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REVIEW:  Sisterhood is the new black in Hub Theatre Company of Boston’s vivacious ‘Love, Loss, and What I Wore’

Posted on by The Sleepless Critic

Call this cast a girl squad and a sisterhood.

With potent direction by Paula Plum and based on the bestselling memoir by Ilene Beckerman, Hub Theatre Company of Boston presents Nora Ephron and Delia Ephron’s semi-interactive production of Love, Loss, and What I Wore live and in person at Club Café in Boston, Massachusetts through Saturday, August 5.  This show is 90 minutes with no intermission and pay-what-you-can tickets are available.  It occasionally contains adult and unfiltered language.  Purchase a drink during this show and Club Café also offers a full menu.  Click here for more information and for tickets.

Lauren Elisa, June Kfoury, Barbara Douglass, Evelyn Holley, and Nettie Chickering in Hub Theatre’s ‘Love, Loss, and ‘What I Wore’ Photo credit to Tim Gurczak

The name Nora Ephron must ring a bell.  She was a famous award-winning rom-com journalist, writer, and filmmaker best known for 1983’s Silkwood, 1989’s When Harry Met Sally as well as 90s rom com classics Sleepless and Seattle and You’ve Got Mail before co-writing the screenplay for Julie and Julia in 2009.  Ephron’s signature style tackled the seriousness of life with a lighthearted demeanor and always found some relatable humor along the way.  With her sister Delia, Nora lends that empowering humor and charm to Love, Loss, and What I Wore.

June Kfoury, Evelyn Holley, Nettie Chickering, Lauren Elias, and Barbara Douglass in ‘Hub Theatre’s ‘Love, Loss, and What I Wore’ Photo credit to Tim Gurczak

One of the greatest strengths of Love, Loss and What I Wore is the ensemble’s beautiful camaraderie.  Love Loss and What I Wore has a gift for eloquently associating fashion with life’s bittersweet challenges.  Portraying several ages while sharing that walk down memory lane is Nettie Chickering, Barbara Douglass, Lauren Elias, Evelyn Holley, and June Kfoury.  Dressed in chic black by Kat Lawrence, they allow their vibrant experiences to take center stage.  From fashion faux pas to that eternally favorite garment, five women lay bare their fondest memories and insecurities.  It is a love letter to growing up and growing older in all of its wonder and complications. 

Nettie Chickering in Hub Theatre’s ‘Love, Loss, and What I Wore’ Photo credit to Tim Gurczak

To an array of lighthearted club hits between scenes, this dynamic group share silly, sad, courageous and important stories with collaborative flair and wistfulness.  They dance, grieve, conspire, tease, support and relate to each other all while discussing everything from relationships to family to roommates to the trials and tribulations of being a woman in a fun loving and deeply personal manner.  A few lighter moments include witnessing Lauren Elias and her hilarious and empathetic comments about carrying a purse, Douglass’s wise and humorous motherly advice, and the sheer joy and supportive manner in which these women appreciate each other’s company.   However, what stirs the production the most is contained in this group’s most significant challenges.  The stories they share are raw, honest, at times rueful, and may seem familiar as well.

June Kfoury in Hub Theatre’s ‘Love, Loss, and What I Wore’ Photo credit to Tim Gurczak

With Talia Elise’s dazzling lighting powering a bright and cheerful set which includes glowing string lights, a luminous neon hanger, shimmering disco ball, multicolor boas, and an illustrated clothing rack by Justin Lahue and Maggie Shivers plus a wonderful dose of nostalgia, Love Loss and What I Wore is a captivating experience into life’s surprises and how to discover what is truly important.

Hub Theatre Company of Boston presents Nora Ephron and Delia Ephron’s semi-interactive production of Love, Loss, and What I Wore live and in person at Club Café in Boston, Massachusetts through Saturday, August 5.  This show is 90 minutes with no intermission and pay-what-you-can tickets are available.  It occasionally contains adult and unfiltered language.  Click here for more information and for tickets.

REVIEW:  ‘34 Carmine Street,’ featured at the New York City Indie Film Festival, gets to the heart of small business

Posted on by The Sleepless Critic

You’ve Got Mail, a hit film starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, explores the virtues and survival of a small business bookstore up against a number of factors including corporate bookstore chains.  Small bookstore owner Kathleen Kelly and her fictional Shop around the Corner is embraced by the community for its rich history, Kelly’s unique personality reflected in every aspect of her bookstore including the storefront, her handpicked books, and the selection of readers and performers that appear at her store.  Every aspect is meticulously designed to make a particular impression for the customer.  The Shop around the Corner’s small but knowledgeable staff would not only know each handpicked book by heart and personally assist you in making a selection, but probably knows most of their devoted customers not only by name, but as a friend.

Supporting small business has not only always been a prevalent topic, but has gained that much more significance in the last few years, especially during the height of the pandemic.  Corporate business, rising real estate prices, the tough economy, and many other factors continuously impact the survival of small businesses and without more support, they often get left in the dust. 

34 Carmine Street was part of the Documentary 14 series featured at the New York City Indie Film Festival that continued through June 19 in person at the Producers Club in New York City.  Curated by Gerard van den Broek, Documentary 14 series also included documentary films Cinema and Sanctuary and Trash Day.

The New York City Indie Film Festival featured a variety of films from shorts to narratives to documentaries curated with common themes.  Sleepless Critic had the opportunity to review screenings on music, small businesses, love and connection and much more. 

Co-founded by Executive Director Dennis Cieri and Director Bonnie Rush, this renowned festival has screened thousands of films since it was first launched in 2010.  Click here for more information, film submissions for next year, and click here to see what we had to say about NYC Indie Film Festival’s Narrative 14 series and here for what we had to say about the films in the Documentary 12 series.

Photo credit to the New York City Indie Film Festival

Directed insightfully by Beatriz Browne, renowned short documentary 34 Carmine Street makes a strong argument not only for the survival of a historic and strong minded Greenwich Village bookstore and other unique, longtime small businesses on that street, but encapsulates what makes small businesses an irreplaceable part of the community without being preachy or political.  It digs deep into a part of Greenwich Village’s history where these small businesses have survived for decades while always having something significant to say about the world.  It may also change your mind about where you shop next.

34 Carmine Street, Cinema and Sanctuary, and Trash Day were all part of Documentary 14 at the New York City Indie Film Festival which continued through June 19 in person at the Producers Club.  Click here for more information on this annual festival and its winners.