life

REVIEW: Lyric Stage’s understated ‘Our Town’ makes the everyday extraordinary

Posted on by The Sleepless Critic

The one constant is change.

Though in a sleepy town like Grover’s Corners, change may not be frequent, but with time, it is inevitable.

Directed discerningly by Courtney O’Connor, Lyric Stage Company of Boston continues Thornton Wilder’s 1938 Pulitzer prize-winning drama, Our Town live and in person at Lyric Stage Company in Boston, Massachusetts through Sunday, October 19.  This classic three-act production is not limited to the stage and runs two hours and ten minutes including an intermission.  Click here for more information and for tickets.

Thomika Marie Bridwell* and Amanda Collins* in Lyric Stage’s ‘Our Town’ Photo by Nile Hawver

Our Town is one of the great American masterpieces of our time and holds a special place in my heart.  Its subtle yet gripping messages about the circle of life universally resonate and can speak to any generation.  I’ve seen Our Town several times before, and yet, every production is its own fresh and unique experience. 

An astute play, I believe your perception of Our Town changes as you grow and change.  Watching it as a teenager in a school play hits differently than seeing it as an adult and will transform again watching it as an elder.  In its simplicity, it carefully unveils life’s profound and fleeting journey while staying relevant for each generation.

Scenic designer Shelley Barish and costumer Rachel Padula-Shufelt embrace its timeless quality by creating a modest yet classic tone in each element of the production.  An impressive multipurpose wooden circular structure is the symbolic centerpiece of Grover’s Corners as Deb Sullivan’s rich and stirring lighting comes to life during affective and pivotal moments, especially in a vibrant purple moonlit sky bathed in puffy clouds.  Instead of using early 19th century period costumes, Rachel Padula-Shufelt shrewdly showcases classic Americana attire which includes suspenders, button down shirts, cardigans, stately three piece suits, understated dresses, and baseball and newsboy caps. 

WIll McGarrahan* in Lyric Stage’s ‘Our Town’ Photo by Nile Hawver

Using very few physical props, much of the production is traditionally imagined through Will McGarrahan‘s skilled and interactive narration as Stage Manager.  His engaging, mirthful and intimate delivery acts as part educator, omniscient narrator, occasional sage commentator, and at times, stepping into the action.

Kathy St. George* in Lyric Stage’s ‘Our Town’ Photo by Nile Hawver

As much as the show may focus on the residents of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire, they are second fiddle to the town itself and its unfolding features.  Within the town’s examination and analysis starting in 1901, something lies deeper within its quiet beauty and unlocked doors.  It also contains a wealth of local references that is not too far from its Boston staging.

Darren Paul, Thomika Marie Bridwell,* Jacob Thomas Less, Kathy St. George,* Amanda Collins,* Jessie Garlick and John Kuntz* in Lyric Stage’s Our Town Photo by Nile Hawver

Whether it’s Josephine Moshiri Elwood as forthright and wondrous Emily or Thomika Marie Bridwell as fanciful Mrs. Gibb, delightful Kathy St. George as inquisitive and precocious Rebecca or Amanda Collins as staunch traditionalist Mrs. Webb or John Kuntz as frank and disheartened Simon Stimson, this wonderful and well cast company authentically explore the small joys, hardships and realities of life with humor, humility and grace.  Elwood as Emily and Dan Garcia as George Gibbs particularly share a sweet sincerity and idealistic charm as they discuss their bright futures.

Dan Garcia and Josephine Moshiri Elwood* in Lyric Stage’s ‘Our Town’ Photo by Nile Hawver

Some productions don’t need all the bells and whistles in order to be genuine and Our Town fits the bill through its strong sense of community.  In this age where life is becoming more and more digitized, this small town unpacks life’s perplex meaning through connection in an impactful production season by season. 

Directed discerningly by Courtney O’Connor, Lyric Stage Company of Boston continues Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer prize-winning drama, Our Town live and in person at Lyric Stage Company in Boston, Massachusetts through Sunday, October 19.  Click here for more information and for tickets.

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

Posted on 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. 

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

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.

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

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.

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

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:  Life’s meaning through theatre in Harbor Stage Company’s witty ‘My Dinner with André’

Posted on by The Sleepless Critic

Dinner with a friend or a long lost and former long time mentor can have its moments. 

However, when it’s co-written by multitalented comic, character, and voiceover actor Wallace Shawn and actor, director and playwright André Gregory, it becomes an intriguing venture into the power of theatre.

Harbor Stage Company presents an original adaptation of My Dinner with André live and in person at the Boston Center for the Arts in Boston, Massachusetts through Sunday, March 30.  This production is 90 minutes with no intermission.  Click here for more information and for tickets.

Jonathan Fielding and Robert Knopf in Harbor Stage Company’s ‘My Dinner with André ‘ Photo by Joe Kenehan

The “inconceivable” villain Vizzini in film classic The Princess Bride, the voice of Rex the dinosaur in the Toy Story series, and Young Sheldon’s eccentric physics mentor are just a few of Wallace Shawn’s most popular roles.  Though My Dinner With André was created before these later successes, this critically acclaimed 1981 indie film starring Shawn and Gregory in the title roles gained its own cult following, especially among theatre lovers.  Wallace’s voice and presence is always distinctive and the writing in this piece offers glimpses of that intellectual charm, wit and humor in little moments of life’s realizations and nuances.  However, it should be noted that these two characters are not necessarily patterned after this co-writing duo, even if they are named after them.

Harbor Stage Company received special permission from Wallace Shawn and André Gregory to adapt this film to the stage for the first time in the United States and it translates beautifully.  It transforms it into theatre within a theatre experience and this adaptation is so naturally done, that it is hard to imagine that Dinner with André was not originally a stage production.   

Set in a stylish corner booth enhanced by John Malinowski’s soft and atmospheric lighting, Evan Farley elegantly creates an authentic upscale restaurant ambiance.  Framed reflective mirrors above the colorful booth and fine details of the embossed crown molding complete this inviting set design as classical music including Satie’s Gymnopédie plays gently in the background.

Jonathan Fielding portrays anxious out of work actor Wallace who is dreading having dinner at a fancy French restaurant in New York City with Robert Knopf as André, mainly because Wallace is not sure what to expect.  What transpires is a sophisticated three course meal that dives deep into life’s mysterious meaning, city life, the art of theatre, the artists’ past experiences, and philosophizes about what is truly important as the next adventurous course is served.  Their exchanges on humans and robots seem timeless as if this production was written yesterday.

Robin Bloodworth, Jonathan Fielding and Robert Knopf in Harbor Stage Company’s ‘My Dinner with André ‘ Photo by Joe Kenehan

My Dinner with André makes thought provoking observations on theatre and how it applies to and reflects reality and the conversation often veers into an unexpected direction which could come off  as awkward had not been for the skilled instincts of these two actors and their observance and self aware comic timing.  Gregory tells outlandish stories about his life experiences and experiments and how it relates to theatre.  Wallace seems a little more guarded and the bemused look on Fielding’s face as Andre’s stories get more bizarre perhaps reflects the audience’s amazement among those anticipating a twist.

While Fielding’s Wallace is frank and forthright with a casual charisma as he engages the audience, Knopf’s charisma lies in his intimate and confiding demeanor with Fielding and warm exchanges with Robin Bloodworth as the attentive waiter. André seems more of an adventurer in search for greater meaning while Wallace is contented in the little things.  Knopf can certainly hold an audience in his deep and animated exchanges with Fielding and their good natured debating is always done with mutual respect. 

Cut out all the noise and have dinner with André, especially if you love theatre.  My Dinner with André blends insightful banter, witty dialogue and subtle humor into a memorable reunion among friends.

Harbor Stage Company presents an original adaptation of My Dinner with André live and in person at the Boston Center for the Arts in Boston, Massachusetts through Sunday, March 30.  This production is 90 minutes with no intermission.  Click here for more information and for tickets.

REVIEW:  Arlekin Players Theatre’s ‘The Dybbuk: Between two worlds’ a haunting and mesmerizing theatrical experience

Posted on by The Sleepless Critic

Someone is laughing. 

Its cadence echoes into a peerless and infectious glee that troubled Khonen, depicted by Andrey Berkovskiy, finds irresistible.  It does not take long to see that Khonen will go to the ends of the earth and beyond seeking that voice chiming in its ethereal splendor.

Unique, haunting, funny, charming, spiritual, and exceptionally creative, The Dybbuk: Between two worlds is a mesmerizing must-see theatrical experience.

Andrey Berkovskiy and Yana Gladkikh Photo by Irina-Danilova

I never use the term ‘must see’ lightly, but it nonetheless fits this particular production in all of its unexpected and immersive twists and turns set exclusively inside a Jewish synagogue.  Brimming with unconventional creativity and cultural tradition, The Dybbuk is a spectacular journey and a dark tale steeped in meticulously timed and atmospheric special effects as it unveils a thrilling and enchanting piece of ancient Jewish folklore.

Imaginatively directed by Igor Golyak, written by Roy Chen, and based on the original play by S. Ansky, Arlekin Players continues The Dybbuk: Between two Worlds live and in person at The Vilna Shul, Boston’s Center for Jewish Culture in Boston, Massachusetts through Sunday, June 30.  This semi-interactive theatrical experience is not limited to the stage and runs 1 hour and 50 minutes with no intermission.  Click here for more information and for tickets. 

The Set of ‘The Dybbuk’ in Vilna Shul .Photo by Irina Danilova

The Dybbuk:  Between two worlds tackles love, marriage, life, death, grief and the in between as well as the significance of a synagogue that still stands after all the turmoil it has endured.  As the play observes describing a synagogue, ‘The walls are damp with tears.’  A synagogue can be the center of sorrow or great joy, but above all, a sanctuary of hope when all seems lost.

Andrey Burkovskiy. and Yana Gladkikh Photo by Irina Danilova

What makes this production so exciting, beautiful and so downright impressive is this complex and powerful tale is wrapped in a riveting experience.  The Dybbuk is a grand and exhilarating journey, but it also depicts sweet moments of simplicity from Andrey Berkovskiy as Khonen and Yana Gladkikh as Leah with finesse.  Both characters shine in their perspective roles but Berkovskiy’s wondrous curiosity, playfulness, mischievousness, passion and anguish boast a spellbinding charisma.  While his good intentions radiate in the smallest of gestures, Berkovskiy’s wide eyed wonder of this world and his boldness are often at odds as he agonizes over his fate.   Gladkikh as Leah demonstrates a beautiful vulnerability and conflict in her delicate and porcelain like features infused with a soothing and melodious voice that she also uses to sing.  Gladkikh’s Leah is delightful, innocent, romantic, and naïve sharing with Berkovskiy a captivating, giddy, and endearing playfulness in a situation that is eternally complicated.

Leah flies to Khonen. Photo by Irina Danilova

This enthusiastic cast blends intensity and humor and although this is an ancient tale, Golyak strings together elements of the traditional and the contemporary.  Wearing a string of pearls and a black dress, Deb Martin portrays Leah’s grandmother with a rigid frame yet bold and heightened awareness.  Shrewd and protective with a dry sense of humor, Martin as Frade is not to be underestimated.

Deb Martin as Frade. Photo by Irina Danilova

The Dybbuk’s immersive and unpredictable setting is fueled by ingenious creativity in Jeff Adelberg’s luminous lighting design seamlessly paired with Fedor Zhuravlev’s robust sound that animates this dark, mystical and ancient world filled with rustic crystal chandeliers and scaffolding that sit beneath a vast skylight by scenic designer Igor Golyak with Sasha Kuznetsova.  The Dybbuk’s emotive light and sound deliver an ominous quality, humor, and awe-inspiring surprise nothing less than magical.  The transformation of a simple piece of plastic is just a sample of the inventive flair that helps to piece together this often poetic tale.

Andrey Burkovskiy calling to Leah. Photo by Irina Danilova

Imaginatively directed by Igor Golyak, written by Roy Chen, and based on the original play by S. Ansky, Arlekin Players continues The Dybbuk: Between two worlds live and in person at The Vilna Shul, Boston’s Center for Jewish Culture in Boston, Massachusetts through Sunday, June 30.  This semi-interactive theatrical experience is not limited to the stage and runs 1 hour and 50 minutes with no intermission.  Click here for more information and for tickets. 

REVIEW:  The risk of depending on one another in SpeakEasy Stage Company’s tender ‘Cost of Living’

Posted on by The Sleepless Critic

‘It’s just unfortunate that some people have already lived a lot of life before they meet other people.’

This introspective observance is one of several pearls of wisdom from Martyna Majok’s insightful and perceptive script focusing on four struggling individuals in two parallel and intersecting stories as SpeakEasy Stage presents Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Cost of Living live and in person at Calderwood Pavilion in Boston, Massachusetts through Saturday, March 30.  Sensitively directed by Alex Lonati, this thought provoking production contains strong language, adult themes, and runs 1 hour and 40 minutes with no intermission.  Click here for more information and for tickets.

Scenic director Janie E Howland’s muted colored set includes blocks of windows stacked in various sizes as shadows of individuals glow in pastel illumination by lighting designer Amanda E. Fallon.  We are the observers of these two pairs of individuals and Fallon infuses subtle and colorful lighting on Howland’s muted colored set seemingly to illustrate not only the other tenants in the building, but the art of observing. 

Lewis D. Wheeler as Eddie in ‘Cost of Living’ Photo by Nile Scott Studios

Cost of Living focuses on the journey of living itself including the kindnesses and the sufferings people can endure externally and internally.  These four individuals have been through different degrees of hardship and find themselves having to depend upon one another for some relief as they each attempt to make a new start in life.  With easygoing demeanor and insightful charm, Lewis D. Wheeler is mesmerizing as a recovering alcoholic and unemployed truck driver Eddie.  Wheeler’s engaging opening and personable monologue pulls the audience into his consuming thoughts and complicated heartache.  Tough talking yet with penetrating vulnerability, Stephanie Gould movingly depicts Eddie’s estranged wife Ani who suffers from a shattered spinal cord as a result of a devastating accident.  Both lonely individuals in North Jersey, Gould’s dark wit with a dash of satirical humor as Ani blends intriguingly well with Eddie’s ease and their sporadically humorous banter and relatable conversations sharing their innermost thoughts, dreams, hopes, and fears reflect the nature of their longevity together.  Their tense familiarity is apparent even in their physical interactions.  As Anna Drummond’s adsorbing sound design delivers Erik Satie’s Gymnopédie in the background, this familiarity is exemplified in a rush of emotions as Eddie and Ani discuss the therapeutic power of music. 

Gina Fonseca as candid yet secretive Princeton graduate and immigrant Jess struggles to make ends meet in Brooklyn, NY and is being considered to care for Sean Leviashvilli as steadfast, cautious, and wealthy graduate student John who has cerebral palsy.  John needs someone who as he states ‘will keep me handsome’ such as shower and shave him daily.  Jess is driven and insistent that she is the person for the job, but John is hesitant because he has had other caretakers who have not worked out.  Fonseca as Jess and Leviashvilli as John share a chatty and awkward tension as they discover nuances about each other and at times strike up endearing camaraderie.

Stephanie Gould as Ani and Lewis D. Wheeler as Eddie in ‘Cost of Living’ Photo by Nile Scott Studios

Martya Majok’s Cost of Living not only explores surviving financially, but the risk and agony of putting trust in another person.  This show tackles some difficult and heartrending topics with a resonating message delivered with eloquence, humor and sincerity as unpredictable as life itself. 

SpeakEasy Stage Company presents Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Cost of Living live and in person at Calderwood Pavilion in Boston, Massachusetts through March 30.   Sensitively directed by Alex Lonati, this thought provoking production is 1 hour and 40 minutes with no intermission.  Click here for more information and for tickets.

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

Posted on 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. 

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.

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.

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.

REVIEWS:  Harbor Stage Company’s striking ‘Northside Hollow’ and Liv at Sea Productions presents absorbing ‘Liv at Sea’

Posted on by The Sleepless Critic

The thrill of feeling engulfed in a theatrical experience is just what Harbor Stage Company delivered when disaster struck as part of their tense drama Northside Hollow in an already intimate setting.  Harbor Stage Company’s Northside Hollow brought fascinating and immersive storytelling to the stage with authenticity and occasional humor.

Grippingly directed and written by Jonathan Fielding and Brenda Withers, Harbor Stage Company presented Northside Hollow from Tuesday, January 11 through Saturday, January 20 live and in person at Boston Center of the Arts (BCA) Plaza Black Box Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts.  The production was 1 hour 20 minutes with no intermission and had some mature language.  Click here for more information and Liv at Sea Productions with Harbor Stage Company presents Liv at Sea currently running through Sunday, January 28.

Industrial lights and mysterious headlamps play a crucial role in the production’s immersive authenticity as well as the feeling of sheer engulfment in a catastrophic event.  Strewn metal, wooden pieces and tight passages create a realistic pit and an arduous challenge to overcome.

The chilling tension took hold minutes into the production and the audience becomes a part in Gene’s mutual distress. Injured Gene portrayed with frank cynicism, humorous likability, and a wonderful drawl by Robert Kropf, is a miner in peril.  He is trapped in a collapse and is too injured to climb out alone.  Volunteer EMT Marshall, depicted with insightful practicality by Alex Pollock, arrives to rescue him, but can they escape and how did this collapse happen in the first place? 

Northside Hollow L to R Robert Kropf and Alex Pollack Photo credit to Edward Boches

The twists and odd turns are quite compelling and though the show is mildly predictable, the execution is extraordinary.  With grime caked on his face, Kropf captures Gene’s stubbornness,  worn demeanor, sardonic humor, and sheer exhaustion as he helplessly asks for the impossible – a burger.  Gene shares fascinating camaraderie with spiritually centered, focused and sensible Pollack as Marshall.  Brimming with emotion and perspective, both actors deliver powerful performances as they contemplate faith, relationships, mortality, music, morality, and life’s intricacies while merging their skills in an attempt to conquer the loneliness and fear of this moment.

Harbor Stage Company presented Northside Hollow from Thursday, January 11 through Saturday, January 20 live and in person at Boston Center for the Arts (BCA) Plaza Black Box Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts.  The production was 1 hour 20 minutes with no intermission.  Click here for more information and Liv at Sea Productions with Harbor Stage Company presents Liv at Sea is running through Sunday, January 28.

REVIEW:  Liv at Sea Productions presents absorbing ‘Liv at Sea’

It is the kind of silence that could only mean that something has changed. 

Two people in metaphorically two different places in their relationship stand in a stark and bare room.  One is at the precipice while the other is helpless witnessing it.  Both are in agony and one is longing for water.

Paige O’Connor and Nick Wilson in ‘Liv at Sea’ Photo credit to Edward Boches

Affectively written and directed by Robert Kropf, Liv at Sea continues live and in person at Boston Center for the Arts (BCA) Plaza Black Box Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts through Sunday, January 28. The production has some mature language, runs 90 minutes with no intermission, and contains a brief strobe light sequence.  Click here for more information and for tickets.

With bare feet on sand colored carpet, introspective indie music weaves cleverly in and out of this production by sound designer Joe Kenehan as Liv hesitates to share her true feelings.  With cheerful lighting in unexpected places by John Malinowski, the unembellished staging features an at first blank canvas that comes to life mixing cinematography by Adam Foster and art to illustrate metropolitan and creation while the symbolic black and white costumes add a single splash of color for renewal.

Paige O’Connor as Liv in ‘Liv at Sea’ Photo credit Edward Boches

The audience is arranged in the center while the action is refreshingly not limited to this stage.  A dramatic tale told out of sequence and largely unconventional which includes the quirky, romantic, artistic, and brooding dreamer Liv, depicted with nonconformist charm by Paige O’Connor.  While O’Connor’s long gazes and deep and contemplative silences can weigh down a room, anxiety-laden and chatty Nick, portrayed by Nick Wilson, bends over backwards to lighten it with humor.  Many of their exchanges are strained and tense and yet both characters are distinctive and likable.  Wilson is particularly funny as he delves into an uninvited guessing game with Liv.  In charming glasses and a beard, Wilson is sympathetic and earnest as he struggles to understand his restless and distant live-in girlfriend.

‘Liv at Sea’ Photo credit to Edward Boches

A mysterious stranger, depicted by Jack Aschenbach, appears to provide a complicated bright spot in this production.  Serious, romantic and perceptive, Ashenbach unleashes a new side in O’Connor’s Liv that comes with risk in what the future holds.

Liv at Sea is an absorbing journey that explores the nature of relationships at its root and bloom as well as its endings, beginnings, and the restless uncertainty in-between with hope and ruefulness. 

Affectively written and directed by Robert Kropf, Liv at Sea continues live and in person at Boston Center for the Arts (BCA) Plaza Black Box Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts through Sunday, January 28. The production has some mature language, runs 90 minutes with no intermission, and contains a brief strobe light sequence.  Click here for more information and for tickets.

REVIEW: A Far Cry makes a luminous and powerful onstage debut at South Shore Conservatory with ‘Circle of Life’

Posted on by The Sleepless Critic

Forgive me for being excited.  This was the first music concert the Sleepless Critic has attended since 2020 and by none other than a Grammy-nominated group during the final days of summer.  For A Far Cry, it was not only this renowned chamber orchestra’s debut at the South Shore Conservatory, but their first set of live performances to kick off their 15th season after last season was done entirely virtually. 

Elegantly dressed in flowing dresses and suits, this Boston-based group of musicians couldn’t have been more thrilled to take the outdoor stage in front of a live audience again as the skies grew dark, the crickets chimed in, and the Amphitheater’s twinkling lights began to burn. 

Tackling life’s tumultuously journey from sweeping birth to a peaceful end, A Far Cry opened their new season with Circle of Life at South Shore Conservatory’s Jane Carr Amphitheater on Saturday, September 18 in Hingham, Massachusetts.  Click here to find out where A Far Cry will perform next.

Gearing up for A Far Cry that evening Photo courtesy of the South Shore Conservatory

A Far Cry’s Grace Kennerly offered a warm introduction as all 18 ‘criers’ took the stage for their opening work arranged by Alex Fortes of Bela Bartok’s Traditional Lullabies and For Children arranged by Leo Weiner.  This work of sweeping, wondrous, and charming lullabies also delivers bursts of foreboding and urgency through a solo violin.  Its soft, soothing strings create a dreamlike quality as the movement gallops toward exuberance and a sense of adventure.

A particular highlight of the concert lies within Franghiz Ali-Zaheh’s Shyschtar:  Metamorphoses for String Orchestra which is described as ‘the development of oneself in the teenage years.’  Instantly captivating, Metamorphoses evokes strife and a mysterious urgency, almost sounding like something borrowed from Hitchcock.  The carefully-timed violin plucking, occasional vocalizing, and haunting tapping enhances the work’s thrilling and suspenseful rhythms as the work builds to a searing climax before it takes an unexpectedly poignant tone and draws toward its eerie conclusion. 

A Far Cry’s Jason Fisher introduced Antonin Dvorak’s stirring Serenade for Strings.  This work carries its own quiet excitement as Dvorak wrote it while he and his wife were expecting.  It has occasional undertones similar to a wedding march and like Lullabies, a dreamlike quality and a gentle building of anticipation.  The lengthiest movement, Serenade for Strings delivers chirping peacefulness and quiet interludes with a touch of melancholy as it builds to an uproarious, gallivanting glee.

Karl Doty’s Castles, though it is Circle of Life’s shortest work, packs a no less powerful punch.  It has a vibrancy and incandescence that comes together in a rush.  With its occasional vocalizing, it evokes vitality, strength and a degree of reminiscing as this piece was written when Doty returned to his childhood home.

To complete the Circle of Life, A Far Cry performed Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 16 in F Major, Op. 135.  It’s a combination of a quiet musing, searing rhythm, and an intangible foreboding of the inevitable.  However, this piece also evokes a settling and resignation of what is to come.

Kicking off their 15th season on a powerful note with the exploration of life’s journey, A Far Cry will continue in October.  Click here for A Far Cry’s upcoming performances and here for more information on South Shore Conservatory’s upcoming events.

REVIEW: Inspiring documentary ‘Won’t You Be My Neighbor’ more than a beautiful day in the neighborhood

Posted on by The Sleepless Critic

“It’s such a good feeling to know we are lifelong friends,” was Mr. Rogers final words as he closed out his show, Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, in 2001.  However, the impact he has had on the world is timeless.

Though The Sleepless Critic usually tackles the very best in music and theatre, one has to make an exception to express the rare, extraordinary quality in Morgan Neville’s Won’t You Be My Neighbor, a moving, deeply personal documentary which highlights Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, a children’s show that was unconventionally the best in television and ran from 1968 through 2001 on PBS.  The film is currently in limited release.  Click here for more information and ticket availability.

This is not to say Won’t You Be My Neighbor didn’t explore the power of music.  American cellist Yo-Yo Ma appeared on Mr. Rogers Neighborhood at a young age and shared his exceptional musical talent.

Mr. Rogers also used music as a powerful tool to influence his viewers such as with his original song, It’s You I Like.   An introvert from childhood, Mr. Rogers often expressed his feelings through music.  This inspiring documentary opens with Mr. Rogers offering a metaphor on the piano about life’s difficult transitions.  He expressed how easy it may be to get from a C note to a D, but how challenging it is to transition from an F to an F sharp, paralleling the challenges children face growing up.  His dedication to children through television offered children support on how to overcome the hardships of life and feel like they have a unique importance in this world.

The film draws from Mr. Rogers’s charisma, which softened the toughest of hearts with his assertion that everyone either had love or lacked it.  Through his family members, cast, crew, and some of his adversaries, it is a balanced portrayal of an ordained minister with a simple purpose, a purpose that was not always understood.  Nonetheless, Won’t You Be My Neighbor is an important film that has navigated generations of children through grief, assassination, divorce, disabilities, and other hardships, providing glimpses into devastation in recent history such as war, the Challenger tragedy, and 9/11.

Won’t You Be My Neighbor was also not without its own sense of humor from backstage antics to show parodies.  However, the best quality of Won’t You Be My Neighbor is, like a good neighbor, Mr. Rogers had a warm smile and an open door, and he genuinely cared.  That’s an awful lot of comfort in a troubled world.

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REVIEW: Festive and moving, Massasoit’s production of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ is time well spent

Posted on by The Sleepless Critic

Soft, twinkling lights and vintage multi-colored bulbs frame the Buckley Performing Arts Center stage as beloved Christmas carols ring in the holiday cheer in anticipation of a beloved tale.  That familiar sign, “You are Now in Bedford Falls” rings true as Massasoit Theatre Company opened a four show, two weekend run of It’s A Wonderful Life continuing through Sunday, December 3 at Buckley Performing Arts Center, part of Massasoit Community College in Brockton, Massachusetts.  Craig O’Connor, who acts as part narrator and full-time aspiring angel, warmly recalls a beautiful and haunting tale of the value of a life well spent.  Click here for more information and for tickets.

It's a Wonderful Life Bedford Falls

Curtis J. Bellafiore as George and Elizabeth Lovley as Mary Hatch and the cast Photo courtesy of Massasoit Theatre Company

Massasoit has an affinity for festive onstage caroling during annual holiday productions and We Wish You a Merry Christmas is just one of an array of classic tunes to set the mood.  The rolling stage, designed impressively by Nathan Fogg DeSisto, hearkens not only to its vintage 1920s to 40s setting, but visually captures some of the tale’s most iconic moments from the cold, snow covered bridge to a wooden bench frequently shown in Bedford Falls, a setting inspired by Seneca Falls, New York.  Jennifer Spagone’s distinct costume design make the cast looked sharp as women wore brightly colored dresses from polka dots to paisley in signature hairstyles of the period and the men in a variety of suits, ties, and winter coats faithful to the season.

It's a wonderful life Baileys

Patricia Straight-McGrath as Mother Bailey and Curtis J. Bellafiore as George Photo courtesy of Massasoit Theatre Company

Told partly in vignettes and flashbacks, It’s a Wonderful Life focuses on a morbidly downtrodden George Bailey, portrayed with a unique charisma by Curtis J. Bellafiore, who reaches a pivotal moment in his life that makes him question the value of his existence.  Enter mild-mannered Clarence Odbody, portrayed with warmhearted sincerity by Craig O’Connor, who questions whether he can produce a Christmas miracle.

It's a wonderful life Uncle Billy

Curtis J. Bellafiore as George and Danny Hannafin as Uncle Billy Photo courtesy of Massasoit Theatre Company

Director Tony Ruscio masters the challenging task of capturing the charm of this small town through the cast’s jocular and moving camaraderie.  The children have small roles, but each engages the audience in their own distinct way.  With a winning smile and apprehensive verbal style only mildly reminiscent of Jimmy Stewart’s portrayal, Curtis J. Bellafiore, embodies endearing dreamer George Bailey with a unique charisma.  His instant chemistry with Elizabeth Lovley as jubilant, yet mysterious Mary Hatch is captivating to watch.  Lovley’s real skill as Mary is not just in the scripted word, but in the subtlety of her performance.  Lovley’s quiet serenity perfectly complements Bellafiore’s charming optimism.  Craig O’Connor harnesses such a natural presence as lovable Clarence that it is difficult to imagine the actor himself any other way.

Chris DiOrio, last seen as grouchy but lovable Shrek in Hingham Civic Music Theatre’s fall production of the same name, takes a gloriously dark turn as the infamous Mr. Potter.   As he makes his demands from a sitting position, his presence casts a constant shadow, his deep, gravelly, and well spoken demeanor brimming with unflinching practicality.  His calculating exchanges with each cast member are riveting to say the least.

It's a wonderful life Potter

Chris DiOrio as Mr. Potter, Jim Gross, and Margaret O’Brien as Bank Examiner Photo courtesy of Massasoit Theatre Company

Massasoit Theatre Company’s festive and moving It’s A Wonderful Life continues through Sunday, December 3 at Buckley Performing Arts Center, One Massasoit Boulevard in Brockton, Massachusetts.  Call 508-427-1234 or click here for tickets and further details.  Follow Massasoit Theatre Company on Facebook for upcoming events and more.