as a last-minute replacement for Santa. When he claims to be the true Santa Claus, he needs to convince the doubters, including a little girl longing to find something to believe in. Directed by Associate Artistic Director, Ilyse Robbins runs from November 29 – December 22, 2019. For more information or to purchase tickets, call the Box Office at Greater Boston Stage Company at (781) 279-2200, or visit www.greaterbostonstage.org.
Greater Boston Stage Company is dedicated to fostering an inclusive and accessible environment for all. A sensory-friendly performance of Miracle on 34th Street will be offered on December 21, 2019 at 2:00pm. The sensory-friendly production will be a performance dedicated to creating a more welcoming space for individuals with sensory-input disorders. There will be modifications throughout the theatre that create a friendly and supportive environment, encouraging patrons to experience the magic of theatre in their own way. Families, friends and caregivers of individuals with sensory-input disorders are also encouraged to attend. Please visit https://www.greaterbostonstage.org/sensory_friendly.html for more information.
