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THEATER

 

 

 

 

 

 

'Lion King' triumphs in Boston

review> New England premiere of Disney's 'The Lion King' showcases all that live theater should be

by James A. Lopata

BOSTON, Mass. -- With the opening of “The Lion King” at the re-opened Opera House comes the triumph of live theater. The star of “The Lion King” is theater itself: that strange human art form whereby a piece of cloth becomes a river, a shadow is a mouse, a man on stilts is a giraffe, and a ribbon pulled from the eyes of a mask becomes tears, and that same ribbon, ripped off, transforms into defiance; that mysterious cultural practice whereby characters burst into song as naturally as co-workers gossip around a water cooler ... more ...
Boston Opera House to open with a roar
Modern day impresario finds palatial home for Disney’s ‘The Lion King’
by J.A. Lopata
BOSTON - When Tony McLean was working for Disney and scouting location for the Boston touring production of “The Lion King,” he was surprised to hear people talking about the vacant Opera House. As far as the Dorchester born and raised McLean was concerned, The Opera House in Boston had been demolished in 1957 from its Fenway neighborhood location to make way for the expansion of Northeastern University facilities. more ...

Kushner renders Laura Bush as tortured soul

Conservative panelist becomes lightening rod for discussion of controversial play at Cambridge Forum
 by J.A. Lopata
CAMBRIDGE, MASS. -- Art and politics collided on Monday, February 16th, when public radio’s Cambridge Forum presented a benefit staged reading of, and an open panel discussion on, playwright Tony Kushner’s political drama “Only We Who Guard the Mystery Shall Be Unhappy,” which features First Lady Laura Bush reading The Grand Inquisitor section of Dostoevsky’s “The Brothers Karamazov” to Iraqi children who have died as the result of U.S. actions. more ...
This lady demands attention
review> With Hartford Stage’s talented cast, it’s no mystery why 'Irma Vep' is a hit
by J.A. Lopata
HARTFORD, Conn. -- Hollywood’s “The Matrix” and “The Lord of the Rings” don’t have anything on special effects when compared with the stage production of “The Mystery of Irma Vep: A Penny Dreadful.” more ...
Hard to top 'Topdog'
review> Pulitzer prize-winning play 'Topdog/Underdog' packs emotional wallop at Hartford Stage
 by James A. Lopata
 HARTFORD, Conn. -- What would it take for a person to snap and destroy the most important personal relationship one has? We’re not talking about a romantic relationship; we’re speaking of the most trusting, honest and fundamental relationship with another human that one can have. That is the question posed by Suzan-Lori Parks’ Pulitzer prize-winning drama “Topdog/Underdog” now packing an emotional wallop at Hartford Stage Company. In Parks’ play, it is the relationship of brother-to-brother that receives this intense examination. more ...
Men in dresses conquer northeast

New England theater audiences gender-challenged in 2003
by James A. Lopata
So what’s the big deal? Haven’t we seen grown men wearing tacky dresses and coiffed hair on stage before in musicals like “La Cage Aux Folles,” and “Chicago?” The difference is that in “Hairspray,” Bruce Vilanch never takes off the dress. When Vilanch walked onstage at the Bushnell Theatre in Hartford, Connecticut on September 23, every inch of his hefty frame was decked out and played as Edna Turnblad from start to finish. more ...
'Pussy' brings down the house

review> In 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' send-up Ryan Landry creates warped universe of fun and pathos
by James A. Lopata
Ryan Landry has the devastating ability to look at a classic work of art and see a twisted universe. With his latest, “Pussy on the House,” it is as if Landry has held up Tennessee Williams’ poetic drama “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” to a funny mirror – the play’s elements warp into simultaneously grotesque, humorous and tragic tableaus, all the while maintaining the drama’s essence. more ...
Before the parade passes by

review> SpeakEasy's 'Last Sunday in June' asks the important questions
by James A. Lopata
The gay play -- from the closeted depression of Robert Anderson’s “Tea and Sympathy” in 1956, to the self-loathing of Mart Crowley’s “The Boys in the Band” in 1968, through the more healthy coming out process of Harvey Fierstein’s “Torch Song Trilogy” in 1982, and into the development of gay community of Terrence McNally’s “Love! Valour! Compassion!” in 1994 – every generation has had their dramatic look at what it means to be gay. Enter “The Last Sunday in June” in 2003, and currently in production with Boston’s SpeakEasy Stage Company. more ...

Tale old as time as good as new

review> North Shore Music Theatre delivers challenging musical 'Beauty and the Beast' with ease

by James A. Lopata

A good story well told. Good theater is as simple as that. And you need look no further than North Shore Music Theatre’s production of Disney’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’ to illustrate the point.  more ...

Where gay marriage is passé

The Theater Offensive celebrates 15 years of anticipating the future in queer performance
by J.A. Lopata
BOSTON - Marriage for gays and lesbians may be making front page news, but it’s practically passé at The Theater Offensive (TTO), Boston’s cutting edge queer theater company. “We were addressing gay marriage when it was just an absurd idea,” said TTO Artistic Director Abe Rybeck. more ...