Category Archives: Comedy

May 14

Brad Zimmerman Hates You: MY SON THE WAITER – A JEWISH TRAGEDY

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Photo snagged from the Regent Theatre Facebook page.

The Regent Theatre

7 Medford Street

Arlington, MA

April 23rd – May 25th, 2014

Regent Theatre on Facebook

Review by Craig Idlebrook

(Arlington) In the opening moments of his one-man show, Brad Zimmerman tells a joke where a man eggs his girlfriend on to do a near striptease for a gorilla at the zoo before throwing her into the cage to face a certain and painful death. Why? She doesn’t give him enough sex. The show just goes downhill from there. Continue reading →

May 12

You Carry What You Collect: ON THE VERGE

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Photo snagged from New Rep website

Photo snagged from New Rep website

Presented by New Repertory Theatre
By Eric Overmyer
Directed by Jim Petosa

May 3 – 25, 2014
Arsenal Center for the Arts
Charles Mosesian Theater
Watertown, MA
New Rep on Facebook

Review by Kitty Drexel

(Watertown) It is deeply refreshing to see women amidst the revels of their maturity being embraced by playwrights as the medium for their works. There aren’t enough chewy roles for women past the age of ingenue naivete that embrace life beyond mother or spinsterhood. As an actress and feminist critic, it was a pleasure to watch On the Verge. Playwright Eric Overmyer has given Boston and its actors a gift and it is my hope that the community embraces it.

On the Verge is about three intrepid female explorers in search of adventure in Terra Incognita. While collecting data, photos and samples, our heroines spelunk and hack their way to new territory in space and time. The characters are based on actual accounts of Victorian-era lady explorers who defied the conventions of the time. They sought independence in the wilds beyond Westernized civilization and found it. Continue reading →

May 09

PMRP Presents: THE TROUBLE WITH TRIBBLES

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The Trouble with Tribbles

5/8/14

For Immediate Release:

At the end of May the Post-Meridian Radio Players are proud to present the return of our gender-swapped interpretation of “The Trouble with Tribbles.”   A faithful reproduction of the original Star Trek episode, except with Captain Jane T. Kirk, Ms. Spock and Mr. Uhura.

Introduced to wide acclaim at the Arisia convention last January this show will have three new performances:
Friday, May 30, 2014 8pm
Saturday, May 31, 2014, 2pm
Saturday, May 31, 2014, 8pm
For those unfamiliar with the episode:

“A dispute over control of a planet brings Enterprise to a space station, where they must deal with Klingons, edgy Federation officials, and a previously-unknown species of small, unbearably cute, voraciously hungry and rapidly-multiplying furry creatures.”
—Plot summary from memory-alpha.org

The show will be at Unity Church at 6 William St. in Somerville, just a quick 5 min. walk from Davis Square on College Ave.  The show is free to attend although a $5 donation would be appreciated.

Seats will be first come-first served although you may reserve a spot ahead of time at
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/686847

In addition, there will be a Q&A session with Director Mindy Klenoff after the May 30th performance.

The Post-Meridian Radio Players perform shows in the style of the Golden Age of Radio with actors in front of microphones and live sound effects performed on stage.  They have performed live shows since 2005 and have done everything from Sherlock Holmes to The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.  For more information please visit www.pmrp.org.

May 06

Laughter, Landmines, and an Historical Sitcom Fit for the Stage

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Presented by Theatre on Fire
By Richard Curtis and Ben Elton
Directed by Darren Evans

April 26 – May 11, 2014
Charlestown Working Theater
Charlestown, MA
Theatre on Fire Facebook Page

Review by Gillian Daniels

Back in 1989, Blackadder Goes Forth aired on the BBC as a spectacular, grim comedy that lampooned World War I. The creators, Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, also worked on previous installments in the series, including the Elizabethan Blackadder II and the Regency-centric Blackadder the Third. Each new storyline used the same actors, particularly Rowan Atkinson, Tony Robinson, and Hugh Laurie, and pitted them against historical figures (Queen Elizabeth! Prince George!) and fart jokes. With director Darren Evans at the helm, Theatre on Fire works tirelessly to bring television to stage. For the most part, the humor translates beautifully. Continue reading →

Apr 29

Richly Developed Heroines: BECOMING CUBA

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Presented by Huntington Theatre Co
Written by Huntington Playwright-in-Residence Melinda Lopez
Directed by M. Bevin O’Gara

March 28 – May 3, 2014
Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA
Boston, MA
Huntington Co on Facebook

Review by Kitty Drexel

(Boston) Becoming Cuba at the Huntington Theatre is about blood origins. It is about the effect blood-ties have on our decisions, and the indirect way our origins affect the world around us. Specifically, it is about sisters Adele (Christina Pumariega) and Martina (Rebecca Soler) who run a pharmacie in Spanish-occupied Cuba. Adele attempts to remain neutral as war threatens the country she loves: her family fights in the rebellion; her husband died fighting for Spain. As Adele cares for the people of Havana, she comes to understand that loyalty is a complex beast. Love and loyalty can be divided while still remaining whole. Continue reading →

Apr 25

You Can’t Stop Her. Hell, She Can’t Stop Her: PAULA POUNDSTONE

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Acquisitioned from the NSMT facebook site

Presented by North Shore Music Theatre
Beverly, MA
April 19th, 2014
NSMT on Facebook

Review by Craig Idlebrook

(Beverly) If a career coach ever did an aptitude test on a young Paula Poundstone and didn’t find she was cut out to be a comedian, that coach was a loser. Angular, socially awkward, and blessed and cursed with OCD that causes her to let loose a constant stream of sarcastic chatter, Poundstone found her calling on the comedy stage. She owned the North Shore Music Theatre for one night this past April and left the crowd feeling happy and confused. Continue reading →

Apr 22

Delicious Raunch Never for the Entire Family: SNOW WHITE AND THE 7 BOTTOMS

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Photo claimed from the Gold Dust Orphans facebook page.

Presented by The Gold Dust Orphans
Written and Conceived by Ryan Landry
Directed by James P. Byrne

April 18th – May 18th, 2014
The Ramrod Center for the Performing Arts
MACHINE – 1254 Boylston Street, Boston.
Gold Dust Orphans on Facebook

Review by Kitty Drexel

(Boston) Mr. Ryan Landry excels at writing fast-paced, raunchy pantos. His shows are regularly engorged with punchy, LGBTQ+ inclusive, sexy humor unsuitable for family-minded audiences. Snow White is no exception. This beauty based on the classic Disney movie is sure to leave your mouth dry and your seat wet. Continue reading →

Apr 22

Comfort Food for Parents: MOTHERHOOD OUT LOUD

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A rehearsal photo: With Nora Hussey, Jelena Begovic, Elisabeth Yancey, Evelyn Crossing, Madeline Stern and Apoorva Arora.

presented by Wellesley College Theatre
Written by Leslie Ayvazian, Brooke Berman, David Cale, Jessica Goldberg, Beth Henley, Lameece, Issaq, Claire LaZebnik, Lisa Loomer, Michele Lowe, Marco Pennette, Theresa Rebeck, Luanne Rice, Annie Weisman and Cheryl L. West
Conceived by Susan R. Rose and Joan Stein

April 10th – 13th, 2014
Alumnae Hall Ruth Nagel Jones Theatre (111)
Wellesley, MA
WCT on Facebook

Review by Craig Idlebrook

(Wellesley) If I could have drawn up a blueprint for your prototypically earnest college play, “Motherhood Out Loud” would probably be it, especially the way it was staged at Wellesley College.  From the very first moment, when the whole cast is incongruously mimicking childhood activities, to the very last, when the cast reunites on stage to say how much they appreciate their mothers in unison, the action surely pleased a crowd stacked with parents of Wellesley College students.  And there is something so adorable about watching the young cast try on the roles of parenthood; it inevitably feels like you’re watching children play dress-up. Continue reading →

Apr 08

Our Differences are Our Similarities: NOT BY BREAD ALONE

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Presented by ArtsEmerson: The World on Stage
Created by Adina Tal and Nalaga’at Deaf-Blind Theater
Conceived by AdinaTal
Original music by Amnon Baaham
“Dancing Closely” written and performed by Zvi Tal

April 2 – 6, 2014
The Paramount Center
Theatre District
Boston, MA
ArtsEmerson on Facebook
Nalaga’at Deaf-Blind Theater on Facebook

Review by Kitty Drexel

(Boston) Not by Bread Alone is the most sincere piece of theatre I have seen all year. Productions like this are why we artists create; it is why theatre exists. The tremendous talent of the Nalag’at Deaf-Blind Theater is awe-inspiring. It’s Boston run is over but it will be in the US for a while longer. I suggest doing everything in your power to attend this brilliant production. Continue reading →

Apr 06

Don’t Hate the Player: “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead”

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The pretty, pretty cast.

Presented by Theatre@First
By Tom Stoppard
Directed by Elizabeth Hunter

April 4th – 12th
Davis Square Theatre
Theatre@First on Facebook

Review by Danielle Rosvally

(Somerville) So, weird thing about Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, it makes Beckett slightly more palatable and Shakespeare slightly less.

Stoppard’s play riffing on Beckett’s infamous Waiting for Godot is, on the surface, a glance at what’s going on behind the wings during the course of the greatest play ever written in the English language. If we begin to look at life as Stoppard’s head tragedian does (that is a world in which every exit is an entrance somewhere else), we begin to see how this Hamlet fan-fic took shape. Take Gogo and Didi, slap them into some verse poetry, give them tabards and a letter to the English King and wha-bam; there’s Stoppard’s piece. Continue reading →