Tag Archives: 2012

Sep 02

The Better to Allure You With, My Dear

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Photo Credit: Wax Wings Productions

Grandma’s House
Directed by Jennifer Reddish, Script by Kevin Kordis

Factory Theater (791 Tremont Street Boston, MA) from August 22-September 2

Wax Wings Productions
Wax Wings Facebook Page

Review by Kitty M Drexel

(Boston) Grandma’s House is a dramatic re-envisioning of the classic “Little Red Riding Hood” tale. Playwright, Kevin Kordis, brings the relationship between the Wolf and Little Red into the 22nd century as he explores the many definitions of the term “Wolf.” In this cautionary tale about cautionary tales, the cast and crew invite their audience to enjoy the fable of their youth and manipulate them into challenging their understanding of what a wolf is and can be. Continue reading →

Sep 02

One Performance Left! Luminarium Dance Company’s Mythos/Pathos

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Luminarium Dance Company presents
Mythos:Pathos
August 31 @ 8pm
September 1 @ 8pm
September 2 @ 4pm
in Black Box Theater
at Arsenal Center for the Arts

Watertown, MA

Purchase tickets at http://www.LuminariumDance.org/buy-tickets or call 617-477-4494 to reserve

(copy from Arsenal Center for the Arts)

Luminarium Dance will debut its new full-length performance Mythos:Pathos throughout August. The work will explore lesser-known characters and under-examined storylines of Greek mythology from a contemporary viewpoint. Artistic Directors Merli V. Guerra and Kimberleigh A. Holman are proud to weave these familiar myths into a cohesive saga, while coloring the production with innovative choreography. Mythos:Pathos also features nontraditional lighting design by Matthew Breton, that manifests in unique ways onstage, from wearable to handheld lighting. This new work will incorporate materials donated by the communities of Somerville and Watertown that will be used to construct installations on and offstage.

Luminarium plans to preview the project in Somerville. In late August, Luminarium will bring an evolved form of the project to the Arsenal Center for the Arts, for a one-week residency, including a gallery exhibit in the lobby. This performance at the Arsenal Center for the Arts offers a pre-show installation performance art series, followed by a full dance performance in the Black Box Theater.

Sep 01

Two Hours of Sweet Traffic: ROMEO AND JULIET

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Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

Still Harbor, Dorchester 8/31/12-9/2/12
As well as other performances along the Eastern Shore through 9/14/12

Brown Box Theatre Project
Brown Box Theatre Project Facebook Page

Directed by Kyler Tausten
Fight Choreographer: Conor Olmstead

Review by Craig Idlebrook

What are your evening plans this weekend?  Cancel them.  I’ve got a Shakespeare play for you.

Wait, no, I’m serious.  I can hear the arguments now from the Bard-haters: long-winded speeches, posturing on stage, something fit for academic halls.  But that’s why you’ve got to drop what you’re doing and see the Brown Box Theatre breathe some life into the dusty folios with a no-frills, fast-paced production of Romeo and Juliet.  Continue reading →

Aug 25

Sweet Music: ALL SHOOK UP

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All Shook Up, Book by Joe DiPietro

Staring Joyce DeWitt

Directed by Russell Garrett
Music Director: Anne Shuttlesworth
Choreographer: Kiesha Lalama

North Shore Music Theatre
Beverly, Ma
August 14-26, 2012

North Shore Music Theatre Facebook Page

Review by Kate Lonberg-Lew

Elvis is tooling around the countryside when his motorcycle breaks down
and he finds himself stranded in repressed, naïve, small-town America. While his bike is being fixed by the town’s tomboy-teenage mechanic, he teaches the citizens how to let loose, love, and most importantly, rock out. This is the basis for the musical All Shook Up playing at the North Shore Music Theatre.
Continue reading →

Aug 25

What If? Racial Diversity in “Romeo and Juliet”

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My bounty is as boundless as the sea,
My love as deep; the more I give to thee,
The more I have, for both are infinite.

―Romeo and Juliet Act 2 Scene II

Photo Credit: Happy Medium Theatre

Director: Paula Plum
Dance Choreographer: Kiki Samko
Fight Choreographer: Angie Jepson

Happy Medium Theatre Company
Happy Medium Theatre Co. Facebook Page

Exposé by Kitty Drexel

(Boston) Happy Medium Theatre (HMT) took a risk: it cast a black Romeo against a white Juliet (who had excellent chemistry by the by). Bravo HMT for having the chutzpah for casting biracially! Bravo for making your audience ask “what if?” What if Romeo had been a Moore like Othello? What if Juliet had fallen in love with her Romeo and the resulting drama was a result over their family names and not the color of their skin? What if their love was measured against all other loves and found to be equal? What if HMT’s version of Romeo and Juliet was the version that had been performed for centuries rather than the typical all White cast? Topical questions for 2012: What if, indeed.

In a time when the Supreme Court system cannot make up its mind as to whether marriage is a religious or a civil rights issue, HMT’s production forces us to take a look at the history of love. Just 15 years ago one wouldn’t see a biracial couple on daytime TV much less a reproduction of Shakespeare. It is time for all love to be measured by its inherent worth on the streets. It is also time for the shock to be amputated from love that exists outside the norm on the stage. If it has been acceptable for a 13-year-old girl to marry a 17-year-old boy for hundreds of years then it is certainly time for that couple to reflect its audience members.

As artists, we have an obligation to entertain and educate our audience, an obligation to leave our audience in better condition after the show than before it starts. It is our privilege as enthusiasts to create theater with our community. Thank you Happy Medium Theater Company for taking the opportunity to be poignant and to pose difficult questions. Thank you for being brave. Bravi tutti!

Performances ran August 10-25, 2012 at the Plaza Theatre at the Boston Center for the Arts,
537 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 02116

Aug 20

Acoustica Electronica: Dance Theater for Club Kids and Social Butterflies

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AcousticaElectronica: presented by toUch Performance Art

Club Oberon, August 3, 2012 to August 24, 2012, Fridays 10:30pm

toUch Performance Art                          toUch Performance Art Facebook Page

Review by Kitty Drexel

Photo Credit: toUch Performance Art

(Cambridge, MA) Acoustica Electronica (AE) is Dance Theater that blends music spanning 300 years, wrapped in operatic cellophane and wrapped in a pink party-kid ribbon. AE is realized as a club scene exuding the kind of immature sexual desperation usually found in strip joints. It has many elements that make up an excellent performance but together, these elements fall short of the experience AE hopes to create. Continue reading →

Aug 13

The Pillowman Offers Dark, Bitter Comedy and Meditation on Art

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Flat Earth Theatre Presents The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh

Photo Credit: Flat Earth Theatre

The Factory Theatre, 791 Tremont Street, Boston, MA

August 10, 11 2012 @ 8PM
Sunday, August 12, 2012 @ 2PM
Thursday, August 16, 2012 @ 8PM – Pay-What-You-Can
Friday, August 17, 18 2012 @ 8PM
Flat Earth Theatre Company               The Pillowman Facebook Page

Review by Gillian Daniels

Under a totalitarian government, writer Katurian (Cameron Beaty Gosselin) and his brother, Michal (Chris Chiampa) are unfortunate enough to be arrested by the corrupt police force of their unnamed country. Exactly why they have been taken into the custody of Detective Tuoplski (Juliet Bowler) and the violent Officer Ariel (James Bocock) is teased out minute by painful minute. In this bitter tragicomedy, playwright Martin McDonagh asks tough questions about the responsibility of art and crime. Continue reading →

Aug 11

An Ode to Mama

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The Third Story by Charles Busch, directed by Adam Zahler and featuring Rick Park as “Queenie.”

Photo Credit: Evgenia Eliseeva

Titanic Theatre Company, August 9-18, 2012, The Arsenal Center for the Arts Black Box                 The Titanic Theatre Company Homepage

The Titanic Theatre Company Facebook Page

Reviewed by Kitty M Drexel

(Watertown, MA) The Third Story is Charles Busch’s devotional to Mothers and their Mama’s Boys everywhere. Screenwriter Peg lures her son Drew back into the business via a narrative of Gangster Noir, B-movie Sci-Fi, Russian fairytale and the kind of motherly affection psychologists use to warm their couches. Peg’s excuse is McCarthyism but her vehicle is a journey through the psyche of a co-dependent man emotionally unprepared to leave the nest. Continue reading →

Aug 10

Acoustica Electronica at OBERON: August 3, 10, 17, 24

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Photo Credit: Acoustica Electronica at Club Oberon

After their sold-out performances in February, they are back by popular demand bringing a new level of spectacle and excitement to Boston’s nightlife. They have added new members to our fold and created new improvements that will be sure to blow your mind.

They could not be more excited about our run of shows at 10:30pm on Fridays Aug. 3, 10, 17 and 24! They can’t wait to see you there for their craziest blend of classical music, electronic dance music, dance, immersive theatre, aerial silks and DJ’s :The WIG, David Day, Mike Swells, Randy Deshaies, Will Monotone, Joe Bermudez and John Barera.

Photo Credit: Acoustica Electronica

For more information: http://touchperformanceart.com/