This is not lost on James who is earnestly willing to bend over backwards to make Miss Sophie happy on her birthday. Dinner for One is not sentimental or sappy, but demonstrates a lovely bond between valet James and elegant aristocrat Miss Sophie in her twilight years.
Paul Melendy and Debra Wise in Greater Boston Stage Company’s ‘Dinner for One’ Photo by Nile Scott Studios
Directed endearingly by Weylin Symes, Greater Boston Stage Company continues Dinner for One live and in person at the newly-renovated Greater Boston Stage Company in Stoneham, Massachusetts through Sunday, November 17. This remarkable and semi-interactive production runs 70 minutes with no intermission. Each production is slightly different due to the audience’s initial participation. Click here for more information and for tickets.
Greater Boston Stage Company recently unveiled a classic theatrical makeover which includes stylish new light fixtures, carpeting and seats. The classic vintage quality and celebratory nature of Dinner for One seems a perfect match for the theatre’s new look to open Greater Boston Stage Company’s 25th season.
Paul Melendy and Debra Wise in Greater Boston Stage Company’s ‘Dinner for One’ Photo by Nile Scott Studios
Red velvet streamers draped alongside crystal chandeliers is just part of Katy Monthei’s festive set design which includes matching detailed wooden furniture, a grand staircase, fireplace, nostalgic photographs and a lively phonograph in anticipation of Miss Sophie’s annual birthday dinner gathering. With Jeff Adelberg’s atmospheric and symbolic lighting and David Remedios’s piano-infused soundtrack, Dinner for One depicts the elusive passage of time through a clock without hands hanging overhead.
In tux and tails by costumer Deidre Gerrard, Paul Melendy as dapper James demonstrates his sharp comic wit through his cordial and self aware engagement with the audience considering them honored dinner guests, his meticulously detailed manner in planning Miss Sophie’s festivities, and in what ensues when best laid plans sometimes go awry. This production has some surprises and a great deal of physical humor in which Melendy handles with aplomb moving skillfully around the house. From a mumbling Jerry Lewis-style imitation to an amorous suitor to a boisterous Sir Toby, Melendy as James exacts accents and distinct mannerisms seamlessly to Miss Sophie’s delight.
Paul Melendy and Debra Wise in Greater Boston Stage Company’s ‘Dinner for One’ Photo by Nile Scott Studios
In a sophisticated lace floral and taffeta gown, Debra Wise as proper Miss Sophie is as game and dazzled with every charming and rollicking gesture delivered by Melendy, but with a sneaking and relatable awareness of life’s fragility. With head high and chin cocked, Wise’s Miss Sophie is used to a certain way of doing things, but is at her best when she lets her guard down.
Paul Melendy and Debra Wise in Greater Boston Stage Company’s ‘Dinner for One’ Photo by Nile Scott Studios
As funny as this production becomes, the quiet fondness between Debra Wise as Miss Sophie and Paul Melendy as James is the real enchantment of this production. More than dedication, there is a genuine admiration between them. In its simplicity and big heart, Dinner for One is a unique experience with as much humor and beauty demonstrated in what is said as what is left unsaid.
Paul Melendy and Debra Wise in Greater Boston Stage Company’s ‘Dinner for One’ Photo by Nile Scott Studios
Greater Boston Stage Company continues Dinner for One live and in person at Greater Boston Stage Company in Stoneham, Massachusetts through Sunday, November 17. This remarkable and semi-interactive production runs 70 minutes with no intermission. Each production is slightly different due to the audience’s initial participation. Click here for more information and for tickets.
With a wealth of urgency and powerful expression, Boston Ballet’s wonderful Fall Experience features a world premiere and an array of innovative pieces that depict the isolation and bleakness of the season as well as the excitement of what is in store.
With incredible choreography by Crystal Pite and music by Max Richter, The Seasons’ Canon finale is one of the most amazing pieces that I have ever witnessed from the Boston Ballet. The Fall Experience is not to be missed.
Boston Ballet’s Fall Experience continues at Citizens Bank Opera House in Boston, Massachusetts through Sunday, November 3. The production is one hour and 50 minutes with one intermission. Click here for more information and for tickets.
Boston Ballet’s ‘Fall Experience’ ‘After’
Featuring Christine Vitale on violin and Sienna Tabron on piano, the world premiere of Lia Sirio’sAfter is steeped in shadows and the only light shown is illuminating from a white cavern. John Farrell’s minimalist set design with Brandon Stirling Baker’s mood induced lighting highlights the stirring exuberance of the dancers. In flowing and translucent clothing, After features an array of enthralling pas de deux and a wealth of tender moments between the dancers. Fueled by piano and fiddle-infused urgent rhythms, After is evocative and expressive as the lighting morphs into a beautiful teal background with subtle bursts of color. This multi-dimensional piece depicts isolation and ingrates sharp staccato dance movements blending modern and traditional dance.
Yue Shi in Sabrina Matthews’ Ein von Viel; photo by Christopher Duggan; courtesy of Boston Ballet
In suit and tails, pianist Alex Foaksman joins duo Jeffrey Cirio and Gearóid Solan onstage for Ein von Viel. Cirio and Solan demonstrate their athleticism and pliable skills in this powerful piece filled with swift, pronounced and intricate movements. Foaksman performing onstage as Cirio and Solan synchronize, playfully compete and complement each other to splendid selections by Bach.
Yue Shi in Sabrina Matthews’ Ein von Viel; photo by Christopher Duggan; courtesy of Boston Ballet
Boston Ballet in Jorma Elo’s Plan to B, photo by Gene Schaivone, courtesy of Boston Ballet
Under a gleaming and morphing light by Jay Gower Taylor and Tom Visser, the Boston Ballet unveils a vision like none other with The Seasons’ Canon. Crystal Pite’s intricate and meticulously detailed chorography to Max Richter’s version of Vivaldi’s mesmerizing The Four Seasons makes The Seasons’ Canon a superlative experience. An incredible vision in every sense of the word, The Seasons’ Canon is innovative and unique as dancers pulse, sway, and tumble with such fluidity and precision that it must be seen. Moving like one organism with grace and intensity, the sheer exactitude and congruent nature of these movements cannot be overstated. It is an exciting and commanding piece with bursts of energy as the landscape transforms into shades of silver, orange, and gold, exquisite in each season. It is a haunting and brilliant performance sure to stay with you long after the piece has ended.
Boston Ballet’s The Fall Experience continues at Citizens Bank Opera House in Boston, Massachusetts through Sunday, November 3. The production is one hour and 50 minutes with one intermission. Click here for more information and for tickets.
It is much more interesting to feel part of the dinner party.
Surrounded by a glowing fireplace and mantel, a grandfather clock, a vintage piano, stained glass doors and a Victrola inside a cozy living room, Sullivan Rep truly sets the stage for an immersive experience. As house guests, audience members are strategically placed without a bad seat in the house to become an intimate observer in this enclosed space.
In light of the 125th anniversary of Noel Coward’s plays directed by Dan Sullivan, Sullivan Rep performed Noel Coward’s haunting comedy Blithe Spirit live and in person from October 16 through October 26 live and in person at the Women’s Club of Newton Highlands in Newton, Massachusetts. The three act production was 2 hours and 40 minutes with an 20 minute intermission. Click here for more information and for more on Sullivan Rep’s future events.
of Sullivan Rep’s ‘Blithe Spirit’ Photo credit to Sullivan Rep
Though Blithe Spirit is partially an otherworldly experience, it is also a comedy on marriage and much more. Set in the early 1940’s, Robert Orzalli as novelist Charles and Melissa Paz as Ruth are a well to do married couple who decide to hold a dinner party with guests Brian Higgins as dubious Dr. Bradman and Carly Evans as distinctively merry Mrs. Bradman and a séance featuring Catherine Lee Christie as medium Madame Acarti. The two couples are skeptical and consider it entertainment until something goes eerily awry.
Brian Higgins, Melissa Paz, Catherine Lee, Robert Orzalli and Carly Evans in Sullivan Rep’s ‘Blithe Spirit’ Photo credit to Sullivan Rep
Blithe Spirit is helmed by a supremely capable cast. With an eccentric and enthusiastic delivery selectively rolling her R’s in a singsong lilt, Catherine Lee is a captivating scene stealer as Madame Acarti. In bright purple stockings and distinct boots, Lee humorously and masterfully encapsulates Madame Acarti infusing her subtle and unique idiosyncrasies into her daily mannerisms. A particularly fascinating highlight is Lee’s kicks and peculiar dances as she attempts to tap into the spirit world.
Catherine Lee as Madame Acardi in Sullivan Rep’s ‘Blithe Spirit’ Photo credit to Sullivan Rep
Robert Orzalli as sophisticated intellectual Charles shares an elusive tension with his new wife Ruth portrayed by Melissa Paz. They seem a happy couple and supremely cordial at first, but the mood becomes strained when Ruth asks Charles about his late wife. Logical, matter of fact and persistent, Paz also depicts Ruth with an underlying anxiety in her demure mannerisms as Charles evaluates his late wife mostly on her flaws.
Robert Orzalli in Sullivan Rep’s ‘Blithe Spirit’ Photo credit to Sullivan Rep
In silver from head to toe in Bridget Sullivan’s amazing hair and makeup design, Janis Hudson portrays youthful, spontaneous, and confident Elvira, Charles’s late first wife. Noel Coward’s dialogue can be complicated to pull off because it often contains overlapping and parallel conversations. To see these separate relationships and snappy conversations so distinctly articulated with sharp comedic timing especially between Orzalli, Paz, and Hudson is quite a feat. Ozalli’s Charles is refined, a bit narcissistic and is quite enjoying the attention while comically navigating these conversations. Blithe Spirit is about domestic bliss and dysfunction simultaneously and it is both fascinating and amusing to see how this trio pushes each other’s buttons and sparks fly in such an intimate setting.
Silk gowns and gloves, tuxedos, pearls, and diamonds are just a part of the Dan Sullivan’s primarily elegant costume design. Paul Roach’s sound design features popular music of the time and a key component in some of the production’s clever special effects with Eric Fox’s mood infused lighting.
Melissa Paz and Robert Orzalli in Sullivan Rep’s ‘Blithe Spirit’ Photo credit to Sullivan Rep
Blithe Spirit is a bit lengthy, but the suspense certainly builds in a darkly comical way and contains a few powerful twists and lasting observations about love and marriage before it brings this production to its wild conclusion.
Sullivan Rep performed Noel Coward’s haunting comedy Blithe Spirit live and in person from October 16 through October 26 live and in person at the Women’s Club of Newton Highlands in Newton, Massachusetts. Click here for more information and for more on Sullivan Rep’s future events.
For Cameron Hinkle as ambitious entrepreneur Homer Humdinger and many characters in Mudville, baseball is king and some are willing to do almost anything for it. Exploring integrity, celebrity, ambition, the true nature of friendship and the spirit of the game, a lot is at stake in Imaginary Beasts’ production of Casey at the Bat: An All American Panto.
Directed wistfully by Matthew Woods, Imaginary Beasts presented Evan Turissini, Kiki Samko and Matthew Woods’sCasey at the Bat: An All-American Panto from October 18through October 26 live and in person at Topsfield Town Hall in Topsfield, Massachusetts. The show was approximately two hours with one intermission. Click here for more information.
Hot popcorn and baseball-themed concessions were sold prior to the show and intermission as a lively audience arrived for an interactive Panto. A panto is a form of wintertime family entertainment in the UK that weaves in puns, wordplay, jokes, and more. Boasting a friendly drawl and wicker hat, Molly Kimmerling warmly portrayed guardian angel, wise narrator and townie Pop Fly who shared the wild tale of Casey at the Bat partially based on the classic poem by Ernest Lawrence Thayer. It delved into a mysterious deal with the devil in order to bring baseball to a town like Mudville. However, things quickly get complicated as events unfold.
Julia Hertsberg, Hampton Richards, Cameron Hinkle, Laura Ditwiler, and Tommy Vines in ‘Casey at the Bat’ Photo credit to Imaginary Beasts
The continual audience engagement fueled this exaggerated tale that meandered and veered off course on occasion while humorously weaving in fitting contemporary pop and winking adult references. Billie Eilish, Ebay, Marilyn Monroe, Mae West and various musical and baseball film references are just a few examples.
With so many productions that rely on the zip and zing of digital effects, CGI, and AI, it is exciting to again see director Matthew Woods solely rely on homespun creativity and audience interaction to bring to life this patriotic and unpredictable spin on a classic poem.
Imaginary Beasts has been excelling at creating vivid costumes and mesmerizing settings as if walking into a storybook. Mudville is a cheerful and optimistic world and the imaginative and layered set folded out in a wonderful way standing as a portrait of vintage baseball nostalgia which included inflatable bats, fields, a locker room and as baseball is America’s pastime, American flags and patriotic ribbons wrapped around the set.
Kiki Samko and Matthew Woods in ‘Casey at the Bat’ Photo credit to Imaginary Beasts
Casey at the Bat poem was published in 1888 and the uniforms reflect that colorful retro quality which included the old time milkmen and barbershop as part of this vintage landscape. Cotton-Talbot-Minkin’s captivating costumes reflect baseball nostalgia with a dash of steam punk. As the look is inspired by silent films, distinctive patterns combined with bow ties, top hats, sporty converse sneakers, bodices, velvet, vintage baseball uniforms, pearls, and boots. This panto also delivered a dynamic assortment of tunes including calliope music, characters breaking out into baseball themed song, a pop tune a tap dance or Camille Chartier as eternally Shakespearean and mischievous accordion playing Sox the Cat.
With swagger and a winning smile, Evan Turissini charismatically portrayed the Mighty Casey with a dose of gruff and ego seemingly striding through life.
In a velvet red coat and top hat and scowling eyes, mustachioed Matthew Woods schemed and plotted as Silverado Quick who will stop at nothing to win over a soul, even if it means tricking everyone in his path. However, the person assigned for the actual dirty work was the multi-tasking Miss Slump portrayed with versatile comic timing by Kiki Samko. Slump did what she must and she was great.
Cameron Hinkle, Tommy Vines, Laura Detwiler and Camille Chartier in ‘Casey at the Bat’ Photo credit to Imaginary Beasts
Fresh faced Tommy Vines was earnest as idealistic and wide eyed Dewey who dreams of becoming a star baseball player. Vines’s enthusiasm shone through the production boosted by some endearing scenes with Julia Hertsberg as shrewd yet sweet Katie, baseball’s biggest fan especially in a rendition of Frank Sinatra’sHigh Hopes.
Casey at the Bat is a love letter to the sport in many ways. Although it had its corny moments, these animated characters delivered a quirky tale with high jinks, scheming and sleuthing through memorable and poetic dialogue including vintage expressions such as ‘flimflam’ and ‘hop to’ to deliver a meaningful message about inspiration, friendship, and doing what is right.
Evan Turissini, Tommy Vines, Molly Kimmerling, Julia Hertzberg, Cameron Hinkle and Colin McIntire in ‘Casey at the Bat’ Photo courtesy of Imaginary Beasts
Directed wistfully by Matthew Woods, Imaginary Beasts presented Evan Turissini, Kiki Samko and Matthew Woods’s Casey at the Bat: An All-American Panto from October 18 through October 26 live and in person at Topsfield Town Hall in Topsfield, Massachusetts. Click here for more information and upcoming events by Imaginary Beasts.
With compelling direction by Ashley Kelly Tata, adapted for the stage by Lee Hall and based on Paddy Chayefsky’s Academy Award-winning screenplay, The Umbrella Stage Company presents dark satirical drama Network live and in person at Umbrella Arts Center in Concord, Massachusetts through Sunday, November 3. This well-timed production is 90 minutes with no intermission and contains explicit language and adult themes. Click here for more information and for tickets.
Set in September of 1975, UBS is a struggling television station drowning in the ratings. Tensions are sky high as executives scramble to save it. As a result, world weary veteran newsman and widower Howard Beale, a metamorphic portrayal by Bill Mootos, has been forced to retire after 25 years dedicating his whole life to his work. In an act of desperation, Beale makes a shocking decision that impacts everyone around him.
Bill Mootos stars as Howard Beale in ‘Network’ Photo by Jim Sabitus
Steeped in nostalgic glory, Network seamlessly rewinds the clock to a time where television was the world’s primary source for news, information, and entertainment. From three piece suits to wrap dresses to Barrymore collars, costume designer Nancy Leary captures the essence of the 70s while Afsoon Pajoufar’s duel level retro studio set features vintage studio equipment, a line of wall clocks keeping track of various time zones all over the world and a multitasking wooden desk.
The cast of ‘Network’ Photo by Jim Sabitus
The towering UBS logo printed across SeifAllah Salotto-Cristobal’s projection screen can be distracting at times, but symbolically portrays the media’s monstrous influence on the world over anything else. Not only does it provide a window into nostalgic television but an intimate account into the characters’ reactions as if the camera is always rolling. Featuring flashes of famous 70s commercials to searing headlines to classic TV shows like Laverne and Shirley, Salotto-Cristobal’s montages are overwhelming, rapid and impactful. Even the television test signal can be unsettling. Aubrey Dube’s audio design bring to life some particularly intense moments as well as satirical humor demonstrated in David Bowie’s meticulously placed Fame during a pivotal scene in the production.
Blythe de Oliveira Foster as Diane and Bill Mootos as Howard Beale in ‘Network’ Photo by Jim Sabitus
Having worked through the Golden Age of Television, Howard Beale has seen the trends change into a darker tomorrow. Mootos craftily transforms as alcoholic newsman turned influencer Howard Beale. From a professional newsman straightening his tie, Mootos captures the derailment methodically from weary to anguish and everything in between struggling to learn what is really important.
Workaholic Diane, ferociously portrayed by Blythe de Oliveira Foster, is a laser focused executive voracious for success and ratings that she flagrantly talks of immorality like she is ordering a drink at a bar. Justifying unimaginable things hungry to accomplish her goals, Foster as Diane brings gall, gumption and a dark humor to her greediness that make her fascinating in her audacity. Foster delivers some thought provoking scenes with Barlow Adamson who is impressive as tough yet rational Max and one of the few sympathetic voices of reason in this production. Will McGarrahan also makes a lasting impression as menacing Arthur Jensen.
Jennifer Bubriski as Sheila and Blythe de Oliveira Foster as Diane in ‘Network’ Photo by Jim
Network is a cleverly executed and gripping production that becomes so immersive that it may encourage you to contemplate whether anything has changed today or worsened especially in this digital age. Network’s lighting is almost glaringly bright during show time and shadows take over behind the scenes depicting a darker reality. Tata’s direction is invasive and revealingly up close and personal to expose the nature of many of the production’s themes including corporate greed, corruption, sensationalism, consumerism, scandal, violence and fame. It is a barrage of ideas that are peeled away bit by bit and what is unveiled is both fascinating, alarming and not so unfamiliar before it reaches its shocking conclusion. When has it all gone too far?
Bill Mootos is “Mad as hell” and he’s “not going to take it anymore” as Howard Beale in a new stage adaptation of the 1976 classic film, ‘Network’ Photo by Jim Sabitus
The Umbrella Stage Company presents dark satirical drama Network live and in person at Umbrella Arts Center in Concord, Massachusetts through Sunday, November 3. This well-timed production is 90 minutes with no intermission and contains explicit language and adult themes. Click here for more information and for tickets.
Music is the foundation for so many amazing aspects of life.
As GBH’s newly appointed Head of Music, Sam Brewer discusses music’s remarkable impact and how he started in the industry. He also shares where to listen to live concerts around Boston after work for free, insight into GBH’s extraordinary studios, and the revolutionary ways GBH is connecting artists to viewers and listeners.
Sleepless Critic: Just to clarify, GBH’s Head of Music primarily covers classical and jazz music?
Sam Brewer: Yes, it is the jazz and classical team. GBH Music is a multi-platform production team housed inside GBH with twelve full time and almost as many part time employees. Our biggest commitment and what everyone knows us for is CRB Classical 99.5 Boston. CRB produces over 50 broadcasts a year and we have a live concert every single week from Symphony Hall or Tanglewood. That includes concerts from the Boston Pops too.
General Manager of GBH Music Sam Brewer Photo by Meredith Nierman/GBH
We also program Jazz on 89.7 FM on the weekends and weekend overnights. For the past five years, we’ve had a series of about eight GBH Music Presents concerts at the Fraser Performance Studio or Calderwood Studio here at GBH. In person, streaming, and recorded performances are used on other platforms. Obviously they stream and may end up as an In Concert production.
Classical.org is the website for the radio station and a rich source of multimedia content about classical music, social media channels, and two newsletters which is one on jazz and one on classical and so much more.
From the GBH music perspective, we recently launched GBH Jazz Nights which are once a month performances at the GBH Studio at the Boston Public Library in Copley Square. We’ve teamed up with JazzBoston to present jazz music the second Thursday of every month from 5:30 to 6:30 pm. It’s a free event and we want to capture people after work to stop by for an hour or two and get a beer and listen to music. It’s really to raise the profile of everything that we are doing in jazz. For the past few years we have done these studio jazz shows about four a year and we are looking have four again in the spring. We’ll have four in the spring to help us build up an audience, the excitement, and the anticipation for that and we feature a great lineup of performers.
Beyond December, we will be looking at a series of jazz performances at Fraser Performance Studio. Fraser is gorgeous and really the jewel of the production facilities at GBH. Antonio Oliart is our recording engineer on the GBH Music Team and he had a hand in designing the space and it’s his home along with Téa Mottolese who is our other recording engineer.
Antonio recorded an album at Fraser with violinist Hilary Hahn which was just named the Gramophone record of the year. It’s a huge honor and I think he’s won three or four Grammys from records he’s produced in that space. We host a lot of these GBH jazz and classical music events at Fraser and you’re really sitting with maybe 90 or 100 people in a multi-camera shoot in an acoustically perfect music space.
Ulysses Quartet perform at an event celebrating the leadership of Tony Rudel, General Manager GBH Music on October 1, 2024 at GBH Headquarters in Brighton, Mass. Photo by Meredith Nierman/GBH
The Boston Symphony Chamber Players came and recorded this beautiful video show in Fraser and then we streamed. It was in person and it will also become a radio broadcast in a week or two. Somebody came up to me after the performance and told me they have known this musician their whole life and have never seen this person up close playing like this.
SC: Oh, I love those experiences.
SB: That’s the real benefit of this space. You get a sort of intimacy with the music that you don’t really get in any other venue in Boston because of the size and how it is structured. It’s also how we host shows. Brian McCreath, the host of the BSO broadcasts, hosted this program. He’s a proxy for the audience and brings the audience into the stories behind the music in such a unique way.
SC:We know each other from the Boston Pops. What piqued your interest from the Boston Pops to make the transition over to GBH? I know it all starts with classical music.
SB: That’s a great question. I was a publicist at the BSO for about 10 years and started at the box office selling tickets. I was just looking for the next step in my career and there’s such a crossover between the GBH audience and the Boston Symphony audience and in an effort to sort of promote other types of content and other stories, I was drawn to the work in public media and found a happy home for the last six years working quite closely with the newsroom here. Of course the GBH Music team was my other main client here and pulled it back into the beauty, power and the rich, artistic life of classical music and jazz. That’s how I found myself working even more closely with the GBH Music Team.
SC:You must also find yourself working with some famous musicians. Which particular person stands out for you that you couldn’t believe you were working with them?
SB: There are countless people, but recently opera bass-baritone Davóne Tines. We had someone scheduled for the Getting into Opera program and it was a wonderful event open to the public. We are eventually going to turn it into a series for YouTube. We’ve done two of these before and we have another one coming up. We unfortunately lost the soprano who was scheduled to host this master class. The concept here is people get into opera by seeing how great vocal performances are shaped. So it’s a master class between a master teacher and a student.
The star soprano who was supposed to lead the performance had to cancel about 36 hours before. Davóne Tines came in and I had the opportunity to pick him up in a car and drive him over quickly before the performance was about to begin.
I was blown away how even at the last minute, he wanted to reshape what we were doing to put the artists in the center and focus on them as humans and people before he got to hear them sing or work with them as a coach. So, there are countless examples of artists I have met and been star struck or really moved by, but this one recently is just one of the benefits everyone on this team has which are these really close encounters with musicians as people and then get to share their stories with broader audiences. It’s of interest to any type of consumer of any media, but I think music in particular because it can be abstract and one of things we specialize in is sharing an artist’s story behind the music.
SC:How do you think your prior experience has prepared you for what you are doing now?
SB: Two of the trends in my career have been music and communications and I think they will be thoroughly employed in this role. Being so new to it, I can already tell one of the real joys of this role is working with all the people on this team. I think anyone in a leadership position is responsible for supporting the team’s work. It is really exciting to come to work every day with people who are ready to pitch new and creative ideas and try to find ways for those little seeds of ideas to grow to support the work of a lot of creative professionals. So, I suppose having a lot of experience as a communicator, in public relations, and then in public media has put me in a good position to help the team bring all this creativity to the forefront and to find things that resonate with audiences. I’m excited to see how we can keep growing this incredible foundation here.
SC:Music is the connection to everything.
SB: I agree with you.
SC:Speaking of which, what is your favorite music and kinds of artists you like to listen to for GBH?
SB: I think from a very early age, I’ve always loved orchestral music. I will just say broadly classical music encompassing classical, romantic, and baroque. We play on CRB Classical 99.5 over 500 years of this incredible compendium of artistic styles. It’s just so easy to get deeply lost in it and imagine your own stories.
It’s funny because I have certainly listened to all sorts of music. My wife and I went to the Weezer concert in Boston. It was great fun, but I also had this experience where we were all the way up in the nosebleed section. I don’t know what the capacity of TD Garden about 20,000 and it was a wonderful performance and I was thinking if I can just get one percent of these people to turn on CRB and find this intentional listening experience in the genres we promote, I think everyone would grow so tremendously. A lot of what we program on this station is intentional to capture people who find a familiar sound in what we do and discover that they like classical music. For example, Renaissance pieces that would be four minutes long and to someone who is just tuning in, it could sound like a folk song. There could be an energy to Telemann perfect for driving down the road. I’ve always loved orchestral music. The challenges and the fun of this role is to just to find people in this vast swath of people and find out who might want to come and join us and be part of this tribe.
SC:Classical is the foundation of so many other genres of music. The epic Clair de Lune is a famous classical piece you know that you don’t know that you know.
SB: I agree with you and I think there is also a willingness that there wasn’t ten or fifteen years ago to cross between genres and like what they hear without knowing what the label is. I just find there is a tremendous opportunity to turn more people into classical music and such growth potential there. I’m glad we’re focused on that central part of it and our goal is just to spread that out and make people fall in love with it.
One of CRB’s next events will be the GBH Music Holiday Spectacular taking place at Calderwood Studio. Be the first to learn about GBH’s upcoming music events through classical newsletter The Note and GBH’s Jazz newsletter.
Having been invited to see this show years ago when a friend was in it, the title and premise lacked a certain initial appeal. Yes, the show is about what the title suggests, but as narrator or maybe more like ringmaster Anthony Pires Jr as Officer Lockstock insists, ‘The setting is not Urinetown, just the name of this musical comedy.’ Janie E. Howland’s set is dingy in various shades of brown and littered with broken toilets and grime as undefined shapes pepper the stage.
Anthony Pires, Jr and Paige O’Connor in Lyric Stage’s ‘Urinetown: The Musical’ Photo by Nile Hawver
And yet….
The set is a ruined landscape as one would imagine it would be for a musical comedy called Urinetown, but Mark Hollmann’s piano-infused music is suspenseful, foreboding, urgent and bright and Deb Sullivan’s mood-induced lighting design stands out. As serious as some of the issues the show addresses are in a story about urination becoming a privilege for the rich and not a human right, the production’s satirical tone sits somewhere between not to be taken too seriously and a cautionary tale of oppression, corruption and more.
With thought provoking direction by Courtney O’Connor with lively choreography by Christopher Shin, The Lyric Stage Company opened its 50th anniversary season with musical parody Urinetown: The Musical live and in person at Lyric Stage Company in Boston, Massachusetts through October 20. The action is not limited to the stage and run two hours with a 10 minute intermission. Click here for more information and for tickets.
The cast of Urinetown: the Musical Photo by Nile Hawver
Taking place in an unknown city that suffers from a severe water shortage, Anthony Pires Jr as narrator and Officer Lockstock, Gabriel Graetz as Officer Barrell, and Lisa Yuen as rigid and business minded Penelope Pennywise, must enforce that each city resident pay a fee to urinate passed down by Christopher Chew as President and Owner of Urine Good Company’s Caldwell B. Cladwell. When an incident takes place involving Remo Airaldi as Joseph “Old Man” Strong, Kenny Lee as Strong’s idealistic and determined son Bobby decides to do something about it.
Urinetown boasts a wealth of powerful vocals including Yuen’s stellar rendition of It’s a Privilege to Pee capped off by an astounding finale belt. In rubber boots, fanny pack, and pigtails, Yuen brings depth to Pennywise who is caught between a rock and a hard place not unlike another survivor she portrayed earlier this year in Reagle Music’s South Pacific. Pennywise must do what she thinks she must in fear of the alternative.
Lisa Yuen, Anneke Angstadt and James Turner in Lyric Stage’s ‘Urinetown: The Musical’ Photo by Nile Hawver
Anthony Pires Jr is charismatic, engaging and a lifeline as Officer Lockstock who alternates between law enforcement and narrating the plot at various interludes. Pires Jr’s self aware humor and sharp comedic timing adds levity to this bold satire that delivers its share of dark moments in a way that does not feel as heavy with Pires Jr at the helm. The Cop Song, a duet with Graetz and Company, offers an inside look of what it’s like to enforce the law here to a cheerful beat.
Kenny Lee and Elliana Karris in Lyric Stage’s ‘Urinetown: The Musical’ Photo by Nile Hawver
Elliana Karris depicts Cladwell’s rich, beautiful, compassionate, and idealistic daughter Hope who believes in change and shares an endearing rendition of Follow Your Heart with Bobby. They are goofy, giddy and share each other’s wide eyed optimism and determination. Kenny Lee is instantly likeable and impressive as Bobby who also longs to make a difference. Paige O’Connor is excellent as precocious, street smart and conflicted Little Sally who shares some funny and fascinating scenes with Lee and Pires Jr throughout the production.
Christopher Chew and the cast of ‘Urinetown: The Musical’ Photo by Nile Hawver
With commanding vocals, Christopher Chew depicts threatening yet humorous adversary Caldwell B. Cladwell. Chew strikes a delicate balance between scathing and corrupt with comic wit. Cladwell could have easily delved into cartoon villainy, but Chew brings enough manipulative chutzpah to songs like Mr. Cladwell and Don’t Be the Bunny to make him a credible and worthy foe.
Musically directed by Dan Rodriguez, Urinetown features not only a number of songs in an array of styles, but also a variety of musical references which includes The Wizard of Oz, West Side Story and Les Miserables. The cast’s moving rendition of Run Freedom Run and the seemingly peppy I See a River are both memorable. As the band plays above the stage, it sheds some light as this skillful production delves into themes such as oppression, socialism, corporate greed, fear, corruption and freedom. It’s also a strong metaphorical satire about something one would hopefully never have to go through.
If you can get past that, The Lyric Stage Company continues Urinetown: The Musical at Lyric Stage Company in Boston, Massachusetts through October 20. Click here for more information and for tickets.
Embarking on a new journey into experimental theater after the hilarious and frenetically urgent Stand Up if You’re Here Tonight, The Huntington delivers another unique work where anything is possible.
Eloquently directed by Omar Elerian and featuring a different guest for every performance, The Huntington presents Nassim Soleimanpour’s Nassim live and in person at the Calderwood Pavilion in Boston, Massachusetts through Sunday, October 27. This fascinating and semi-interactive production runs 75 minutes with no intermission. Click here for more information and for tickets.
With nothing but a sealed box containing an unseen mysterious script sitting on a table labeled only with the guest’s name, the anticipation is high and this particular guest admits that he is terrified as a mysterious person quips, ‘No panic on the Titanic.’
Being the first guest performer on opening night of a production that can virtually go anywhere should come with understandable trepidation. GBH’sJared Bowen stepped out on the stage not knowing what was in store for him and the audience. This particular performance was deemed the 478th time this production has ever been performed and Jared had to be ready for spontaneity, plenty of improvisation and game for virtually anything.
What occurred was genuinely humorous, personal, heartfelt, and revealing. Nassim contains several moments of moving subtlety and unpredictability that is engrossing from start to finish watching this particular story unfold. It is also communal, eye opening, educational, and contains compelling experiences that are both simple and challenging, but above all meaningful.
Sound designer James Swadlo and Lighting Designer Rajiv Pattani seamlessly set the tone to this original and spontaneous production that varies from moment to moment. It is also best not to know what to expect, but to experience it as the story unfolds knowing that each moment of this production serves a profound purpose about connection and much more.
Jared thrived through this engaging theatrical experiment and some of the future guest performers include Mike Gorman, Keith Lockhart, Marianne Bassham and Nael Nacer. Nassim is a distinct and creative exploration into the unexpected and it was exciting to take a chance on something new. It was absolutely worth it.
The Huntington presents Nassim Soleimanpour’s ‘Nassim’ live and in person at the Calderwood Pavilion in Boston, Massachusetts through Sunday, October 27. This fascinating and semi-interactive production runs 75 minutes with no intermission. Click here for more information and for tickets.
An odd couple and a lucrative bet….but if you think you know how this slippery musical comedy tango will end, there is much more here than meets the eye.
Directed skillfully by Allison Olivia Choat with absorbing music direction by Catherine Stornetta and upbeat yet spicy choreography by Brad Reinking, Moonbox Productions continues musical comedy Dirty Rotten Scoundrels live and in person at Arrow Street Arts in Cambridge, Massachusetts through October 20. This show has adult themes and runs approximately two hours and 15 min with one ten minute intermission. It also boasts open captions that come in handy during the performance. Click here for more information and for tickets.
Matthew Zahnzinger, Shonna McEachern* and Phil Tayler in ‘Dirty Rotten Scoundrels’ Photography by Molly Shoemaker
From Hawaiian shirts to stately formal wear in cheerful colors, some aspects of E. Rosser’s costume design is inspired by the 1988 film, but thankfully contemporarily updated from the film’s bulky 80s style clothing.
Taking place over one summer on the French Riviera, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels focuses on a group of conmen doing what they do best. It has an odd coupling vibe with Matthew Zahnzinger as sophisticated master conman Lawrence with his co-conspirator André who encounters Phil Tayler as skilled yet uncouth novice Freddy. Freddy is a small time conman who immediately admires Lawrence’s success and longs to learn the ropes. When they both set their eyes on Shonna McEachern as mysterious Christine, the stakes are high and the con is on.
With simple staging on two floors by Peyton Taveres with portable props by Andrew Reynolds as well as an onstage band behind glass, Andrea Sala’s upscale multicolor lighting takes center stage and has a delightful mind of its own demonstrated by Zahnzinger’s Lawrence who drolly exclaims, ‘Breeding is important, but lighting is everything!’
Matthew Zahnzinger and Julius P. Williams III in ‘Dirty Rotten Scoundrels’ Photography by Molly Shoemaker
Adorned in a three piece suit with a red carnation and suave ascot, Zahnzinger perfects a thick British accent and is the picture of refinement as Lawrence. Charismatic, suave and boasting a crafty smirk, Zahnzinger shines as Lawrence and is more than game as this smooth world traveling con artist. Julius P. Williams III portrays Lawrence’s behind the scenes right hand man André. Williams III is quite the schmoozer who is big on decorum and short on patience. Lawrence and André’s conspiratorial tête-à-têtes and knowing glances make them an amusing comedy duo. When Phil Tayler as younger, outspoken, unhinged and underhanded Freddy Benson enters the scene, the real excitement begins.
Matthew Zahnzinger, Phil Tayler and Sophie Shaw in ‘Dirty Rotten Scoundrels’ Photography by Molly Shoemaker
It is easy to see how seamlessly Dirty Rotten Scoundrels fits as a musical comedy and after watching the 1988 comedy film, the musical is tremendously more fun. With sultry and exuberant choreography by Brad Reinking, this charming ensemble has as big of a personality as the distinct main cast. From the two step to yodeling to even birdcage choreography which has to be seen to be believed, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels infuses these dance sequences in all the right places.
Tader Shipley and cast in ‘Dirty Rotten Scoundrels’ Photography by Molly Shoemaker
Most of the women seem gullible and naïve with few exceptions including Tader Shipley as Jolene Oakes as a fabulous, cart wheeling southern belle in glittering gold cowboy boots. Shipley’s over the top delivery as she headlines Oklahoma is an unforgettable treat. Boasting soaring vocals, Shonna McEachern depicts the altruistic Christine and performs a lovely ballad with Tayler for Nothing is Too Wonderful to Be True.
Shonna McEachern* and company in ‘Dirty Rotten Scoundrels’
Photography by Molly Shoemaker
Through David Yazbek’s lyrically clever music, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels’ catchy soundtrack often plays on words, especially demonstrated through Ruffhousen with Schüffhausen featuring a memorably comedic twist between Lawrence, Freddy, and Christine. Like Zis, Like Zat is a coy duet featuring André and Christine English as wide eyed Muriel and the tongue twisting and captivating cha cha-inspired The More We Dance between Lawrence and Christine. Phil Tayler as Freddy is at his avaricious best for Great Big Stuff!
Phil Tayler and company in ‘Dirty Rotten Scoundrels’ Photography by Molly Shoemaker
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is silly, sneaky and romantic with a brand of self aware humor that smoothly brings the audience in on the art of the con. It’s a lot of fun to be in on this hustle.
Moonbox Productions continues musical comedy Dirty Rotten Scoundrels live and in person at Arrow Street Arts in Cambridge, Massachusetts through October 20. Click here for more information and for tickets.
Flanked with brass and crystal embellishments, a gorgeous Vienna apartment is festively adorned as a beautiful upper class family celebrates Hanukkah….and then Christmas and the Nativity. It is subtle at first, but there lies a divide in this extended Jewish family reaching further than 1899. Over the stretch of 56 years through war, strife, turmoil, heartache and tragedy lays a growing divide that impacts generations and it only gets more complicated.
Directed conscientiously by Carey Perloff, The Huntington and Shakespeare Theatre Company presents Tom Stoppard’s epic Tony Award-winning production of Leopoldstadt live and in person at The Huntington in Boston, Massachusetts through October 13. This multi-generational production is two hours and twenty minutes plus one 15 minute intermission. Click here for more information and for tickets.
Left to right: The cast of Leopoldstadt b. Forefront (L to R): Brenda Meaney and Rachel Felstein Tom Stoppard’s Leopoldstadt; directed by Carey Perloff September 12 – October 13, 2024 at The Huntington Theatre, 264 Huntington Ave. Photo by Liza Voll
The Huntington has recently been presenting family multi-generational productions which include The Lehman’s Trilogyalso directed by Perloff about the Lehman Brothers spanning a 163-year period before exploring the world of the Salomon family in Joshua Harmon’s Prayer for the French Republic spanning almost 70 years.
Leopoldstadt is inspired by Stoppard’s own family experiences which span a pivotal time from 1899 to 1955. The show has a large cast which explores resilience, identity, grief, survival, fear, hate, and the struggle with one’s own faith in the face of growing darkness.
The cast of Tom Stoppard’s Leopoldstadt; directed by Carey Perloff September 12 – October 13, 2024 at The Huntington Theatre, 264 Huntington Ave. Photo by Liza Voll
Scenic designer Ken MacDonald impressively reflects transformation over time starting with the opening of the production in an opulent Vienna apartment with built-in bookshelves packed with various selections, a large decorated window with a stellar view of the city, a feast at the dining room table with a real Christmas tree lit with live burning candles. The Merz-Jacobovicz family is decked out in their best in colorful embroidered gowns and classic patterns in velvet and lace as the men dress in timely suits by costumer Alex Jaeger. A portrait of a family celebrating Hanukkah and Christmas on the same day as Phyllis Kay, in a dual role as Eva and here as fascinating Grandma Emilia, uses terms seemingly lightly such as ‘Christianized’ and presenting the tree ‘for the papists.’
Left to right: The cast of Leopoldstadt b. Foreground (L to R): Brenda Meaney, Nael Nacer Tom Stoppard’s Leopoldstadt; directed by Carey Perloff September 12 – October 13, 2024 at The Huntington Theatre, 264 Huntington Ave. Photo by Liza Voll
This extended family is its own melting pot of beliefs and heritage which is often explored through deep discussion between Brothers Nael Nacer as textile manufacturer Hermann and Firdous Bamji as mathematician Ludwig. The conversations intensify as the show progresses between Hermann as a Jew converted to Catholicism and Jewish Ludwig as they explore politics and their stirring reasons behind their demeanors and beliefs as time and turmoil takes hold through two world wars and as a new generation enters the world.
Left to right: Holden King-Farbstein, Joshua Chessin-Yudin, Quinn Murphy, Firdous Bamji Tom Stoppard’s Leopoldstadt; directed by Carey Perloff September 12 – October 13, 2024 at The Huntington Theatre, 264 Huntington Ave. Photo by Liza Voll
Another key figure in the production is Brenda Meaney in a nuanced depiction of Hermann’s complex wife Gretl who is Catholic yet enamored with Jewish tradition and takes part in a scandalous and unpredictable storyline. Samuel Adams is also memorable in a dual role as egotistical and shrewd Officer Fritz and English journalist Percy. However, Mishka Yarovoy is haunting in a dual role as devastated soldier Jacob and Leo who are both replete with loss.
Left to right: Mishka Yarovoy, Nael Nacer, Brenda Meaney Tom Stoppard’s Leopoldstadt; directed by Carey Perloff September 12 – October 13, 2024 at The Huntington Theatre, 264 Huntington Ave. Photo by Liza Voll
This historically significant and symbolic production takes some time to build as does the nature of fascism in its escalating subtlety and the revelations in this production are deep and impactful. The show’s affecting familial layers unfurl with resonance and familiarity as startling details take shape about these critical years including a riveting depiction of The Night of Broken Glass in 1938 infusing Jane Shaw’s stunning sound design, Robert Wierzel’s evocative lighting and Yuki Izumihara’s astonishing projections sure to stay with you long after the production has ended. Leopoldstadt is a timeless and cautionary piece of theatre not to be missed.
The cast of Leopoldstadt Tom Stoppard’s Leopoldstadt; directed by Carey Perloff September 12 – October 13, 2024 at The Huntington Theatre, 264 Huntington Ave. Photo by Liza Voll
Directed conscientiously by Carey Perloff, The Huntington and Shakespeare Theatre Company presents Tom Stoppard’s epic Tony Award-winning production of Leopoldstadt live and in person at The Huntington in Boston, Massachusetts through October 13. This multi-generational production is two hours and twenty minutes plus one 15 minute intermission. Click here for more information and for tickets.
