Evan Gambardella posted this in his Facebook page. Al Chase is a predator and repeat sexual offender. We condemn his actions and demand his removal from all public seats. We believe you Evan!
Al’s apologizers, including the IRNE Awards Committee, have a lot to answer for.
https://www.facebook.com/evan.gambardella/posts/10155450046845753
#metoo
The New England Theatre Geek has new accounts with Patreon and Ko-Fi! If you’ve enjoyed reading the critiques, reviews and opinion editorials on the site, please donate. Your donations go towards paying our Blog Master Tech Wiz, and towards arts related expenses for the blog.
Our very first patron is Ken Raeburn. On behalf of the New England Theatre Geek staff, thank you Ken!
Best Wishes in Gratitude,
Kitty, Queen Geek
Samantha Gould (SG) took a moment for an email interview with the New England Theatre Geek (NETG). Open Door Theatre presents Cinderella this week in Acton. Tickets are HERE.
Cinderella plays March 16 – 25, 2018
All performances open captioned
Friday, March 16 – 18, 2018 – ASL-Intepreted
Saturday, March 24, 2018 1:00 PM – Sensory-Friendly Performance
Saturday, March 24, 2018, 2017 7:00 PM – Audio Described
R.J. Grey Junior High School
Acton, MA
Accessibility information
NETG: Please introduce yourself. What is it you do at Open Door Theater?
SG: My name is Sam Gould and I am the President of the Board of Open Door Theater. However, as we are all volunteers at Open Door, I am a producer, grant writer, accessibility coordinator, public liaison, Make up person, backstage crew, recruitment coordinator, mediator, floor sweeper, etc. Continue reading
Photo by Maggie Hill Photography
Presented by The Brown Box Theatre
Written by John Kuntz
Directed by Alex Lonati
Produced by Kyler Taustin
Reviewed by Bishop C. Knight
(Boston, MA) It was a wintry evening in Boston’s Financial District and, as the audience moseyed into the lobby of an office building with wet snow piled upon our hats and coats, we found our seats to the soundtrack of bubbly theme songs from classic pre-1970s television and cinema. There were themes from Gilligan’s Island, Bewitched, and that kicky rendition of the Charleston dance song as featured in It’s A Wonderful Life (1940s).
Once seated and ready for the performance, patrons sat with our four actors lounging around the small stage space in short leopard-print bathrobes. Hm? Earlier in the week, I told a pal that I was going to see a play by John Kuntz, and their heads-up was “John Kuntz? His stuff is weird but wonderful!” And yes, very immediately, with the bouncy lyrics of “The Ballad of Gilligans Island” promising a fateful trip, I knew I was in for a theatrical adventure. Continue reading
Presented by ArtsEmerson
Torrey Pines
Directed by Clyde Petersen
Animated by Clyde Petersen & Chris Looney
Original music recorded in collaboration with Kimya Dawson and Chris Walla (Death Cab for Cutie)
Feb. 14 – 17, 2018
Jackie Liebergott Black Box Theatre
Boston, MA
ArtsEmerson on Facebook
ArtsEmerson presented a lovely set of screenings of “Torrey Pines” with a live band and live foley. A stop motion film about a young adolescent’s experiences, the lead in the film was also the lead in the band which played, Your Heart Breaks. The Seattle band has been touring with this movie since its premiere in 2016. It is wonderful that this movie was brought to Boston, especially since there are few art pieces with trans creators at the helm. Continue reading
Please see The Hill for the recent article about the President’s dastardly proposal to cut funding to the Public Broadcasting Station (PBS) and National Public Radio (NPR).
Article by Joe Concha: http://thehill.com/homenews/media/373434-trump-proposes-eliminating-federal-funding-for-pbs-npr
Here is information on a proposal to withdraw funding from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).
Article 1: http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/white_house_releases_fy_2019_budget_request_to_congress
Article 2: http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/arts_action_fund_statement_on_the_presidents_fy2019_budget_proposal
NPR, PBS and the NEA are vital resources for everyone living in the US. Cutting funding would impact the US budget only minimally. This is largely a demoralizing gesture to indicate how 45 presides as a fascist demagogue. Don’t let this tactic work.
Presented by Wheelock Family Theatre
Book by Linda Woolverton
Music by Alan Menken
Lyrics by Howard Ashman & Tim Rice
Directed by Jane Staab
Music direction by Steven Bergman
Choreography by Laurel Conrad
Feb. 2 – March 4, 2018
Feb. 25 & March 2, ASL and audio-described
Wheelock College; Boston Campus
200 The Riverway
Boston, MA 02215
WFT on Facebook
Review by Kitty Drexel
“Men are afraid that women will laugh at them. Women are afraid that men will kill them.” ― attributed to Margaret Atwood.
(Boston, MA) Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (DBatB) is beloved in all its forms. The 2017 film with Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Emma Thompson, and a vastly underutilized Audra McDonald, is a charming retelling with updates to make it more palatable for contemporary audiences. The 1994 musical adaptation of the 1991 film is not. The original Disney movie was notable for its strides in animation technology, but not for its intersectionally feminist portrayal of accepting others for their differences. Unfortunately for Wheelock Family Theatre, this problematic musical hasn’t received the update treatment. In some ways, it’s worse that the 1991 film. Continue reading
LAB cover photo on Facebook
Presented by Liars and Believers
Directed by Jason Slavick
A list of collaborators and other info is HERE
January 24, 2018 One Night Only
Sonia at the Middle East
10 Brookline St
Cambridge, MA
LAB on Facebook
Review by Kitty Drexel
(Cambridge, MA) Irresistible is Liars & Believers most recent, most experimental collabortive project to date. It is incredibly important, when considering the expected outcome of experiments, to remember that the majority of experiments fail. Failure does not negate the significance of the experiment. Rather, it gives the technician an opportunity to understand what didn’t work. Failure can be good. Continue reading
Photo: Forden Photography. Design: Bird Graphics; Featuring Michael Tow & Lisa Nguyen.
Presented by the Nora Theatre Company
Written by David Auburn
Directed by Michelle M. Aguillon
Jan. 18 – Feb. 18, 2018
Central Square Theater
Cambridge, MA
CST on Facebook
Introduction: Below are two pieces in response to The Nora Theatre’s production currently playing at Central Square Theater in Cambridge, MA. First is my critique of the production. The second is an opinionated response from fellow Geek Noelani Kamelamela. I asked Noelani to write a response to the production because representation is important. Three out of four cast members of Proof are Asian-American. This is significant because David Auburn didn’t factor race into his writing process. This means white was his default. No one gets extra credit for treating people of color like human beings. The Nora does get kudos for subverting the racial paradigm.
Review by Kitty Drexel
“In a good proof there is a very high degree of unexpectedness, combined with inevitability and economy. The argument takes so odd and surprising a form; the weapons used seems so childishly simple when compared with the far-reaching consequences; but there is no escape from the conclusions.” – G.H. Hardy, A Mathematician’s Apology
(Cambridge, MA) The stigma around mental illness remains sharp. The Nora Theatre’s production of Proof doesn’t tackle this stigma so much as wait until the audience is pliable and then viciously assault it. It isn’t gentle but it is effective. Continue reading
Presented by Club Cafe
Performed, produced and compiled by Meagan Michelson
Accompanied by J. Kathleen Castellanos
Featuring the works of The Beatles, Carol King, Lerner & Lowe, Bonnie Raitt, and more
Saturday, January 20th at 8pm ONLY
Club Cafe
Boston, MA
C.C. on Facebook
Meagan Michelson on Facebook
Review by Kitty Drexel
(Boston, MA) Meagan Michelson delivered a sincere but rowdy tribute last Saturday night at Club Cafe. Mother Mary Says to Me is a love letter to Mary, her Mom. It expressed the kind of gratitude one hopes to share with their own mother figure. I wish I had brought my Mom to see it; MMSTM had the kind of edge my Mumma Geek enjoys, and the heart to put a twinkle in anyone’s eye. Continue reading
