★★★★★ Audra McDonald brilliantly brings to life a masterful examination of bigotry and violence by a 91-year-old Broadway novice
Kimberly Akimbo: The Sweet Musical Treat We Need Right Now
★★★★★ David Lindsay-Abaire and Jeanine Tesori transform a quirky black comedy into a tuneful affirmation of life and difference
From Boston: Chekhov’s Cherry Orchard in High-Tech Makeover
★★★☆☆ Ukrainian artist Igor Golyak plays fast and loose with a classic text, to intriguing if mixed results (with Baryshnikov)
From Boston: Joe Turner’s Back, Powerful As Ever
★★★★☆ The renovated Huntington reopens with a full-blooded, full-voiced revival of an August Wilson classic
From Boston: Sing Street Soars
★★★★★ The power of music to empower, powers a rousing theatrical experience
From Maine: Mr. Holland’s Opus Hits Some Clinkers
★★☆☆☆ A cinematic salute to an inspiring teacher is musicalized into something less than inspiring
From Massachusetts: Celebrate Everything Passing By, With Sondheim
★★★★★ Broadway veterans demonstrate stardom’s power to make a Sondheim gem glitter ever more brightly
From Maine: The Nutty Professor, Transformed From Wild To Mild
★★★☆☆ Jerry Lewis’s classic 1963 farce, pleasantly musicalized, has its (buck) teeth pulled
From Massachusetts: Most Happy In Concert, Most Dispiriting In Execution
★☆☆☆☆ A glum expressionistic concert does a classic Frank Loesser score, and the audience, no favors
From Massachusetts: Barrington Bounces Back with Warhol & Waller
A provocative new play, and a grand musical revival, prove that the Pittsfield-based Barrington Stage is alive and well