Theater

Theater Commentary: Two Tons Dropped on A Delicate Balance

November 4, 2010
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Years (or would that be decades?) ago, editors had the self-respect to be embarrassed by critical incompetence, perhaps because there was the assumption that knowledgeable people were reading the paper. Those discriminating readers are long gone from the marginalized arts section of The Boston Globe . . . By Bill Marx I haven’t seen the…

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Coming Attractions in Theater: November 2010

October 31, 2010
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Holiday season is kicking in, which means it becomes harder to find theater that doesn’t set out to warm your heart and melt your mind. Though a Santaland Diary or two remains, the vogue for cynical Xmas shows has run its course. Still, all is not lost when you can still find such extraordinary family…

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Theater Review: Body Awareness — A Lesson in Human Awareness

October 30, 2010
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This is a play where characters don’t remove their clothes but the walls they’ve built to protect their inner selves.

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Theater Commentary: Complicite, HD, and Freedom

October 19, 2010
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Book lovers and filmgoers have long been able to sample art from anywhere they wish—to read a book in translation or to rent a DVD if they didn’t like the latest releases in the theaters. Now, because of HD,  devotees of the stage will be able to roam the world. By Bill Marx. A Disappearing…

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Theater Review: Method or Madness?

October 14, 2010
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Parody is an art, and like any other art it calls for both imagination and technical skill. It is not enough for a parodist to detect absurdity in others. He must create something absurd himself—something deliberately, enjoyably absurd – John Gross, The Oxford Book of Parodies. The Method Gun by Kirk Lynn. Directed by Shawn…

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Theater Review: Rock of Ages — Fans of 80s Rock Rejoice

October 9, 2010
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As a musical, Rock of Ages may not be an innovative or brilliantly written work of art, but the show’s delightfully cheesy enthusiasm, self-deprecating humor, and talented cast make it very hard to resist, especially for fans of 80s rock. Rock of Ages. Book by Chris D’Arienzo. Directed by Kristin Hanggi. Music Direction by Brandon…

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Theater Review: The Hard Heart of a Puppet

September 12, 2010
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It is with a strange malice/ that I distort the world. – Wallace Stevens, The Weeping Burgher Hard Headed Heart. Performed by Blair Thomas & Company. Sets, puppets, and scrolls by Blair Thomas. Translation of the Garcia Lorca play by Catherine Brown. St. James Infirmary puppets by Jess Mooney-Bullock. Curtains and costumes by Heidi Dakter…

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Theater Review: Beowulf Unleashed

September 6, 2010
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Beowulf: A Thousand Years of Baggage. Written and performed by Banana Bag & Bodice. At Oberon, Cambridge, MA, tonight (September 6). Reviewed by Chantal Mendes AF interview with Big Banana & Bodice Oberon is not the kind of place where you think you are going to learn something about what it means to be human.…

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Theater Commentary: For Mature Audiences?

September 4, 2010
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By Bill Marx After four years in the position, Louise Kennedy is leaving her post as theater critic for the Boston Globe to work on a book project. I wish her well: she’s had to persevere as the position becomes the afterthought of a Tweet. Perhaps she sees the handwriting on the printer’s wall. Her…

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Theater Interview: Talking with the Big Banana Bag & Bodice

September 1, 2010
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By Chantal Mendes This Sunday the enterprising theater troupe Banana Bag & Bodice brings its distinctively modern adaptation of an ancient classic, Beowulf – A Thousand Years of Baggage, to Oberon in Cambridge, MA. For those of us who missed the recent movie version, Beowulf conjures up sleepy times in early English Literature class. Given…

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