Non-Registered Critics: Paul Hodgins
She Loves Me
Kudos to Ivers for bringing a Golden Age musical to SCR and producing it faithfully, without any dark postmodern twists or tortured “reimagining” of time and place. “She Loves Me” is a masterwork in its own way, and it succeeds just fine without being remolded into something that it was never meant to be.
M. Butterfly
Desdemona Chiang directs a beautiful looking if occasionally dry production, anchored by two solid performances: Lucas Verbrugghe as the hapless Frenchman, Rene Gallimard, and Jake Manabat as his paramour, Song Liling.
Skylight
Its issues resonate in enticing new ways, and this production is a reminder that it’s a durable work worthy of reviving – maybe not a masterpiece, but a great vehicle for two performers who can convey the magnetism and frustrations of a powerful attraction between opposites.
The Other Place
The Chance continues to excel at bringing small yet intense and influential plays to local audiences. If you’re a fan of that brand of theater, mark “The Other Place” as a must-see.
Hamilton
Wednesday’s show pulverized any doubts anyone in the audience might have had about “Hamilton’s” unique strengths. But what’s really remarkable about this show is that it succeeds not by satisfying musical theater’s age-old conventions, but by defying many of them.