Charlestown Working Theater

Coming Attractions in Theater: June 2011

June 1, 2011
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June is a transitional month for theater — the big Summer Festivals don’t hit their stride until July. But odd and interesting productions pop up, such as a view of life for women in Putin’s Russia, a musical about union activity, a glimpse of what’s billed as “the future of ensemble theatre in America,” and the world premiere of a musical version of the Bible’s Song of Songs that, who knows, might usher in a Summer of Love.

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Coming Attractions in Theater: January 2011

December 26, 2010
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The new year kicks off with some welcome signs of frisky energy, though it would be nice to see more new plays. Respectability is provided by a homage to Rose Kennedy as well as productions of Pulitzer and Tony award-winning scripts. Marionettes and politics arrive via Bread and Puppet and An Exciting Event. As for…

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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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Coming Attractions in Theater: October 2010

October 1, 2010
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October brings in epics from the classics (Shakespeare and Dickens), ghost stories from the classics (Poe, Henry James), a tragicomedy from a classic (O’Neill), and a comedy from a classic (Ben Jonson). Annie Baker, Ethan Coen, and the Rude Mechanicals provide some welcome respite from the tried-and-true. Given the state of the economy and the…

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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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Coming Attractions in Theater: September 2010

August 28, 2010
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A 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…

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Coming Attractions in Theater: May 2010

April 25, 2010
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By Bill Marx The month contains plenty of summerish entertainment, from a new baseball musical to a campy Alfred Hitchcock parody and a jazzy update of The Mikado. For me, the standouts are the more demanding fare, such as a festival of new American theater pieces and an exciting opportunity see Shakespeare’s rarely staged Timon…

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Coming Attractions in Theater: April 2010

April 1, 2010
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Any month that includes an attempt to get kids into the poetry of Shakespeare, inspirational women, and talking chickens looks fairly promising. By Bill Marx 1: Shakespeare and the Language that Shaped a World by Kevin G. Coleman. Directed by Jenna Ware. Presented by Shakespeare and Company at the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre, Lenox, MA,…

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Coming Attractions in Theater: November 2009

November 1, 2009
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By Bill Marx Somewhere an enterprising graduate student is working on a trenchant study of the correlation between holiday stage entertainment and the American economy. When things were looking bright and profitable the shows became cynical and comic, with mischievous elves placing whoopee cushions under our delusions of good cheer. Now that unemployment is high…

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Theater Review: The Remarkable Rooming House of Tennessee Williams

September 19, 2009
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By Bill Marx What are artists? Desperate searchers after whatever can be found of truth and beauty, even when the two may be poles apart. – Tennessee Williams, “Notebooks” (1979) The Remarkable Rooming House of Madame Le Monde by Tennessee Williams. Directed by Davis Robinson. Beau Jest Moving Theater production (commissioned by the Provincetown Tennessee…

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