On occasion, the New England Theatre Geek will review newly published plays. Below are reviews for Evan Hansen (the book), Speech & Debate, Sweat, and The Kilroys List… Volume One. All books are available via the TCG website. Continue reading
Photograph credit: Kalman Zabarsky
Presented by Boston Playwrights’ Theatre
By Cliff Odle
Directed by Diego Arciniegas
October 5 – 22, 2017
BPT
949 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA 02215
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Review by Kitty Drexel
(Boston, MA) Addiction will kill everything you love and then it will kill you. In the 1950’s and 60’s drug dependency, not unlike depression, was considered a moral failing. The US govt. chose to ignore the plight of its people. Today, the opioid epidemic rages around us, silently killing thousands of Americans every day. The occupants of the White House would prefer to pretend we’re living in the 50’s. While the President is very proud to have invented and solved the “opioid crisis emergency” in one afternoon with a press release, updates are nonexistent. In fact the Feds haven’t updated their site since June. Cliff Odle’s Lost Tempo tells us more about the consequences of opioid abuse in 100 minutes than Trump’s administration has in two months. Continue reading
Presented by Fort Point Theatre Channel
Written by August Strindberg
Directed by Christine Noah
October 6 – October 14, 2017
Fort Point Theatre Channel
Cambridge YMCA Theater
820 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, Massachusetts
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Review by Gillian Daniels
(Cambridge, MA) The Ghost Sonata is a fever dream wrapped in layers of turmoil and funny, disturbing absurdity. It’s staged to juxtapose the philosophical musings of a 1907 play on the material evils of the world with the current, oppressive toxicity of the contemporary political climate which social media does a great job of worsening. It’s a beautifully-executed nightmare. Continue reading
Photo by Jake Scaltreto; Prologue: Evening Meal in a Windstorm — with Lindsay Eagle, Juliet Bowler, Noah Simes and Isaiah Max Plovnick.
Produced by Flat Earth Theatre
Written by Tony Kushner
Directed by Dori. A Robinson
September 30-October 14, 2017
The Black Box at the Mosesian Center for the Arts
Watertown, MA
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Review by Polly Goss
(Watertown, MA) A Bright Room Called Day transports us back to a sitting room in 1930s Germany, inhabited my minor actors, eccentric filmmakers and artists. This bohemian gaggle of comrades band together in the early 1930s through their love of Communism, Art and Revolution. As 1933 marches on, the world around them darkens and the sitting room becomes their last refuge from Hitler’s rule. Continue reading
Presented by North Shore Music Theatre
Lyrics by Tim Rice
Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Direction and Choreography – Nick Kenkel
Music Direction – Mark Hartman
September 26 – October 8, 2017
62 Dunham Road
Beverly, MA
NSMT on Facebook
Essay by Craig Idlebrook
(Beverly, MA) You’re going to a play; it’s a play about a different time and a different country – Argentina, mid-century, Evita. Maybe you’re going to escape, maybe you’re going to learn something, maybe you’re going to be entertained. Continue reading
Photo by Kathy Wittman; keep on rockin’ on, kids.
Presented by White Snake Projects
Creator and libretto by Cerise Lim Jacobs
Composed by Julian Wachner
Directed by Mark Streshinsky
Conducted by Lidiya Yankovskaya
Dramaturgy by Cori Ellison
Choreography by Yury Yanowsky
Sept. 29 – Oct. 1, 2017
John Hancock Hall
Boston, MA
White Snake Projects on Facebook
Review by Kitty Drexel
“The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.”
Revelation 21:23, Bible, New International Version (NIV)
(Boston, MA) White Snake Projects is giving the BLO a run for their money. It’s my sincere hope that artists and their audience will watch the works of both companies but, if one has to choose, WSP may be the winner in the competition for attendees. Its edgy productions are worth the commitment. Continue reading
Photo by Reinhold Mahler
Presented by Zeitgeist Theatre Company
by Selina Fillinger
directed by David J. Miller
September 15 – October 7, 2017
Plaza Black Box Theater
Boston Center for the Arts
Boston, MA
Performance are Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 PM, Friday at 8:00 PM, Saturday at 4 and 8 PM, and Sunday at 4 PM with talkbacks following the Sunday matinees.
Tickets are available at http://www.bostontheatrescene.com/season/Faceless/. Subscriptions and more information can be found at www.ZeitgeistStage.com.
In Faceless eighteen-year-old Susie Glenn is on trial for conspiring to commit acts of terrorism, and recent Harvard Law grad and practicing Muslim, Claire Fathi, has been brought on to prosecute. Though pitted against one another in the courtroom, these two young women are fighting a similar battle to defend their morals, motives and religious freedoms in this riveting and timely new drama. An explosion of identity politics, questions of faith, and a face-off between two seemingly diametrically-opposed women drives this compelling narrative.
Cast: David Anderson, Aina Adler, Robert Orzalli, Ashley Risteen, Victor Shopov
ScenicDesign: David Miller
Lighting Design: Michael Clark Wonson
Sound Design: Jay Mobley
Costume Design: Elizabeth Cole Sheehan
Stage Manager: Margaret Umbsen
Publicity Photography: Reinhold Mahler
Production Photography: Richard Hall/Silverline Images
Ashley Risteen as Susie Glenn in Zeitgeist Stage Company’s production of Faceless by Selina Fillinger.
Presented by Zeitgeist Stage Company
Written by Selina Fillinger
Directed by David J. Miller
September 15 – October 7, 2017
Plaza Black Box Theatre, Boston Center for the Arts
539 Tremont Street
Boston, MA, 02116
Zeitgeist on Facebook
Review by Polly Goss
(Boston, MA) The long speeches, the scrutinization of evidence, the dissection of a person’s moral fiber in front of a live audience of 12 judging strangers, the theatrics of the courtroom have long delighted us on the stage. From Shakespeare’s Measure to Measure to Law & Order, the delicious synchronicity between real-life and make-believe contained within the courtroom keeps audiences coming back for more and more. Fellinger however breathes new life into this well-worn genre with
Faceless is the story of the “little white girl” Susie Glenn (Ashley Risteen) as she is on trial for joining ISIS and attempting to commit acts of terrorism against the United States of America. The added bonus, the prosecuting lawyer Claire Fahti (Aina Adler) is a devout Muslim, who is determined to stop Susie becoming the (white) face of Islam. Zeitgeist Stage Company have lived up to their name, in this topical and heart-wrenching tale that sheds light on the lurking threat of terrorism behind every screen. Continue reading
Presented by The Black Box Lab at STAGE284
Written by David J. Miller
Thursday, September 21, 7:30pm
The Community House
284 Bay Road Hamilton, MA
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Review by Bishop C. Knight
(Hamilton, MA) Playwright David J. Miller was present at last night’s reading of Barn Sale, where he shared that one mission of his new play is to exhibit how older people hold immense wisdom. This mission was also the expressed intention of the actress whose entire life has been chronicled within the two-hour performance. Between David J. Miller and his captivating dialogist, the actress who generously divulged every detail of her life to David over the course of two winters, the mission was a complete success. What David J. Miller ultimately produces for audiences is an epic figure of a woman who bravely charged through life and, I have to be honest, I was crying by the end of the performance. Continue reading
Stephen Spinella and Dan Butler as Andy Warhol and Truman Capote. Photo: Gretjen Helene Photography
Presented by the A.R.T.
From the words of Truman Capote and Andy Warhol
Adapted by Rob Roth
Directed by Michael Mayer
Sept. 10 – Oct. 13, 2017
Loeb Drama Center
64 Brattle Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
ART on Facebook
Review by Kitty Drexel
(Cambridge, MA) I wanted to enjoy WarholCapote more than I did. The script is adapted from actual conversations between two venerated artists of the 20th Century. I anticipated that it might offer some insight into their unique personas. And for some who watch this play, it will. Unfortunately, at the end of the day, WarholCapote is a two man show about two famous artists name dropping and gossiping like two grandpas at a checkerboard. It’s not for everyone, but it could be for you. Continue reading