Tag Archives: MA

Feb 25

You Are Simply Made Perfect: “The Grove”

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The cast of The Huntington’s production of Mfoniso Udofia’s The Grove, directed by Awoye Timpo; photo by Marc J. Franklin.

Play two of the Ufot Family Cycle
Presented by The Huntington
Written By Mfoniso Udofia
Directed by Awoye Timpo

February 7 – March 9, 2025
The Huntington Calderwood
527 Tremont St. 
Boston, MA 02116

Critique by Kitty Drexel

BOSTON — The Grove is a play about being female, queer, and Black in a world that derides persons who persist in those identities. It follows Adiaha Ufot (Abigail C Onwunali returning in a tour de force performance) as she bargains with herself, her Ancestors, and her family to justify her existence. This is the triumphant second play in the Ufot Family Cycle by Mfoniso Udofia which runs at the Calderwood Pavilion in Boston through March 9. 

If you didn’t see Sojourners, the first play in the Ufot Family Cycle, here is a recap video graciously provided by The Huntington.

Attendees won’t need to have seen Sojourners to enjoy The Grove as The Grove stands on its own dramatic, design, and direction excellence, but knowing about Sojourners will help patrons understand the trajectories of the recurring Nigerian-American characters Abasiama (Patrice Johnson Chevannes who leads with quiet bravery) and Disciple’s (Joshua Olumide as the terrifyingly unhinged patriarch). Both have changed since we last met them: Abasiama has found success in STEM after earning her college degree and born three more children. Disciple is an adjunct professor who now displays obsessive narcissistic personality traits: sleep deprivation, financial abuse, gaslighting. Their home is a veritable warzone for their children Adiaha, Toyoima (Aisha Wura Akorede) and Ekong (Amani Kojo). Continue reading →

Feb 23

Serenading Aliens and Lukewarm Coffee as the World Ends: “The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals”

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Photo from https://www.facebook.com/yorickensemble

Presented by Yorick Ensemble 
Music and lyrics by Jeff Blim 
Book by Matt & Nick Lang
Directed by Kari Boutcher
Music direction by Elias Condakes 
Choreographer & Violence/Intimacy Director: Sydney T. Grant

February 13–22
Boston Center For the Arts
Boston, MA

Review by Kitty Drexel

BOSTON — It’s been a weird month of politics muddling the waking life of everyday citizens. Yesterday was a weird day of weird happenings which continued with a weird mishap at the Boston Center for the Arts. My ticket confirmation email for Thursday’s performance told me Yorick Ensemble’s The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals performance started at 7:30 PM that night. My ticket from the box office said this, too, so I thought I had an extra 40 minutes at 6:53 PM yesterday to mosey over to the theatre. But, the BCA website said The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals started at 7 PM. Not knowing which source to trust, I moseyed faster to Tremont St. Scooting through the BCA’s front doors, I overheard a young man on a headset describe us entering and holding for the house. Was I late? It sounded like I was. Fortunately, I wasn’t the only confused attendee; several others entered the Plaza Theatre after me. The show eventually started around 7:15 PM without a clear answer.  Continue reading →

Feb 20

Wham! Comic mischief in “Flora & Ulysses”

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Photo courtesy of Nile Scott Studios.

Presented by Wheelock Family Theatre
Adapted for the stage by John Glore
Based on the book by Kate DiCamillo
Directed by Joshua Rashon Streeter
Composed and Sound Designed by Mackenzie Adamick
Puppet Design by Amanda Gibson
Projection Design by Justin Lahue
Props Design by Saskia Martinez
Scenic Design by Danielle Delafuente
Costume Design by Nia Safarr Banks
Lighting Design by Lawrence A. Ware

Online playbill

February 15 – March 9, 2025
Wheelock Family Theatre
Boston University; Fenway Campus
200 The Riverway
Boston,  MA 02215

Critique by Helen Ganley

BOSTON — Common media often asserts that heroes come in all shapes and sizes, citing a range that stretches from DC’s Doll Man (thirteen inches tall, with an attitude) to Marvel’s Stature (fifty feet and fighting with the Young Avengers). But does this spectrum include a flying, super-strong, philosophy-spouting squirrel? Wheelock Family Theatre’s Flora & Ulysses expands the superhero multiverse beyond traditional humanity, following the story of a comic-obsessed 10-year-old girl and her unlikely superhero protégé as they navigate the trials of suburbia. Continue reading →

Feb 10

Crones Belong in “SPACE”

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Presented by Central Square Theater
The Brit d’Arbeloff Women in Science Production
A Catalyst Collaborative@MIT Production
By L M Feldman
Directed by Larissa Lury
Created by L M Feldman and Larissa Lury

January 30 – February 23, 2025
Central Square Theater
450 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139

Critique by Kitty Drexel

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — There is no way Central Square Theater could have predicted the exact sequencing of events following the presidential inauguration on January 20, but, because its art is based in the sciences, it must have had an inkling that SPACE by LM Feldman and Larissa Lury would be topical. It’s Black History Month and the White House is stripping women and minorities of equity and inclusion opportunities to favor the most bleached, tantrum-fueled presidential idiocrasy oligarchy since Reagan allowed his hate and other mucuses to trickle down and stop up our national funding pipelines. But I digress. SPACE is a good show about badass astronauts who defied the odds to kick ass up and down U.S. history.   

SPACE is told in two parts and recognizes time as an a-linear construct. The story bounces through the years like a racquetball on a closed court. Part One integrates the stories of the U.S. aviation’s best and brightest pilots yesterday and today: Bessie Coleman & Irene Leverton (Valencia Proctor), Jerri Sloan & Christina Hernandez (Monica Risi), Hazel Ying Lee, Wally Funk & Ivy Rieker (Hui Ying Wen), Jackie Cochran & Gene Nora Stumbough, Jasmin Moghbeli & Jean Hixson (Mitra Sharif), Mae Jemison & Jane Hart (Kaili Y Turner), Sally Ride & Geraldyn Cobb (MK Tuomanen), and the male scientists and male politicians who stop them because they don’t believe vaginas belong in space (all played by Barlow Adamson who utilizes a grand JFK accent à la Abbott Vaughn Meader). We watch these heroic women go from the 1940s Women’s Airforce Service Pilots to lobbying Congress to allow women in the space race. We watch them undergo physical, mental and cultural tests to prove their space-worthiness. They do everything right and still can’t touch the cosmos because of military gatekeeping.

Click it. Sally Ride wasn’t sorry. You won’t be either.

Continue reading →

Jan 28

Stuck and Bored at the End of the Line: C1’s “Haunted”

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Presented by Company One Theatre produced in partnership with the Boston Public Library with support from the National New Play Network and the Rolling World Premiere Program
Written, directed and choreographed by Tara Moses
Dramaturgy by Quita Sullivan
Fight choreography by Marisa Diamond
Community Advisor: Maria Hendricks

Jan. 24 – Feb. 15, 2025
Rabb Hall at the Boston Public Library, Central Branch
700 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02116

Critique by Noelani Kamelamela

BOSTON — Comparisons between Tara Moses’ “Haunted”, Antoinette Nwandu’s “Pass Over” and Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot” are inevitable. So, yes, there are two main characters waiting for something in this play and amusing each other while they pass the time. I admit it. Fine. That’s it, that’s all I’m saying about those connections. 

Below the surface, “Haunted” brings to life two young indigenous ghosts, Ash (Bradley Lewis) and Aaron (Chingwe Padraig Sullivan), who are rooted in one place while it changes around them. They constantly opine and long for freedom. One of their comforts and constants, the well-known hits of the early 2000s, provides emotional escape, but also constant reminders of how stuck and bored they have become. Continue reading →

Dec 31

Really Good Oranges: “Every Brilliant Thing”

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Cristhian Mancinas-García as the Narrator. Photo by Apollinaire Theatre.

Presented by Apollinaire Theatre Company
By Duncan Macmillan
With Jonny Donahoe
Directed by Danielle Fauteux Jacques
Scenic & Sound Design: Joseph Lark-Riley
Lighting Design: Danielle Fauteux Jacques
Stage Manager: Kaleb Perez
ASMs: Miguel Dominguez, Max Wanty

Dec. 27, 2024-Jan. 19, 2025
Performances Featuring Parker Jennings: Sat. 12/28, 1/4, 1/11, 1/18, Sun. 1/5, 1/19
Performances Featuring Cristhian Mancinas-García performing in English: Fri. Dec. 27, Sun. Dec. 29, Sun. Jan. 12, Sat. Jan 18 at 3:00
Featuring Cristhian Mancinas-García performing in Spanish: Fri. Jan 10, 17
Chelsea Theatre Works
189 Winnisimmet Street
Chelsea, MA 02150

Critique by Kitty Drexel

CHELSEA, Mass. — Every Brilliant Thing is currently in production at Chelsea Theatre Works by Apollinaire Theatre. It was last produced in the Boston area by SpeakEasy Stage in March 2018.  Adrianne Krstansky played the Narrator to the delight of the theatregoing population. The New England Theatre Geek review of that production is here. 

 It’s been many years and an entire pandemic since Massachusetts audiences last saw this play. While it is a play one never forgets and SpeakEasy’s production with Krstansky in the lead was memorable for its touching interpretation, it was not a monolith. There is room for alternative interpretations of Every Brilliant Thing. Sometimes, the most tender productions are intimate with a smaller impression. Apollinaire is one such production. 

Apollinaire’s Every Brilliant Thing is nestled in the third-floor black box theatre in Chelsea Theatre Works. After collecting one’s ticket (and adult beverage, if that’s your thing) from the hosts at the bar, patrons enter the performance space under white house lights as Big Band jazz classics tickle the ear. Our hosts told us, “All seating in the theatre is audience seating.” This means the black plastic chairs on risers, the velvet cushioned dining chairs and the loudly-patterned couches with pillows are intended for audience butts, too. We weren’t late but weren’t early so the couches were taken by other patrons. Get there early if your heart is set on couch surfing.   Continue reading →

Dec 18

Celebration Through Sitcoms: “Holiday Feast”

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Presented by The Front Porch Arts Collective
Directed by Jackie Davis
Stage Directions by Kandyce Whittingham
The scene chewing “Holiday Feast” team is HERE.

​Dec. 12-14, 2024
Central Square Theater
450 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA

Critique by Kitty Drexel

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — The Porch’s “Holiday Feast” was an evening of staged readings from beloved Black sitcoms Amen, The Jeffersons, A Different World, and Family Matters. The Porch did what it does best; it brought its community together in a celebration of Black joy. 

It was silly: The cast sometimes diverged from the script to playfully mess with each other as good friends do; actors embraced the quirks of revered characters George Jefferson, Whitley Gilbert and Steve Urkel. It was serious: Christmas episodes teach important lessons while recognizing their characters’ shortcomings… But, the cast didn’t dwell in severity; they found joy and kept it lifted through the evening. When the moment called for it, we sang along with the cast. There were teary eyes and boisterous laughs; the very best ingredients for a great night of theater no matter who you are. 

Christmas can be a dark time for some folks. It is for me. Watching other people laugh and love is healing. And, the United States is about to go into a dark period of conservative politics armed and ready to hurt minority groups for daring to feel joy in their presence. Very soon, our joy will be weaponized against us (like when Harris danced at a party, and it became a reason not to vote for her). It behooves us now to claim our joy and our healing as rebellion. We will need it and each other in the New Year to get through the following four. 

So, I urge you to find your joy and to hold close friends, old and new, who will celebrate it with you. The New England Theatre Geeks wish you a merry Kwanzaanukkahdad and a mele New Year! I hope it’s a good one without any tears.  

Dec 17

History, Memory, and Poetry in Motion: “Diary of a Tap Dancer”

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The cast of “Diary of a Tap Dancer.” Photo: Nile Scott Studios and Maggie Hall

Presented by the American Repertory Theater
Written and Choreographed by Ayodele Casel
Directed by Torya Beard
Scenic Design by Tatiana Kahvegian
Costume Design by Camilla Dely
Projection Design by Katherine Freer
Lighting Design by Brandon Stirling Baker
Featuring Ayodele Casel, Naomi Funaki, Afra Hines, Quynn L. Johnson, Funmi Sofola, Liberty Styles, Annaliese Wilbur, Ki’Leigh Williams

Dec. 12, 2024 – Jan. 4, 2025
64 Brattle Street
Cambridge MA 02138

Information and tickets here

Article by Maegan Bergeron-Clearwood

Content advisory: This production contains racial slurs, discusses domestic violence and drug use, and includes historical references to enslaved and oppressed people. It also contains haze and flashing lights. Recommended for ages 13+.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Ayodele Casel speaks dance. Diary of a Tap Dancer, Casel’s fittingly titled autobiographical play now running at the A.R.T., traces her lifelong relationship to this kinesthetic language, from her early days desperately searching for an expressive outlet, to her early career in a white- and male-dominated industry, and ultimately to the here-and-now: as a Black queer female artist on a stage in Boston, yearning to tell her own story in her own words while she has the time. The play also excavates Casel’s place within the broader context of dance history, gazing backward at the women who paved the way and forward toward the brilliant collaborators on stage with her.

Diary of a Tap Dancer is ambitious in scope, and it doesn’t hit every emotional beat with the same impact – but when it succeeds, it is resplendent. Continue reading →

Dec 03

Lucky Number 7: “The Jinkx and DeLa Holiday Show”

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Photo credit: Jacob Ritts

The Jinkx and DeLa Holiday Show
Presented by Boch Center Wang Theatre
Created & Written by BenDeLaCreme & Jinkx Monsoon
Director: BenDeLaCreme
Choreographer: Chloe Albin
Movement Direction by BenDeLaCreme
Original Compositions by Major Scales
Lyrics: BenDeLaCreme, Jinkx Monsoon, & Major Scales
Music Production: Markaholic & Keith Harrison
Starring: BenDeLaCreme & Jinkx Monsoon
Featuring: Chloe Albin, Mr. Babygirl, Jace Gonzalez, Ruby Mimosa, Derrick Paris, Scott Spraags, and Gus Lanza as “Hunky the Elf”

Dec. 2, 2024
Wang Theatre at Boch Center
270 Tremont Street
Boston, MA 02116

Critique by Kitty Drexel

BOSTON – December marks the start of a very special time for us in Boston. No, it’s not the Baby Jesus’ red and green capitalist wet dream known as Christmas. It’s the month when The Jinkx and DeLa Holiday Show visits Boston to spread cheer (and legs) across the land, sillies. Merry Kwanzanukkahdad and Mele New Year, the holiday season has begun!  Continue reading →

Dec 02

A Toast to Life’s Simple Pleasures: “A Year with Frog and Toad”

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A Year with Frog and Toad. Photo by Nile Scott Studios.

Presented by Wheelock Family Theatre
Based on the books by Arnold Lobel
Music by Robert Reale
Book and lyrics by Willie Reale
Directed by Leigh Barrett
Music direction by David Freeman Coleman
Scenic design by Jenna McFarland Lord
Lighting design by Deb Sullivan
Costume design by Chelsea Kerl
Choreography by Brad Reinking
Featuring: Alan Cid, Kristian Espiritu, Will McGarrahan, Anthony Pires Jr., Tader Shipley

November 30 – December 15, 2024
200 The Riverway, Boston MA 02215
Tickets HERE

Run Time: Approximately 80 minutes without intermission

Review by Maegan Bergeron-Clearwood

BOSTON — The quiet seasonal joys depicted in A Year with Frog and Toad are a far cry from what many are experiencing this 2024 winter. Instead of end-of-year deadlines, unwelcome ads, and existential political dread, these beloved critters’ lives are occupied with kind favors and hot bowls of soup. It’s the kind of simple but evergreen message that’s best told through a children’s story: life’s richest moments are often the most mundane. Continue reading →