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Acting! Genius!
What to see while the big companies are sleeping
By JENNA SCHERER
del.ico.us
reddit!
The season of sun sees the students pile out of town (thank god), but unfortunately it also has theaters across the city emptying out like the gallows after they've cut down the body. I've always wondered what theater artists do during the off-season ... I suspect the answer is "wait tables," or "turn tricks" or "cry."
Still, the summer isn't completely devoid of stagey fun. '08 offers the usual new play fests, outdoor productions and freaky fringe shows. You'll make it through.
Shut Up! Slow Down! I Can Handle This!
I'm not sure which tickles me more—the notion of a National Theatre taking up residence in my little ghetto, or the fact that this night of one-acts looks to be much more than your usual pensive-around-the-dinner-table fare. Three new plays from Artistic Director Wesley Savick and a couple of his Suffolk U protégées feature dancing robots, a metaphysical trip to Baghdad and a showdown between a fire-breathing dragon and a soused king. Sign me up.
[Through 5.24, Wed.-Sat. 8pm. Sun. 4pm. National Theatre of Allston at the Boston Playwright's Theatre, 949 Comm. Ave., Boston. 617.353.5443. $10. bu.edu/bpt]
Impossible Things
Hailing from Lynn (switchblades away, S.V.P.), Imaginary Beasts is one of those rare companies that can call itself "innovative" and actually mean it. They're all about the avant-garde and the physical, and they're not even pretentious about it. Like many of their productions, Impossible Things is a world premiere by Matthew Woods and his ensemble. It's Lewis Carroll's Wonderland through the eyes of more obscure characters, like the White Rabbit's maid. Who, y'know, cleans up the droppings.
[6.5-6.14. Thu. 7:30pm, Fri. 8pm, Sat 3pm&8pm, Sun 3pm. Imaginary Beasts at Boston Center for the Arts, 539 Tremont St., South End, Boston. 617.426.5000. $17.75. bcaonline.org]
Essential Self-Defense
As local companies go, the Gurnet definitely wins the youth vote. Their recent Boston shows, This is Our Youth and Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead, were all about teens fucking up and liking it. Essential Self-Defense, the recent effort of playwright-cum-indie-kid Adam Rapp, is about a lonely dude who signs on as an attack dummy for a women's self-defense class. Apparently there are some disappearing children as well.
[6.13-6.28. Wed.–Fri. 8pm, Sat. 3pm&8pm, Sun. 3pm. Gurnet Theatre Project at the Boston Center for the Arts, 539 Tremont St., South End, Boston. 617.426.5000. $18-$25. bcaonline.org]
What the Butler Saw
British playwright Joe Orton's career was cut short in 1967 when his lover beat him to death with a hammer. Tough times. What the Butler Saw premiered two years later, to an audience so scandalized they actually started shouting, "Filth!" By today's standards the play ain't that raunchy—but it's still sexy, mod, farcey fun. Best of all, W.H.A.T.'s production stars Max Wright ... otherwise known as the dad from ALF. Willie?!?!
[6.19-7.12. Wed.–Fri. 8pm, Sat. 3:30pm. Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater, 1 Kendrick Ave., Wellfleet. 508.349.9428. $32. what.org]
Gods, Monsters, and the Other
The new play festival is a staple of any urban summer, and Fort Point Theatre Channel is jumping on the bandwagon. Deviance is the common thread that runs through these six works, most receiving world premieres from the community-lovin' Fort Point-based company. Topics include climate change, necrophilia, family dysfunction and—of course—love slaves. All of this supposedly has something to do with Buddhism and the quest for perfection; but let's take it one step at a time, shall we?
[6.27-6.28. Fri.–Sat., 8pm. Fort Point Theatre Channel at Midway Studios. 15 Channel Center St., Boston. 617.750.8900. $15. fortpointtheatrechannel.org]
The Seagull and Hay Fever
If you must see a play during the warmer months, it might as well be outdoors. Who wants to sit in a dark theater when there are, like, fireflies and stuff outside, right? The normally Shakespeare-happy Publick skips past the Bard this year to bring us Chekov and Noel Coward—per usual, under the starry sky. Coward's aren't-cocktail-parties-the-best-ever romp Hay Fever is par for the course. The bigger deal is a spankin'-new translation of The Seagull by Publick Artistic Director Diego Arciniegas.
[7.9-9.7 (The Seagull) and 7.30-9.14 (Hay Fever). Publick Theatre, 1175A Soldiers Field Rd., Brighton. 617.454.1001. publicktheatre.com]
As You Like It
Commonwealth's productions are hands down the most well-attended plays in Boston for two big reasons. A) It's free, and B) You could end up accidentally watching the show whilst lighting up a doob on a park bench in the Common. Shakespeare's tale of mistaken identity and cross-dressing in the Forest of Arden is perfect for the summer. My advice—don't bring your dog. Dogs don't appreciate Elizabethan comedy like you'd think they would. And don't ever, ever smoke weed. Ever.
[7.18-8.3. Fri.–Sat. 8pm. Sun. 7pm. Commonwealth Shakespeare Company in the Boston Common. 617.482.9393. citicenter.org]
