York Theatre Celebrates The Music of Jule Styne with "Musicals in Mufti - Hallelujah, Baby!" - Through February 4th

For those old enough to remember, York Theatre Company's "Musicals in Mufti" series is a gift of nostalgia - bringing back forgotten musical theatre gems. For younger audience members, it is an opportunity to be introduced to some vintage musicals that are seldom performed today. This season's Mufti series of a wonderful collection of musicals that all have Jule Styne as the composer. The opening gem is "Hallelujah, Baby," that won the Tony for best musical in 1967, starring Leslie Uggams. Book is by Arthur Laurents, Lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, with additional Lyrics by his daughter, Amanda Green. Those of us in the audience on Opening Night were thrice blessed, for joining in the festivities were Ms. Green, and her mother, Tony winner Phyllis Newman, Adolph Green's widow. Also in attendance was Mrs. Jule Styne. the distinguished composer's widow.

It was a special night, made even more special by the gifted cast who performed this staged reading of the musical. Under the Direction of Gerry McIntyre, the cast of nine sang, danced, and acted their way through the story of Georgina, who through the magic of theater, remains 25 years old as the action progresses through all of the decades of the 20th century - and beyond. Music Director, David Hancock Turner, conducts from the Steinway, accompanied on the Bass Viol by Richie Goods.

The triple threat cast is anchored by the luminous Stephanie Umoh, no stranger to the Mufti series. There may be no more pure a voice performing on NYC stages than that of Ms. Umoh, who leads us through Georgina's journey of loves won, loves lost, a bumpy career, and a growing awareness of her responsibility as a successful artist of color to add the weight of her voice to the ongoing struggle for equality and freedom for her people. The song, "My Own Morning," which reappears in several reprises, is her anthem of hopes and dreams. It is beautifully written and wondrously performed.

Stephanie Umoh as Georgina
"Hallelujah, Baby"
York Theatre Company
"Musicals in Mufti"
Through February 4th

The role of Georgina's Momma is played memorably by the venerable Vivian Reed. She takes this colorful character through an arc that begins with a servile "shuckin' and grinnin'" maid and evolves into a modern woman claiming her long-delayed rightful place in the world. Her song "I Don't Know Where She Got It"stops the show.

Vivian Reed as Momma
Stephanie Umoh as Georgina
"Hallelujah, Baby"
York Theatre Company
"Musicals in Mufti"
Through February 4th

Georgina loves two men, Clem (Jarran Muse), who becomes a radical activist as the action progresses, and Harvey (Tally Sessions), a white man whose attempts to support and protect Georgina are experienced as patronizing. These two rivals for Georgina's affection get to reveal themselves wonderfully through song. Clem and Georgina share a duet, "When The Weather's Better," looks forward metaphorically to the day when the clouds of Jim Crow will have lifted. These three principals share a trio in Act II, "Talking to Yourself," that highlights their respective struggles.

Reminding us of the day when the art form of tap was fully embraced are Randy Donaldson as Tap and Bernard Dotson as Tip. Rounding out the cast are Jennifer Cody as Mary, Michael Thomas Holmes as Hutchinson, and Latoya Edwards as Chloe.

Before I attended this revival, I was not familiar with this show or its music, but I left humming several of the gorgeous tunes. You have until this Sunday, February 4th, to replicate my memorable experience with "Hallelujah, Baby."

Upcoming shows in the "Musicals in Mufti" series include "Bar Mitzvah Boy," February 10-18, and "Subways Are for Sleeping," February 24-March .

Enjoy!

Al

York TheatreWebsite

Nora Theatre Company Presents "Proof" by David Auburn - A Catalyst Collaborative @ MIT Production - Through February 18 - A Formula For Success

One of the many things I like about the ongoing Catalyst Collaborative @ MIT partnership between the university and Nora Theatre Company is that, as an audience member, I am required to use both hemispheres of my brain to fully access the message being presented in the play. Dramatic pieces are chosen by the merits of their intersection of art and science. Such is the case with the very satisfying production of "Proof" by David Auburn. The writing is brilliantly nuanced and multi-layered, with each character representing a complex equation with many factorials and few constants. They are a family of accomplished mathematicians - widowed father and two grown daughters. Throw in an ambitious graduate assistant as an x factor whose intentions are ambiguous, at best, and the audience is on the edge of their seats waiting to see if these are simultaneous equations that can be solved successfully.

Director Michelle M. Aguillon has assembled a gifted creative team. The impressive set by Janie E. Howland has created a humble single family home near the campus of the University of Chicago, where the father teaches when he is not incapacitated with mental illness. Both the humble home and the pater familias are in bad repair, both having lost some shingles off the roof. Much of the action takes place on the backporch and in the back yard. Costumes, including some lovely Asian robes, are by Leslie Held. Lighting is by Allison Schneider, Sound by Grant Furgiuele.

Ms. Aguillon and the playwright have the quadratic cast interacting in intriguing ways - sometimes drawing toward one another, and at other times, drawing away. They are:

• Michael Tow is the father, Robert. The action of the play goes back and forth between present time and past, so even though he has died, he is much in evidence. Mr. Tow plays Robert as a very regulated and self-contained Asian man, emotionally distant from younger daughter, Catherine, who has sacrificed several years of her young life to care for him during his years of mental illness.
• Lisa Nguyen is Catherine. Hers is an impressive and award-worthy performance as she struggles with wondering how much of her father's proclivity to mathematical genius she may have inherited. She also fears that she is also susceptible to the family mental illness propensity. She has a complex relationship with her older sister, Claire, as well as with her father's graduate assistant, Hal.
• Cheryl Daro is Claire,who has fled Chicago for New York where she works as a currency analyst. She is engaged to be married, but feels a sense of responsibility to provide care and structure for Catherine, whom she considers unstable and possibly also mentally ill. Claire is unemotional and frigid in her interactions, until she gets hammered at the party following the father's funeral.
• Avery Bargar is excellent as Hal, who appears to care for Catherine, but also wants things from her. Are his motives positive and honorable?

The title, "Proof," is brilliant. One the one hand, it refers to an arcane math proof that both Robert and Catherine have been working on. When a notebook surfaces that purports to show a solution to this difficult problem, there are doubts about who penned the solution. So, in a sense, each of the four characters find themselves in a situation of having to "prove" themselves to one another - and sometimes to themselves. The plot twists are brilliant and well timed. The acting is uniformly effective.

This play is thoroughly engaging at every level. It is a formula for success. Despite the seriousness of the subject matter, there are moments of hilarity. You will not want to miss this excellent drama. This production will run at Central Square Theater through February 18.  Get your tickets now. Last evening's house was completely full. Calculate just when you can make the trip, and make the call.

Central Square Theater Website

Enjoy!

Al

Take Your Pick Productions Presents "Lost Girls" by John Pollono - Through January 21st - A MUST SEE!

 

My busy January schedule meant that I was not able to see the amazing Take Your Pick Production's "Lost Girls" until near the end of the run, so I must instill a sense of urgency in readers of The White Rhino Report. See this show this weekend: Friday at 8:00, Saturday at 4:00 and 8:00, and Sunday at 2:00 at Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA.

This play is brilliantly written, and just as brilliantly produced and skillfully acted by this company of performers. The story is like Chekhov running on Dunkin'! The great Russian playwright tended to focus on the dysfunctions of members of the aristocracy in Russia, struggling with existential despair and ennui in the countryside in the days before the Revolution. John Pollono, on the other hand, focuses a harsh spotlight on the beleaguered denizens of the blue collar working class of the mill towns of Northern New England. In the case of "Lost Girls," we meet a struggling family of French Canadian heritage living on the edge of poverty and underemployment in Manchester, NH. Mr. Pollono writes with a precise voice that gives the audience a clear sense of place - beginning with the opening voice-over of a local FM radio station DJ, with full Granite State accent, talking about the wicked bad snow storm raging outside.

The playwright also artfully limns every character, each one uniquely flawed, but interesting enough that I found myself caring about the fate of each of them. The opening snowstorm stands as a metaphor for the forces that blow that bring misfortune and uncertainty to each of the principals. They are:

• Audrey Lynn Sylvia as Maggie, a middle aged single Mom struggling to pay the mortgage and the electric each month, trying to care for her rebellious teenage daughter. She shares a home with her parasitic mother, Linda, who seems to have given up on life, except for the chance to berate her daughter and ex-son-in-law at every opportunity. Ms. Sylvia is marvelous in exuding the rage and panic that grips Maggie, who is hanging onto solvency and sanity by a jagged fingernail. If the storm and her stolen car cause her to miss her shift working minimum wage retail at the mall, she will be in default of her mortgage, and the electric will once again be shut off.

• Christine Power is perfect as Linda, Maggie' mother and nemesis. She is part of a long line of strong, yet bedraggled women, who found themselves pregnant as teenagers, and who scrape and claw their way through life, surviving the ebb and flow of men who may make love to them, but never really love them or know them. Resignation and defeat oozes from every pore, until Linda sees a chance to get Penny to brave the storm with her and head out to buy some booze and pizza - on Penny's dime, of course.

• Terrence P. Haddad is Lou, Maggie's ex-husband, now married to Born Again Penny. Lou is a cop who has a history of alcohol abuse. He stops by to fill out paperwork about Maggie's stolen car. Mr. Haddad is adept at conveying the complex nature of Lou. His cop's bravura is a thin patina that tries to camouflage the sensitive and broken man cowering beneath the surface.

• Lauren Foster is just right as Penny, spewing religious cliches as she tries ham-handedly to play mediator among Maggie, Lou, and Linda. The scenes of conflict in the simple kitchen often resemble the chaotic set of a Jerry Spring episode.

• Lesley Anne Moreau is both strong and vulnerable as Girl. This teenager has run away from home in New Hampshire to drive to Florida to meet up with a much older man who has seduced her. She has convinced one of her high school classmates to skip school to drive her all the way to Florida. They only make it as far as Connecticut, and have to hide out in a flea bag motel until they figure out what to do.

• Zach Winston is Boy, Girl's classmate, chauffeur, and co-conspirator. Mr. Winston brings wondrous vulnerability to this complex teenage boy, full of the ambivalence of adolescence - cock-sure of himself one moment, and a scared puppy the next.

The writing is of such a high quality that low humor often gives way to pathos. I felt as if I were experiencing the positive and negative G forces of a finely engineered roller coaster ride. I laughed out loud several times, and then sighed with understanding and empathy as a character's pain was revealed. And there is a plot twist that took my breath away.

Melanie Garber Directs and is also Scenic Designer. Audrey Seraphin is Sound Designer and Assistant Director. Michael Clark Wonson is Lighting Designer. Mikey DiLoreto is Costume Coordinator.

Just as the quintessence of the film "Citizen Kane" is distilled in the name "Rosebud," this play is captured in the name "McSorley's"! Wait for it.

Consider this play a MUST SEE - if you can get there this weekend.

Enjoy!

Al

Review of "The Compass Solution" by Tim Cole - A Guide To Winning Your Career

Author Tim Cole offers "The Compass Solution" as a way of sharing lessons he has learned in over three decades working as an executive and leader in the pharmaceutical industry. He uses many excellent examples and vignettes to bring to life the central theme of the book: that there are four major compass points in any successful career. They are:

• Personal Accountability
• People
• Process
• Perspective

Later in the book, he elaborates on three keys that will allow an individual to accelerate career growth and productivity. He calls these three elements the "Key Chain":

• Leadership 
• Communication
• Learning

He writes, not as one sharing hypothetical concepts, but as one who has weathered the storm of numerous downsizings, mergers, and acquisitions in his thirty-seven years of building a career for himself.

Early in the book, he outlines his view of how this all comes together.

"Think of it this way. There will always be just you, the people around you, the world that surrounds you, and how you interpret each.  In the context of the opening of this book, there will always be - 
You - the hiker (Personal accountability)
Your fellow hikers (People)
The mountain and its nuances - weather,topography, etc. (Process)
How you choose to look at the above three points (Perspective)

Sounds simple, doesn't it?

It's not! "(page 7)

This book is valuable no matter where you may be on your journey to building a satisfying career.

In simple language and deep truth, "The Compass Solution" provides an important series of vantage points from which to view one's career and life outside of work.

Enjoy!

Al

Mini-Review of "Jaybird's Song" by Kathy Wilson Florence - Growing Up White In Atlanta During Desegregation

I found this book, "Jaybird's Song," to be thoroughly engaging and engrossing. Josie,called "Jaybird" by her father, grows up in Atlanta in the height of the Civil Rights Movement. Author Kathy Wilson Florence uses her own knowledge of Atlanta to paint a vivid picture of what it must have been like for a white girl like Josie to see, and be caught up in, the whirlwind of rapid social change and discord.

The action in the book toggles back and forth between Josie's girlhood in the 1960s and her adult life in the 21st century. She finds herself caught in the aftermath of a tragic murder, and struggles with knowing the right thing to do. This novel, Ms.Wilson's first, combines intrigue with insights into the heart of a young woman trying to make sense of the world into which she was born, and which shifts under her feet. It is a perceptive addition to the corpus of literature that treats the era of forced desegregation in the South.

Enjoy!

Al

Imaginary Beasts Presents "Winter Panto 2018 - 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea" - At Charlestown Working Theater

There are several things that we Bostonians can rely on to get us through the bleak midwinter days of January and February. There is the Patriots perennial striving to reach the Super Bowl. There are the resurgent Celtics and Bruins making a trip to TD Garden a worthwhile adventure. There is clam chowder at Union Oyster House, Durgin Park, or Legal Seafood. There is skating on the Frog Pond at Boston Common or the ice at Government Center. And there is the annual Imaginary Beasts Winter Panto. This year, they have decamped from their old home at Boston Center for the Arts and have set up shop at the Charlestown Working Theater. This new home gives them a bit more elbow room, and they use the added space wisely in the current production: "Winter Panto 2018 - 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea."

As you may be aware, pantomime or panto is a fondly held British tradition that takes stock characters, and employs them in melodramatic fashion that involves audience participation - booing villains, cheering on heroes, warning of danger lurking in the background. Imaginary Beasts has adopted and adapted this tradition for Boston audiences, and a growing number of people look forward to each year's version.

This winter's tale is loosely based on Jules Verne's classic tale of Captain Nemo and his submarine. Director Matthew Woods has crafted a story outline, and the vivid imagination of the ensemble have colored inside and outside the lines of his sketch.The result is a wild and fun ride for audience members of all ages. The silliness entertains the young, and the sophisticated humor and political allusions keep the adults intellectually engaged. There is some wonderful use of classic songs to keep the action moving.

Costume Dsign is by Cotton Talbot-Minkin, Lighting Design by Christopher Bocchiaro, Set and Sound Design by Matthew Woods, Set Design by Rebecca Lehrhoff, Puppet Design by Sophia Giordano and Rebecca Lehrhoff.

Inhabiting the wonderful Steam Punk world is a gifted, uninhibited, and energetic troupe of actors:

• Matthew Woods is Jules, the narrator for this nautical voyage
• Rebecca Lehrhoff is The Good Coral Nymph
• Sarah Gazdowicz is Demon Queen Blanche
• Kim Klasner is Yves, the fisher lad
• Amy Meyer is Felicia, the fishwife
• Molly Kimmerling is Salty the cat
• Michael Underhill is Constable Crabbe
• Kiki Samko is The Old Salt Dog and Captain Nemo
• Jennife Taschereau is The Commander and The Octopus
• Bob Mussett is Ned Land
• William Schuller is Professor Aronnax
• Jamie Semel is Constanze
• Noah Simes is the unforgettable Zsa Zsa Faux Pas, n'est-ce pas?

Michael Underhill as Constable Crabbe - Cramming to memorize the Miranda Rights
Imaginary Beasts Winter Panto 2018
"20,000 Leagues Under The Sea"
Charlestown Working Theater
Through February 4th

The bottom line is that this is a thoroughly enjoyable and engaging day or evening at the theater - one of my favorite Pantos ever, and I have enjoyed them all. So, bring yourself, your spouse or significant other, your children and grandchildren, your superannuated great aunt Mabel, or the fishmonger living next door. This show comes with two thumbs up - well, two White Rhino hooves up!

William Schuller as Professor Aronnax, Kiki Samko as Captain Nemo, 
Bob Mussett as Ned Land

Imaginary Beasts Winter Panto 2018

"20,000 Leagues Under The Sea"

Charlestown Working Theater

Through February 4th

Photo by Andrew Wang

Why, you may ask, should I journey to Charlestown to see this show? I am glad you asked. Here are just a few of the reasons:

• The cutest octopus who ever wrapped her tentacles around an audience's heart.
• The crabbiest constable who ever walked a beat.
• The saltiest Old Sea Dog who ever limped upon the deck of a ship
• A remote control mechanical mouse used as a tool for espionage
• A despicable evil Demon Queen
• Her nemesis, the Good Coral Nymph
• And the unforgettable Zsa Zsa - Oo-La-La! 

When you go, give Zsa Zsa a hug for me. She will not consider it a faux pas!

Some performances are sold out, so do not wait too long and earn a "Boo - Hiss - Boo"! Get your tickets now.

Imaginary Beasts Website

FULL RUN AS FOLLOWS:

Friday, Jan 19 at 7:30 PM

Saturday, Jan 20 at 1:30 PM & 4:30 PM

Sunday, Jan 21 at 2 PM

Friday, Jan 26 at 7:30 PM

Saturday, Jan 27 at 1:30 PM & 4:30 PM

Sunday, Jan 28 at 2 PM

Monday, Jan 29 at 7:30 PM | INDUSTRY NIGHT

Friday, Feb 2 at 7:30 PM

Saturday, Feb 3 at 1:30 PM & 4:30 PM

Sunday, Feb 4 at 2 PM

Enjoy!

Al

SpeakEasy Stage Presents The New England Premiere of "Shakespeare In Love"- A Thorough Delight!

SpeakEasy Stage Company consistently delights and challenges audiences with its productions, many of which are Boston or New England premieres. Such is the case with the thoroughly delightful "Shakespeare In Love," based on the screenplay by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard, adapted for the stage by Lee Hall. This production is directed by the gifted Scott Edmiston, who has this cast fine-tuned like a race car engine. The action is fast-paced and nonstop. For this stage adaptation, Original Music/Music Direction/Sound Design is provided by David Reiffel. Choreography and Movement is by Judith Chaffee, Fight Direction by Ted Hewlett. Scenic Design that faithfully recreates London's 16th century Rose Theatre is by Jenna McFarland Lord. Gorgeous period Costumes are by Rachel Padula-Shufelt. Lighting is by Karen Perlow.

Cast
"Shakespeare In Love"
Directed by Scott Edmiston
SpeakEasy Stage Company
Calderwood Pavilion
Through Bebruary 10
Photo by Nile Hawver/Nile Scott Shots

Mr. Edmiston's cast is stellar from top to bottom. Familiar faces blend with those who are new to the Boston stage:

• The incomparable Jennifer Ellis is Viola de Lesseps, unhappily betrothed to the pompous Lord Wessex, an excellent Lewis D. Wheeler. She longs to be an actor, but women are forbidden from treading the boards in Elizabethan times. So, she disguises herself as a boy to audition for a Will Shakespeare play in the works - "Romeo and Ethel the Pirate's Daughter"!!! She and the young unknown playwright fall in love, and Shakespearean complications ensue. It is the kind of bravura performance Boston audiences have come to expect from Ms. Ellis. I could compare her to a summer's day, but I digress.
• The young bard is played wonderfully by Boston newcomer George Olesky. The chemistry between him and Ms. Ellis' Viola is palpable and thrilling. His interpretation of the role makes the iconic Shakespeare human, flawed, and approachable.

George Olesky as Will Shakespeare
Jennifer Ellis as Viola de Lesseps
"Shakespeare In Love"
Directed by Scott Edmiston
SpeakEasy Stage Company
Calderwood Pavilion
Through February 10
Photo by Nile Hawver/Nile Scott Shots

• Nancy E. Carroll is drolly regal as Queen Elizabeth I. Is there an actor working in Boston with a better deadpan face than that which Ms. Carroll brings to this role? But then she adds a dollop of fun to the character when the Queen cleverly rescues Viola after the young woman has been discovered acting in contravention of the law.

Jennifer Ellis as Viola de Lesseps
Nancy E. Carroll as Queen Elizabeth I
"Shakespeare In Love" 
Directed by Scott Edmiston
SpeakEasy Stage Company
Calderwood Pavilion
Through February 10
Photo by Nile Hawver/Nile Scott Shots

• Ken Baltin is wondrous as the beleaguered theatre owner Henslowe, competing for plays by Marlowe and Shakespeare with his rival, the formidable Burbage, played with gusto by Omar Robinson.
• Eddie Shields returns from New York to create a memorable Christopher Marlowe - Kit. As Shakespeare's rival, friend and sometime muse, Mr. Shields' interpretation of the enigmatic playwright is both flamboyant and fey, and thoroughly convincing.
• Carolyn Saxon is solid as Viola's nurse, and a precursor to Juliet's nurse in the tragedy that is being written.
• Remo Airaldo is Fennyman, the money behind some of the plays. He also gives us a liberal dose of the Apothecary, festooned in a blue floppy hat.
• Jesse Hinsom is the self-absorbed actor, Ned Alleyn, returned from the provinces to reluctantly and gravely portray Mercutio.
• Damon Singletary ably handles to dual roles of Edmund Tilney, the rectitudinous Lord Chamberlain, and Sir Robert de Lesseps.
• Edward Rubenacker is Sam and Juliet, but he hankers to play Ethel!
• Steve Auger is Ralph/Nurse/Catling.
• Jade Guerra is Mistress Quickly and Kate
• Zaven Ovain is Frees/Peter/Tybalt/Musician
• Several actors double as musicians. They are Paul Alperin on cello, Cameron Beaty Gosselin on mandolin, Jeff Marcus on Lute.

George Olesky as Will Shakespeare
Eddie Shields as Kit Marlowe
"Shakespeare In Love"
Directed by Scott Edmiston
SpeakEasy Stage Company
Calderwood Pavilion
Through February 10
Photo by Nile Hawver/Nile Scott Shots

Many of us know this story from the film version. Seeing it develop live and on stage with additional music adds new dimensions to the enjoyment of this engaging tale - a romance, a comedy, a coming of age tale, a gentle feminist manifesto. We get to see Will struggle to become SHAKESPEARE,

Do not miss this theatrical delight. Through February 10th at the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA.

SpeakEasy Stage Website

Enjoy!

Al

Wellesley Repertory Theatre Presents ""The Liar" by David Ives - Alternative Facts From The 17th Century

"The Liar" by David Ives is adapted from a comedy by Pierre Corneille. "The Liar." To tell the truth, I had no idea what to expect when I made my way onto the beautiful bucolic campus of Wellesley College to see this French farce. I was soon to learn that this comedy, written in scalding  and scintillating iambic pentameter, would be a timely reminder that truth is a rare commodity, whether in the Tuileries Gardens of 17th century Paris or the Rose Garden of 1600 Pennsylvania of 2018.

Director Marta Rainer has put together a zestful cast who showed their mettle on the night I attended. Charles Linshaw, who normally plays Alcippe, was ill, and was ably replaced by Paul Michael Valley. Caitlin Graham, who plays the twin roles of Isabelle and Sabine, was taken ill during Act I, and was replaced by the assistent Stage Manager, the irrepressible Maggie Lees, who went on cold with script in hand, and carried the evening. Live theater! The show must go on; no lie!

Angela Bilkic as Lucrece
Ariela Nazar-Rosen as Clarice
"The Liar" by Pierre Corneille
Directed by Marta Rainer
Wellesley Repertory Theatre
Through February 4th

Dorante, a strong Dan Prior, is an inveterate liar, who has turned prevarication into an art form. The plot reminded me of Moliere meets Shakespeare comedy, with cases of mistaken identity and labyrinthine plot threads woven together to produce happy endings. He mistakenly woos Lucrece (Angela Bilkic) instead of her friend Clarice (Ariela Nazar-Rosen). Complications ensue. As  Cliton, Dorante's conscience and Jiminy Cricket, Sam Warton almost steals the show. His flexible comic face and sprightly physicality made this character come alive - from the opening welcome to the audience given in character and in verse. Danny Bolton as Philiste and John Kinsherf as Geronte, Dorante's long-suffering father, are also excellent in their roles.

Danny Bolton as Philiste
Dan Prior as Dorante
Sam Warton as Cliton
"The Liar" by Pierre Corneille
Directed by Marta Rainer
Wellesley Repertory Theatre
Through February 4th

I was among many audience members roaring with laughter throughout this play. A friend, upon hearing that the play was in verse, decided to pass on seeing it. What a mistake! If you think that a play in verse is boring, then you have fallen victim to fake news. The verse is handled deftly - both by the author and by these fine actors. Not only is it not an impediment; it is a delight. Truly!

Some performances are sold out, so get on the phone or on line and order your tickets now. You will not be sorry. And that is the Gospel truth.

WRT Website

Enjoy!

Al

New Rep Presents The Provocative "Unveiled" by Rohina Malik- Lifting The Veil of Ignorance and Islamophobia

Rohina Malik as Shabana, a South Asian rapper
"Unveiled" by Rohina Malik
New Rep
Through January 28th
Mosesian Arts Center
Photo by Andrew Brilliant/Brilliant Pictures

The theme for this season at New Rep is "Resilience." Within that theme is a series entitled "Statements of Survival." The current production running in the black box theater at the Mosesian Center for the Arts fits these themes to a T. The production is co-presented with Greater Boston Stage Company, which will host the play in February in their space in Stoneham Square.

Using as a launching pad her owned experiences as a Muslim woman wearing the hijab, Rohina Malik, has crafted a play consisting of five vignettes. Each of the five women soliloquize, sharing their reasons for wearing the veil - the hijab - and the thoughts, feelings, and experiences that go on behind their veil. The women are:

• Maryam, a Pakistani immigrant
• Noor,a Moroccan American, born and raised in Chicago
• Inez, an African-American convert or "revert" to Islam
• Shabana, a South Asian rapper
• Layla, a Palestinian immigrant

Rohina Malik
"Unveiled" by Rohina Malik
New Rep
Through January 28th
Mosesian Arts Center
Photo by Andrew Brilliant/Brilliant Pictures

What these five women share in common is their faith and their garb - and their love for tea or coffee. In all other aspects, they are individuals with their own stories, personalities, and ways of relating to the world that often fears them or rejects them.

Ms. Malik is powerful in her portrayal of these memorable women. One by one, their stories tear away shreds of the veil of ignorance and fear about Islam that many of us carry within us. We learn that Muslims are not a homogeneous horde hell bent on terror and destruction. We learn that some of them lost relatives and close friends in the towers on 9/11 - innocent victims. Using tea and coffee as a uniting theme, each of the women warmly welcomes the audience into her world. And each performance is followed by a talk back with the author/actor that features tea and cookies!

The result of this encounter is that each sentient audience member experiences the transformation of having veils lifted from his eyes or her heart - veils of ignorance, misunderstanding, and fear. A simple set by Jeffrey Petersen of gorgeous oriental rugs and a table with tea accouterments is all that Ms. Malik needs to take us on a magic carpet ride of discovery. Lighting is by Matthew Guminski. During key moments, the monologues are accompanied by a musician playing an oud, a Middle Eastern lute-like stringed instrument.

The play will be presented in Watertown through January 28th. You do not want to miss this special gift.

Enjoy!

Al

New Rep Website

ArtsEmerson Presents "Ada/Ava" by Chicago's Manual Cinema - Riding on the Wings of Unfettered Imagination

Before the weekend is over, make your way to Emerson's Paramount Center to see the astonishing  "Ada/Ava" by Chicago-based Manual Cinema, and presented by ArtsEmerson. There remain only four more chances to see this innovative and moving production - this evening, Saturday afternoon and evening, and Sunday afternoon.

The story is of spinster twin sisters who are keepers of a remote lighthouse. Ada and Ava are mirror images of one another, We see them changing the bulb for the lighthouse, playing chess, and sharing their lives. Then one of the twins dies, and the story becomes one of death and loss and adjustment. What makes this such a remarkable theatrical event is that the gifted artists of Manual Cinema tell the story without words, using a large screen that hangs from the proscenium onto which are projected shadow images - some from puppets, some from props, and some from live actors. Ada is portrayed by Julia Miller, Ava by Lizi Breit, with additional puppetry provided by Drew Dir, Sam Deutsch, and Sarah Fornace. The action is accompanied by live music and sound effects provided by Maren Celest,Ben Kauffman, and Alexander Ellsworth.

The production is Directed by Drew Dir, Score and Sound Design is by Kyle Vegter and Ben Kauffman, and Production Design is by Drew Dir, Sarah Fornace, and Julia Miller.

The overall effect is a fascinating combination of 17th century "lanterna magica" - the magic lantern - and Balinese shadow puppets - the "Wayang kulit."

Wayang Kulit - Shadow puppets

In his program notes, ArtsEmerson Artistic Director David Dower says that when the audience finishes watching this production, "You have been riding on the wings of unfettered imagination." He is so right, for it is the creativity, artistry, and imagination of this troupe, using simple and primitive tools, that allow us to suspend disbelief.And that allows us to attach real feeling to two dimensional shadowy images that magically transform into fully realized human beings in the photosynthesis that occurs in our souls. Such is the power of great art. Like the beam of light projected by Ada and Ava's lighthouse, illuminating dark and dangerous places, great art shines a light of warning and of hope. I hope that you will be drawn to the light the shines brightly this weekend emanating from the Paramount Center.

Enjoy!

Al

ArtsEmerson Website