Category Archives: Theater

Cabin fever setting in?

snow, handsome, hunk, snowman, shirtless guy, winter

March can be a tough month in New England. The winters are long and cabin-fever starts to set in (big time), so I wanted to give a shout out to several events that Sergio and I have either attended or are planning to attend later this month.

If you have an event you’ve attended or are looking forward to attending later this month, please share it in the comments section.

Imagine Van Gogh: The Immersive Exhibition

Imagine Van Gogh: The Immersive Exhibition closes March 19, 2022

Located at the SoWa Power Station. This exhibit first opened in December and will wrap close on March 19th. Sergio and I went to this in December and really enjoyed ourselves. It makes for a great date night option. I’d recommend grabbing a drink or dinner (or both) nearby after you go. More info here.

What the Constitution Means to Me

What the Constitution Means to Me closes March 20, 2022

Sergio was not pleased when I told him we would be going to this play at the Emerson Majestic Theater. His response, “I hate political plays”. Fast forward 90-minutes later and Sergio was one of the first people to jump up from his seat to cheering and applauding Cassie Beck with tears in his eyes. I was blown away and wish everyone would see this show. Who knew Constitutional history was so fascinating and funny? More info here.

The Art of Banksy

The Art of Banksy closes April 30, 2022

This exhibit which opened last month in Harvard Square runs through April and is really amazing. It includes approximately 100 pieces by the mysterious / notorious artist. While Sergio was not familiar with the name Banksy, he did recognize some of his more iconic images. The exhibit has a fun wall of reproductions at the end for fun interactive selfies with his artwork. More info here.

ChoreograpHER

Boston Ballet ChoreograpHER, March 3 – 13, 2022

I am excited to see this ballet of five ChoreograpHERs, five voices, five world premieres. This female-led program celebrates the innovative talent of women including New York City Ballet Principal Dancer and choreographer, Tiler Peck. More info here.

Coco Peru is Bitter Bothered & Beyond

Miss Coco Peru March 25-26, 2022

Sergio and I have convinced a few friends to join us for Coco’s show on Friday evening at Club Cafe and I’m very excited. Coco never disappoints and is always entertaining. I understand the Friday show is now sold out but a few tickets may be available for her Saturday performance. More info here.

Coco Peru returns to Club Cafe

One of my favorite drag personalities is returning to Boston for two shows at Club Cafe. Miss Coco Peru’s show, Bitter, Bothered & Beyond, is certain to be hilarious and will certainly sell out in a hurry so talk to your friends, make plans and get your tickets which are currently on sale.

Miss Coco Peru is Bitter, Bothered & Beyond
@Club Cafe, March 25 & 26
Get Your Tickets Here

What the Constitution Means to Me

Tonight is opening night for The Huntington’s production of Heidi Schreck’s Tony nominated play, What The Constitution Means to Me.

Directed by Oliver Butler and starring Cassie Beck, the funny play introduces the audience to Shreck as a fifteen year old teenager. In the play, she shares the profound relationship between four generations of women and the impact the Constitution had in shaping their lives.

The Huntington Theater’s production runs from February 22 – March 20, 2022 at The Emerson Majestic in Boston’s Theater District. Tickets to in-person performances start at $35. For more information about the play or to purchase tickets visit, The Huntington.

Escape the cold see a show

Boston’s theater companies have some great productions this winter

Boston’s local theater companies returned to the stage with some amazing live performances. While this is not an exhaustive list, it does share in-person shows from some of my favorite local theater companies.

Some of the show dates above have changed due to COVID

Boston’s “B Together” policy is in effect and will require you show proof of vaccination to allow you to enter. For more information visit B Together.

Lyric Stage: Mr. Parent

Synopsis: This one-man performance based on actor Maurice Emmanuel parent’s real-life adventures of teaching in an urban public school system.

January 13th – February 6th. Tickets start at $25. Get your tickets here.

The Huntington: The Bluest Eye

Synopsis: Based on the first novel by Toni Morrison, it tells the story of Pecola, a young Black girl who believes everything in her world would be made wonderful if only she had blue eyes. .

January 28th – March 13th. Tickets start at $25. Get your tickets here.

Central Square Theater: Young Nerds of Color

Synopsis: Assembled from over 60 interviews with scientists – established and emerging, rock stars and renegades – playwright Melinda Lopez weaves together their challenges, successes, and wildest dreams. Told from the perspective of those most underrepresented in science, their stories are amplified with rich harmonies to bring us together and break down the boundaries of science.

February 3rd – March 6th. Tickets start at $25. Get your tickets here.

SpeakEasy Stage: People Places & Things

Synopsis: Emma is a 30-something actress who thinks she is having the time of her life, until she finds herself in rehab. Her first step is to admit that she has a problem – but therein lies the problem. Will she ever sober up?

February 11th – March 5th. Tickets start at $25. Get your tickets here.

American Repertory Theater: Ocean Filibuster

Synopsis: Inside the Senate chamber of a global governing body, Mr. Majority introduces an “End of Ocean Bill” designed to shrink Earth’s oceans into a more manageable (and marketable) collection of inland seas. When the floor is opened for debate, the Ocean arrives to speak in its own defense…and so begins an epic Human-Ocean showdown.

February 18th – March 13th. Tickets start at $25. Get your tickets here.

Support local theater! Make plans to see one or more of these shows. They make for an excellent date night or evening out with friends.

WILD: A Musical Becoming opens

Courtesy of A.R.T., photo credit Maggie Hall

Sergio and I are excited to see the American Repertory Theater’s (A.R.T.’s) newest production, Wild: A Musical Becoming, that just opened and will run through Sunday, January 2nd.

The new musical is a fable about a single mother struggling to hold on to her family farm and connect with her teenage daughter, whose determination to save the planet endows her and her friends with powers. The fantastical sounding musical was created by Tony and Obie Award-winning playwright V (formerly Eve Ensler – think Vagina Monologues) and has Broadway star-power with Tony Award-winning performer and songwriter Idina Menzel (Rent, Wicked and Frozen) and Javier Muñoz (In The Heights and Hamilton). The Boston Globe published an article about the show, the creative forces who contributed to the show and its underlying messages, here.

Sergio and I have plans to see the musical on Friday, which affords us the chance to see Idina Menzel who is only performing in the musical through Thursday, December 23rd. Ticket prices start at $25. You can learn more about Wild: A Musical Becoming, and the remainder of the A.R.T.’s fantastic season here.

A John Waters Christmas comes to Boston

Like an obsessed and shell-shocked St.Nick from quarantine, John Waters is back with his annual Christmas show. Bad little boys and girls and everybody in between and beyond, will be thrilled to take a sleigh-ride-of-sleaze down the slopes of good taste and over the ski jump of religious beliefs to a snow drift of candy cane anarchy.

Tickets are now on sale for “A John Waters Christmas”. He will be in Boston for one show only on Friday, December 10th at the Berklee Performance Center in Back Bay.

Boston Ballet presents The Nutcracker

Paulo Arrais of Boston Ballet in Mikko Nissinen’s The Nutcracker photo by Rosalie O’Connor

Finally! Live performances are back. It was really cool to see the Boston Ballet’s performance of The Nutcracker broadcast on NBC last November but it isn’t the same as sitting in the Boston Opera House, and I’m thrilled to see that the Boston Ballet will be back this season with live performances of this holiday classic.

The Boston Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker opens in a little more than two weeks, and tickets are on sale. Each year I like to give this classic ballet a plug, but after the past 18+ months I feel like grabbing a bullhorn and shouting it out from atop the Newbury’s rooftop restaurant, Contessa, for everyone to pay note.

Show your love and support for this wonderful ballet company. Make plans to see this year’s production of The Nutcracker. It is certain to be an emotional return after all the performances that were cut short in March 2020.

Boston Ballet presents The Nutcracker Nov. 26 – Dec. 26, 2021

Consider picking up tickets for a show this holiday season with friends or someone special. It makes for an excellent date night and is guaranteed to put you in the holiday spirit. Tickets are affordable, starting at $40.

American Repertory Theater’s 2021 / 2022 season is shaping up to be one of their best yet

Across the river and down Brattle Street in Harvard Square is the American Repertory Theater. This award winning theater company consistently produces innovative, new shows that attract some of America’s most talented actors from Broadway to Hollywood and this season is no exception.

Macbeth In Stride Production Photo Phoenix Best, Reggie D. White, Whitney White, and Kira Sarai Helper perform “Reach For It”in Macbeth In Stride. Photo: Lauren Miller

Recently I was able to attend MacBeth in Stride which will be closing Sunday, November 14th. This world premiere rock musical written by and starring Obie Award and Lilly Award winning director, actor, and musician, Whitney White had me as enthralled as when I saw Jagged Little Pill world premiere in the same theater in the spring of 2018. This isn’t the Shakespeare you learned in school. Whitney deconstructs the play from the point of view of Lady MacBeth. However, I think WBUR’s review sums up the show best saying, “Part theater, part concert, part real-talk — the show is a fascinating deconstruction of “Macbeth” that reimagines its leading lady as a boss Black woman angling for power.”

The ever so easy on they eyes, Charlie Thurston, who plays a backseat in this play as King MacBeth, is believeable in his role as he descends into madness after killing King Duncan at the urging of his manipulative and power hungry wife. The sassy three witches singing their version of “double, double toil and trouble” had my pulse racing and felt more like a rock concert than a play but like WBUR wrote “it works”. While the opportunity to see this show draws to a close, this powerhouse show will hopefully be taken on the road – if it does be sure to see it.

Don’t be bummed if you can’t see this show because in a few weeks time, the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) will world premiere another show that is going to be a must see (and perhaps work its way to Broadway) called, Wild: A Musical Becoming. The show which opens December 5th will star Tony Award Winning actress, Idina Menzel, Javier Muñoz (Broadway’s In the Heights and Hamilton), Deborah Craig (Broadway’s The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), and many more. Here is the full list of cast members.

The A.R.T.’s line-up for the spring of 2022 looks to be equally exciting, including an environmental showdown in Ocean Filibuster and their final production of the season, a new production of the Tony Award-winning musical, 1776.

You heard it from me – make plans and get your tickets today.

Varla Jean Merman comes to Club Cafe

This fall Varla Jean Merman has taken her popular summer show in Provincetown, Little Prick, on tour. She is currently wrapping up a successful tour on the West Coast and will be coming to Boston to perform for two nights at Club Cafe on Friday and Saturday, November 19th & 20th.

Be sure to get your tickets, because Varla’s shows will sell out.

Wigged: A Halloween Drag Show comes to Club Cafe October 30th

Cacophony Daniels and Sutton Lee Seymour bring their HalloWICKED drag cabaret show to Club Cafe for one show only on Saturday, October 30th where they will perform songs from Wicked, Hocus-Pocus, and Rocky Horror Picture Show to name a few.

Seating is limited and tickets cost just $30. This show will sell out quickly so make plans with friends and get your tickets today.

Gold Dust Orphans announce new Christmas show: A Grinchley Christmas Carol

A Grinchley Christmas Carol runs from December 2 – 19th

The always hysterical and wildly inappropriate Ryan Landry and his cast of misfits better known as The Gold Dust Orphans will be returning to the stage in Boston this Christmas, after nearly a two year absence.

Returning to the Iron Wolf Theater in South Boston’s Lithuanian Club, Ryan Landry and the Gold Dust Orphans will host their annual Christmas spectacular with “A Grinchley Christmas Carol”. The media release describes the show as “All new, fun loving, fast paced fruitcake, full of all things ‘holiday’ (spiced with naughtiness that could only come from the Orphans), based on the holiday classics of Charles Dickens and Dr. Seuss.

A Grinchley Christmas Carol will feature Orphan favorites Ryan Landry, Scott Martino, Delta Miles, Tim Lawton, Bubbles Goldberg, and many more familiar faces! Tickets start at $50.00 before service charges and are on sale now. These shows will sell out so make plans today to get your tickets.

SpeakEasy Stage presents The Sound Inside

Brilliantly intense. Go see The Sound Inside.

Last week, Sergio and I attended our first live theater performance since late 2019. The SpeakEasy Stage Company’s first production in front of a live audience is the drama The Sound Inside by Adam Rapp. The play premiered at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in 2018, and opened on Broadway in 2019, and was nominated for six 2020 Tony Awards.

SpeakEasy Stage presents: The Sound Inside
September 24 – October 16, 2021
Get Your Tickets Here

The 90-minute play (no intermission) opens with a monologue by Bella Baird, a tenured, creative writing professor at Yale who is a loner and prefers the company of her books to people. The audience is quickly introduced to the only other character in the play, a Freshman named Christopher.

The play centers around the unlikely relationship between Bella and Christopher. Their riveting and intense dialog is brilliantly delivered by both actors. The dialog is sprinkled with humor (e.g. Bella’s retelling of a one-night stand). But even these funny moments are tinged with an itensity and loneliness, which is a theme that runs through the play.

Sergio and I both really liked the play and encourage you to see it and let us know what you think. However, don’t take our word that the play is excellent and worth seeing. Both The Boston Globe and WBUR give rave reviews. Go see this production before it closes on Saturday, October 16th.

Tennessee Williams festival returns to Provincetown September 23 – 26, 2021

TENNESSEE WILLIAMS & CENSORSHIP

September 23 – 26, 2021

The 16th annual Tennessee Williams festival returns to Provincetown later this month with live performances that explore the theme of censorship. Four controversial plays by Williams are featured alongside a host of other events that include interactive performance-lectures; a play written in the 17th century here in Massachusetts called The Witch; a play by Mae West called Sex that was shut down for obscenity; and much much more.

For more information about this year’s performances visit 2021 Tennessee Williams Festival Performances and to purcahse tickets, merchandise or to learn more about the festival click the button below.

Boston theater companies new fall shows

Each September I like to share the upcoming crop of live theater performances by Boston Theater comanies. The past 18-mos has been especially hard on Boston’s theater companies and I would really like to encourage everyone to show their support for these local companies who don’t enjoy the same level of financial support as the national touring shows that come to our Theater District.

While this list is not exhaustive, it does share in-person shows this fall from some of my favorite local theater companies. Attending these local shows is far more affordable than the national tours and they can make for an excellent date night or evening out with friends.

SpeakEasy Stage || The Sound Inside (Sept 24 – Oct 16)

In the seventeen years since she was last published, novelist Bella Baird has almost completely isolated herself from the world. But things change when she meets Christopher – a brilliant but enigmatic student in her creative writing class at Yale. As their friendship deepens, their lives and the stories they tell about themselves become intertwined in unpredictable ways, leading to a shocking request. Intensely intimate and deeply moving.

Lyric Stage Co. || Be Hear Now (Sept 24 – Oct 17)

Bari, a misanthrope who has returned to her hometown of East Cooperville, NY as she struggles to finish her thesis on nihilism. Working at a local fulfillment center, her despair has reached new heights When Bari begins experiencing emotions she never has felt before, she begins to have a different outlook on life. And when she discovers that the cause of these feelings may be killing her, Bari is forced to ask if she wants to go back to a life of nothing.

Central Square Theater || Queens Girl in the World (Sept 30 – Oct 31)

This Motown-infused story of Jacqueline Marie Butler, a Black teenager coming of age in the 1960s. Her joys, challenges, and heartbreak play out against the backdrop of the civil rights movement as she journeys from her familiar Queens neighborhood to a progressive, predominantly Jewish private school in Greenwich Village. Queens Girl in the World is a funny, heartfelt tour de force solo show with one actor portraying over a dozen characters.

Huntington Theater || Witch (Oct 15 – Nov 14)

This fiendishly funny new play follows an alluring devil named Scratch as he arrives in the country village of Edmonton, and he promises to make the darkest dreams of its locals come true in exchange for their souls. When he meets Elizabeth Sawyer, she should be the easiest to convince — she’s an outcast, branded as a witch for years. So why does she resist Scratch’s deal? This subversive, inventive work is a free adaptation of a 1621 Jacobean comedy recreated with a modern sensibility, and is “devilishly clever and deliciously laugh-packed”.

American Repertory Theater || MacBeth in Stride (Oct 23 – Nov 14)

WORLD PREMIERE – A dazzling theatrical event created and performed by Obie Award-winning artist Whitney White with a live band, Macbeth In Stride examines what it means to be an ambitious Black woman through the lens of one of Shakespeare’s most iconic characters. The first of White’s five-part series commissioned by A.R.T. excavating the women from Shakespeare’s canon, the production uses pop, rock, gospel, and R&B to trace the fatalistic arc of Lady Macbeth while lifting up contemporary Black female power, femininity, and desire.

NOTE: Proof of vaccination is required to attend many of these perrformances!

August 2021 Provincetown performances

Live entertainment has returned to Provincetown this summer and both the performers and the venues could use your support. You can purchase tickets for any given show through the links shared in the post below. I will work to update this list throughout the summer. If there is a show that I’ve missed, add the information in the comments section.

August & Labor Day Weekend Performances in Provincetown

Ryan Landry Presents: Showgirls performances each Monday
At Fisherman Hall
Tickets available at House of LaRue

The Glass Menagerie – performances Monday thru Thursday
Provincetown Theater

Jon Richardson & Todd Alsup – performances each Monday
Poolside at the Crown & Anchor

Thirsty Burlington performances each Monday
Poolside at the Crown & Anchor

Illusions – performances each Monday, Friday & Saturday
Poolside at the Crown & Anchor

Edmund Bagnell (from Well Strung) performances each Tuesday
Poolside at the Crown & Anchor

Judy Gold – performances each Monday and Tuesday
At The Art House

The Hot Toddies – performances each Thursday
At The Post Office

Ginger Minj – performances Wednesday thru Saturday
At The Art House

Varla Jean Merman – performances Tuesday – Saturday
Poolside at the Crown & Anchor

Dina Martina – performances Thursday – Sunday
Poolside at the Crown & Anchor

Donnelly & Richardson Sing Dolly – performances each Friday
Poolside at the Crown & Anchor

Paige Turner – performances each Friday & Saturday
At The Pilgrim House Theater

Miss Richfield 1981! – performances each Friday & Saturday
At The Pilgrim House Theater

Anita Cocktail Variety Hour – performances each Friday, Saturday & Sunday
At The Post Office

Donnelly & Richardson Sing Broadway on the Beach – each Sunday
Poolside at the Crown & Anchor

Rachel Bay Jones w/Seth Rudetsky (Broadway Series) – performance August 1
At The Art House

Melissa Errico – performances August 4 & 5
Poolside at the Crown & Anchor

Deven Green with Ned Douglas – performances August 6 & 7
At The Art House

The Immaculate Miss Conception – performances August 6 & 7
At The Pilgrim House

Matteo Lane (comedian) – performances August 7 – 9
At The Pilgrim House

Kristin Chenoweth – performance August 8 (two shows)
At The Town Hall

Naked Boys Singing – performances August 11 & 12
Poolside at the Crown & Anchor

Unitard – performances August 12 & 15
At The Art House

Edie “Las Vegas Showgirl: Unleashed” – performances August 14 – 24
At The Pilgrim House

Liz Callaway w/Seth Rudetsky (Broadway Series) – performances August 13 & 14
At The Art House

Kelli O’Hara w/ Seth Rudetsky (Broadway Series) – performance August 15
At The Town Hall

Live From Provincetown Variety Show – performance August 17
Poolside at the Crown & Anchor

The Boyband Project – August 18 & 19
Poolside at the Crown & Anchor

Susie Mosher w/Seth Rudetsky (Broadway Series) – performance August 21
At The Art House

Stephanie Block w/Seth Rudetsky (Broadway Series) – performance August 22
At The Town Hall

Nicholas King – performance August 26
At The Art House

Lillias White – performances August 27 & 28
At The Art House

Marilyn Maye – performance August 31 – September 4
At The Art House

Sutton Lee Seymour: Booby Tunes – performances August 28 – September 1
At The Pilgrim House

Beth Leavell w/Seth Rudetsky (Broadway Series) – performance September 5
At The Town Hall

Christine Pedi – performance September 11
At The Art House