Presented by Food Tank Written by Bernard Pollack Directed by Dori A. Robinson Dramaturgy and Production by Elena Morris
Wed, Feb. 7 @ 7 PM Wed, Feb. 21 @ 7 PM SOLD OUT The Burren Backroom Somerville, MA
Critique by Kitty Drexel
SOMERVILLE, Mass. — The Food Tank presents two readings of Little Peasants: A Peek Behind Closed Doors of a Food Workers’ Union Organizing Campaign. This article is based on the reading performed on Feb. 7 at 7 PM. Little Peasants is supported by the Somerville Arts Council through the Massachusetts Cultural Council.Continue reading →
(at table) Laura Hubbard as Nicole, Alex Leondedis as Greg, Parker Jennings as Tuttle, Cristhian Mancinas-García as Jacob, Michael (Shifty) Celestin as Tal, Paola Ferrer as Hannah, Julia Hertzberg at Mitra – Photos: Danielle Fauteux Jacques
Presented by Apollinaire Theatre Company
Play by Sarah Einspanier
Direction and Sound Design by Danielle Faeuteux Jacques
Scenic and Sound Design by Joseph Lark-Riley
Featuring: Cristhian Mancinas-Garcia, Parker Jennings, Paola Ferrer, Michael (Shifty) Celestin, Alex Leondedis, Julia Hertzberg, Laura Hubbard, Dev Luthra, Katie Pickett, Brooks Reeves
December 30, 2023 – January 21, 2024 Chelsea Theatre Works
189 Winnisimmet St
Chelsea MA, 02150
Content advisory: dialogue about diet culture
Review by Maegan Bergeron-Clearwood
CHELSEA, Mass. — Lunch Bunch feels longer than its snappy one-hour run time, and that’s very much a positive: the lives depicted onstage are so harried, so high-stakes, so existentially draining, that I left Apollinaire Theatre Company feeling as though I’d lived an entire lifetime. Continue reading →
Presented by The Hungtington A Die Hard parody Produced by James Seabright Written by Richard Marsh Directed by Hal Chambers Performed by Darrel Bailey
December 27-December 31, 2023 Huntington Theatre 264 Huntington Ave Boston, MA
BOSTON, Mass. — Bruce Willis told us Die Hard is not a Christmas movie in 2018.
Richard Marsh’s Yippee Ki Yay is a Die Hard parody, but it’s not about Die Hard. It’s about love: the love between a man and his favorite film, the love between two Die Hard uberfans, and the love between an NYPD cop and his shoes.
Yippee Ki Yay: The Die Hard Parody is visiting The Huntington through December 31. There are only a few performances left.
Allow me to explain why nearly everyone needs to see this one-man tour de force play about a Bruce Willis movie from 1988. It’s come from the Edinburgh Fringe (Do we want a fringe festival in Boston? Support fringe shows to get a fringe festival.) for audiences of most ages whether those ages enjoy action films or not. Bailey performs the play like an epically kinesthetic standup routine. Only people who hate fun dislike standup comedy. Continue reading →
Presented by New World Stages Author: Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen Director: Gordon Greenberg Original Music/Sound Design by Victoria Deiorio Dialect coaching by Jerome Butler Intimacy direction by Judi Lewis Ockler Puppetry design by Tijana Bjelajac Schedule of Performances New World Stages / Stage 5 340 West 50th Street New York NY 10019
1 hour and 30 minutes, no intermission
Review by Kitty Drexel
NEW YORK — Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors is cutely queer. It isn’t in New England yet, but it could be when the rights become available. Performances are ongoing at New York’s New World Stages through November.
This Dracula, like so many of its predecessors, tackles Bram Stoker’s most famous novel with a modern spin and blatant sexual references. Persons seeking a severe homage to either the novel in letters or the 1992 film with Winona Rider and Gary Oldman should look elsewhere. This play lacks depth but makes up for it with absurd puppetry and the clever execution of thoughtful props. Continue reading →
Presented by The Huntington in association with Alliance Theatre and Front Porch Arts Collective Written by James Ijames Directed by Stevie Walker-Webb Choreography by PJ Johnnie Jr. Fight Direction and Intimacy Coaching by Jesse Hinson Dialect Coaching by Adi Cabral Voice Lessons by David Freeman Coleman
“Haam” Slang: Hard as a motherfucker. One can go haam for anything: Sports, homework, smoking, sex, drinking, driving, etc. From UrbanDictionary.com
Or,
“HAM” Slang: A Ham is a burger with no bread. A loser, a peasant, a bum with no motion and no desire or solution to make some money. Whatever you do stay away from Hams they are contagious and NEED a vaccine. From UrbanDictionary.com
BOSTON, Mass. — 2023 Pulitzer-prize winning play Fat Ham is at the BCA’s Calderwood Pavilion now thru October 29. Stevie Walker-Webb brings James Ijames’ hilarious opus to Boston thanks to the collaboration of Front Porch Arts Collective, the Huntington, and Alliance Theatre.
Many modern Shakespeare productions claim to be for a new audience. Some of these productions are merely Shakespeare set in an urban environment or slightly updated to correct historical sexism, racism, or homophobia. There’s nothing wrong with maintaining this tradition.
Fewer Shakespeare productions are truly for a modern audience: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) summarizes the Bard’s works; Shit-Faced Shakespeare performs for improv-loving, alcohol-fueled audiences of frat-bros and frat-bro allies. Fat Ham truly goes where no modern production has gone before.
Fat Ham transcends a retelling of Hamlet. It doesn’t merely transpose the story of a young man bent on parricide/patricide because the ghost of his father visits him after his uncle marries his mother. It goes harder. Continue reading →
This play was a finalist in Teatro’s 3rd Annual A-Tipico Latinx New Play Festival.
Critique by Kitty Drexel
CHELSEA, Mass. — Teatro Chelsea’s production of Josie Nericcio’s 619 Hendricks ran at Chelsea Theatre Works through July 1. The run is over but maybe, if we ask nicely, it will play somewhere else soon. Massachusetts needs to celebrate more quality theatre like 619 Hendricks.
The general rule, when it comes to family or friends and money, is don’t lend. Give. That money is already gone and will never be paid back once it changes hands. Humans have a short memory for gratitude.
In Laredo, Texas, two brothers mourn the death of their mother. Mama has left them her house in her will. The eldest, Nesto (Juan Carlos Pinedo Rivera), wants to sell right away to a big developer in town. Richie, a fancy Hollywood writer, (Cristhian Mancinas-Garcia) wants to wait. They stubbornly refuse to discuss why they feel this way. Their inability to talk leads to a war for the house and for their pride. Continue reading →
Presented by Shit-FacedShakespeare® Producing Direction by Brett Milanowski Directed by Rev. Lewis Ironside Featuring: Olivia Dumaine, Turner Frankosky, Elizabeth Hartford, Alex Leondedis, Brett Milanowski, Sarah Morin, Tyler Rosati
April 27 – June 24 The Rockwell Davis Square Somerville, MA Run Time: 70 with no intermission
Critique by Kitty Drexel
Somerville, Mass. — Attend the tale of Mary the Evil! Mary, an incognito patron of Shit-Faced Shakespeare’s Macbeth who volunteered her spontaneous assassin services, bravely took to the stage on Thursday night at The Rockwell to competently stab with a foam sword and ninja-crawl her way across the stage and into our hearts. Mary may not have been the most formidable of hit-persons, but she was the most affable.
Audience participation is a regular component of any Shit-Faced Shakespeare. Select attendees are charged with ringing a cowbell or banging a gong to signal that the evening’s drunk actor should imbibe another alcoholic beverage. On Thursday, there were even rhythmic shouts of “Chug!” and, my new favorite, “Twerk!” Continue reading →
Katherine Perry (foreground), Maurie Moore, Savannah Scott, Ernesto Garrido Gonzalez; Photo by Stratton McCrady.
Presented by Boston Playwrights’ Theatre A BU New Play Initiative production, produced by Boston Playwrights’ Theatre and the Boston University College of Fine Arts School of Theatre Directed by Shamus Written and Music Composed by Jay Eddy Set Design by Ami Okazaki
Boston Playwrights’ Theatre 949 Commonwealth Avenue Boston, MA 02215 April 6-16, 2023 Thurs. 7:30 p.m., Fri. and Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m. To purchase, visit www.BostonPlaywrights.org Boston Playwright’ Theatre on Facebook
Critique by Gillian Daniels
(Boston, MA) A heart trembling with anxiety beats inside the slimy gullet of the workshopproduction of Alligator-a-Phobia in 3D!, a quirky, genre-jumping play with high energy musical interludes. In this dramedy, a naive, young couple moves to alligator-infested southern Florida swampland. Nature photojournalist Sweetness (the charming Katherine Perry) makes the change with enthusiasm. Happy (Leah Kreitz in a powerful performance), a poet who’s recently completed an MFA, slowly becomes frozen in fear by their predatory neighbors (the frenetic alligator ensemble of Kendall McShane, Maurie Moore, Ernesto Garrido Gonzalez, and Savannah Scott).Continue reading →
Left to right: Harold Surratt and April Nixon; Photo credit: Kevin Berne
Presented by The Huntington in co-production with Berkeley Repertory Theatre By Lynn Nottage Directed by Taylor Reynolds Intimacy and fight consultant: Yo-El Cassell
BOSTON, Mass. — The Huntington reopens its doors to the public after a long hiatus for renovations with Clyde’s. It is written by Lynn Nottage and directed by Taylor Reynolds. Performances run through April 23.
The facade of the Huntington Ave theater remains largely the same. It is as pristine and classic as Symphony Hall across the street, but there are some changes: the new front door is to the right of the old one. It is accessible to wheelchair users! A glowing sign lights the way to the new front door. Continue reading →
Presented by SpeakEasy Stage Company Written by Hansol Jung Directed by Seonjae Kim Intimacy choreography by Yo-El Cassell Original compositions by Jeffrey Song Featuring: Amanda Centeno, Ciaran D’Hondt, Fady Demian, John D. Haggerty, Elaine Hom, Eunji Lim, Ryan Mardesich, Jeffrey Song.
March 17 – April 8, 2023 Roberts Studio Theatre Calderwood Pavilion Boston Center for the Arts 527 Tremont Street Boston, MA
Run time is estimated to be 1:40 without intermission.
Critique by Kitty Drexel
BOSTON, Mass. — Wild Goose Dreams is a play with music by Hansol Jung and directed by Seonjae Kim. It is presented by SpeakEasy Stage Company and currently running at the Boston Center for the Arts. Audiences will encounter themes of loneliness, internet dependence, and censorship.
Boston began its relationship with Wild Goose Dreams in May 2020 on Facebook Live during the Lockdown. Central Square Theater hosted a reading of Jung’s play with Underground Railway as part of its “Art is our Activism” series. Debra Wise directed a different cast (also led by Jeffrey Song!) that featured actor Michael Tow. Geek writer Diana Lu interviewed Tow after the reading for the blog.
Shortly before the Lockdown, Company One performed Jung’s Wolf Playthrough February 2020 – just before lockdown began. Boston’s artists and audiences were ready for Jung’s work! History had other plans.
At long last, SpeakEasy Stage Co brings Wild Goose Dreams, a play with musical vignettes, to Boston! (I bet it had some steep competition.) Wild Goose Dreams gets the New England premiere it deserves. We don’t have to wait any longer to see this play in person. Continue reading →
