This weekend

REVIEW:  Fandom takes an all-consuming turn in Samantha Hurley’s dark comedy ‘I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire’

Posted on by The Sleepless Critic

This is not your average teenage crush.

A wild-eyed teenager is determined to make her dreams come true…even if he is under duress.

With zany direction by Sydney T. Grant, Yorick Ensemble continues Samantha Hurley’s dark comedy, ‘I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire’ live and in person through Saturday, September 13 at Hovey Players in the D’Angio Building in Waltham, Massachusetts.  This semi-interactive fringe production is not limited to the stage, contains some mature language and humor and runs approximately two hours with an intermission.  Click here for more information and for tickets.

Demi DiCarlo in Yorick Ensemble’s ‘I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire’

Set in 2004 in secluded South Dakota, I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire infuses online fandom and Y2K pop hits into a dark coming-of-age comedy with hints of Misery for beginners and a whisper of Carrie.  However without the gore, not quite a horror movie and never really takes itself too seriously.

 Alexa Erb’s illustrative scenic and props design produces a brightly colored bedroom with traces of Shelby’s various obsessions including a princess petal bed canapé, flowered walls covered in Tobey Maguire photos, gleeful frog printed bed sheets, Barbie dolls and a curious chart of Tobey’s whereabouts.  Josh Telepman keeps up the show’s seemingly cheerful façade in jungle prints, fanciful pink layered ensembles with lace gloves and a fanciful wedding dress.

Crossing a soft smile with a seemingly vacant stare, Demi DiCarlo impresses and is occasionally sympathetic as intense Shelby who may be calculating but not diabolical, at least according to her trusty issue of Cosmopolitan Magazine.  She quips, “I’m not bad.  I’m romantic.”  However, her anxious smile, madcap reactions and unsettling actions hint at something more just underneath the surface.

Demi DiCarlo in Yorick Ensemble’s ‘I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire’ Photo by Josh Telepman

Socially awkward and an only child, Shelby spends her days after school in a basement bedroom as President and founder of the Tobey Maguire Fan Club communicating to members through a handheld camera disassociating and fantasizing about actor Tobey Maguire. Secluded from the rest of the house, her basement bedroom almost seems like she was sent there to be ignored except when her nagging mother needs something. 

Demi DiCarlo in Yorick Ensemble’s ‘I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire’ Photo by Josh Telepman

Learning the facts of life through Cosmo, fairy tales and all things Tobey Maguire, delusional Shelby has deduced that the only solution to her isolation and loneliness is to capture and marry Tobey Maguire at the ripe age of 14.

To make matters more absurd, teenage Shelby does (seemingly impossibly) capture Tobey Maguire and has him chained in the basement.  Where is security or his entourage? It is also hard to imagine Tobey Maguire afraid of a 14 year old, but the Tobey in front of her is not the Tobey she imagines.  Sam Hackett is quite fittingly not a Tobey Maguire doppelganger portraying far from that sparkling example of optimism and well meaning persona amplified in Spiderman’s No Way Home. Never meet your heroes, right? 

Alison Butts and Demi DiCarlo in Yorick Ensemble’s ‘I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire’ Photo by Josh Telepman

As Shelby’s illusions shatter, things really start to get out of hand.

Alison Butts does double time portraying various roles that move the plot along from the voice of Shelby’s mom to a kooky real estate agent. 

With flashes of Y2K nostalgia, I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire has its moments of intriguing self-aware humor, a wealth of pop culture references and a special appearance which will not be revealed here.  It would do better without its share of superfluous and raunchy gags that do not advance the plot and would benefit spending more time fleshing out what makes Hackett’s egotistical, complaining, irascible and drug-addled Tobey tick. 

Alison Butts in Yorick Ensemble’s ‘I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire’ Photo by Josh Telepman

I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire is a cautionary tale of obsession, loneliness, isolation, trauma and infamy which, like Shelby, loses itself a bit along the way.  As someone who has loved something teetering beyond reason, this outlandish tale stretches the imagination to conceive a dark comedy of what happens when fantasy and reality collide.

Demi DiCarlo and Alison Butts in Yorick Ensemble’s ‘I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire’ Photo by Josh Telepman

Yorick Ensemble continues Samantha Hurley’s dark comedy, I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire live and in person through Saturday, September 12 at Hovey Players in the D’Angio Building in Waltham, Massachusetts.  Click here for more information and for tickets.

REVIEW:  The wild pursuit of love and meaning in Gloucester’s Stage’s world premiere of ‘Dalloway:  First Love’

Posted on by The Sleepless Critic

Who knew a sprawling tree would hold such meaning?

In the far off 1890 English countryside, Clarissa, deep in thought, is anticipating her 18th birthday cradled in a symbolic tree torn between coming of age and missing her late older sister. Like many literary heroines, she does not want to grow up or for her world to change as certain arrangements are being made behind the scenes as she longs to become a writer.

Fueled by Rebecca Bradshaw’s prognosticative direction, Gloucester Stage Company continues the world `premiere of Lindsay Joelle’s romantic dramedy, Dalloway:  First Love live and in person at Gloucester Stage in Gloucester, Massachusetts through Saturday, August 29.  Playwright Lindsay Joelle introduces this coming-of-age story-within-a-story production which runs approximately two hours with an intermission. Click here for more information and for tickets.

Gloucester Stage Company’s world premiere production of “Dalloway”, written by Lindsay Joelle and directed by Rebecca Bradshaw. The play stars Josephine Moshiri Elwood as Clarisa Parry, Haley Dyana Schwartz as Sally Seton, Shobhit Piasa as Peter Walsh, and Jesse Garlick as The Slew. The production runs August 13 to August 29 at the Natti-Willsky Performance Center, 267 East Main Street in Gloucester, MA.

© 2026 Shawn G. Henry • 978-590-4869

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Dalloway First Love stands as a prequel to Virginia Wolff’s famous novel, Mrs. Dalloway and is also a somewhat modern take on a period piece.  I have not read Virginia Wolff’s work, but it does not seem necessary to read it in order to understand or appreciate this production.

 With subtle winks to the future of women, Dalloway First Love has one foot inside the world of 1890 and the other exploring women’s contemporary accomplishments.  As several suitors compete for Clarissa’s affections, Elwood’s Clarissa, while open to falling in love, dreams of a world with options. The famous English folk ballad, Scarborough Fair, also seems to also serve as a touchstone between classic and modern day interwoven into this period piece.

Gloucester Stage Company’s world premiere production of “Dalloway”, written by Lindsay Joelle and directed by Rebecca Bradshaw. The play stars Josephine Moshiri Elwood as Clarisa Parry, Haley Dyana Schwartz as Sally Seton, Shobhit Piasa as Peter Walsh, and Jesse Garlick as The Slew. The production runs August 13 to August 29 at the Natti-Willsky Performance Center, 267 East Main Street in Gloucester, MA.

© 2026 Shawn G. Henry • 978-590-4869

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Enhanced by Aubrey Dube’s soothing sound design, Scenic designer Kristin Loeffler draws from a rural landscape as this large and symbolic tree stands as the production’s centerpiece occasionally surrounded by a Victrola, dangling chandelier, decanter and dining room set.  Capitalized by Josephine Moshiri Elwood’s delicately detailed signature lilac gown, costumer Chelsea Kerl’s presents an elegant array of period pieces including puffy silhouette lace dresses as well as stately ties, button down coat and tails in velvet and pinstripes.

Bright eyed Josephine Moshiri Elwood is no stranger to period pieces having previously performed as vivacious Emma in Actors Shakespeare Company’s period play with a modern twist, Emma in 2024.  Elwood is in her element and displays charismatic charm and a way with words as pensive Clarissa, especially in a laugh out loud moment when she passionately jokes about being ravaged by gravity.  Daring, adventuresome, impressionable and somewhat naïve, Elwood’s Clarissa is an easy individual to root and become protective of as she shares her hopes and dreams apart from societal norms roaming her family’s Bourton estate.

Gloucester Stage Company’s world premiere production of “Dalloway”, written by Lindsay Joelle and directed by Rebecca Bradshaw. The play stars Josephine Moshiri Elwood as Clarisa Parry, Haley Dyana Schwartz as Sally Seton, Shobhit Piasa as Peter Walsh, and Jesse Garlick as The Slew. The production runs August 13 to August 29 at the Natti-Willsky Performance Center, 267 East Main Street in Gloucester, MA.

© 2026 Shawn G. Henry • 978-590-4869

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While Elwood shares genuine and unrefined chemistry with Shobhit Piasa as Clarissa’s boastful yet well meaning childhood chum Peter who longs for something more, it is Haley Dyana Schwartz as enigmatic, manipulative, shrewd and persistent Sally who indulges her hopes and is consistently nearby with an agenda all her own.  Schwartz is captivating as Sally who boasts a seemingly charismatic zest for life.  However, Peter is not to be underestimated.

Gloucester Stage Company’s world premiere production of “Dalloway”, written by Lindsay Joelle and directed by Rebecca Bradshaw. The play stars Josephine Moshiri Elwood as Clarisa Parry, Haley Dyana Schwartz as Sally Seton, Shobhit Piasa as Peter Walsh, and Jesse Garlick as The Slew. The production runs August 13 to August 29 at the Natti-Willsky Performance Center, 267 East Main Street in Gloucester, MA.

© 2026 Shawn G. Henry • 978-590-4869

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Jesse Garlick shows off his range and serves ample comic relief stepping into a few characters from egotistical and entitled to outlandish to humble and heroic as The Slew.

Gloucester Stage Company’s world premiere production of “Dalloway”, written by Lindsay Joelle and directed by Rebecca Bradshaw. The play stars Josephine Moshiri Elwood as Clarisa Parry, Haley Dyana Schwartz as Sally Seton, Shobhit Piasa as Peter Walsh, and Jesse Garlick as The Slew. The production runs August 13 to August 29 at the Natti-Willsky Performance Center, 267 East Main Street in Gloucester, MA.

© 2026 Shawn G. Henry • 978-590-4869

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Funny and wistful, Dalloway First Love also explores several themes such as grief, status, ambition, growing up, prejudice and discovery.  Though the production could be a bit tighter in its narrative, the production is at its best when it explores Clarissa’s profound introspectiveness discovering what will be her next step.

Gloucester Stage continues the world premiere of Lindsay Joelle’s romantic dramedy, Dalloway:  First Love live and in person at Gloucester Stage in Gloucester, Massachusetts through Saturday, August 29.  Click here for more information and for tickets.

REVIEW: North Shore Music Theatre’s ‘Rock of Ages’ packs big dreams and spectacle into daring wry rock nostalgia

Posted on by The Sleepless Critic

Break out the crimped hair, fishnets, rhinestones, pleather, mullets, mutton chops and more.  Rock of Ages rewinds the clock to the electric and hair-centric 80s.

Back when Rock of Ages was celebrating the tenth anniversary of its Broadway premiere in 2019, the Bourbon Room opened as a real bar and nightclub inspired by the legendary fictional bar and nightclub in jukebox musical Rock of Ages. Though it recently closed down, if it contained half the wild antics of this edgy musical, it would have been quite the trip.

With lively direction by Kevin P. Hill, hair-raising music direction by Peter Leigh-Nilsen, and rambunctiously choreographed by Sara Andreas, North Shore Music Theatre continues Rock of Ages live and in person at North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly, Massachusetts through Sunday, August 23. Unbridled and untamed, this suggestive and semi-interactive theatre in the round musical contains mature humor and content and the action is not limited to the stage.  Click here for more information and for tickets.

We’ve come a long way since the 80s and Rock of Ages serves as a reminder of how things have changed, especially for women.  A jukebox rock musical, Rock of Ages is best enjoyed as an extended MTV music video at a time back when music videos were mainly performed on the popular platform. The rock medleys have cheek, sass, abandon and air guitar. While the real world oozes with serious drama, Rock of Ages is meant as pure entertainment and the cast really sinks their teeth into each over the top character representing a freer and bolder time.

Packed with colorful characters doused with a mix of rock raunchiness and self aware humor, Rock of Ages holds a mirror up to the era of excess and distinct self expression.  Steering this club is Matt DaSilva who is impressive as Lonny, the Bourbon’s impulsive no-holds-barred manager, resident storyteller, and sometimes lewd yet fun loving narrator.  DaSilva’s strong vocals and penchant for dark, self-aware humor, pop culture references and musical commentary work well in a script that never takes itself too seriously.  In a blond beard and sunglasses which seem right out of 38 Special, Evan Harrington excellently delivers relaxed charm and dry humor as lovable Dennis Dupre, owner of the Bourbon Room.  DaSilva and Harrington share an easy rapport and an unabashed loyalty toward the Bourbon Room and rock and roll.

Evan Harrington (Dennis) and Matt DaSilva (Lonny) in “Rock of Ages” at Bill Hanney’s North Shore Music Theatre from August 12 – August 23, 2026. Photo © Paul Lyden

Part love story, part rebellion, and mostly power rock musical, Rock of Ages is set in 1987 on California’s Sunset Strip where idealistic small town girl Sherrie (Chelsea Williams) and guitar strumming dreamer Drew (EJ Dohring) long for stardom and are not sure where to start.  They set their sights inside the fledgling Bourbon Room, an aging nightclub and bar in danger of being shut down unless someone takes action.

Under neon and gleaming spotlights by José Santiago, Jeffrey D. Kmiec’s glitzy set design showcases a number of locations on the Sunset Strip lined with guitars on a jungle patterned rotating stage which includes the legendary Tower Records, seedy Venus Strip Club, Dupre’s Bourbon Room and a certain graffiti nightclub bathroom stall in the distance where you can almost feel the grime. Rebecca Glick’s nostalgic costumes rise to the challenge, running the gamut from bold rock T-shirts to scantily clad to jazzercise and everywhere in between.

The cast of “Rock of Ages” at Bill Hanney’s North Shore Music Theatre from August 12 – August 23, 2026. Photo © Paul Lyden

Performed by costumed musicians ready to rock led by Peter Leigh-Nilson, Rock of Ages is fueled by a wide array of 80’s hits that are clearly a trip down memory lane for some including Journey, Bon Jovi, REO Speedwagon, and Foreigner driven by athletic, slick and over the top moves including pole choreography by Meadow Nguy. 

The cast of “Rock of Ages” at Bill Hanney’s North Shore Music Theatre from August 12 – August 23, 2026. Photo © Paul Lyden

Chelsea Williams is a soaring soprano as wide-eyed yet determined Sherrie and does a terrific job teaming up with Toneisha Harris as complex yet confident Justice in a powerful medley of Quarterflash’s Harden My Heart and Pat Benatar’s Shadows of the Night.  Harris boasts powerhouse vocals and would have liked to have heard more from her.  Williams also shines in a sweet yet intense rendition with Dohring for Extreme’s More than Words, Bad English’s To Be with You, and Warrant’s Heaven medley which includes a surprise chorus as well as powerful harmony for Damn Yankees’ High Enough.

Chelsea Williams (Sherrie) and EJ Dohring (Drew) in “Rock of Ages” at Bill Hanney’s North Shore Music Theatre from August 12 – August 23, 2026. Photo © Paul Lyden

In cherry red glasses, Lily Kauffman gives off Cheri OTeri comedic vibes as spunky and resourceful renegade Regina.  In hippie fringe, she’s all spirit, heart and hilarity for Twisted Sister’s We’re Not Gonna Take it, an amusing rendition of Starship’s We Built this City and Styx’s Too Much Time on My Hands with Tom Galantich as Hertz and Michael Schimmele as Franz and the cast.  Schimmele offers some refreshing and sometimes goofy comic relief as naïve Franz and Galantich is of a sterner variety but they both play well off each other, especially featuring a certain wrecking ball in Europe’s The Final Countdown.

With strong vocals and a large ego, Nathaniel Hackman makes a grand entrance as mysterious and charismatic Stacy Jaxx in chaps, cowboy hat and female entourage (in a nod to another famous 80s rocker) to Bon Jovi’s Dead or Alive. 

The cast of “Rock of Ages” at Bill Hanney’s North Shore Music Theatre from August 12 – August 23, 2026. Photo © Paul Lyden

That is just a taste of the wide range of rock numbers in store.  The musical is not for everyone, but you may find yourself bobbing your head, singing along, or perhaps a bit stunned at the performances and the catchy tunes you may or may not have lived through, but nonetheless have stood the test of time in their own way.  What is great about music is you might change, but the song remains the same.

North Shore Music Theatre continues Rock of Ages live and in person at North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly, Massachusetts through Sunday, August 23.  Click here for more information and for tickets.

REVIEW:  Company Theatre delivers a radical ‘Jagged Little Pill’

Posted on by The Sleepless Critic

Beware that seemingly perfect little Christmas card and newsletter in the mail.  There is often so much more to the story.

One musician with a gift for reading between the lines is Grammy award-winning alternative rock singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette who teams up with like minded Academy and Tony award-winning writer Diablo Cody for Jagged Little Pill the Musical in which Cody went on to win a Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical.

Don’t expect to see an Alanis autobiography in Jagged Little Pill, but this ruminating musical rather integrates themes from her songs into a cautionary tale about a family rife with secrets and resentment unavoidably brimming to the surface.

Bobby Atkinson, Dana Sullivan, Todd Merritt and Nikita DaRosa in Company Theatre’s ‘Jagged Little Pill’ Photo courtesy of Zoe Bradford

Under Zoe Bradford and Sally Ashton Forrest’s keen co-direction, Jasmine Dillon’s pulsating and interconnected choreography as well as Robert McDonough’s agile music direction, Company Theatre continues their 46th season with Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill the Musical live and in person through Sunday, August 16 at The Company Theatre in Norwell, Massachusetts.  It runs approximately two hours and 40 minutes with one intermission and has some mature themes.  Click here for more information, for tickets and here for more information on how you can support the Company Theatre’s Project Stage Restoration.

With music by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard, an intimate eight piece orchestra delivers synthetic ballads and searing rhythms led by music director Robert McDonough. The setting is as lively and urgent as the musical’s pacing.  Dean Palmer Jr. rhapsodically illuminates Ryan Barrow’s rolling and fold out house-inspired set while projection designer Jack Gruman artistically brings to life a gritty, skewed and occasionally kaleidoscopic view of a Connecticut suburb.  Gruman enhances a variety of locations including a coffee house, office space, a tumultuous storm window, an array of family photos and fireworks. 

The cast and orchestra of Company Theatre’s ‘Jagged Little Pill’ Photo courtesy of Zoe Bradford

Jagged Little Pill is an intriguing exploration that addresses something that runs rampant in our society.  It is the desire and pressure to be perfect or at least looking that way to others.  The idea did not originate with social media, but it has intensified that desire often to a crippling degree. 

Mary Jane Healy, richly depicted by Dana Sullivan, hides those imperfections in a smug holiday letter alongside the Healy Christmas card, but not ironically, the façade quickly fades in getting to know her seemingly successful family over a one year period. ‘The truth is too hard,’ MJ reflects.

Dana Sullivan and the cast of Company Theatre’s ‘Jagged Little Pill’ Photo courtesy of Zoe Bradford

Many of the ensemble cast members demonstrate a modern Greek chorus observing and occasionally contributing to the plot skillfully taking on multiple roles or acting as the musical’s conscience.  Some of their messages are unmistakable while others are left to interpretation.   Though the musical is set in present day, it boasts a bit of a 90s flair.  From The Who to Talking Heads to AC/DC to Green Day, Kiera O’Connor sets the musical’s edgy tone dressing the young cast in rock-n roll-inspired 90s grunge costumes including black starred stockings, tied flannel shirts and converse sneakers while the adults are adorned in classic and casual chic attire.

The cast of Company Theatre’s ‘Jagged Little Pill’ Photo courtesy of Zoe Bradford

Jagged Little Pill dials into a number of social issues including addictions, isolation, coming of age, LGBTQ, rape, marital strife and more while exploring significant and complex relationships. Sullivan brings savvy and intensity to Mary Jane who is easier to grow frustrated with than a source of sympathy, but Sullivan manages to accomplish both as the plot thickens.  Her exceptional expectations are rooted in trauma, exposing her vulnerability in a stirring version of Smiling and later in a chilling rendition of Uninvited boosted by Claudia McMahon as a spiraling lead dancer among other roles.  Bobby Atkinson skillfully depicts Mary Jane’s son, Nick Healy, making it easy to feel the gravity, mounting pressure and clashing intentions with Sullivan’s Mary Jane. 

Nikita DaRosa (center0 and the cast of Company Theatre’s ‘Jagged Little Pill’ Photo courtesy of Zoe Bradford

 Nikita DeRosa as Frankie Healy and Emma Keane as Jo Taylor are both powerful vocalists delivering a playful duet of Hand in My Pocket.  With tenacity and soaring vocals, Nikita DaRosa as Frankie has no interest in being perfect, but rather longing to be heard.  A passionate activist who was adopted by the Healy family, DaRosa’s Frankie candidly contributes to her family’s reflections in a curt and frank rendition of All I Really Want and an affecting rendition of That I Would be Good with Emma Keane as Jo Taylor and Charlie Solari as mysterious Phoenix.  

Emma Keane and the cast of Company Theatre’s ‘Jagged Little Pill’ Photo courtesy of Zoe Bradford

Though a few of Morissette’s tunes lose some of its bite in musical translation, Morissette’s You Oughta Know never loses its ferocity, especially within Emma Keane’s steely and stellar rendition.

Though Jagged Little Pill tackles its share of somber topics, it also boasts lighthearted humor in an unexpected version of Ironic, an effervescent So Pure and a sweet and mellifluous duet of Head Over Feet. 

Dana Sullivan, Natalie Spear Claudia McMahon and the cast of Company Theatre’s ‘Jagged Little Pill’ Photo courtesy of Zoe Bradford

As a massive Alanis Morissette fan dating back when she was a child actor in Canada, Morissette has been open about her battles with anxiety and depression.  Her struggles infuse a unique depth into her resonating rock anthems which expose hidden truths that can make you angry, bring you to tears or both.  Though I do not have the anger I did when I first heard Morissette’s music, she still presents emerging and ongoing reasons to be frustrated with the world.  Some of the musical’s messages can be a little heavy handed because it tackles so much, but her hopeful takeaway always ring true. Be bold, authentic and speak up for what is right even if it is uncomfortable or less than perfect.

Bobby Atkinson and the cast of Company Theatre’s ‘Jagged Little Pill’

The Company Theatre continues their 46th season with Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill the Musical live and in person through Sunday, August 16 at the Company Theatre in Norwell, Massachusetts.  Click here for more information, for tickets and here for more information on how you can support the Company Theatre’s Project Stage Restoration.

REVIEW:  Things more than go bump in the night in gripping ‘Paranormal Activity’

Posted on by The Sleepless Critic

Full Disclosure:  I saw Paranormal Activity Live on Stage alone.

Not necessarily a fan of horror with few exceptions, my interests lean more towards thought-provoking science fiction or a psychological thriller.  I was hesitant as I arrived at Emerson Colonial Theatre facing a black curtain, but left riveted by the production’s depth, intensity, and a truly remarkable cast. 

Paranormal Activity can be chilling, but is also rooted squarely in the human condition with a great deal of darkly relatable humor and lots of twists and turns.  It lured me in and never let go.

 Superbly directed by Felix Barrett, Levi Halloway’s Paranormal Activity Live on Stage continues its pre-Broadway run through Thursday, July 30 at Emerson Colonial Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts.  For the squeamish, this intense and immersive production is not gory.  It does contain explicit language, some dark themes and runs two hours and 20 minutes with one intermission.  Click here for more information and for tickets.

Cher Álvarez and Travis A. Knight in Paranormal Activity. Photo by Teresa Castracane Photography.

Metal, alternative and hard rock 90s music from musicians such as Soundgarden revs up the audience before the production begins.  Paranormal Activity Live on Stage is considered a new story from the original film which inspired six sequels.  A seventh film sequel has an anticipated 2027 release date.  The original film latched onto the clunky, grainy and less polished amateur film style of The Blair Witch Project which enjoyed great success at the time.

However, the stage production greatly improves on the film predecessor in multiple ways. The film has a grainy home video quality, but this production is all encompassing and in vibrant color.   Having witnessed the original film, the Paranormal Activity play is more effective, allowing the audience to experience multiple scenarios at once led with sterling timing by lighting designer Anna Watson. Scenic and costume designer Fly Davis crafts an elaborate and functional dual level house which includes five detailed and sophisticated rooms featuring a modern kitchen, hanging plants and a smart flat screen television.  Illusion designer Chris Fisher, the illusionist behind Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway, creates plenty of riveting moments that will have you fully invested in what will happen next.

Cher Álvarez in Paranormal Activity. Photo by Kyle Flubacker. 

Contributing to the production’s unfettered tension, Gareth Fry’s mesmerizing sound design ranges from a steely and hollow hum to sudden rings to what can be likened to a deafening and reverberating wind tunnel.

This engaging cast is so in sync and polished that they will make you almost forget you are watching a horror stage play.  Cher Álvarez as Lou Singer and Travis A. Knight as James Singer are incredibly charming as a newly married couple who have just moved into a house in London.  Playful with a dynamic sense of humor, Álvarez and Knight demonstrate a heartwarming and genuine connection as they embrace and warmly support each other.

Cher Álvarez and Travis A. Knight in Paranormal Activity. Photo by Teresa Castracane Photography.

Shannon Cochran is impressive as James’s religious and pushy southern mother who only wants what is best for her son and Eva Kaminsky is captivating as an eerie and insightful famous podcaster Etheline Cotgrave. 

Paranormal Activity boasts many darkly funny moments while also delving into serious issues such as depression, trauma, secrets, marital challenges, spiritual warfare and much more with a wealth of unpredictable twists and turns.  At one point, this fully invested audience (including me) was at the edge of our seats rooting on the characters and united in the action.  Although I came alone to the production, I did not feel alone with this intense and excited crowd.

Cher Álvarez and Travis A. Knight in Paranormal Activity. Photo by Teresa Castracane Photography.

Isn’t that what live theatre is all about?

Levi Halloway’s Paranormal Activity Live on Stage continues its pre-Broadway run live and in person at Emerson Colonial Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts through Thursday, July 30.  Click here for more information and for tickets.

REVIEW: Not only the coat dazzles in North Shore Music Theatre’s inspiring ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’

Posted on by The Sleepless Critic

The only thing more magnificent then Joseph’s dream coat is the tale behind it. 

 Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat has been entertaining audiences for close to 60 years with its exuberant story fueled by Academy Award-winning duo Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s uplifting and versatile music. An interactive, endearing, and humorous production, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat offers a wide spectrum of music genres for any taste and all ages including calypso and rock and roll which accompanies this unique retelling of a sacred tale of treachery and unceasing hope.

Meticulously directed and dynamically choreographed by Gerry McIntyre with lively music direction by Robert L. Rucinski, Bill Hanney’s North Shore Music Theatre continues family-friendly musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat live and in person at North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly, Massachusetts through Sunday, July 19.  This semi-interactive production is not limited to the stage and is exceptionally navigated within its theatre in the round staging.  It runs 2 hours and 10 minutes with one intermission.  Click here for more information and for tickets.

Olivia Valli (Narrator) and Youth Choir in “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” at North Shore Music Theatre July 8 – July 19, 2026. Photo © Paul Lyden

Based on the Book of Genesis and set in the land of Canaan and Egypt, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat unconventionally explores the incredible journey of Joseph and his brothers as Joseph faces strife from the most unexpected places as he discovers his destiny.  It is immensely a collaborative ensemble piece featuring an enthusiastic cast led by Olivia Valli as Narrator who not only shares Joseph’s tale with the audience, but the surrounding energetic youth choir gathered onstage.

Eric Jordan Young (Jacob) and the cast of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” at North Shore Music Theatre July 8 – July 19, 2026. Photo © Paul Lyden

Bursting with vibrantly designed costumes mixing the traditional with the contemporary, costumer Rebecca Glick not only rises to the occasion, but makes a distinct, daring, and memorable impression in each ensemble and most notably in Joseph’s striking coat. From glimmering headdresses to traditional Jewish and Egyptian garb to shimmering and brightly colored designs that recall another defining era, the costumes are consistently remarkable.  Set designer Baron E. Pugh leans on Egyptian influence featuring the Egyptian Eye of Horus while José Santiago’s lighting design enhances the show’s kaleidoscopic vision in multi-colored lights and innovative sets which takes full advantage of the theatre in the round staging. 

Olivia Valli (Narrator) and the cast of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” at North Shore Music Theatre July 8 – July 19, 2026. Photo © Paul Lyden

With rich vocals and an unassuming demeanor, Nikita Burshteynr warmly portrays humble, naive and forthright Joseph.  Burshteynr’s soothing, heartrending and sympathetic vocals master signature numbers such as Any Dream Will Do and Close Every Door.

Nikita Burshteyn as Joseph in “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” at North Shore Music Theatre July 8 – July 19, 2026. Photo © Paul Lyden

Joseph may have a dazzling coat, but the narrator holds her own decked out in Rebecca Glick’s enviable wardrobe.  Clever, cheerful and a charismatic silvery soprano, Valli is a compelling Narrator not separate from the plot and it is delightful to watch her relaxed charm provide amusing asides, offer advice and occasionally act as the production’s conscience while sweetly interacting with the beaming Youth Choir.

Carefully arranged as a coordinated rainbow in pinks, greens, purples, blues, yellows and reds, the Youth Choir’s angelic and lively voices bring exuberance while accompanying Joseph and the narrator to a heartwarming Any Dream Will Do and endearing harmony to a memorable candlelit rendition of Close Every Door. 

Brent Thiessen (Pharaoh) and the cast of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” at North Shore Music Theatre July 8 – July 19, 2026. Photo © Paul Lyden

Charming and funny whether rejoicing or scheming, the united choreography between Joseph’s eleven brothers reflects their tight knit bond especially during a country themed tune with the wives, One More Angel in Heaven featuring Brady Miller who possesses great comic timing chewing the scenery as Reuben.  Another lively number that highlights the brothers’ united front is Benjamin Calypso, a catchy rendition delivered energetically by Rendell DeBose as Judah who at one point takes part in a conga line.

The cast of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” at North Shore Music Theatre July 8 – July 19, 2026. Photo © Paul Lyden

Rock n roll royalty takes a comedic turn in the show’s rollicking number, Song of the King, featuring Brent Thiessen as Pharaoh.  Theissen convincingly captures the essence of a certain king not to be revealed here.  Naomi Kakuk dazzles with sleek athleticism as Mrs. Potiphar in a racing rendition of Potiphar.

Naomi Kakuk (Mrs. Potiphar) with Eric Jordan Young (Potiphar), and the cast of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” at North Shore Music Theatre July 8 – July 19, 2026. Photo © Paul Lyden

Unveiling a world in rich and glorious color, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat may be a tale of long ago, but stirs in contemporary touches such as disco balls, sunglasses and soft serve ice cream in amusing and unlikely places to appeal to a younger audience as well as an era-inspired tribute to the original Joseph.  It contains valuable life lessons on faith, jealousy, suffering, betrayal, and resilience for dreamers that can be solemn at times, but with far more uplifting and whimsical moments, it’s difficult to feel down for long.

The cast of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” at North Shore Music Theatre July 8 – July 19, 2026. Photo © Paul Lyden

North Shore Music Theatre continues family-friendly musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat live and in person at North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly, Massachusetts through Sunday, July 19.  Click here for more information and for tickets.

REVIEW: A profound portrait of discovery and overcoming in Arts Emerson and Front Porch Arts Collective’s ‘In Old Age’

Posted on by The Sleepless Critic

 “I’m living big inside the right now.” Abasiama enthusiastically exclaims.

Abasiama has come a long way in the seven plays so far in the UFOT Family Cycle and we have now arrived at the penultimate production, In Old Age.  As with each of the previous productions, it is never without its surprises.

Profoundly directed by Dawn M. Simmons, Arts Emerson continues Front Porch Arts Collective’s world premiere of Mfoniso Udofia‘s In Old Age, the eighth production in the Ufot’s  nine-play family cycle which explores three Ufot Nigerian-American family generations, live and in person at Emerson Paramount Center in Boston, Massachusetts through Sunday, June 28.  This groundbreaking two hander bilingual and family friendly production in English and Ibibio runs 1 hour and 45 minutes with no intermission.  Having seen Ufot’s second production The Grove, the fourth production of Her Portmanteau, and the fifth production of Kufre and Quay, it was wonderful to see the progression in the Ufot Family, but you can witness and enjoy one without having seen the others.   Click here for more information and for tickets.

Abasiama (Ebony Marshall-Oliver) in the Front Porch Arts Collective’s production of IN OLD AGE. PHOTO by Nile Scott Studio

Ever wise and humorous, Ebony Marshall-Oliver is lovely as Abasiama Bassey who has now found herself a widow.  Her husband passes away prior to the events of In Old Age and proclaims, “She has no man and she needs no man.”  However, Abasiama is flabbergasted to learn that her daughter hires Marvin Bell as Azell Abernathy to renovate the family home as a surprise.  Toyoima encourages Abasiama to let Azell know how he can help, but that proves to be more complicated than it seems.

Marvin Bell as Azell Abernathy in the Front Porch Arts Collective production of IN OLD AGE. PHOTO Nile Scott Studios

Infused with a UFot personal touch, scenic designer Jeffrey Peterson emphasizes roots and foundation in Abasiama’s longtime family home in Worcester, Massachusetts.  Boasting an impressive towering wood frame and brick backdrop, this house is set on foundational brick blocks featuring remnants of past productions including a gold grandfather clock and an old wood burning stove.  Costumer Chloe Moore creates a variety of ensembles for Marshall-Oliver and Bell that reflect each of their distinct personalities and how radiantly their style changes as the production progresses.  Sound designer Arshan Gailus with lighting designer Eduardo Ramirez reflect a fluctuating peacefulness and sudden intensity through a variety of spontaneous instances over the course of a few days.

Marshall-Oliver as Abasiama Bassey and Bell as Azell Abernathy are quite a captivating pair to watch through their heated and humorous exchanges and candor and the way they observe each other.  In a plaid flannel shirt and work boots, Bell is a natural as seemingly charming, practical and enthusiastic chatterbox Azell while Marshall-Oliver is deeply relatable and endearing as a reserved and anxious widow who is coming into her own while attempting to overcome her insecurities and put aside her urge to remain set in her ways.  “What is outside should never enter inside” and “It is like everything has its own kind of beauty” is just a couple of the pearls of generational wisdom and observances reflected by Abasiama. 

Ebony Marshall-Oliver as Abasiama in the Front Porch Arts Collective production of IN OLD AGE.

Like in other UFot productions, In Old Age contains surprising and welcome elements of the spiritual and supernatural ingrained into this insightful and moving tale.  Though both characters have both lived through remarkable stories, In Old Age shows there is still so much more to tell.

Ebony Marshall-Oliver as Abasiama in the Front Porch Arts Collective production of IN OLD AGE. PHOTO Nile Scott Studios

Profoundly directed by Dawn M. Simmons, Arts Emerson continues Front Porch Arts Collective’s world premiere of Mfoniso Udofia‘s In Old Age, the eighth production in the Ufot’s  nine-play family cycle which explores three Ufot Nigerian-American family generations, live and in person at Emerson Paramount Center in Boston, Massachusetts through Sunday, June 28.  Click here for more information and for tickets.

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

Posted on by The Sleepless Critic

“Attack it!  Attack it!”

In Darren Aronofsky’s 2010 psychological thriller horror film Black Swan, Nina’s ballet instructor urges Nina to show him a side to her that she has never known.  It’s the side that lets go.

American Repertory Theater’s musical Black Swan may be a bit different than the movie in some respects, but the message remains the same.

With Sonya Tayeh’s taut direction and dynamite choreography and Or Matias’s foreboding music direction, American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) continues the world premiere of psychological thriller horror musical, Black Swan live and in person at Loeb Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts through Sunday, July 12.  The action is not limited to the stage and this mature production within a production runs approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes with one intermission. Click here for more information and for tickets.

Melanie Moore and members of the company of A.R.T.’s world-premiere production of Black Swan.
Credit: Hawver and Hall.

The arts can be brutal, competitive and fickle.  Especially with the art of ballet, it requires a unique kind of discipline, sacrifice and determination under the constant pressure of perfection.

Black Swan started out as a 2010 Academy award-winning psychological thriller horror film featuring a stellar cast that included Natalie Portman as Nina, Mila Kunis as Lily, Winona Ryder as Beth and the incomparable Barbara Hershey as Nina’s mother Barbara.  It’s a mesmerizing yet unsettling film loaded with literal and figurative twists and turns through the eyes of sweet dancer Nina whose reality sporadically becomes skewed as the film progresses.

In the process of making the film, Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis endured rigorous training and followed a strict diet. Kunis had never danced in her life.  Both trained for four months on an intense schedule seven days a week and five hours a day which also included Portman swimming a mile every day.  Portman lost 20 pounds from her already tiny frame and Kunis tore a ligament, dislocated her shoulder and has visible scarring from training. Kunis also vowed she will never dance again and it was the hardest thing she had ever done. 

Based on Jen Silverman‘s book of this musical, a story by Andres Heinz and the Academy Award-winning psychological thriller horror film, this world premiere musical boasts some lighter and more humorous moments while its intensity is laid out from the first scene featuring ambitious characters consistently competing with each other.  They are driven by the arduous drive to survive, succeed, and gain power.  It is no wonder that the lyrics and dialogue in this new musical are rife with powerfully visceral action words such as tear, scratch, scrape, twist, elongate, crack and attack as the dancers rehearse on a grueling three week deadline for a new production.  It makes the audience feel this painstaking process.

Amber Iman and members of the company of A.R.T.’s world-premiere production of Black Swan.
Credit: Hawver and Hall.

For those who have not seen the brilliant yet disquieting film, the film and musical are not a musical for the faint of heart. They explore the dark crevices of mental illness and obsession while emphasizing the struggle and ferocious determination it takes to become the best. 

However, the Black Swan musical does not just speak to the art of ballet, but the savage journey one takes to become the best at their craft which often involves relentless focus, determination and sacrifice.

Melanie Moore and members of the company of A.R.T.’s world-premiere production of Black Swan.
Credit: Hawver and Hall.

 AMP featuring Marissa Todd’s vast and layered Scenography accompanied by Chris Fisher and Skylar Fox’s masterful illusion design exacts a ballet studio with moving Barres, a regal gala featuring a tremendous and glimmering chandelier, a wild psychedelic club scene with a dizzying disco ball, and a transformative and ominous forest.  I was fascinated to see how various illusions from the film would translate into a stage production and the results are riveting combined with Lillis Meeh’s stunning blood imagery and Ida Saki’s powerful and athletic performance.

Isabella Byrd’s crackling and flashing lighting devastates and intrigues in this moody tale alongside Kai Harada’s haunting and foreboding fiddle laden rhythms.  Shiona Turini’s colorful and dynamic wardrobe varies from silk and sequined gowns to creatively daring statement ensembles. 

Melanie Moore in A.R.T.’s world-premiere production of Black Swan.
Credit: Hawver and Hall.

In a pastel leotard, Melanie Moore climbs into the skin of anxious and gentle Nina, a New York City ballet dancer aspiring to become the company’s principal dancer.  A perfectionist wrapped in a cluster of timid uncertainty, Nina is childlike, delicate, naïve, impressionable and sheltered under the guidance of her protective mother Barbara, in an increasingly searing performance by understudy Mehry Eslaminia (usually depicted by Kate Jennings Grant).  Barbara is fixated on Nina becoming the star ballerina she was prevented from becoming and Nina longs to please her mother. Moore is excellent as Nina, a beautiful dancer and her sympathetic naiveté draws you into her world of uncertainty and longing.

When a bold new choreographer LeRoy, portrayed with easy charm, charisma and sharp comic timing by Amber Iman, arrives to stage a new version of Swan Lake, Nina thinks this might be her chance to shine.  When Jada Simone Clark breezes in as mysterious and effervescent free spirit dancer Lily, she catches Nina and LeRoy’s attention.  LeRoy is driven by something to prove and Iman and Thom Sesma as company director Jacques share a tense and interesting power dynamic underneath their lighter and more humorous moments. 

Tory Trowbridge delivers a chilling performance as worn principal dancer on edge, Beth McIntyre. Consistently aware of her position, McIntyre is sympathetic in her desperation to hold onto her place in the company and her distressed exchanges with Moore will leave you on tenterhooks.

Ava Noble, Martell Ruffin, Adrian Lee, Anthony Santos, and Caleb Marshall lift
Melanie Moore in A.R.T.’s world-premiere production of Black Swan.
Credit: Hawver and Hall.

While the film draws a clearer picture of Nina’s journey, Black Swan musical is intense, haunting, visceral and intriguing deciphering Nina’s precarious state of mind and how it is executed onstage.  The conclusion remains stunning.  I agree with the moderate differences in the musical than the film for the most part.  However, much of the film hinges on the traditional ballet production than a modern new vision which seems like it doesn’t quite fit.  In the film, Aronofsky takes the dark nature of this renowned classic and turns it on its ear while enhancing this dancer’s journey running intermittent parallels with Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. Aronofky also produces this musical so I am surprised by this change. Though this musical is no romance, it is no less a transformational piece rooted in the desire to become who you believe you are meant to become at whatever the cost.

American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) continues the world premiere of psychological thriller horror musical, Black Swan live and in person at Loeb Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts through Sunday, July 12.  Click here for more information and for tickets.

REVIEW:  Risking it all in Sullivan Rep’s wry and reflective ‘Merrily we Roll Along’

Posted on by The Sleepless Critic

How the tables turn for this group of dreamers.

A devoted trio of friends set out to follow their ambitions, but the smell of success may not be all it’s cracked up to be.

With lively direction and choreography by Dan Sullivan and witty musical direction by Jenny Tsai, Sullivan Rep continues Merrily We Roll Along live and in person at Mother Brook Arts and Community Center in Dedham, Massachusetts through Saturday, June 27.  This time jumping, theatre in the round musical runs two hours and 40 minutes including one intermission.  Click here for more information and for tickets.

Carly Evans, Sean Donnelly, and Dan Sullivan in Sullivan Rep’s ‘Merrily We Roll Along’ Photo by Kenly Murray

Following the staggering 14 Tony award-nominations for Sondheim’s musical Company in 1970, Stephen Sondheim reunited with George Furth and Harold Prince for the 1981 musical Merrily We Roll Along. Merrily We Roll Along could very well be Company’s cousin in its similarity in tone, shared themes and its non-linear storyline.  Also, Marianne Elliot directed the Broadway musical revivals that went on to win a Tony in 2021 for Company starring Katrina Lenk and featuring Patti Lupone and in 2023 for Merrily We Roll Along starring Jonathan Groff and Daniel Radcliffe.

Both musicals also have in common a conflicted man who makes a variety of decisions which creates some complicated outcomes while his tight knit group of friends stand by to support him, especially as this man starts to lose sight of what is truly important. 

Ryan DuBray’s flashing multicolor spotlights form what seems like a disco style time traveling machine surrounding the stage and projections on the wall alternate from the progression of time to rewinding the clock throughout the musical.

DuBray’s era-inspired set along with costumer JeanMarie LaPointe work together to create distinct portraits of various eras from 1959 to 1976.  From Post World War II to the disco era to the black and white Andy Warhol era, bold and eye catching colored wardrobes include flowing silk dresses and jumpsuits, polyester leisure suits, plaids, florals, sequins and fringe to depict the hard partying “movers and shakers.”  Cast members bring assorted retro props to set up each scene.

Merrily We Roll Along focuses on Sean Donnelly as Franklin Shepard who is thriving from the success of his new musical.  He is married to Katie Clark as resentful and consummate performer Gussie, but there is a lot more to their story than meets the eye.  Clark establishes and “gussies up” this complicated character well and it is interesting to watch the unmistakable parallels between Clark’s Gussie and Donnelly’s Franklin.

Justin Boudreau, Katie Clark and cast in Sullivan Rep’s ‘Merrily We Roll Along’ Photo by Kenly Murray

As far as the trio of friends, Franklin has a complicated bond with Carly Evans as increasingly unreserved and steadfast Mary Flynn and Daniel Forest Sullivan as Franklin’s business partner Charley Kringas.  Evans, Sullivan and Donnelly all share a bond that only old friends can even as it frays at the edges.  They demonstrate some wonderful moments in the daydreaming number, Bobbie & Jackie & Jack and warm camaraderie for It’s a Hit and Old Friends. 

The musical may start out cynical and seemingly shallow, but becomes more robust as the tale unfolds.  A particular highlight is Daniel Forest Sullivan as Charley expressing wry sarcasm and mounting frustration with a tinkling piano and a wink to Fosse for the catchy and rapid fire number, Franklin Shepard, Inc.  Carly Evans as Mary offers a heartfelt rendition of Like It Was and Meghan Rose shines as down to earth and reasonable Beth from her very first scene for Not a Day Goes By.  Along with Justin Boudreau as ambitious producer Joe, the group form bright harmonies for Opening Doors.  Amanda Atkinson and Scott Berozi notably share clever comedic quips as a pair of news anchors.

Sondheim is known for his complex harmonies as well as rapid fire and thickly descriptive lyrics and this musical is no exception.  This cast dominates this challenging musical style, but some of the lyrics can get a little lost in acoustics of the venue, so try to sit as close as you can to the stage.  The venue also can get a little warm so dress accordingly. 

Merrily We Roll Along is an engaging cautionary tale that cleverly carves out fascinating patterns and parallels to focus on the pressures of fame, the fragility of friendship and the risks one takes to follow that dream.  As upbeat and funny as it is cynical, it reflects on the realities of this pivotal era and brings to light what is truly important.

Sullivan Rep continues Merrily We Roll Along live and in person at Mother Brook Arts and Community Center in Dedham, Massachusetts through Saturday, June 27.  Click here for more information and for tickets.

REVIEW:  Chaos and good intentions in The Huntington’s hysterical satirical comedy, ‘Eureka Day’

Posted on by The Sleepless Critic

Perhaps it’s the adults might have something more to learn than the students at Eureka Day.

Welcome to a meticulous world of learning where bright ideas are considered and delivered with such surgical accuracy to never offend anyone at Eureka Day School in Berkeley, California. Treading with intense care, Eureka Day is a private school that weaves radical inclusivity, veiled open-mindedness and ultra-progressive ideas into every aspect of their curriculum penetrating from each of the Eureka Day executive committee member’s polite smiles.  Bending over backwards to support one another never looked so pained.

Directed with tongue-in-cheek humor by Margot Bordelon, The Huntington continues Jonathan Spector’s satirical comedy Eureka Day live and in person at the Huntington in Boston, Massachusetts through Sunday, June 28.  The production is approximately 100 minutes with no intermission. Click here for more information and for tickets.

The cast of The Huntington’s production of Eureka Day by Jonathan Spector, directed by Margot Bordelon. Photo by Liza Voll. Running May 28 – June 28, 2026 at the Huntington Theatre (264 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115).

From catchy children’s songs anywhere from Sesame Street to Schoolhouse Rock, Jonathan Spector’s Eureka Day at the Huntington cleverly welcomes the audience back to childhood though Daniela Hart, Noel Nichols, Bailey Trierweiler and Uptown Works’ sound design and the sight of Luciana Stecconi’s imaginative and detailed classroom filled with a wide array of children’s books prior to the production.

Eunice Woods; photo by Liza Voll Eureka Day May 28 – June 28, 2026 Written by Jonathan Spector Directed by Margot Bordelon
The Huntington Theatre, 264 Huntington Ave. Boston, MA 02115

Nothing but vim and vigor erupts from each committee member at the start of the 2018 to 2019 school year.  The Eureka Day executive committee are made up of parents who decide on policies in the best interest of the school.  Committee member and founder Suzanne portrayed by Nancy Lemenager and Ken Cheeseman as Don alongside Sasha Diamond as Meiko and Japhet Balaban as Eli are to show Eunice Woods as Carina, a new committee member and parent hailing from a Maryland public school, the ropes.  However, there is a lot more going on behind the scenes than anyone ever expected at this seemingly quaint elementary day school, especially when an outbreak of the measles surfaces and has the school divided. 

The cast of Eureka Day; photo by Liza Voll Eureka Day May 28 – June 28, 2026 Written by Jonathan Spector
Directed by Margot Bordelon The Huntington Theatre, 264 Huntington Ave. Boston, MA 02115

The extraordinary detail in Luciana Stecconi’s set design depicts a large jungle themed classroom adorned with signs, posters, and art work pinned to the walls, bookshelves piled with various children’s books of all sizes, and illustrated winding trees climbing the walls.  Plump stuffed animals and stackable shell chairs are scatter around the room as towering trees stem from above the classroom to an open sky.  Cha See’s energetic lighting and rhythmic sound design work together to trigger time and progression between scenes with similar flair as school set John Proctor is the Villian, a past production at the Huntington also directed by Margot Bordelon.

Eureka Day tackles a long list of hot topics and painfully awkward conversations including vaccinations, unisex bathrooms, motherhood, school closures, climate change, diversity, inclusion and more.  It also does so in a way that just tense enough while also finding some semblance of humor and much of that is due to this complex cast of characters who share everything except what they are truly thinking.  Also, Eureka Day contains a scene so hilarious in its resonance, tears rolled from my eyes.  This doesn’t happen to me often in the theater, but without spoiling it, this chaotic and rapid fire scene by projection designers John Horzen and Uptown Works is so brutally prevalent in today’s world that it’s no wonder I was hysterically laughing through tears.

 

Sasha Diamond and Japhet Balaban in The Huntington’s production of Eureka Day by Jonathan Spector, directed by Margot Bordelon. Photo by Liza Voll. Running May 28 – June 28, 2026 at the Huntington Theatre (264 Huntington Ave. Boston, MA 02155).

With a tight smile, Nancy Lemenager impressively depicts rigidly careful committee member and school founder Suzanne who goes out of her way to choose her words wisely in an effort to share her viewpoints while sporadically recounting the school’s historical decision-making process.  Lemenager’s Suzanne is shrewd, orderly and condescending while hiding a deep secret.  Ken Cheeseman as consummate peacemaker Don is likable, diligent and seeming concerned about accommodating everyone.  Sasha Diamond as level headed yet cynical single mother Meiko and Japhet Balaban as enthusiastic yet cagey parent Eli share some thought provoking and comical moments and Ebonie Marie as Winter round out this even handed cast.

Sasha Diamond, Nancy Lemenager, Ken Cheeseman, and Eunice Woods in The Huntington’s production of Eureka Day by Jonathan Spector, directed by Margot Bordelon. Photo by Liza Voll. Running May 28 – June 28, 2026 at the Huntington Theatre
(264 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115).

Tension builds, friendships are tested and chaos most assuredly ensues while remaining thoroughly funny and compelling.  It also has its share of stirring and surprising moments where people ultimately have to arrive at some painstaking decisions and unleash their true feelings even as they call each other family.

Directed with tongue-in-cheek humor by Margot Bordelon, The Huntington continues Jonathan Spector’s satirical comedy Eureka Day live and in person at the Huntington in Boston, Massachusetts through Sunday, June 28. Click here for more information and for tickets.