Greater Boston Stage Company Enchants With "The Irish And How They Got That Way" - Through March 25th

Sure and begorrah, 'tis a fine way to be spendin' an evenin' bein' enchanted by "The Irish And How They Got That Way" now running at The Boston Stage Company in Stoneham. Make your way to Stoneham Square between now  and March 25th to soak up the atmosphere of this celebration of Irish heritage in America.

Noted Irish American author Frank McCourt has put together this revue that combines stories and Irish music that goes back to traditional ballads from the Old Sod all the way to a familiar tune by U2 and Bono.

Director Dawn M. Simmons has assembled a very talented sextet of actors/musicians who not only regale us with tales and quips, but play instruments to accompany their singing. William Gardiner, Nile Hawver, Michael Levesque, Kirsten Salpini, Nicole Vander Laan, and Ceit Zweil each have their moments to shine individually, but it was their ensemble singing that I found most moving, especially with such songs as "Erie Canal," Danny Boy," and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For."

Michael Levesque, Nicole Vander Laan, Kirsten Salpini, William Gardiner*, and Ceit Zweil*
"The Irish And How They Got That Way"
by Frank McCourt
Greater Boston Stage Company
Through March 25th

Scenic Design is by Shelley Barish, Costumes by Brittany Rolfs, Lighting by Karen Perlow, Sound Design by John Stone.

Sitting behind me were a couple whom I surmise may have been of Irish heritage, for they quietly sang along with some of the old ballads. One need not be Irish to be entertained and beguiled by this revue. This afternoon's matinee was a sellout, so I would not hesitate to book your tickets now.

William Gardiner*, Ceit Zweil*, Nile Hawver*, Michael Levesque, Kirsten Salpini, and Nicole Vander Laan"The Irish And How They Got That Way"
by Frank McCourt
Greater Boston Stage Company
Through March 25th

Greater Boston Stage Website

Enjoy! Erin Go Bragh

Al



by Frank McCourt
Original musical arrangements by Rusty Magee
Additional musical arrangements by Kirsten Salpini
The Irish And How They Got That Way is presented by special arrangement withThe Irish Repertory Theatre Company, Inc. 
Directed by Dawn M. Simmons
Music Direction by Kirsten Salpini

SpeakEasy Stage Company Presents "Every Brilliant Thing" by Duncan MacMillan - Featuring The Amazing Adrianne Krstansky

Every time I have seen Adrianne Krstansky on stage, I have marveled at the multi-faceted talents she brings to her craft and her art. In the deeply immersive, audience-participation One Act play that is "Every Brilliant Things," she leads us on a journey that is both sobering and inspiring. She portrays a woman whose mother was bipolar and suicidal. We get to hear about how a 7 year-old girl feels when she learns that her mother has been hospitalized because she can find no more reasons to live. And we follow her journey through college, courtship, early adulthood, her own bouts with depression, the dissolution of her marriage to Sam, and the eventual death by suicide of her mother. The thread that ties everything together, and that enlists audience members, is a list of "Brilliant Things" that the little girl began to accumulate when she was 7. #1: Ice Cream!

The list was her attempt to nudge her depressed mother into a place of positivity. That tactic did not work for her mother, but it provided the girl growing into womanhood with a lifeline of hope and affirmation of all the reasons she had to be alive. Playwright Duncan MacMillan, along with Jonny Donahue, developed this play from a short story he had written. Under the Direction of Marianna Bassham, Ms. Krstansky is a master story teller, careening around the corners of the Roberts Studio at the Calderwood Pavilion, engaging with audience members, weaving them into the saga and having them shout out items from the list of Brilliant Things.

Adrianne Krstansky
"Every Brilliant Thing"
by Duncan MacMillan with Jonny Donahoe
SpeakEasy Stage Company
Calderwood Pavilion
Through March 31st
Photo by Maggie Hall Photography

While frankly dealing with issues of mental illness, depression and suicide, this invigorating evening of theater is life-affirming in some very creative ways. Music plays an important role in remembering important milestones with her mother, father, Sam, and other key figures in her life. Scenic and Lighting Design is by Eric Levenson, Costume Design by Amanda Ostrow Mason, Sound Design by Abby Shenker.

Adrianne Krstansky
"Every Brilliant Thing"
by Duncan MacMillan with Jonny Donahoe
SpeakEasy Stage Company
Calderwood Pavilion
Through March 31st
Photo by Maggie Hall Photography

Audience members were encouraged to write Post-it notes at the end of the play to express their own personal "Brilliant Thing." This was mine: "That feeling sitting in the theatre when the lights dim and the orchestra strikes up the opening chords of a familiar Overture."

The play runs through March 31st.

SpeakEasy Stage Website

Enjoy!

Al