★★★★★ A gentle Caribbean breeze gets caught in a storm of violent masculinity in Man in the Ring, Michael Cristofer’s play about the life of boxer Emile Griffith. In a first-rate production directed by Michael Greif (Dear Evan Hansen; Rent), the legendary prizefighter’s past, present, and future battle it out in an unforgiving […]
FRONT PORCH PUSHES THEATRICAL DIVERSITY
A new black-led Boston theater company prepares its inaugural season The hard truth about Boston is that it’s a fairly racist city. It’s evident in its social dynamics and made painfully (in)visible in its cultural scene. At least Dawn M. Simmons, the artistic director of the city’s first black-led professional theater company in […]
A.R.T. CHEERS ‘EXTRAORDINARY’ DECADE
★★★★☆ It seems the folks over at the American Repertory Theater have racked up a lot to be thankful for in the decade since Diane Paulus became the company’s artistic director. ExtraOrdinary, a collection of songs and talents from the 30-some musicals produced during her tenure, revels in a contagious self-satisfaction that’s hard […]
MICHAEL GREIF, IN THE RING
The A-list director readies Man in the Ring at Huntington Theatre Company For Michael Greif, it’s all about context. The four-time Tony Award-nominated director behind shows like Rent and Dear Evan Hansen is no stranger to creating works that define generations, both onstage and off. In town working on Man in the Ring […]
