Theater
It is entertaining, but Lindsay Joelle’s script supplies only a tiny, sometimes contrived glimpse at a profession that deserves to be treated with more nuance and understanding.
The strongest element in this Arlekin production is the indelible stage images of loss and love, death and despair, memory and resilience, dreamed up by director Igor Golyak and his talented production team.
A trio of companies — Barrington Stage Company, Great Barrington Public Theater, and, to a lesser extent, Berkshire Theater Festival — draw on the stage’s power to address our current political emergencies.
Overall, this is a satisfying production of a turn-of-the-century play that still underlines enduring economic inequity.
“Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)” succeeds as a fun variation on the “buddy” story. The show sometimes ladles on the sugary frosting, but it’s a pretty tasty dessert.
Theater like this is especially crucial at a time of destructive national division: it is explicitly aimed at intergenerational audiences, it takes on issues that confront family and community, and it makes the experience of learning and relearning elemental democratic lessons both fun and communal.
The lush, lyrical, and demanding score is the main attraction, and the excellent Huntington Theatre Company cast is, for the most part, up to the challenge of singing it.
The beauty of “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding” at this political moment is that it provides a firsthand rebuttal to the current administration’s draconian policies — without ever directly acknowledging them.
The emphasis of the B&P troupe has become increasingly apocalyptic: the struggle we are engaged in is for nothing less than the preservation of our planet, and for the preservation of our individual — and collective ––hearts and minds.
Theater Commentary: The 2025 Tonys Were a Mess — But the Season Was Glorious
Once again, Tony voters proved that quality and integrity still matter.
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