Tag Archives: Boston Theatre

New Repertory Theatre Presents The Gift Horse by Lydia R. Diamond, Directed by Jim Petosa April 22 through May 14

Theatre Announcements, , , , , , ,

 

“New Repertory Theatre is delighted to present the Boston-area premiere of one of playwright Lydia R. Diamond’s earliest works,” says Artistic Director Jim Petosa. “When I first approached her about a project, she suggested a revival of The Gift Horse. The result is a heartfelt and funny play that shines with Lydia’s unique humor and wit.”
“As our season comes to a conclusion, I’m pleased to welcome back several New Rep favorites,” says Managing Director Harriet Sheets. “Lewis D. Wheeler and Maurice Emmanuel Parent both return after many appearances on our stage, Cloteal L. Horne first worked with New Rep’s educational touring program Classic Repertory Company, and Obehi Janice performed in our Next Voices New Play Reading Series last spring. And I’d like to welcome Zachary Rice and Alejandro Simoes to New Rep for the first time!“

A humorous and introspective Boston-area premiere, The Gift Horse follows Ruth, a successful teacher and artist, whose quick and easy wit masks a painful childhood. With the support of her best friend Ernesto and therapist Brian she finally confronts her tumultuous past in a play infused with nationally-acclaimed playwright Lydia R. Diamond’s distinctive voice.
newrep.org 617.923.8487 321 Arsenal Street, Watertown

The Who & The What, A Seriously Funny Play

Theater Reviews, , , , , , , ,

The Who & The What

Huntington Theatre Company
Calderwood Pavilion, South End
Through May 7th

Reviewed by Bobby Franklin

Aila Peck and Rom Barkhordar
(Photo Credit: T. Charles Erickson)

There is something special happening on the stage of the Calderwood Pavilion. The Who & The What, by Ayad Akhtar and directed by M. Bevin O’Gara, is the story of Afzal (Rom Barkhordar) and his two daughters Mahwish (Turna Mete) and Zarina (Aila Peck). Afzai is from Pakistan and has made his home in the United States where he has raised Mahwish and Zarina. He lost his wife to cancer a few years earlier and misses her deeply but has an upbeat outlook on life. He has worked hard and become successful moving from driving a cab to owning 30% of the taxis in Atlanta. Wth his success he has provided his family with a good life. He is a loving father and wants only the best for his offspring. Afzai is also a conservative Muslim who has raised his daughters in the faith.

Rom Barkhordar and Joseph Marrella
(Photo Credit: T. Charles Erickson)

Mahwish is studying nursing and Zarina has graduated from Harvard and is now writing a novel about “women and Islam”. Afzal is taking a rather unique approach in the culture of arranged marriages by opening an account on muslimlove.com with Zarina’s profile and meets with prospective suitors for his daughter. This results in a very funny meeting at the local coffee shop wth Eli (Joseph Marrella) an American convert to Islam. While this certainly is a great intrusion into the life of Zarina you can’t help but be taken by the devotion Afzai has for both his daughter and his religion.

The Who & The What is a must see play.

While Zarina is devoted to her religion she is also questioning it. Her reading of the Koran is at odds with Afzai’s and this results in some heated, and quite humorous discussions on the subject. Compromises are made and Zarina does fall in love with Eli. All seems well until her novel entitled The Who & The What is published. In it Zarina questions many of the interpretations particularly the requirement by many that women wear a veil. This creates a conflict between Zarina and her father who is unable to accept these views and feels it reflects negatively on the family and may result in a loss of faith as well as exposing them to danger.

Zarina and Mahwish are devoted to each other and their father, which makes it painful to watch as this rupture occurs in the family as well as the strain placed on Eli and his relationship with Zarina.

Rom Barkhordar is simply outstanding as Afzai.

This is a play that very easily could have slipped into political correctness and sermonizing, but it certainly does not. It is an honest look at the conflicts, sometimes very deep, that can drive wedges between family members. Yes, this is a funny play, but it is also deep and moving. It is also very human. Rom Barkhordar is simply outstanding as Afzai. His rich voice and emotion fill the stage. His humor is natural and wonderfully delivered. And while audience members may cringe at some of Afzai’s views about the roles of men and women, Mr. Barkhordar leaves us with no doubt about the decency and love this man possesses.

The Who & The What is not a play that preaches to the audience. Ayad Akhtar does not give us the Ozzie and Harriet version of a Muslim family. He is honest and open about the conflicts that take place in a modern Muslim family that has assimilated into American culture without losing their identity. It is something people of all religions can be touched by. I know I certainly was.

In Boston, a city rich in good theatre, The Who & The What is a must see play. You will leave the theater happy that you spent time with this at times crazy but very interesting, warm, and touching family. Don’t miss it.

huntingtontheatre.org 617.266.0800

HUNTINGTON THEATRE COMPANY ANNOUNCES 2017-2018 SEASON – EIGHT RIVETING STORIES, INCLUDING REIMAGINED CLASSICS, A RENOWNED MUSICAL REVIVAL & TIMELY NEW WORKS

Theatre Announcements, ,

THE 2017-2018 SEASON INCLUDES THE DEFINITIVE PRODUCTION OF AN ACCLAIMED SONDHEIM REVIVAL, A RE-INVIGORATED 17th CENTURY COMEDY, A MAJOR REVIVAL OF A CARYL CHURCHILL CONTEMPORARY CLASSIC, AND MORE, TO BE PERFORMED AT THE HUNTINGTON AVENUE THEATRE AND CALDERWOOD PAVILION AT THE BCA

(BOSTON) – Huntington Theatre Company, Boston’s leading professional theatre, announces its 2017-2018 season. The Huntington has long been an anchor cultural institution of Huntington Avenue, the Avenue of the Arts, and will remain so on a permanent basis. The Huntington’s upcoming season will include productions in the Huntington Avenue Theatre (known as the BU Theatre through June 30), and plans are underway to convert the theatre into a first-rate, modern venue with expanded services to audiences, artists, and the community. The 36th season will include four plays at the Huntington Avenue Theatre, as well as three plays at the Wimberly Theatre and one special event in the Roberts Studio Theatre, both located in the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA in the South End.

The season will comprise of world-class productions of classics made current and exciting new work created by the finest local and national talent. The lineup features a definitive production of a legendary Stephen Sondheim musical, directed by the acclaimed actor-director Maria Friedman; a new play by Huntington Playwriting Fellow Ken Urban about chance encounters and redemption; a brilliant classic by Molière directed by Huntington Artistic Director Peter DuBois; a revival of one of 2016’s Best Plays of the Year by Huntington Playwright-in-Residence Melinda Lopez; a riveting and timely new play from Dominque Morisseau; Liesl Tommy’s fresh interpretation of a Caryl Churchill contemporary classic; and from a renowned Hollywood reporter, the world premiere play about famed playwright Arthur Miller and the son he refused to acknowledge; plus one show to be announced soon.

“I woke up the morning after the election and knew the 2017-2018 season needed to be full of theatrically bold, smart, and politically-minded work. I also knew we would all need several laughs and to be reminded of our common humanity,” says Huntington Artistic Director Peter DuBois. “The world-class artists we have assembled to tell these timely, human stories are some of the best in the country and beyond, and as always the Huntington experience will leave audiences equal parts inspired, transported, and entertained.”

THE 2017-2018 SEASON LINEUP
· Merrily We Roll Along: Director Maria Friedman recreates her stunning London production of Stephen Sondheim’s legendary musical for Boston audiences; winner of the Olivier Award for Best Musical; at the Huntington Avenue Theatre, September 8 – October 15, 2017

 
· A Guide for the Homesick: a powerful chance encounter between two strangers offers the possibility of connection and redemption in this arresting new drama by Huntington Playwriting Fellow Ken Urban; directed by Colman Domingo; at the Wimberly Theatre in the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA, October 6 – November 5, 2017

 
· Tartuffe: devious Tartuffe charms Orgon and his household – will they see through the con in time? Molière spins hypocrisy into high comedy in this hilarious and biting satire, one of the world’s great plays; directed by Huntington Artistic Director Peter DuBois; at the Huntington Avenue Theatre, November 10 – December 10, 2017

 
· Skeleton Crew: a makeshift family of auto workers gather in the breakroom of the last small auto plant in Detroit in this riveting and timely new play from Dominque Morisseau; at the Huntington Avenue Theatre, March 2 – March 31, 2018

 
· Top Girls: career-driven Marlene has just landed the top job at a London employment agency in Caryl Churchill’s dazzling contemporary classic about the sacrifices required to be a “top girl” in a man’s world; directed by Huntington favorite Liesl Tommy (A Raisin in the Sun, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Ruined); at the Huntington Avenue Theatre, April 20 – May 20, 2018

 
· Fall: renowned Hollywood reporter Bernard Weinraub explores the fascinating untold story of celebrated American playwright Arthur Miller and the son he refused to acknowledge; directed by Huntington Artistic Director Peter DuBois; at the Wimberly Theatre in the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA, May 18 – June 17, 2018

 

PLUS A SPECIAL EVENT:
Mala, a powerful personal drama written and performed by Huntington Playwright-in-Residence Melinda Lopez (Becoming Cuba, Sonia Flew) and named the Best of 2016 by The Boston Globe and WBUR’s The ARTery when it premiered at ArtsEmerson; directed by David Dower; at the Roberts Studio Theatre in the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA, January 6 – January 28, 2018
One more show in the 2017-2018 season will be announced soon.

Review: Our American Hamlet

Theater Reviews, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Booth Family:
Tragedians On And Off
The Stage

Our American Hamlet
The Commonwealth Shakespeare Company

Reviewed by Bobby Franklin

The world premiere of Our American Hamlet now playing at the Sorenson Center for the Arts at Babson College in Wellesley is a fascinating and intriguing look at a family that would have been remembered more for producing two of the greatest Shakespearean actors of the 19th Century, had it not been for actions of John Wilkes Booth who gained infamy by assassinating Abraham Lincoln. His words “Sic semper tyrannis”, shouted on the stage at Ford’s Theater that  April night would become one of the most remembered lines in theatre history. It would also cast a shadow over the Booth name, one that had survived scandals but nothing compared to this horrible deed. It is against this backdrop the play unfolds, and it is an interesting one.

Our American Hamlet is an evening of wonderful theatre and should not be missed.

In Jake Broder’s play we get to see all of the Booths in their greatness, their near madness, and their rivalries. It is a complicated story that Mr. Broder makes easy to follow by using the character of Adam Badeau, which he plays, as the narrator and as a friend of Edwin’s. He is very effective in keeping everything in perspective.

Jake Broder
Photo Credit: Nile Hawver/Nile Scott Shots

The play opens with Mr. Broder taking the stage next to a ghost light. He sets the action with a speech that is reminiscent of the opening scene of Henry V. We then see Edwin Booth as he is preparing back stage for his first performance since his brother’s infamous deed. Much of the play takes place backstage as the action moves to the past and the family history is told.

Jacob Fishel and Will Lyman
Photo Credit: Nile Hawver/Nile Scott Shots

The Booth story is both fascinating and intriguing, one of great success and much pain. Junius Brutus Booth, the family patriarch, is a man with a love for his liquor who appears to be bordering at times on madness. He is played by Will Lyman who takes the role to the edge without allowing it to slip into caricature. Mr. Lyman, who is one of Boston’s great actors, lives up to his reputation in this role.

Jacob Fishel
Photo Credit: Nile Hawver/Nile Scott Shots

As I watched Jacob Fishel in the role of Edwin Booth I was thinking what a challenge it must be to portray a man who is considered to be one of the greatest actors of all time. Mr. Fishel does not appear to be at all intimidated by this and is a joy to watch. The back and forth between Edwin and Junius is sprinkled with lines from Hamlet that are never overplayed and always appropriate to the action. Edwin spent years dealing with his father’s mood changes and alcoholism as well as verbal abuse. He also spent this time observing his father and learning the craft of acting. When the opportunity arose he was ready. Mr. Fishel and Mr. Lyman are at times intense in their roles opposite each other, an intensity that drives the action.

Joe Fria
Photo Credit: Nile Hawver/Nile Scott Shots

Joe Frias brings us a John Wilkes who has much youthful confidence but is lacking in the talent his brother and father possess. Mr. Frias does a fine job in showing the bitterness that develops as John becomes frustrated and then made to feel inadequate by Edwin who not only overshadows him on the stage but also has a penchant for making him feel inferior. How much all of this played into the madness that drove him to assassinate the president is something we will never know.

Brother June (Kelby Akin), sister Asia (Lucy Davenport), and mother Mary Ann Holmes (Maureen Keiller) are the rest of the family. June owns a theatre in California, Asia marries the owner of a theatre not for love but because it will help advance Edwin’s career, and Mary encourages John in his desires to make a career on the stage while at the same time throwing guilt onto Edwin.

The voices of the actors in this production are like music.

Steven Maler has done a fine job directing this original piece of theatre. It is interesting to have scenes where we, the audience, get to sit backstage looking out at a theater while the actors perform scenes from Shakespeare and watch from behind as they take their bows or have their breakdowns. There is even a bit of Our American Cousin performed. The final scene is a wonderful piece of theatre that overlaps the Hamlets and the Booths. It is very interesting to see.

Our American Hamlet is an evening of wonderful theatre and should not be missed.  You will enjoy, learn much, and leave asking many what if questions. The voices of the actors in this production are like music. They are clear and resonant. A joy to hear.

Putting on a new play is a risk for any theatre company and the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company is to be commended for staging this work. I highly recommend Our American Hamlet, you will not be disappointed.

Our American Hamlet
By Jake Border
Directed by Steven Maler
Through April 2nd at the Sorenson Center for the Arts
Babson College, Wellesley, MA
781.239.5660
www.commshakes.org

A note: Wellesley is not on another planet. The Sorenson Theater is very easy to find using GPS. There is plenty of free parking, and the theater is very comfortable with plenty of leg room. The Commonwealth Shakespeare has partnered with Babson College and is now able to stage productions all year long in addition to their free Shakespeare on the Common every summer.

NEW REPERTORY THEATRE ANNOUNCES 2017-2018 SEASON: RESILIENCE

Theatre Announcements, , , , ,

 IDEATION, OLEANNA, MAN OF LA MANCHA, UNVEILED, STATEMENTS, LONELY PLANET, RIPE FRENZY,
THE BAKELITE MASTERPIECE, TWO JEWS WALK INTO A WAR

Johnny Lee Davenport

Featuring nine productions, New Rep’s 2017-2018 season includes Ideation, a dark satirical comedy and Boston-area premiere; Oleanna, David Mamet’s groundbreaking drama, featuring Johnny Lee Davenport; Man of La Mancha, a revival of the Tony award-winning musical, featuring Maurice Emmanuel Parent; Unveiled, a one-woman show written and performed by Rohina Malik and co- produced with Stoneham Theatre; Statements After an Arrest Under the Immorality Act, and engaging political drama by Athol Fugard; Lonely Planet, an evocative social drama by Steven Dietz; Ripe Frenzy, a site-specific drama and Boston-area premiere; The Bakelite Masterpiece, a riveting historical drama and Boston-area premiere; and Two Jews Walk into a War…, a hilarious existential comedy featuring Jeremiah Kissel.

Jeremiah Kissel

“The plays in our 2017-2018 season will showcase the remarkable resilience of the human spirit,” says Artistic Director Jim Petosa. “Theatre has the power to shed light in dark times, to illuminate and stimulate thought, and to provide a forum for us to come together as a community in conversation. It is our hope that these plays will inspire and engage as New Repertory Theatre continues to be a place where the vital ideas of our time can be discussed freely and openly.”

“Our 2016-2017 season was one of our most successful ever, and we owe a great amount of that success to our patrons,” says Managing Director Harriet Sheets. “We heard from so many audiences members throughout the year and

their passion and enthusiasm for our productions and mission was clear. It is because of that support that the Boston Globe recently called us ‘a potent force,’ and so we’re pleased to share another extraordinary lineup in 2017-2018.”

MainStage Theater & BlackBox Theater | Mosesian Center for the Arts 321 Arsenal Street | Watertown, MA 02472

617-923-8487 newrep.org

Throwin’ The Cards At The Huntington

Theater Reviews, , , , , , ,

TopDog/Underdog

Through April 9th

Huntington Theatre Company

 

Reviewed by Bobby Franklin

Matthew J. Harris and Tyrone Mitchell Henderson (Photo Credit: T. Charles Erickson)

Two African American brothers named Lincoln and Booth are sharing a one room flat. Lincoln has left his wife, or she has left him. Booth has taken him in and he is sleeping on the recliner. By day Lincoln plays Abraham Lincoln at the local arcade where people can pay for the privilege of assassinating him. “It’s a good sit down job with benefits.” Booth makes his way by boosting (shoplifting), and he is good at it.

Harris and Henderson are perfect together. They never miss a beat with their timing and movement. Both are a pleasure to watch.

In Topdog/Underdog now playing at the Huntington Theatre in Boston we see the two brothers as they deal with the cards they have been handed. In this case the cards are from a deck used for playing Three Card Monte, a slight of hand game used to hustle people out of money. Lincoln used to be very good at the game, one of the best, but gave it up after seeing a close friend shot to death by a disgruntled loser. Booth wants to learn how to be good at it and have the two of them team up and make a fortune. A life Lincoln does not want to return to, or at least he is trying to convince himself he doesn’t want to.

Tyrone Mitchell Henderson and Matthew J. Harris (Photo Credit: T. Charles Erickson)

In the course of what seems to be a pretty basic story about two brothers making the best of what they have there are plenty of laughs. The quick banter between the two, Lincoln (Tyrone Mitchell Henderson) and Booth (Matthew J. Harris), is sharp and funny. There is a scene where Booth does a striptease taking off layer after layer of clothing he has boosted, providing two classy suits, one for himself and one for his brother. Matthew J. Harris has all the moves in a dance that seems it will never end, nor do we want it to.

While there are plenty of laughs, as things progress we begin to see the pain the two are in. Frustration, discouragement, loneliness, and anger all begin to show slowly and painfully. Lincoln, who is five years the elder, repeats how lucky he is to have his job so many times that it becomes clear he is trying to convince himself of it. He keeps resisting the temptation to go back to “throwin’ the cards”, but finally succumbs when he is replaced by a wax dummy at the arcade.

The banter and the hand movement makes you want to throw your money down and find where the black card has landed.

The two were abandoned by their parents when they were 16 and 11 years old but were each given a small inheritance. They also have a photo album that they, or at least Booth, keeps up to date. The brothers also talk about their parents quite a bit. It was not exactly a stable environment to be raised in, and they haven’t been left with a lot of options.

As I have written, this is a very funny play, but when the darkness reveals itself it is deep and painful. It is tragic watching Lincoln and Booth working with their very limited options. They do what most people end up doing when they are up against the wall; they return to what they know how to do. Unfortunately, that is not much of a choice for either of them.

Matthew J. Harris is fast, sharp, and fluid as Booth. He is filled with energy as he moves about the stage and talks about his future with his girlfriend Grace.

Tyrone Mitchell Henderson and Matthew J. Harris (Photo Credit: T. Charles Erickson)

Tyronne Mitchell Henderson as Lincoln is subtle yet commanding on stage. His voice and movements convey wisdom and conflict; hope and much pain. Watching him show Booth how to set up a Three Card Monte scam is captivating. The banter and the hand movement makes you want to throw your money down and find where the black card has landed

Harris and Henderson are perfect together. They never miss a beat with their timing and movement. Both are a pleasure to watch.

Director Billy Porter has set the play, written by Suzan-Lori Parks, on a stage that is not time specific. It is a reminder of just how long people have struggled under such circumstances, and of how strong the pain is of trying to make it in life when the bottom rungs of the ladder have been removed. For all of the laughs and good natured back and forth in this work, you will leave the theatre wondering why things have to be this way and what can be done to prevent it from happening. People have many different answers. The trick is in finding the right ones.

Topdog/Underdog

by Suzan-Lori Parks

Directed by Billy Porter

Now through April 9thThe Huntington Theatre Company

Avenue of the Arts

BU Theatre

264 Huntington Ave., Boston

617.266.0800

huntingtontheatre.org

 

 

A Moving Look At The Challenges Of Being Kind

Theater Reviews, , , , , , , ,

Grand Concourse

SpeakEasy Stage

Through April 1st

Reviewed by Bobby Franklin

You will be deeply moved by what you see.

The SpeakEasy production of Grand Concourse by Heidi Schreck now playing at the Calderwood Pavilion in Boston’s South End is one of those truly wonderful theatre experiences that touches on so many emotions.

Oscar, Shelly, Emma, and Frog.
Photo Credit: Glenn Perry

There are four characters in this play that takes place in the food preparation area of a soup kitchen in the Bronx. As the play progresses the depth and struggles of each of these individuals becomes more apparent. It is impossible to watch this work and not become emotionally invested in each one of them.

Shelly, played by Melinda Lopez, is the Catholic nun who runs the kitchen. She is committed to her work but is having doubts about her faith and purpose. She practices praying while using a microwave timer. Shelly is a kind and compassionate human being, but is that enough and  what does it mean to be compassionate? Melinda Lopez brings depth and warmth to Shelly. I felt I had known her for years.

One day Emma, a college drop out, stops by and offers to volunteer. At first she seems like a young person who wants to do something good, but as the play progresses we see there is much more going on with her. Played by the very talented Ally Dawson, Emma is very manipulative and makes things quite difficult for the others. She also accomplishes much good while pushing the others to the limits of their compassion. Ms Dawson handles this very complex character perfectly. It is an emotional roller coaster watching her, and I have to say I felt drained by her actions. However, it  me feel good in the sense that I was forced to look more deeply into someone whom it would have been very easy to write off as superficial and self absorbed.

Frog and Oscar
Photo Credit: Glenn Perry

Thomas Derrah plays Frog a homeless man who has been a regular at the soup kitchen for some time. In between telling and selling jokes to the others, he also spins his philosophy on life and insights into people and society. I have seen Mr. Derrah perform for more years than I would like to admit, and I have to say it would be a challenge to find an actor who can match him for how consistently good he is. He certainly does not disappoint here. He makes many entrances and exits in the course of this production and each one is fresh and outstanding.

Oscar, played by Alejandro Simoes, is the maintenance man. He is funny and kind. Oscar was a dental student in his native Dominican Republic and is now struggling to put a life together in the United States and marry his girlfriend Rosa. At first he appears to be a fairly light character, but Mr. Simoes treats us to a man who has weaknesses and conflict but is filled with decency. He truly touches us with his goodness.

Shelly and Emma
Photo Credit: Glenn Perry

Grand Concourse easily could have been a very predictable and formulaic work about people helping people and getting caught up with the conflicts in their own lives. At first I thought that’s where it was going. What author Heidi Schreck has given us is a play that goes much deeper than that. I was very moved by this play. It compelled me to ask  what it means to have compassion and what the limits are to it. The Catholic social activist Dorothy Day once said her purpose was to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. Well, it’s not always easy to tell who is afflicted and who is comfortable.

The SpeakEasy Stage has done it again and this is a play not to be missed.

I have to admit I left the theatre emotionally spent. It was an amazing afternoon watching terrific actors working with a fine script that was well directed and staged beautifully. I highly recommend Grand Concourse. The SpeakEasy Stage has done it again and this is a play not to be missed. You will be deeply moved by what you see.

Grand Concourse

Directed by Bridget Kathleen O’Leary

Through April 1st

The SpeakEasy Stage
At The Calderwood Pavillon
South End, Boston

speakeasystage.com

617.933.8600

Kisses and Laughter Aplenty At The Lyric

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Stage Kiss

The Lyric Stage

140 Clarendon St. Boston
Through March 26th

Reviewed by Bobby Franklin

Sarah Ruhl’s Stage Kiss now playing at the Lyric Stage is two plays within a play that centers on the problems that arise when former lovers are cast opposite each other in a revival of a 1930s melodrama, The Last Kiss, which is also about two former lovers.

Make no mistake, this play is very funny.

He (Alexander Platt) and She (Celeste Oliva) the former lovers who haven’t seen each other in over ten years are brought together when trying out for roles in a revival of a 1930s Noel Coward style play The Last Kiss. Sexual tension immediately arises as old passions become inflamed. She, who is now married and has a daughter while He is in a relationship with a woman from either Iowa or Illinois (you’ll understand when you see it), don’t take long to act on their desires.

Will McGarrahan, Celeste Oliva, Michael Hisamoto (Photo: Mark S. HowardMake no mistake, this play is very funny. Ms Oliva, as She, is a positive riot as she reads for the part in front of director Adrian Schwalbach (Will McGarrahan). It is her first time trying out for a production in years and Oliva plays the part with a frenetic humor that conveys She’s self doubt. I couldn’t help but think this might not be much of an exaggeration of what many actors have been through. Mr. McGarrahan as Schwalbach is the perfect straight man. His timing is excellent as he knows just when to deliver a line or a look to allow the lines to sink in. I have seen him in a number of productions and he as yet to disappoint.

Alexander Platt and Celeste Oliva. (Photo: Mark S. Howard)

He is played by Alexander Platt. He, shallow and self centered, lives just in the moment. He seems not at all concerned with the fact that She is married and has a child. At first this doesn’t seem important as the laughs keep coming and it is amazing to see the set for The Last Kiss come together as the action moves along. The play begins with an almost bare stage that evolves into a beautiful setting with lovely costumes. It is magical to see as it happens bit by bit while the lights are dimmed.

Director Courtney O’Connor also plays a bit with the audience on when intermission is about to start. It is all fun and a nice touch.

In Act II things begin to falter a bit. The Last Kiss has been a flop and now He and She are teaming up with Adrian in a new play he has written and is producing in Detroit. She has left her husband Harrison (Craig Matthers) and her daughter Angela (Theresa Nguyen) to be with He. He’s former girlfriend Laurie (Gillian Mackay-Smith) and Harrison have taken up with each other. Angela’s reaction to all of this is not hurt but anger that doesn’t seem all that real. She also seems quite self centered.

And this is why things don’t quite work in the second act. While there are plenty of funny situations, we are still seeing a marriage torn apart and a child whose mother has walked out on her. I never got the sense anybody really was feeling much pain about all that had happened. Towards the end Craig Mathers gives a very moving and well done monologue about marriage that feels out of place as he appears to be the only one who grasps what has really happened. The lines he delivers include “Marriage is about repetition. Every night the sun goes down and the moon comes up and you have another chance to be good. Romance is not about repetition.” Beautiful words, and while She does go back with him, I don’t believe it is the words that have moved her. Her shallowness still rings through. Without an emotional investment in the characters it is hard to feel much even when listening to these lovely words so well delivered by Mr. Mathers.

Will McGarrahan, Celeste Oliva, Alexander Platt, Michael Hisamoto. (Photo: Mark S. Howard)

Now, I do have to say something here about Michael Hisamoto who plays a number of parts including the Kevin the understudy in The Last Kiss and a pimp in the play in Detroit. Mr. Hisamoto almost steals this production. He is positively hilarious in his scenes with Ms Oliva in Act 1. Their kissing scene is side splitting funny. Every time he steps onto the stage you can feel his energy. His presence is subtle but very strong. He can elicit laughter with just a sidewards glance. He is a very talented young actor and I hope we get to see more of him soon.

Mr. Hisamoto almost steals this production

Stage Kiss may have some flaws, but it is still a production worth seeing. It is refreshing to sit in a theater and laugh. It is nice in this very heated political era to be able to step away from all the arguing and be able to escape for a couple of hours. Theatre plays many roles in our society. Some of it is political. But it is also important that it gives us a break from the anxieties that creep into our lives. Stage Kiss does that.

Stage Kiss

by Sarah Ruhl

Directed by Courtney O’Connor

Lyricstage.com

Don’t Bring The Kids To This Puppet Show

Theater Reviews, , , , , , , ,

Hand To God
SpeakEasy Stage
Calderwood Pavilion, Boston
Through February 4th

Reviewed by Bobby Franklin

Waiting for the curtain to rise for Hand To God I was listening to the usual pre theatre check list regarding shutting off cell phones and noting the exits. The speech was given in what “enlightened” people in the cities believe is a rural accent, with references to Jesus. I thought, oh here we go, another play that takes plenty of cheap shots at the “uneducated” working class that is motivated by a multitude of “isms” when they vote. You know, those hayseeds who cling to their guns and Bibles.

Tyrone Attacks Timothy
Photo: Glenn Perry Photography

My fears were not realized. While I could see that many believers would be offended by much of the humor in the play, it wasn’t gratuitous. This is a very dark and disturbing comedy that looks into the lives of five characters who are struggling to find answers and meaning in their lives. Primarily, Margery (Marianna Bassham), who has recently lost her husband, and her son Jason (Eliot Purcell) who is struggling with the loss of his father.

Eliot Purcell as Jason/Tyrone is superb.

Margery runs a Christian puppet theatre at the local church and Jason is one of the puppeteers. Things start to go off the rails when Tyrone, the sock puppet Jason manipulates starts to take on a life off his own. Tyrone does not mince words. He is vulgar, vicious, violent, blunt, and truthful. It appears to the other members of the church, as well as the audience, that demonic possession may be at play here. And that is what is at the core of this very funny and unsettling play; Should we listen to that dark side when it speaks to us? Though we say we want to hear the truth, do we often feel so uncomfortable with it that we write it off as something the devil has created?

Eliot Purcell as Jason/Tyrone is superb. In what must be a very difficult role that involves many scenes where he has to play opposite his hand, he nails it.

Marianna Bassham as Margery and David Ladani Sanchez as the unruly teen Timothy are hysterical in the scene where they lust after each other while tearing up the puppet theater. Bassham is also touching in conveying the hurt and loss Margery is suffering.

Tyrone, Jason, Pastor Greg.
Photo Credit: Glenn Perry Photography

Lewis D. Wheeler as Pastor Greg and Josephine Elwood as Jessica are also well cast.

Ironically, as the play concludes the author, Robert Askins, found the need to become a bit preachy himself. This was not needed and actually seemed to be a bit hypocritical.

This play is not for everyone. The language is quite vulgar and the fun made of “uneducated”believers who eat at Chick-fil-a, while not over the top, will offend many.

It would be interesting to attend a performance with a group of devout Christians and then have a talk back afterwards. The results of that conversation may be surprising. And, after all, isn’t theatre about getting people to think about things and then listen to each other’s views? I think it would be fun.

Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf

Theatre Announcements, , , , , ,

To Play At the Lyric Stage January 13 Through February 12

Steven Barkhimer and Paula Plum
Steven Barkhimer and Paula Plum

The Lyric Stage has announced the cast for Edward Albee’s classic play Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf set to run from January 1st through February 12th.

Directed by Scott Edmiston who’s My Fair Lady at the Lyric was named among “The Best Theatre of 2015” by the Wall Street Journal, the very strong cast will include Steven Barkhimer (Warrior Class) playing George. He will be joined by the award winning Paula Plum who will portray Martha. Erica Spyres (Company) and Dan Whelton (One Man, Two Guvnors) will play Honey and Nick.

The Lyric Stage is located at 140 Clarendon Street, Boston.

For ticket information:

617.585.5678

lyricstage.com