Nancy Grossman - Page 9

ArtsEmerson and the American Repertory Theater present the world premiere of THE WHITE CARD by playwright and poet Claudia Rankine. The groundbreaking piece of theater begins a conversation and challenges us to stay in the room to talk about race in America. It suggests that society cannot progress if whiteness stays invisible and unexamined. At the end of the play, Act II encourages the audience to participate in the dialogue with facilitators guiding the process.

Nearly three years after it premiered at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, and while still enjoying a successful run on Broadway, the national tour of WAITRESS is serving customers at the Boston Opera House as part of the Lexus Broadway In Boston 2017-2018 season. The Diane Paulus-driven and directed production is adapted from the 2007 motion picture of the same name written by Adrienne Shelly, with book by Jessie Nelson, and music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles. The Broadway designers are on board to bring the same creative elements to the tour, and a handful of the cast has also performed with the show on the Great White Way.

Merrimack Repertory Theatre presents the world premiere of LOST LAUGHS: THE SLAPSTICK TRAGEDY OF FATTY ARBUCKLE, bringing to life the story of one of the great comics of silent films. A century ago, he was Hollywood's first million-dollar man, but fell from grace when charged with murder. Despite his eventual acquittal, Arbuckle was never able to reclaim his place at the pinnacle of the entertainment world. LOST LAUGHS features memorable performances by co-writer Aaron Muñoz and Kristen Mengelkoch, under the direction of Nathan Keepers.

BAD DATES remount at Huntington Theatre Company reunites Director Jessica Stone and actor Haneefah Wood who worked together in HTC's VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE (2015). Put aside any qualms you may have about one-person plays because Theresa Rebeck has conjured up a character with a multitude of sparkly facets and Wood is luminous while bringing her to life. Performances have been extended to March 3rd.

New Repertory Theatre and Boston Center for American Performance team up to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Steven Dietz's LONELY PLANET, a story of friendship, loss, and hope during the height of the AIDS epidemic. Artistic Director Jim Petosa directs with a smooth ebb and flow, keeping our focus on the relationship between two friends portrayed by Michael Kaye and Tim Spears.

World premiere production of Kira Rockwell's NOMAD AMERICANA introduces the eccentric Echo family, whose vagabond lifestyle allows them the freedom to be who they are while looking for the magic in the universe. The play is a gently meandering character study and a breath of fresh air.

Chilean author Ariel Dorfman's 1990 play DEATH AND THE MAIDEN is set in an unnamed country that is probably Chile as it emerges from a long period of dictatorship and adjusts to life under a fledgling democratic government. Even as the nation struggles to reinvent itself, one woman's road to recovery from captivity and torture is strewn with psychological obstacles that threaten her husband's career, their marriage, and her very sanity. Commonwealth Shakespeare Company Artistic Director Steven Maler's taut direction of Flora Diaz, Mickey Solis, and Mark Torres results in a riveting production in the Sorenson Center's blackbox theater.

The North American tour of LOVE NEVER DIES brings the musical to the United States for the first time since its 2010 London premiere, and is playing at the Boston Opera House through February 11th as part of the 2017-2018 Lexus Broadway in Boston Season.

The Lyric Stage Company continues to meander through the works of Stephen Sondheim with ROAD SHOW, his most recent collaboration with librettist John Weidman. While not in the upper echelon of Sondheim's works, the score and the Lyric production make it worthwhile. This musical travelogue about the Mizner Brothers, a pair of entrepreneurs and con men who sought their fortunes in escapades from Alaska to New York to Florida in the early 20th century, is the story of their successes, failures, and the art of the deal, fitting right in with our American zeitgeist.

On the occasion of what would have been her 75th birthday, A NIGHT WITH JANIS JOPLIN opened a two-night engagement at the Boch Center Shubert Theatre, sharing with Boston the spirit of Janis and the blues vocalists who inspired her. Newton native Kelly McIntyre evokes Joplin with her body language, a rapid verbal patter, and a powerhouse voice that can go from zero to sixty. The show is at its best when focusing on the musical numbers, a generous offering from the singer's canon of hits.

SpeakEasy Stage Company's New England premiere production of SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE is a meaty, fast-paced comic romp with lots of sizzle to go with that steak. Jennifer Ellis and new leading man in town, George Olesky, are a match made in heaven, surrounded by a talented ensemble that includes Nancy E. Carroll, Remo Airaldi, Eddie Shields, and Lewis D. Wheeler. Director Scott Edmiston wrangles a cast of 18 into a cohesive bundle of joy

BEDLAM'S SENSE & SENSIBILITY is Kate Hamill's adaptation of Jane Austen's classic woman-centered novel, a free-wheeling offering for the holiday season that is the right story at the right time. The ensemble cast embraces the spirit of play that is Bedlam's stock in trade, while conveying the power and beauty of Austen's language.

HOLD THESE TRUTHS blends historical fact with fiction to tell Gordon Hirabayashi's compelling story of standing up for his constitutional rights when he was ordered to report to an internment camp only months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The events of the past echo loudly today and there is much to be learned about resistance and persistence from the actions of this patriot.

New Repertory Theatre's 2017-2018 season is labeled Resilience, and it doubles down on the theme with its current production of MAN OF LA MANCHA. The 1965 Tony Award-winning Best Musical, which was based on the play I, DON QUIXOTE, ran for 2,328 performances, has been revived on Broadway four times, and was subsequently adapted for a film. This enduring piece of musical theater is also the story of one man's resilience as he maintains his idealistic quest despite the odds against him.

Merrimack Repertory Theatre's production of Tony Brown's adaptation of A CHRISTMAS CAROL has Joel Colodner as the author performing his own work in front of an audience. Directed by Megan Sandberg-Zakian, this inventive version is enhanced and enriched by the musical accompaniment of Rebecca White and Nathan Leigh.

As sure as Christmas rolls around every December 25th, Ryan Landry and the Gold Dust Orphans return to the stage at the Ramrod Center for the Performing Arts at Machine Night Club with a Christmas-themed musical mystery, WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JESUS? The inventive mash-up is unlike any other holiday show in town and will send you out fa-la-la-ing into the night.

ELF THE MUSICAL is a fun family favorite for all ages. Based on the 2003 film which starred Will Ferrell, the show debuted on Broadway in 2010 with George Wendt as Santa Claus. He reprises the role in the touring production at the Wang Theatre, leading an ensemble of singing and dancing elves, and a big, childlike Erik Gratton as Buddy the Elf.

Ilyse Robbins leads a team of champions in Greater Boston Stage Company's SHE LOVES ME, a delightful musical for the holiday season - or any season, for that matter. Music Director Matthew Stern brings out the best in the Jerry Bock/Sheldon Harnick score with the voices of Jennifer Ellis, Sam Simahk, Aimee Doherty, and Jared Troilo at the front and center of a talented ensemble.

Moonbox Productions requires you to use your imagination, but you will be duly rewarded thanks to the talents of Director Allison Olivia Choat, her crew, and the four-person cast of THE 39 STEPS. Kevin Cirone, Sarah Gazdowicz, Bob Mussett, and Matthew Zahnzinger are all top-notch, and the designers pull out all the stops to take you on a wild ride.

Moli re's TARTUFFE, as translated by Ranjit Bolt, is directed by Huntington Theatre Company's Artistic Director Peter DuBois and features an accomplished cast, led by Frank Wood and Brett Gelman. The story of a charlatan getting the better of a fool, despite the misgivings and warnings of his family, the dialogue is delivered in rhyming couplets, or what I refer to as satiric verses.