Tag Archives: Robert L Rucinski

Sep 23

Still Sad, Lovely, and Alive: “Rent”

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Aaron Alcaraz (Mark Cohen) and Austin Turner (Roger Davis) with the cast of “Rent.” Photos © Paul Lyden

Presented by North Shore Music Theatre
Book, Music, and Lyrics by Jonathan Larson
Direction and Choreography by Marcos Santana
Music direction by Robert L Rucinski
Musical Arrangements by Steve Skinner
Original Concept/Additional Lyrics by Billy Aronson

September 16 – September 28, 2025
North Shore Music Theatre
54 Dunham Rd.
Beverly, MA 01915

Critique by Craig Idlebrook

BEVERLY, Mass. — When I first heard that North Shore Music Theatre was staging a production of Rent, I was a bit surprised. After all, the theatre is more well-known for crowd-pleasing musicals that will appeal to an older audience than for edgy, newer shows like those I first saw in college. Then it hit me. Rent has long ago passed the realm of edgy or new, and I had just gotten my AARP card in the mail.

Rent first burst onto Broadway in 1996 and stunned many theatergoers with its frank and humane depictions of the LGBTQ+ community, the AIDs epidemic, and those struggling with addiction. Set in a decaying New York City in 1989, the rock musical refused to allow its characters to be afterschool special-shallow, either as heroes or as cautionary tales. They were complicated, flawed, and lovely. The play’s beating heart was its depiction of the power of found family among non-conformists. Continue reading →

Feb 09

With The Stars Thrown In: MARY POPPINS

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Presented by Wheelock Family Theatre
Based on the stories by PL Travers and the Walt Disney film
Music and lyrics by Richard M Sherman and Robert B Sherman
Book by Julian Fellows
New songs and additional music by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe
Co-created by Cameron Mackintosh
Directed/choreographed by Russell Garrett
Music directed by Robert L Rucinski

January 29 – February 28, 2016
American Sign Language and Audio-description are offered on Friday February 26 at 7:30 and Sunday February 28 at 3:00.
Boston, MA
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Review by Kitty Drexel

(Boston, MA) The adaptation of a beloved movie into a musical theatre production can be a sticky business. On the one hand, it is necessary to tread carefully in order to honor the childhood memories (or other) of an audience. On the other, there’s a story to tell. Something usually gets lost in translation. In the instance of Mary Poppins at Wheelock Family Theatre, it’s the story that suffers. Worry not! The performances still enthrall. Continue reading →