Dec 19

Savion Glover: SoLe Sanctuary, January 12, The Boston Opera House

Posted on by
Savion GloverPhoto: Lois Greenfield

Savion Glover
Photo: Lois Greenfield

 

Celebrity Series of Boston and
World Music/CRASHarts
Present

                               Savion Glover

SoLe Sanctuary

 

Saturday, January 12
Boston Opera House
539 Washington St, Boston, MA

Boston Opera House Facebook Page
World Music/CRASHarts Facebook Page

(Boston)  Celebrity Series of Boston and World Music/CRASHarts will present Savion Glover performing the Boston premiere of SoLe Sanctuary on Saturday, January 12, 8pm at The Boston Opera House,

In SoLe Sanctuary, Savion Glover’s reverence for the art of tap is put to the stage literally in the form of a living altar where he can pay his respects to the craft he has perfected.  Described by The New York Times as “…barebones and pure, full of the kind of rhythmic innovation that trips down one path, splinters off in different directions and then sweeps back home.” Glover will be joined on stage in Boston by fellow tap star Marshall Davis Jr. Continue reading →

Dec 17

Enduring Marriage: HALF N’ HALF N’ HALF

Posted on by
Carol Halstead, Zoë Winters, Andrew Pastides and Jim Ortlieb. Photo by Meghan Moore.

Carol Halstead, Zoë Winters, Andrew Pastides and Jim Ortlieb. Photo by Meghan Moore.

by John Kolvenbach
directed by Kyle Fabel

Merrimack Repertory Theatre
50 East Merrimack Street
Lowell, MA
November 29th – December 23rd, 2012
Merrimack Repertory Theatre Facebook Page

Review by Craig Idlebrook

(Lowell) It is frustrating to see a craftsman like playwright John Kolvenbach run rings around pedestrian writers.  His play Half n’ Half n’ Half shows that he understands how a play functions on a deep level and that he could write in any genre he chooses, from The Seagull to Lend Me a Tenor.  Kolvenbach toys with the audience in several genres with this comedy, while demonstrating his near-mastery of them all.  This is more than an exercise in play writing, however.  Throughout this script of multiple plays, Kolvenbach is able to document how a lifetime romantic commitment often drives us to need to be committed. Continue reading →

Dec 17

A Mishmashed Culture Clash: CHING-LISH

Posted on by
Photos by Nerys Powell

Photos by Nerys Powell

by David Henry Hwang
directed by Larry Coen
Lyric Stage Company
140 Clarendon St
Boston, MA
November 30th – December 23rd, 2012
Lyric Stage Facebook Page

Review by Craig Idlebrook

(Boston) There is something that can be excruciatingly transcendent about trying to communicate in a foreign language.  For one thing, you must forgo words like “excruciatingly” and “transcendent” for utilitarian expressions and gesticulations to get the job done.  You must expose yourself to ridicule and connect in a raw and childlike way in the hope that others will understand you.  If you stick with the process, it’s easy to believe your artifice is stripped away in the process to reveal the real you. Continue reading →

Dec 12

Happy Medium Theatre’s Playing Nice while Being Naughty

Posted on by
"You don't know what it's like to be the world's most famous victim."

“You don’t know what it’s like to be the world’s most famous victim.”

Happy Medium Theatre proudly presents:
THE EIGHT: REINDEER MONOLOGUES BY JEFF GOODE 
(A Staged Reading)

This staged reading will be performed on December 21st, 2012 at 8pm.
Democracy Center,45 Mount Auburn Street  Cambridge, MA 02138.

Happy Medium Theatre Facebook Page

A dark, dark Christmas comedy. Scandal erupts at the North Pole when one of Santa’s eight tiny reindeer accuses him of sexual harassment. As mass media descends upon the event, the other members of the sleigh team demand to share their perspectives, and a horrific tale of corruption and perversion emerges, which seems to implicate everyone from the littlest elf to the tainted Saint himself. With each deer’s confession, the truth behind the shocking allegations becomes clearer and clearer. …and murkier and murkier. Continue reading →

Dec 12

Of Mice and Men and Misfits

Posted on by

Photo Credit : Craig Bailey/Perspective Photo.

Photo Credit : Craig Bailey/Perspective Photo.

by John Steinbeck (1902-1968)
Directed by Allison Choat

presented by Moonbox Productions
The BCA Plaza Theatre
539 Tremont Street, Boston, MA
Dec 7 – 22, 2012
Moonbox Productions Facebook Page

Review by Gillian Daniels

(Boston) Of Mice and Men is a play about alienation, the ways in which people are isolated from society and why. Clever but mean George (Phil Tayler) and his slow friend, Lennie (Harry McEnerny), go from one ranch to the next in 1930’s California. The pair look for work in order to fund their dream of owning a small farm. Continue reading →

Dec 11

TCG Books: “Elliot, A Soldier’s Fugue”

Posted on by

TCG Books, New York, 2012

Elliot, A Soldier’s Fugue
Quiara Alegria Hudes
TCG
New York
2012
www.tcg.org

1 of 3 plays by Hudes, others include:
Water by the Spoonful
The Happiest Song Plays Last (forthcoming)

Hudes’ work Elliot, A Soldier’s Fugue spans 3 generations of military men. Hudes weaves the experiences of her uncle and her cousin, Elliot, into the narrative of Grandpop, Pop, the hero, Elliot, and Ginny, Elliot’s mother. All four attempt to balance their civilian lives while remaining devoted to their blood and service families. Continue reading →

Dec 08

Hold Onto Your Shawarma, Here Comes Crazypants: “The Embryos”

Posted on by

Photo credit: Fresh Ink Theatre
Mommy and Daddy don’t like fast food.

presented by Fresh Ink Theatre Company

Written by Ginger Lazarus
Directored by Dawn M. Simmons
Dramaturg: Tyler J. Monroe

The Factory Theatre
November 30-December 15, 2012
Fresh Ink Theatre Blog, Facebook Page

Review by Kitty Drexel

(Boston) There are many valid reasons to become a parent. Some “adults” feel that it is their life’s mission to procreate; some couples want to share their love organically; and others accidentally drop a cheeto into their partner’s lap, live in the moment and welcome a baby 9 months later. To each their own. Ginger Lazarus’ nugget of hilarity, The Embryos, offers a surrealist viewpoint on parenting that investigates topical politics as well as the extent of delusion only unconditional love enables. Her characters begin their journey hoping for a larger family. They end it on the wrong sides of the law and the greater Shawarma community. Continue reading →

Dec 07

Pinch Yourself: “La Belle et la Bête”

Posted on by

The gate isn’t real. Shocking, right?

 

Presented by Lemiex Pilon 4D Art and Theatre du Nouveau Monde
Created and directed by Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon
Created and written by Pierre Yves Lemieux
Translated by Maureen LaBonte

ArtsEmerson
Dec 5 – 9, 2012
Cutler Majestic Theater
Boston, MA

Theatre du Nouveau Monde Facebook Page
ArtsEmerson Facebook Page
Review by Kitty Drexel

(Boston) Lemieux Pilon 4D Art’s La Belle et la Bête (The Beauty and the Beast) is a masterpiece in technical design. The entire team draws from tradition as well as modern (pop culture) references to create this multi-disciplinary performance piece. This is easily the most awe-inspiring, visually stunning productions you will see all year. Continue reading →

Dec 06

A Decadent 18th Century Treat: “The Way of the World”

Posted on by

Photo credit: The Boston Conservatory

Written by William Congreve
Directed by Christopher Webb
December 4 – 7, 2012

Review by Gillian Daniels

(Boston) For a tragically short engagement, The Boston Conservatory has decided to showcase the adultery comedy of manners, The Way of the World.  The theatrical effort revives the Restoration-era play by William Congreve (1670 – 1729) for the contemporary stage.  With everyone in powdered wigs and dimpled with fake moles, Mirabell (Marchant Davis) plots to marry the clever Mrs. Millamant (Emily Shankman) by outwitting her wealthy, mean-spirited aunt, Lady Wishfort (the delightful Jacqueline Harding, playing her role with zeal). Continue reading →

Dec 03

Book Review: “The Director’s Voice, Volume 2”

Posted on by

The Director’s Voice: Volume 2
edited by Jason Loewith
TCG Books (Theare Communications Group)
Cover design by Mark Melnick
$22.00
www.tcg.org

Forward by Arthur Bartow, “The Director’s Voice”

Introduction by Jason Loewith, dramaturg, producer, playwright, director and Executive Director of the National New Play Network.

Includes interviews with Ping Chong, Anne Bogart, Julie Taymor, Mary Zimmerman, Michael Kahn and James Lapine, and many others.

Review by Kitty Drexel

Jason Loewith is filling some rather large shoes by editing and compiling the follow-up to Arthur Bartow’s “The Director’s Voice.” Loewith assures his audience that this second book is not a sequel but a continuation of the conversation started by the first. In it, he seeks to guide readers to a greater understanding of the director’s role as theater maker, actor ameliorator and money spender. Continue reading →