Mar 12

A Relationship Is A Series of Negotiations: “Stereophonic”

Tour presented by ATG Entertainment
Written by David Adjmi
Original music by Will Butler
Directed by Daniel Aukin 
Featuring: Jack Barrett, Claire DeJean, Steven Lee Johnson, Emilie Kouatchou, Cornelius McMoyler, Denver Milord, Christopher Mowod

Now – March 15, 2026
Emerson Colonial Theatre
106 Boylston St
Boston, 02116
Link to a Bostix Deal

Article by Kitty Drexel

BOSTON — The official summary for Stereophonic says it mines “the agony and the ecstasy of creation as it zooms in on a music studio in 1976.” An up-and-coming rock band recording a new album finds itself on the cusp of superstardom. Internal and external pressures could “spark their breakup… or their breakthrough.” Written by David Adjmi, directed by Daniel Aukin, and featuring original music by Arcade Fire’s Will Butler, Stereophonic shows its audience the creativity, drugs, and drama of writing and recording a stellar, best-selling folk rock album, a la Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours.

Stereophonic is just one of many works inspired by the saga of Fleetwood Mac and Rumours. Daisy Jones & the Six, the best-selling novel and the Amazon T.V. show, and an episode of Agatha All Along are others. Stereophonic earned 13 Tony nominations and won five awards in 2024. Its cast album rocks and stands on its own as great entertainment (whether you enjoy Fleetwood Mac or not). The touring production is a solid theatre that represents well the artistic creative process, massive egos, and the heartbreak of losing a family through interpersonal drama.  Continue reading

May 18

A Heartfelt Take on a Modern Classic: “The Light in the Piazza”

The cast of The Light in the Piazza; directed by Loretta Greco; photo by Julieta Cervantes.

Presented by The Huntington
Book by Craig Lucas
Music and lyrics by Adam Guettel
Based on the novel by Elizabeth Spencer
Directed by Loretta Greco
Music direction by Andrea Grody
Scenic design by Andrew Boyce
Lighting design by Christopher Akerlind
Costume design by Alex Jaeger
Featuring Emily Skinner, Sarah-Anne Martinez, Joshua Grosso, William Michals,
Rebecca Pitcher, Alexander Ross, Rebekah Rae Robles

May 9 – June 15, 2025
The Huntington Theatre
264 Huntington Ave. Boston, MA 02115

Review by Maegan Bergeron-Clearwood

BOSTON – When The Light in the Piazza premiered on Broadway two decades ago, it was lauded as a quaint but refreshing return to style, and Adam Guettel’s delicate, almost operatic score became an instant classic. Compared to contemporary 2000s box-office smashes like Spamalot and Avenue Q, this intimate love story favors pathos over spectacle, sincerity over irony – on the surface, it’s as old school as a 21st Century musical can get.

Classic as it may look and sound, however, The Light in the Piazza is a weird little musical. It examines the idea of love through a myriad of refractions: passion, to be sure, but also power, possessiveness, and loss. It frequently shatters the fourth wall and its own idyllic veneer. At times, it is disarmingly funny; at others, profoundly sad. Continue reading

Jun 14

Something Elegant and Threatening: “Gatsby: An American Myth”

Presented by American Repertory Theater
Based on the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Music by Florence Welch and Thomas Bartlett
Lyrics by Florence Welch
Book by Martyna Majok
Music Directed by Wiley DeWeese
Choreographed by Sonya Tayeh
Directed by Rachel Chavkin
Dramaturgy by Nissy Aya
Fight and Intimacy Direction by Rocío Mendez

July 23 – August 3, 2024
Loeb Drama Center
64 Brattle Street
Cambridge, MA 02138

This production contains depictions of suicide, violence, loud noises, gunshot sounds, bright and flashing lights, fog, and haze. Recommended for ninth grade and up.

Critique by Kitty Drexel

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Chavkin, Majok, and Welch’s Gatsby: An American Myth uplifts the plight of America’s laboring proletariat in ways F Scott Fitzgerald could never, would never imagine. It is a work of striking work of intersectional feminism that denudes the superficial morality of ultra-privileged one-percenters. It is sexy; it is rock n roll hot Jazz; it is a cautionary tale about the depravity of feral capitalism wrapped with a white bow.  

F Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby was first published in 1926. This critique discusses important plot points of the ART’s musical inspired by the novel. Anyone wishing to avoid spoilers is 98 years too late. 

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