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THE BURREN BACKROOM

247 Elm Street
Somerville, MA 02144



Review: DRIVING MISS DAISY at Barrington Stage Company


by Marc Savitt - June 07, 2026

Cast and Crew deliver a high-quality production that is both simple and sublime; historically accurate, topically relevant; and well worth seeing. BSC Artistic Director, Alan Paul said: 'It's fair to say that Daisy has become an American classic, and when you watch the show, you will see how contemp...

Review: Darren Criss Kicks Off New Concert Dates in Boston


by R. Scott Reedy - June 03, 2026

What did our critic think of AN EVENING WITH DARREN CRISS at Emerson Colonial Theatre?...

Review: SELECTED SHORTS at The Adams Theater


by Marc Savitt - June 03, 2026

Listening to SELECTED STORIES is a delight. The actors bring energy, nuance, intonation, inflection, and character to every aspect of the story they are telling. Having them do so live, in-person to a room full of enthusiastic audience member reactions made it even more so....

Review: JOHN & JEN at Berkshire Theatre Group


by Marc Savitt - May 31, 2026

As BTG's Artistic Director, CEO Kate Maguire stated: 'Through moments of joy, heartbreak, humor and healing, JOHN & JEN explores the enduring connections between siblings, parents and children- the people who remain part of us across a lifetime.  With Andrew Lippa's moving score and a story filled ...

Review: The Huntington's OEDIPUS EL REY Turns Tragedy Into Triumph


by R. Scott Reedy - May 20, 2026

Playwright Luis Alfaro aimed high when he decided to bring Sophocles’ “Oedipus Rex” from 429 BC into the 21st century with “Oedipus El Rey,” his contemporary retelling of the Greek tragedy set in a Los Angeles barrio....

Review: JON BATISTE Brings His Musical Genius to BOSTON POPS at Symphony Hall


by R. Scott Reedy - May 17, 2026

What did our critic think of JON BATISTE BRINGS HIS MUSICAL GENIUS TO BOSTON POPS at Symphony Hall?...

Review: SOMETHING ROTTEN! is Anything But at Lyric Stage Boston


by R. Scott Reedy - May 14, 2026

When it comes to playwrights and poets, William Shakespeare towers above everyone else who has ever put pen to paper. After all, he is the greatest writer ever in the English language, and his 39 plays, 154 sonnets, and three long narrative poems have been translated into virtually every living lang...

Review: Music Carries the Day in The Umbrella Stage Company's HAIRSPRAY


by R. Scott Reedy - May 06, 2026

In most, if not all, other mountings of “Hairspray: The Broadway Musical,” Tracy Turnblad is tucked under her bedcovers when audiences first see the young heroine, ready to show off her high-teased bouffant and let loose with the first notes of the rousing opener, “Good Morning, Baltimore.”...

Review: August Wilson's GEM OF THE OCEAN at Actors' Shakespeare Project Has Glint of Greatness


by R. Scott Reedy - May 04, 2026

What did our critic think of GEM OF THE OCEAN at Actors' Shakespeare Project?...

Review: Dramatic Musical SWEPT AWAY Stays Afloat with Score by The Avett Brothers


by R. Scott Reedy - May 01, 2026

The musical “Swept Away” tells the story of four whalers shipwrecked off New Bedford in 1888, making it especially resonant for local audiences, who can experience the musical drama in a well crafted New England premiere at SpeakEasy Stage Company in the Virginia Wimberly Theatre at the Calderwo...

Past Shows

Which Side?: A Protest Music Teach-Out
May 19

Which Side?: A Protest Music Teach-Out is a monthly series at The Burren Backroom in Somerville that pairs live protest song performances with conversation about...

Which Side?: A Protest Music Teach-Out
Feb 17

Which Side?: A Protest Music Teach-Out returns for another evening of music and dialogue on February 17, 2026, at The Burren Backroom in Somerville. The...

Aztec Two-Step 2.0 at The Burren Backroom Series
Aztec Two-Step 2.0 at The Burren Backroom Series
Jul 13

Rex Fowler & his wife Dodie Pettit continue his ATS legacy w/ their expanded band, performing ATS fan favorites & forgotten gemsOriginating from a chance...

Videos


The Hunchback of Notre Dame  in Boston The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Wheaton College - Watson Fine Arts (6/05-6/14) PHOTOS
Eureka Day in Boston Eureka Day
Theatre Workshop of Nantucket (6/04-6/20) PHOTOS
Come From Away in Boston Come From Away
North Shore Music Theatre (9/16-9/27) VIDEOS
Tuba Skinny in Boston Tuba Skinny
Payomet Performing Arts Center (9/02-9/02)
Chris Stapleton in Boston Chris Stapleton
Fenway Park (8/15-8/15)
The Legend of Georgia McBride in Boston The Legend of Georgia McBride
The Colonial Theatre (7/31-8/16)
I Draw Slow in Boston I Draw Slow
Payomet Performing Arts Center (7/13-7/13)
Frozen  in Boston Frozen
The Company Theatre (11/27-12/20)
Rhapsody: The Music of Queen in Boston Rhapsody: The Music of Queen
The Colonial Theatre (6/25-6/26)
Wicked in Boston Wicked
Citizens Opera House (9/23-11/15)