Author Archives: Kitty Drexel

Sep 30

So it is to be war between us… An Unsolicited, Unprofessional, Largely Unedited Critique of “Masquerade” in New York City

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From the “Masquerade” Facebook Page.

Masquerade NYC presented by LW Entertainment
Based on The Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber 

Loosely based on the novel by historical hottie Gaston Leroux
Lyrics by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe
Book by Richard Stilgoe and Andrew Lloyd Webber
Directed by Diane Paulus
Additional cast and crew credits
https://www.instagram.com/masqueradenyc

Now through February 1, 2026.
Performed at 218 W 57th Street, NY 10019 

Critique by Kitty Drexel

10/01/2025 Update: The critique now contains personal photos.

NEW YORK: In March 2025, cryptic messages from The Phantom of the Opera popped up across the internet asking his fans if they missed him. We did. In June 2025, Masquerade established its presence on social media. On June 30, tickets became available on the MasqueradeNYC website. They sold out in hours. When I didn’t snag a ticket during the first sold-out sales event, I theorized the show’s instant popularity would inspire an extension. Producers are horny for cold, hard cash and won’t turn down more if it’s assured. It turns out I was right about my prediction. On July 9, an email advertising the production’s extension was sent to subscribers. 

After paying an egregious amount for tickets in July, I added my name to the Phantom’s “visitor ledger” by buying a ticket for Sept. 17, 7:30 PM. I nearly wet myself with excitement planning my arrival at the not-so-secret venue on a public street, to speak the secret password for entrance into the Phantom’s lair, and to give myself over to the Music of the Night.  Continue reading →

Sep 25

This Is the Way We Were: “Our Town”

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The Cast of “Our Town” with gentle lights by Deb Sullivan. Photo by Nile Hawver.

Presented by Lyric Stage of Boston
By Thornton Wilder
Directed by Courtney O’Connor

Sept. 19 – Oct. 19, 2025
Lyric Stage Theater
140 Clarendon St, 
Boston, MA 02116

Critique by Kitty Drexel

2 hours and 10 minutes, including intermission

EMILY: “Does anyone ever realize life while they live it…every, every minute?”
STAGE MANAGER: “No. Saints and poets maybe… They do some.”
― Thornton Wilder, Our Town (1938)

BOSTON — Lyric Stage Boston presents Thornton Wilder’s Our Town at its theatre in downtown Boston now through Oct. 19. A theatre classic, Our Town came back into public eye when it was revived for Broadway again in 2024. It played 117 performances on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre until it closed on January 19 of this year. Its star-studded cast included Jim Parsons as the Stage Manager, Katie Holmes as Mrs. Webb, Zoey Deutch as Emily and Ephraim Sykes as George. Kenny Leon directed. While the Lyric can’t compete with Dawson’s Creek or The Big Bang Theory fame, its Boston cast infuses Wilder’s timeless story of smalltown simplicity with awe and undeniable charm.  Continue reading →

Sep 22

You Gotta Fix the Trouble in Your Own Neighborhood Before Makin’ Trouble Anywhere Else: “The Ceremony”

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Photo by Ken Yotsukura.

Produced by CHUANG Stage, in partnership with Boston University School of Theatre and Boston Playwrights’ Theatre (with The Huntington)
A World Premiere by Mfoniso Udofia
Directed by Kevin R. Free

September 11 – October 5, 2025
Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre
Boston, MA

Critique by Kitty Drexel

Holy cats, tickets are sold out! Congratulations to the cast, crew and staff of The Ceremony! Break all the legs! A ticket waitlist is HERE. 

BOSTON — The saying goes, weddings, funerals, and babies bring out the best and absolute worst in people. Whether fearing change, fearing loss of control, or feeling overwhelmed by all of the pesky details, these three situations stir madness in even the most sensible of people. So, it makes sense that a loving but frequently rocky family dynamic, such as the Ufots’ in Mfoniso Udofia’s Ufot Family Cycle, would experience some instability during wedding planning. The Ceremony, now at BU’s Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre, shows us what happens when a family’s intergenerational secrets threaten a happy couple’s wedding plans.  Continue reading →

Sep 21

Nostalgia, Homecoming & Misogyny: “The Hills of California”

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Meghan Carey, Kate Fitzgerald, Alison Jean White, Chloé Kolbenhyer, Nicole Mulready (on floor); photo by Liza Voll.

Presented by The Huntington in association with Berkeley Repertory Theatre
Written by Jez Butterworth 
Directed by Huntington Artistic Director Loretta Greco 
Music direction by Daniel Rodriguez

September 12 – October 12, 2025
The Huntington Theater 
264 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115

Critique by Kitty Drexel

Please note: Herbal cigarettes and smoke/haze are used in this production. You may want to take an antihistamine or wear a mask if you suffer from allergies.

This critique contains plot spoilers. Read at your own risk. 

BOSTON — The Huntington’s production of The Hills of California, newly staged by Artistic Director Loretta Greco and currently running through October 12 at the Huntington Theater in Boston, is beautifully staged, beautifully sung, and beautifully acted. It is technically perfect. Unfortunately, playwright Jez Butterworth traumatizes his female characters while prioritizing their relationships with men instead of giving them backstories or personalities. He objectifies them as underage entertainment instead of as human entertainers. It’s too bad, because he is thisclose to letting them be real people.

Summary: Three out of four adult Webb sisters’ (Amanda Kristin Nichols as Gloria, Aimee Doherty as Ruby, Karen Killeen as Jillian) homecoming to the seaside guest house where they grew up. As girls (Kate Fitzgerald as Young Joan, Meghan Carey as Young Gloria,  Chloé Kolbenheyer as Young Ruby, Nicole Mulready as Young Jillian), their fierce and ambitious mother Veronica (Allison Jean White) trained them for a singing career à la The Andrews Sisters. Now adults, the sisters must reconsider the choices their mother made, the nostalgic call of youthful harmonies, and the unbreakable bonds of family while they wait for their prodigal sister Joan to come home. Trigger warnings: Pedophilia, sexual coersion and abuse, forced abortion, eof-of-life care of an elder, alcoholism, alleged drug abuse, hackneyed playwriting.  Continue reading →

Sep 17

Welcome Friend, You’re Right on Time!: “Primary Trust” 

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From left: Arthur Gomez and David J. Castillo; photo by Benjamin Rose Photography.

Presented by SpeakEasy Stage Company
By Eboni Booth 
Directed by Dawn M Simmons

Sep 12 – Oct 11, 2025
Calderwood Pavilion
Boston Center for the Arts
Boston, MA

Critique by Kitty Drexel

Neurospicy [adjective | nur-oh-SPYCE-ee]: A playful substitute for ‘neurodiverse’ or ‘neurodivergent.’ Via Merriam-Webster.com 

BOSTON — Currently running at the Boston Center for the Arts, SpeakEasy Stage presents Primary Trust by Eboni Booth. The full script of Primary Trust appeared in the Spring 2024 print issue of American Theatre magazine. The play won the Pulitzer Prize in Drama in 2024. It premiered at Roundabout Theatre Company in Spring 2023 and was produced locally by Barrington Stage in Pittsfield, MA during the company’s 2024/2025 season. Now it’s in Boston, and we’re glad to see it in the hands of the most capable staff, cast and crew of SpeakEasy Stage. Continue reading →

Sep 16

Two Turn-of-the-Century Trailblazers: “The Kittie Knox Plays” & “Silent Sky”

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The Kittie Knox Plays 
Produced by Plays in Place with MassBike
Three one-act plays by Patrick Gabridge, Claire Gardener, Kirsten Greenidge
Directed by Michelle Aguillon
Music direction by Nicholas Chieffo
Choreography by Hampton Richards
Performances in Cambridge, Milton and Boston, MA
The plays are FREE, but registration is required. 

&

Silent Sky 
Produced by Central Square Theater, a Catalyst Collaborative@MIT Production
By Lauren Gunderson
Directed by Sarah Shin
Sound designer and composer: Kai Bohlman
Choreography by Peter DiMuro
Performances in Cambridge, MA
Playbill online

Critique by Kitty Drexel

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — The 2025/2026 theatre season began in earnest for this queen theatre geek with two turn-of-the-century plays about two local headstrong, heart-set trailblazers: daredevil cyclist Kittie Knox (1874 – 1900) and astronomer Henrietta Swan Leavitt (1868-1921) and her colleagues at the Harvard Observatory. I had the great fortune of watching both productions on Saturday, Sept. 13. Like a curated tasting of fine wines, the productions have their distinct differences but offer something for every playgoer.  Continue reading →

Jul 31

Life and Death are Sneaky Creatures: “Glitter Vikings of a Wolfish God”

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Promotional image by Corrie Aune. Vikings and design by Bagels N Pretzels Illustration

Presented by Flapjack Theatrics
Written, directed and designed by Tia Shearer Bassett
Music: “I Promise” by Alex Kozobolis
Promotional image by Corrie Aune
Vikings and design by Bagels N Pretzels Illustration

July 27 & Aug 3, 2025 at 2 PM
Aug. 1, 2025 at 7 PM
Zoom (tickets)
Flapjack Theatrics on IG
Approximately 30 minutes. Recommended for adults.

Critique by Kitty Drexel

ZOOM — The epically named Zoom show Glitter Vikings of a Wolfish God by multi-hyphenate performer Tia Shearer Bassett was created in honor of the artist’s heroic year of cancer treatments. It is short, sweet, and jam-packed with enthusiastic energy. Its July 27th show was performed in honor of Sarcoma Month. Bassett performs Glitter Vikings of a Wolfish God again on August 1st and 3rd.

Bassett says Glitter Vikings of a Wolfish God is an experimental adventure show based on her experiences getting chemo treatments for cancer. She tells us that, as she received treatment, Bassett overheard a man in a separate treatment area reading the tales of ancient Vikings aloud to his mother. These stories kept this anonymous man’s mother calm. The stories also cheered up Bassett (and I’m sure, many others).

These tales inspired Bassett to create a new Viking adventure with her Zoom audiences. To do this, she incorporates audience-inspired idea gathering, on-camera audience participation, speaking and singing together while one’s camera is muted, and a dash of sparkly makeup. Audience members are welcome to participate as much or as little as they’d like, but it’s more fun when everyone participates together. 

After an introduction, Bassett began the show by asking us to give ourselves a Viking group name and a personal Viking name. For example, I was Pedicurevi of the Screaming Death Defying Squiggle Bards. A more heroic name there never existed, I’m sure. 

From there, Bassett took us through her experiences of receiving her diagnosis, finding hope despite the deep well of hopelessness that is cancer, and eventually, her successful treatment. She used simple but effective paper puppets and title-cards to tell her story. Sometimes she was quiet and let her production music speak for her. Other times, Bassett wove her story with high energy and poetic words. Our 30 minutes together passed quickly. 

Tia Shearer Bassett is a natural fit for children’s theatre, although Glitter Vikings of a Wolfish God is intended for adults. Her exuberant energy is warm and kind. As a performer, she wants the best for her audience, even if it means leaving the show to return when we are ready. 

Glitter Vikings of a Wolfish God has a lot of heart. Currently, at its condensed core, it has more heart than it has a structured story. Yes, we learn about Bassett’s Vikings and why they glitter. We hear a little about Bassett’s cancer treatment but less of her hope-fueled recovery. We surmise that hearing the tales read aloud was a treat for her and brought her hope, but Bassett doesn’t elaborate about why the stories appealed to her so much, how she decided to write a show about them, and what she thinks we should take away from that show.

No should retraumatize themselves to tell their story, but some elaboration is necessary to make a one-woman show relevant to newcomers. We want to know in Bassett’s own words why the Viking stories appealed to her so much or how hearing them caused her to change her life. By hearing Bassett’s specific story, we can apply its lessons to our own. Instead, her audience is left to assume details, and we all know what happens when we assume things. Also, who is the wolfish god? Does he have an altar on the Viking trade route? Inquiring minds need to know! 

Glitter Vikings of a Wolfish God has potential to be an awesome Zoom adventure. Not many adult theatre productions ask their audiences to gather energy like a Tai Chi practitioner, to detangle themselves from an invisible sweater, or to put themselves in the aching bones of a cancer survivor on calcium supplements. The world needs more empathy; Tia Shearer Bassett is doing important work by asking her audience to cultivate it.    

About Flapjack Theatrics:
Flapjack Theatrics is a one-ADHD-woman company dedicated to playful, welcoming and unconventional theatre in all kinds of spaces, with a focus on the beauty and delight of physical objects. Find more information about FJT and Tia Shearer Bassett on the website, https://flapjacktheatrics.com/.

Jul 29

Won’t Nobody Know What You Want Unless You Tell Them: “The Meeting Tree”

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Beyoncé Martinez and Rachel Hall. Photo by Annielly Camargo.

Presented by Company One in collaboration with Front Porch Arts Collective
and the City of Boston Office of Arts and Culture
A new play by B. Elle Borders
Directed by Summer L. Williams
Dramaturgy by afrikah selah & Ilana M Brownstein
Music by Allyssa Jones

July 18 – August 9, 2025
The Strand Theatre 
543 Columbia Rd
Dorchester, MA 02125

Critique by Kitty Drexel

“Until we know who we are and where we’ve been, we cannot know where we’re going.” 
– B. Elle Borders in “Stories As Conduit: An Interview with The Meeting Tree Playwright B. Elle Borders” by afrikah selah.  

DORCHESTER, Mass. — Elle Borders’ The Meeting Tree is a collaboration between Company One and the Front Porch Arts Collective. These two companies have such similar missions of community building that this joint production is bound to succeed. The play runs through August 9 at Dorchester’s Strand Theatre. 

The Meeting Tree tells the story of Black lawyer Sofia Langton (Anjie Parker, is here to kick ass and take names. She’s all out of names.), who describes herself as pregnant, haunted, and feeling crazy enough to disrupt the peace of Alison Browning (Sarah Elizabeth Bedard), a white environmentalist currently occupying the Alabama farm where Sofia’s ancestors were once enslaved. Sofia is determined to find proof that the farm was left to her grandmother, Dixie Mae Montclair (Beyoncé Martinez), and to mend the wound that fractured her family tree before Sofia brings her unborn baby into the world.  Continue reading →

Jul 23

The Whole Universe is in His Hands: “Kufre n’ Quay”

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Levi Mngomezulu. Photo credit Annielly Camargo.

Presented by Boston Arts Academy with advisory support from The Huntington and in collaboration with Wheelock Family Theatre 
By Mfoniso Udofia
Directed by John Oluwole ADEkoje
Choreography by Shaumba- Yandje Dibinga

July 10 – 26, 2025
Boston Arts Academy Main Stage Theatre
174 Ipswich St. 
Boston, MA 02215

Critique by Kitty Drexel

An explanation: We use the word kid, child, kids or children to describe a young person under the age of 18. You might feel grown; you may even act grown, but you are not yet grown.

BOSTON — Kufre n’ Quay is the fifth play in Mfoniso Udofia’s cycle of nine plays, the Ufot Family Cycle. It follows the events of Udofia’s fourth play, Her Portmanteau, which is about the reunion of matriarch Abasiama Ufot with her two adult daughters: First-born Iniabasi Ekpeyong, born in the U.S. and raised in Nigeria, and Abasiama’s second daughter, Adiaha Ufot, raised in Massachusetts and living in New York City. Her Portmanteau meets the stark differences between Nigerian and American family politics. The NETG critique is HERE. 

Continue reading →

Jul 06

Notes After Creation: The Theater Offensive’s Queer [Re]Public Festival

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Presented by The Theater Offensive 
In partnership with Double Edge Theatre and Think Outside the Vox
June 26-29, 2025
Arrow Street Arts
2 Arrow Street
Cambridge, MA 02138

Critique by Kitty Drexel

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — The Theater Offensive’s inaugural Queer [Re]Public Festival was a glorious presentation of queer, trans and BIPOC joy. At which, artists Victoria Lynn Awkward, Annalise “River” Guidry, and Cheyenne Wyzzard-Jones convened and performed the fruits of their 22-month-long Emergent Artist and True Colors Residencies. By doing so, the residents transformed Arrow Street Arts into a community space where artists offered art to their audience, we received it and offered it back again. 

I was fortunate to attend Awkward’s dance composition In The Space Between in the main theater and a reading of Wyzzard-Jones’ The Messenger in the studio. My reactions to those works are below. I was unable to see Guidry’s Theater of Union or attend The Audacity of Being Yourself conversation with Durand Bernarr, Victoria Awkward and Diovanna Frazier. It is my sincere hope for the artists involved that they received everything they wanted and needed from their work.  Continue reading →