American Repertory Theater | The Sleepless Critic

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

Posted on 2 Days Ago 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 relentless 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 a book by Jen Silverman, 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 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 Tom 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. 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. 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.

REVIEW: An exhilarating journey awaits as American Repertory Theater presents ‘The 7 Fingers: Passengers’

Posted on September 14 by The Sleepless Critic

Some moments will bring joy to your heart and others will launch your heart in your throat. Prepare to be amazed by the 7 Fingers.

The Montreal-based 7 Fingers contemporary circus troupe was founded in 2002, but this is the first time I witnessed their distinctive artistry as they trace a cohesive connection about travel to life and time within the perpetual motion of a train. We are all passengers on this transformative journey as tales, rhythms, and creativity unites onstage.

Members of the Passengers company in performance. Credit: Grace Gershenfeld

Eloquently written, directed and choreographed by Shana Carroll, American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) continues The 7 Fingers: Passengers live and in person at the Loeb Drama Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts through Friday, September 26. This thrilling production runs 90 minutes with no intermission. Click here for more information and for tickets.

Amanda Orozco, of the Passengers company, in performance. Credit: Grace Gershenfeld.

Whether it’s to escape, to return home, to make a new start or to navigate back to a familiar place, everyone travels with hope and expectation for what the future holds. However, this production is about the motivation and journey and not necessarily the destination. Through leaps, bounds, acrobatics, and always with creative and audacious flair, the 7 Fingers depict a group of agile and graceful travelers that maneuver to compelling original music from piano-infused lullabies to soulful beats to guitar-infused tango and echoing fiddle folk rhythms memorably composed by Colin Gagné with lyrics by Shana Carroll. Far from a silent performance, Passengers unveils this insightful journey in poetry, song and the spoken word through storytelling while sharing reflections, dreams, and aspirations as Johnny Ranger’s dynamic projection, Colin Gagné with Jérôme Guilleaume’s absorbing sound design and Éric Champoux’s vivid lighting are as animated and lively as the performers onstage.

Suitcases, textured chairs, gliding luggage carts and a split flap departure board are just a portion of Ana Cappelluto’s rolling scenic design enhanced by Johnny Ranger’s surreal projections ranging from lush watercolor illustrations to layered cinematic landscapes that enhance the production’s consistent motion while allowing the dazzling feats to take center stage.

Composed of Victor Crépin, Eduardo De Azevedo Grillo, Isabella Diaz, Marie-Christine Fournier, Téo Le Baut, Amanda Orozeco, Michael Patterson, Basile Pucek, Santiago Rivera and Méliejade Tremblay-Bouchard, the 7 Fingers show off their various talents with agility, power and ease demonstrating feats that range from playful, elegant, and mischievous to daring, intense and suspenseful. In Camille Thibault-Bédard’s loose, freeing and flowing casual and classic outdoor apparel, they also bring to light the amount of sheer trust, connection, and chemistry involved in every carry, leap, toss, and intimate climb with no net between the members of this international circus troupe. The athletic beauty, the durability, grace and precision in each movement and stroke is spellbinding whether dangling in mid-air in aerial silk, flying across the stage or grounded within a comedic piece. While I preferred the more daring stunts, each piece brought a dynamic range of emotions within its gripping 90 minutes including heartbreak, longing, loss and liberating joy. Within all its thrilling components, playfulness and wonder, the 7 Fingers also offers resonating depth and thought- provoking nuances about life and the magnitude of time in each inquisitive lyric, comic scenario, and precise step.

Grab a ticket to this amusing and exhilarating journey you won’t soon forget.

Passengers Production Photo Members of the cast of Passengers in performance. Photo: Lucille Audoineau-Maire

American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) continues The 7 Fingers: Passengers live and in person at the Loeb Drama Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts through Friday, September 26. Click here for more information and for tickets.

REVIEW: Exploring the world of the sick, American Repertory Theater’s intense ‘Night Side Songs’ not just a lullaby

Posted on April 10, 2025 by The Sleepless Critic

It’s a shock that will take you out of your world.

Then reality sets in.

With stirring direction by Taibi Magar and musically directed by Alex Bechtel, American Repertory Theater in association with Philadelphia Theatre Company continues Night Side Songs live and person at Hibernian Hall in Boston, Massachusetts through Sunday, April 20 after previously taking the stage at the Cambridge Masonic Temple in Cambridge, Massachusetts through April 8. Communal, meaningful and creative, this interactive theater in the round experience runs approximately one hour and 40 minutes with no intermission. It contains strong language and adult themes. Click here for more information and for tickets.

It explores the news everyone dreads. Finding out you are sick.

Witnessing its 41^st performance, this intimate cast depicts a number of characters in different scenarios while occasionally engaging the audience in a casual atmosphere. It time jumps from the 12th century to the present day while addressing the calendar date the performance takes place and is dedicated to the sick, healthcare workers and caregivers by blending themes about relationships, sickness, mortality, and grief through acting, song and sing-along utilizing improvisation along the way.

Robi Hager in A.R.T.’s world-premiere production of Night Side Songs. Credit: Nile Scott Studios.

Night Side Songs immerses itself into uncomfortable and harrowing territory with patches of hope and beauty that will either be fascinating and draw you in and never let go or hope it’s all over soon. It may not be for everyone, especially if you are squeamish about certain aspects of illness but have no choice but to get through it. Much like being sick can be.

Mary Testa in A.R.T.’s world-premiere production of Night Side Songs. Produced in Credit: Nile Scott Studios

This warm and dedicated group showcases a number of scenarios, but the main storyline centers around Yasmine who discovers she has cancer at 41 years old in Worcester, Massachusetts. Brooke Ishibashi delivers a raw and heartrending performance as Yasmine who must navigate her life in an entirely different way in an attempt to get well while facing obstacles in her path. Mary Testa offers wit and self deprecating humor as Yasmine’s well meaning but overbearing and anxious mother Desiree who assures Yasmine that they come from a family of miracles. Isibashi shares some endearing moments with Jonathan Raviv as warm and nurturing Frank.

Brooke Ishibashi and Jonathan Raviv embrace in A.R.T.’s world-premiere production of Night Side Songs. Credit: Nile Scott Studios.

Each performer delivers affecting and inviting vocals and their solo performances are the most memorable. The onstage musicians also interact with the performers and audience and the songs by The Lazours are an eclectic variety ranging from catchy to cathartic to ballads. Some of the highlights in the therapeutic sing-along include Let’s Go Walking, Into the Sky and the poignant Will You Let me Know.

Jordan Dobson in A.R.T.’s world-premiere production of Night Side Songs. Credit: Nile Scott Studios.

Night Side Songs approaches this handful of tales with dark humor, absurdity, science and realism peppered with relatable scenarios. It can be uneven in tone at times. How can anyone not relate to overwhelming and unexpected medical bills and drug side effects, but a song showcasing how people inaccurately make assumptions how someone gets sick in The Reason comes off more condescending than sincere and funny. Illness is filled with fear and uncertainly. People just don’t know what to say.

Jonathan Raviv in A.R.T.’s world-premiere production of Night Side Songs. Credit: Nile Scott Studios.

Part unconventional love story and part tragedy, Night Side Songs expresses appreciation for the little things in life and relies more on camaraderie and community than faith and optimism while traveling to some grim places. It is informative offering coping methods with the unexpected and it is important to have a show like this to bring support and solidarity in times like these, but however I was moved, I was still left uncomfortable.

American Repertory Theater in association with Philadelphia Theatre Company continues Night Side Songs live and person at Hibernian Hall in Boston, Massachusetts through Sunday, April 20 after previously taking the stage at the Cambridge Masonic Temple in Cambridge, Massachusetts through April 8. Click here for more information and for tickets.