Nancy Grossman - Page 12

New Repertory Theatre takes us for a ride in the wayback machine for the Boston-area premiere of one of Lydia Diamond's earliest plays. THE GIFT HORSE is a somewhat autobiographical, witty play that is heavy on character, rife with serious themes, and about fifteen to twenty minutes longer than what we are accustomed to two decades later. Obehi Janice, Alejandro Simoes, and Maurice Emmanuel Parent make the ride worthwhile.

BARBECUE is a play about which one cannot say too much without ruining its considerable effect. Here's the minimalist FYI, things you need to know but that won't give anything away. It is written by Robert O'Hara, directed by Summer L. Williams, and features an ensemble cast of ten actors who all give great performances and disappear into their richly drawn characters. Taking place on a raised pavilion in a pastoral park, the lovely setting belies the serious nature of the subjects (substance abuse, family dysfunction, race) that BARBECUE serves up on a platter. And one more thing - it's a comedy.

Boston Playwrights' Theatre closes season with EVERY PIECE OF ME, a drama about a family in Ireland whose daughter is coming home after nearly five years living in America. Her departure was marked by high dudgeon, but she is returning with hopes of reconciliation. Will they let her in?

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Ayad Akhtar returns to the Huntington Theatre Company with THE WHO & THE WHAT, a provocative drama that looks at differences around faith and identity within a Muslim-American family. Giving credit to Norman Lear and William Shakespeare for inspiration, Akhtar's own ability to draw well-rounded characters and insert humor into the equation adds up to a compelling and diverting piece of theater.

Broadway came to Natick last night as the Jewish Arts Collaborative presented SETH RUDETSKY & JUDY KUHN: A BROADWAY CABARET AND CONVERSATION at The Center for Arts in Natick (TCAN). As promised by JCA Artistic Director Joey Baron in his introduction, the evening was fun (with a capital "F") as these two veterans of the Great White Way regaled the sold-out house with backstage stories, Rudetsky's masterful musicianship, and Kuhn's gorgeous vocalizing from her considerable musical theatre canon.

The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus may be folding after 146 years in operation, but you can catch Moonbox Productions' loving tribute to its creator, P.T. Barnum at the Roberts Studio Theatre at the Boston Center for the Arts. Director/choreographer Rachel Bertone has crafted a dazzling, dizzying staging of BARNUM, featuring electrifying performances, beautiful vocals, and an array of circus routines that are made to look easy by the talented ensemble cast. Come follow the band and join this circus!

The National Tour of the Tony Award-winning Lincoln Center Theater production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's THE KING AND I brings its parade of adorable children, a pair of star-crossed lovers, an imperial ruler, and a strong-willed, warm-hearted educator to the Boston Opera House through April 23rd. One of the grande dames of the 1950s, THE KING AND I retains its exalted place in the R & H pantheon, thanks to the artistry of Director Bartlett Sher, a songbird by the name of Laura Michelle Kelly, and a flawed King of Siam for our times, Jose Llana.

Playwright William Gibson chronicles Golda Meir's life and times in GOLDA'S BALCONY, focusing primarily on the period of the 1973 Yom Kippur War, interspersed with flashbacks of her journey to becoming Prime Minister of Israel. Bobbie Steinbach inhabits the role in a tour de force performance that is passionate, fierce, intuitive, and packed with emotion. The New Rep production is skillfully directed by Judy Braha.

Playwright Eleanor Burgess burrows into her own backyard of Brookline, Massachusetts, to follow four high school friends from the eve of their graduation through a decade of change in CHILL. Director Megan Sandberg-Zakian guides an all-female creative and design team, a first for MRT.

Boy bands were big in the '90s. Marked by close harmonies, synchronized choreography, and saccharine sex appeal, each had its own image and they were particularly successful with young female audiences. ALTAR BOYZ at the Stoneham Theatre spins the concept, combining it with the popular wave of Christian-themed music, and the result is an original musical revue featuring five singing and dancing boys on the last night of their national "Raise the Praise" tour.

Bad Habit Productions is about to drop the final curtain after ten years of delivering award-winning theater, but they are not taking the easy way out. Director Dawn M. Simmons and an ensemble of eight actors make sense of Tom Stoppard's 1968 comedy whodunnit, THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND, even as they squeeze very bit of theatrical nonsense from this old chestnut. The troupe plays well together and looks like they're taking their roles seriously, despite their characters saying and doing ridiculous things.

Before Senator Elizabeth Warren, another Elizabeth spoke out, despite being warned and threatened with commitment to an insane asylum. Bridge Repertory Theater, in a co-production with Playhouse Creatures, presents Emily Mann's MRS. PACKARD, a drama inspired by true events, chronicling one woman's fight for the right to freely express her opinion, even if it differed from that of her husband. Under the direction of Emily Ranii, a cast of eighteen actors, lead by Olivia D'Ambrosio, Joseph Rodriguez, and Steven Barkhimer, stages a vivid and compelling interpretation of Mann's play.

FINISH LINE, a documentary play about the 2013 Boston Marathon, focuses on the people whose lives were impacted by the bombings, allowing their voices to be heard on the stage of the Boch Center Shubert Theatre. The world premiere production features a dozen actors who represent survivors, runners, doctors, rescuers, and media. Co-creators Joey Frangieh and Lisa Rafferty have taken great care to frame the play as a love letter to the Boston Marathon, the City of Boston, and her people.

Flat Earth Theatre presents the New England premiere of Lauren Gunderson's SILENT SKY, a historical drama about a trio of women astronomers who charted the heavens at the Harvard Observatory at the turn of the 20th century. Their work was vital, but they were not seen as equals in the workplace and their sacrifices were many as they struggled to break the glass ceiling.

Nora Theatre Company presents Madeleine George's PRECIOUS LITTLE, raising many big questions. A research linguist tries to preserve a dying language, even as she faces a crucial decision about her unborn child. Three actresses play eight characters, most of whom are women, and one very smart gorilla.

SpeakEasy Stage Company began 2017 with the irreverent puppet show HAND TO GOD, but treads a decidedly more respectful path with the New England premiere of playwright Heidi Schreck's GRAND CONCOURSE. The questions she raises about faith and forgiveness may be as thorny as the issues considered in H to G, but there's very little sex, no violence, and none of the dysfunctional characters requires an exorcism.

Playwright Sarah Ruhl's STAGE KISS is a rom-com that turns the world on with its smiles, laughs, and an abundance of kisses. Director Courtney O'Connor helps an ensemble cast of seven slide easily in and out of the world of the play and the play-within-a-play, and the chemistry between Celeste Oliva and Alexander Platt makes sparks fly.

Zeitgeist Stage Company joins the ranks of prescient Boston theater companies with Ike Holter's EXIT STRATEGY, a play about the impending closing of a failing inner-city Chicago school, how it impacts the faculty and students, and the measures they take to fight back.

Belfast native playwright Leo McGann and Director Adam Kassim have crafted a ready-for-prime-time taut, suspenseful drama about memories and guilt decades after the Troubles in Ireland. The cast is anchored by Boston theater pros Barlow Adamson and Maureen Keiller, along with an eager quartet of Boston University acting students. THE HONEY TRAP has universal appeal as it follows the journey of a troubled man.

ArtsEmerson presents the Druid Theatre Company production of Martin McDonagh's THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE, directed by Tony Award-winner Garry Hynes and featuring Tony Award-winner Marie Mullen. Rounding out the stellar cast are Aisling O' Sullivan, Marty Rea, and Aaron Monaghan. This is a powerful piece of theater that should not be missed.