Category Archives: Uncategorized

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 05

Pushing the boundaries of genre and form: “Passengers”

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Photo by Alexandre Galliez.

Production by The 7 Fingers
Presented by American Repertory Theater
Co-produced by TOHU (Montréal, Canada) and ArtsEmerson (Boston, États-Unis)
Written, directed, and composed by Shana Carroll
Composition and music direction by Colin Gagné
Lyrics Colin Gagné, Shana Carroll
Lighting design by Eric Champoux
Projection design by Johnny Ranger
Featuring: Victor Crépin, Eduardo De Azevedo Grillo, Isabella Diaz, Marie-Christine Fournier, Téo Le Baut, Amanda Orozco, Michael Patterson, Basile Pucek, Santiago Rivera, Méliejade Tremblay-Bouchard

September 2 – 26, 2025
Tickets
Loeb Drama Center
64 Brattle Street
Cambridge, MA 02138

Review by Maegan Clearwood

This production contains haze and flashing lights. 

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. –Since moving to Boston four years ago, I have been spoiled rotten by access to top-tier circus – from kitschy Halloween horrors with Boston Circus Guild’s Cirque of the Dead (now an annual tradition of mine) to a breathtaking showcase of talent from the instructors at Commonwealth Circus Center in Jamaica Plain. I am in awe of the twisty, bendy, flippy talent that’s on regular display here in my own backyard.  

Aside from this array of homegrown talent, Boston also has an ongoing love for Montreal circus troupe The 7 Fingers. The A.R.T. presented the ensemble’s spin on Pippin in 2012, and ArtsEmerson hosted Duel Reality last season, an irreverent twist on a Shakespearean classic. This fall, the troupe is back at The A.R.T. with its production of Passengers, which first premiered in Boston in 2019. 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

Kafkaesque Comedy: “The Understudy”

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Hub Theatre Co presents “The Understudy.”

Presented by The Hub Theatre Company of Boston
Written by Theresa Rebeck
Director – Paula Plum
Choreographer – Kiki Samko
Cast – Lauren Elias, Cristhain Mancinas-Garcia, Kevin Paquette

July 19 – August 2, 2025
Pay-What-You-Can Admission
Club Café
209 Columbus Ave.
Boston, MA 02116

Critique by Craig Idlebrook

BOSTON — Those who make the theatre their profession love to write about theatre as a profession. It’s an occupational hazard that audiences enjoy.

Playwright and author Theresa Rebeck is perhaps best known for penning the television show Smash, which premiered in 2012. The show followed the messy development process for a new musical and became something of a cult favorite during its two-season run. The play The Understudy, which Rebeck published in 2010, can feel a bit like a quiet prequel to Smash. The two works share themes about the push and pull between wanting to make great art and wanting to make it big. Continue reading →

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 02

What to Expect When You’re Not Expecting: “Mox Nox” & “GUTS”

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Moonbox Productions’ Boston New Works Festival (BNWF)
Presented by Moonbox Productions
June 26 – 29, 2025
Multiple Spaces at the Boston Center for the Arts.
539 Tremont St
Boston, MA 02116 

Critique by Kitty Drexel

BOSTON — Last week, Moonbox Productions produced its Boston New Works Festival with seven original plays and musicals at the Boston Center of the Arts in the South End. It was the final weekend of Pride, the Supreme Court issued its final opinions before its summer recess*, the Bezos’ married in Venice, baseballers baseballed, and The Theater Offensive hosted another festival across the river in Cambridge. With the various and sundry events occurring across our city and the nation, I hope everyone attended events that brought them joy and a modicum of peace. 

This year’s BNWF featured fully realized productions and semi-staged readings from local playwrights, crew and actors. I attended two productions: Mox Nox by Patrick Gabridge and Guts by Rachel Greene. These are two vastly different plays in subject and creative temperament. Mox Nox is a finished work (if such things exist). Guts remains a play in progress. Both show Boston audiences what is possible and point to our collective future as a community.   Continue reading →

Jun 11

Nothing we can do, A total eclipse of the sun*: “Little Shop of Horrors”

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Photo by Nile Scott Studios

Presented by Greater Boston Stage Company
Book and Lyrics by Howard Ashman
Music by Alan Menken
Directed by Ilana Ransom Toeplitz
Music Directed by Bethany Aiken
Choreographed by Chris Shin
Stage Managed by Shauwna Dias Grillo

June 6 – 29, 2025
GBSC
395 Main Street
Stoneham, MA 02180

Critique by Kitty Drexel

Run Time: Little Shop of Horrors runs approximately 2 hours including the intermission.

STONEHAM, Mass. — My apologies to the cast, crew and staff of Greater Boston Stage Company’s Little Shop of Horrors for the delay in getting this critique out. I’ve been selfishly disturbed by the chaos ripping through Los Angeles manufactured by the Fascists-in-Chief to distract us from the beastly, bulbous tax and spending legislation sitting in the U.S. Senate. Actual, factual L.A. takes precedence over fantastical L.A. no matter how awesome your show is.

GBSC’s Little Shop of Horrors has commonality with Richard O’Brien’s Rocky Horror Show. It has pervy aliens, stiff romantic tension, a soupçon of domestic violence, and solid bangers to get your booty in motion. The biggest difference between the two shows remains costuming: Little Shop’s cast wears its weather- and situation-appropriate clothing by Chelsea Kerl (who could easily have costumed both shows from the same closet) for the duration of the production. While Audrey II starts and stays naked, her tandem actors keep their trousers on. So, negligee notwithstanding, if you like one show, you’ll like the other.  Continue reading →