Author Archive

NSMT’s ‘Carol’ is the gift that keeps on giving

BEVERLY – Twenty-five years old? Perhaps, but this production of “A Christmas Carol” is a theatrical Christmas card that still seems new every time you open it. The North Shore Music Theatre is… Continue reading

MRT’s ‘Wonderful Life’ brings out best in the season

LOWELL – Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life” wasn’t a success when the film first debuted in 1946. It never came close to earning back its $6.3 million production cost. It was only… Continue reading

‘The Snow Queen’ could become a holiday staple

WATERTOWN – What to do in the holiday season if you’re a theater company? Something holiday-themed but already done to death? Or maybe something that’s seasonal in nature that can be staged during… Continue reading

‘Christmas on Air’ has charms, but may not be for all

STONEHAM – Listening, my beloved Susan says, is a lost art. We don’t often take the time to hone in on just what someone is saying. It was different when the radio was… Continue reading

‘Mermaid’ has Fiddlehead leaving Strand on high note

DORCHESTER – Recycling can be very profitable. That’s what Disney Theatericals learned as they took a series of Disney’s animated film hits and transformed them into theatrical blockbusters, aided by the music of… Continue reading

Huntington’s life of Reilly is hugely entertaining

  BOSTON – Expectations were high for Nick Offerman in bringing the character of Ignatius J. Reilly to the stage in Jeffrey Hatcher’s adaptation of John Kennedy Toole’s “A Confederacy of Dunces,” at… Continue reading

‘Elf” has its moments, but not enough of them

BOSTON – “Elf: The Broadway Musical,” like Buddy The Elf himself, desperately wants to be liked. It dances and sings its heart out on the stage of the Citi Performing Arts Center’s Wang… Continue reading

Come be transformed by Trinity’s ‘Christmas Carol’

PROVIDENCE – A decade is a nice run. After twenty years, you can certainly be called a tradition. After 38 years, you’ve probably earned the right to be called a holiday institution. Trinity… Continue reading

The Bard, Britten bend to will of Isango Ensemble

BOSTON – The Bard’s text will always bend to the wishes of those who perform it. And, I suppose, that goes double even for a 1960 opera. Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is perhaps… Continue reading

‘Elf: The Musical’ to brighten the Wang Center

BOSTON – BSL Enterprises, LLC and the Citi Performing Arts Center have announced the casting for the upcoming holiday engagement of “Elf The Musical.” The show brings the Broadway musical to the historic Citi… Continue reading