Nancy Grossman - Page 26

FAITHLESS is an intimate study of a Boston Irish-Catholic family facing a crisis. Mom is dying, but the adult children have different beliefs, resulting in a debate about her fate and a rehashing of family history before any resolution is possible. Sitting in a hospital waiting room with these four actors, the audience recognizes these people and understands what they're going through. Can they find closure and rebuild lost connections?

The American Repertory Theater reunites with Oregon Shakespeare Festival Artistic Director Bill Rauch to present FINGERSMITH, Alexa Junge's adaptation of Sarah Waters' 2002 novel of the same name. The playwright's Herculean effort capsulizes the 582-page opus into a taut two-hour drama enhanced by exceptional performances and outstanding production design. Words are insufficient to praise the central trio of women - Tracee Chimo, Christina Bennett Lind, and Kristine Nielsen - who inhabit all the layers of the fascinating characters in this Victorian thriller.

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF is not just a revival; it has the hallmarks of a revival meeting. It inspires the audience with its themes of tradition, community, and family, and, under the direction of Austin Pendleton, is a shofar call to stir the hearts and minds of all who would recall the Holocaust motto, "Never again."

Merrimack Repertory Theatre presents the world premiere of Steven Drukman's GOING TO SEE THE KID, an homage to an icon of "Red Sox Nation." Two Boston Globe reporters journey to Florida to interview an aging and ailing Ted Williams, but learn more about working as a team from each other. It's a feel good, family friendly story that taps into the holiday spirit.

The Gold Dust Orphans' 2016 Christmas show features "The World's Foremost Drag Detective" Shirley Holmes and her sidekick Dr. Jody Watley attempting to solve a series of mysterious deaths in Ryan Landry's MURDER ON THE POLAR EXPRESS. Directed by Larry Coen, it has an impressive roster of veterans and newcomers playing all of your favorite fictional Christmas characters, and a cameo appearance by Rhoda, the dog. Scott Martino's costumes are to-die-for, and Meredith Langton and the GlitterPuss Dancers kick up a (snow)storm.

MURDER FOR TWO is a musical whodunit in its Boston premiere at Lyric Stage Company. A pair of versatile actors provide their own piano accompaniment and play a total of thirteen characters between them. Jared Troilo and Kirsten Salpini are a charming and energetic twosome who entertain with song, dance, and shtick.

Kathy St. George may be diminutive in stature, but she is a feisty force of nature as the title character in MAME at Stoneham Theatre. Mary Callanan returns from Broadway and national tours to play her sidekick Vera, and ten-year-old triple threat Cameron Levesque plays her precocious nephew Patrick. One of Jerry Herman's great works, MAME is a joyous celebration of living life with brio and without apologies.

Moonbox Productions, Director Allison Olivia Choat, and Music Director Dan Rodriguez pay precise attention to the musical framework of Peter Shaffer's AMADEUS, with music performed by the Baroque ensemble Grand Harmonie Orchestra. Matthew Zahnzinger owns the spotlight as Antonio Salieri and newcomer Cody Sloan embodies the boyishness of the prodigy. The cast impresses, but the playwright had a hard time finding an ending he liked, so be prepared for a long night.

Author and humorist David Sedaris made his 12th appearance with the Celebrity Series of Boston as the final stop on his Fall 2016 tour. He read some of his essays and diary entries to a packed Symphony Hall Sunday night and proved that there is no such thing as a bad show when he is at the podium.

Tony Award-winner Beth Leavel launched the Broadway Series at The Black Box at the Franklin Performing Arts Company in a boffo one-night-only concert, accompanied on piano by Musical Director Phil Reno. The star was joined onstage by five young FPAC vocalists who portend a bright future for musical theatre.

Arthur Miller's 1947 Tony Award-winning play ALL MY SONS is strikingly relevant nearly seventy years later. There is still much to be learned from this compelling play and the Elements Theatre Company production doesn't shy away from the ugly truths or raw emotions embedded in Miller's story. Sr. Danielle Dwyer reaches unbelievable depths in her portrayal of Kate Keller, the heart and soul of this damaged family, and the work of the entire cast of artists is truly worthy of the word ensemble.

Bad Habit Productions inaugurates their 10th anniversary season with the world premiere of Kirsten Greenidge's HOW SOFT THE LINING, a historically-based play about the unusual relationship between Mary Todd Lincoln and her seamstress Elizabeth Keckley, a freed slave. Director M. Bevin O'Gara draws strong performances from Bridgette Hayes, Elle Borders, and versatile, diverse ensemble, to tell a story that resonates on many levels in today's political climate.

ArtsEmerson presents the world premiere of Melinda Lopez's one-woman play MALA. Ostensibly autobiographical, it is an honest representation of the ups and downs of one woman's journey as she bears witness to the most ordinary, shared human experience, the act of dying. As playwright, she incorporates a cultural sensibility; as actor, she is deeply in touch with the mixed emotions that are part and parcel of this bumpy ride. This full-length monologue is powerful and compelling.

Success in academia is not always transferable to personal or professional success upon leaving the halls of ivy. Playwright Mike Lew explores this phenomenon in his new comedy TIGER STYLE! The laughs come fast and furiously as siblings Albert and Jennifer Chen struggle to figure out who to blame for their recent failures as adults. From California to China, they try on different identities in an effort to find out where they belong. Think Dorothy Gale takes a newer, hipper journey.

Boston premiere of Kenneth Lin's ('House of Cards') "political thriller" at Lyric Stage Company ultimately works because of a trio of fine performances by Steven Barkhimer, Michael Tow, and Jessica Webb, under the taut direction of Dawn M. Simmons. You may have had more than your fill of politics for now, but the cat and mouse game devised by the playwright and the authentic portrayals will keep you guessing until the final blackout.

ABIGAIL/1702 is playwright Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa's exploration of the aftermath of the 1692 Salem witch trials. Merrimack Repertory Theatre and Director Tlaloc Rivas push all the right buttons to give the audience a scary ride. The outstanding design elements create an atmosphere that is spooky on many levels, and Rachel Napoleon is convincing as the troubled young accuser trying to escape her past.

Stoneham Theatre presents the New England premiere of playwright Thomas Gibbons' UNCANNY VALLEY, a view into the not too distant future when researchers have found a way to extend the human lifespan through artificial intelligence. While it raises more questions than it answers, its rich subtext and the fine work of Nancy E. Carroll and Lewis D. Wheeler combine to make this a compelling piece of theater.

MAN IN SNOW, Israel Horovitz's newest play, receives its world premiere at Gloucester Stage in a riveting production directed by the playwright. A full-length stage adaptation of an earlier radio play, the seed of the fictional story was sown from a real-life event in Alaska nearly twenty years ago. A stellar cast, led by a convincing and commanding Will Lyman, fully inhabits their characters, and the design team creates an effective, evocative landscape and soundscape.

Fiddlehead Theatre Company's Boston premiere production of PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT dazzles, and it's not just because of the millions of sequins used by Director/Costume Designer Stacey Stephens for the ab-fab fashions of the glamorous drag performers and their entourage. With over 300 costumes, eleven 3-foot wide head-dresses, more than two dozen musical numbers, and a life-size bus named Priscilla, the show offers a visual and aural smorgasbord to rival a midnight snack on a cruise ship.

SpeakEasy Stage Company is presenting the New England premiere of a new comedy by Joshua Harmon (BAD JEWS) prior to its scheduled Broadway run in February, 2017. Under the insightful direction of Producing Artistic Director Paul Daigneault, SIGNIFICANT OTHER offers a cornucopia of talented players (Greg Maraio atop the list), pointed humor, and poignant commentary on the universal human condition.