Join Sergio and me this Thursday night when we attend opening night for the Open Theatre Project at Club Cafe.
Award winning local playwright, George Smart shares a series of seven short plays about gay men. The collection of plays are funny relevant and irreverent but they only play for three evenings March 30 through April 1 at Club Cafe.
Gay Shorts
Thursday, March 30 – Saturday April 1
At Club Cafe
For more information and to purchase tickets visit, Gay Shorts.
Altar Boyz which opened at the Stoneham Theatre earlier this week is a self described foot stomping musical comedy about a fictitious Christian boy band on the last night of their national “Raise the Praise” tour.
Their tight harmonies and even tighter pants are sure to prove entertaining. The musical will run through Sunday, April 9th. For more information about the show and to purchase tickets: stonehamtheatre.org.
Over the next two weeks four local theater companies have new productions. If you are looking for a fun date night or an evening out with friends, consider supporting Boston’s local theater scene and purchase tickets to one or more of these shows (tickets are currently on sale for all of these productions).
Later this week Lyric Stage Co. opens with their production of Stage Kiss a funny play that asks what happens when life imitates art. In this show, two former lovers are cast to play two long lost lovers. The actors quickly lose touch with reality as their stage and real life blurs. What could possibly happen?
Central Square Theater opens with Precious Little on Thursday, March 2, 2017. A research linguist, Brodie, receives genetic testing results: her unborn child may never be able to learn a language. Three actresses play multiple roles in Madeleine George’s irreverent exploration of one of our most fundamental questions: when does too much knowledge get in the way of our basic instincts?
On Friday, March 3, 2017, The SpeakEasy Stage Co. opens with Grand Concourse. A drama that explores the mysteries of faith, forgiveness and compassion. As the main character looks to find greater meaning in her life.
The second week of March the Huntington Theater opens with Top Dog / Underdog. Directed by Tony Award winner, Billy Porter, the play focuses on two brothers who are best friends and bitter rivals in this darkly comic, deeply theatrical fable about family wounds and healing bonds.
It is opening night at the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) for the Tennessee Williams play, The Night of the Iguana. The stage play premiered on Broadway in 1961 and was an Academy Award winning film in 1964 directed by John Huston, starring Richard Burton, Ava Garnder and Deborah Kerr.
For this production the A.R.T. has pulled out some big name actors. The show is directed by Michael Wilson and the cast includes: James Earl Jones, Bill Heck, Dana Delany, Amanda Plummer, Elizabeth Ashley and Remo Airaldi.
Williams drama shows us how far people are willing to go to outrun their demons. The 1961 drama takes place on the edge of the Mexican jungle with a group of troubled travelers seeking shelter from a storm. It revolves around a hotel proprietress and a scandal-soaked Southern preacher, a Nantucket portrait artist traveling with her grandfather, a bus full of fuming Texan college administrators, and vacationers. I can’t wait to see this show.
The Night of The Iguana
at the A.R.T. in Harvard Square
Runs from: February 18 – March 18, 2017
Photo Source: Colonial Theatre Facebook Page
Earlier this month Boston Magazine had an encouraging article for Boston Theater lovers. To quote the article, “Soon, Emerson’s Colonial Theatre will be dark no longer.”
London’s Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG), which oversees theaters around the world, has partnered with Emerson College and has plans to begin hosting productions in 2018. ATG will work with Emerson to also incorporate student programming and youth programs and they told The Boston Globe they envision the possibility of running Broadway tryouts of shows at The Colonial much like it did in the past. However, first the theater will first be refurbished.
All of this is probably music to the ears of theater organizations, that have been clamoring for more space. For established theater companies like the Boston Lyric Opera, which lost their home at the Shubert last year this could be very significant. Recognizing the need, ATG’s Chief Executive told The Boston Globe, “We are going to make every effort that we possibly can to support the Boston Lyric Opera’s search for a new home.”
Trans Scripts, Part I: The Women January 19 – February 5, 2017
Trans Scripts Part I: The Women opens Thursday, January 19th for a two and a half week run at the A.R.T. in Cambridge.
Drawn from dozens of interviews conducted around the world, Trans Scripts, U.S. premiere uses the real words of women to shed light on the rich and diverse experiences within the transgender community. This show received a Fringe First Award for new writing at the 2015 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
The reviews are in for The SpeakEasy Stage production of the Tony nominated play Hand To God, and everyone (including me) loves it, but don’t take my word for it, The Boston Globe describes the show as “Good Nasty Fun!” and WBUR says it is “Flat-out hilarious”.
Described as “Sesame Street meets The Exorcist” by the New Yorker, the play tells the story of an awkward Texas teen named Jason, who spends afternoons practicing for the Christian Puppet Ministry run by his widowed mother. When Jason’s puppet, Tyrone, takes on a shocking and dangerously irreverent personality things take a much darker turn. This is unlike any play I can recall seeing with shocking scenes that will leave you laughing out loud one minute and the next recoiling. Hand puppets have never been so devilishly entertaining.
Get tickets to see Hand To God while they last. The two hour show with one intermission opened earlier this month and runs through Saturday, Febraury 4th at the Calderwood Pavilion in the South End.
Dario Ladani Sanchez and Eliott Purcell in SpeakEasy Stage’s production of HAND TO GOD. Photo by Glenn Perry Photography
Ryan Landry and his Gold Dust Orphans have already announced their Spring show in Boston will be Greece: A High School Musical.
The website promises chariot races, vengeful gods and plenty of teenage angst as well as a stellar cast of Grecian Greasers ready to dance and slay you with laughter. What happens when Zeus’ only daughter is caught obsessing on the petty goings on of mere mortals? He sends her to a public school. No sooner does she arrive on Earth when she meets a gorgeous Trojan and all Hades breaks loose. Add a tangled web of love stories that rivals A Midsummer Nights Dream and you get the picture.
While the Gold Dust Orphan’s spring production won’t open until early May, tickets are now available for sale.
GREECE: A High School Musical
Thursday, May 4 – Sunday, June 4
At The Ramrod Performing Arts Centre
“A Great Hymn to Christmas and Sexuality” – John Waters
The Slutcracker is Boston’s groundbreaking holiday smash-hit that is returning for its ninth season at the Somerville Theater in Davis Square. For those of you who may be unfamiliar, the Slutcracker provides a scene-by-scene retelling of The Nutcracker with a naughty twist.
Performances start Friday, December 2nd and will run through December 31st but tickets to this show sell quickly so do not delay.
While all that Black Friday nonsense takes place later this week following Thanksgiving, The Lyric Stage Co. of Boston will open with a funny murder, mystery musical called Murder for Two.
Murder for Two
November 25 – December 24, 2016
Click here for more information and to purchase tickets today
In this show, one actor plays the detective and one actor plays all the suspects and they both play the piano. Described as a witty, winking homage to old-fashioned closed-room murder mysteries the show sounds like a welcome addition to the shows currently playing over the holiday season.
The show also happens to star a local stage actor whom I have a bit of a crush on, Jared Troilo, as well as the equally talented Kirsten Salpini. If my appeals to check out this show on the grounds that this is an interesting and funny production don’t appeal to you then maybe the opportunity to watch Jared for approximately 90-minutes will. Unfortunately, Sergio and I will miss opening weekend since we are in Brazil, but share your thoughts about the production in the comments section below for my readers to see should you go to the show.
Last month I wrote that Ryan Landry and his Gold Dust Orphans holiday theater show would be Murder on the Polar Express.
The show which steals plot lines from Agatha Christie mysteries centers around “The World’s Foremost Drag Detective” Shirley Holmes, (played by Ryan Landry) as she boards the world’s most elegant train along with her sidekick Dr. Jody Watley and ten other unsavory characters, all en route to the North Pole for a much needed Christmas vacation. Unbeknownst to them there is a psycho killer onboard. What could possibly go wrong?
The Gold Dust Orphan’s holiday musical always sells out quickly so I’m giving the show a plug now that tickets are available to encourage you to make plans and reserve your tickets ahead of time. Murder on the Polar Express runs from Thursday, December 1 – Wednesday, December 21.
Get your tickets here, Murder on the Polar Express.
Le Corsaire Photo Credit: Wilfried Hösel, Bayerisches Staatsballett
The 2016/2017 Boston Ballet season opens tonight with “Le Corsaire”, which is loosely based on Byron’s poem “The Corsair“, a love story that revolves around a slave girl and the two men who love her, a Turkish pasha and a pirate. You can read the full synopsis of the three act ballet here.
The Boston Ballet first performed this ballet in 1997 as “The Pirate”, but artistic director, Mikko Nissinen, opted for a different version this time. Inspired by the Czech choreographer Liska production for the Bavarian State Opera Ballet and the stunning sets and costumes, “Le Corsaire” promises to be a dramatic and beautiful ballet. I look forward to enjoying tonight’s performance and suggest you purchase tickets now before the Boston Ballet production sells out.
Did you miss Varla Jean Merman’s hilarious summer show in Provincetown, A Little White Music? Later this month you can see it when she comes to the Ramrod Performing Arts Center in the Fenway for 3-nights only.
Varla comes to Boston October 20, 21 & 22
Sergio and I enjoyed the show at the Art House in Ptown, and if you were unable to see it, I would encourage you to reserve tickets before they sell out. For more information and tickets: Varla Jean presents A Little White Music.
Looking for a fun date alternative? Next month there are some really cool productions from local theater companies that are worth taking note of and reserving tickets to see. Peruse the list of shows I’ve shared and feel free to add others I’ve omitted in the comments section.
The Fall River Axe Murders at the BCA Black Box Theater Oct 1-22 Just in time for Halloween, Angela Carter uses an inventive blend of storytelling, movement and puppetry arts, The Fall River Axe Murders. We all know what Lizzie Borden did on that sweltering August day in 1892, but what if there were more to the story? Angela Carter’s strange and Gothic play takes a much closer look at Lizzie Borden and the gruesome murders.
We’re Gonna Die from Company One at Club Oberon Oct. 4-8 After a sold-out run in April 2016, We’re Gonna Die returns to Club Oberon for five shows. Boldly exploring the less awesome moments of life through song, storytelling and stand-up, this OBIE-Award-winning cabaret event is the smartest and most life-affirming way to contemplate the inevitable!
Tiger Style! from The Huntington Theatre at the Calderwood Pavilion Oct 14 – Nov 13 This smart urban comedy is abou two squabbling siblings Albert and Jennifer Chen who reached the pinnacle of academic achievement. But as adults, have become epic failures: he’s just been passed up for promotion and she’s been dumped by her loser boyfriend. So, naturally, they confront their parents and launch an Asian Freedom Tour! From California to China, this hilarious new comedy examines race, parenting, and success.
Warrior Class from the Lyric Stage Co. Oct 21 – Nov 13 Just in time for the climax of this year’s Presidential election season is The Lyric Stage Co. productionof Warrior Class which centers on an up and coming New York assemblyman who’s been dubbed “The Republican Obama.” The son of Chinese immigrants and a decorated war veteran, he looks forward to a seemingly limitless political career until someone from his past threatens to reveal a college transgression. How far will he go to keep the incident out of the public eye?
The Scottsboro Boys from the SpeakEasy Stage Oct 21 – Nov 19 This Boston premiere brings to light one of the most infamous events in American history: the shocking true story of nine African American boys jailed in Alabama in 1931 for a crime they did not commit. Featuring a mix of gospel, jazz, and vaudeville, this audacious musical uses the construct of a minstrel show to tell the harrowing true story that provoked a national outrage and helped launch the American civil rights movement.
Le Corsaire from Boston Ballet at the Opera House Oct 27 – Nov 16 The Boston Ballet opens their 2016/2017 season with Le Corsaire, a classical ballet steeped in swashbuckling adventure and passionate romance. A dashing pirate battles to rescue his beloved from Pasha’s harem with danger looming at every turn – in opulent places, secret caves and on the turbulent sea.
Boston’s local theater scene is back after taking the summer off and the fall line up has a little bit of something for everyone. Below are just a handful of local theater companies and productions opening this month. Peruse the list and feel free to add others I’ve omitted in the comments section.
Eight by Tenn: Short Plays by Tennessee Williams by the Zeitgeist Theater at the Boston Center for the Arts Sept 2 – Oct 9
Not able to go to the Tennessee Williams Theater in Festival in Provincetown later this month? No worries check out these eight one act plays by the gay playwright.
Company at The Lyric Stage Co. Sept. 2 – Oct 9
This musical offers an insightful, and often hilarious look at modern relationships. It looks like a great show to go see with friends or a date.
Marjorie Prime at the Central Square Theater Sept 8 – Oct 9
In the not too distant future artificial intelligence helps 85-year-old Marjorie, a woman whose memory is fading, by keeping her company by a handsome, younger version of her husband Walter, programmed to talk with her about her past. What would we choose to remember – or forget – if given the chance?
Significant Other at the SpeakEasy Stage Company Sept 9 – Oct 8
This play centers on a 20-something gay man who is dealing with the fact that his closest girlfriends are all getting married while he is stuck trying to find his happily ever after in Joshua Harmon’s play.
Sunday in the Park with George, Huntington Theater Sept. 9 – Oct 16
A Sondheim masterpiece that focuses on enigmatic painter Georges Seurat and his search for love, inspiration and “the art of making art.”
Carmen by The BLO at the Boston Opera House Sept 23 – Oct 2
The Boston Lyric Opera (BLO) celebrates 40 years opening this season with an updated take on the classic opera.
The Plough and the Stars at the A.R.T. Sept 24 – Oct 9
As revolution sweeps Ireland, the residents of a Dublin tenement take shelter. Sean O’Casey—one of Ireland’s most renowned and controversial playwrights—captures a conflict between idealism and ordinary lives.
Priscilla Queen of the Desert by Fiddlehead Theater Sept 30 – Oct 9
Who doesn’t love this story of two drag queens and a middle aged transgender woman named Bernadette who take a bus through the Australian outback?
Plan a night out to attend one of these productions from a local theater company with friends or someone special. Not only can I assure you that you will have a great time, but you will also be supporting Boston’s theater scene.
BosGuy 