The Seagull

By Anton Chekhov
Conceived and Directed by Igor Golyak
Arlekin Players Theatre (Nov 2019)

Golyak himself casts Chekhov’s play right in front of you, with each actor stepping forward to accept the roles they were seemingly destined to take on. And so The Seagull (or something like it), begins with the mounting of Konstantin’s new work, starring Nina in a bewildering performance art piece that leaves everyone speechless. Afterward, Trigorin rightly says, “I didn’t understand a thing. Although, I did enjoy watching it.” What follows for the next two hours is a brave, experimental reimagining of one of Anton Chekhov’s greatest works. Click here to read the full review.

Photo: Irina Danilova

Fellow Travelers

By Gregory Spears | Libretto by Greg Pierce
Based on the novel by Thomas Mallon
Conducted by Emily Senturia | Directed by Peter Rothstein
Boston Lyric Opera (Nov 2019)

Confidently played by a 17-piece orchestra led by conductor Emily Senturia’s graceful, steady hands, Spears’ score for Fellow Travelers reaches right for the heart. When the characters can’t speak for themselves, the music speaks for them. The score is flirtatious, seductive, emotional, triumphant, melancholy, and mysterious. In the volcanic Act I duet, “Bermuda,” when Fuller and Laughlin make love for the first time, the persistence of the pulsing piano and the urgency of the spinning strings elevates the scene to heavenly heights, pushing the men together in a way that feels destined and natural. Click here to read the full review.

Photo: Liza Voll

Parade

Book by Alfred Uhry | Music and Lyrics by Jason Robert Brown Directed by Jason Modica | Choreography by Kira Trolio
Music Direction by Catherine Stornetta
Moonbox Productions (Dec 2019)

Jason Modica’s detailed, thoughtful direction and Kira Trolio’s vigorous, playful choreography is a fabulous pairing for this complex story. The staging and dancing are seamlessly integrated to focus your attention where it needs to be and to move the action forward in a way that flows easily from one scene to the next. Similarly, Steve Shack’s stimulating lighting design and Lindsay Fuori’s imaginative set design work beautifully together. Fuori’s multidimensional set serves not only as a factory and an office but also as a courtroom and a jail cell, complete with a tree at the center of a rocky mountaintop. Shack’s design plays with the emotional effects of light and dark, spreading shadows of branches and staircases and cell bars throughout the space, emphasizing the mystery and suspense at the core of the play. Click here to read the full review.

Photo: Sharman Altshuler

Last Catastrophist

By David Valdes
Directed by Sarah Gazdowicz
Fresh Ink Theatre (Jan 2020)

The setting of Last Catastrophist is particularly dire: small islands and entire countries are under water, Africa has become an uninhabitable “deathtrap” for migrating animals because, as one character states, “extinction is the new black.” And America’s two remaining climatologists – Marina, a Cuban-American from Florida (played by Evelyn Holley), and Lucia, an African-American from Oklahoma (played by Shanelle Chloe Villegas) – are fighting to stay alive so that science and truth don’t die with them. Holley brings a stern and steady sting to the role of leery, independent Marina, and Villegas brings a disarming playfulness to the role of earnest, determined Lucia. Neither woman trusts the other; both have secrets to keep; both are skeptical of the other’s intentions; and both have a lot to lose, not the least of which are their children and loved ones back home in America. Click here to read the full review.

Photo: Paul Fox

Bright Half Life

By Tanya Barfield
Directed by Megan Sandberg-Zakian
Actors Shakespeare Project (Jan 2020)

Director Megan Sandberg-Zakian manages the lightning-fast scene changes with the finesse of a world-class choreographer. Her dance-like staging is beautiful to watch; every turn into another time and every step into another place is done with intention, emotion, and clarity. With the help of sound designer Elizabeth Cahill and lighting designer Aja Jackson, the rapid transitions from one decade and location to the next are made even easier to follow with a simple “ping” sound that is perfectly timed with a decisive light change. Cristina Todesco’s intriguing set design rounds out this dream-like world with tiered platforms filled with dozens of house lamps of various size, style, and shape that flicker, pulse, dim, and brighten right along with the ups and downs of Erica and Vicky’s fluctuating relationship. Click here to read the full review.

Photo: Nile Scott Studios

Vanity Fair

By Kate Hamill
Adapted from the novel by William Makepeace Thackeray
Directed by David R. Gammons
Underground Railway Theater / Central Square Theater (Feb 2020)

The seven-person cast is a rollicking rabble of characters, led by URT Artistic Director, Debra Wise. Wise brings nerve-tingling confidence to the role of the deceitful, smarmy Lord Styene, and a delightful raunchiness to the role of old lady Matilda Crawley. She is the bedrock of this production…

Vanity Fair tells the story of two young women who are thrown into a mad, unforgiving world full of scoundrels, villains, and thieves; people who are selfish, jealous, money-grubbing, and power-hungry– a world not so different from our own. When the Manager asks, “Aren’t we always in want? If nothing is ever enough, then why fight it?” the characters simply keep moving forward– as we all must do– with or without our morals intact. Click here to read the full review.

Photo: Nile Scott Studios

The Inheritance

By Matthew López
Directed by Paul Daigneault
SpeakEasy Stage Company (May 2022)

“The story is as much about the inheritance of love, culture, and resilience as it is about inheriting the weight of shame, trauma, and oppression. The Inheritance asks us to consider our responsibility to past and future generations. It pushes for deeper conversations about addiction and inequality. It reminds us of the importance of storytelling and the ever-present need for compassion in a world that grows colder and harsher by the minute.” Click here to read the full review.

Photo: Nile Scott Studios

Common Ground, Revisited

Conceived by Kirsten Greenidge and Melia Bensussen
Adapted by Kirsten Greenidge
Directed by Melia Bensussen
Huntington Theatre Company (Jun 2022)

“Greenidge’s play offers a sharp, clear-eyed perspective of a challenging part of Boston’s history and in doing so gives insight into the city’s present problems. It suggests that the way toward a better future is through inclusion, conversation, and change– work that needs to happen in the classroom and the courtroom, and everywhere in between.” Click here to read the full review.

Photo: T Charles Erickson