Tag Archives: Kitty Drexel

Nov 19

No Ghosts Need Apply: “A Sherlock Carol”

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The cast; Photo by Nile Hawer.

Presented by the Lyric Stage Boston
By Mark Shanahan
Directed by Ilyse Robbins

Nov. 14 – Dec. 21, 2025
140 Clarendon St
2nd floor
Boston, MA 02116
Online Playbill

Running Time: Two hours plus one 15-minute intermission.

Critique by Kitty Drexel

BOSTON — A Sherlock Carol at Lyric Stage Boston is a Doyle and Dickens delight that mashes the beloved characters from both Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes series in one gleeful package. This mashup is a needed departure from an overdone but beloved holiday tradition that will amuse Dickens fans, please Doyle fans, and introduce the children of both to classic literature in a new format. It runs through Dec. 21. Continue reading →

Nov 18

Tickets, Please: “the beautiful land i seek (la linda tierra que busco yo)”

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Photo scavenged from online.

Presented by Teatro Chelsea
by Matthew Barbot
Directed by Armando Rivera
Associate Director – Luz Lopez
Fight direction – Naomi Kim

October 31- November 22, 2025
Chelsea Theatre Works Blackbox
181 Winnisimmet Street
Chelsea, MA

Critique by Kitty Drexel

Estimated Runtime: 95min w/ no intermission

“Cuando a sus playas llegó Colón;
Exclamó lleno de admiración;
‘Oh!, oh!, oh!, esta es la linda
tierra que busco yo.’”
“When at her beaches Columbus arrived,
he exclaimed full of admiration:
‘Oh! Oh! Oh!
This is the beautiful land, that I seek.’”

– Taken from “La Borinqueña.” Lyrics by Manuel Fernández Juncos (1846-1928). Translation by Samuel Quiros. 

CHELSEA, Mass. —  The title of Matthew Barbot’s play, the beautiful land i seek (la linda tierra que busco yo), is derived from the lyrics of Puerto Rico’s national anthem, “La Borinqueña.” Parts Waiting for Godot and Snowpiercer (2013), the production asks what failed Puerto Rican nationalist assassins Oscar Collazo and Griselio Torresola would think of the United States’ appropriation of Puerto Rican culture through the decades. Was their sacrifice worth it? Who has taken up the mantle of independence since the event of their activism? Teatro Chelsea’s production is now running at Chelsea Theatre Works through November 22.

It’s 1950. Members of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party, Oscar Collazo (Carlos Zalduondo) and Griselio Torresola (Nathaniel Justiniano), travel by train from New York to Washington, D.C. Their mission: to assassinate President Harry S. Truman (Alexander Crespo Rosaro II) in the name of Puerto Rican independence. They have two pistols and a conspiratorial Can-Do attitude. They intend to use their train trip to solidify their plans, but their fellow travelers (Ashley L. Aldarondo) keep interrupting Oscar and Griselio’s trip. Teatro Chelsea’s website says this play is “Loosely based on historical events and definitely based on recent ones, the beautiful land i seek (la linda tierra que busco yo) is a funny, gripping rollercoaster ride through Puerto Rico’s relationship to the United States.” Director Rivera plays a poet with one foot in the future and the other in the present.  Continue reading →

Nov 13

A Romy & Michele Adventure: “Romy & Michele: The Musical”

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Photo by Valerie Terranova.

Romy & Michele: The Musical
Presented by Stage 42
Book by Robin Schiff
Music and lyrics by Gwendolyn Sanford & Brandon Jay
Directed by Kristin Hanggi
Choreographed by Karla Puno Garcia
Music supervision by Keith Harrison Dworkin

TICKETS
New York, NY

Review by Kitty Drexel

NEW YORK — Last week, I attended the American Theatre Critics Association’s yearly conference in New York. It was lit! (R.I.P. “lit,” T.O.D.: 10:26 AM, 11/13/25) Press tickets were made available to attendees in exchange for coverage. I attended Romy & Michele: The Musical at Stage 42 on November 6 as part of the conference. 

I streamed the movie after securing tickets. Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion is fun. Not good, not bad. Fun.  I’d watch the movie again if it happened to be on. I feel the same about the musical. I wouldn’t go out of my way to see it if a local theatre was producing it, and I didn’t know anyone in the cast. I would totally attend as press to see what a different cast did with it. Because it’s fun. Some revolutions are built on fun.  

Based on the 1997 cult classic screenplay by Robin Schiff, Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion, Romy & Michele: The Musical is now playing off-Broadway at Stage 42 in New York. Romy (Laura Bell Bundy, who nails the accent and even brings the accent to her sick vocals) and Michele (Kara Lindsay, who gives Lisa Kudrow a run for her money and belts with equally as sick vocals) left their 80s Arizona high school for L.A. after graduation and never looked back. Except now, they are looking back.  Continue reading →

Nov 02

Puppetry is an Empathy Machine: “The 4th Witch”

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The Little Girl and the Old Woman. Photo by Katie Doyle.

Presented by ArtsEmerson, 
A Manual Cinema Production
Concept & Direction by Drew Dir
Devised by Drew Dir, Sarah Fornace & Julia Miller
Original Score & Sound Design by Ben Kauffman & Kyle Vegter
Puppet / Silhouette Design by Drew Dir
Mask Design: Julia Miller
Lighting Design: David Goodman‑Edberg
Costume / Wig Design: Sully Ratke
Musicians: Caroline Jesalva, Lia Kohl, Lucy Little, Alicia Walter 

October 30 – November 9, 2025
Emerson Paramount Center
Robert J. Orchard Stage
559 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02111

Content: Recommended for Ages 12+ 

Duration: Approximately 65 minutes, no intermission

Critique by Kitty Drexel

BOSTON — Manual Cinema’s The 4th Witch shows its audience Shakespeare’s Macbeth from the perspective of a novice witch. Eastern Europe, WWII: Macbeth (Jeffrey Paschal) is a giant, faceless monster in a Nazi uniform and a gas mask. The French countryside is his battleground. A happy little girl’s (Sarah Fornace) life is changed forever as Macbeth’s fascist army tears through her home, destroying goodness at every turn. In her search for safety, the girl falls ill and barely escapes Macbeth’s soldiers with her life. An old woman (Julia Miller, Lizi Breit & Leah Casey), who is more than she seems, takes in the girl, nurses her back to health, and teaches her the ways of the forest. Her lessons include cooking, herbal remedies, and unlocking her potential witchcraft through the power of feminine rage.  Continue reading →

Oct 29

Straddle the Line in Discord and Rhyme: “The Wolves”

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The Wolves cast; photo via Facebook.

Presented by Hive Theatre Company
By Sarah DeLappe
Directed by Margaret McFadden

Oct. 17 – 19, 2025
BCA Plaza Black Box Theatre
539 Tremont Street
Boston, MA 02116

Critique by Kitty Drexel

Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes with ONE intermission

Content Warning: The Wolves contains strong language, discussions of sexual content, and references to mental health struggles, eating disorders, and mentions of death and grief.

BOSTON — If William Golding’s The Lord of the Flies were adapted for a modern teenage girls’ soccer team, it would be The Wolves. In Golding’s novel, prepubescent boys are stranded on an island without adults. Unmitigated chaos ensues. In The Wolves, an indoor girls’ soccer team, also with negligible adult oversight, adapts much better to their ogled but unsupervised soccer practices. Earlier this month, we saw the Hive Theatre Company’s Wolves ensemble stretch, bully their peers, and embrace their challenges for the newest generation of theatre makers. 

The Wolves is a microcosm of the teenage girl’s experience navigating life’s big and small questions. Playwright Sarah DeLappe captures the demands of modern living in her script; her characters tackle topics like the historical evils of the Khmer Rouge amidst conversations about kissable boys. They stretch their lithe bodies before a home game while discussing the teen version of “having it all.” Through the lens of the pregame routine, DeLappe looks under the superficial facade of the cutesy teen stereotype to show us their personhood.  Continue reading →

Oct 19

As Mysterious As the Dark Side of the Moon: “The Ballad of Little Jo” 

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Presented by The Treehouse Collective
Music by Mike Reid
Lyrics by Sarah Schlesinger
Book by Sarah Schlesinger, Mike Reid, and John Dias
Directed by Katie Swimm
Music Directed by Jeff Kimball

Digital Playbill 

October 24 – November 2, 2025
The Plaza Theatre
The Boston Center for the Arts
Boston, MA

Critique by Kitty Drexel

Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes with one intermission

BOSTON — The curious story of cattle ranching and mining pioneer Little Joe Monahan was brought to light when the trailblazer passed away in 1904. Monahan had lived and died as a successful male business owner in Idaho, Oregon, and northern New York. After his death, an unprofessional undertaker preparing Monahan for burial leaked to the Buffalo, NY, press that Monahan was born AFAB. His legacy reminds us that trans people have always existed despite some cis folks’ intentions to erase them.   

There is a lot we don’t know about Little Joe Monahan. Much has been lost to time or otherwise sensationalized by early journalists. Monahan was first memorialized in the 1981 play Little Joe Monaghan by Barbara Lebow. A 1993 movie of the same name starring Heather Graham, Sir Ian McKellen, and Rene Auberjonois further romanticized Joe’s story (and borrowed heavily from Lebow’s play). The Treehouse Collective presents another romanticized adaptation, The Ballad of Little Jo, through Nov. 2 at the Boston Center for the Arts. Continue reading →

Sep 30

So it is to be war between us… An Unsolicited, Unprofessional, Largely Unedited Critique of “Masquerade” in New York City

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From the “Masquerade” Facebook Page.

Masquerade NYC presented by LW Entertainment
Based on The Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber 

Loosely based on the novel by historical hottie Gaston Leroux
Lyrics by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe
Book by Richard Stilgoe and Andrew Lloyd Webber
Directed by Diane Paulus
Additional cast and crew credits
https://www.instagram.com/masqueradenyc

Now through February 1, 2026.
Performed at 218 W 57th Street, NY 10019 

Critique by Kitty Drexel

10/01/2025 Update: The critique now contains personal photos.

NEW YORK: In March 2025, cryptic messages from The Phantom of the Opera popped up across the internet asking his fans if they missed him. We did. In June 2025, Masquerade established its presence on social media. On June 30, tickets became available on the MasqueradeNYC website. They sold out in hours. When I didn’t snag a ticket during the first sold-out sales event, I theorized the show’s instant popularity would inspire an extension. Producers are horny for cold, hard cash and won’t turn down more if it’s assured. It turns out I was right about my prediction. On July 9, an email advertising the production’s extension was sent to subscribers. 

After paying an egregious amount for tickets in July, I added my name to the Phantom’s “visitor ledger” by buying a ticket for Sept. 17, 7:30 PM. I nearly wet myself with excitement planning my arrival at the not-so-secret venue on a public street, to speak the secret password for entrance into the Phantom’s lair, and to give myself over to the Music of the Night.  Continue reading →

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 →