Theater/Film Reviews
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Safe House
There's a fascinating work on the boards at the Rep Studio for the next two weeks. "Safe House", by Keith Josef Adkins, takes place in pre-Civil War Kentucky. Adkins discovered that his mother's family were free people of color, to use the old legal term, in that area, and started from there. The Pedigrews, two
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Imagining Madoff
"Imagining Madoff" is the current offering from The New Jewish Theatre. In retrospect, the first word of the title is probably more important than the second. We all remember Bernie Madoff, the Ponzi schemer who wounded a long list of prestigious individuals and institutions with his deceit. Deb Margolin's play appears to be almost completely
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Into The Woods
Not for small children. Other than that, the movie version of Steven Sondheim's musical is eminently commendable. It begins with the standard Disney opening with their trademark fairy tale castle, the modern equivalent of MGM's roaring lion – and quickly transitions into a Disney-sized fairy tale mash-up. And that's not meant in any pejorative sense
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The Great American Trailer Park Christmas Musical
Tired of the same old holiday songs already? Have we got a number for you. "The Great American Trailer Park Christmas Musical" doesn't have a single standard (song, that is – although one could expand on that line) in it. But in particular, there's one that makes "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer" look
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Pippin
Pippin ain't, apparently, what it used to be. A near-warhorse with amateur theatricals has been revived in the proper sense of the word, given new life, and the Tony-award winning Best Revival of a Musical version settles in briefly at the Peabody Opera House. Feeling like a dazzling version of Cirque de Soleil mated with
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Ring of Fire
"Ring of Fire" is the holiday offering from the Repertory Theatre this year. While it's easy to understand why they're tired of Ralphie and the Cratchits and all of Whoville, their choice of a tribute to Johnny Cash is something of a surprise. This is not a play; there's really very little dialogue. The story
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Blithe Spirit
Am I the only one who remembers when young people wanted to be seen as grown up and smooth and sophisticated? There may be no better examples of it on the stage than the plays of Noel Coward. Coward's dialogue is crisp and snappy, with only an occasional languid pause, probably to wait for laughs
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Reality
And so Hot City Theatre closes out its existence. A loss to the arts community of our area, to be sure, but they're closing with a bang, or at least a smart shot across the bow. "Reality" by Lia Romeo is, yes, about reality tv. (What a treasure trove of potential stories that's will prove
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Stairs to the Roof
Hie thee to the Boo Cat Club. Carrie Houk, artistic director of Sudden View Productions, has brought us a rarely-produced play of the very young Tennessee Williams, on the very stage where his work was probably first put on the boards. "Stairs to the Roof" is clearly an early work, romantic and dreamy and with
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Rembrandt’s Gift
"The willing suspension of disbelief" is a phrase still tossed around once in a while as an impediment to enjoying art, or even just entertainment. It's nonsense, of course, but sometimes you still hear it with plays like "Rembrandt's Gift". Tina Howe, a playwright who writes on the border of absurdism, is often great fun