Daigneault Closes the Door on Speakeasy Stewardship with Poignant and Timely ‘A Man of No Importance’

February 26, 2025February 26, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Cast of Speakeasy’s ‘A Man of No Importance’. Photos by Nile Scott Studios

‘A Man of No Importance’ – Based on the film, ‘A Man of No Importance’. Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens; Music by Stephen Flaherty; Book by Terrence McNally; Directed by Paul Daigneault. Choreographed by Ilyse Robbins. Music direction by Paul S. Katz. Presented by SpeakEasy Stage Company. At the Roberts Studio Theatre, Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts, through March 22.

By Mike Hoban

For the final show of a thirty-plus year career as the founder & artistic director of Boston’s SpeakEasy Stage Company, it’s interesting to note that Paul Daigneault chose the small but quietly beautiful A Man of No Importance for his final production. Producer and/or director of over 160 productions and winner of multiple Eliot Norton and IRNE Awards, Daigneault is equally adept at drama and musicals, including the mind-blowing two-part The Inheritance in 2022 and a slew of terrific musicals, the most recent being the Eliot Norton Award-winning The Band’s Visit. So it should probably come as no surprise that his final selection straddles the two genres.

Hell Hath No Fury Like Hedda Gabler’s Scorn

February 26, 2025February 26, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Parker Jennings and Joshua Lee Robinson in Apollinaire’s ‘Hedda Gabler’
Photo Credits: Danielle Fauteux Jacques

‘Hedda Gabler’ — Written by Henrik Ibsen. Adapted by the company from the translation by Edmund Grosse and William Archer. Directed by Danielle Fauteux Jacques; Scenic and Sound Design by Joseph Lark-Riley; Costume Design by Elizabeth Rocha; Lighting Design by Danielle Fauteux Jacques. Presented by Allpoinnaire Theatre Company at Chelsea Theatre Works, 189 Winnisimmet Street, Chelsea, through March 16.

By Shelley A. Sackett

In ‘Hedda Gabler,’ Ibsen dramatizes the miserable life of his title character, the iconically unclassifiable Hedda Gabler. The pampered daughter of a wealthy general, Hedda recently married the mild-mannered, decidedly middle-class George Tesman. Fearing her years of youthful abandon might be behind her, she snagged the first – and only – bird that actually landed in her hand. “I can’t think of anything ridiculous about him,” she explains when asked by a former suitor why she had settled for George. He is also respectable, conscientious about his research work, and intent, under any circumstances, to look after her.

What George is not, however, is dangerous, sexy or aggressive, three traits Hedda admires, embodies and craves.

A Taut, Fraught and Entertaining “Art” at the Lyric

February 25, 2025February 25, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Michael Kaye, John Kuntz and Remo Airaldi in Lyric Stage’s ‘Art’. Photo Credit: Mark S. Howard

‘Art’ by Yasmina Reza. Translated by Christopher Hampton. Directed by Courtney O’Connor. Scenic Design by Shelley Barish. Costume Design by Chelsea Kerl, Lighting Design by Elmer Martinez. Sound Design by Adam Howarth. Presented by The Lyric Stage Company of Boston, 140 Clarendon Street, Boston, through March 16.

By Michele Markarian

Longstanding friendships are based on commonalities – like income bracket, hobbies, artistic sensibilities, mutual support, and admiration. With Art, playwright Yasmin Reza turns her observational lens on male friendship and the emotional chaos that happens when one man goes rogue and throws the rest of the group off-kilter.

Apollinaire’s ‘Hedda Gabler’ is Sublime

February 24, 2025February 24, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Parker Jennings in Apollinaire’s ‘Hedda Gabler’ Photo Credits: Danielle Fauteux Jacques.

Hedda Gabler’ – Written by Henrik Ibsen. Directed by Danielle Fauteux Jacques. Stage Management by Kaleb Perez-Albuerne; Costume Design by Elizabeth Rocha; Scenic and Sound Design by Joseph Lark-Riley; Lighting Design by Danielle Fauteux Jacques. Presented by Apollinaire Theatre Company at Chelsea Theatre Works, at 189 Winnisimmet St, Chelsea, MA. through March 16th

By Charlotte Snow

“One cannot always be mistress of her thoughts.”  Hedda Gabler slyly confides to her aunt-in-law, who counters with, “That is the way of the world.” In that exchange, the play seems to unite all its core questions at once. “What is the source of our suffering and vices?” “Is it written in the stars or in the unwritten rules of society?” “Are we our own internal darkness?” “Or is it a separate entity latched onto us that must be ignored, cut out, or tamed?” Only a moment is needed for Apollinaire Theatre Company to establish that this play will be a thought-provokingly moody masterpiece, even if it will take a few scenes before the plot’s mystery to develop (and unravel). 

Jenece Upton Channels Billie Holiday Body and Soul in ‘Lady Day At Emerson’s Bar and Grill’ at MRT

February 23, 2025February 23, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Jenece Upton in Merrimack Rep’s ‘Lady Day At Emerson’s Bar and Grill’

‘Lady Day At Emerson’s Bar and Grill’ by Lanie Robertson. Directed by Candice Handy. Music Direction by David Freeman Coleman. Scenic Design by Tony Hardin. Costume Design by Yao Chen. Lighting Design by Brian Lillienthal. Sound Design by David Remedios. At Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Lowell, MA. Run has ended.

By Shelley A. Sackett

I was lucky enough to squeeze into the next to the last balcony row at the sold-out last performance of ‘Lady Day At Emerson’s Bar and Grill’ at Merrimack Repertory Theatre. Based on comments by colleagues and friends, Jenece Upton in the title role was this season’s not-to-be-missed performance.

‘The Grove’ Continues the Ufot Family’s 9-Play Journey from Past to Present to Future

February 22, 2025February 22, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

The cast of ‘The Grove’ at the Huntington. All Photo Credits: Marc J Franklin

‘The Grove’ – Written by Mfoniso Udofia. Directed by Awoye Timpo. Scenic Design by Jason Ardizzone-West; Costume Design by Sarita Fellows; Lighting Design by Reza Behjat; Sound Design and Original Music by Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen. Produced by The Huntington Calderwood at BCA Plaza Theatre at 539 Tremont Street, Boston, through March 9.

By Shelley A. Sackett

Anyone remotely interested in the Boston theater scene is aware of the city-wide, unprecedented commitment to present Mfoniso Udofia’s Ufot Family Cycle over the next couple of years. These nine plays follow a Nigerian family in America and Africa through 40 years and three generations. The first, “Sojourners,” premiered at The Huntington last fall to universal praise. In it, audiences were introduced to Adiaha, the first American-born daughter born to Nigerian immigrants Abasiama and her husband Ukpong. The setting is 1970s Houston, where Abasiama studies hard and works in a gas station to make ends meet. When Ukpong goes AWOL, Disciple Ufot befriends and eventually marries her, raising Adiaha as his own. Like Abasiama, Disciple is studious and hardworking, with a plan, like hers, to return to Nigeria upon graduation. Unlike Abasiama, he is also intensely religious.

Essay/Review on History of ‘Yellow Face’, now at The Footlight Club

February 21, 2025February 23, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

The cast of ‘Yellow Face’ at The Footlight Club. Photos by Elizabeth Bean

The Footlight Club presents Yellow Face by David Henry Hwang. Directed by Michelle Aguillion. Set Design by Nolan DuPont Love. Props Design by Jasmine Santos. Lighting Design by Tim Gregor. Sound Design by Chris Brousseau. Costume design by Nancy Ishihara/Emma Joyce. At The Footlight Club, 7A Eliot Street, Boston, through February 22, 2025.

Linda Chin

Even before stepping foot in the venerable Footlight Club to see their production of preeminent playwright David Henry Hwang’s Yellow Face, a hilarious and thought-provoking farce that explores the complexities theater makers face in casting shows with cultural authenticity and the prejudice and discrimination Asian Americans face in their daily lives, I admit to feeling tickled to be part of history in the making.

Sullivan Rep’s Big-Hearted ‘Hairspray’ Opens Season Two Without Missing A Beat

February 21, 2025February 21, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

‘Hairspray’ – Music by Marc Shaiman. Lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. Book by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan, based on John Waters’ 1988 film of the same name. Direction and Choreography by Dan Sullivan. Musical Direction by Jenny Tsai. Costume Design by DW. Hair and Makeup Design by Bridget Sullivan. Lighting Design by Erik Fox. Sound Design by Bridget Donovan, Properties Design by Rick Grenier. At The American Legion Nonantum Post 440, 295 California Street, Newton, MA, through March 1, 2025.

By Linda Chin

Even though the weather outside was frightful and they closed their last show, Annie, just eight weeks before, Sullivan Rep successfully opened Season Two with Hairspray – another ambitious audience favorite with a large cast, elaborate costumes, multiple scene changes, and intricate choreography – without missing a beat. Adding to already complicated production logistics (and my awe and admiration), the still new Newton-based company’s “tradition” is to present each of its season offerings at a “non-traditional” venue in one of the city’s diverse villages. In 2024, Sullivan Rep “popped up” full-scale productions of A Little Night Music at the distinguished City Hall, Blithe Spirit at the cozy Women’s Club of Newton Highlands, and Annie at the family-friendly Windsor Club in Waban.

A.R.T.’s ‘The Odyssey’ Catapults Homer’s Ancient Epic Poem into the 21st Century

February 20, 2025February 20, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

Members of the cast in A.R.T.’s world-premiere production of *The Odyssey*.
Photo Credits: Nile Scott Studios and Maggie Hall.

‘The Odyssey’ – Written by Kate Hamill. Based on the epic poem by Homer. Scenic Design by Sibyl Wickersheimer; Costume Design by An-Lin Dauber; Lighting Design and Projection Design by Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew; Sound Design and Music Composition by Paul James Prendergast. Presented by American Repertory Theater at Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Cambridge, MA, through March 16.

By Shelley A. Sackett

“If you’ve gone through something traumatic, can you ever go back to who you were? Can you ever go back home?” is the essential question American Repertory Theater’s Terrie and Bradley Bloom Artistic Director Diane Paulus asks audience members to consider as they experience the world premiere of Kate Hamill’s A.R.T.-commissioned newest work, ‘The Odyssey.’ This spectacularly produced reimagination of Homer’s 8^th/7^th century B.C. epic poem is the latest retelling of a classic tale by Hamill, who, once again, displays her special talent for penning plays that magically remain true to the original while interweaving parallel contemporary issues, culture and language.

Yorick Ensemble’s ‘The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals’ Will Convert Even the Most Ardent of Musical Haters

February 18, 2025February 20, 2025 Theater MirrorLeave a comment

The cast of *The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals.* Photo Credit: Toni Photography.

The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals with Music and Lyrics by Jeff Blim. Book by Matt & Nick Lang. Originally Produced by Starkid Productions. Directed by Kari Boutcher, Music Directed by Elias Condakes. Scenic Design by Bradley Boutcher & Josh Telepman. Costume & Prop Design by Josh Telepman. Lighting & Sound Design by Michael Jay. Produced by Yorick Ensemble at BCA Plaza Theatre at 539 Tremont Street, Boston, through February 22nd.

By Charlotte Snow

Whether we like to admit it or not, being surrounded by theater people is a special kind of Hell. We’re overly extroverted, overly annoying, overly… everything! So when I saw that Yorick Ensemble was producing The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals, a musical that is self-aware about musicals being a plague to humanity, I was jazzed as a chorus boy’s hands. Despite being about musical theatre and its culture, this show has never made it to Broadway. Although it’s famous, it’s YouTube famous.