The ‘New Phantom’ remains a great spectacle
BOSTON – When you’re telling a tale as large as “The Phantom of the Opera,” little things matter. OK, not so little things, too So while the famed chandelier of the Paris Opera… Continue reading
Category Archive: Reviews
Huntington’s ‘Merrily’ delights a new audience
BOSTON – At certain points in our lives, we ask ourselves: How did we get here? It is a question noted composer and now successful film producer Franklin Shepard is asking himself as… Continue reading
‘Men on Boats’ has fun with macho stereotypes
BOSTON – Even before it begins, SpeakEasy Stage Company’s “Men on Boats” has broken away from the testosterone-filled, macho mentality of the classic adventure story told on stage and scene. Playwright Jacklyn Backhaus… Continue reading
With ‘Reversible,’ the amazing is almost mundane
BOSTON – We are all products of our ancestors, and of their experiences , and that simple fact inspired Gypsy Snider when it came time to develop a new show. The co-founder… Continue reading
‘Dames at Sea’ offers dazzling footwork, laughter
STONEHAM – Aside from the New England Patriots, director/choreographer Ilyse Robbins and actress Ephie Aardema just might be the best team around. They teamed up for three award-winning productions at the former Stoneham… Continue reading
‘Groupthink,’ consultants are on trial in ‘Ideation’
WATERTOWN – Outside consultants often visited the newspaper where I worked for many years. The first thing they usually said was “everything you’re doing is wrong.” My colleagues and I took to calling… Continue reading
Barrett leads, others follow in Lyric’s ‘Gypsy’
BOSTON – The iconic role of Mama Rose in the musical “Gypsy” requires an actress who is not only a fine singer but who can win the audience over with the sheer force… Continue reading
Off the Grid’s ‘The Weird’ is a bumpy but fun ride
BOSTON – The theater troupe Off The Grid takes pride in its non-traditional form of making theater – hence both its name and its mission statement, which Artistic Director Alexis Scheer described as… Continue reading
In the end, ART’s ‘Burn All Night’ doesn’t deliver
CAMBRIDGE – “Burn All Night” never catches fire. At a recent performance, I kept waiting and hoping THAT SONG or THAT MOMENT might come along and light up the new musical now being… Continue reading
NSMT’s fast, funny ‘Frankenstein’: ‘It’s ‘alive!’
BEVERLY – Those who thought Mel Brooks couldn’t write and stage a complete musical weren’t wrong once – when “The Producers” won a record 12 Tonys” in 2001 – they were thankfully wrong… Continue reading