When I accepted the assignment to review Whistler in the Dark’s production of The Europeans by Howard Barker, I was excited for the prospects it had to offer. When I got up from my seat almost three hours after curtain up, I was exhausted and slightly confused. The play, primarily a period piece, explores the [...]
The sound of crashing waves surrounded me as I walked into the New Repertory Theatre in Watertown to take my seat for aferlife: a ghost story. Cristina Todesco’s set immediately caught my eye, as its realistic depiction of a beach was impeccable and I started to feel comforted by the crash of the waves and [...]
David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross is as poignant today as it must have been when it was first presented in the early 1980s. The anxiety and desperation of buyers and brokers remains pertinent in our society, serving as catharsis for the repercussions for the recovering economy of our present. Though the causes have changed and [...]
The Vokes Theatre is an intimate playhouse that evokes the feeling of an Italian Renaissance stage. Long and narrow, the play space is painfully close to the audience and the audience is painfully close to one another with barely enough room to sit without knees touching the seat in front of you. While my companion [...]
The Shirley, VT Play-Festival in a word: synergy. The Huntington, SpeakEasy, and Company One come together to present three works of play-write Annie Baker, all of which take place in the fictional town of Shirley, VT. You had me at Vermont. I was raised camping and skiing in Vermont, traditions I still maintain today. I [...]
The absurdity of a job market where positions are so few and applicants so numerous can seem maddening. From the leap-frogging circles of niceties, and no seeming source of answers, one can begin to feel un-tethered Heart & Dagger’s production of Jean-Claude Van Itallie’s Interview captures the lunacy. Such a production is the very richness [...]
One thing I can count on is the Zeitgeist Stage Company’s ability to choose prevalent, poignant pieces that carry some socio-political statement. True to form, Zeitgeist presents the sardonically fresh Enron by Lucy Prebble. I was very excited to see this production. I tout the work of the company, and was glad for the opportunity [...]
I have come to a point where I have all but lost the ability to sit back and just enjoy a show. Though I consider myself to be a fair reviewer, I almost always find something to critique. It is rare that I watch a show that I completely enjoy. I was lucky enough to [...]
Sarah Ruhl’s play concerning women’s sexual awakening and their men’s response in the electrical age is a thrilling subject. Ruhl stepped out of the box when writing this 2010 Pulitzer Prize finalist and Tony Nominated play. I had very high expectations for what was called a “laugh-out-loud provocative and touching play” but I was surprised [...]
An explosion recently occurred at the Factory Theatre. Like a tempest, the cast of the Independent Drama Society’s Romeo and Juliet tore through the space, leaving everyone present changed. From start to finish, audience members’ imaginations were held captive by the vivid, intricate characters portrayed on stage. Upon entering the theatre, one notes the punk [...]