Tag Archives: Helen Ganley

Oct 16

Ale, and well met: “Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-sided Tavern”

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Presented by Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-sided Tavern
Digital Playbill

October 3 – October 5, 2025
The Boch Center Shubert Theatre
265 Tremont Street
Boston, MA 02116

Runtime: 2 hours 30 minutes with a 15-minute intermission

Review by Helen Ganley

BOSTON — In 1974, a global phenomenon began.

Well, that’s not exactly true. In 1974, Original Dungeons & Dragons was released as a small box set containing three playable classes, four races, and only a handful of monsters. It even assumed you owned two other, unrelated games in order to play it. With just a thousand copies printed, it was far from the cultural movement it would one day become.

For decades, D&D was synonymous with the epitome of nerdom. But with the rise of streamers, the accessibility of the fifth (and most recent) edition, and online play across countless platforms, Dungeons & Dragons has transformed into a genuine cultural phenomenon. Continue reading →

Sep 23

Swagger and Thunder Over Coffee: “The Mountain Top”

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Dominic Carter as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr; Photo by Benjamin Rose Photography.

Presented by The Front Porch Arts Collective in collaboration with The Suffolk University Modern Theatre
Written by Katori Hall
Directed by Maurice Emmanuel Parent
Assistant Directed by Kayla Sessoms

September 19 – October 12, 2025
 The Suffolk University Modern Theatre
525 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02111
Digital Program: Link

Runtime: 90 minutes with no intermission

Review by Helen Ganley

“Never meet your heroes, because they’re sure to disappoint you.”

BOSTON — This Proust quote drips with cynicism, suggesting that if we become too familiar with those we admire, they’ll inevitably fall short of our expectations. I disagree. Heroism isn’t about being untouchable; it’s precisely the fact that they are human, flaws and all, who nonetheless achieve something extraordinary that makes them heroic in my eyes.

The Front Porch Arts Collective’s production of “The Mountaintop” challenges this very notion. Written by Katori Hall, the two-character play reimagines Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s final night at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 3, 1968. There, he engages in a flirtatious yet profound conversation with a motel maid named Camae, one that blends the ordinary with the spiritual. The play premiered in London in 2009 before transferring to the West End, where it won the Olivier Award for Best New Play. Its Broadway debut came in 2011 at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, starring Samuel L. Jackson as Dr. King and Angela Bassett as Camae. With its mix of realism and magical elements, The Mountaintop offers a moving meditation on mortality, legacy, and the unfinished work of justice. Continue reading →

May 27

It’s About Us: “The Prom”

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The Company of THE PROM. Photo by Nile Scott Studios.

Presented by Wheelock Family Theatre
Book and Lyrics by Chad Beguelin
Book by Bob Martin
Music by Matthew Sklar
Based on the Original Concept by Jack Viertel
Directed & Choreographed by Larry Sousa
Music Directed by Jordan Oczkowski

May 17 – June 8
Wheelock Family Theatre
180 Riverway
Boston, MA 02215

Runtime: 2 hours and 25 minutes including intermission.

Review by Helen Ganley

Floor-length dresses and well-tailored suits, a room full of bouncing balloons and floating streamers—it can only mean one thing: prom season. This high school rite of passage is so deeply ingrained in American culture that it’s almost hard to imagine a parents’ board canceling the whole event for one reason: two girls want to attend together. The Prom at Wheelock Family Theatre unfurls this story with energy and empathy, delivering a heartfelt tale of acceptance, community, and love. Continue reading →

May 08

Naïve innocence to Vindictive corruption: “Mean Girls”

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Pictured (L-R): Katie Yeomans (Cady Heron), Kristen Amanda Smith (Gretchen Wieners), Maya Petropoulos (Regina George), and MaryRose Brendel (Karen Smith). Photo by Jeremy Daniel, 2025

Presented by Emerson Colonial Theater
Book by Tina Fey
Music by Jeff Richmond
Lyrics by Nell Bejnamin
Directed by Casey Hushion
Choreographed by John MacInnis

April 29th – May 4th, 2025
Emerson Colonial Theater
106 Boylston St
Boston, MA 02116

2 hours 15 minutes with one intermission

Review by Helen Ganley

BOSTON — Cliques endure throughout life, beginning as early as elementary school and continuing into adulthood. You might find them at work, with the crew that always goes to Happy Hour (with no extended invite), among couples who only hang out with other couples, or with PTA Power Parents who plan events without outside input. The most common place to find them, however, is in high school. Emerson Colonial Theater’s production of Mean Girls explores the dangers of cliques while emphasizing the importance of authenticity and kindness throughout life. Continue reading →

Mar 27

An Umbrella of Representation: “Queer Voices Festival”

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The Queer Voices Festival
Presented by Boston Theater Company
The Balcony or The Last Night by Pascale Florestal, she/her/hers
Halftime v. Intermission by Michael J. Bobbitt, he/him
Left Overs by Roni Ragone, they/them
Limpia by Leonard P. Madrid, he/him
Oop, Can’t Say That by Tom Zhang, they/them
Seance by Dylan Horowitz, He/Him & She/Her
Zelda by Haz Cady, he/him

March 21 -23, 2025
Boston Center for the Arts
539 Tremont St
Boston, MA 02116

2 Hrs 15 Minutes with 1 intermission

Review by Helen Ganley

BOSTON — This past weekend, the Boston Theater Company hosted its 2nd annual Queer Voices Festival at the Boston Center for the Arts. We are caught in an onslaught of voices, opinions, and legislation—the whipping wind of oppression slapping us in the face, the ice of hatred hardening on the sidewalk, daring us to fall. This event gathers a community under the umbrella of representation, shielding them—if only for an hour and a half—from the deluge outside.
Continue reading →

Feb 20

Wham! Comic mischief in “Flora & Ulysses”

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Photo courtesy of Nile Scott Studios.

Presented by Wheelock Family Theatre
Adapted for the stage by John Glore
Based on the book by Kate DiCamillo
Directed by Joshua Rashon Streeter
Composed and Sound Designed by Mackenzie Adamick
Puppet Design by Amanda Gibson
Projection Design by Justin Lahue
Props Design by Saskia Martinez
Scenic Design by Danielle Delafuente
Costume Design by Nia Safarr Banks
Lighting Design by Lawrence A. Ware

Online playbill

February 15 – March 9, 2025
Wheelock Family Theatre
Boston University; Fenway Campus
200 The Riverway
Boston,  MA 02215

Critique by Helen Ganley

BOSTON — Common media often asserts that heroes come in all shapes and sizes, citing a range that stretches from DC’s Doll Man (thirteen inches tall, with an attitude) to Marvel’s Stature (fifty feet and fighting with the Young Avengers). But does this spectrum include a flying, super-strong, philosophy-spouting squirrel? Wheelock Family Theatre’s Flora & Ulysses expands the superhero multiverse beyond traditional humanity, following the story of a comic-obsessed 10-year-old girl and her unlikely superhero protégé as they navigate the trials of suburbia. Continue reading →

Jan 15

Survival, Sisterhood, and Small Triumphs: “Crumbs from the Table of Joy”

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Thomika Marie Bridwell, Madison Margaret Clark and Dominic Carter. Photo by Mark S. Howard.

Presented by The Lyric Stage Company of Boston
By Lynn Nottage
Directed by Tasia A. Jones
Scenic Design by Cristina Todesco
Costume Design by Mikayla Reid
Lighting Design by Eduardo Ramirez
Sound Design by Aubrey Dube
Props Design by Lauren Corcuera
Stage Managed by Nerys Powell
Assistant Stage Managed by Ally MacLean
Voice & Dialect Coached by Allison Beauregard

January 10 – February 2, 2025
The Lyric Stage Company of Boston
Boston, MA 02116
Online playbill

Critique by Helen Ganley

BOSTON — The syncopated groove of Ms. Lauryn Hill’s “Everything is Everything” sweeps over the audience, settling like gossamer smoke over the sepia toned Victorian archway of a Brooklyn apartment. A young Black girl in a simple yellow dress and worn saddle shoes stands at the center of this accommodation, guiding us through the memories of her time there. In this way, the Lyric Stage Company of Boston’s production of Crumbs from the Table of Joy intertwines grief, divinity, expectations, and family, unfolding like a silver screen storyboard that leaves us feeling changed. Continue reading →