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REVIEW: Ambition and betrayal take center stage in Dream Role Players production of Shakespeare’s classic ‘Othello’

Posted on March 24, 2024 by The Sleepless Critic

Alarming what whispers and rumors can create.

With moving direction by Alan White, Dream Role Players continues William Shakespeare’s classic production, Othello live and in person at Chelsea Theatre Works at the Black Box Theatre in Chelsea, Massachusetts through Saturday, March 30. This show is general admission with pay-what-you-can options and is not suitable for children. It is their first play performed in an indoor setting and runs two hours and 45 minutes including one 15 minute intermission. Click here for more information and for tickets.

Dayenne CB Walters and Luis Negrón in Dream Role Players ‘Othello’ Photo credit Sushmita Udoshi

Set in Venice in the 1570’s, Shakespeare’s Othello focuses on General Othello, in a searing depiction by Vincent Ernest Siders, who is madly in love and secretly marries Elisabet “Lisa” Ober as Desdemona to Eric Cheung as Desdemona’s father Brabantio’s fury and dismay that she married a Moor. Othello also promotes Dom Carter as Cassio to be his lieutenant instead of Dayenne CB Walters as Iago and thus begins stealthy acts of treachery.

Elisabet “Lisa” Ober and Vincent Ernest Siders in Dream Role Players ‘Othello’ Photo credit Sushmita Udoshi

From distinguished uniforms decorated with silver and gold adornments and dapper suits to colorful flowing dresses, costume designer Atlas Mendoza carefully illustrates each character’s distinctive traits. It was particularly notable to see Iago’s bright red socks hidden just underneath Walters’s suit to indicate that things are not all that they seem. Lighting designer Richie DeJesus not only creates mood-induced lighting that hints at the mood of each scene, but the simple staging which includes four multipurpose chairs and later an elaborate bed leaves plenty of room for this interactive cast to shine in performances that are not limited to the stage.

Dom Carter and Vincent Ernest Siders in Dream Role Players ‘Othello’ Photo credit to Sushmita Udoshi

Dream Role Players provide opportunities for individuals to perform their dream roles and Othello boasts an enthusiastic cast who skillfully sinks their teeth into their performances. With a sly smile, Luis Negrón offers a fervent portrayal of Rodrigo particularly in heated discussions with Dayenne CB Walters as conniving Iago. Walters epitomizes Iago with shifting eyes while displaying disquieting and calculated practicality. Walters brilliantly plots and schemes while displaying masked charm and manipulative glee.

Dom Carter and Dayenne CB Walters in Dream Role Players ‘Othello’ Photo credit Sushmita Udoshi

Dom Carter is amiable as sympathetic and gentlemanly Cassio as he shares some mystifying chemistry with Vidisha Agarwalla as Bianca while Candis Hilton is impressive as mysterious and independent-minded Amelia. It is endearing to watch Elisabet “Lisa” Ober as strong willed, adoring, and gentle Desdemona who shares boisterous and captivating chemistry with Siders as Othello, but the most riveting encounters occur between Siders as Othello and Walters as Iago. Siders is a towering and charismatic presence as Othello with rich and powerful vocals who is as suave and lovable as he is intimidating. Matched by Walters as elusive Iago, the two enact a game of cat and mouse with a mounting intensity that left me at the edge of my seat.

Dream Role Players ‘Othello’ Full Cast Photo credit Sushmita Udoshi

REVIEW: Make time for The Huntington’s unique ‘Stand Up if You’re Here Tonight’

Posted on February 28, 2024 by The Sleepless Critic

In some ways, Stand Up if You’re Here Tonight seems to be about nothing and everything all at once.

With a magnificent and probably one of the most gracious introductions to a production, Stand Up if You’re Here Tonight delves into the art of theatre, the luxury of Netflix, love, loss, loneliness, comfort, and all the idiosyncrasies of life that may or may not drive a person crazy. Part standup, part existential crisis, and part play-within-a-play, this original comical theatrical experience is hosted by a man who has had just about enough.

Jim Ortlieb of The Huntington’s production of John Kolvenbach’s Stand Up If You’re Here Tonight, directed by John Kolvenbach; photo Nile Hawver. Running January 20 – March 23, 2024 at the Maso Studio, Huntington Theatre. Boston, MA 02115.

Written and directed shrewdly by John Kolvenbach, The Huntington presents Stand Up if You’re Here Tonight live and in person at the intimate and immersive Maso Studio at the Huntington Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts through Saturday, March 23. The production is general admission and runs 60 minutes with no intermission with a special happening at the end of the performance. Do not miss a moment of this show because it is worth it. Click here for more information and for tickets.

Introduced by breezy 60s lounge music and surrounded by various vintage furnishings including lit chandeliers, doorways off their hinges, a ladder, a metal bird cage, and what starts out as a wooden lectern by Kristine Holmes and Sam Galvao, Stand Up if You’re Here Tonight is unveiled with frenetic urgency and earnestness expertly navigated by host Jim Ortlieb.

In a gray suit making a casual entrance, Jim Ortlieb guides the surrounding audience into a performance so engaging and interactive that this critic barely has time to take notes which was a joy. Lighting designers M Berry and Makenna Harnden’s rhythmic and atmospheric lighting acted as its own character perfectly timed with the quick pace and tricky transitions that lead to the most unexpected places.

All of this production’s surprises will not be revealed here. With a welcoming grin and a dose of self awareness, Ortlieb delves into some of his own vivid memories, imagination, and experiences with relatable and sometimes dark humor, but what is most important is that audience is here, present, and in the present. Laugh and be moved. That is what really matters.

REVIEW: Beneath its potent calculations, Flat Earth Theatre’s ‘Delicate Particle Logic’ is a compelling love story

Posted on October 7, 2018 by The Sleepless Critic

Flat Earth Theatre’s Delicate Particle Logic by Jennifer Blackmer pays an unforgettable visit into the complex mind of the wife of Noble Peace prize recipient and renowned German chemist Otto Hahn, artist Edith Hahn. Multilayered in its telling with an interactive flair, this intriguing play takes a look back at three distinctive individuals that historically impacted the world during World War II, rooted in its intrinsic connection between art, science, logic, and love.

With sign language interpreters on scene on Oct 13, Flat Earth Theatre’s Delicate Particle Logic continues at the Black Box Theatre in the Mosesian Center for the Arts through Saturday, October 13. The Mosesian Center for the Arts boasts free parking, general admission, and not a bad seat in Black Box’s half moon staging. Click here for more information and tickets.

Boasting recitations of the periodic table and a script with scientific verbiage that must have at times challenged this talented group, Delicate Particle Logic is a dark, emotional, thought-provoking, historical drama as renowned physicist and Otto Hahn’s work partner, Lise Meitner visits Edith Hahn as they recall their part in a significant era in World War II history. With its share of surprising breakthroughs and revelations, it is a multilayered perspective on science, logic, art, and its driving force – love.

From L to R: Thomas Grenon as Otto, Barbara Douglass as Edith and Christine Power as Lise Meitner Photo courtesy of Flat Earth Theatre

With blond braided hair and a voice rich in inquisitive charm, Barbara Douglass as uninspired, complicated artist Edith Hahn is the emotional core of the piece. Douglass reveals her naiveté and warmth with a wide-eyed perspective as Lise and Edith recall the momentous events that ultimately lead to the Atom Bomb. Edith’s bursts of creative energy tying into Christine A Banna’s Projection Design and PJ Strachman’s lighting design work well together to launch some exciting, yet haunting moments. As passionate and she is moody, Douglass’s passionate performance as Edith is a particular highlight.

Christine Power exudes a veiled, cold practicality as physicist and Otto Hahn’s “work wife” Lise Meitner. As serious as she is shrewd, Lise is at times determined beyond reason, but with an emotional attachment to her work that makes her willing to sacrifice everything for it. With a tight bun secured in her hair and a simple dress, she rarely lets herself see beyond the next calculation. As Edith observes, “Lise wants to give herself to science while men want to conquer it.”

Christine Power as Lise and Thomas Grenon as Otto Hahn at work Photo courtesy of Flat Earth Theatre

In a full suit and tweed jacket, Thomas Grenon portrays serious and stern father of nuclear chemistry, Otto Hahn. Grenon skillfully depicts Otto’s enigmatic personality under two contradicting perspectives as an unrelenting, meticulous perfectionist and a smitten, caring husband.

Portraying multiple roles from a scientist to a soldier to a nephew and a few between, chorus members Matt Arnold and Michael Lin slide into each of their roles with easy-to- follow, distinct subtlety.

Directed by Betsy S. Goldman, Delicate Particle Logic by Jennifer Blackmer continues at the Mosesian Center for the Arts, 321 Arsenal Street in Watertown, Massachusetts through Saturday, October 13. Click here for more information and for tickets.

Partially surrounded by a lush green lawn that gives it a campus feel, The Mosesian Center for the Arts houses a number of productions and exhibits during the year. Offering free parking and set next to Panera Bread, current exhibitions include a Member Exhibition and Levon Parion Photographs. The Improbable Players presents A Restaging of the End of the Line on October 17 for free. Some other highlights include Watertown Children’s Theatre’s 35^th Anniversary Celebration There’s No Place Like Home and Upstage Lung Cancer’s annual fundraiser, Barbra, Bette, and Bernadette hosted by Arts and Entertainment critic, Joyce Kulhawik. Click here to see all that Mosesian Center for the Arts has to offer.