This was an interesting Stratford season because, overall, it felt like one of the weakest in awhile (three dull Shakespeare productions, a dud musical and a handful of uninspiring plays- something went seriously wrong this year). But it also contained my favourite production to come out of the festival since 2011 (Chris Abraham’s joy of […]
Canadian Stage’s annual Shakespeare in High Park (formerly known as Dream in High Park but apparently that was too confusing) is always fun for its picnic-under-the-stars tone, even if the plays are bad. Which is important, because this year’s productions aren’t exactly good. Neither is a complete loss- both Titus Andronicus and the slightly more […]
The American Repertory Theatre has introduced their next Boston-to-Broadway commercial hit, Finding Neverland. Following the life and work of J. M. Barrie, playwright and author of Peter Pan, the musical is an emotional voyage of soaring highs and valley lows; bring the whole family, but also bring the tissues. Despite the artistic success of the […]
Nothing says feminism quite like equal opportunity fat jokes; enter Theatre@First’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henry the 4th. Gender-bending such a grotesque, masculine figure as Falstaff might sound unworkable, but as with most other elements of this production it’s a surprisingly serviceable and believable approach to giving the play contemporary appeal. It’s always a challenge to […]
While the summer months can be sweltering in the Greater Boston area, many actors escape to the suburbs to perform outdoor Shakespeare for local audiences. Many companies choose to perform crowd favorites like As You Like It and Comedy of Errors, but The Gazebo Players of Medfield present The Winter’s Tale, a late Shakespeare romance, […]
Kiss Me, Kate is a tough piece. It requires actors not only to pull off Shakespearean text, but also to dance with expert skill and stretch their range with Cole Porter’s operatic score. It’s not beginner’s musical theatre. Therefore, The Longwood Players’ choice to present this classic is a bold choice. While Director Anna Waldron […]
Bill Hanney’s North Shore Music Theatre is known in the Greater Boston area for bringing professional and Broadway-quality work to the North Shore of Boston during the lazy summer months and into the fall season. Moreover, they impress with their ability to stage full musical productions in the round, especially New England premieres. Disney’s The […]
Singin’ in the Rain was a star vehicle movie musical for the unmatchable Gene Kelly as Don Lockwood, the Golden Globes Best Supporting Actor-winning Donald O’Connor as Cosmo Brown, and the Oscar Best Supporting Actress Jean Hagen as Lina Lamont. However, the glorious feeling comes when the rising star Debbie Reynolds gained critical success as […]