Tag Archives: 2014

Apr 06

Don’t Hate the Player: “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead”

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The pretty, pretty cast.

Presented by Theatre@First
By Tom Stoppard
Directed by Elizabeth Hunter

April 4th – 12th
Davis Square Theatre
Theatre@First on Facebook

Review by Danielle Rosvally

(Somerville) So, weird thing about Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, it makes Beckett slightly more palatable and Shakespeare slightly less.

Stoppard’s play riffing on Beckett’s infamous Waiting for Godot is, on the surface, a glance at what’s going on behind the wings during the course of the greatest play ever written in the English language. If we begin to look at life as Stoppard’s head tragedian does (that is a world in which every exit is an entrance somewhere else), we begin to see how this Hamlet fan-fic took shape. Take Gogo and Didi, slap them into some verse poetry, give them tabards and a letter to the English King and wha-bam; there’s Stoppard’s piece. Continue reading →

Apr 02

More important qualities: IB Presents Hari Kondabolu

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Debut standup album “WAITING FOR 2042” to be released on March 11th. Pre-order it here: http://www.killrockstars.com/waitingfor2042/

IB Presents Hari Kondabolu

April 1, 2014
Improv Boston
Cambridge, MA
ImproveBoston on Facebook
Hari Kondabolu on Facebook
http://www.harikondabolu.com/

Review by Noe Kamelamela

(Cambridge) Improv Boston is well known in Cambridge as a place where improv, stand-up and sketch comedy gets taught and performed. Improv Boston Presents regularly brings acts from outside of the area to give local audiences a taste of what is out beyond the Hub. In the case of straight shooter Hari Kondabolu, I can only hope there are more stand-up comedians outside of the Boston area who are willing to talk about current events. Continue reading →

Apr 02

Chekov in a Blender: STUPID FUCKING BIRD

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Photo credit: Apollinaire Theatre

Presented by Apollinaire Theatre Company
By Aaron Posner
Adapted by Chekhov’s The Seagull
Directed by Danielle Fauteux Jacques

March 28th – April 26th, 2014
Chelsea, MA
Apollinaire on Facebook

Review by Craig Idlebrook

(Chelsea) Merriam-Webster offers this definition of “mash-up”:
something created by combining elements from two or more sources: as
a :  a piece of music created by digitally overlaying an instrumental track with a vocal track from a different recording
b :  a movie or video having characters or situations from other sources
c :  a Web service or application that integrates data and functionalities from various online sources

You’ll notice that the good ol’ M-W doesn’t include theater in its definition, which means Apollinaire Theatre’s staging of “Stupid Fucking Bird” kind of groundbreaking.  Take a ponderous Russian classic,  “The Seagull”, make it all meta and silly, and you have this imaginative and unconventional play.  Mash-ups usually are 5 minutes long and viewed on YouTube; this play clocks in at a cool 2 hours and a half with a pair of intermissions. My friends, that’s a mash-up that shows some guts. Continue reading →

Mar 31

Playful Rendering of Moliere’s “Lovers’ Quarrels”

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Photo credit: Roger Metcalf

Presented by imaginary beasts
By Molière
Directed by Matthew Woods
Translation by Richard Wilbur

March 28 – April 19, 2014
At the Plaza Black Box Theatre
Boston Center for the Arts
Boston MA
imaginary beasts on Facebook

Review by Gillian Daniels

(Boston) imaginary beasts’ production of Lovers’ Quarrels is less concerned with emotional authenticity than the beauty of its artifice.  The 17th century romantic comedy is not exactly a work of realism, and thankfully, is not treated as such.  Its plot hinges on a girl who has been raised as a boy, Ascagne (Lynn R. Guerra), tricking a young man she likes, Valère (Will Jobs), into marriage by pretending to be her extremely feminine sister, Lucile (Erin Eva Butcher). imaginary beasts presents this material with all the seriousness it deserves, creating an innocent, funny romp through improbable obstacles. Continue reading →

Mar 31

Everything You Expect from an Opera (but didn’t think happened outside of cartoons): “Lakmé”

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Presented by Lowell House Opera
Written by Léo Delibes
Music Direction by Lidiya Yankovskaya
Directed by Roxanna Myhrum

March 26th – April 5th
Lowell House Opera, Harvard University
10 Holyoke Place, Cambridge MA
Lowell House Opera on Facebook

Review by Danielle Rosvally

(Cambridge) This production touts that it is the first time Lakmé has been produced in Boston since 1914.  After seeing the show, I can understand why.

It’s not that the performers were untalented.  They were extremely gifted vocally, and well-cast in terms of vocal coloring.  It’s not that the orchestra lacked variety or pizzazz.  The music was incredibly lyric and (despite a few long mid-show re-tuning sessions) extremely professional.  Continue reading →

Mar 27

LISTING: Teaching Music to Children on the Autism Spectrum

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Banner

May 9-10, 2014

An innovative new program for public and private school music educators, “Teaching Music to Students on the Autism Spectrum” is a two-day conference that will address important topics such as:

  • An Introduction to Autism Spectrum Disorder
  • Applying Behavioral Teaching Strategies to Individual and Group Music Instruction
  • How Autistic People Learn and Perceive Music
  • Working Effectively with Students on the Autism Spectrum and their Families

Featuring industry experts Dr. Stephen Shore, Dr. James Ellis, Dr. Rhoda Bernard, with teaching demonstrations by music instructors from The Boston Conservatory Program for Students on the Autism Spectrum. Teachers can earn 12 Professional Development Points (PDPs). Continue reading →

Mar 25

Laid Low by LO’JO

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LO’JO presented by World Music/ CRASHarts
ONE NIGHT ONLY: Saturday, March 15, 7:00 pm
17 Holland St. Somerville, 02144
World Music/CRASHarts on Facebook
Lo’Jo on Facebook

Review by Gillian Daniels

(Somerville) Lo’Jo is the sort of low-key, warmly contemporary act that suits Johnny D’s perfectly.  It’s jazzy, it has a an adult pop vibe, and it fits right in with the swinging glamour of the Davis Square bar.  World Music CRASHarts has again brought to Boston a band that blends old world, European charm and a thoroughly contemporary, “citizens of the world” groove. Continue reading →

Mar 24

Rock Out with Your Snark Out: BLOODY, BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON

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Photo care of Emerson Umbrella Facebook page.

Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson
Presented by The Umbrella Mainstage
Written by Alex Timbers
Music & Lyrics by Michael Friedman
Directed by James Tallach
Music Directed by Maria Duaime Robinson
Choreography by Lara Finn
Fight Choreography by Micah Greene

March 21 – April 5
The Umbrella Community Arts Center
Concord, MA
The Umbrella on Facebook

Review by Kitty Drexel

Disclosure: I have worked with both directors James Tallach, Maria Duaime Robinson, and a cast member or two. This review is tempered to reflect this.

(Concord) History favors old, White dudes. Heck, old, White dudes are favored now.  If Green Day had collaborated on an historical punk musical with Bill Clinton, Lindsay Lohan and George Michael, chances are they would have written Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson (let us all say a silent prayer for Clinton’s potential saxophone career). And it would be a huge hit. Fans of American Idiot the musical will appreciate the music of BBAJ. They will also appreciate the snarky treatment of a politician who purported to be the People’s President but, after all is said and done, was only in it for himself. History has repeated itself and punk happens to be the medium for this particular telling. Continue reading →

Mar 24

Quit Playing Around: “Magic: The Gathering: the Improv Show”

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Magic: The Gathering: The (Improv) Show

Header borrowed from ImprovBoston website.

Presented by Improv Boston

Fridays February 28th – April 10th
ImprovBoston
Cambridge, MA
Magic: The Gathering: the Show on Facebook

Review by Danielle Rosvally

Edited to reflect an extension of the review that was not originally posted (but should have been). We blame Microsoft 2010. That jerk.

(Cambridge) Alright, I know you’ve got them; you know you’ve got them; it’s time to come clean.  Let’s face it: you’re not the only one who spent part of their awkward teenaged years hurling spells at your friends in knock-down drag-out duels on table-tops in cafeterias during free periods.  If Magic: The Gathering offers any hint of nostalgia for you (or even the slightest amount of shame; after all, some things are healthy to feel ashamed about), you should consider rolling by ImprovBoston some Friday night to catch Magic: The Gathering: The improv Show. Continue reading →

Mar 20

No Condoms Were Harmed in the Making of This Musical: HELLO AGAIN

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Presented by Bridge Repertory Theatre of Boston
Book, lyrics and music by Michael John LaChiusa
Directed by Michael Bello
Musical direction by Mindy Cimini
Choreography by Stephen Urspung

March 12 – 29, 2014
Boston Center for the Arts
Hall A
Boston, MA
Bridge Rep on Facebook

TRIGGER WARNING: This musical has a lot of sex in it. So much of the sex. Fortunately, it’s all consensual.

(Boston) Not all sex is procreative. Sex should be a really good time for everyone involved*. A lot of it isn’t**. If you fundamentally disagree then stop reading now…

Hello Again presented by Bridge Repertory Theatre is an immersive musical that places the audience in the center of the action. And by “action,” I mean riding the skin-train to orgasm town. That being said, the musical is not actually about sex. It is about what leads to sex, why we do it and with whom we choose to do it. It is art focused on a very specific, necessary act. Continue reading →