Brian Bochicchio

Fresh from an Australia tour, the boys, who have been together for most of 8 years, put on a scaled down show that combined Christmas favorites with classic drinking and parting of ways songs.

What unfolds is engaging, challenging and heartfelt, but ultimately hard to pin down. Robinson’s Harlem roots and experience are brought to light to illuminate the black experience in a generationally time-bending way. “A Raisin in the Sun” it is not.

The National Tour production team has crafted a fine Les Miz 2.0, with inventive musical staging. It is a show of constant snapshots and they created a visual mosaic.

It's an age-old showbiz adage—never work with children or animals. But here that advice is thrown out as the luminaries of the show are a plucky pixie adorned with bright red hair accompanied by a lovable shaggy labradoodle. Hey, in a season of uncertainty, a little schmaltz is appreciated.

And it always is with Synetic. For those unfamiliar with the company, their craft is based on expression through physical movement and scenic snapshots. Sound is used as aural choreography, but words are rarely heard. With this innovative approach, they have tackled some of the classics of stage in new, inventive ways. Thus, their latest work, “The Immigrant” loosely based on Charlie Chaplin’s 1917 short film, follows in the same tradition, reaching back to the silent movies in the fledgling American movie industry.

The title is not a typo.  Hey, what are the odds?  Could it be kismet, a prearranged theatrical landing spot, or totally happenstance? And if we cosmically reset the situation, would it happen again in the same way? Would we want it to happen the same way?