Theater Review

NSMT’s ‘Rent’ Is Well Produced And Timely Entertainment

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The cast of “Rent” at North Shore Music Theatre. Photos by Paul Lyden

By Shelley A. Sackett

North Shore Music Theatre is tailor-made for musicals with its theatre-in-the-round, signature creative set designs and talented casts. With Rent, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning musical set in New York City’s East Village from 1989 to 1990, it manages to pay homage to a classic that defined an era while also spotlighting its relevance to today.

Jonathan Larson’s rock opera became a sort of psalm for the era when HIV/AIDS first appeared and quickly steamrolled into a full-blown cultural and health crisis. The musical follows a diverse group of struggling wannabe artists as they navigate love, death, pre-gentrified Alphabet City, and the roller coaster that is always one’s early 20s. Add sex, drugs, performance art and rock and roll to the recipe, and the pot bubbles up and froths over, like a chemistry lab experiment gone rogue.

Yet, all is not doom and gloom. Strength, connection and love see these folks through the dark times of marginalization, false narrative and sickness. These themes reflected reality 30 years ago, and, sadly, they resonate just as powerfully today.

Jeffrey D. Kmiec’s set conjures the gritty area of 11th Street and Avenue B. Metal scaffolding gives the actors platforms and the audience the feeling they, too, are up on a roof, clinging to its rungs for dear life. Simple props evoke a shabby warehouse loft apartment and later a CBGB-esque club, restaurant and others.

The musical spawned many hit songs that became anthems for the era, such as “Rent,” “Tango: Maureen,” “Seasons of Love,” “La Vie Bohème,” “Out Tonight,” and “Take Me or Leave Me.” All receive superior treatment from NSMT’s terrific orchestra (under Robert L. Rucinski’s direction) and a cast of great voices.

A brief primer is in order to make sense of the fast-paced and complex string of scenes and keep track of the huge roster of characters.

Aaron Alcaraz as Mark Cohen

The action opens on Christmas Eve. Two roommates, Mark (Aaron Alcaraz), a filmmaker, and Roger (Austin Turner), a rock musician, struggle to stay warm and keep the electricity going in their “apartment.” Their voice message machine brings the audience up to date. Their rent is not just due; their former roommate, Benny, their new landlord, is reneging on their oral agreement and demanding that, unless they pay last year’s rent in full, he will shut off their electricity and evict them. Mark’s mother leaves an edgy, passive-aggressive message from Mark’s hometown on Long Island.

We also learn in short order that: Mark’s girlfriend, Maureen (Cate Hayman, a knockout talent), dumped him; Roger contracted AIDS from his former girlfriend, who slit her wrists; and their friend, Tom Collins (Aaron Arnell Harrington, great vocals), a gay anarchist professor of computer-age philosophy at NYU, was just mugged outside their apartment.

Roger, a former “pretty boy front man,” longs to write one last, great song before his inevitable death.

Tom is rescued by Angel (Robert Garcia), a cross-dressing street drummer. It’s love at first sight, uncomplicated by the specter of AIDS since they are both already positive. Rounding out the scene are Mimi (gifted singer Didi Romero), Roger and Mark’s neighbor and an exotic dancer and drug addict, and Joanne (Kat Rodriguez, another excellent singer), Maureen’s new girlfriend and a lawyer.

All this within the first few minutes.

At this point, the plot thickens to a dense pea soup. Benny (former roomie, current landlord) shows up at Mark and Roger’s and tries to convince them that, his threats to evict them notwithstanding, he is actually a good guy. He’s trying to raise money from investors so he can buy the building and turn it into a cyber arts studio that will benefit them all. All they have to do is convince Maureen to call off her organized protest against his plans. If they do that, Benny promises, they can officially live as rent-free tenants.

Aaron Arnell Harrington (as Tom Collins) with Isaiah Rose Garcia (as Angel Dumott Schunard)

Roger and Mark refuse.

Mark heads over to the protest to help Maureen with the sound system. Instead, Joanne (the new girlfriend and lawyer) is there, mucking with the equipment. The two circle each other like territorial alpha dogs before uniting in their shared dislike of Maureen’s manipulative, promiscuous nature. They literally join forces in the harmonious and witty duet dance, “Tango: Maureen.”

Despite their non-commutable death sentences (this was the late 80s, early 90s when there was no such thing as hope or a cure for those with AIDS), these neighbors bond to support and help each other. They share from the heart at their weekly support group and talk freely about their dreams for the future. Collins (Harrington) plumbs his soul (and baritone vocal chops) in “Santa Fe,” where he imagines he and Angel opening a restaurant.

One of “Rent’s” strangest numbers is Maureen’s protest performance piece, “Over the Moon.” Hayman is riveting as she writhes, growls, howls and scats her way through the wild number that combines song, dance, poetry and punk. Even when just seated at a table or as a member of the chorus, Haywood would command attention, even if she wasn’t impossible to ignore due to her height. Her physicality and raw talent are magnetic.

Thanks to Larson’s robust score and narrative lyrics, the show doesn’t bog down despite its dramatic morass. “La Vie Bohème” celebrates the group’s love for their lifestyle and priorities while acknowledging its pitfalls and fallout. As Act I ends, Mark and Roger learn that their building has been padlocked, a riot has broken out and Roger and Mimi share their first kiss.

Act II begins with the full cast singing “Seasons of Love,” a reminder that no matter what happens, life is to be measured in love. The plotlines blur frequently, with the musical numbers throwing a lifeline of coherence and entertainment. Maureen and Joanne’s duet, “Take Me or Leave Me,” is hands down the show’s most impressive. Hayman (Maureen) and Rodrigues (Joannne) reach such a high pitch on every level, it’s hard to believe they don’t spontaneously combust. There is always one such number (when we’re lucky) in every musical, and in NSMT’s version of “Rent,” this is it.

The show is one of the longest-running shows on Broadway, closing in 2008 after a 12-year run. Even if you’ve seen the show several times, it’s time to do it again. Its 1990’s messages of perseverance in the face of adversity, community and connection in times of divisiveness, and protesting unfairness and cruelty couldn’t be more contemporary.

‘Rent’ — Book, Music and Lyrics by Jonathan Larson. Musical Arrangements by Steve Skinner. Direction and Choreography by Marcos Santana. Scenic Design by Jeffrey D. Kmiec; Costume Design by Rebecca Glick; Lighting Design by José Santiago; Sound Design by Alex Berg; Video Design by Beth Truax. Presented by North Shore Music Theatre through September 28.

For more information, visit https://www.nsmt.org/

Paul Melendy Soars in GBSC’s Fabulous ‘Featherbaby’

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Gabriel Graetz, Paul Melendy and Liv Dumaine in GBSC’s ‘Featherbaby’

By Shelley A. Sackett

There are not enough words of praise to describe Paul Melendy’s sublime performance as the insightful, unfiltered and outrageously funny trash-talking parrot, Featherbaby, in the eponymous play now running in its co-world premiere through September 28 at Greater Boston Stage Company in Stoneham. If you only see one production this entire season, this is the one that should be at the top of your list.

The set (Katy Monthei) alone is worth the price of admission. A pink wicker peacock chair sits high and center stage, an eye-catching focal point that will double as Featherbaby’s cage. Jigsaw pieces, rainforest motifs painted on cloth panels, strings of lights, and photographs of crime scenes foretell later plot elements, but before the curtain even goes up, all are indicative of the uniquely inventive theatrical event soon to begin. A simple desk and chair stage right and small table stage left bridge Featherbaby’s world and the two humans who will later share their stage.

The play opens with Melendy sashaying on the stage in full regalia. Thankfully, that does NOT include a stuffed-animal-like mascot costume of a green parrot. Rather, Deirdre Gerrard has captured the image of an Amazon parrot while allowing Melendy’s plasticene physicality to strut its stuff by creating an outfit of floral, formal dinner jacket, green vest and matching pants, and luminescent yellow satin shirt and tie. Melendy makes expert use of the long, wide double flaps in the jacket’s back as he manipulates his “tail” to great dramatic effect.

Melendy

“I am adorable,” Featherbaby announces. Melendy casts a magical spell as his facial expressions, neck twitching, and bird-like prancing transform him into a believable version of a bird. “I am also,” he says unnecessarily, “intense.”

Maniacally egotistical, Featherbaby also needs constant attention and will go to great lengths to make sure he is at its center. “I AM HERE!!!!!” is his favorite refrain, seconded only by “poop.”

Melendy goes on, with manic and jaw-dropping physicality, to describe the evolutionary history and modern-day life of the parrot. We learn that parrots are descendants of dinosaurs and that their primary purpose in the wild is as simple as it is singular: avoid getting eaten. We also learn a new vocabulary that includes “crunching” (biting) as in, “I feel a crunch coming on.”

He describes being bagged by poachers and transported from his rainforest Amazonian haven to a cage in America. Melendy is an indescribable delight to watch, as he vamps, pantomimes, and literally inhabits Featherbaby. He even ad-libs at one point, when he tosses Mason’s “heavily scented boxer shorts” into the audience, only to have them thrown back in his face.

“There’s only room for one cheeky parrot in this play,” he says with a menacing, eyebrow-raised sneer.

The loose-limbed plot involves Angie (Liv Dumaine), the unpredictable and effervescent human who saved Featherbaby from an unfortunate shelter, and Mason (Gabriel Graetz), a man she brings into her (and Featherbaby’s) life.

Angie is a working gal who has recently broken up with her former roommate and girlfriend. The parrot now provides her only companionship. As Angie, Dumaine is all hope and toothy smiles when she brings Mason, a fellow jigsaw puzzle fanatic, home for the first time. Featherbaby takes an instant dislike to Mason, and the hostility is returned. Parrots are terrifically territorial, and when Mason begins to threaten Featherbaby’s previously exclusive relationship with Angie, Featherbaby’s tail feathers become ruffled. He crunches Mason relentlessly, hoping to nip the connection in the bud. That tactic fails, and when Mason moves into the apartment, it is all-out war to win back Angie’s full attention.

Graetz, Melendy

Angie (not quite the nice girl she pretends to be) leaves Featherbaby with Mason (more of a marshmallow sap than he realizes) to resume a relationship with Catherine, her former girlfriend. The two abandoned and betrayed former Angie beloveds must figure out a way to coexist. Eventually, after months of humorous and poignant hits and misses, they strike a truce and end up the better for it.

Along the way, Featherbaby’s asides and narrations delve into deeper issues of friendship, loyalty, competition, respect, and the multifaceted nature of relationships in general and love in particular. Most important are the lessons he learns (and shares) involving acceptance, love and trust.

“Who ends up in our bones is not always our choice,” Featherbaby notes. “Sometimes the bones choose.”

“What excites me most about Featherbaby is that it manages to be both laugh-out-loud funny and deeply touching,” said Director and Producing Artistic Director Weylin Symes in the program notes. “It is a play that sneaks up on you. One moment you are doubled over with laughter, and the next you find yourself thinking about the ways we connect with each other, even in the most unlikely circumstances.”

That is certainly true, but what is even truer about this production of Featherbaby is that it firmly establishes Paul Melendy as a one-of-a-kind talent. I, for one, can’t wait to see him next in Lyric Stage’s A Sherlock Carol.

‘Featherbaby’ — Written by David Templeton. Directed by Weylin Symes. Scenic Design by Katy Monthei; Lighting Design by Matt Cost; Costume Design by Deirdre Gerrard; Sound Design by Mackenzie Adamick. 1 hour 45 minutes, one intermission. Presented by Greater Boston Stage Company at 395 Main St, Stoneham, MA, through September 28.

For more information, visit www.greaterbostonstage.org

‘My First Ex-Husband’ Spotlights Joy Behar And Divorce’s Light and Dark Sides

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THE VIEW – The View’s Season 28 Co-host photo shoot – Joy Behar. “The View” airs Monday-Friday, 11am-12noon, ET on ABC. (ABC/JEFF LIPSKY) JOY BEHAR

By Shelley A. Sackett

Joy Behar is familiar to fans of television’s ABC daytime talk show, “The View,” as the co-host with the comedic, acerbic wit. She won an Emmy Award in 2009 and is also known as a sharp-tongued, incisive stand-up comic.

With My First Ex-Husband, her fourth play that ran successfully off-Broadway and is now in production at The Huntington Calderwood through September 28, she will be known to Boston audiences as a playwright as well.

The idea came to her from her own divorce in the early 1980s. She and her girlfriends would get together and talk about their experiences. Wading through the painful, she also uncovered the humorous.

She decided (with permission, of course) to tape some of their conversations, eventually transforming them into a 90-minute Moth-like show of eight vignettes, read by a rotating cast of five, including Joy at select performances.

My advice: if you plan to see the show, make sure you are seeing it on a night when Behar is performing. The woman, at 82, is a pint-sized firecracker. As Rob Reiner’s mother ad-libbed in “When Harry Met Sally,” I’ll have what she’s been having. Her enthusiasm and energy are as contagious as it is a delight to witness. That she is 82 is both an inspiration and an aspiration.

The full cast of stars from theater, television, and film also includes Veanne Cox, Judy Gold, Jackie Hoffman, and Tonya Pinkins.

Jackie Hoffman. Photo: Huntington

The stage is set like ‘The View,” with four seats set in front of luscious red velvet curtains. “My First Ex-Husband” hangs over the stage, framed like a valentine. The microphone and reading stand host each reader in turn.

“Hello, Boston!” Behar calls as she walks onto the stage. The crowd last Sunday, clearly fans, greets her with adoring applause. “How many of you are divorced?” A sea of hands wave. She pauses with expert timing before following up with, “How many of you would like to be divorced?”

She begins by describing the state of divorce in the U.S. There has been an uptick in divorces of those over 50. “The only people under 50 getting married are gay people,” she jokes. Seriously, she continues, she was intrigued by this statistic. She started interviewing women about why they wanted to get divorced. “Women couldn’t wait to tell me their stories,” she says.

The men, not so much.

All the stories in My First Ex-Husband are true, she explains, adding that her next show will be titled My Next Ex-Husband.

Tonya Pinkins is first to the podium. A renowned theater actress, she is a three-time Tony nominee, winning the award in 1992 for her performance as Sweet Anita in Jelly’s Last Jam. The title of each monologue appears above the stage. Hers is “Where You At?” Her delivery is full-throated, emotive, and dramatic.

Next up is Vivien Cox, who has received a Special Drama Desk Award for “Excellence and Significant Contributions to the Theatre” and an Obie Award for “Sustained Excellence.” “Show me a man who loves a plump woman, and I’ll show you a foreigner,” she deadpans. “Walla Walla Bang Bang” features Judy Gold, a stand-up comedian, actor, author, TV writer, and activist who The New York Times dubbed, “an underappreciated gem of the New York comedy scene.”

Lanky, tall, bespeckled and with a head of bouncing blond curls, she is the opposite of Cox’s prim, proper and controlled persona. The personalities and presentations of each actress complement and complement each other visually, stylistically, and delivery-wise, keeping the staging from getting stale.

Gold’s story is about being dragged from her dream of an East Side high-rise in New York City to a farm in upstate New York by a husband whom, unsurprisingly, she later divorces.

Behar, however, is the most effective, her stand-up chops on full display. Each actress gets another bite at the apple, with a total of eight stories. Most are funny, all are unfiltered, and the audience leaves a little lighter than it arrived. Who, after all, can’t use a good laugh these days?

‘My First Ex-Husband’ — Play by Joyce Behar. Directed by Randal Myler. Presented by The Huntington Selects. Produced by Caiola Productions and Cyrena Esposito. At The Huntington Calderwood, 537 Tremont St., Boston, through September 28.

For more information, visit Huntingtontheatre.org

Broadway in Boston’s ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ Is A Raucous Good Time

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Cast of Broadway in Boston’s Mrs. Doubtfire’ Photos: Joan Marcus

By Shelley A. Sackett

Every family has that iconic favorite movie or television show that follows its members throughout childhood, adulthood and parent/grandparent-hood. For mine, it was (and is) “Mrs. Doubtfire,” the 1993 movie that has been with us from Blockbuster rental to VHS to DVD to stream-on-demand. So any live version of this holy grail was going to have a very high bar.

Thankfully, Broadway in Boston and Work Light Production’s musical version of the Broadway hit at the Emerson Colonial Theatre manages to hurdle over that bar more often than knock it over.

Thanks to (some) stand-out acting, strong vocals and lyrics that move the narrative along and give insight into the characters, Mrs. Doubtfire is easy to recommend to even the most die-hard Robin Williams/Harvey Fierstein/Sally Field/Pierce Brosnan fans.

When it falls down, however, it crashes. The choreography drags just often enough and the set designs feel flimsy and lazy (mostly painted backdrop screens). The biggest transgression is Mrs. Doubtfire’s mask, which looks like a combination of Lurch’s waxy forehead and a cross between Howdy Doody’s and Hannibal Lecter’s jaw. Heartbreakingly distracting, it is a constant reminder of why the original film remains safely inimitable.

Nonetheless, the production was fun and fast-paced. The story, for the uninitiated, revolves around Daniel’s efforts to maintain contact with his three kids after a messy divorce from his wife, Miranda. An out-of-work freelance voice actor, Daniel is a loving and devoted father to his three children: 14-year-old Lydia (a show-stopping Alanis Sophia), 12-year-old Chris (Theodore Lowenstein on Wednesday evening), and five-year-old Natalie (Ava Rose Doty). However, his hardworking wife Miranda considers him immature and unreliable.

After quitting a gig following a disagreement over a morally questionable script, Daniel throws Chris a chaotic birthday party, despite Miranda’s objections due to Chris’s poor grades. In the ensuing argument, Miranda says that she wants a divorce. Due to Daniel’s unemployed and homeless status, Miranda is granted sole custody of the children, with Daniel having visitation rights every Saturday; shared custody is contingent on Daniel finding a steady job and suitable residence within the next three months.

In the meantime, he will be under the watchful eye of Wanda Sellner (a marvelous Kennedy V. Jackson), his court-appointed social worker.

He rents a shabby apartment and takes a part-time job as a janitor at a television station. After learning that Miranda seeks a housekeeper, Daniel secretly calls her using his voice acting skills to pose as various undesirable applicants before calling as “Euphegenia Doubtfire,” an elderly Scottish nanny with strong credentials. Impressed, Miranda invites Mrs. Doubtfire for an interview. Daniel’s brother, Frank, a makeup artist, and Frank’s husband, André, help Daniel appear as an old lady through the use of makeup and prosthetics. (Enter the unfortunate mask…)

Credit: Johan Persson

As Mrs. Doubtfire, Daniel excels at parenting, becoming the kind of father he couldn’t be before. The comedy ensues as he attempts to balance his life as Daniel and as Mrs. Doubtfire, particularly when he is on the cusp of landing a terrific new job as the creator/star of a children’s television show and Miranda’s new boyfriend, Stuart Dunmire, becomes a threat as a potential father figure.

We are introduced to Daniel (an enjoyably manic Craig Allen Smith) in the opening number, “That’s Daniel,” where his Peter Pan, slapstick, playful qualities are on full display. “You think you’re being amusing, but you’re just annoying,” his director tells him moments before firing him. The entire cast, and especially wife Miranda (Melissa Campbell, a terrific singer) wholeheartedly agree.

The makeover scenes are hilarious and DeVon Wycovia Buchanan, as André, is a real scene stealer. Having Frank (Brian Kalinowski) yell every time he lies is a cute conceit at first, but ends up hamstringing the actor and turning his character into more of a cardboard, two-dimensional role.

“Easy Peasy,” featuring Mrs. Doubtfire and the entire ensemble, is one of the musical’s most enjoyable. A chorus of tapdancing chefs (Kristin Angelina Henry is a standout) help the lyrical narrative move along, and the famous vacuuming scene (“I’m Rockin’ Now”) will please even the pickiest Robin Williams fan. As Daniel/Mrs. Doubtfire takes his parenting seriously and bonds with his kids in more mature and parental ways, their interactions take on a poignancy that even transcends the distraction of his mood-disrupting mask.

As the plot moves along, it also thickens. Act II brings Daniel’s unmasking (alas, figuratively only) when Chris discovers him peeing standing up. Although Daniel tries to reason with Lydia and Chris (Natalie is left out of the loop), they see it from a different angle. “You get to see your kids,” Lydia complains, “but we don’t get to see our dad. We just see a character.”

Act II also boasts some of the show’s best musical numbers. “Playing with Fire” has the chorus dressed as dancing Mrs. Doubtfires and “Let Go” spotlights Campbell’s (Miranda) enormous vocal talent. The spectacularly entertaining  “He Lied to Me” features Kristin Angelina Henry, who milks every ounce out of her portrayal of a cuckolded flamenco dancer.

Credit: Johan Persson

The mayhem culminates in a Marx-Brother scene when Daniel is scheduled to appear in the same restaurant as both Mrs. Doubtfire (Miranda’s birthday dinner) and himself (a job interview with Janet Lundy, television executive). He miraculously pulls off this scam thanks to bathroom help by Frank and André, but eventually the cat escapes its bag and everyone is in on the ruse.

The play concludes happily enough, but avoids tying too neat a bow. The best musical number of the show, “Just Pretend,” features Daniel (Smith) and Lydia (Sophia) in a dazzling duet that highlights Sophia’s singing chops. At the end of the day, the message is touching and real: “Even when you’ve lost your way,” Daniel sings to his daughter, “love will lead you home.”

‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ Music and Lyrics by Wayne and Karey Kirkpatrick. Book by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell. Based on the Twentieth Century Studios Motion Picture. Arrangements and Orchestrations by Ethan Popp. Tour Direction by Steve Edlund. Tour Choreography by Michaeljon Slinger; Original Choreography by Lorin Latarro; Original Direction by Jerry Zaks. Scenic Design by David Korins; Costume Design by Catherine Zuber; Lighting Design by Philip S. Rosenberg; Sound Design by Keith Caggiano. Presented by Broadway in Boston and Work Lights Productions at the Emerson Colonial Theatre through Sept. 21.

For more information, visit https://boston.broadway.com/

A.R.T.’s Ephemeral ‘Passengers’ Awes with Acrobatics, Music and Dance

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Cast of ‘Passengers’ by The 7 Fingers (Les 7 Doigts) at A.R.T.

By Shelley A. Sackett

Train travel has always evoked a magical aura of nostalgia and romanticism, an opportunity to slow down, observe and contemplate while suspended between past and future, between here and there. American Repertory Theater’s production of Passengers, a contemporary circus performance that combines acrobatics, dance, music and a gossamer thread of dramatic narrative, makes a case that train travel (as a metaphor for life) is all about the journey, not the destination.

For 90 intermission-less minutes, 10 extraordinarily talented acrobats and circus performers (the cast of Montreal-based circus company, The 7 Fingers) use aerial straps, juggling, contortion, hand-to-hand balancing, hoops, pole climbing and aerial silk hammocks to elicit “oohs,” “aahs” and applause from an audience spellbound by the troupe’s physical strength and artistry. Equally dazzling is the show’s crystal clear sound system and arresting 16-song soundtrack of folk, jazz, Latin hip-hop, electronic trance and soulful chamber music. A simple but elegant set uses luggage racks and molded chairs as both acrobatic props and scene creators. Stunning lighting and effective, pleasing projections are icing on the cake.

As Artistic Director Diane Paulus explains in her program notes, the A.R.T. Engagement team develops the Essential Question to catalyze conversation. For Passengers, those questions are: In what ways does life happen while in transit? Is the journey truly more important than the destination?

Passengers’ strength lies in its ability to conjure feeling rather than thought. It is long on the sensual — from visual to auditory to emotional — but short on narrative and nuance.

The show begins with the performers arranging the chairs into train seats. They breathe in waves, creating the illusion of a train’s wheels as a cello and piano reach a velvety crescendo (“Prologue”). Like a mash-up of Pilobolus and a three-ring circus, the performers break off into couples and triads. The effect is spellbinding and its episodic pace and focus set the tone for the rest of the evening.

Amanda Orozco. Photo by Sébastien Lozé

Next is the upbeat, swinging “Train Is Coming,” featuring Méliejade Tremblay-Bouchard and her amazing hula hoops. “Sabine’s Departure” features a gorgeous cello and the extraordinary Amanda Orozco, who dazzles and mesmerizes with her white silk parachute aerial skills. There is playful, captivating egg juggling (Santiago Rivera Laugerud), fearless high-flying leaping (Marie-Christine Fournier) and a stunning number that ends with a couple entwined on the floor.

The most whimsical story-lined number has a passenger (Isabella Diaz) somberly waiting for and boarding the train, nervous about the future, sad to leave the past, or a little of both. Once aboard, she unleashes her power to freeze frame time and the other passengers with it. She plays with them lightheartedly, repositioning them and gesturing with expressive, elegant hands, before unfreezing them. Her movements are a delight, as balletic as they are spunky and charming.

Most amazing of all is the fact that these performers work without nets, their safety dependent on teamwork and trust. In addition to inviting us to ponder the passage of time, Passengers also forces us to look our own (and the performers’) mortality squarely in the eye.

The show finishes as it began, with the performers seated in a semi-circle. There is no definitive arrival or resolution, but somehow these passengers seem more connected, more intimate. They (and we) have shared something, even if that something lacks narrative cohesion or clarity.

At the end of the day, Passengers is a valentine to physical strength, flexibility and the extraordinary grace inherent in the human body. If you are in the mood to be entertained by a smaller, gentler, more abstract but no less breathtaking Cirque de Soleil, then Passengers may be right up your alley. If, however, you prefer your live theatrical entertainment to have more plot and clearly definable characters than physical stunts and “acts,” then Passengers may not fit your bill.

Photo by Grace Gershenfeld

Whether Passengers is theater or contemporary circus (and whether that matters) is an important conversation for another time. Clearly, A.R.T., by opening its 2025/2026 season with the show, believes it belongs on its revered stage.

Colin Gagné; Lyrics by Colin Gagné and Shana Carrol; Scenic Design by Ana Cappelluto; Costume Design by Camille Thibault-Bédard; Lighting Design by Éric Champoux; Projection Design by Johnny Ranger; Sound Design by Colin Gagné and Jérôme Guilleaume. Presented by American Repertory Theater at Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Cambridge, through Sept. 26.

For more information, visit americanrepertorytheater.org/

‘Grease’ Is The Word at NSMT’s Knock-Out Production

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Caroline Siegrist and Nick Cortazzo in “Grease” at North Shore Music Theatre. Photos by Paul Lyden.

By Shelley A. Sackett

If you think you’ve seen enough disappointing summer theater productions of the iconic film starring the incomparable John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John in their impossible-to-replicate roles (as I frankly did), think again and high-tail it to North Shore Musical Theatre’s rip-roaring, talent-laden, thoroughly enjoyable rendition of this phoenix of a musical.

For a little over two hours (one intermission), director and choreographer Kevin P. Hill, music director Milton Granger, and a superlative cast that includes the always pleasurable-to-behold Kathy St. George, create a Grease so fresh and vibrant that it’s hard to believe it’s based on a 1978 film that is based on a 1972 play.

The plot is as simple as an Archie and Veronica comic book.

During the summer of 1958, greaser Danny Zuko and straight-laced Sandy Olsen fall in love at the beach. As Sandy prepares to return home, she worries that she’ll never see Danny again, but he comforts her that the summer is “only the beginning” for them.

On the first day of his senior year at Rydell High School, Danny reconnects with the members of his greaser gang the T-Birds: Sonny, Putzie, Doody, and his best friend Kenickie. Sandy arrives at Rydell and is introduced to the girls’ gang, The Pink Ladies—Marty, Jan and leader Betty Rizzo—by mutual friend Frenchy. At lunch with their segregated social posses, Danny and Sandy each separately describe their summer. Sandy is unaware of Danny’s alternate T-Bird persona until she mentions his name, which the Pink Ladies recognize. Rizzo’s back goes up, her feathers obviously ruffled in a way that does not bode well for our virginal heroine.

Itching to kick the hornet’s nest, Rizzo gets the Pink Ladies to surprise Sandy by reuniting her with Danny at a school event. The two are blindsided. Sandy is thrilled and reaches out, expecting the tender, lovestruck Danny she last saw on the beach. Danny, buckling under the peer pressure of being a calm, cool and callous T-Bird, makes fun of her to maintain his tough image.

Hank Santos (Kenickie), Jeremiah Garcia (Roger), Nick Cortazzo (Danny Zuko),Jayson Brown (Doody)

The rest of the musical follows the antics of these teenagers as they navigate raging hormones and high school mores against an ever-shifting canvas of adventures and romances. The burning issue, however, is simple — can Danny and Sandy ever reclaim the innocent passion they shared when out of the spotlight of peer scrutiny and pressure to conform?

Thanks to high-energy song and dance numbers and a stellar production team, our star-crossed lovers’ potentially boilerplate journey from point A to point B and back again is anything but. As always, NSMT has many tricks up its sleeve, making expert use of its theater-in-the-round. This time, the guest star is an actual car that ambles onto stage (Kinicke’s red wannabe babe magnet, “Greased Lightning”) not once but twice. Rebecca Glick’s clever, creative costumes (“Beauty School Dropout” is a knockout for many reasons, one of them being the chorus’s costumes) are visual bonbons, and Jack Mehler’s scenic design is simply dazzling.

But the real stars of the show are the actors. Unusual in a cast this large, on which there are incessant singing and dancing demands, there is truly not a weak link in the bunch.

Lily Kaufmann (Frenchy), Caroline Siegrist (Sandy Dumbrowski), Sunayna Smith (Jan), Brittany Zeinstra (Marty), and Bailey Reese Greemon (Betty Rizzo)

As Sandy, Caroline Siegrist holds her own against inevitable comparisons to the late Newton-John. Her rendition of “Hopelessly Devoted to You” breathes new life into the legendary number. Bailey Reese Greemon lends Rizzo a sadness and resignation that is more nuanced than Stockard Channing’s signature portrayal (and can she sing and dance!). Brittany Zeinstra (Marty) is fabulous, especially in “Freddy, My Love,” and Jeremiah Garcia (Roger) is over the moon in “Mooning.” Nick Cortazzo (Danny) and Jayson Brown (Doody) are also noteworthy.

It is Avionce Hoyles, however, who brings down the house as Teen Angel in “Beauty School Dropout,” leaving the audience wishing the number would never end. And then there is the always riveting Kathy St. George (Miss Lynch), never more divine than when she so clearly is having a cheeky good time in a role she seems to be born to play.

Avionce Hoyles (Teen Angel) with Lily Kaufmann (Frenchy) and the cast

While the show is certainly raw entertainment, chock-full of ear and eye candy, there is a layer of introspection below its surface. The moral themes of identity, fitting in, and balancing self-worth, self-doubt and societal expectations are as relevant today as they were in 1972. Then again, in these dark times of relentless stress, turmoil and immorality, why not let go of the need to peel the onion for deeper meaning and just kick back and enjoy the show!

Grease – Book, Music, and Lyrics by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey.Kevin P. Hill (Director & Choreographer), Milton Granger (Music Director), Jack Mehler (Scenic & Lighting Design), Alex Berg (Sound Design), Rachel Padula-Shuflet (Wig & Hair Design), Rebecca Glick (Costume Coordinator), Alaina Mills (Associate Director & Choreographer). Presented by North Shore Music Theatre at 54 Dunham Rd., Beverly, MA, through August 24, 2025  

For more information, go to nsmt.org

GSC’s Timely ‘No Child…’ Lauds Teachers And Showcases An A+ Solo Performance

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Valyn Lyric Turner in “No Child …” at Gloucester Stage Company. Photos by Jason Grow Photography

By Shelley A. Sackett

Playwright Nilaja Sun’s conventional tribute to the trials and tribulations of our unsung heroes who day after day teach the toughest kids at their toughest ages (high school) in the toughest neighborhoods is must-see theater for one reason— the luminous performance by its solo star, Valyn Lyric Turner.

Playing no fewer than a dozen roles, Turner is a whirling dervish of talent, her physicality and vitality hoisting the play from a ho-hum trope to a true tour de force.

The lights go up on Cristina Todesco’s deceptively simple set as a traditional version of “The Sun’s Gonna Shine in My Back Door Someday” sets the mood. Written as a song of hope during times of fear in 1901 by African-American Methodist minister Charles Albert Tindley, himself the son of slaves and a janitor, preacher and pastor, it serves as the show’s anthem and bookends the opening and closing scenes.

Jackson Baron Copeford, a janitor at Malcolm X High School, introduces himself as the story’s narrator. Setting the scene for the arrival of Ms. Sun, the protagonist, Baron mentions the school is situated in the poorest congressional district in the U.S., in the Bronx, where metal detectors and academically challenged youth share the space equally.

Before class, Ms. Sun, a struggling actor, has a conversation with her landlord about her late rent. She is about to teach a six-week workshop on Our Country’s Good, a play-within-a-play about convicts putting on the play The Recruiting Officer. Ms. Tam, a newly appointed and ineffectual teacher, introduces Ms. Sun to her English class of foul-mouthed, rowdy Grade 10 students.

The lessons begin. Ms. Sun earnestly sets out to teach her students to use theatrical techniques, like Method acting and vocal projection, to bring out the play’s themes. She is committed to getting these kids to relate to the script and open up about their lives. As she looks at the bars on the windows and reflects on her choice of a play, however, she wonders if maybe she didn’t choose something a little too close to home for comfort.

Janitor Baron, who functions as a Greek chorus of one, reflects on being the first black janitor at the school, and the long history he and it have shared through the political turmoil of the U.S., from the pristine institution that it once was to the neglected structure it has become.

Ms. Sun’s class is full of stereotypes, each of which Turner, under Pascale Florestal’s pitch-perfect, razor-sharp direction, embodies and delineates with the subtlest, most effective nuance. Giving each different vocal intonations and just a single physical trait (hair twirling, crotch-hugging slouch, scowl, dimpled solicitous smile), she makes us see clearly every colorful character: the leader Jerome, the flamboyant Shondrika, the nervous Chris, the doomed José.

For 75 intermission-less minutes, we ride shotgun as Ms. Sun perseveres against all odds to stage a successful production that transforms her and her students’ lives. Along the way, the audience is hit with vital, repetitive messages. Teaching is the world’s hardest and most important profession. Students will rise and fall based on the predetermined assessment and expectation of their instructors. The educational system is stacked against the have-nots that society has deemed throwaway and incapable of ever rising above their predestined station.

Yet, notwithstanding its polemical transparency, Sun’s sentimental and humorous dialogue and Turner’s performance (under Florestal’s direction) transform the one-woman show into an emotionally satisfying theatrical event. Turner is simply transfixing as she seamlessly melts from one character to the next, sometimes seemingly mid-sentence. A stand-out on every Boston stage she has graced, this is a showcase role she was born to play.

The show ends on an upbeat note and a glimmer of hope. Committed, skilled teachers who, despite the cards stacked against them and their students, care enough to sacrifice and invest actually can influence another’s life. Hard work pays off and the self-esteem it engenders is a true game changer. A little financial boost and a lot of faith and compassion can go a long way to opening the door of limitless options and mutual satisfaction.

In an epilogue that details the mostly rosy futures ahead of this class of 10th graders and their teachers, Janitor Baron leaves us with the mantra, “The times they are a-changin’.” In these days of defunded public education and callous, cruel policymakers intent on widening the gulf between the haves and have-nots, it’s hard to hang onto the belief that those changes are for the better and not the worse.

Highly recommended for Turner’s not-to-be-missed performance.

‘No Child…’ — Written by Nilaja Sun. Directed by Pascale Florestal. Scenic Design by Cristina Todesco; Costume Design by Chelsea Kerl; Lighting Design by Amanda Fallon; Sound Design by Jacques Matellus. Presented by Gloucester Stage Company, 267 East Main St., Gloucester through August 23.

For more information, visit gloucesterstage.com/

In Company One’s ‘The Meeting Tree,’ Family Legacy Confronts Memory To Reshape The Future

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Sarah Elizabeth Bedard and Anjie Parker in Company One’s ‘The Meeting Tree’.
Photos by Annielly-Camargo

By Shelley A. Sackett

B. Elle Borders’ The Meeting Tree (her first play) is a bold and effective new work that portrays the story of six generations of women and their interconnected lives as a backdrop for her exploration of bigger ticket issues. For 75 intermission-less minutes, she keeps the audience engrossed with her skillful storytelling that combines a tale of complex, emotionally deep characters with thought-provoking questions that prompt reflection about family history, the legacy of slavery in the United States, and the power of personal connection to overcome history.

In polarized times, Borders seems to ask, is redemption and healing possible? And if it is, at what price?

The world-premiere production, produced by Company One in partnership with Front Porch Arts Collective and nine community partners, is fittingly staged at the storied Strand Theatre, itself a century-old cornerstone of Dorchester. It opened in 1918 on the same day as the Armistice ended World War I and, after renovations, the faded grande dame still struts her stuff with art deco details, a majestic stage and elegant bones.

An allegorical narrative based on Borders’ grandmother’s memories of a childhood friendship, The Meeting Tree opens with the arrival of Sofia (Anjie Parker) at the Alabama farm where her ancestors were once slaves and where her own grandmother, Dixie (the talented Beyoncé Martinez) was raised by her grandmother, Katherine “Kitty” Montclair (Jacqui Parker, in a stunning, stand-out performance).

Sofia, who is pregnant, in her 30s, and Black, reverently carries her grandmother Dixie’s ashes into the Alabama cabin where her family had lived as slaves. She talks to herself via conversations with the urn. We learn that she has returned to her ancestral roots to claim the rights to the land she believes is hers.

She arranges a meeting with Alison (a thoroughly believable Sarah Elizabeth Bedard), her white counterpart in the story. Also in her 30s, Alison inherited the farm from her grandmother, descended from the family of Sofia’s ancestral enslavers. The farm is now “brown and dead,” a far cry from what it was in its heyday when the two women’s great-great-grandmothers forged a friendship that crossed more than interracial boundaries.

Beyoncé Martinez and Rachel Hall
 

Sofia believes there is a will that promised the house and land to her family. “This is my ancestral home. And your people tried to keep it from us, but no more. Not one generation will go without what is owed,” she defiantly announces. Alison, of course, is buying none of it.

At the heart of their story (and the “meeting place” of the title) is a pecan tree, which separated the slave quarters, where Sofia’s grandmother was raised, from the “big” house, where Alison’s grandmother had lived. Giant and looming on the spare but effective stage (scenic design by Cristina Todesco), the tree is the main character and Svengali of the play, magically opening a keyhole through which Alison’s grandmother, Tessie (a terrific Rachel Hall), and Sofia’s grandmother, Dixie, melded in a color-blind friendship that provided as much sustenance for the isolated girls as the pecans did when baked in Dixie’s renowned pies and sold to help them make ends meet.

The tree also has spiritual powers and holds a secret agenda set in motion by the girls’ great-great-grandfather, Percy Baptiste Montclair, Sr.

If all this ancestral tree information sounds dizzying, it is. Fortunately, the play’s program is a rich source of context and information and helpfully includes a family tree for reference.

Sofia has come to Alabama as a second-in-her-class graduate of Yale Law School, hellbent on following her grandmother’s directive to reclaim what was left to her by the patriarch, Percy. Alison, whose liberal street cred numbers graduating from Auburn University and self-description as “liberal enough,” couldn’t be more dumbstruck. After a rocky start and a grand reveal, the two eventually join forces in pursuit of “the truth.”

The enchantment of Borders’ play is the way she effortlessly traverses time and storylines to somehow create a seamless multi-generational tale. (She is aided by Todesco’s set, which credibly takes us from the porch of the “big house” to a one-room shack to the statuesque pecan tree, with its majesty and power.)

She also time-travels, from the 1930s, when Tessie and Dixie first meet as 9-year-olds, to their teen and adult years into the 1940s and ultimately to 2020, where the play finds them. The actresses who portray them on this journey (under director Summer L. Williams’ sharp but compassionate direction) are captivating in their individual roles and coalesce into a powerful ensemble.

Beyoncé Martinez and Jacqui Parker

The highlights are the scenes between the 9-year-olds and several stand-out performances. As Tessie, Hall is a high-spirited delight, her accent like just the right dose of honey, her physicality infusing her with colt-like playfulness. Dixie (Martinez) plays hard to get at first, but ultimately Tessie’s charm and persistence melt her defensive shell and the two vow to take care of each other when they get old. “Where there’s me, there’s you. Where there’s you, there’s me,” they promise.

And, with those innocent words from babes, Borders unleashes a motherlode of tacit yet reverberating undercurrents. Who teaches hate to those who haven’t lived and don’t know the history of that hate? Why would anyone want this innate, colorblind acceptance to be drummed out of people?

As if on cue to answer those queries, Tessie’s grandmother, Elizabeth “Grande-mere” Montclair (Alex Alexander), emerges onto the porch, commanding Tessie to never see Dixie again (which is pretty hard to do, since they live next door and both frequent the pecan tree). Dixie’s grandmother, Kitty, has a softer heart and keener emotional intelligence, and she recognizes the power and potential the girls’ bond represents. Plus, with the most subtle phrasing and tilt of the head, Kitty lets us know she also takes great pleasure in doing her part to stick and twist the knife in wherever Grande-mere’s heart should reside.

In due time, the girls move on and the grandmothers pass away, but not before Kitty tells Dixie the entire story of her legacy and stolen inheritance. It is this story (and the pecan tree) that links Sofia and Alison and offers a possibility of a different future for them.

Preserving the past while imagining and reshaping the future is a prodigious goal. While Borders’ play is not flawless (Sofia delivers a few polemical speeches and a plot wrinkle has Alison traveling at bends-inducing speed between threatening to call the police on Sofia and aiding and abetting her own disinheritance) and the sound system uneven, these minor glitches do not diminish its importance as a work of art and centerpiece for promoting discussion and reflection.

At what point, Borders asks, do subsequent generations have a responsibility to both let go of shame and blame and honor the past? Company One is certainly doing its part with the production of The Meeting Tree. As the program notes state, its goal is “to amplify the essential need to face our uncomfortable, shared American histories — to build common ground, foster solidarity, and cultivate restorative practices for a vibrant, more just future.”

Highly recommended.

‘The Meeting Tree’ — Written by B. Elle Borders. Directed by Summer L. Williams. Dramaturgy by afrikah selah and Ilana M. Brownstein. Scenic Design by Cristina Todesco; Costume Design by Amanda Mujica; Lighting Design by Elmer Martinez; Sound Design by Aubrey Dube. Presented by Company One Theatre in partnership with Front Porch Arts Collective and the City of Boston’s Office of Arts and Culture. At Strand Theatre, Boston through Aug. 9. All tickets are pay-what-you-want.

For more information, visit https://companyone.org/

CSC’s ‘As You Like It’ Breathes Fresh Air into the Bard’s Timeless Tale

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Cast of CSC’s ‘As You Like It’. Photos by Nile Scott Studios

By Shelley A. Sackett

Boston is a garden of many earthly delights, but none more eagerly awaited and appreciated than Commonwealth Shakespeare Company’s Free Shakespeare on the Common that, for 29 years, has invited people to lay down a blanket, bring a picnic dinner, and enjoy top-notch theater on Boston Common under a starry crescent-mooned sky.

Founding Artistic Director Steven Maler shares in the program notes that he chose As You Like It (which he also directs with surgical precision) because it is one of his favorite Shakespeare comedies. Based on the audience reaction last Wednesday, he may have added many new members to the play’s fan club.

Believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in 1623, As You Like It is the Bard at his most engaging — witty, silly and just plain fun. There is something to sate most palates, from political upheavals to love in various forms to a spritely forest bohemian refuge to mistaken identities and disguises. Yet, beneath the surface is a message that rings timely and (hopefully) true — even in the darkest times, the brightest light at the end of the tunnel is the flame of connection and resilience.

The play bears Shakespeare’s trademark of complex storylines, tangentially related characters, flowery language and one unparalleled speech (in this case, the one that begins, “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players…”)

Joshua Olumide (Oliver), Maurice Emmanuel Parent (Duke Senior), and Cleveland Nicoll

Although billed as a comedy, the action opens on a dark note. Duke Frederick has banished his brother and rightful ruler, Duke Senior (both played by a plausible Maurice Emmanuel Parent), usurping a throne not rightfully his. Duke Senior has taken refuge in the Forest of Arden, and his daughter, Rosalind (a magnificent Nora Eschenheimer), has been allowed to remain in the court, mostly to keep her cousin, Celia (a charmingly bubbly Clara Hevia), company.

Enter into the court Orlando de Boys (Michael Underhill, an amalgam of James Dean, Marlon Brando and John Travolta). Orlando’s cruel older brother, Oliver (Joshua Olumide), has denied him the inheritance left to him by their recently deceased father. Looking for intervention from Duke Frederick, he instead literally steps into the court’s rink, forced to enter a wrestling match. He quickly dispatches the court champion, giving Orlando a chance to flash much muscle and toothiness. Rosalind, who witnesses the match, is thunderstruck with love at first sight.

Director Maler struts his stuff early on with this scene. Riw Rakkulchon’s set of sometimes clumsy (for the actors) scaffolding and metal fences echoes the depravity of the evil duke and his lackies. (It also brings to mind front-page headlines of the horrors immigrant detainees encounter in 2025 detention camps.) Drum beats and metallic rhythms (sound by Aubrey Dube) heighten the scene’s tension and primal flavor.

But when Orlando and Rosalind lock eyes, time stands still, and we are suddenly transported by Shakespeare’s rom-com mastery.

Nora Eschenheimer (Rosalind) and Michael Underhill (Orlando)

The plot thickens when Orlando discovers Oliver is planning to kill him, fleeing to the Forest of Arden with his aged servant Adam (Brooks Reeves). Meanwhile, Frederick banishes Rosalind, accusing her of being a traitor. She and Celia decide to disguise themselves (Rosalind as a lad, Ganymede, and Celia as his sister, Aliena), take the droll and clownish Touchstone (a scene-stealing John Kuntz), and head — you guessed it — to the Forest of Arden.

The forest is a melting pot of characters. There is the banished duke and his band of loyal followers (Paul Michael Valley brings a gravitas and grace to his standout performance as the moody, contemplative Jacques and Remo Airaldi is a delight as Corin, bringing a Jonathan Winters-like humanity and accessibility to his role). They meet and interact with local farmers and town folk, including a shepherd (Cleveland Nicoll as the patient Silvius) in love with haughty shepherdess Phebe (Stephanie Burden, either miscast, misdirected, or both). And, of course, there is our newest band of merry refugees.

As stark and dark as the court set is with its chain link fence and threatening graffiti, the Forest of Arden is its opposite. Painted panels reminiscent of Henri Rousseau’s finest work brighten the stage, and musical interludes by Amiens (a terrific Jared Troilo) and guitarist Peter DiMaggio (who wrote the arrangements) add a light touch. The costumes (Miranda Giurleo) breathe a dream-like air into the scenes, but as we are constantly reminded, this exile is no dream.

The true stars and focus of the forest scenes, however, are Rosalind as Ganymede and Orlando. Orlando hangs love poems to Rosalind all over the forest and Rosalind (as Ganymede) befriends him, offering to let him practice on him/her so that when he finally meets Rosalind in the flesh, he will know how to woo her. The chemistry between the two is critical to keeping the ruse from becoming tedious, and Eschenheimer and Underhill have chemistry and talent to spare. Eschenheimer in particular is a spritely delight as she pretends to be a man pretending to be a woman.

John Kuntz and Remo Airaldi

Other standouts include Valley, who brings a particular poignance and freshness to the familiar “All the world’s a stage…” speech, and Kuntz, as the harlequin-clad Touchstone.

After a number of plot twists and turns (including a lion attack, sibling reconciliation, and love connections and triangles), all ends well with marriages, revealed identities and renounced usurpations. Maler’s thoughtful, playful direction, a stellar cast, and a fun yet thought-provoking script make for yet another fabulous summer production from the beloved and reliable Commonwealth Shakespeare Company.

‘As You Like It’ — Written by William Shakespeare. Directed by Steven Maler. Scenic Design by Riw Rakkulchon; Costume Design by Miranda Giurleo; Lighting Design by Eric Southern; Sound Design by Aubrey Dube. Presented by Commonwealth Shakespeare Production on Boston Common through August 10.For more information, visit https://commshakes.org/production/asyoulikeit25/

A Peek Behind The Backstage Curtain in Hub Theatre Co.’s Funny, Poignant ‘The Understudy’

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Kevin Paquette, Lauren Elias, and Cristhian Mancias-Garcia in Hub Theatre’s ‘The Understudy’

By Shelley A. Sackett

Playwright Theresa Rebeck’s smart, funny, snarky The Understudy takes us straight into the belly of the beast known as “Broadway Theater.” (Rebeck also penned the smash TV series, “Smash.”) Set backstage during an understudy rehearsal for The Castle, a fictitious long-lost play by Franz Kafka, the three-hander starts with a five-screen surround projection of close-ups of a Clint Eastwood-esque guy’s stubbled face. He mugs and does a macho muscled vamp, screaming “Get in the truck!” menacingly. Eventually, the film’s title (“Trucknado”) blazes across the screen as a booming voice warns, “Stay low or drive high.”

A gunshot is next. Harry (Kevin Paquette) runs onto the stage, waving a gun around, looking over his shoulder, and wildly pointing it haphazardly at members of the audience. “Oh, it’s not real. For heaven’s sake,” he says, setting the tone for the next 100 minutes as the actors (and audience) straddle lines between the ridiculous and the believable, nonsense and common sense, the real and the surreal.

As it happens, Harry (plump in an adorable way, unkempt and shaggy-haired) had auditioned for that movie role and lost out to Jake (Cristhian Mancias-Garcia), now famous as an action hero owing to the film’s box office success ($90 million the first weekend). Although he claims he’s not bitter, Harry is as acidic as it gets. “He’s talent-free,” he snarls, pointing at Jake’s frozen screen image. Yet, he explains, Jake’s lack of acting ability is exactly what the part (and financial backers) demanded.

“What is reality? You have to ask yourself. I ask myself that all the time. I mean, when HE gets to be the REAL ONE, I think we’re all allowed a little moment of private rage or …the occasional fantasy with a gun,” he adds ruefully.

To rub cosmic salt in Harry’s wound, he has been cast, of course, as Jake’s understudy in The Castle, a role for which Harry had also auditioned. Jake, second fiddle to Bruce (the bankable lead star), is also an understudy — for Bruce. Stage manager Roxanne (Lauren Elias) will run this rehearsal because, with the show up and running, the director has moved on. This is, after all, merely a rehearsal for two understudies, mandated by insurance and not worth the time of anyone of real value.

Oh, and by the way, Harry left Roxanne at the altar six years ago, and the two have not seen each other until this moment. Thinking no one wanted to hire him because his name was Harry, Harry had changed his name to Robert Merrill.

Blindsided, Roxanne wails, “What can the universe be trying to teach me by having you show up?”

An unseen but ever-present fourth character, Laura, mans the lights and sounds from a pot-infused booth, her stoned antics providing initial laughs but ultimately wearing thin.

The rest of the play (under veteran Boston icon Paula Plum’s crisp, expert direction), however, flows beautifully, the three actors a perfectly cast ensemble and individually spot on in timing and nuance.

Rebeck’s conceit — that an existentially traumatizing, two-handed, three-hour Kafka play could be a hit on Broadway if it starred two movie box office draws — is the perfect platform from which she launches comedy and drama. There are hysterically satirical scenes counterbalanced with meaty discussions about Kafka, the brutality of a theatrical system that prizes looks and money over talent and integrity, and the uphill battle women must wage to keep a toe in the door. Snippets of the imaginary The Castle that Rebeck has penned showcase her dazzling insight and dramaturgical chops.

The three characters reveal a lot as they slog their way through a rehearsal for something that will never happen (Kafka-esque enough?). Roxanne, it turns out, is quite a good actor (as is Harry), but has had to transition to non-acting jobs (as has Harry) to stay in the theatrical arena that she won’t live without. She is tightly strung but very good at what she does, namely, shouldering all the responsibility to keep things moving while sacrificing the recognition reserved for actors and directors.

Jake, too, has a few surprises up his sleeve. He actually is a skilled actor, his talent untapped (and undisplayed) in his film. He is smart and articulate, and has done a deep dive into all things Kafka. He genuinely longs to prove his acting worth and is convinced that mouthing his ersatz idol’s words on stage will do just that.

Harry, a victim of a system that prizes assets he lacks, is a multi-faceted mash-up of hope, anger, bewilderment, tenderness, and talent. He is also hopelessly inept romantically. Yet, he manages to tug at our heartstrings (and Roxanne’s), emerging as endearingly (though exasperatingly) huggable as a teddy bear.

Peyton Tavares’ simple but effective design (three-wheeled screens mounted with sconces, a few chairs, a table) is enough to set the stage, especially when coupled with Justin Lahue’s projections. There are some nice, more serious moments, as the bromance between Jake and Harry blossoms and they sit and talk about their craft. There are also some lighthearted, behind-the-scenes scenes, such as the one where Harry and Jake turn their flashlights into light sabers, becoming two kids playing “Star Wars.”

We learn by the end of The Understudy that these three really are cut from the same cloth and that fate has dealt them the same hand. Despite its brutality, theater is the only flame that will ever draw them in, even at the risk of getting their wings a little singed.

‘The Understudy’ — written by Theresa Rebeck. Directed by Paula Plum. Scenic Design by Peyton Tavares; Projections Design by Justin Lahue; Sound Design by Gage Baker; Lighting Design by Emily Bearce. Presented by Hub Theatre Company of Boston at Club Café, 209 Columbus Ave., Boston, through August 2.

For more information, go to http://www.hubtheatreboston.org/