★★★★☆ Francesca Woodman is one of the 20th century’s greatest photographers who you’ve probably never heard of. Born into a family of artists, she had it instilled in her from a young age that nothing was more important than making art. Woodman had an intense, enigmatic personality and as a student at […]
HOW WONDERFUL LIFE IS: THE WORLD PREMIERE OF MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL
★★★★★ She’s back and better than ever and all is right with the world. She shines bright like a rare diamond, glittering and gleaming anew. Promise you’ll never scare us like that again, okay? Oh, hold on. I’m sorry. You probably thought I was talking about the newly renovated Emerson Colonial […]
HAROLD WHO? JENNIFER ELLIS SHINES IN THE MUSIC MAN
★★★☆☆ Reagle Music Theatre occupies a vital place in the cultural ecosystem of the Greater Boston Area: It’s the only place you’re likely to see a classic musical with a full orchestra and a cast of more than 50. I love the way that Reagle evokes the summer stock tradition and presents golden […]
NAKED VILLAINY UNDER THE STARS: RICHARD III ON THE COMMON
★★★★☆ It’s been only five months since the last production of Richard III hit Boston, so I was relatively unenthused when Commonwealth Shakespeare Company announced it as their choice for this summer’s free Shakespeare on the Common. But Steven Maler’s stylish, electric production—which will run through Aug 5—makes a great case for its […]
ALADDIN IS ALL ABOUT THE GENIE
★★★★☆ Aladdin may not boast the artistry of The Lion King or the heart of Beauty and the Beast—Disney’s best stage adaptations—but it proves to be a pretty decent musical with much to admire. Just as Robin Williams’s film Genie gave adults plenty to delight in, this Genie—played on tour by the sensational […]
A WEED GROWS IN PHILLY: LEFTOVERS AT COMPANY ONE
★★★☆☆ Like many Summer Williams productions, Josh Wilder’s Leftovers is a big-hearted play with big ideas that takes big risks. In this world premiere production, which will run at Dorchester’s Strand Theatre through Aug 18, those risks only pay off some of the time. But even when they don’t, they hint at something […]
IN CHELSEA, ONE HELL OF A DREAM: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM AT APOLLINAIRE THEATRE
★★★★★ If there’s only one thing you do this week, it should be to find time to get to Chelsea’s PORT Park to catch Apollinaire Theatre Company’s practically perfect (and free) production of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It isn’t only that this outdoor production takes full and inventive advantage of Chelsea’s […]
AN ALL-MALE LIAISONS AND AN ALL-FEMALE DIVAS MISS THEIR MARK
Les Liaisons Dangereuses at Central Square Theater ★★☆☆☆ The idea of an all-male Les Liaisons Dangereuses is one that I find appealing. On paper, at least, such a concept could offer up some fascinating observations about gender and sexuality. And even if this classic story of seduction and debauchery failed to be […]
IS BEBE WINANS BOUND FOR BROADWAY? BORN FOR THIS AT ARTS EMERSON
★★★☆☆ After runs in Atlanta, DC, and Los Angeles, Born For This arrives in Boston retooled anew with Broadway in its sights. Telling the story of Gospel superstar BeBe Winans, who has written a completely original score for the occasion, Born For This is a formulaic biomusical similar in structure and ambition to […]
GO AHEAD, CALL IT A COMEBACK
Kathy Griffin hits the road for the first time since Trumpgate Kathy Griffin doesn’t need much of an introduction, so we’ll begin right in the middle of this rant from our recent interview with the comedian… That fucker tried to ruin me! Tried to decimate me, damnit, and this is my comeback! […]
