Erik Bailey

It’s well known that running this country as the President of the United States isn’t a one-man job. It takes an entire team of people to run this country, and many of those folks behind the scenes are women. However, due to the fears of some citizens, we have yet to have a woman serve as the President.

Every single person on this planet has their own story to tell. I have one, you have one, the person who cut you off during your morning commute has one, everyone. In THE WIFE OF WILLESDEN (adapted from Chaucer’s ‘The Wife of Bath’ by Zadie Smith), Alvita isn’t afraid to tell you hers. 

'I'm uncomfortable' was the thought I had to myself after leaving FAIRVIEW. I've had this thought while leaving the theatre before, but usually, I feel that way because I didn't enjoy what I saw. But this time, it was precisely how the playwright wanted the audience to feel and it worked. Uncomfortable was exactly how I was supposed to feel.

The trend of modern plays seems to be that playwrights a trimming down their plays, often to ninety minutes or less. While this brevity can work for many plays, it doesn’t work for all. There’s only so much a playwright can say or do in ninety minutes and sometimes plays move too quickly and the audience leaves wondering if they missed something.

Biographical jukebox musicals are becoming more and more common. They use a singer and/or songwriter’s music to tell that person’s life story. The most recent addition to the cannon is A BEAUTIFUL NOISE: THE NEIL DIAMOND MUSICAL (now playing at the Emerson Colonial Theatre until August 7th). 

It is no surprise to anyone that we are living in an incredibly politically charged time. One can’t help but wonder if this is the future our Founding Fathers had envisioned for our country. 1776 gives us a look at what may have been going through their minds when leading America to its independence.

'He has a story to tell- it is banging around inside him, aching to come out. But how does he begin?' These are the first words the audience of SpeakEasy Stage's production of Matthew López's play THE INHERITANCE. The six-and-a-half-hour play (presented in two parts) explores what it means to write the 'story of our lives' and how our place in the world impacts those who come after us.

Sherlock Holmes is one of literature’s most well-known characters. Through the years, many people have tried to adapt Holmes to different time periods and situations. But none that I have come across have done so as successfully as Christopher M. Walsh does in MISS HOLMES RETURNS, now playing at the Greater Boston Stage Company through May 8th.

The moment we are conceived, society tries to tell us who we are and who we should be. Before we even get the chance to breathe our parents and their doctors determine our gender and how that makes us who we are. But if anyone chooses to break from these norms and live their lives how they so choose, they are ridiculed by society and cast aside.

Improv comedy is one of the most underappreciated arts forms. It is seen by a lot of people as corny and hard to watch. However, improv is a skill that requires a lot of training in order to be pulled off seamlessly. The cast of FREESTYLE LOVE SUPREME (now playing at the Emerson Colonial Theater until April 2nd, but continuing to tour the country) proves how incredible improv really can be. 

The first and only production of ONCE ON THIS ISLAND I saw was a concert production featuring an all-white cast. So, when I heard that Speakeasy Stage would be producing the show, I was excited to be able to see how it is meant to be performed. This production, directed by Pascale Florestral and music directed by David Freeman Coleman, did not disappoint.

Right now, in this country and across the Globe, democracy is in danger. The US Constitution was written many years ago by a bunch of white men who didn’t know what the country and the world would be in the future. WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME by Heidi Schreck, examines what the Constitution means in today’s world and how it holds up. 

William Shakespeare no doubt changed the world of theatre and helped to shape it into the art form that it is today. In his short fifty-two years of life, he wrote at least thirty-seven plays and collaborated on more. Without the work of two of his friends, those plays could have been long lost and forgotten.

When I walked into the ART for OCEAN FILIBUSTER, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew that this was going to be a performance about the climate crisis. However, I don’t think anything could have prepared me for the two hour and fifteen minute spectacle I was about to witness. 

Life is full of challenges. It is impossible to make it throughout the day without facing some sort of challenge. It can be as small as you’ve run out of cream for your morning cup of coffee or as large as you’ve become addicted to alcohol and/or drugs. In PEOPLE, PLACES, & THINGS, Duncan Macmillan explores what it means to struggle with addiction.

MR PARENT tells the story of a teacher struggling to find the balance between doing what you love and doing what you feel like you need to be doing.

American Repertory Theater’s WILD: A MUSICAL BECOMING does not hold back in its message, and truth be told, it shouldn’t. With a book by V and a score by Justin Tranter and Caroline Pennell (with contributions by V and Idina Menzel), WILD forces its audiences to think about the choices they make and the impact it has on the future.

“What’s the difference between what you’re taught and what you know?” are the first words the audience hears in Whitney White’s “Macbeth in Stride.” This rock concert meets Shakespearean play invites the audience to reflect on this question.