Author Archives: Kitty Drexel

Jan 14

Living is Dirty Business: “Miss You Like Hell”

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Krystal Hernandez and Johanna Carlisle-Zepeda – Photo by Evgenia Eliseeva

Presented by Company One Theatre and American Repertory Theatre
Book & lyrics by Quiara Alegria Hudes
Music & lyrics by Erin McKeown
Directed by Summer L. Williams
Music direction by David Coleman
Movement direction by Mayra Hernandez
Dramaturgy by Noe Montez

Jan. 10 – 27, 2019
Club Oberon
Cambridge, MA
C1 on Facebook
A.R.T. on Facebook

Critique by Kitty Drexel

(Cambridge, MA) Miss You Like Hell is a very special show that approaches the indigenous, female experience from an approachable angle. It is easy to enjoy this production (more so than its individual parts). It’s main characters are expressed as trustworthy humans who are deserving of our compassion because they need it, not because they’ve earned it. Audiences from all backgrounds should see this production. We need free-flowing compassion more than ever. Continue reading →

Jan 08

Awkwardness is Part of the Process: “Small Mouth Sounds”

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All photos by Nile Scott Studios. The cast. Digesting.

Presented by SpeakEasy Stage Company
By Bess Wohl
Directed by M. Bevin O’Gara

Jan. 4 – Feb. 2, 2019
Boston Center for the Arts
The Calderwood Pavilion Boston, MA
SpeakEasy on Facebook

This critique has been updated from its previous posting. The update includes corrections and clarifications. (1/31/19 KD)

Critique by Kitty Drexel

Trigger warnings: penis, simulated pot smoking, heavy moaning

It’s January and chances are that you (or your acquaintances) are experiencing an influx of athletic practitioners in your studio of choice. For example, at my own neighborhood ashtanga yoga studio, January 1 meant that the floor became overwhelmed with novices and their wholesome, divot-free mats. Small Mouth Sounds(SMS) captures that awkward group consciousness of baby-yogis talking first “did I make a huge mistake?” steps towards enlightenment. An enlightened mind is not obtained overnight. The journey is schadenfreude for the audience. Continue reading →

Dec 27

Geeks Read Books: TCG Selections, December 2018

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Book reviews by Kitty Drexel

(New York, NY/Somerville, MA) On occasion, the New England Theatre Geek will review newly published plays. Miss You Like Hell is a musical about an mother/daughter road trip. Mary Jane is a loving insight into compassionate primary caregivers. Uncle Vanya is a piece of classic dramatic literature that places the significance of the #metoo movement within an historical context.  Continue reading →

Dec 10

Identities on a Spectrum: “Winter People”

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Photograph By Kalman Zabarsky; there wasn’t a cast photo available. Mondragon was left out of the reel altogether. Strange.  

Presented by Boston Playwrights’ Theatre
By Laura Neill
Directed by Avital Shira
Fight choreography by Jessica Scout Malone
Dramaturgy by Cayenne Douglass and Jordyn Stoessel

December 6-16, 2018
BPT
949 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA 02215
BPT on Facebook

Critique by Kitty Drexel

(Boston, MA) Winter People and playwright Laura Neill aren’t taking any of your establishment bullshit. This play challenges how we view play production. It takes great risk with even greater success. It is well written and should be viewed by as many developing and established artists as possible. It breaks rules and shows us why these traditional rules are should be broken. Continue reading →

Dec 07

An Inalienable Right for Some: “1776”

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Photo by Andy Brilliant/Brilliant Photography

Presented by New Rep Theatre
Music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards
Book by Peter Stone
Co-directed by Austin Pendleton and Kelli Edwards
Music direction by Todd C. Gordon
Choreography by Kelli Edwards

Nov. 30 – Dec. 30, 2018
Mainstage Theater
Mosesian Center for the Arts
Watertown, MA
New Rep on Facebook

Critique by Kitty Drexel

Trigger warnings: systemic racism, sexism, bracingly tight pleather pants

(Watertown, MA) 1776 is a quirky, innuendo-laced musical about Boston’s part in the US’s bid for independence. New Rep gives us a fun production that is more timely than it is educational. This musical might be based on historical facts but this production brings new momentum to current events. Continue reading →

Dec 01

Salty Peanuts: “A Charlie Brown Christmas Live On Stage”

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Image found via Facebook

Presented by Boch Center Schubert Theatre
Story by Charles M. Schultz
Music by Vince Guaraldi
Adapted by Eric Schaeffer

Dec. 1-2, 2018
265 Tremont, Boston, MA 02116
CB on Facebook

Review by Diana Lu

(Boston, MA) The CBS television special A Charlie Brown Christmas, which premiered in 1965, has long been a holiday favorite of mine. Before I understood its sophisticate themes or even its dialogue, the adorable cartoons, slow jazz, and children’s voices were instinctively and irresistibly soothing. Decades later, Charlie Brown’s dark horse demeanor and romantic ideals still hold up as a paragon of optimism in a world that makes it so easy become disenchanted and give up our hopes and dreams.

Continue reading →

Nov 19

Lived A Girl Trapped: “In the Forest, She Grew Fangs”

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Photo by Tenneh Sillah. With Kira Compton and Branwyn Ritchie.

Presented by Also Known As Theatre
By Stephen Spotswood
Directed by Kelly Smith
Movement design by Jessica Stout Malone

Nov. 16 – Dec. 2, 2018
Stanford Calderwood Pavilion
Boston Center for the Arts
Boston, MA
AKAT on Facebook

Critique by Kitty Drexel

(Boston, MA) In the Forest, She Grew Fangs twists the Little Red Riding Hood cautionary tale about the dangers of strange men into a different cautionary tale about the dangers of female mental health. Fans of horror theatre may find a lot to enjoy in this production. Intersectional feminists might not. ITFSGF explores the modern young woman’s psyche as she comes of age. It does so through the lens of bullying culture and a little light stabbing. Continue reading →

Nov 15

Geeks Read Books: TCG Plays by Women in 2018

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(New York, NY/Somerville, MA) On occasion, the New England Theatre Geek will review newly published plays. Below are reviews for Pipeline by Dominique Morisseau, Let Me Down Easy by Anna Deavere Smith, and Cost of Living by Martyna Majok. All books are available via the TCG website.  Continue reading →

Nov 09

Save Corner Store Caroline a Seat: “Just Another Lynching”

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Jeghetto Interview – Just Another Lynching from Puppet Showplace Theater on Vimeo.

Presented by Puppet Showplace Theater
Created by Tarish “Jeghetto” Pipkins
Musical score by Shana Tucker
Eulogy written and narrated by Tommy Noonan
Puppeteers: John Reagan, Elbert Joseph, Scotty Swan, Brenda Ray, Roxanna Myhrum, Tarish Pipkins
Tech by Brad Shur

Nov. 8 & 9, 2018
Puppet Showplace Theater
Brookline, MA
PST on Facebook

Critique by Kitty Drexel

Trigger warnings: gunshots, graphic images of violence, wypipo fuckery 

(Brookline, MA) The United States has an historic problem of white violence against people of color that stretches to today. Anyone looking for proof need only search today’s newspaper. Just Another Lynching: An American Horror Story reminds us with shocking clarity just how little things have changed for People of Color in the US. Continue reading →

Oct 24

Early Voting/Voting for the 2018 Midterm Elections

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Your voice is important! Learn about early voting in Massachusetts  here: http://www.sec.state.ma.us/earlyvotingweb/earlyvotingsearch.aspx

For our friends outside of MA, here are other resources:
– Here is a USA.gov website that defines the elections but is otherwise unhelpful: https://www.usa.gov/midterm-state-and-local-elections#item-213832
– Here is a website that will lead you to your state elections website: https://www.usa.gov/election-office

Can’t vote early? Here is a link that will take you through the steps of discovering your options: https://www.usa.gov/election-office

Provisional ballots ensure that New England voters are not excluded from the voting process due to an administrative error. They provide a fail-safe mechanism for voters who arrive at the polls on Election Day and whose eligibility to vote is uncertain. You have the right to a provisional ballot! (except in New Hampshire where they don’t have them.)

While I have your attention!
Do you need govt. assisted healthcare through the American Healthcare Act? Open enrollment is Thursday, November 1, 2018, to Saturday, December 15, 2018. The current administration is attempting to undermine your right to healthcare under current law. Thwart them by sharing this information and the following website. https://www.healthcare.gov/get-coverage/

Queen’s Note: When you hit the polls on November 6, please take into account that Charlie Baker vetoed the arts budget in July 2018. It was the fourth time he’d done so. If you consider the arts one of your causes, additionally consider Baker’s cowardly actions when you vote.

Source Samples are here:
http://www.massculturalcouncil.org/news/FY19_budget_final.asp
https://www.masslive.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/11/gov_charlie_baker_vetoes_perce.html
http://www.wbur.org/artery/2016/07/22/governor-baker-arts-funding-cuts
https://www.boston.com/news/politics/2018/01/24/gov-baker-to-file-budget-blueprint-on-heels-of-annual-address