BWW Review: SUNSET BOULEVARD: Alice Ripley Puts Her Stamp on Norma Desmond
In the annals of musical theater, Norma Desmond is one of those larger than life characters, like Mame Dennis, Dolly Levi, and Eva Peron, who cries out for an actor with a specific and rare combination of skills to play the role. Tony Award-winner Alice Ripley ascends to playing the faded silent-screen star in the North Shore Music Theatre production of SUNSET BOULEVARD, after originating the role of Betty Schaefer in the 1994 original Broadway cast which starred Glenn Close. In so doing, Ripley joins the pantheon of singular talents who have put their personal stamp on the musical iteration of Norma, stepping out of the shadow of the indelible mark Gloria Swanson made on celluloid in Billy Wilder's 1950 film.
BWW Review: LA CAGE AUX FOLLES: The Best of Times at Reagle Music Theatre of Greater Boston
In the summer of 1983, Jerry Herman and Harvey Fierstein put on a show that was light years ahead of the zeitgeist, vis-a-vis the awareness and acceptance of LGBTQ people in America, and about twenty years before the legalization of same-sex marriage. Yet, after a successful tryout at the Colonial Theatre in Boston, they boldly went where no Broadway musical had gone before when they opened LA CAGE AUX FOLLES at the Palace Theatre on August 21, 1983. Reagle Music Theatre of Greater Boston concludes its 51st Summer Season with LA CAGE, and I am pleased to report that the show continues to stand the test of time. The three most important components for a successful staging of this musical are the two actors who play the leading men, Georges (J.T. Turner) and Albin (James Darrah), and the dance troupe who comprise Les Cagelles, the drag performers at the Saint-Tropez title nightclub owned by the latter couple, and they collectively win the trifecta.
BWW Review: CAROLINE, OR CHANGE at Moonbox Productions
CAROLINE, OR CHANGE is Tony Kushner's (book and lyrics) semi-autobiographical, sung-through musical, with music by Jeanine Tesori (FUN HOME), that had its origins Off-Broadway in 2003, before transferring to Broadway in 2004 for 136 performances and receiving six Tony nominations. In the ensuing years, it had numerous productions in regional theaters and London, and it has long been on Moonbox Productions' short list, according to Producer and Artistic Director Sharman Altshuler. Under the direction of Allison Olivia Choat, the Moonbox staging is a solid effort with a cohesive ensemble, excellent musical direction and vocals, and vivid design elements. Yewande Odetoyinbo is a force in the title role.
Moonbox Productions Presents CAROLINE, OR CHANGE
Moonbox Productions, winner of numerous IRNE and Elliot Norton Awards, is thrilled to present the Tony- and Olivier-Award-winning musical, Caroline, or Change, by Tony Kushner and Jeanine Tesori.
BWW Review: MAME at North Shore Music Theatre
The classic Musical 'Mame' opened the 2018 season last night at NSMT. The Musical by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, with Lyrics by Jerry Herman, and based on the book by Patrick Dennis, is a 1966 Musical Theatre warhorse that has starred such luminaries as, Rosalind Russell, Angela Landsbury, and even Lucille Ball, in the ill-fated 1970's movie.
Paige Davis to Lead MAME at North Shore Music Theatre
Bill Hanney's award-winning North Shore Music Theatre (NSMT) opens its 2018 musical season with the madcap musical comedy, MAME, starring Broadway veteran Paige Davis. Jerry Herman's classic musical tribute to unconventional family life opens Tuesday, June 5 and plays through Sunday, June 17.
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Enchants Theatre By The Sea This Summer
The summer season continues at Bill Hanney's Theatre By The Sea (TBTS) with one of the most popular family musicals of all time, a brand new production of Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST playing for the first time at the historic barn theatre. The beloved tale will enchant audiences of all ages starting Wednesday, July 19 and ending Saturday, August 12.
BWW Review: THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY: Love or Marriage?
SpeakEasy Stage Company's Boston premiere of Marsha Norman's (Book) and Jason Robert Brown's (Music and Lyrics) adaptation of Robert James Waller's novel is elevated by the luminescent Jennifer Ellis and hunky Christiaan Smith. The libretto wobbles, but the leads and ensemble warble Brown's soaring score beautifully. Bring tissues.
SpeakEasy Stage Presents Romantic Drama THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY
From May 6 - June 3, 2017, SpeakEasy Stage Company will proudly present the Boston Premiere of THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, a lush, lyrical musical by Tony Award-winners Marsha Norman (book) and Jason Robert Brown (music & lyrics), based on the best-selling novel by Robert James Waller.
BWW REVIEW: NSMT Presents Joyful SISTER ACT
Even though Whoopi Goldberg was the lead producer of SISTER ACT on Broadway, the "Divine Musical" raising the roof at the North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly, Mass. is not the SISTER ACT of Whoopi Goldberg's 1992 hit movie. Yes, the sassy attitude and jubilant spirit of the nightclub singer taking involuntary refuge in a cloistered convent are still intact, but the revised book by Cheri and Bill Steinkellner and original score by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater make this jaunty screen-to-stage adaptation an all new joy to behold.