Theater
Once again we are indebted to Wellesley College for bringing to town Actors From the London Stage (AFTLS). This is the fifth visit the 35-year-old institution has made here. Each fall five seasoned Shakespeareans from England take up residence at U.S. colleges for a week, conducting workshops and seminars with students. Reviewed by Caldwell Titcomb.
Read MoreSnobby and sober no more! Made up of singers who perform arias and duets in bars, Opera on Tap currently presents its innovative songfests in Chicago, New York, New Orleans, and Ann Arbor. Now the concept comes to Boston, with performances tomorrow and Monday night (September 26 and 27) at Oberon in Cambridge. Anne Ricci,…
Read MoreIt 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…
Read MoreThis musical may have a small focus and a smaller message than William Finn’s other shows, but the highly likable characters produce big laughs and plenty of empathy. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Music and Lyrics by William Finn. Book by Rachel Sheinkin. Conceived by Rebecca Feldman. Additional Material by Jan Reiss. Directed and…
Read MoreBeowulf: 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.…
Read MoreBy 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…
Read MoreBy 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…
Read MoreThe complete Women of Will is an exhausting adventure, led by a manically enthused and deeply generous and talkative tour director who also is a fabulous actor. Reviewed by Susan Miron Women of Will. Written and performed by Tina Packer. Directed by Eric Tucker. Featuring Tina Packer and Nigel Gore. At Shakespeare & Company, Lenox,…
Read MoreA whole lot of deconstruction of the classics going on this month, along with productions of scripts by familiar homegrown names, from William Inge and David Mamet to Sarah Ruhl. A visit from a master puppeteer and a show about race that’s “recommended for mature audiences” look intriguing. By Bill Marx The Real Inspector Hound…
Read MoreReviewed by Helen Epstein I saw Shakespeare & Company‘s excellent production of Richard III in Lenox, MA last weekend (through September 5 at Founders’ Theatre), with an exceptionally strong ensemble that was kicked into high gear by a high-energy performance from John Douglas Thompson in the title role.
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