Tag Archives: Theater

When I write about performing arts, I often intentionally overlook Broadway shows and national tours, because I want to help promote Boston’s theater scene.

However, every once in a while a new show does catch my eye and Kinky Boots the Musical, which recently opened on Broadway is one of those exceptions.  Have you heard about this new musical that has music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper?  For those who live in and visit NYC regularly, I’m curious if you have tickets and plan on seeing this show?

Hilton Als review in the New Yorker is quite positive. Als writes, “Kinky Boots”, a musical based on a 2005 movie comedy…pretty much follows the film script while emphasizing those themes that made the author’s work on 1983’s “La Cage Aux Folles,” so effective: tolerance and bravery win out over bigotry and smallness. But that was in 1983, when the conversation around queerness was less a conversation than a shouting match. Fierstein is still shouting. Not so much shouting as insisting on the hurt that comes with being different—and how life outside the status quo amounts to an act of defiance. Read the full review here.

Last week I went to see The SpeakEasy Stage production of Other Desert Cities.  The play tells a story of a once promising young novelist who has returned home after several years to celebrate Christmas with her family in Palm Springs, CA. However, the daughter’s return home turns tense after she announces that she’s published a tell all memoir about a family tragedy from the past.

The narrative of family tensions and travails are things we can all relate to, but the depth of the frustrations and personal tragedy addressed are thankfully uncharted territory for me.  The humorous lines interspersed and mostly delivered by the role of recovering alcoholic, Aunt/Sister played by Nancy Carroll go a long way to release that tension and provide many unexpected laughs.  Leaving the theater, I was left with the thought, we all need to be a bit more forgiving because reality isn’t always what it seems. If that message strikes home for you as well, you may want to go see this production.

Other Desert Cities performances run through Saturday, February 9th.  You may purchase tickets at The Calderwood Pavilion box office on Tremont Street in the South End or by phone, 617-933-8600 or online at SpeakEasyStage.com. 

Excuse the trite headline, but earlier this week I saw Pippin at the American Repertory Theatre (A.R.T.) in Cambridge. It is rare to have a local show filled with so many Broadway actors in Boston so when I heard about Pippin’s run I knew I wanted to check it out before it left for Broadway. I am unfamiliar with how this production differs from the original, so I won’t try to pretend I know what I’m talking about other than to say, the show is spectacular.

The music is fantastic but its no surprise considering it was penned by Stephen Schwartz (composer of Wicked and Godspell), and the cast really does amaze, belting out pitch perfect tunes.  Even I recognized the Bob Fosse choreography I’d heard about prior to seeing the show.  All this comes together to form a very entertaining musical that had me holding my breathe more than once watching the amazing circus-like acrobatics executed by 7 Fingers (a Montreal-based company that is reminiscent of Cirque du Soleil).

Since the show closes this weekend, you’ll need to get tickets (probably for quite a bit more money) when it opens in April at the Music Box Theater on Broadway.  In anticipation of the question if it is worth seeing on Broadway – I’ll keep my answer short and sweet, “Yes”.

33 Variations Dr. Brandt

Last week I saw The Lyric Stage Co. production, 33 Variations.  The story opens in present day in New York City with a heated conversation between a mother and daughter, but in the next scene the audience is drawn into a second story involving Ludwig van Beethoven.  Sound complicated? Not interested in the music scene from 19th century Austria? These were my thoughts too when I first read about the show, and it is why I wanted to be sure I dispel these reservations – they are unfounded. I promise you will thank me for telling you to go.

The Lyric Stage Co. does an excellent job suspending time and weaving these stories that on the surface are about Beethoven’s piano masterpiece the Diabelli Variations, but actually have a lot more to do with personal relationships, individual passions and the need for closure. Dr. Katherine Brandt played by Paula Plum steals the show perhaps because her story is so compelling – even though at times I found her character so frustrating I wanted to  walk down on to the stage and shake some sense into her.

33 Variations Clara Brandt & Mike Clark and Beethoven, Schindler & Diabelli

Dr. Brandt’s friction with her daughter and fixation on her research happen to be incredibly relatable and I suppose that is what I found so engaging about her character and the entire play.  I had assumed the storyline would be too cerebral for me to sit back and simply enjoy.  The humorous dialog and candid conversations that run through out the show will draw you in and the two hours will pass so quickly you’ll be left wondering if The Lyric Stage Co. ability to suspend time on stage had somehow extended to your seat as well. So pick up tickets and make a night of it. I assure you it is money well spent and an evening you will enjoy.

While there are many great shows coming to Boston from theater companies touring the United States, there is a vibrant local theater scene too often overlooked.  While I can’t list all that Boston offers, I’ve listed five productions that have caught my attention and hope to see.

Other Desert Cities at Lyric Stage Company,  Jan. 4th thru Feb. 2nd Tickets Here

33 Variations is about a mother coming to terms with her daughter and a composer coming to terms with his genius.  Separated by 200 years, these two people share an obsession that transcends the boundaries of time.  The play takes place both in present day and in Beethoven’s time, switching back and forth between New York City to Bonn, Germany and Vienna, Austria.

Invisible Man at The Huntington Theatre Jan. 4th thru Feb. 3rd   Tickets Here

The Invisible Man is a play based on the 1952 novel by Ralph Ellison. The production addresses many of the social issues facing African-Americans in the first part of the 20th century.  The Huntington’s Artistic Director, Peter DuBois, shares more about the production here.

Marry Me A Little at The New Repertory Theatre  Jan. 6th thru Jan. 27th   Tickets Here

Marry Me A Little  from the NewRep is an updated take on Sondheim’s charming musical revue—and on modern-day marriage.Through spoken word and song, lonely New York singles fantasize romantic adventures, join in emotional conflict, and question the commitment of marriage.

Other Desert Cities at The SpeakEasy Stage  Jan. 11th thru Feb. 9th          Tickets Here

Other Desert Cities tells the story of a family where secrets are currency and everyone is rich. Brooke Wyeth, a once promising young novelist, comes home after a 6-year absence for Christmas in Palm Springs, but festivities are short-lived, when Brooke announces she is about to publish a memoir dredging up a tragic event in the family’s history.

Mildred Fierce by The Gold Dust Orphans Feb. 7th thru Mar. 17    Tickets Here

Mildred Fierce is Ryan Landry’s latest musical, inspired by the Joan Crawford film, Mildred Pierce.  This production will star Varla Jean Merman as Mildred and will be performed at the Ramrod Performing Arts Center as Ryan likes to call it but is probably better known as downstairs at Machine Nightclub.

Want to see what other shows are opening in Boston later this month? Check out The Phoenix which has a more complete listing here.