Jul 15

Is God Laughing With You or At You?: FIDDLER ON THE ROOF

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Photo Credit: Reagle Music Theatre; Scott Wahle sings “If I Were a Rich Man.”

presented by Reagle Music Theatre
book by Joseph Stein and a score by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick
based on the stories by Sholem Aleichem
directed by Kirby Ward
choreography by Jerome Robbins, recreated by Susan M. Chebookjian
music directed by Dan Rodriguez
conducted by Jeffrey Leonard

Waltham, MA
July 11th – July 21st, 2013
Reagle Music Theatre Facebook Page

Review by Craig Idlebrook

(Waltham) The tradition of Jewish wit has been honed through years of hardship, and the best productions of Fiddler on the Roof capture that teetering line between joy and pain.  It’s not an easy task.  To pull it off, you need an expert master of ceremonies to play Tevye, the central protagonist; through his lens, we are pulled into the world of a hardscrabble Jewish village eking out an existence on the margins of pre-revolutionary Russia.  The task is made more difficult by the fact that the 1971 film version of the play features an iconic portrayal of Tevye by Israeli actor Chaim Topol.  Topol kills it with an original scene-chewing performance, creating a man at once both larger than life and lost in the currents of change.  To go down Topol’s beaten path for Tevye is folly, even though that is what most audience-members expect, and many productions succumb to this error. Continue reading →

Jul 11

Theatre@First Presents “Picasso at the Lapin Agile”

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Bare Bones 11: Picasso at the Lupin Agile

Presented by Theatre@First

ONE NIGHT ONLY!
Thursday, July 25th at 8pm
Picasso at the Lapin Agile will be presented at Unity Somerville, 6 William Street, Somerville, MA 02144
Suggested Donation $5 – General Admission – No reservations required

About the Play:
Written by Steve Martin and directed by Santiago Rivas

What if the greatest scientific mind of the 20th century met the greatest artist at a bar in Paris before they became famous? Picasso at the Lapin Agile is a comic drama about a meeting of the minds as this hypothetical question is answered. In a Parisian bar in 1904, Albert Einstein is introduced to Pablo Picasso. They, along with the local patrons, discuss the creativity process in their respective roles in science and art. With brushstrokes and equations, a bond between the icons is forged as they approached the new century.

Cast

Michael DeFillippi playing Freddy
Jason Merrill playing Gaston/Sagot/Charles Dabernow Schmendiman/Visitor
Kitty Drexel playing Germaine
Daniel Gonzalez playing Albert Einstein
Andrea Aptecker playing Suzanne/Countess/Admirer
Carlos Nogueras playing Pablo Picasso

Bare Bones: Staged Readings at Theatre@First offers directors, casts and audiences the chance to explore a wide variety of plays in a spare, intense setting.

Jul 09

You Only Live Twice!

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Photo care of Vaquero Playground

You Only Live Twice!

Summer heat too much for you?  Cool your heels with us in #DENMARK – back for ONE NIGHT ONLY!
Wednesday, July 17th 9pm
Boston Common Spiegeltent
FREE

Vaquero Playground is pleased to bring you a One-Nite-Only reprise of DENMARK as part of the Outside The Box Festival, a fab arts fest happening on and around the Boston Common.

And you know what?  It’s all FREE.

Check out the kick ass trailer, re-vamped for summer.

And don’t forget to check out the full schedule of events at the festival such as:
Danny Bryck’s No Room for Wishing
Puppet Showplace Theatre
Liars & Believers’ ICARUS
Awesome poets and performers of ARTiculation
Mary Bichner (who’s Much Ado About Skyfall featured on our compilation CD for DENMARK!)

The fest runs July 13 – 21 and there’s a whole lot of great stuff, all of it FREE.  Be sure to check it out!

You can still purchase the FDWL ALBUM or DenmART on the V.P. website – all created by local artists and all proceeds go right back to them!

Jul 08

“Nicky Park Memorial Park”: Lonely Girl Seeks Ghost Companion

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Presented by The Circuit Theatre Company
A rock musical by Ned Riseley and Deepali Gupta
Directed by Abby Colella

July 5-7, 2013
Boston Playwrights’ Theatre
Boston, MA
The Circuit Theatre Co Facebook Page

Review by Gillian Daniels

(Boston) Referred to only as “Girl” in the cast list, it feels as if Ellie Shepley’s character in Nicky Park Memorial Park is meant to embody some sort of universal narrative of being a young woman. Instead, Deepali Gupta’s play distills what it means to be thoughtful and introspective.  The result is a drama about figurative and literal ghosts of the past, a love letter to nostalgia that never quite crystallizes into a story. Continue reading →

Jul 08

Free Shakespeare in the Park: “Two Gentlemen of Verona”

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http://www.commshakes.org/system/storage/222/65/a/640/2_gents_website.jpg

Music Director, Colin Thurmond
Set Designer, Beowulf Boritt
Sound Designer, J. Hagenbuckle
Lighting Designer, Eric Southern
Costume Designer, Nancy Leary

Commonwealth Shakespeare Company Main Page, Facebook Page
Boston Common venue
Comm Shakes FAQ page

“Two Gents” tells the tale of two friends who leave their hometown of Verona to find their happy fortunes in Milan. Instead, they find temptation, trickery, and trouble as they vie for favor with the high-society Duke… and his debutante daughter. All are drawn into a web of disguise and secrecy where the last thing anyone wants is for the truth to surface — least of all the dog.

Inspired by Rat Pack-era Vegas — the glamor, the hedonism, and the morning after agonies — the production brings new meaning to the line “what happens in Milan, stays in Milan…”

SPECIAL PERFORMANCES AND EVENTS:
JULY 18TH: AUDIO-DESCRIBED PERFORMANCE
JULY 21ST: ASL-INTERPRETED PERFORMANCE
JULY 26TH: “FAMILY DAY” AND “FREE FUN FRIDAY”
JULY 27TH @ 2PM: ASL-INTERPRETED PERFORMANCE

Jul 03

New England Theatre Geek Wants to Play with You! (You Heard Me)

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keep-calm-and-admiral-your-kittypants-75In an effort to serve the community Queen Geek, Kitty Drexel, is starting a creative coterie for Cambridge-area artists. Starting in September 2013, a monthly meeting will be held in order that artists may play with their respective art in a safe environment for the purpose of practice, performance and constructive critique. Artists of all stripes can email Kitty at blognetheatregeek at gmail dot com for more information.

Mission Statement:
Admiral Kittypants: Full, Frontal Artistry is a creative community experiment that gives performers the opportunity to play with their art in a safe space before performing it on the stage. If it’s in moderate taste* and you want feedback, we can provide a constructive audience.

Mark your calendars for September 2013.
The meeting will occur on a Sunday between 2:30PM and 5:30PM. Those interested in attending should email the Queen for an RSVP.

Piano/Accompanist Needed:
Admiral Kittypants is looking for an electric piano and/or an experienced accompanist to join Admiral Kittypants: Full, Frontal Artistry as an artist and critique cohort. We are looking for one, the other or (preferably) both. Interested parties should contact  blognetheatregeek at gmail dot com with summer/fall Sunday availability, and hourly rate.

Please put “Full, Frontal Piano” in the subject line. Leads are welcome and encouraged.

More information about “Admiral Kittypants” can be found on Facebook.

Logo/Mascot by the marvelous Kezi

Logo/Mascot by the marvelous Kezi

*Moderate Taste: Some, but not full, nudity; light cursing; no actual violence but stage combat and references to violence are ok; sexism, racism, and other -isms without warrant are strongly discouraged – potentially with a baseball bat.

Jul 03

Sexy is as Sexy Does: THE TEASEDAY CLUB

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Tuesday, July 9 at 7:30PM
The  Teaseday Club Facebook Page

The Teaseday Club meets the second Tuesday of every month at The Davis Square Theater and tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the box office.

Join us for some of Boston’s funniest comedians, sexiest burlesque dancers, and weirdest, wildest, and most wonderful performers of all stripes!

SCHEDULED TO PERFORM (so far) ON July 9:
Sari Kalin‘s Porch-i-oke!
Belly Dance from Zehara Nachash!
The song stylings of Queen Geek, Kitty Drexel!
Burlesque from Vikki Likkerish!
The circus cutie Miz Fonda-Feeling!
Boston’s ‘Queen of the Fans’ MISS Mina Murray!

More info and tickets at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/408615!
The patriotic Peril S. Curves!

 

Jun 30

When a Cigar is Everything: A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE

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presented by Wax Wings Productions
by Tennessee Williams
Directed by Vicki Schairer

@ the Factory Theatre
Boston, MA
June 27th – July 7th, 2013
Wax Wings Facebook Page

Review by Craig Idlebrook

(Boston) Over time, A Streetcar Named Desire has become like that favorite album you skip over in shuffle to keep special. Oft quoted but performed less and less, it sits on the shelf of American theatre and gathers dust and pious weight until some community theatre takes it down and puts on an ill-advised, chest-beating version down in a church basement. That’s partly because it can seem such a dated portrait of overt sexual politics, something that would fit Michelle Bachman’s view of marriage and gay cures, perhaps, but with little relevance in a blue state. Continue reading →

Jun 26

Nickel Mines Strong: THE AMISH PROJECT

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With Emma Johnson, Mackenzie Dreese, Karin Nilo and Becky Bass at Cambridge YMCA Theater. Photo Credit: Circuit Theatre Co

Presented by Circuit Theatre Company
The Amish Project by Jessica Dickey
Directed by Alexandra Keegan

June 21-27
Cambridge YMCA Theater
Cambridge, MA
Circuit Theatre Co Facebook Page

Review by Noelani Kamelamela

(Cambridge) In its third year, the Circuit Theatre Company has already established itself as a small theatre company willing to take risks.  Their recent IRNE nominations and current production attest to their boldness and artistic integrity.  Circuit Theatre’s The Amish Project is the kind of show which can be interpreted in multiple ways. Continue reading →

Jun 25

Sometimes A Snuggle is Just A Snuggle: “The Baltimore Waltz”

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The Baltimore Waltz

presented by Theatre@First
by Paula Vogel
directed by Kamela Dolinova

June 20 – 29, 2013
Unity Somerville
6 William Street
Somerville, MA
Theatre@First Facebook Page

Review by Kitty Drexel

Warning: This production contains graphic but hilarious simulations of sexual acts, and bastardizations of European clichés.

(Somerville) As a playwright, Paula Vogel has the unique opportunity to dedicate herself to exploring and understanding her brother Carl’s end of life circumstances. Carl tragically died of AIDS. Rather than use the written word to metaphorically weep bitterly and openly, Vogel instead channeled her uncommon sense of humor and tender affections for Carl into The Baltimore Waltz, an ode to love, loss and healing.

In the context of the play, Anna has contracted Acquired Toilet Disease (ATD). In “real life,” outside the context of Anna’s fictional imagination, Carl has contracted AIDS. By narrating a character living with a pretend disease created for comic relief, playwright Paula Vogel examines the urgency of life through the lens of incurable disease.While her characters “dance” through a trippy, Noir-influenced trip to Europe, life as we know it continues with its disastrous choreography. Continue reading →