25th season | The Sleepless Critic

REVIEW: Greater Boston Stage Company serves up more than laughs in ‘Dinner for One’

Posted on November 16, 2024 by The Sleepless Critic

Simple acts of kindness make all the difference.

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 25^th season.

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.

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.

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.

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.

REVIEW: Company One’s tech savvy ‘Morning Noon and Night’ makes room for what is important

Posted on May 14, 2024 by The Sleepless Critic

What has the world come to and what has come of us?

It is a prevalent and thought provoking theme as Company One continues Kirsten Greenidge’s tech savvy comedy Morning Noon and Night, part of Company One’s 25^th season, live and in person at Boston Center for the Arts in Boston, Massachusetts through May 25. The show is approximately 1 hour and 35 minutes with no intermission and has some adult language. Tickets are available on a pay what you can basis. Click here for more information and for tickets.

Schanaya Barrows, Sydney Jackson, Aislinn Brophy (Photography by Ken Yotsukura)

Innovatively directed by Summer L. Williams, Company One Kirsten Greenidge’s Morning Noon and Night with Boston University’s College of Fine Arts unveils a world where children are mesmerized by their phones and selfies and time is measured a bit differently referring to pre-Covid days as ‘from before’ and a long time ago is at least ‘two phones ago’.

Set in Post 2020 pandemic and 2020’s endemic with a dose of virtual reality, Morning, Noon and Night explores loss, grief, fear, frustration, uncertainty, and a journey toward healing from economic turmoil after the pandemic has turned the world upside down. This production also delves into escalating technology and consumerism in daily life where phone addicted children believe most of what they read on the internet, have increased social anxiety and angst, and the dangers of allowing technology to run your life and solve your problems.

Sydney Jackson, Kaili Y. Turner (Photography by Ken Yotsukura)

If this sounds like a lot, Morning, Noon, and Night tries to do a lot and at times is a bit uneven in its storytelling getting weighed down by its own ambitions. However, it is a touching and comedic piece that cuts through it all to reveal what is most important. It has a slick presentation blending Audrey Dube’s zippy sound design with Maria Servellón ‘s lustrous projections that impressively portray the immaculate and too-good-to-be-true nature of the internet as well as beautiful memories. It’s pristine, sparkling and deceptively perfect featuring colorful imagery likened to scrolling through a phone. Amazon boxes, stacked CD’s and clothes strewn on the floor is part of Justin Lahue’s scattered and contemporary scenic design and the reality of Mia’s cluttered household.

Kaili Y. Turner, Eliza Fichter (Photography by Ken Yotsukura)

Kaili Y. Turner delivers a memorable performance as overwhelmed and stern Mia who is planning a birthday party for her estranged daughter, Alex. Sydney Jackson depicts Mia’s excitable, anxious, and somewhat bossy daughter, Dailyn and Alex’s sister who is alarmed by the state of the world depicted on the internet. Turner and Jackson make a relatable and comical mother and daughter duo as Dailyn pushes all the boundaries. Both want Alex’s party to be perfect in their own way, and when Alexandria King as upbeat, orderly and mysterious Miss Candace unexpectedly shows up at Mia’s doorstep, life as they know it is about to change.

Greenidge’s clever dialogue lets the tech lingo fly especially from Dailyn and supportive friends Schanaya Barrows as sunny perfectionist Chloe and Aislinn Brophy as Nat as they navigate their way through school and family issues. Eliza Fichter as energetic and meticulous Heather delivers some candid moments of hesitancy that anyone can relate to in this 2020 endemic world.

Kaili Y. Turner, Alexandria King, Eliza Fichter, Sydney Jackson (Photography by Annielly Camargo)

However, Alexandria King is wonderful as impeccably dressed and never flummoxed Miss Candace, particularly sharing physical comedic prowess with Turner as Mia. They share an interesting dynamic and their interactions are evenly fun and intense. King’s bright eyes, clipped laugh and powerful presence is fascinating to watch and Miss Candace’s outlook on life is one we can all take a lesson from.

Innovatively directed by Summer L. Williams, Company One continues Kirsten Greenidge’s tech savvy comedy of Morning Noon and Night, part of Company One’s 25^th season, live and in person at Boston Center for the Arts in Boston, Massachusetts through May 25. The show is approximately 1 hour and 35 minutes with no intermission and has some adult language. Tickets are available on a pay what you can basis. Click here for more information and for tickets.