BOSTON THEATER REVIEWS

HIR is anything but traditional. Playwright Taylor Mac has termed his work 'absurd realism' wherein 'the absurdity comes from a heightened but realistic point of view'. Those bold, brave, and open enough to sit in the discomfort that may come with looking at things from diverse points of view will...

Brookline playwright and former Huntington Playwriting Fellow Eleanor Burgess captures the zeitgeist in her fast-paced and intense new play, THE NICETIES, now receiving its world premiere by the Huntington Theatre Company at the Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts. Inspired by a 20...

Lyric Stage Company opens its 44th season with the Tony Award-winning (seven, including Best Musical) KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN, directed and choreographed by Rachel Bertone, with music direction by Dan Rodriguez, who gets pizazz and a far bigger sound than anyone would expect from a five-piece orche...

New Repertory Theatre presents the New England premiere of Young Jean Lee's STRAIGHT WHITE MEN, most recently seen on Broadway over the summer. Lee became the first Asian-American female playwright to have a play produced on Broadway with this exploration of privilege, identity, and American values ...

World premiere musical theater piece adapted by Davone Tines and Michael Schachter from 1931 Langston Hughes poem, 'The Black Clown.' Dramatic monologue with orchestral accompaniment is part elegy, part declaration of independence, and part celebration which resonates in 2018 America. Tines gives a ...

The BERNSTEIN CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION AT TANGLEWOOD concert was one of the largest and most significant performances taking place worldwide in recognition of what would have been Leonard Bernstein's 100th birthday. The unprecedented and unparalleled event marked the climax of Tanglewood's season-lon...

The entire ensemble cast (all newcomers to BSC) deliver unquestionably high-quality performances. Each displaying a range of emotion and dynamics as their characters navigate the windy and often choppy waters with such strength and dexterity that there is not even a moment we doubt them, nor the co...

If you are unnerved by dangling participles, musical compositions with un-resolved chords, or you like a play to flow logically along an expected rhythm or path and tie-up loose ends; HEISENBERG may leave you unfulfilled. Those who enjoy intrigue, the unconventional, and a few wait-what moments wil...

TRUE WEST is a dark, yet humorous play by the late Sam Shepard, one of America's foremost playwrights. Joe Short directs a stellar cast of Nael Nacer, Alexander Platt, Mark Cohen, and Marya Lowry in a story of family dysfunction, dramatic conflict, and sibling rivalry, set in a Southern California s...

With HAIR, Peregrine Theatre Ensemble cements its place among a new generation of young regional companies who are fearless in their ambition, limitless in their energy, and highly skilled in drawing audiences into powerful, poignant moments. It's no surprise that this show is breaking house records...

This funny, powerful, and poignant journey with its twists and turns offers catharsis and understanding for those wise and brave enough to take it.  I strongly encourage doing so....

The entire company delivered high quality performances.  Each cast member displayed deep insight into their character(s).  Particularly impressive for a group where nobody is a full-time professional. ...

DANGEROUS HOUSE is a powerful and poignant piece that delivers an extremely important message that needs to be seen and heard. Comments overheard upon exiting the theatre suggest that many patrons felt it ranks among one of the festival's best....

The journey takes us to a small southern town, 1945. More precisely, to the kitchen and adjacent back yard of the Addams family on the eve of a wedding. The action plays out over a few days in late August and tells the story of 12-year-old tomboy Frankie. Frankie's mother died when she was born, and...

The notably attractive, and extremely talented ensemble plays out every moment of this classic so well it will delight the eyes and the ears of those that have seen the piece before, as well as those who are experiencing it for the first time.  This is true of the acting, singing, and the dancing.�...

Feeling down in the dumps? A little worn out and tired from a long summer? Ready for the Kids to just get back in school already? I have just the cure for you....

Mark Linehan and Jennifer Ellis march in step in a glorious rendering of Meredith Willson's THE MUSIC MAN to close out Reagle Music Theatre's 50th Anniversary Summer Season with a bang. Director/choreographer Susan M. Chebookjian's staging is seamless, with one production number after another showin...

The opulent, newly restored Emerson Colonial, the historic crown jewel among Boston's glittering theatrical houses, is the perfect setting for the equally opulent but imperfect stage adaptation of Baz Luhrmann's anachronistic 2001 movie musical MOULIN ROUGE. Originally opened in 1900, the ornately a...

Olivia D'Ambrosio's vision for DARK ROOM is an artistic blend of spoken dialogue, choreographed movement, evocative sounds and music, and the best use of the architectural features of the space at the Multicultural Arts Center in East Cambridge. George Brant's play is inspired by the life, death, an...

Elements Theatre Company's Blithe Spirit is a visual feast of a production that updates it female leads to heroines and strips the piece to its comedic core. It's a thought-provoking interpretation, and this show deserves a longer run than the two weekends it will see....

The mania with which the late Robin Williams brilliantly voiced the Genie in the 1992 Disney animated film ALADDIN infuses every inch of Casey Nicholaw's high-octane Broadway musical production. Now on tour at the Boston Opera House through August 5, ALADDIN is a gilt-edged treasure chest of sensory...

Timeless tale re-imagined with contemporary spin by Jason O'Connell and Brenda Withers. Jeremiah Kissel makes GSC debut in title role opposite Andrea Goldman, under the direction of Artistic Director Robert Walsh....

An energetic cast of nearly 40 performers and a 16-piece orchestra give the incomparable Cole Porter score of ANYTHING GOES its due. Leigh Barrett headlines as Reno Sweeney, and multiple IRNE Award-winners Elaine Grace and Dan Rodriguez direct/choreograph and music direct/conduct, respectively. The ...

Director Jane Staab's Beauty & the Beast is a fable for our time, emphasizing the humanity of its enchanted castle's 'objects' (and even its titular beast) through costume and demeanor, while stressing the power of kindness and the promise of change. The themes run throughout this show - from its wi...

Premiere of documentary play about the former First Lady takes us back to those saner days of yesteryear, when a Republican forced from office in ignominy was replaced by a decent man who tried to heal the nation. Betty Ford may have been her husband's greatest asset in the two short years they resi...