Tag Archives: Robert Orzalli

Oct 02

Zeitgeist Stage Company presents “Faceless” thru Oct. 7, 2017

Posted on by

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

Sep 26

“Faceless”: Humans discriminate, terror is indiscriminate.

Posted on by

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 →

Jul 17

“Waiting for Waiting for Godot”

Posted on by

Photo by Tim Gurczak; costumes and puppy by Chelsea Kerl; the corgi isn’t part of it but she should be.

Presented by Hub Theatre Company of Boston
Written by Dave Hanson
Directed by Paula Plum

July 14 – 29, 2017
Club Cafe
209 Columbus Ave
Boston, MA
Hub on Facebook

Review by Kitty Drexel

Trigger warnings: bathroom use without washing hands

(Boston, MA) Waiting for Waiting for Godot (WfWfG) is Beckett fanfiction through the lense of a Durang play. It’s confusing, absurd, and ultimately very funny. Hub Theatre Co of Boston does a fine job with Dave Hanson’s script. Continue reading →

Apr 10

Humans or Animals in “Coyote on a Fence”

Posted on by

Photo by Tim Gurczak

Presented by Hub Theatre Company of Boston
By Bruce Graham
Directed by Daniel Bourque

March 31-April 15, 2017
First Church Boston
66 Marlborough Street
Boston, MA 02116
Hub Theatre Company of Boston on Facebook

Review by Travis Manni

(Boston, MA) If characters are going to be trapped in a prison, they have to be compelling for the sake of a play. Thankfully, in Hub Theatre Company of Boston’s production of Daniel Bourque’s Coyote on a Fence, all the characters are quite fascinating to watch move around and exist in the world of jail cells. Continue reading →

Jul 21

“Laughing Wild” Sure to Make You LOL

Posted on by
Photo credit: Hub Theatre Company of Boston

Photo credit: Hub Theatre Company of Boston

Presented by Hub Theatre Company of Boston
Written by Christopher Durang
Directed by Margaret Ann Brady

Friday, July 17 – Saturday, August 1, 2015
Club Cafe
Boston, MA
Hub Theatre Company on Facebook

Review by Travis Manni

(Boston, MA) So you know when you’re in the tuna fish aisle at the grocery store and you end up punching somebody in the head and yelling at a baby to stop crying? Me neither. But this isolated event keeps the plot of Laughing Wild moving forward with enough humor that you start to think it’s actually quite relatable. Continue reading →

Dec 19

Appalachian Comedy and Backwoods Humor in “Sand Mountain”

Posted on by

Presented by The Hub Theatre Company of Boston
By Romulus Linney
Directed by Daniel Bourque

December 13-21, 2013
First Church Boston
66 Marlborough St
Boston, MA
Hub Theatre Co on Facebook

Review by Gillian Daniels

(Boston) Romulus Linney’s Appalachian play is a strange, Frankenstein’d animal of a comedy.  It combines two stories about marriage and society on Sand Mountain, an Alabama sandstone plateau.  The first half, Sand Mountain Matchmaking, is about the unlucky love life of the widow Rebecca Tull (Lauren Elias) as she searches for an appropriate suitor.  Act II, Why The Lord Come to Sand Mountain, is a twistier story featuring Jesus (Robert Orzalli) and Saint Peter (Yoni Bronstein) as they spend a night with a backwoods family.  Both acts combine to create a folksy, down-home play, one a little too saccharine to feel credible but fun none-the-less. Continue reading →

Sep 30

Sinners, Saints, and Boston Roots in “Goodly Creatures”

Posted on by

Photo by Alex Aroyan; Smack talk shall not be tolerated.

Presented by Hub Theatre Company of Boston
By William Gibson
Directed by John Geoffrion

September 20 through October 6, 2013
First Church Boston
66 Marlborough St
Boston, MA 02116
Hub Theatre Co on Facebook

Review by Gillian Daniels

(Boston) Boston embraces the fact it has a long history, at least longer than most of the US.  It celebrates the pieces that are unique to Massachusetts’s development as a colony, the Revolutionary War, and the soldiers who die for a common cause.  Historical figure Anne Hutchinson has a memorial to her name in Quincy, Massachusetts, but what she symbolizes and what led to her place in history is difficult to build a fitting monument to. Continue reading →