A.R.T Artistic Director Diane Paulus and Jeffrey L. Page are at the helm of this well-meaning but irritating revival.
Broadway
Book Review: The Lives They Wrote
Two autobiographies by women who had some experience in legitimate theater, but they each gave their strongest allegiance to dance, specifically one choreographer.
Stage Commentary: Making Boston Theater Magical Again?
Diverting the resources of Boston’s regional theaters into the casino of Broadway undercuts the ideals that launched the regional theater movement.
Theater Review: “Finding Neverland” — A Lucrative Broadway Fantasy in Progress
The $3 million American Repertory Theater version of Finding Neverland remains a work in progress, a “tryout” as it has been dubbed, and it feels just like that.
Theater Review: An Underwhelming Staging of “Wit”
Although I was disappointed in this Manhattan Theatre Club production, I am, however, very glad to have seen “Wit” — it is a contemporary classic.
Music Review: Celebrity Series Audience Falls in Love with Audra McDonald
Audra McDonald is so popular on stage, in concert, and on television that she has become, to many, a one-name goddess like Bette, Judy, and Barbra. Judging from her recent star turn in the American Repertory Theater’s production of “Porgy and Bess” and this brilliant concert, she can give the other One-Named Ones a run for their money.
Musical Theater: Broadway Visits the White House
By Caldwell Titcomb Musical talent from Broadway came to the White House on Monday, July 19, to offer a concert for President Obama, his wife and daughters, and an invited audience in the East Room. The event was streamed live on the White House website. This was the sixth in a series of concerts hosted […]
Boston Foundation To Small Theaters — Drop Dead Please!
by Bill Marx A recent report from the Boston Foundation helpfully advises that if a small arts group’s vision “either dissipated or lost its resonance with its audience or supporters” the troupe should either die quietly or merge with other struggling companies, apparently so they can vanish in bulk more efficiently. But what about larger […]
Theater Review: Geriatric Espionage
by Bill Marx The schizophrenia is instructive if somewhat dizzying. At the Calderwood Pavilion, the Huntington Theatre Company kicks off its season with “The Atheist,” a cynical exercise in scatological anti-heroism about a sleazy reporter who blackmails his way to fame. On its main stage at the Boston University Theater the HTC wallows in PG […]
Fuse Theater Review: Is This Musical Really Necessary?
After four movie versions of Alexandre Dumas’s nineteenth-century novel, does it make any sense to make a musical out of The Three Musketeers? The film versions efficiently present the book’s mix of comic book mayhem and romance and are available on DVD and video. By Bill Marx I can’t think of any successful swashbuckling musicals, […]