Walking into the Wheelock Family Theater, I was immediately surrounded by children of all ages, bouncing with anticipation, as they waited for Annie to take the stage. Patten leather shoes, hair bows and the occasional matching pajama set (after all, this was a late night!) immediately brought me back to my own childhood, and I [...]
The Lyric Stage Company of Boston’s production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee marks my second production of the facetious and dry work of William Finn. I am a particular fan of Finn. His sardonic humor and dissonant harmonies are, for me, enough to entertain. The Lyric Stage brought to Finn’s farce an [...]
The F.U.D.G.E. Theatre Company’s summer offering is the sweet and soulful Violet by Brian Crawley and Jeanine Tesori. A perfect closure to the company’s brooding season, Violet is an inspirational tale of a young girl on a journey of self discovery to find the true meaning of beauty after a childhood accident leaves her hopelessly [...]
“You are in for a treat, my friend,” I told my companion as we took our seats in the Calderwood Pavilion to see Speakeasy Stage Company’s last production of the season, The Great American Trailer Park Musical by David Nehls and Betsy Kelso. I was admittedly unfamiliar with the show (so refreshing) but I did [...]
After taking our seats to watch The Company Theatre’s production of RENT, I heard the young ladies behind me saying how difficult it would be to refrain from singing along, having seen the movie. This tickled me a bit; I briefly imagined myself as a staunch old man turning around and saying with indignation “In [...]
I am going to say right off the bat that I have a very intimate relationship with Elmer Rice’s play, The Adding Machine. Having played Mrs. Zero myself, and having been nominated for a National acting scholarship because of that performance (/ shameless self promotion) I feel not only an intimate bond with the character, [...]
I like to believe that I was well suited to review The Company Theater’s production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. I have a particular love for words. One might describe me as sesquipedalian. One of my favorite words is even a song title from the show (Weltanschauung). Some may say I go [...]
The Boston Opera Collaborative was at its most spectacular this past weekend with their production of A Little Night Music, Stephen Sondheim’s charming and funny tale of love across generations. The show is a favorite of opera companies for its musical intricacies and a favorite of audience members for its clever dialog, witty puns and [...]
If you are looking for a family-friendly theatrical experience to help combat those winter blues, Wheelock Family Theatre’s production of Honk!, a plucky little retelling of the Ugly Duckling by Drewe and Stiles is an absolute winner. Packed full to the brim with theatrics that would appeal to the 5-10 year-old crowd, this production is [...]
It’s a difficult thing for a reviewer when they are tasked to write a review of something that is extremely dear to them. [title of show] captured my heart back in 2006 when I stumbled upon its brilliance at the Vineyard Theatre. An inventive, unique little piece that taps into the heart of any person [...]