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REVIEW: Exiled Theatre’s disquieting and a bit fuzzy trilogy thriller ‘Hauntings I Have Lived Through’

Posted on 7 Days Ago by The Sleepless Critic

Three lost women. One embraces it, one denies it, and one leans into it.

In their first show since the pandemic, Exiled Theatre presented Hauntings I Have Lived Through, a trilogy thriller that took place live and in person at Boston Playwrights Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts through Sunday, November 19. Written and directed by James Wilkinson, the show was 80 minutes without an intermission. Click here for more information on future performances.

From L to R: Laura Crook Waxdal, Morganna Becker, and Alex Alexander in Exiled Theatre’s ‘Hauntings I Have Lived Through’ Photo credit to James Wikinson

The set, which included a water pitcher and empty glass on a wooden desk sitting on top of a colorful Egyptian rug, is simply staged but each character handles the set differently. The harp-laden, eerie music fits the ominous aura between scenes.

Hauntings I Have Lived Through may hint at a collection of ghost stories especially since it was delivered just after Halloween, but this is not entirely the case. Three separate women recall enduring unique types of trauma. However, coping with occasional moments of dark humor, their reactions are relatable even in the darkest of circumstances.

In The Hanging Tree, an increasing anxious and somewhat disheveled woman approaches the desk. She admits to coming off a tough breakup, though the breakup is mostly incidental to the show’s real story. The real story develops from an offhanded remark about a mysterious Sycamore tree in her woodsy backyard of a house she is becoming increasingly uncomfortable residing in. With darting eyes, increasingly shaking hands, and a pale and stricken expression as she utters the anxiety laden yet humorous remark, ‘Pause for effect’ is effective as a rare light in Alex Alexander’s character’s bleak testimony before veering into an unpredictable direction.

Alex Alexander in Exiled Theatre’s ‘Hauntings I Have Lived Through’ Photo credit to James Wilkinson

Morganna Becker’s character has been through a lot, but her frank, sarcastic and chatty tone hints of denial as she recalls a macabre event in the show’s second part, Nora (All Over). This chapter is a bit muddled and at times difficult to follow, but there is no denying that this woman has also been through defining trauma. As Becker recounts her story as if incidentally recalling the difficulties of a typically tough day, there is a fear behind her engaging, yet guarded demeanor. This story is particularly graphic and gory while Becker takes it in as if she is a spectator in her own life. Her subtle fear keeps her sympathetic as if she will at any minute grasp the gravity of what she has experienced.

Morganna Becker in Exiled Theatre’s ‘Hauntings I Have Lived Through’ Photo credit to James Wilkinson

The finale, The Dark Lady Gospels, delves into experienced trauma, but does not seem to belong with the other parts of the trilogy. Laura Crook Waxdal delivers a strong performance as a twisted evangelist, but this compassionate woman does not practice what she preaches. This part seems more parlor trick and diatribe than what could have been a meaty exploration into this complicated and abandoned woman’s character. Perhaps her practices are a veiled attempt to cope with trauma, but even so, what she preaches seems beside the point and bereft of hope. As a woman with a considerable amount to live for, it does not fit squarely into the show’s premise and gradually strays too far from its focus hinging more on fear than exploration.

Laura Crook Waxdal in Exiled Theatre’s ‘Hauntings I Have Lived Through’ Photo credit to James Wilkinson

Exiled Theatre presented Hauntings I Have Lived Through, a trilogy thriller that took place live and in person at Boston Playwrights Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts through Sunday, November 19. Written and directed by James Wilkinson, the show was 80 minutes without an intermission. Click here for more information on future performances.

REVIEW: Between laughter and rage, the Huntington Theatre, Alliance Theatre, and Front Porch Arts Collective’s leaves food for thought with ‘Fat Ham’

Posted on October 25 by The Sleepless Critic

Whether in a kingdom or a small town, rumors still fly.

However, at this small town barbeque and with the audience as small town witnesses, Juicy has to overcome more than a Fat Ham to make things right within his wild and dysfunctional family.

Based partially on Shakespeare’s classic production Hamlet and conscientiously directed by Stevie Walker-Webb, the Huntington Theatre in association with Alliance Theatre and Front Porch Arts Collective presents James IJames’s semi-interactive dramedy Fat Ham through Sunday, October 29 live and in person at Calderwood Pavilion in Boston, MA. This Pulitzer prize-winning show is 90 minutes with no intermission and contains mature themes and strong language. Click here for more information and tickets.

Marshall W. Mabry IV, Lau’rie Roach. The Huntington’s Fat Ham by James Ijames. Directed by Stevie Walker-Webb. Photo by T Charles Erickson.

What is refreshing about this contemporary iteration of Hamlet is not only is it much more of a comedy than a tragedy, but it also roots itself far more into the family dynamic than even Shakespeare portrayed. Watching Hamlet, one assumes that the king and his son had a traditional and loving father-son relationship. What if it everything was far more complicated? What if the father is not the model dad that a child grows to admire? Fat Ham bears a resemblance to the classic production in key plot points, but then flips the script and transitions into its own entity that delves into the cycle of intergenerational trauma swinging from ruthless, creepy and suspenseful to not taking itself too seriously.

Rather than Hamlet standing for Juicy, the metaphorical star of this production is just what one roasts during a barbecue, a fat pig as a grill takes center stage. However, there is a struggle of who is king of this house as Juicy’s father has just died and Juicy’s uncle suspiciously soon after marries Juicy’s mom, Tedra.

Victoria Omoregie, Thomika Marie Bridwell, Lau’rie Roach, Amar Atkins, Marshall W. Mabry IV. The Huntington’s Fat Ham by James Ijames. Directed by Stevie Walker-Webb. Photo by T Charles Erickson.

Fat Ham is humorously set in ‘Virginia or Maryland or Tennessee’ and in a small town where gossip travels fast. Luciana Stecconi’s working class set design boasts tiny, multi-functional and mood setting white lights that adorn a large tree on a dilapidated back porch strewn with arbitrary clothes hanging on a disheveled clothesline. Baby shower balloons, a tire swing, grill and a fire pit surround a half decorated picnic table and chairs. Costume designer Celeste Jennings leans on frenetic colors and patterns to accentuate the essence of each character. Aubrey Dube’s rich sound design, Xiangfu Xiao’s sharp lighting, and Evan Northrup’s amazing illusion design all team up to illustrate some startling, eerie, foreboding, and pivotal revelations.

Marshall W. Mabry IV. The Huntington’s Fat Ham by James Ijames. Directed by Stevie Walker-Webb. Photo by T Charles Erickson.

In some key ways, Fat Ham’s cast improves on the Shakespeare’s classic play and Ijames diligently exposes the hypocrisy of each character. The casting is also particularly astute as Juicy, depicted with timid and burdened inquisitiveness by Marshall W. Mabry IV and Lau’rie Roach portrays lively and wisecracking cousin Tio who buries insightfulness in raunchy humor. Ebony Marshall-Oliver as self centered Tedra still shares a nurturing and sympathetic rapport with Mabry while flaunting spicy swagger with Vincent Ernest Siders as Rev/Pap. A particular scene in which Marshall-Oliver and Mabry both shine is a dynamic musical interlude that shows off their individual charisma and prowess.

James T. Alfred, Ebony Marshall-Oliver, Victoria Omoregie, Thomika Marie Bridwell. The Huntington’s Fat Ham by James Ijames. Directed by Stevie Walker-Webb. Photo by T Charles Erickson.

Vincent Ernest Siders stepped in as Rev/Pap and punctuates his performance with a domineering sneer as well as savage and manipulative taunting. Victoria Omoregie as Opal and Thomika Marie Bridwell as Rabby deliver a relatable and hilarious mother-daughter relationship while Amar Atkins bears his own burdens as Opal’s seemingly straight laced brother Larry.

Sometimes it takes something big for life to change. Fat Ham explores overcoming betrayal and one’s supposed lot in life against all odds to forge a new path in a crazy world.

REVIEW: In honor of Boston’s Old North Church’s tricentennial, Plays in Place rewinds the clock for tense and engrossing ‘Revolution’s Edge’

Posted on August 8 by The Sleepless Critic

After 300 years, Boston’s Old North Church has stood through some of the most exciting and harrowing moments in our nation’s history. The Old North Church’s clock has consistently kept time since 1726. Playwright Patrick Gabridge pens an original play that explores a particularly intense dialogue set on the eve of the Revolutionary War in 1775. Plays in Place rewinds the clock to 1775 where three individuals contemplate their fates as tensions escalate to panic, gradually making it impossible not to take action.

Nathan Johnson photo-by Nile Scott Studios

In honor of the Old North Church’s 300^th anniversary and directed skillfully by Alexandra Smith, Plays in Place presents Patrick Gabridge’s engaging Revolution’s Edge, live and in person at The Old North Church in Boston Massachusetts on select days through September 19. The production is 45 minutes with no intermission and the box pews provide an immersive view. It is an educational production that is appropriate for families. Click here for more information and for tickets.

Brooks Reeves Photo by Nile Scott Studios

From colorful waistcoats to pristine linen shirts to proper vestments, Christina Beam’s elegantly detailed costumes are perfectly authentic to its era and one couldn’t have asked for a better setting than the Old North Church, Boston’s oldest surviving church right along the Freedom Trail.

Evan Turissini and Brooks Reeves Photo-by Nile Scott Studios

Three individuals composed of a reverend/doctor, his slave, and a sea captain are metaphorically tied together during this strained window in history. They are contemplating the state of Boston, the nation, and their future. Each clings to a different perspective of their future in terms of family, loyalty, occupation, politics, and identity. Two are a friendship divided through conflict and one is left without a choice as they articulate their thoughts and struggles while the world seems to be collapsing around them.

Gabridge’s passionate script has an intensity rooted in fear that looms quietly and then builds throughout the production. It also brings out the best in this trio of performers. Revolution’s Edge teeters from warmth to anxiousness to manipulation, but each evokes a note of consideration and compassion, even while blinded by fear.

Evan Turissini portrays American ship captain, vestryman, and patriot Captain John Pulling Jr. with reason, devotion, and compassion for the others, but is squarely dedicated to his cause. Turissini and Brooks Reeves as complicated Rev. Dr. Mather Byles Jr, a reverend and doctor with ties to England and America, share some pivotal and contentious moments that bring out some indelible performances. Huddled closely together, it is engrossing to watch their war of words. Byles’s impatience and manipulative side is particularly exposed in a significant conversation with Byles’s slave Cato, depicted sympathetically and astutely by Nathan Johnson. Johnson is faced with agonizing sacrifices and is truly the heart of this production.

Nathan Johnson and Brooks Reeves Photo by Nile Scott Studios

Revolution’s Edge cleverly weaves some of Boston’s most significant events including the Boston Tea Party and Revere’s Ride while the audience is still privy to dangerous events in motion right outside the church’s windows.

Though this would be especially fascinating for visitors of Boston and historians, Revolution’s Edge is an exciting and deeply educational window into a harrowing moment in history. Witnessing it knowing how the world is now brings intricate and profound meaning.

In honor of the Old North Church’s 300^th anniversary and directed by Alexandra Smith, Plays in Place presents Patrick Gabridge’s engaging Revolution’s Edge live and in person at The Old North Church in Boston Massachusetts on select days through September 19. The production is 45 minutes with no intermission and the box pews provide an immersive view. Click here for more information and for tickets.

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 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: Actors’ Shakespeare Project and Theater Offensive stage bold classic ‘As You Like it’

Posted on June 25 by The Sleepless Critic

The name says so much. Directed zealously by Harold Steward, Shakespeare’s As You like It is wide open to interpretation and Actors’ Shakespeare Project and the Theater Offensive take full advantage of Shakespeare’s broad title and sentiment with their production of As You Like It continuing live and in person at Tufts University’s Balch Arena Theatre in Medford, MA through June 25. The show has some mature themes. Click here for more information and tickets which includes pay what you can seats.

Mishka Yarovoy and Fady Demian in Actors’ Shakespeare Project’s As You Like It (2023). Photo by Nile Scott Studios.

As You Like It has a modern spirit in its colorful and unique two story setting by Ben Lieberson of pastel hued Arden complete with textured trees. Greatly considered a musical comedy, Harold Steward navigates its contemporary sound design filled with club and classic love songs as well as rich harmony such as Blow, Blow, thou winter wind sung live in the forest. Even love struck Mishka Yarovoy as Orlando hums a classic Annie Lennox tune and a shimmering chime can be heard between scenes. Steward’s dynamic costumes have a certain edge and whimsy, but the play itself is traditional Shakespeare in its text and Balch’s beautiful and traditional Shakespeare staging in the round is framed in alternating neon pinks, greens and blues by Amanda E. Fallon.

Gabriel Graetz, Bobbie Steinbach, and Lindsay Eagle in Actors’ Shakespeare Project’s As You Like It (2023). Photo by Nile Scott Studios.

As the story goes, As You Like it focuses on family rivalry as well as forbidden love and the lengths in which one must go in the name of it. As one who has depicted Shakespeare’s Henry V onstage, As You Like It features swapped gender roles popular in many of Shakespeare’s productions. Bobbie Steinbach delivers a standout performance as Jaques who declares the classic monologue, ‘All the World’s A Stage’ with depth and contemplation as only a sage storyteller can. Steinbach has charisma, stature and is a bit of a scene stealer expressing all of Jacques’ melancholy and musings. Fady Demian in one of three roles is memorable as old shepherd Corin as he delivers some zingers petering around Arden. Lindsay Eagle delights as the ruthless Charles and the infatuated Phoebe as Nathan Malin’ s poor shepherd Silvius, in hopeless love with Phoebe, gazes on. Malin and Eagle have quite a few awkwardly amusing moments, but Malin’s sheer enthusiasm, goofy charm, and sharp comic timing bring lighthearted cheer to the production, breaking any tense moment.

Nathan Malin and Lindsay Eagle in Actors’ Shakespeare Project’s As You Like It (2023). Photo by Nile Scott Studios.

Mishka Yarovou portrays reserved, shy, and unassuming Orlando who falls for the absolutely glowing Rosalind, portrayed by Genevieve Simon. Simon shares a playful and exuberant chemistry and equally charming is the camaraderie and love between Simon and Regine Vital as Rosalind’s witty and beautiful cousin Celia. They are inseparable and Vitale shines as Celia who spends much of the production a spectator of love. Vitale’s reactions throughout the show are relatable, humorous, and express much of what the audience is thinking.

Regine Vital and Genevieve Simon in Actors’ Shakespeare Project’s As You Like It (2023). Photo by Nile Scott Studios.

Love games, familial love, love notes, love in disguise, love triangles, love lessons, love schemes, fool’s love, silliness, unpredictable matches, ideas on wives versus maids, and many other amusing high jinx dwell in the Forest of Arden lit by a series of multicolored lamps. Much of Shakespeare’s wisdom is entwined about love and life, but personal favorites include that love is to be made up of sighs and tears as well as all adoration, duty, and observance. While Shakespeare explores idealistic and romantic love, it also examines the solid foundation of true love, one full of duty and grace which cannot easily be broken.

Genevieve Simon and Mishka Yarovoy in Actors’ Shakespeare Project’s As You Like It (2023). Photo by Nile Scott Studios.

Actors’ Shakespeare Project and the Theater Offensive take full advantage of Shakespeare’s broad title and sentiment with their production of As You Like It continuing live and in person at Tufts University’s Balch Arena Theatre in Medford, MA through June 25. The show has some mature themes. Click here for more information and tickets which includes pay what you can seats.

REVIEW: SpeakEasy Stage Company offers a shrewd and exceptional ‘Fairview’

Posted on March 7 by The Sleepless Critic

Mama is about to have a birthday bash no one will soon forget.

Prepared by Yewande Odetoyinbo as Beverly and Dominic Carter as Dayton who delivered playful and endearing chemistry previously seen in Lyric Stage Company’s production The Light, SpeakEasy Stage Company’s brilliant production of Fairview is an impactful and evolving show that has so much to say, but yet so little should be said before witnessing it. Its humor ranges from conventional to absurd to acerbic and should be watched, understood, and thought over.

Yewande Odetoyinbo and Dom Carter. Nile Scott Studios

SpeakEasy Stage Company presents Jackie Sibblies Drury’s Pulitzer prize-winning Fairview live and in person at Calderwood Pavilion in Boston, Massachusetts through Saturday, March 11. Powerfully directed by Pascale Florestal, Fairview boasts an excellent and dynamic cast. Fairview runs one hour and 45 minutes with no intermission and contains adult themes. Click here for more information and tickets.

Lyndsay Allyn Cox, Yewande Odetoyinbo, and Victoria Omoregie. Nile Scott Studios

Amid an Obama family portrait on the left and a Langston Hughes poem on the right with upscale furniture and a dangling crystal chandelier overhead by Erik D Diaz, the production opens to an inviting and seemingly affluent household as Beverly, attempting to quell her nerves, begins to dance while peeling a carrot for Mama’s birthday dinner. Soon joined by Dayton, Lyndsay Allyn Cox as Beverly’s sister Jasmine and Victoria Omoregie as Beverly and Dayton’s daughter Keisha, Fairview reveals a dysfunctional family gearing up for a big night for Mama. Beverly’s only wish is for everything to be perfect.

Fairview addresses the nature of observing and perspective in a unique, palpable and unpredictable manner and it is quite a wild ride to its astonishing conclusion, so be still and observe. This may be unlike anything witnessed before onstage and most assuredly worth the journey.

SpeakEasy Stage Company presents Jackie Sibblies Drury’s Pulitzer prize-winning Fairview live and in person at Calderwood Pavilion in Boston, Massachusetts through Saturday, March 11. Fairview runs one hour and 45 minutes with no intermission and has adult themes. Click here for more information and tickets.

REVIEW: Theatre Kapow’s ‘Breadcrumbs’ unveil an indelible and winding journey

Posted on March 6 by The Sleepless Critic

Alita suspects something has changed.

Full of Easter eggs and a time hopping storyline, this cleverly titled production lives up to its name many times over and reveals a family secret near impossible to see coming. Sponsored in part by the Mass/NH Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, Breadcrumbs is a mysterious piece of theatre about the meeting of two individuals and how they fit into each other lives.

Jennifer Haley’s Breadcrumbs, Theatre Kapow’s most recent production, ran live and in person February 17 to 19 at the Bank of NH Stage in Concord NH before streaming live on February 24 and 25. Directed intuitively by Catherine Stewart, Breadcrumbs is 80 minutes with no intermission and is part of Recent Remote Remember, the theme of Theatre Kapow’s 15^th season. Click here for more information and here for more on Theatre Kapow.

From L to R Rachel Chapin Longo and Katie Collins Photo credit to Matthew Lomanno Photography

Stark blue lighting evoked a haunting quality as Alita, a hardworking, unassuming, and reclusive writer depicted perceptively by Katie Collins, knows there is something is missing. Collins, in a multilayered performance, portrays Alita with an increasingly brisk and suspicious manner as she struggles to connect with what is occurring around her. Rachel Chapin Longo commands a challenging and multi faceted role as compassionate, talkative, impulsive, resourceful, but needy Beth who seemingly cannot get her life together to Alita’s rising frustration. Beth admires Alita’s work which often focuses on metaphorical fantasy which is a surprising contrast to Alita’s practical sensibilities.

What is fascinating about this meticulous production is each item, scene, and aspect including Alita’s writing plays an integral and significant role within a sometimes unreliable viewpoint. Longo and Collins seamlessly navigate a number of vivid, stirring and mercurial scenes together and there isn’t a piece of dialogue that strays from this insightful look at these two individual’s lives. The production also serves as an informative vehicle for an all too common life altering impairment.

Tayva Young’s nostalgic and evocative lighting combined with Matt Cahoon’s vintage and eerie sound and projection design navigates each sudden flashback and time leap in an innovative and engrossing manner. Barbara Holbrook’s distinctive costume design boosts each character’s personality with subtle hints on what they mean to each other.

Jennifer Haley’s Breadcrumbs cultivates a rich and unique path through trauma and struggle to reveal what is ultimately important. Directed intuitively by Catherine Stewart, Breadcrumbs is 80 minutes with no intermission and is part of Recent Remote Remember, the theme of Theatre Kapow’s 15^th season. Click here for more information and here for more on Theatre Kapow.

REVIEW: Embrace SpeakEasy Stage Company’s illuminating ‘English’

Posted on November 18, 2022 by The Sleepless Critic

Learning a new language brings all kinds of emotions to the surface. One is swept out of one’s own element and that can be as exciting as it is daunting. It can also become a long and awkward struggle to capture the essence of a new culture while steeped in a new language. Though one is gaining something new, one might also be losing a bit of themselves.

Thoughtfully directed by Melory Mirashrafi, Speakeasy Stage Company continues Sanaz Toossi’s English at Calderwood Pavilion in Boston, Massachusetts live and in person through Saturday, November 19. The performance reviewed was audio described and one hour and 45 minutes with no intermission. Click here for more information and tickets.

The company of English. From left: Deniz Khateri, Josephine Moshiri Elwood, Lily Gilan James, Zaven Ovian, and Leyla Modirzadeh. Photo by Nile Scott Studios.

One of the most fascinating messages in SpeakEasy Stage Company’s English is the realization that one can learn many languages, but can only know one. That one native language is the foundation for all the rest. In learning to speak a new language, it can reshape what comes naturally.

English delves into the lives of four students living in Iran who are learning the English language for TOEFL, a standardized test that stands for Test of English as a Foreign Language. The production is mostly in the English language with no subtitles. It takes a moment to catch on, but Mirashrafi cleverly depicts when characters are speaking in their native tongue.

Leyla Modirzadeh as Roya in SpeakEasy’s production of English. Photo by Nile Scott Studios.

This multi-generational cast has various and deep seated reasons for learning English and this production resonates universal truths of having to learn a new language whether by choice or necessity. English does explore the political climate of learning English in Iran, but what is most memorable are the hardships, victories, competitiveness, and the often flustered frustration of learning a peculiar new facet of life. Each individual demonstrates a different degree of longing to belong. It is not difficult to relate to this small and dynamic cast in their obstacles, earnestness, but most importantly, in the strength in who they are. Deniz Khateri depicts complicated Marjan, who seems to firmly place herself in the world of the language she teaches. In a multi-layered performance, Khateri as Marjan is engaging and encouraging, but also firm and mysteriously guarded. She lends to the show’s tension and subtle humor and has unique chemistry with each student. Lily Gilan James portrays wide-
eyed and optimistic Goli with effervescent candor. She stands on her own mistakes while earnestly articulating the nature of her wishes.

Leyla Modirzedeh as wise and headstrong Roya is strongly urged to learn English to communicate with new members of her long distance family. A sympathetic character, Modirzedeh powerfully evokes Roya’s sincerity and her struggle between her heritage and this new way of communicating. Zaven Ovian depicts Omid with easygoing charm and he shares some compelling scenes with Khateri as Marjan and with witty, outspoken and understandably frustrated Elham, a standout performance by Josephine Moshiri Elwood. Elham is a complex individual who is as compassionate as she is bold and is often hardest on herself.

Josephine Moshiri Elwood as Elham in SpeakEasy’s production of English. Photo by Nile Scott Studios.

Nina Vartanian’s culturally sound and vivid costumes pop in Janie E Howland’s realistic classroom staging and enhanced by an elegant, multicolored portrait in teal, orange, red, brown, and beige.

English is an honest, straightforward, warmly funny, and universally relatable journey of discovering a new language and in all of its difficulties, deciding whether or how to embrace it. See English and embrace its life lessons.

Deniz Khateri (left) and Zaven Ovian in SpeakEasy’s production of English. Photo by Nile Scott Studios.

SpeakEasy Stage Company presents Sanaz Toossi’s English live and in person at the Calderwood Pavilion in Boston, MA through Saturday, November 19. Click here for more information and for tickets.

REVIEW: Greater Boston Stage Company’s family comedy ‘Popcorn Falls’ zippy, lighthearted fun

Posted on September 29, 2022 by The Sleepless Critic

Two dynamic actors take the stage for some wacky fun in Popcorn Falls, a wild, improv-inspired tale about a small, provincial New Hampshire town brimming with zany townspeople of all ages affectionately called, “kernels.” From a feline-loving librarian with a flair for the dramatic to jack-of-all-trades Joe, Popcorn Falls must find a way to save itself from bankruptcy before it’s too late.

Christopher Chew and Sarah Elizabeth Bedard in ‘Popcorn Falls’ Photo courtesy of Greater Boston Stage Company

Written by James Hindman and directed warmly by Lisa Rafferty, Greater Boston Stage Company presents quirky, family-friendly comedy, Popcorn Falls live and in person through October 2 at Greater Boston Stage Company in Stoneham, MA. This show is 90 minutes with no intermission. Click here for more information and for tickets.

Sarah Elizabeth Bedard and Christopher Chew in ‘Popcorn Falls’ Photo courtesy of Greater Boston Stage Company

Doing the heavy lifting is Christopher Chew depicting a set of unique characters including the Town Mayor and Sarah Elizabeth Bedard who portrays other wild characters including Joe. They are more than up for the challenge of keeping the pace of this lively production from a broken mic wire to journeys unknown. From shifting voices to lightning-fast wardrobe changes thanks to dynamic Properties Designer Sarajane Mullins and Costume Designer Deirdre Gerrard, Bedard’s ability to transform into a wide spectrum of characters from seductress to meet cute to smarmy sometimes in mid-sentence is amusing to say the least. The kernels can make a lot of noise and the audience is in on the joke rooting on each shifting character. Christopher Chew largely portrays the straight man with few exceptions, enduring the eccentricities of each alternating character in stride while putting his own twist on his changing persona.

‘Popcorn Falls’ full cast and artistic team Photo courtesy of Greater Boston Stage Company

Kristin Loeffler’s inviting town hall set up including a brick backdrop, a chalkboard, and a town flag does little to reveal the path this duo is about to embark on while sound designer Caroline Eng enhances each running gag. Popcorn Falls doesn’t take itself too seriously, but each prop, sound, and set piece lends itself to the production’s playful and zany antics.

Sarah Elizabeth Bedard and Christopher Chew Photo courtesy of Greater Boston Stage Company

Quite a tale develops as this play kicks off in mid-action as the audience must piece together what exactly is happening onstage and what “kernel” the audience is sure to meet next. Popcorn Falls is a feel-good show for the whole family that will keep the audience guessing at each unpredictable turn. It is endearing and funny journey that saves the big, eye opening reveal for last.

Greater Boston Stage Company presents quirky, family-friendly comedy, Popcorn Falls live and in person through October 2 at Greater Boston Stage Company in Stoneham, MA. This show is 90 minutes with no intermission. Click here for more information, discount tickets, and more.

REVIEW: Tension mounts for an endearing couple in Lyric Stage’s meaningful production, ‘The Light’

Posted on June 16, 2022 by The Sleepless Critic

One night can change everything.

Genesis and Rashad think they know each other well. This lovable couple jokes, knows each other’s likes, quirks, habits, and dreams, and yet in one night, they start to see each other in a new and unfamiliar way.

With multi-layer direction by Jacqui Parker, Lyric Stage Company presents Loy A. Webb’s The Light through June 26 at Lyric Stage Company live and in person in Boston, Massachusetts. The show is 70 minutes long with no intermission and is Lyric Stage’s final show of the season. This show contains mature topics. Click here for more information and tickets.

Dominic Carter as Rashad and Yewande Odetoyinbo as Genesis in ‘The Light’ Photo by Mark S Howard

Surrounded by Baron E. Pugh’s inviting apartment setting which includes a purple couch, teal chairs, and colorful accents by Lauren Corcuera while sketches of Beyoncé, Maya Angelou, Michelle Obama and Ruth Bader Ginsberg hang overhead, Genesis and Rashad know this isn’t just any night. It’s their anniversary.

Yewande Odetoyinbo as Genesis and Dominic Carter as Rashad in ‘The Light’ Photo by Mark S Howard

Elmer Martinez’s expressive lighting enhances the evocative nature of this production. It is a meaningful show hinging on the strengths of its leads and Yewande Odetoyinbo as school principal Genesis and Dominic Carter as firefighter Rashad are more than up to the task. While both characters are stubborn, Odetoyinbo’s grounded and witty nature as Genesis strikes an important balance with Carter’s optimistic and playful sense of humor as Rashad. Carter is charismatically charming and leads in some of the production’s funniest moments while Odetoyinbo as Genesis is best as the tension builds. It is a joy to watch as they zing each other, tease, dream about the future, debate, and share some of their most treasured memories together. Their innate and compelling chemistry attract such a fondness for this couple that it is easy to get lost in what seems like their complete compatibility.

However, realizations and revelations run deep on this special night. Webb’s clever script invites the audience into this couple’s intimate relationship in all its charms with some passing notes of underlying resentment while carefully laying its cards on the table and raising the stakes through every twist and turn. Odetoyinbo and Carter are a true force as they approach the humor, tension and the difficult and serious topics with compassion.

The Light makes the most out of its 70 minute run time. It has good pacing and escalates quickly, fueled by Odetoyinbo and Carter’s natural chemistry as the show veers toward its powerful conclusion.

Lyric Stage Company presents Loy A. Webb’s The Light through June 26 at Lyric Stage Company live and in person in Boston, Massachusetts. The show is 70 minutes long with no intermission and is Lyric Stage’s final show of the season. This show contains mature topics. Click here for more information and tickets.