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REVIEW: Searing and stunning, Central Square Theater’s ‘The Moderate’ makes a lasting impact

Posted on February 25 by The Sleepless Critic

To say it is riveting is an understatement.

The Moderate is sure to alter your perspective on the digital world as much as it impacts each member of this small and likable cast. Be sure to see The Moderate as much for its engulfing state of the art technology as for its stunning emotional core.

Innovatively designed and directed by Jared Mezzocchi, Central Square Theater continues Ken Urban’s The Moderate live and in person at Central Square Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts through Sunday, March 1. This immersive production includes graphic and disquieting but necessary content including nudity and runs 80 minutes with no intermission. Click here for more information and for tickets.

Nael Nacer in Central Square Theater’s ‘The Moderate’ Photo by Nile Scott Studios

The Moderate is not shared chronologically which helps to make this production a mesmerizing digital journey from its very first frame. Rewinding the clock to March 2020, a humble yet determined Frank Bonner, powerfully and evocatively portrayed by Nael Nacer, interviews for a job as an internet moderate while the world is in COVID isolation.

The Moderate packs a lot into its brief and swiftly moving timeframe. It delves into a wide spectrum of themes including loneliness, isolation, family strife, trauma, the gravity of internet addiction, abuse, the dark web, racism, social media, the raw and exhibitionist side of human nature and the lengths one would endure to provide for family.

Nael Nacer and Jules Talbot in Central Square Theater’s ‘The Moderate’ Photo by Nile Scott Studios

We live in an encompassing digital world and it is not likely to change any time soon and this technology is depicted in brilliant and meticulous ways. The show is wisely served up with no intermission which elevates this production’s immersive and gripping style of storytelling. Captivatingly set up and directed, Christian Frederickson’s robust sound design, Mezzocchi’s Multimedia design, and Sibyl Wickersheimer’s distinctive set design invites the audience into not only into what Nael Nacer as Frank sees, but how each character is experiencing one another digitally and in real time. You are not just an observer, but experiencing each frame navigating right along with the cast between the digital world and reality.

Nael Nacer and Celeste Oliva in Central Square Theater’s ‘The Moderate’ Photo by Nile Scott Studios

This amazing show boasts an impressive cast. Celeste Oliva is intense and relatable as Frank’s estranged and levelheaded wife, Edyth. Nacer and Oliva fall into difficult and various misunderstandings and both still manage to remain sympathetic under their strained circumstances. Nacer’s Frank is darkly humorous, naïve and charming in his frustrations over technology. Jules Talbot brings a mix of lighthearted and dark humor as Rayne, a young maverick union fellow moderate who offers Nacer’s Frank valuable insight into the digital world. Greg Maraio portrays Frank’s level headed manager Martin who is all too aware of the difficulty and dangers of their positions and the impact it is sure to have on their lives and Sean Wendelken makes a stunning impression as Gus.

Sean Wendelken in Central Square Theater’s ‘The Moderate’ Photo by Nile Scott Studios

However amazing the show’s technology is delivered, what truly sets this show apart is its humanity. It does have genuine lighthearted and humorous moments while remaining unflinching of its emotional toll and remarkably and honestly lays bare the cast’s individual vulnerability and urge to make a difference. Through this shared experience, you may empathize with what they are going through as well and have a better understanding of our real and unpredictable digital landscape.

Jules Talbot and Nael Nacer in Central Square Theatre’s ‘The Moderate’ Photo by Nile Scott Studios

Central Square Theater continues Ken Urban’s The Moderate live and in person at Central Square Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts through Sunday, March 1. This immersive production includes graphic and disquieting but necessary content including nudity and runs 80 minutes with no intermission. 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.

REVIEW: New Ohio Theatre’s ICE Factory’s ‘Here I Fall Up’ and ‘How I Disappeared’

Posted on August 22, 2023 by The Sleepless Critic

A girl is starting to wonder if she is fall apart or is she just falling up?

Gianna Milici, Sophia Drapeau, and Lauren-Quigley in ‘Here I Fall Up’ Photo credit to Natalie Powers

Featuring chiming melodies, a girl is somehow tethered to her family’s seaside home in a way that makes her question her own sanity. Surrounded by her sisters who narrate the story, Here I Fall Up is thoughtfully directed and composed by Beth Golison and directed creatively by Annabel Heacock and Maiya Pascouche and is just under an hour. It was featured at New Ohio Theatre’s ICE Factory in NYC and was streaming through August 12. Click here for more information.

The girl, portrayed sympathetically and realistically by Sophia Drapeau, ventures into dark places that keeps the audience guessing whether the girl is actually experiencing something outside this world or is it all happening inside the girl’s head? Drapeau’s suffering throughout this production makes a real case for either and watching the girl attempt to cope with anxiety and a severe degree of agoraphobia is heartfelt, earnest, and a bit distressing to witness. The bluish and haunting shadows by Chris Voegels combined with the simple, multifunctional set by Jessie Baldinger are as imaginative as it is symbolic of a girl longing to make a connection outside the girl’s fears and vulnerabilities.

Rose Tablizo and Sophia Drapeau in ‘Here I Fall Up’ Photo credit to Natalie Powers

Here I Fall Up’s inviting, folksy, and intermittently catchy acapella harmonies from sisters and narrators Samantha Medina Chachra, Lauren Rose Quigley, and Gianna Millici combined with Rose Tablizo’s mysterious presence keeps the production a bit lighter while tackling some darker issues.

Here I Fall Up is thoughtfully directed and composed by Beth Golison and directed creatively by Annabel Heacock and Maiya Pascouche and is just under an hour. It was featured at New Ohio Theatre’s ICE Factory and was streaming through August 12. Click here for more information.

Does it matter where I put my roots down?

Identity should be not what one is, but who one is. Not the labels, but the person. That is not such an easy journey living in NYC.

Told from the perspective of six immigrant Asian individuals living in NYC, How I Disappeared is a bilingual production about grasping for acceptance in the world without assumptions or grief, but with understanding. Directed by Tianding He and produced by CHUANG Stage, it is done creatively, though not always clearly in this abstract and Avant Garde production.

How I Disappeared is just under an hour and was featured at New Ohio Theatre’s ICE Factory and was streaming through August 12. Click here for more information.

From an individual covered in overwhelming and all encompassing remnants of NYC including a liberty hat, Broadway sign, wearing a mask and carrying a suitcase subway map to the desolate and metaphorical marine characters on the NYC subway, How I Disappeared emphasizes the intimidating, overwhelming, noisy, and isolating city atmosphere.

The glassy reflections particularly stand out in this part projection by Brian Shin-Hua Ellis and part animated puppetry by Wilden Weihn production. From a Puffer fish to a whale wandering on a subway, each distinctive marine creature delivers a combination of bittersweet and relatable humor as the narrator describes each creature’s authentic capabilities and defenses. Steeped in soothing blue aquatic lighting by Will DeJianne, it seems absurd witnessing them on the subway, and yet it becomes a snapshot of humanity as the show progresses.

The production does have lighter moments of dancing including catchy and original live music by John Tsung and Siyi Chen as well as its fair share of silliness with underlying messages of perseverance in the face of fears, doubt, and judgment. Staying true to oneself and anything is possible.

How I Disappeared is just under an hour and was featured at New Ohio Theatre’s ICE Factory and was streaming through August 12. Click here for more information.

REVIEW: Company One’s ‘The Boy Who Kissed the Sky’ a heartfelt tale that rocks the cosmos

Posted on August 10, 2023 by The Sleepless Critic

Music lifts, transports, comforts, brings people together, and provides its own therapy to the happy and the hurt. Though the Boy, depicted with earnest and imaginative optimism by Errol Service Jr., is not aware of it yet, a force much bigger than him is going to lead the way to his destiny.

Errol Service Jr. in ‘The Boy Who Kissed the Sky’ Photo by Erin-Crowley

Directed inventively by Summer L Williams with funky musical direction by David Freeman Coleman, joyfully choreographed by Victoria Lynn Awkward and loosely based on legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix’s life, Company One presents Idris Goodwin’s celestial and groovy The Boy Who Kissed the Sky live and in person at the Strand Theatre in Dorchester, Massachusetts and now streaming through Saturday, August 12. This far out production is 70 minutes with no intermission and pay what you can tickets are available. Part of what makes Company One’s The Boy Who Kissed the Sky special is its commitment to the community and social change by partnering with a number of community organizations including Project Bread, Zumix, and Boston Music Project through this production. Click here for more information and tickets.

Adriana Alvarez, Errol Service Jr. and Martinez Napoleon in ‘The Boy Who Kissed the Sky’ Photo by Erin Crowley

In many ways, musician Jimi Hendrix was deemed ahead of his time. Part biography, part musical and part fantastic trip through time, the cosmos, and through hardship, The Boy Who Kissed the Sky envisions possibly how Hendrix got there. It is noteworthy that Service’s boy is never referred to as Hendrix and can be translated into any dreamer’s potential.

This production boasts a wealth of various projections by Rasean Davonte Johnson including traffic and misty rain as well as kinetic water colored special effects and cosmic imagery. Through all of the pizzazz and psychedelic special effects lies an inspirational tale built for any dreamer attempting to overcome challenging circumstances. Set in Jimi Hendrix’s hometown of Seattle, Washington, It also delivers a strong message about the value of hard work, keeping an eye on the prize, and believing in one’s boundless potential.

The cast of ‘The Boy Who Kissed The Sky’ Photo by Erin Crowley

The Boy Who Kissed the Sky’s energetic cast is lead by Errol Service Jr. referred to only as The Boy. Much of the cast plays more than one role. Service’s Boy is amiable, sympathetic, imaginative and inquisitive as he waits for his mother, depicted warmly by Yasmeen Dunkin. Cedric Lilly is enigmatic and forthright as the boy’s veteran father, Mel and Keira “Kee” Prusmack delivers a humorous yet kindhearted performance as Mrs. Newton, the boy’s nosy neighbor.

L-R Martinez Napoleon and Errol-Service Jr. in ‘The Boy Who Kissed the Sky’ Photo by Erin Crowley

However, grooving through time and space backed by some of Hendrix’s music history and influences is Martinez Napoleon who soars as J. Sonic. With excellent vocals, mystical charisma, and an easy rapport with Service Jr, Napoleon sweeps through the production with a smooth yet caring demeanor as Martinez attempts to demonstrate that the boy, using a broom as a guitar, is more powerful than the boy ever thought possible.

Backed by Eugene H Russell IV and Divinity Roxx’s uplifting rock n roll and blues-inspired score especially for numbers A Feeling Without A Name and Way Back, The Boy Who Kissed the Sky is a musical celebration elevated by Jimi Hendrix’s iconic fashion sense and Danielle Dominique Sumi’s dramatic and galactic 60s-inspired costume design. An epic and renowned onstage band trio jams high above the production’s stage alongside a gigantic moon and Wooden Kiwi Productions constructed the rock n roll set equipped with giant wooden amplifiers and stereo speakers under Danielle DeLaFuente’s scenic vision.

Idris Goodwin’s ‘The Boy Who Kissed the Sky’ is appropriate for all ages and a wonderful production to anyone could use a little inspiration.

Directed inventively by Summer L Williams with funky musical direction by David Freeman Coleman, joyfully choreographed by Victoria Lynn Awkward, and loosely based on legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix’s life, Company One presents Idris Goodwin’s celestial and groovy The Boy Who Kissed the Sky live and in person at the Strand Theatre in Dorchester, Massachusetts and now streaming through Saturday, August 12. This far out production is 70 minutes with no intermission and pay what you can tickets are available. Click here for more information and tickets.

REVIEW: ‘Zebra 2.0’ at New Ohio’s ICE Factory boasts an unconventional meet cute with fascinating zip

Posted on August 1, 2023 by The Sleepless Critic

One is nicknamed Zebra and another knows everything there is to know about Zebras….except how Zebras feel.

Zebra 2.0 is technological ice breaker and a breakthrough unlike any other. An interesting meet cute for the modern age, AnomalousCo, Wistaria Project, and Romanian Cultural Institute’s sci-fi rom com Zebra 2.0 was presented at New Ohio Theatre’s ICE Factory in NYC and is now streaming through August 12. The show runs for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Click here for more information and how to stream the film.

Alina Mihailevschi and Tim Craig in ‘Zebra 2.0’ Photographer: Jarrett Robertson

A computer and a woman meet in a lab. She calls it Al and Al nicknames her Zebra 2.0. As Al coordinates a line of numbers, inquisitive Zina, energetically depicted by Alina Mihailevschi, realizes that Al, portrayed with intellectual charm by Tim Craig, have much more in common than either of them realized. Zebras are only the beginning.

Zebra 2.0 has an enchanting way of delving into various topics such as the environment, biology, science, books, music, immigration, standardized tests, employment, and the nature of being human in a clever and fascinating manner. Though Zina only chance meets Al as she cleans up a laboratory, her friendly and candid conversations with Al spark some compelling results. Written by Saviana Stanescu and directed by Jeremy Goren, Zebra 2.0 combines method and sentiment into a sweet, intense, and astute production with resounding messages about humanity. Tim Craig is impressive, gradually molding Al into a charismatic and sympathetic character and Mihailevschi epitomizes lonely, zealous, friendly, rebellious, and imaginative Zina who longs for knowledge and dreams of a better life.

Tim Craig and Alina Mihailevschi in ‘Zebra 2.0’ Photographer: Jarrett Robertson

John Jannone, Michi Zaya, and Amy Liou’s luminous projection and video, Duncan Davies’s incredible multicolor lighting and Ras Badejo’s epic music and sound combine to make Al into a dazzling, fervent, and a powerful entity that blurs fantasy and reality inside a pristine, windowless, and futuristic space by Xinan Helen Ran. These special effects display some of the most exciting scenes in the production only second to Craig and Mihailevschi’s humorous and engaging chemistry that just might deliver greater meaning than anything Al can calculate.

Written ambitiously by Saviana Stanescu with elevated direction by Jeremy Goren, AnomalousCo, Wisteria Project, and Romanian Cultural Institute’s sci-fi rom com Zebra 2.0 was presented at ICE Factory in NYC and is now streaming through August 12. The show runs for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Click here for more information and how to stream the film.

REVIEW: ‘Deadclass Ohio’ at New Ohio Theatre’s Ice Factory captures the past, loneliness, grief and disconnection with an unlikely witness

Posted on July 29, 2023 by The Sleepless Critic

Imagine seeing a relative’s picture for the first time. Ever wonder what was happening when that moment was captured? What is the significance behind it and what was going on through their mind? Photos from the past bring up a great deal of curiosity and Deadclass Ohio imagines some of these possibilities as a woman attempts to pay tribute to long lost relatives who were Holocaust survivors in a Jewish cemetery.

Based on Tadeusz Kantor’s documentary Umarla Klaza and directed with experimental complexity by Mitchell Polonsky and Chloe Claudel, The Goat Exchange’s Deadclass Ohio offers various perspectives on a photo and situation with a mix of humor and poignancy as it tackles loneliness, grief, and disconnection while capturing a harrowing time in history. It also explores the nature of the past.

New Ohio Theatre’s ICE Factory continues streaming The Goat Exchange’s play Deadclass Ohio through August 12. The production is approximately one hour. Click here for more information and how to view this play.

A lone bench, an escalating pile of laundry, a dining room table, a scrambled TV set and a floral arrangement is the foundation of two unique and related scenes on a dark and minimal stage. Two people enter a cemetery and commiserate about a photo of a woman’s grandmother as they contemplate what is behind the photograph and what happened when the photo was taken. Featuring Paul Lazar, Marcus Amaglo, Chloe Claudel, and Juliana Sass with Jim Fletcher, Deadclass Ohio holds many revelations which should not be unveiled here except it invites a sense of déjà vu and reaching into history.

Marcus Amaglo and Chloe Claudel Photo credit Hana Mendel

Each skilled member of this intimate cast faces a challenging task of bringing emotional depth to each scene as well as presenting a new perspective to each scenario. This is all while the plot progresses in unexpected ways. Little nuances of each actor’s performance shift the perspective and the production becomes more personal while it simultaneously delves into the unusual. Two memorable scenes metaphorically explore the nature of pigeons while the other echoes a haunting rendition of Too Young by Nat King Cole.

Mitchell Polonsky’s vivid sound and media design and Abraham E.S. Rebello Trujillo’s quirky costume design lends to the production’s mysterious atmosphere. Enhanced by a poignant violin score performed by Sasha Yakub, Deadclass Ohio contains some absurd and meaningful humor through some clever blocking, but it also keeps the viewer guessing at different points during the production. The show does not always make its intentions clear, but it does deliver the stirring emotional weight of loneliness, loss, disconnection, and a longing to be understood which becomes more prevalent as the production continues.

New Ohio Theatre’s ICE Factory continues streaming The Goat Exchange’s Deadclass Ohio through August 12. The production is approximately one hour. Click here for more information and how to view this play.

REVIEW: The Arlekin Players powerful and interactive ‘The Gaaga’ (The Hague) brings war under the microscope

Posted on June 23, 2023 by The Sleepless Critic

What if during the pain and strife of war, leaders were rounded up and required to stand trial for war crimes? What if during that trial, the very nature of war is peeled away to only exact more questions?

The Arlekin Players are known for daring and original productions fueled with a strong and universal message and this time, the audience had a say in this interactive trial through the eyes of a child.

Taisiia Fedorenco as Taya in Arlekin Players ‘The Gaaga’ Photo by Irina Danilova

Innovatively written and directed by Sasha Denisova, Arlekin Players Theatre and the Zero-G Virtual Theatre Lab presented The Gaaga (The Hague) live and in person at Beat Brew Hall in Harvard Square in Cambridge, MA as well as a virtual option from June 2 through June 18. This show contained some adult themes and is 2 hours and 40 including one 10 minute intermission. Click here for more information.

The cast of Arlekin Players ‘The Gaaga’ Photos by Irina Danilova

The Gaaga delves into some heavy and heady content, but also has its share of satiric humor and spectacle told in an interactive manner through a child’s game delivered through a dark and intriguing performance by Taisiia Fedorenco as Taya in a bomb shelter in Mariupol, Ukraine. Taya’s “game” is a trial that Putin, portrayed with striking resemblance by hair and makeup designer Anna Furman and depicted somewhat superficially as a child would see Putin by Paulina Dubovikova, and his network of operatives is on trial for their crimes in the Ukraine. The audience is privy to the trial and then some as each operative parade out for aiding Putin in crimes against humanity.

It is a powerful, gritty, harrowing, tense, and deeply personal production that leaves many more questions that it does answers about war, its consequences, and the dilemma of who is truly responsible for its uprising. Though the cast is a dynamic group made of mostly conniving and power hungry adversaries all looking for a scapegoat, The Gaaga adds unexpected dimension to this almost assuredly doomed bunch, but things are never quite as cut and dry.

Taya is not just any girl. She wants the audience (who can choose to be part of the online jury) to not just see her as narrator and orchestrator of the game, but to get to know her by revealing her favorite soup and what she loves as evidenced by tell tale surroundings including a rocking horse, tea set, and pink doll house. It’s such a purposefully ironic and metaphorical setting by Environmental Designer Irina Kruzhilina which perhaps symbolizes the loss of innocence as war talk overpowers a child’s playthings. Lighting designer Kevin Fulton enhances the crucial, mood setting atmosphere from a drab and dismal Dutch prison to the satirical buoyancy of a theatrical performance. Sound designer Brendan F Doyle and composers Szymon Orfin and Jacek Jedrasik add spectacle and with a cryptic, but at times humorous soundtrack that includes classic rock and original score.

Ilya Volok as Patruschev Photos by Irina Danilova

The originality of The Gaaga varies from treacherous individuals dancing exuberantly in strange garb to being interrogated in a bathtub through the unique lens of security cameras and other means of revelation including a bleary and bombed window. Quite a few of the cast members make powerful impressions especially handling dual or multiple roles such as Garrett Sands as a malicious soldier, Robert Walsh as Surovikin, Joe Biden and others, but Ilya Volok as conspiracy theorist Patruschev gives a mesmerizing performance, especially in a particularly commanding, absorbing, and unsettling monologue which combines comedy and cruel irony.

Not only is the audience asked show questions as trivia during pivotal points in the production, but invites others to share their thoughts. Some questions are tongue in cheek, but others are sure to be considered long after the production is over.

Arlekin Players Theatre and the Zero-G Virtual Theatre Lab presented The Gaaga (The Hague) live and in person at Beat Brew Hall in Cambridge, MA as well as a virtual option from June 2 through June 18. Click here for more information.

REVIEW: Searching for answers in The Huntington’s ‘Joy and Pandemic’

Posted on May 16, 2023 by The Sleepless Critic

Medicine and faith and faith versus fear as a pandemic is looming.

These powerful topics should all be more than vaguely familiar in this day and age. However, the most recent pandemic is not when Taylor Mac’s Joy and Pandemic takes place though from its urgent dialogue, it all seems like yesterday.

Directed meditatively by Loretta Greco, The Huntington presents the World Premiere of Taylor Mac’s Joy and Pandemic live and in person as well at Calderwood Pavilion in Boston, Massachusetts through Sunday, May 21. It is also available digitally through June 4. The show is two hours with one 15 minute intermission. Click here for more information and for tickets.

Stacy Fischer, Breezy Leigh, and Ryan Winkles of The Huntington’s production of Taylor Mac’s Joy and Pandemic; photo: T Charles Erickson. Running from April 21 to May 21, 2023 at the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA, South End.

Joy and Pandemic delves into a number of topics and it is not surprising that this production is running through and beyond Mother’s Day. It has an increasing intensity around the pandemic of 1918 in Philadelphia, but it also focuses on the shaping and influence mothers have on their daughters. What about doubt? What if a mother casts a shadow over what is right and wrong?

Though the show can meander and its formal dialogue is a bit muddled at times, Joy and Pandemic presents some important viewpoints that tip the scales on what is important in times of crisis. It is not preachy and delves into extreme behavior of those who make decisions strictly based on faith who might benefit from a bit more common sense.

Joy and Pandemic is about a passionate, independent and hardworking Christian Science mother and artist named Joy, her new husband Bradford and her excitable, impressionable and eccentric daughter Pilly. They are running a fine arts school for children and plan to have an open house on the same day the town is holding a parade, even through whispers of the Spanish flu to the dismay of Joy’s mother in law Rosemary.

Arnulfo Maldonado’s transformative, layered, and eye opening scenic design is strewn with paintbrushes, framed art work, shelves full of assorted pottery and art books as crown molding and retro wallpaper adorn the walls and brass, vintage chandeliers hang overhead. Just as impressive is the astounding sound effects and presentation of the parade with booms and pops by Fan Zhang and lighting by Jen Schriver. Zhang also effectively rewinds the clock with American Standards by Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, and Frank Sinatra.

Stacy Fischer and Ryan Winkles of The Huntington’s production of Taylor Mac’s Joy and Pandemic; photo: T Charles Erickson. Running from April 21 to May 21, 2023 at the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA, South End.

Even while exploring themes like faith, illness, medicine, life, and death, the cast manages to bring some occasional and much needed relatable humor to the production. Marceline Hugot brings gravitas and hardnosed practicality as Joy’s mother in law Rosemary and Ryan Winkles is formidable as Joy’s mysterious husband Bradford. Due to a portion of the show’s clever casting, it is best not to say more except that Stacy Fischer, Ella Dershowitz, and Breezy Leigh fit smoothly into their perspective roles. Joy and Pandemic is not so much about joy itself though it does touch upon it outside its moments of intensity, poignancy, and insightful dialogue. Somewhere along the way lies hope.

Stacy Fischer and Breezy Leigh of The Huntington’s production of Taylor Mac’s Joy and Pandemic; photo: T Charles Erickson. Running from April 21 to May 21, 2023 at the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA, South End.

The Huntington presents the World Premiere of Taylor Mac’s Joy and Pandemic live and in person at Calderwood Pavilion in Boston, Massachusetts through Sunday, May 21 and will continue streaming through June 4. Click here for more information and for tickets.

REVIEW: New England Dance Ensemble presents evocative ‘A Child’s View of the Holocaust’

Posted on April 30, 2023 by The Sleepless Critic

New England Dance Ensemble founder Barbara Mullen knows that if people do not know history, they are doomed to repeat it.

On Sunday, April 16, the New England Dance Ensemble (NEDE) performed A Child’s View of the Holocaust at Temple Beth Abraham in Nashua, NH. The show was free and a benefit for the nonprofit organization. The temple generously served lunch prior to the production. This ballet was 40 minutes with no intermission followed by a brief Q and A session and the show is currently streaming online. The audience was encouraged to pause in quiet reflection rather than applaud. Click here for more information.

A Child’s View of the Holocaust presented by New England Dance Ensemble Photo credit to NEDE

Barbara Mullen, NEDE’s Artistic Director, first produced A Child’s View of the Holocaust in 1990 and it has become an educational tool for thousands of audiences in its over 30 year history. Its purpose is to memorialize the youngest victims of the Holocaust to ensure society will never forget and these horrors will not ever be repeated. Few survived to tell their story, but relatives of a few of the victims were present in the audience on April 16.

Set in 1939, A Child’s View of the Holocaust is a depiction of how insidiously and methodically the new Nazi regime darkened the world and lured millions of victims. One million out of six million victims of the holocaust were children. It shows the progression of once innocent school children in braids and plaids as they wave at their friends shortly before a new and harrowing reality unfolds. The panic, the shame, the indignation, and the implied brutality are difficult to watch, but the discovery and final understanding is the most poignant piece in the production.

The Nazis, led by Anya Petravicz, snake like a menacing train. Stiff, militaristic, and linear, the dancers invade with expressions vacant and unyielding. Coordinated by ballet master Andrew Matte, the production has a wealth of physical engagement that implies violence, but is no less powerful.

Students in ‘A Child’s View of the Holocaust’ Photo credit to NEDE

A Child’s View of the Holocaust is a collaborative and stirring production delivered with careful grace, skill, and sensitivity by these young performers. However, Harrison Conellier as the Holocaust’s first victim and Ipeksu Yucel as a Jewish mother offer powerful performances in evocative surprise, anger, and anguish as they are forced into impossible decisions in this journey to find light in the depths of loss.

New England Dance Ensemble continues to offer this important production to different institutions for educational purposes. NEDE will next present The Lorax followed by The Nutcracker in the fall. Click here for more information.

REVIEW: Dating just got complicated for Dating Drama shorts at New Ohio Theatre’s New York City’s Indie Theatre Film Festival

Posted on March 3, 2023 by The Sleepless Critic

The New Ohio Theatre presented its 7^th annual NYC Indie Theatre Film Festival live and in person at New Ohio Theatre, 154 Christopher Street in NYC from February 16-19 and then virtually from February 20-26. The New York City Indie Film Theatre Festival presented a variety of films from short films to features on a variety of topics and some films contain mature themes. Click here for more information and to learn more about New Ohio Theatre.

The Sleepless Critic was knee deep in short films and tackled the Dating Drama and the Friendship Bonds shorts which focused on a variety of perspectives on relationships. Click here for the Friendship Bonds short film review.

New Ohio Shorts ‘Full Disclosure’ Photo credit New Ohio Theatre

Dating is not for the faint of heart. Sharply written and directed by Mia Rovegno, Full Disclosure opens up the rapid fire, neurotic world of dating in a part confessional stream of consciousness romantic comedy that will keep the viewer guessing till its twisty conclusion. Charise Greene as Darleen and Ryan Pater as Trent display cute chemistry that swings from obscure to anxious to downright impressive in a sequence of traditional dating scenarios as Zera Bloom’s cheerful, low key instrumental score keeps this lighthearted rom com quite the charmer.

New Ohio Theatre Dating Drama Shorts ‘eXcape’ Photo credit New Ohio Theatre

Two exes face the end of their relationship. One is about to move out, but soon realize they are trapped inside their apartment. Lindsley Howard as Jess and Mariah Naomi Sanchez as Marianna attempt to navigate their rocky relationship on a riddle-filled quest for answers in eXcape. Boosted by Kate Eberstadt’s tense soundtrack, eXcape is a somewhat predictable scenario, but boasts some adventurous and bittersweet moments during this down-to-the-wire mystery.

New Ohio Dating Drama Shorts ‘Jules and Dee’ Photo credit New Ohio Theatre

Featuring a retro punk soundtrack by Jim McCarthy, written and directed by Juliet Perrell and co-directed by Edna Luise Biesold, Jules and Dee take a wild, comedic, and modern twist on Shakespeare in a play within a play showcasing the awkward mayhem that takes place behind the scenes at the Cherry Lane Theatre. Though it loses its way a bit at times, a spicy Jules by Julie Perrell and Delia Bannon as Dee make a fun pair and it features a refreshing twist ending.

New Ohio Dating Drama Shorts ‘Made in Heaven’ Photo credit New Ohio Theatre

Directed by Yiqing Zhao, Made in Heaven explores the mother daughter relationship and those relationships that are kept hidden from the world. Named after a café, Made in Heaven is a story about matchmaking, cupcakes and an undercover plot to unlock those secrets. Yiqing Zhao aptly portrays Serena’s firm and discerning mother Jo and delivers some intriguing scenes with Regina Ohashi as poker faced Ivy. Elizabeth Chang is likable as conflicted Serena, but this story leaves more questions than answers and would benefit from an extended version to get to know the characters better.

New Ohio Dating Drama Shorts ‘Me Myself vs I’ Photo credit New Ohio Theatre

Capturing a whirlwind of emotions including excitement, nervousness and anxiety especially exemplified in the landscape of today’s social media world, Uzunma Udeh as Zoom shows off comedic chops and charisma in Me, Myself vs I. Created auspiciously by Uzunma Udeh and Tamera Vogl, Me Myself vs I is a well done narrative within a zippy timeframe.

New Ohio Dating Drama Shorts ‘Red’ Photo credit New Ohio Theatre

Directed by Katia Koziara and written by Phoebe Dunn with Ben Brown, Red swiftly turns up the heat as Phoebe Dunn and Ben Brown embark on what becomes an unorthodox date. Though the two develop some tension as the film progresses and boasts a clever title, knowing the characters better would have made the film a bigger thrill.

New Ohio Dating Drama Shorts ‘You Can Kiss Me’ Photo credit New Ohio Theatre

Two unhappily married people think they have found hope in something new in You Can Kiss Me, a film by Jan Jalenak. Penelope, portrayed sympathetically by Brandi Nicole Wilson, thinks she has led a predictable life and longs to be adventurous and enigmatic Meg, portrayed by Ylfa Edelstein, tends to keep her personal life close to the hip. Though the film leads to some implausible scenarios, Brandi Nicole Wilson delivers stirring scenes with both Edelstein and Andrew Elvis Miller as Paul. The film’s intensity is enhanced by music composed by Jay Purdy including Jensen Smith’s Cello Kiss.

New Ohio Dating Drama Shorts ‘Intimacy Workshop’ Photo credit New Ohio Theatre

What starts out as an absorbing comedy takes an unexpected turn in Intimacy Workshop, written and directed by Eddie Prunoske. To the soothing sounds of Clair De Lune, a dynamic assortment of men takes on awkward encounters in a workshop about the bonding experience. Intimacy Workshop has some light, comedic dialogue but could have done without a gory, embarrassing and over the top twist that veers the film off course.