The Sleepless Critic

REVIEW: Commonwealth Shakespeare Company vividly envisions a spirited ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ on Boston Common

Posted on 13 Hours Ago by The Sleepless Critic

Summer love is alive and well in vivid color on Boston Common.

Featuring a strong cast of renowned local performers and vocalists, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company captures the look and vibrant color of love in William Shakespeare’s classic A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

With intricate direction by Steven Maler, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company rings in their thirtieth season with William Shakespeare’s classic comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream for free live and in person through Sunday, August 9 on the Common in Boston, Massachusetts. Though Amy Rubin’s set is partially likened to a children’s playground, this night production is not for children. The action is not limited to the stage, boasts valuable captions and runs 2 hours and 40 minutes with an intermission. I witnessed the production on CSC’s ASL night on August 2. Click here for more information and reservations.

De’Lon Grant* (Theseus) and Nora Eschenheimer* (Hippolyta). Photo Credit: Nile Scott Studios.

It is not difficult to see why A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of Shakespeare’s most performed and beloved plays. It is everything but tragic and can be interpreted in a variety of ways featuring magic, mischief, romantic comedy, music, action and much more.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream has multiple story lines, but the cast translates Shakespeare’s work with a lively affinity for the text while infusing improvisation and pop culture references along the way. Part play within a play, part fantasy, and part comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream essentially explores love in all of its forms from unrequited to desire to true love to romantic comedy gone awry due to some mystical love potions. Shakespeare’s witty dialogue is an intriguing reminder that his classic story lines translate seamlessly into a wide variety of contemporary scenarios.

Nora Eschenheimer* (Titania) and The Company of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Photo Credit: Nile Scott Studios.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is also the source of some of Shakespeare’s most famous reflections on love such as ‘True love does not see with the eyes, but the mind’ and ‘The course of true love never did run smooth.’ Scenic designer Amy Rubin also emblazons Shakespeare’s immortal words about mortals and fools into the very fabric of the production’s multi-tiered and industrial scaffold set. Rubin certainly provides the wow factor in a heart shaped and layered set which is a cross between a playground and a night club complete with slide and ball pit as a glimmering disco ball hangs overhead. Maximo Grano de Oro illuminates this wild landscape with active and multicolored glee as the flashing lighting pursues the actors to the beat of the production’s contemporary music. Costumers Brooke Stanton and Rachel Padula-Shufelt mix glimmering Athenian-inspired costumes with 80s and steam punk flair. The ensembles range from refined and upscale in achromatic classic suits to splashy, florescent, glimmering, tinsel and feathered club wear which includes fringe jackets, cowboy boots, ornamental robes, fingerless studded gloves and bejeweled gold caps. The constantly playful and bold neon fairies seem pulled right out of a 80s night club in glowing ethereal wings and combat boots. Sound designer Ted Kearnan brings a contemporary vibe with a mix of original and popular upbeat rhythms built for comic relief as well as setting the scene.

Nick Cearley as Puck in Commonwealth Shakespeare Company’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ Photo by Nile Scott Studios

Coy, roguish and often lighthearted, Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream establishes a world of status and fantasy featuring a cast of powerful and compelling characters often hysterically determined to fight for what they want and will do whatever it takes for a laugh demonstrated by Paul Melendy as slick and bombastic Nick Bottom from exacting accents to integrating a well placed Shrek reference. Putting on a lovely Romanian accent, thick beaded necklace and large red glasses while wielding a ridiculous plastic sword, Karen MacDonald is delightfully unrecognizable as resourceful and charismatic Quince among a group of madcap and dedicated mechanicals including Brooks Reeves as a knitting Robin Starveling who offer more than their fair share of silly humor and bright ideas before the final curtain.

Brooks Reeves (Robin Starveling), Michael Broadhurst* (Francis Flute), Paul Melendy* (Nick Bottom), Karen MacDonald* (Petra Quince), Alex Leondedis (Snug), and John Kuntz* (Snout). Photo Credit: Nile Scott Studios.

Some of this robust cast takes on dual roles which impressively shows off their range. Jaime José Hernández as love struck Lysander shares jubilant adoration and endearing chemistry with Meghan Carey as sweet Hermia, but also has a chance to explore another side of this character. In spiked hair and glimmering Athenian gear, Nick Cearley keeps the mischief flowing as prankster Puck conspiring with De’Lon Grant who adds gravitas to Theseus and Oberon for a string of seemingly harmless pranks.

De’Lon Grant* (Oberon) and Nick Cearley* (Puck). Photo Credit: Nile Scott Studios

Nora Eschenheimer takes on dual roles as sophisticated Hippolyta as well as commanding and seductive Titania. Carey is charming as headstrong Hermia while Annika Burley is comically relentless as crazy in love and wildly frustrated Helena going to arduous lengths to get what she wants. Burley’s Helena shares impetuous moments with Hernández as Lysander and Jack Greenberg as impulsive Demetrius navigated by carefully timed choreography. Another highlight shows off Burely and Carey’s sharp comic wit during another confrontation when love goes awry.

Annika Burley (Helena) with Jaime José Hernández* (Lysander) and Jack Greenberg*(Demetrius). Photo Credit: Nile Scott Studios.

Though the production can be a bit lengthy, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a fun way to spend a summer evening under the stars. This vivacious production continues live and in person through Sunday, August 9 on the Boston Common. Click here for more information and reservations.

REVIEW: Retail therapy takes on new meaning in Hub Theatre Company of Boston’s lighthearted comedy ‘Buyer and Cellar’

Posted on 7 Days Ago by The Sleepless Critic

“Well, hello gorgeous.”

What does an unemployed and rather desperate actor and a wealthy multi-talented celebrity have in common?

They share a kit kat bar and a dream.

Exploring the psyche of the have and have nots, Jonathan Tolins’s fictional one man comedy, Buyer and Cellar brings to light the weighty and wild world of excess on the journey of discovering what is truly important.

Victor L. Shopov in Hub Theatre Company of Boston’s ‘Buyer and Cellar’ Photo credit Lauren Elias

With lighthearted direction by Daniel Bourque, Hub Theatre Company of Boston continues Buyer and Cellar live and in person at Club Café in Boston, Massachusetts through Saturday, August 1. The action is not limited to the stage and runs approximately 100 minutes with no intermission. Pay-what-you-can tickets are available. The production occasionally contains adult and unfiltered language. Purchase a drink during this show and Club Café offers a full menu. Click here for more information and for tickets.

Victor L, Shopov in Hub Theatre Company of Boston’s ‘Buyer and Cellar’ Photo by Lauren Elias

Buyer and Cellar is a fictional tale, but is based on real life aspects of Barbara Streisand’s life drawn from Streisand’s book, My Passion for Design which sits on a lighted pedestal. Streisand’s book offers insight into her legacy and the story behind building her dream home. While the show revolves around Barbara Streisand, you do not necessarily need to be a fan to appreciate this production.

From Funny Girl to Yentl, sound designer Gage Baker weaves inflections of Streisand’s most memorable film theme songs into the playful and whimsical sound design. Under a sparkling disco ball, Club Café always offers a little extra in its vibrant space and Justin Lahue takes full advantage of that space through the tiered set and surrounding projections scattered throughout Club Café’s back room. A variety of projections include some of Streisand’s most coveted and iconic ensembles, store fronts, book racks and a peek into the architecture from the book. Two vintage wardrobe stands ostentatiously adorned and topped off with a pink feather boa situated side by side for colorful ambiance and a sophisticated chair and ottoman is a wink to Barbara’s style.

One of the most fascinating aspects and the center of this production is that Barbara Streisand built a shopping mall in the cellar of her Malibu mansion in the late 2000s.

Yes, really. It’s mindboggling to think Streisand has that many possessions and all the more intriguing are the eccentric stories behind them. With a wealth of pop culture references and self aware humor, Victor L. Shopov amicably portrays down-on-his-luck California actor Alex More who has had just about enough working for Disneyland and is looking for his big break. Central Casting arranges a bizarre new opportunity in which Alex is tapped by gravelly throated estate manager Sharon to become the shopping mall’s very first employee. Confusion, havoc, mystery and even monotony ensue on the job before Alex is face-to-face with Streisand herself.

Shopov is a candid and engaging storyteller infusing animated and eccentric voices emphasizing various mannerisms and avoiding impressions. He perfects a mix of imaginative and real life voices with flair including a humorous and exacting take on Barbara delicately sampling a morsel of food with her incomparably long nails. Navigating between awestruck, sarcastic, earnest and dubious, Shopov’s Alex takes this amusing and outrageous journey through Streisand’s wonderland through panic and in stride. However, nothing beats Shopov’s hilarious talent for narrating and delivering commentary on one particular film that won’t be revealed here.

Victor L. Shopov and Barbara in Hub Theatre Company of Boston’s ‘Buyer and Cellar’ Photo by Lauren Elias

Buyer and Cellar is a funny tale about another side of a legend. One may long to be rich. However, not everything is what is seems, even for someone who seems to have it all.

Hub Theatre Company of Boston continues Buyer and Cellar live and in person at Club Café in Boston, Massachusetts through Saturday, August 1. Click here for more information and for tickets.

REVIEW: Things more than go bump in the night in gripping ‘Paranormal Activity’

Posted on 13 Days Ago by The Sleepless Critic

Full Disclosure: I saw Paranormal Activity Live on Stage alone.

Not necessarily a fan of horror with few exceptions, my interests lean more towards thought-provoking science fiction or a psychological thriller. I was hesitant as I arrived at Emerson Colonial Theatre facing a black curtain, but left riveted by the production’s depth, intensity, and a truly remarkable cast.

Paranormal Activity can be chilling, but is also rooted squarely in the human condition with a great deal of darkly relatable humor and lots of twists and turns. It lured me in and never let go.

Superbly directed by Felix Barrett, Levi Halloway’s Paranormal Activity Live on Stage continues its pre-Broadway run through Thursday, July 30 at Emerson Colonial Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts. For the squeamish, this intense and immersive production is not gory. It does contain explicit language, some dark themes and runs two hours and 20 minutes with one intermission. Click here for more information and for tickets.

Cher Álvarez and Travis A. Knight in Paranormal Activity. Photo by Teresa Castracane Photography.

Metal, alternative and hard rock 90s music from musicians such as Soundgarden revs up the audience before the production begins. Paranormal Activity Live on Stage is considered a new story from the original film which inspired six sequels. A seventh film sequel has an anticipated 2027 release date. The original film latched onto the clunky, grainy and less polished amateur film style of The Blair Witch Project which enjoyed great success at the time.

However, the stage production greatly improves on the film predecessor in multiple ways. The film has a grainy home video quality, but this production is all encompassing and in vibrant color. Having witnessed the original film, the Paranormal Activity play is more effective, allowing the audience to experience multiple scenarios at once led with sterling timing by lighting designer Anna Watson. Scenic and costume designer Fly Davis crafts an elaborate and functional dual level house which includes five detailed and sophisticated rooms featuring a modern kitchen, hanging plants and a smart flat screen television. Illusion designer Chris Fisher, the illusionist behind Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway, creates plenty of riveting moments that will have you fully invested in what will happen next.

Cher Álvarez in Paranormal Activity. Photo by Kyle Flubacker.

Contributing to the production’s unfettered tension, Gareth Fry’s mesmerizing sound design ranges from a steely and hollow hum to sudden rings to what can be likened to a deafening and reverberating wind tunnel.

This engaging cast is so in sync and polished that they will make you almost forget you are watching a horror stage play. Cher Álvarez as Lou Singer and Travis A. Knight as James Singer are incredibly charming as a newly married couple who have just moved into a house in London. Playful with a dynamic sense of humor, Álvarez and Knight demonstrate a heartwarming and genuine connection as they embrace and warmly support each other.

Shannon Cochran is impressive as James’s religious and pushy southern mother who only wants what is best for her son and Eva Kaminsky is captivating as an eerie and insightful famous podcaster Etheline Cotgrave.

Paranormal Activity boasts many darkly funny moments while also delving into serious issues such as depression, trauma, secrets, marital challenges, spiritual warfare and much more with a wealth of unpredictable twists and turns. At one point, this fully invested audience (including me) was at the edge of our seats rooting on the characters and united in the action. Although I came alone to the production, I did not feel alone with this intense and excited crowd.

Isn’t that what live theatre is all about?

Levi Halloway’s Paranormal Activity Live on Stage continues its pre-Broadway run live and in person at Emerson Colonial Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts through Thursday, July 30. Click here for more information and for tickets.

REVIEW: Silence speaks volumes in Gloucester Stage Company’s clever and multi-faceted British play ‘Betrayal’

Posted on 16 Days Ago by The Sleepless Critic

“I think of you sometimes.”

The passing thought and echoes of an ex can come and go. In the aftermath of an affair, some things may also become crystal clear.

With layered direction by Shana Gozansky, Gloucester Stage Company continues Harold Pinter’s British drama, Betrayal live and in person at Gloucester Stage Company in Gloucester, Massachusetts through Saturday, August 1. This semi-autobiographical and non-linear production runs approximately 85 minutes with no intermission. Click here for more information and for tickets.

Gloucester Stage Company’s production of “Betrayal”, written by Harold Pinter and directed by Shana Gozansky, starring Liza Giangrande, Michael Underhill, Tanner Efinger, and Jeremy Beazlie, runs at the theater from July 11 though August 1, 2026.

© 2026 Shawn G. Henry • 978-590-4869

GSC-Betrayal-260708_004

Written in 1978, Harold Pinter’s Betrayal is a deeply personal play inspired by Pinter’s illicit real life affair with a BBC journalist. It delves into the lies, danger, suspicions, surprises, and secrets you hide from others as well as the ones you tell yourself when love takes an unexpected turn. I couldn’t help but notice the British holiday film, Love Actually shares a passing resemblance to Betrayal in one of its many popular plot lines and famous playwright Jason Robert Brown was inspired to pattern Pinter’s reverse chronological narrative style in Betrayal into his famous musical, The Last Five Years. Instead of building a story from the beginning, Pinter innovatively begs the question, “How did we all get here?”

Jeffrey Petersen’s intriguing avant guarde set serves as various locations featuring white chairs, a pastel background, a skewed mirror and red carpeting. While Amanda E. Fallon’s flashing shadows, silhouettes and psychedelic lighting in conjunction with Julian Crocamo’s jagged piano-infused sound design reverberates to rewind the clock, it is curious that the audience can bear witness to pieces of the action backstage. Perhaps an act of transparency in this complicated affair.

Time leaping from 1977 to 1968, Betrayal redefines and explores the nature of betrayal in all its forms. This witty cast share captivating chemistry and sharp comic timing. Liza Giangrande depicts romantic, complicated and disillusioned Emma who is married to Tanner Efinger as scholarly book publisher Robert, but sees an opportunity for freedom in Michael Underhill as dashing, married, and Robert’s oldest friend and fellow book publisher Jerry. Rounding out the cast is Jeremy Beazile who offers his own humor as the Waiter. Aside from an immense love of literature, Giangrande is compelling as Emma sharing playful and exciting chemistry with Underhill as Jerry and an enigmatic and restrained rapport with Robert.

Nia Safaar Banks creates posh ensembles not only faithful to the late 70s in psychedelic patterns, floral, and velvet coats, but creations that reflect the distinct personalities and vast differences in one another which is never better defined than in Michael Underhill as relaxed Jerry and Tanner Efinger as intellectual Robert. In sneakers and denim, Jerry is adventurous, dark and dashing while Robert is anxious, serious and seemingly safe in a distinguished sweater vest.

Pinter’s eccentric style of storytelling is always fascinating even at its most absurd which also exposes pointlessness, but here Pinter relies more on subtlety than absurdity. It is a production with a deeply meticulously restrained emotional core. Distressed sighs, ironies, layered conversations, loaded pauses, and the dignified and carefully composed comments are the real allure of this production embedded within Betrayal’s scandal. Betrayal is eccentrically understated with a wealth of humor, repression, symbolism, contradictions and revelations in an innovatively told tale. It takes a novel approach to each scene, especially the lack of awkwardness where it should be awkward and the profound meaning behind what is left unsaid.

Gloucester Stage Company continues Harold Pinter’s British drama, Betrayal live and in person at Gloucester Stage Company in Gloucester, Massachusetts through Sunday, Saturday, August 1. Click here for more information and for tickets.

REVIEW: Not only the coat dazzles in North Shore Music Theatre’s inspiring ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’

Posted on 20 Days Ago by The Sleepless Critic

The only thing more magnificent then Joseph’s dream coat is the tale behind it.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat has been entertaining audiences for close to 60 years with its exuberant story fueled by Academy Award-winning duo Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s uplifting and versatile music. An interactive, endearing, and humorous production, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat offers a wide spectrum of music genres for any taste and all ages including calypso and rock and roll which accompanies this unique retelling of a sacred tale of treachery and unceasing hope.

Meticulously directed and dynamically choreographed by Gerry McIntyre with lively music direction by Robert L. Rucinski, Bill Hanney’s North Shore Music Theatre continues family-friendly musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat live and in person at North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly, Massachusetts through Sunday, July 19. This semi-interactive production is not limited to the stage and is exceptionally navigated within its theatre in the round staging. It runs 2 hours and 10 minutes with one intermission. Click here for more information and for tickets.

Olivia Valli (Narrator) and Youth Choir in “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” at North Shore Music Theatre July 8 – July 19, 2026. Photo © Paul Lyden

Based on the Book of Genesis and set in the land of Canaan and Egypt, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat unconventionally explores the incredible journey of Joseph and his brothers as Joseph faces strife from the most unexpected places as he discovers his destiny. It is immensely a collaborative ensemble piece featuring an enthusiastic cast led by Olivia Valli as Narrator who not only shares Joseph’s tale with the audience, but the surrounding energetic youth choir gathered onstage.

Eric Jordan Young (Jacob) and the cast of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” at North Shore Music Theatre July 8 – July 19, 2026. Photo © Paul Lyden

Bursting with vibrantly designed costumes mixing the traditional with the contemporary, costumer Rebecca Glick not only rises to the occasion, but makes a distinct, daring, and memorable impression in each ensemble and most notably in Joseph’s striking coat. From glimmering headdresses to traditional Jewish and Egyptian garb to shimmering and brightly colored designs that recall another defining era, the costumes are consistently remarkable. Set designer Baron E. Pugh leans on Egyptian influence featuring the Egyptian Eye of Horus while José Santiago’s lighting design enhances the show’s kaleidoscopic vision in multi-colored lights and innovative sets which takes full advantage of the theatre in the round staging.

Olivia Valli (Narrator) and the cast of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” at North Shore Music Theatre July 8 – July 19, 2026. Photo © Paul Lyden

With rich vocals and an unassuming demeanor, Nikita Burshteynr warmly portrays humble, naive and forthright Joseph. Burshteynr’s soothing, heartrending and sympathetic vocals master signature numbers such as Any Dream Will Do and Close Every Door.

Nikita Burshteyn as Joseph in “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” at North Shore Music Theatre July 8 – July 19, 2026. Photo © Paul Lyden

Joseph may have a dazzling coat, but the narrator holds her own decked out in Rebecca Glick’s enviable wardrobe. Clever, cheerful and a charismatic silvery soprano, Valli is a compelling Narrator not separate from the plot and it is delightful to watch her relaxed charm provide amusing asides, offer advice and occasionally act as the production’s conscience while sweetly interacting with the beaming Youth Choir.

Carefully arranged as a coordinated rainbow in pinks, greens, purples, blues, yellows and reds, the Youth Choir’s angelic and lively voices bring exuberance while accompanying Joseph and the narrator to a heartwarming Any Dream Will Do and endearing harmony to a memorable candlelit rendition of Close Every Door.

Brent Thiessen (Pharaoh) and the cast of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” at North Shore Music Theatre July 8 – July 19, 2026. Photo © Paul Lyden

Charming and funny whether rejoicing or scheming, the united choreography between Joseph’s eleven brothers reflects their tight knit bond especially during a country themed tune with the wives, One More Angel in Heaven featuring Brady Miller who possesses great comic timing chewing the scenery as Reuben. Another lively number that highlights the brothers’ united front is Benjamin Calypso, a catchy rendition delivered energetically by Rendell DeBose as Judah who at one point takes part in a conga line.

The cast of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” at North Shore Music Theatre July 8 – July 19, 2026. Photo © Paul Lyden

Rock n roll royalty takes a comedic turn in the show’s rollicking number, Song of the King, featuring Brent Thiessen as Pharaoh. Theissen convincingly captures the essence of a certain king not to be revealed here. Naomi Kakuk dazzles with sleek athleticism as Mrs. Potiphar in a racing rendition of Potiphar.

Naomi Kakuk (Mrs. Potiphar) with Eric Jordan Young (Potiphar), and the cast of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” at North Shore Music Theatre July 8 – July 19, 2026. Photo © Paul Lyden

Unveiling a world in rich and glorious color, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat may be a tale of long ago, but stirs in contemporary touches such as disco balls, sunglasses and soft serve ice cream in amusing and unlikely places to appeal to a younger audience as well as an era-inspired tribute to the original Joseph. It contains valuable life lessons on faith, jealousy, suffering, betrayal, and resilience for dreamers that can be solemn at times, but with far more uplifting and whimsical moments, it’s difficult to feel down for long.

North Shore Music Theatre continues family-friendly musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat live and in person at North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly, Massachusetts through Sunday, July 19. Click here for more information and for tickets.

REVIEW: Stakes are high in Dan Hunter’s intense and enigmatic ‘Black Cat’

Posted on 24 Days Ago by The Sleepless Critic

A woman paralyzed by fear. What is haunting her?

Dan Hunter creates an intriguing mystery about family, memory, sickness, secrets and science within a trio of skilled neuroscientists in ‘Black Cat.’ It keeps you guessing who is telling the truth until the very end.

Directed insightfully by Steven Bogart and produced by Hathalee Higgs, Hunter Higgs LLC presented Dan Hunter’s mystery drama ‘Black Cat’ as an Incubator and Visiting production live and in person at Boston Playwrights’ Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts through Sunday, June 28. The production ran approximately 90 minutes with no intermission. Click here for more information.

Boston University’s Boston Playwrights’ Theatre provided a perfect setting for this production which took place inside a university neuroscience laboratory in the near future of November 2026. Cristina Todesco’s detailed and commercial dual level set design featured realistic lab workspaces with a white board strewn with calculations, brimming file cabinets, a wooden staircase connecting each floor and an impressive kitchenette off the second floor. Zachary Connell’s mercurial and multipurpose lighting with Aubrey Dube’s screeching and foreboding piano-infused sound design augments the fluctuating intensity of each scene.

The set of Dan Hunter’s ‘Black Cat’ at Boston Playwrights’ Theatre. Photo by Ailsa Smith

Christopher James Webb as Dr. Gideon Wells states, “In science, you need vision, money and time.” When University research grants and funds for Parkinson’s disease are running out, time is of the essence to find a way to move forward, especially after Wells claims to have made a startling discovery. Black Cat featured a trio of skilled scientists seemingly striving for the well being of the lab and the university. Yet, other motivations soon come to light. As each character confronts one another, a number of pieces fall into place.

Liz Eng and Christopher James Webb in Dan Hunter’s ‘Black Cat’ at Boston Playwrights’ Theatre. Photo by Ailsa Smith

Adrienne Krstansky delivers a layered performance as anxious and witty Dr. Clare Eccles who has just learned she has won the Hall of Fame for her research. She is the head of the department and yet has been guarded, moody and holes herself in her office. Krstansky has previously demonstrated her ample skills in a memorable performance of Gloucester Stage Company’s The Glass Menagerie and it is wonderful to see her again. Krstanky strikes a convincing poker face as she attempts to keeps her fears and escalating state at bay.

The cast of Dan Hunter’s ‘Black Cat’ at Boston Playwrights’ Theatre. Photo by Ailsa Smith

Christopher James Webb roars as complicated neuroscientist Dr. Gideon Wells. Webb steers this meaty character with finesse from avid listener to domineering, conceited, condescending and cagey. Both Wells and Eccles are wildly intelligent and share a long history. It is fascinating to see how they bicker, compete, reminisce and get under one another’s skin.

Christopher James Webb and Liz Eng in Dan Hunter’s ‘Black Cat’ at Boston Playwrights’ Theatre. Photo by Ailsa Smith

Thickening the plot is Liz Eng as clever, determined and ambitious post doctoral neuroscientist Chai Lin Anderson caught in the middle of Wells and Eccles which forces her to make her own difficult choices. Anderson’s encounters with Wells and Eccles range from nurturing to threatening and Eng levelheadedly handles herself with diplomacy. She carefully and cleverly hedges her bets between Wells and Eccles while navigating her own enigmatic motivations behind the scenes.

Liz Eng and Adrianne Krstanky in Dan Hunter’s ‘Black Cat’ at Boston Playwrights’ Theatre. Photo by Ailsa Smith

Boasting a mix of drama and dry humor, Black Cat deftly creates a number of suspicions and illusions as this trio in crisis endures the fears of what the future holds for them. Black Cat is also a snapshot into memory, the inaccessible causes of dementia and Parkinson’s disease which affect so many, and raises a number of questions in which some purposefully go unanswered. It is a production that will leave you still pondering these three compelling characters long after the show is over.

Directed insightfully by Steven Bogart and produced by Hathalee Higgs, Hunter Higgs LLC presented Dan Hunter’s mystery drama ‘Black Cat’ as part of the live and in person at Boston Playwrights’ Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts through Sunday, June 28. Click here for more information.

REVIEW: Trust and second chances in Psych Drama Company’s uninhibited ‘Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune’

Posted on 27 Days Ago by The Sleepless Critic

Frankie is more than guarded. She’s suspicious and she may have good reason for it.

Sensitively directed by Julia Murney, The Psych Drama Company presented Frankie and Johnny In the Clair de Lune live and in person at the Boston Center for the Arts in Boston, Massachusetts through Sunday, June 28. This uninhibited adult drama contained adult language and nudity and ran approximately two hours and 20 minutes with an intermission. Click here for more information.

Wendy Lippe and Cliffe Blake in ‘Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune’ Photo by Joe Heroun Photography

One of my favorite classical songs of all time is Debussy’s Clair de Lune. The way it builds until it strikes that heavenly crescendo and it has deservedly been featured in so many wonderful movies. Playwright Terrance McNally wrote Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune in 1987 before it was expanded and adapted into a feature romantic comedy film in 1991 starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Al Pacino. Directed by Garry Marshall, it expanded on the basis of the play to include additional characters and diner scenes. Though I have never seen the film, having seen Psych Drama Company’s Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, I can see why Marshall might see the need to expand the movie into additional scenes and characters.

Wendy Lippe and Cliff Blake in Psych Drama Company’s ‘Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune’ Photo by Joe Heroun Photography

Set in the 1980’s, the play takes place entirely in Frankie’s Hell’s Kitchen apartment. The production’s immersive set design brings the audience intimately close to the action inside Frankie’s lived in one room apartment with a kitchenette, what looks like a fold out couch, a functioning ice box and an antenna television. A broad range of pop culture references are dropped in the dialogue and spread around the room including a glimpse of Cabaret, Studio 54, a Beatles jacket and an open box of Scrabble. Enlivening the space is Adam Elliot Rush’s rich vocals as a radio announcer as a range of piano-infused classical music plays softly in the background back when DJs took live requests. Matthew Breton’s crucial lighting lends to the progression of the evening with romantic moonlight and a peering dawn.

Wendy Lippe and Cliff Blake in ‘Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune’ Photo by Joe Heroun Photography

This is the setting of a first date which becomes an all nighter between Wendy Lippe as waitress Frankie and Cliff Blake as line cook Johnny after dinner and a movie. It also addresses the question whether this night will be a one night stand or something more than just two people loving the same song.

However, this is no When Harry Met Sally. Much more of a drama than comedy, it is a vulnerable and raw piece of theatre and though Blake’s Johnny is open with his feelings and admits to having a crush on Frankie, they hardly know each other. Blake’s Johnny is poetically romantic and humorous yet impulsive while Frankie is tough, defensive, skeptical and still deciding if she ever wants to see Johnny again. Frankie observes thoughtfully while Johnny is a chatterbox. It’s a type of tug of war conversation in which both parties are adamant about how they envision the conclusion of this unorthodox first date to be as they fib, flirt, fight and discover some surprising and difficult revelations about one another that may bring them together or draw them apart.

Frankie and Johnny delight in Debussy’s Clair de Lune and it stands as one of the brighter moments of the production. Blake as Johnny is appreciative, charming and an interesting storyteller while Lippe demonstrates Frankie’s growing vulnerability with candor. Frankie and Johnny are confined to one space which seemed to force the characters to confront their fears, but did not seem to enhance the production’s occasionally stagnant pacing.

Cliff Blake and Wendy Lippe in Psych Drama Company’s ‘Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune’ Photo by Joe Heroun Photography

Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune is an unconventional love story about two wounded and world weary individuals longing for trust and understanding. Even in its cynicism, the production’s revelatory and quieter moments stand out in their shared hope for a brighter future.

The Psych Drama Company presented Frankie and Johnny In the Clair de Lune live and in person at the Boston Center for the Arts in Boston, Massachusetts through Sunday, June 28. Click here for more information.

REVIEW: Featuring a superb comedic pair, chaos ensues with boundless creativity in Arlekin’s exceptional ‘Delirium’

Posted on June 30 by The Sleepless Critic

“If it’s not the pandemic,” Chulpan Khamatova as Her sadly reflects, “It’s war.”

Set in contemporary war-torn Russia, two very different battles are occurring in and outside this small apartment.

A bubbling aquarium with a single roaming fish sits front and center and plays an important role in this extraordinary piece of brilliant comedy set in a world of chaos. From the first few moments with Andrey Burkovskiy as Him who makes even single handedly entering an apartment entertaining, I knew I was about to see something extraordinarily special.

Andrey Burkovskiy and Chulpan Khamatova (and a fish!) in Arlekin’s ‘Delirium’ Photo by Olga Maturana

Masterfully adapted from Romanian-French playwright Eugène Ionesco‘s Frenzy for Two and directed by Igor Golak, the Elliot Norton award-winning Arlekin Players continue their world premiere of absurdist play, Delirium live and in person for a limited time at the Calderwood Pavilion in Boston, Massachusetts through Thursday, July 2. This semi-interactive one act production runs approximately 80 minutes with no intermission. The action is not limited to the stage. Click here for more information and for tickets.

Burkovskiy demonstrated his vast talents for visual comedy and slapstick humor in small doses in Arlekin’s previous award-winning The Dybbuk, but here Burkovskiy really gets to show off his deadpan comedic skills alongside critically-acclaimed Russian actress Chulpan Khamatova as Her.

Andrey Burkovskiy and Chulpan Khamatova in Arlekin’s ‘Delirium Photo by Olga Maturana

From a polka dot dance floor to streaming spotlights to flashes of sudden darkness, lighting designer Jeff Adelberg and inventive sound designer Denis Zabiyaka work together seamlessly navigating sound effects and the spontaneous underlying intensity of this production. Jan Pappelbaum’s dual level industrial set with metallic columns and scaffolding hold a variety of meticulously placed multi-purpose props including mattresses, a parasol and a scratched mirror to help illustrate their longtime relationship which is not without its ebbs and flows inside this small apartment. In purple tights, sparkling black heels, a leopard patterned fur coat and a sequin dress, Khamatova rocks her distinct ensemble thanks to chic costumer Sasha Ageeva. Burkovskiy complements Khamatova beautifully in a black tuxedo adorned with large purple flower in the lapel.

Delivering energetic performances with sporadic doses of self aware humor and razor sharp comedic timing, Burkovskiy and Khamatova are a suburb comedic match. Khamatova is capricious, thoughtful, flirtatious and fiery while Burkovskiy is a romantic yet practical gentleman. They bicker, belittle, and lament yet their petty arguments are wildly eccentric and creative showcasing an absurdly passionate and wild bond. Never on the same page until it counts. They are also witty, playful, chaotic, imaginative, endearing funny and feed off each other so well that it is easy to forget they are in the throes of war just outside their makeshift window. I could watch them all day.

“The world is upside down,” Khamatova muses and much like this quick witted production, things change on a dime.

Delirium is as unpredictable and funny as it is stirring and startling. I was incredibly moved by the boundless creativity, the complicated emotions, and the timely significance of this entire production. It’s definitely worth it.

Take time to see the world premiere of Arlekin’s absurdist play, Delirium live and in person for a limited time at the Calderwood Pavilion in Boston, Massachusetts through Thursday, July 2. Click here for more information and for tickets.

REVIEW: A profound portrait of discovery and overcoming in Arts Emerson and Front Porch Arts Collective’s ‘In Old Age’

Posted on June 27 by The Sleepless Critic

“I’m living big inside the right now.” Abasiama enthusiastically exclaims.

Abasiama has come a long way in the seven plays so far in the UFOT Family Cycle and we have now arrived at the penultimate production, In Old Age. As with each of the previous productions, it is never without its surprises.

Profoundly directed by Dawn M. Simmons, Arts Emerson continues Front Porch Arts Collective’s world premiere of Mfoniso Udofia‘s In Old Age, the eighth production in the Ufot’s nine-play family cycle which explores three Ufot Nigerian-American family generations, live and in person at Emerson Paramount Center in Boston, Massachusetts through Sunday, June 28. This groundbreaking two hander bilingual and family friendly production in English and Ibibio runs 1 hour and 45 minutes with no intermission. Having seen Ufot’s second production The Grove, the fourth production of Her Portmanteau, and the fifth production of Kufre and Quay, it was wonderful to see the progression in the Ufot Family, but you can witness and enjoy one without having seen the others. Click here for more information and for tickets.

Abasiama (Ebony Marshall-Oliver) in the Front Porch Arts Collective’s production of IN OLD AGE. PHOTO by Nile Scott Studio

Ever wise and humorous, Ebony Marshall-Oliver is lovely as Abasiama Bassey who has now found herself a widow. Her husband passes away prior to the events of In Old Age and proclaims, “She has no man and she needs no man.” However, Abasiama is flabbergasted to learn that her daughter hires Marvin Bell as Azell Abernathy to renovate the family home as a surprise. Toyoima encourages Abasiama to let Azell know how he can help, but that proves to be more complicated than it seems.

Marvin Bell as Azell Abernathy in the Front Porch Arts Collective production of IN OLD AGE. PHOTO Nile Scott Studios

Infused with a UFot personal touch, scenic designer Jeffrey Peterson emphasizes roots and foundation in Abasiama’s longtime family home in Worcester, Massachusetts. Boasting an impressive towering wood frame and brick backdrop, this house is set on foundational brick blocks featuring remnants of past productions including a gold grandfather clock and an old wood burning stove. Costumer Chloe Moore creates a variety of ensembles for Marshall-Oliver and Bell that reflect each of their distinct personalities and how radiantly their style changes as the production progresses. Sound designer Arshan Gailus with lighting designer Eduardo Ramirez reflect a fluctuating peacefulness and sudden intensity through a variety of spontaneous instances over the course of a few days.

Marshall-Oliver as Abasiama Bassey and Bell as Azell Abernathy are quite a captivating pair to watch through their heated and humorous exchanges and candor and the way they observe each other. In a plaid flannel shirt and work boots, Bell is a natural as seemingly charming, practical and enthusiastic chatterbox Azell while Marshall-Oliver is deeply relatable and endearing as a reserved and anxious widow who is coming into her own while attempting to overcome her insecurities and put aside her urge to remain set in her ways. “What is outside should never enter inside” and “It is like everything has its own kind of beauty” is just a couple of the pearls of generational wisdom and observances reflected by Abasiama.

Ebony Marshall-Oliver as Abasiama in the Front Porch Arts Collective production of IN OLD AGE.

Like in other UFot productions, In Old Age contains surprising and welcome elements of the spiritual and supernatural ingrained into this insightful and moving tale. Though both characters have both lived through remarkable stories, In Old Age shows there is still so much more to tell.

Ebony Marshall-Oliver as Abasiama in the Front Porch Arts Collective production of IN OLD AGE. PHOTO Nile Scott Studios

REVIEW: A ferocious song of desire in American Repertory Theater’s musical, ‘Black Swan’

Posted on June 27 by The Sleepless Critic

“Attack it! Attack it!”

In Darren Aronofsky’s 2010 psychological thriller horror film Black Swan, Nina’s ballet instructor urges Nina to show him a side to her that she has never known. It’s the side that lets go.

American Repertory Theater’s musical Black Swan may be a bit different than the movie in some respects, but the message remains the same.

With Sonya Tayeh’s taut direction and dynamite choreography and Or Matias’s foreboding music direction, American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) continues the world premiere of psychological thriller horror musical, Black Swan live and in person at Loeb Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts through Sunday, July 12. The action is not limited to the stage and this mature production within a production runs approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes with one intermission. Click here for more information and for tickets.

Melanie Moore and members of the company of A.R.T.’s world-premiere production of Black Swan.
Credit: Hawver and Hall.

The arts can be brutal, competitive and fickle. Especially with the art of ballet, it requires a unique kind of discipline, sacrifice and determination under the constant pressure of perfection.

Black Swan started out as a 2010 Academy award-winning psychological thriller horror film featuring a stellar cast that included Natalie Portman as Nina, Mila Kunis as Lily, Winona Ryder as Beth and the incomparable Barbara Hershey as Nina’s mother Barbara. It’s a mesmerizing yet unsettling film loaded with literal and figurative twists and turns through the eyes of sweet dancer Nina whose reality sporadically becomes skewed as the film progresses.

In the process of making the film, Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis endured rigorous training and followed a strict diet. Kunis had never danced in her life. Both trained for four months on an intense schedule seven days a week and five hours a day which also included Portman swimming a mile every day. Portman lost 20 pounds from her already tiny frame and Kunis tore a ligament, dislocated her shoulder and has visible scarring from training. Kunis also vowed she will never dance again and it was the hardest thing she had ever done.

Based on Jen Silverman‘s book of this musical, a story by Andres Heinz and the Academy Award-winning psychological thriller horror film, this world premiere musical boasts some lighter and more humorous moments while its intensity is laid out from the first scene featuring ambitious characters consistently competing with each other. They are driven by the arduous drive to survive, succeed, and gain power. It is no wonder that the lyrics and dialogue in this new musical are rife with powerfully visceral action words such as tear, scratch, scrape, twist, elongate, crack and attack as the dancers rehearse on a grueling three week deadline for a new production. It makes the audience feel this painstaking process.

Amber Iman and members of the company of A.R.T.’s world-premiere production of Black Swan.
Credit: Hawver and Hall.

For those who have not seen the brilliant yet disquieting film, the film and musical are not a musical for the faint of heart. They explore the dark crevices of mental illness and obsession while emphasizing the struggle and ferocious determination it takes to become the best.

However, the Black Swan musical does not just speak to the art of ballet, but the savage journey one takes to become the best at their craft which often involves relentless focus, determination and sacrifice.

AMP featuring Marissa Todd’s vast and layered Scenography accompanied by Chris Fisher and Skylar Fox’s masterful illusion design exacts a ballet studio with moving Barres, a regal gala featuring a tremendous and glimmering chandelier, a wild psychedelic club scene with a dizzying disco ball, and a transformative and ominous forest. I was fascinated to see how various illusions from the film would translate into a stage production and the results are riveting combined with Lillis Meeh’s stunning blood imagery and Ida Saki’s powerful and athletic performance.

Isabella Byrd’s crackling and flashing lighting devastates and intrigues in this moody tale alongside Kai Harada’s haunting and foreboding fiddle laden rhythms. Shiona Turini’s colorful and dynamic wardrobe varies from silk and sequined gowns to creatively daring statement ensembles.

Melanie Moore in A.R.T.’s world-premiere production of Black Swan.
Credit: Hawver and Hall.

In a pastel leotard, Melanie Moore climbs into the skin of anxious and gentle Nina, a New York City ballet dancer aspiring to become the company’s principal dancer. A perfectionist wrapped in a cluster of timid uncertainty, Nina is childlike, delicate, naïve, impressionable and sheltered under the guidance of her protective mother Barbara, in an increasingly searing performance by understudy Mehry Eslaminia (usually depicted by Kate Jennings Grant). Barbara is fixated on Nina becoming the star ballerina she was prevented from becoming and Nina longs to please her mother. Moore is excellent as Nina, a beautiful dancer and her sympathetic naiveté draws you into her world of uncertainty and longing.

When a bold new choreographer LeRoy, portrayed with easy charm, charisma and sharp comic timing by Amber Iman, arrives to stage a new version of Swan Lake, Nina thinks this might be her chance to shine. When Jada Simone Clark breezes in as mysterious and effervescent free spirit dancer Lily, she catches Nina and LeRoy’s attention. LeRoy is driven by something to prove and Iman and Thom Sesma as company director Jacques share a tense and interesting power dynamic underneath their lighter and more humorous moments.

Tory Trowbridge delivers a chilling performance as worn principal dancer on edge, Beth McIntyre. Consistently aware of her position, McIntyre is sympathetic in her desperation to hold onto her place in the company and her distressed exchanges with Moore will leave you on tenterhooks.

Ava Noble, Martell Ruffin, Adrian Lee, Anthony Santos, and Caleb Marshall lift
Melanie Moore in A.R.T.’s world-premiere production of Black Swan.
Credit: Hawver and Hall.

While the film draws a clearer picture of Nina’s journey, Black Swan musical is intense, haunting, visceral and intriguing deciphering Nina’s precarious state of mind and how it is executed onstage. The conclusion remains stunning. I agree with the moderate differences in the musical than the film for the most part. However, much of the film hinges on the traditional ballet production than a modern new vision which seems like it doesn’t quite fit. In the film, Aronofsky takes the dark nature of this renowned classic and turns it on its ear while enhancing this dancer’s journey running intermittent parallels with Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. Aronofky also produces this musical so I am surprised by this change. Though this musical is no romance, it is no less a transformational piece rooted in the desire to become who you believe you are meant to become at whatever the cost.

American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) continues the world premiere of psychological thriller horror musical, Black Swan live and in person at Loeb Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts through Sunday, July 12. Click here for more information and for tickets.