Category Archive: Reviews

‘Irving Berlin’ is Hershey Felder at his finest

BOSTON — The Boston Red Sox honored Irving Berlin again Sunday. Along with the rest of Major League Baseball.  Red Sox fans stood as one and sang “God Bless America” during the seventh-inning… Continue reading →

NSMT’s ‘Shrek The Musical’: Being green ain’t easy

BEVERLY — Being green ain‘t easy. Just ask the ogre at the center of the action in “Shrek The Musical” at the North Shore Music Theatre through July 19. He’s forced to leave… Continue reading →

Two real pros make Ogunquit’s ‘Victor/Victoria’ sing

OGUNQUIT, ME. — A funny thing about summer theater: As the weather gets hotter, the fare tends to get a little lighter. Nothing wrong with that. Who wants to get weighted down with… Continue reading →

‘Newsies’ leaps off the stage of the Opera House

BOSTON — In 1992, the Walt Disney Co. released a movie loosely based on the 1899 newsboys strike in New York City called “Newsies.” Budgeted at $15 million and starring a young Christian… Continue reading →

Sorkin’s ‘Invention’ brings the race for TV to life

WATERTOWN — There are usually tragic consequences when a magnificent obsession is derailed. It is a topic that was explored earlier in this theatrical season in the Huntington Theatre Company’s production of Elizabeth… Continue reading →

‘After All’: A powerful look at bullying, redemption

BOSTON — We all know how bullying in its many forms can have horrifying effects on the victim — we have long known that — but is there also price to pay for… Continue reading →

Smart, stylish ‘Dreamgirls’ opens NSMT’s 60th season

BEVERLY – The girl groups that dominated the early days of rock ’n roll — Martha and the Vandellas, The Ronettes, The Shirelles — all had one constant: a strong lead singer. Theoretically,… Continue reading →

Chow down with the Apples in GSC’s ‘Sweet and Sad’

GLOUCESTER — Where were you and what were you doing when the Twin Towers went down? The members of the Apple Family can recall very keenly. And they also remember how the events… Continue reading →

Robbins, Stoneham know just ‘How to Succeed’

STONEHAM — The director/choreographer Ilyse Robbins has apparently found how to succeed in a musical when she works at the Stoneham Theatre, having directed and choreographed a Norton Award-winning production of “Thoroughly Modern… Continue reading →

‘Light Up The Sky’: A bygone era fondly recalled

BOSTON —Yes, Virginia, the out of town tryout for new theatrical productions was once commonplace here in Boston, part of a circuit that often included cities such as New Haven and Philadelphia. Playwrights,… Continue reading →