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Boston Globe
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Better late than never, ‘Blues for an Alabama Sky' gets a poignant production at R.I.'s Trinity Rep
Get Globe Rhode Island Food Club A weekly newsletter about food and dining in Rhode Island, by Globe Rhode Island reporter Alexa Gagosz. Enter Email Sign Up ' Advertisement Best friends Angel Allen (Cloteal L. Horne), a struggling nightclub singer with a temper, and Guy Jacobs (Taavon Gamble), a promising costume designer and self-described 'notorious homosexual,' dream of a glamorous future but they can barely eke out a living in the local jazz clubs. Their across-the-hall neighbor Delia Patterson (Meagan Dilworth), a timid but driven woman, and a local doctor Sam Thomas (Dereks Thomas), who's is a bit of a rapscallion, are trying to bring a much-needed family planning clinic to the neighborhood, but are getting significant pushback. When an intense young man fresh from Alabama, named Leland Cunningham (Quinn West), catches Angel's eye and is brought into the fold of this tight-knit group, well, we know from the get-go that this will not end well for anyone. He is the very personification of all the dangers that are lurking around the corner. Advertisement One of the many things that is so intriguing about this Trinity Rep production is that there are no perceivable corners in Michael McGarty's scenic design. There are no walls to define the two meticulously decorated and well-appointed brownstone apartments, just a black backdrop and clever lighting design by Erica Lauren Maholmes. Deco lamps and hanging art, including a portrait of famous performer Josephine Baker in her prime, are suspended in air. There are no doors to separate the apartments, just black frames topped with stained glass. And the large streetlamps that surround the building can be seen clearly through all the open space. This setting has two distinctive effects on this production. For one, the characters are always exposed and, as such, seem particularly vulnerable. This is something that the veteran cast picks up on in their portrayals. Horne lets us see the small cracks in Angel's cold survivor's demeanor. Gamble deftly reveals the fatal flaws in Guy's blind determination. Delia's gumption gives way to layers of insecurity in Dilworth's hands. And Thomas bares the tenderness behind Sam's practiced, party-guy persona. Even West's Leland has his soft spots. Advertisement McGarty's scenic design also adds a blatant theatricality to this production. When coupled with Amber Voner's striking period costumes and wig design, and the slow jazz and passing streetcars heard during scene transitions, courtesy of Larry D. Fowler Jr.'s sound design, it complements the undercurrent of melodrama in Cleage's brilliant script. Under Davis's direction, everything is slightly heightened, immediately engaging, and always interesting. It took a while to arrive, but this production of 'Blues for an Alabama Sky' was worth waiting for. BLUES FOR AN ALABAMA SKY Play by Pearl Cleage. Directed by Jackie Davis. At Trinity Rep's Dowling Theater, 201 Washington St., Providence. Through June 29. Tickets are $24-$90. 401-351-4242, Bob Abelman is an award-winning theater critic who formerly wrote for the Austin Chronicle. Connect with him .
Boston Globe
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Tina Fey and Kelli O'Hara honored at Trinity Rep's Pell Awards for lifetime achievement in the arts
Advertisement Several of the speakers and other guests at the event, which raised nearly $400,000 for Trinity Rep's artistic, education, and community engagement programming, shared how programs funded by the Get Globe Rhode Island Food Club A weekly newsletter about food and dining in Rhode Island, by Globe Rhode Island reporter Alexa Gagosz. Enter Email Sign Up 'I am concerned that the arts will be an afterthought as opposed to being one of the most important things we can do,' said actor and Rhode Island resident Related : Advertisement Longtime Trinity Rep supporter Bank of America recently made a $3 million commitment to the theater company, which was announced during the gala. The gift includes $2.75 million to support the Curt Columbus, Trinity Rep's artistic director, said, 'When you live in a country that is undergoing the kind of repression that we're seeing, the arts are more necessary than they have ever been.' Providence lawyer Arlene Violet, who once served as the state's attorney general, said she wanted to attend Tuesday night's gala to show her support for the arts in general, and more specifically, Trinity Rep. 'Places like Trinity Rep will continue to educate the heart, souls, and consciences of theatergoers,' she said. 'And without question, the arts are under attack. I think the president is trying to While accepting her award, Fey told those in attendance that she started her career directing children's theater in her hometown in Pennsylvania. 'We really served our community,' she said. Fey was critical of Trump, making jokes about him and his administration and pretending she was receiving repeated news alerts on her phone: 'The White House has declared Juneteenth canceled – we're just going back to Shark Week.' 'RFK Jr. says hurricanes likely caused by vaccines; we will have a hurricane cure by the weekend.' 'They just keep coming. Breaking news: All new music must emphasize beats one and three. Any syncopated rhythm will be considered DEI.' 'Also, the Russians have a Trump/Musk tape.' 'OK, the Trump/Musk tape has been debunked.' Fey ended her 'news flash' jokes with a clear crowd favorite: 'Trump just ate a Tide pod. It's going to be OK. His doctor said he ate it better than anyone had ever eaten a Tide pod, and the chemicals in it may cause him to live forever,' a joke that elicited prolonged laughter from the audience. Advertisement Fey, 55, who wore a pale pink pantsuit and white crew-neck shirt, was introduced by Kate Liberman, Trinity Rep's executive director, who shared a video message sent by Fey's friend, collaborator, and fellow 'Saturday Night Live' alum Amy Poehler, who joked that everyone at the event should look under their seats because one has the keys to a new car, courtesy of Fey. The 'Mean Girls' creator said she has worked in 'difficult eras' before, including performing on 'Saturday Night Live' just three weeks after the September 11, 2001, attacks. 'There was a time that we thought 'oh, maybe we can never do comedy again. Maybe it's not appropriate for us to ever laugh again' and it turned out that really, all it took was Will Ferrell in an American flag Speedo to be able to unite the country,' she joked. 'People love to ask me, 'Is it OK to be writing comedy right now?' And I say not only can we, we must,' Fey said. 'Humor is a vehicle for delivering truth. Humor is what will keep us tethered to our sanity through these dark times.' Related : Two-time Tony winner Judith Ivey, a longtime friend and mentor of O'Hara's, introduced her by singing a clever and amusing reworked version of 'Maria' from 'The Sound of Music,' that was all about O'Hara. Wearing a floor-length, spaghetti-strap forest green-hued floral dress, O'Hara said she was honored to receive the award, and promised those in attendance that she will do everything in her power 'to continue to make the world better through the arts' – even if it's just making someone's life 'a little better each time I sing a song or say something that I mean from my heart.' Advertisement 'I'll receive this tonight with such gratitude and such humility because I am determined to be worthy of it for the rest of my life,' said O'Hara, 49, who is touring the country with fellow Tony Award-winning actor Sutton Foster in full symphony concerts, including a O'Hara, who won a Tony Award in 2015 for best actress in a musical for her performance in a revival of 'The King and I,' shared with the audience that while growing up in a small town in Western Oklahoma, she and her family benefited from Trinity Rep established the Pell Awards in 1997 to honor artists whose careers exemplify the values of the late US Senator Claiborne Pell, a staunch champion of the arts and one of the principal founders of the National Endowment for the Arts. O'Hara and Fey join a long list of distinguished performers who have received the award, including last year's recipient,
Boston Globe
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Richard and Sharon Jenkins, other familiar faces to return to Trinity Rep to direct in 2025-26 season
'Directors like Richard and Sharon Jenkins, Amanda Dehnert, and Ben Steinfeld have a long history with our company, but their work hasn't been on our stages for a while,' Columbus said in a Richard and Sharon Jenkins will be the creative minds behind 'A Christmas Carol,' when it returns for its 49th year this holiday season. Steinfeld will direct a production of 'The Winter's Tale,' by Related : The lineup, which includes several other productions 'promises to inspire, engage, and connect us all, while returning us to the roots of what makes Trinity Rep's brand of theater-making so uniquely captivating,' Executive Director Katie Liberman said in a press release announcing the forthcoming Get Globe Rhode Island Food Club A weekly newsletter about food and dining in Rhode Island, by Globe Rhode Island reporter Alexa Gagosz. Enter Email Sign Up 'Each story explores themes of connection, hope, and forgiveness, narratives that resonate deeply with the world we live in today,' Liberman said. Advertisement According to Trinity Rep, due to Related : Here is the schedule for the upcoming season: 'Cold War Choir Practice:' Written by recent Brown University graduate Ro Reddick and directed by 'Brown/Trinity Rep alumna' Aileen Wen McGroddy, 'Cold War Choir Practice' will have its world premiere when it takes the stage in Providence. 'A dark comedic thriller, the new play follows a Black family's unexpected foray into cults, espionage, the Cold War, and choir practice as they deal with family tensions,' the company says. The show runs Sept. 4 through Oct. 5. Advertisement 'A Christmas Carol:' Emmy Award-winner, Academy Award-nominee, and former Trinity Rep Artistic Director Richard Jenkins will co-direct the Charles Dickens classic this year, alongside acclaimed choreographer Sharon Jenkins. The show runs Nov. 6 through Dec. 31. 'The Roommate' and 'The Winter's Tale:' According to Trinity Rep, for the first quarter of 2026, a 'contemporary play and a classic work will run in a rotating repertory.' The first is 'The Roommate' by Jen Silverman. Directed by Columbus, the play is described as 'a one-act comedy about second acts in life.' The other is Shakespeare's 'The Winter's Tale,' directed by Steinfeld. The two productions run in 'Primary Trust:' Directed by resident company member Tatyana-Marie Carlo, this Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Eboni Booth is 'a hilarious, heartwarming story about an isolated man who finds connection outside his comfort zone,' according to Trinity Rep. The show runs from April 9 through May 10, 2026. 'Next to Normal:' With a book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey and music by Tom Kitt, the Tony Award-winning rock musical 'explores a suburban housewife's struggle with bipolar disorder, her loved ones' journey in learning to see each other for who they truly are, and discovering what it means to be family,' according to Trinity Rep, which said Dehnert, a former associate artistic director at Trinity, will return for the first time in over 20 years to direct. The show runs from May 28 through June 28, 2026. Advertisement Christopher Gavin can be reached at
Boston Globe
06-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Portraits of Iraq War veterans makes ‘Someone Will Remember Us' unforgettable
Get Globe Rhode Island Food Club A weekly newsletter about food and dining in Rhode Island, by Globe Rhode Island reporter Alexa Gagosz. Enter Email Sign Up This world premiere production at Trinity Rep has been created in the same spirit as the company's 2006 production of Michelle Cruz's 'Boots on the Ground,' which told the true, poignant stories of Rhode Islanders deployed in Iraq. That play was crafted from interviews with nearly 70 soldiers and their families, medical workers, journalists, ministers, and other Americans caught up in the war. Advertisement 'Someone Will Remember Us' — with creative input from Cruz and The telling of these stories is treated with the kid gloves they deserve by director Christopher Windom, who carefully sidesteps the unfortunate tendency of documentary dramas to be too heavy-handed in their earnestness, too political in their underlying intentions, or overly dramatic in their staging. Advertisement In comparison, 'Someone Will Remember Us' whispers. This production allows the poignancy of the words, which are directly addressed to the audience, to do the heavy lifting. The scenic design by Tanya Orellana is simple — a seating area in an airport terminal with metal benches and sliding glass panels surrounded by raised illuminated signage that specifies a time and place as the play progresses. Costumes by Shahrzad Mazaheri, lighting by Emma Deane, and sound by Peter Sasha Hurowitz all serve to complement the dialogue, and do little to draw attention away from the eight-person ensemble, many of whom play multiple roles with the effective assistance of Sade Namei's dialect coaching. Resident company members Stephen Thorne and Rachael Warren, along with Allison Jones, Ashley Aldarondo, Jihan Haddad, Dereks Thomas, Josephine Moshiri Elwood, and Jade Ziane are remarkably authentic in their portrayals. So much so that, at the end of the opening night performance, they — particularly Aldarondo and Jones, who portrayed fellow Marines and close friends of Charette — were as moved by their own performances as an audience comprised largely of show creators, fellow actors, and families of those represented in the play. The only time this production turned the least political was upon the post-show announcement that SOMEONE WILL REMEMBER US Play by Deborah Salem Smith and Charlie Thurston. Directed by Christopher Windom. At Trinity Rep's Dowling Theater, 201 Washington St., Providence, R.I. Through Feb. 23. Tickets are $24-$90. 401-351-4242, Advertisement Bob Abelman is an award-winning theater critic who formerly wrote for the Austin Chronicle. Connect with him .
