Jessica Tabak

It’s fun to say that romantic love is a matter of chemistry — fun, that is, as long as “chemistry” is metaphorical shorthand for the qualities and quirks that, when brought together, ignite emotions that feel like alchemy. But what if personal chemistry is not figurative, but literal: a combination of controlled substances and their effects that can be created in a laboratory as easily as on a date?

What did our critic think of LA CAGE AUX FOLLES at Trinity Rep?

What did our critic think of THE MOTHERF--KER WITH THE HAT at Burbage Theater Co?

What did our critic think of HIR at The Wilbury Theatre Group? Before trans entered our vernacular as a standalone word, we used it mostly as a prefix to indicate something was being changed into another version of itself — be it energy into other energy (transduction), language into other language (translation), or shape into other shape (transformation). Regardless of the type of boundary it invites us to cross, trans- always invites us to trace the edge of what is, and then venture beyond that edge to create something new.

What did our critic think of ONE FLEA SPARE at Brown / Trinity Rep (MFA)?

What did our critic think of WITCH at Burbage Theater Co? In the world of WITCH - written by rising playwright Jen Silverman - demons are self-proclaimed 'merchants of hope' for people whose desires and fears have been forged by capitalism and patriarchy. Scratch (Zach Gibb) - a 'junior salesman' who believes earnestly in the merit of his profession - has been roaming the dark corners of an historically indeterminate Edmonton, where he's been collecting souls in exchange for wishes. It's easy work until he meets Elizabeth (MJ Daly), the town outcast who leads him to reconsider the value of the souls he takes and the deals he makes in exchange for them. After all, what's a wish worth in a system that confines our imaginations within its walls? And wouldn't a soul outside these walls be more valuable - and dangerous - than anything we could conceive from within them?

What did our critic think of HADESTOWN at PPAC?

What did our critic think of BY THE QUEEN at Trinity Rep? Shakespeare's plays are a man's world, and one of his most ubiquitous female characters has something to say about it.

What did our critic think of THE INHERITANCE, PART II at Trinity Rep?

What did our critic think of THE INHERITANCE, PART I at Trinity Rep?

JUNK at Burbage Theater Co. offers audiences a riveting look at the ideals and egos that fueled the junk bond market of the mid-1980s.

THE NEVERENDING STORY at Contemporary Theater Company offers sincere, imaginative family fun.

Trinity Rep's risk-taking production of FAIRVIEW examines whether the stories theater tells obscure or reveal the truths of people's lives.

In A CHRISTMAS CAROL ONLINE, Trinity Rep combines invention and tradition in a celebration of innovative spirit and holiday cheer.

In Tim Firth's Calendar Girls, now being performed by Pawtucket's Community Players, an unlikely group of women bares it all for a charity calendar a?" and learns what each of them is made of in the process.

With its stellar performances and resourceful staging, the Burbage Theatre Company's gutsy, vigorous production of Edward II invites audiences to thrill at Edward's brashness even as we cringe at his excess.