Author Archives: Kitty Drexel

May 04

High Velocity Surrealism or, Buckle Up, It’s Going To Be A Bumpy Night: “The Grand Parade (of the 20th Century)”

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This video has been slowed down considerably to protect the innocent.

Presented by ArtsEmerson
Produced by Double Edge Theatre
Conceived, designed, and directed by Stacy Klein
Composed by Alexander Bakshi
Music and vocal direction by Lyudmila Bakshi

April 30 – May 3, 2015
Emerson/Paramount Center Mainstage
Boston, MA
ArtsEmerson on Facebook

Review by Kitty Drexel

Trigger warning: Strobe effect, Gunshots

One hour with no intermission.

(Boston, MA) Stacy Klein writes in her director’s note that Grand Parade (of the 20th Century) pairs the dream-like works of Marc Chagall with the “extreme conflicts” of the twentieth century. Images from his paintings are reflected in the troupes’ depiction of significant events in American history. Her intention as designer, director and co-creator was to “(reflect) history through (the creators’) own eyes” as “the only way to speak to (their) desires for the future.” If what Klein and Double Edge presented is their vision of the future, we are doomed; Grand Parade is a hot mess. Continue reading →

Apr 28

The Voices of We @ Boston Playwrights’ Theatre

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The Voices of We
A New Play by Robbi D’Allessandro
Directed by Shana Gozansky
April 25th – May 9th
Presented by 333 Productions
Boston Playwrights’ Theatre
Purchase Tickets

THE VOICES OF WE EXPLORES MANY FACES OF “SHAME”
Award-winning writer Robbi D’Allessandro donates all production proceeds to women’s charities.
Boston, Mass… (April 24, 2015) – Award-winning Boston area stage and screenwriter, Robbi D’Allessandro, explores the many faces of shame as 333 Productions presents the World Premiere of her original play, The Voices of We, at the Boston Playwrights’ Theatre from April 25 to May 9.

The Voices of We is a new full-length play that explores the challenges women face in today’s sociopolitical and economic climate. The diverse characters in The Voices of We, face the daunting challenges inherent in the fight against domestic violence, and struggles for reproductive rights, self- defined gender identity and sexual orientation, motherhood, positive body image, and more. We are proud to announce that all proceeds from each performance goes to non-profit women’s organizations, that in part or whole, benefit women in need.

For more information about Robbi D’Allessandro, please visit www.sandsplays.com.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE and BENEFIT CHARITY:
Sunday, April 26 at 2:00 p.m. – MassNOW – Talkback Moderator Chelsea Norman
Thursday, April 30th at 7:30 p.m. – Mass NOW
Friday, May 1st at 8:00 p.m. – MassNOW
Saturday, May 2nd at 8:00 p.m. – Our Bodies Ourselves – Talkback Moderator Judy Norsigian
Sunday, May 3, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. – Our Bodies Ourselves
Wednesday, May 6th at 7:30 p.m. – NARAL Pro-Choice of MA
Thursday, May 7th at 7:30 p.m. – GLAD
Friday, May 8th at 8:00 p.m. – Casa Myrna
Saturday, May 9th at 8:00 p.m. – The Women’s Center

Continue reading →

Apr 25

Integrity Sells for So Little: CITY OF ANGELS

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Photo by Mark S. Howard

Photo by Mark S. Howard

Presented by Lyric Stage Co. of Boston
Book by Larry Gelbart
Music by Cy Coleman
Lyrics by David Zippel
Vocal arrangements by Cy Coleman and Yaron Gershovsky
Directed by Spiro Veloudos
Music direction by Catherine Stornetta
Choreography & musical staging by Rachel Bertone

March 27 – May 2, 2015
Boston, MA
Lyric on Facebook

Review by Kitty Drexel

(Boston, MA) City of Angels pays homage to film noir with tongue firmly in cheek sexual innuendo and integrated design film tropes. The Lyric Stage Co. of Boston brings life to this beloved musical with panache and two shakes of wit with inspired clever projection design by Jonathan Carr and zippy choreography by Rachel Bertone. This production is great fun. The book and lyrics are clever. The score, vocal and instrumental, is inherently singable. The artistic upsides far outweigh the downsides. An evening spent at COA is one well spent. Continue reading →

Apr 14

First Few Rows Will Not Get Wet: THE CLYTEMNESTRIAD

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Photo credit: Fresh Ink Theatre, Jade Guerra tearing it up at Clytemnestra.

Photo credit: Fresh Ink Theatre, Jade Guerra tearing it up as Clytemnestra.

Presented by Fresh Ink Theatre
Written by A. Nora Long
Directed by Caitlin Lowans
Dramaturgy by Ramona Ostrowski

April 10 – 18, 2015
The Hale Chapel at First Church
Boston, MA
Fresh Ink on Facebook

Review by Kitty Drexel

Trigger Warning: Strobe effect

(Boston, MA) Homer’s Iliad tells us that Agamemnon fought bravely at Troy for ten years to reunite Helen and Menelaus. Greek myth tells us that when Agamemnon returned from the Trojan War, his wife Clytemnestra murdered him in the bath. Depending on the myth the particulars of who, why and how differ. What is evident is Clytemnestra’s retention of power and eventual murder at the hands of her children after the fact. A. Nora Long’s The Clytemnestriad follows the events leading up to and after Agamemnon’s death from the perspective of his wife, Clytemnestra. Continue reading →

Apr 06

Arlington Friends of the Drama presents NINE

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Arlington Friends of the Drama presents

NINE

Music and Lyrics by Maury Yeston and Book by Arthur Kopit

Performance dates: April 10,11,12,17,18,19,24,25,26, 2015

 Director/Choreographer: Jennifer Condon       Music Director: Mario Cruz

This extraordinary musical tells the story of film director, Guido Contini, and his attempts to devise a plot for his next film as he is being pursued by sexy, beautiful women each clamoring to be loved by him and him alone. He finally decides to use the substance of his life, told through flashbacks, to create a musical version of the Casanova story. Through these flashbacks involving relationships with the women in his life – his mother, the Nuns that schooled him, his mistress, and a prostitute among others – we watch him drift towards a nervous breakdown (what we would call a mid-life crisis today) from which he is held back by the support of his wife, Luisa. What makes this piece outstanding is the richness with which it has been imagined and the way all the pieces fit together. This masterpiece owes its life to the worlds of opera, concert, and musical theatre; it defies categorization.

 

 

Mar 31

Push It Real Good: LOOT

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Photo courtesy of Hub Theatre Co of Boston

Photo courtesy of Hub Theatre Co of Boston

Hub Theatre Company of Boston
By Joe Orton
Directed by Daniel Bourque
Dialect coaching by Meredith Stypinski
Fight choreography by Johnnie McQuarley

March 27-April 12, 2015
First Church Boston
66 Marlborough St
Boston, MA
Hub on Facebook

Review by Kitty Drexel

(Boston, MA) Playwright Joe Orton was an out gay man at a time when it was not only unfashionable but also highly illegal. Orton died in August 1967. Just one month shy of the passing of Britain’s Sexual Offences Act (amendment), which made acts such as kissing, hand holding, or plain old love between two men legal in the privacy of one’s home (it was still illegal to be homosexual in public. Baby stepping progress is still progress). Orton further pushed the hetero-normative envelope by incorporating his penchant for personal freedom in his writings. Orton’s flagrant disdain for authority and hypocritical social ethics are on proud display in Hub Theatre Co’s production of Loot. Orton’s script is not successful as art but it’s message rings profoundly clear: convention can go hang itself. Continue reading →

Mar 26

Stronger Than Fear: FROM THE DEEP

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PHOTO BY MARC J. FRANKLIN

Presented by Boston Public Works Theatre Company
by Cassie M. Seinuk
Directed by Lindsay Eagle

March 12 – 28, 2015
Boston Center for the Arts
Boston, MA
Boston Public Works on Facebook

Review by Kitty Drexel

(Boston, MA) From the Deep is not about the war on terror. It’s not even about terrorists. It’s about two men attempting to do the best they can with the nasty cards they are dealt. In the realm in which we see them, there is only suffering or not suffering. So, they try to turn the moments in which they are not suffering into moments that are happy. Happiness becomes relative. So do stability and health. This production from Boston Public Works Theatre Co, is about Man’s capacity to understand existence within a capacity for pain. Continue reading →

Mar 24

Major and Minor Details: BIG FISH

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Photo credit: Craig Bailey/Perspective Photo

Photo credit: Craig Bailey/Perspective Photo

Presented by SpeakEasy Stage Co.
Book by John August
Music & Lyrics by Andrew Lippa
Based on the Novel by Daniel Wallace and the Columbia Motion Picture Written by John August
Directed by Paul Daigneault
Assistant Director Alex Lonati
Musical Direction by Matthew Stern
Choreography by Larry Sousa

MAR 13 – APR 11, 2015
Stanford Calderwood Pavilion
Boston Center for the Arts
527 Tremont St.
SpeakEasy on Facebook

Review by Kitty Drexel

(Boston, MA) I did not enjoy Big Fish. I did enjoy SpeakEasy’s production. The performances from the cast were, as always, exemplary but the script has many problems. Follow along as I list the major issues and make the conscious decision not to detail the minor ones. Continue reading →

Mar 19

Rebel When You Hear the Drums: THE COLORED MUSEUM

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Photo: T. Charles Erickson. — at Huntington Theatre Company.

Photo: T. Charles Erickson. — at Huntington Theatre Company.

Presented by the Huntington Stage Co.
by George C. Wolfe
Directed/choreographed by Billy Porter
Music direction and arrangement by James Sampliner

March 6 – April 5, 2015
Avenue of the Arts
Boston, MA
Huntington on Facebook

Review by Kitty Drexel

The Colored Museum is two hours short and presented without an intermission.

(Boston, MA) The majority of Black culture accessible to White people is appropriated into easily digestible, tepid hunks that wouldn’t scare a baby much less a conservative one percenter who thinks that an Azealia Banks is a deciduous shrub. The Colored Museum is like a trip on Disney’s It’s A Small World if the ride were devoted to the culture pacifying White people instead of world peace. It’s a powerful display of stereotype and the bleak truths that cement them into western society. Those with an understanding of race relations and the systematic control racism has on these relations will likely enjoy the romp. Those who think discussing race with their Starbucks barista is equal to having a race relation will have their mind blown. Continue reading →